"Baka!" Yamamoto Naryuu was caught off guard by Ye Bufan's sudden appearance. Ishitsuka Kosuke reacted the fastest, swinging his whisk towards Ye Bufan.
With the Broken Sword in hand, Ye Bufan made a single gesture, severing all of Ishitsuka Kosuke's whisk. The long strands of the whisk floated in the air like falling catkins.
"Kill him quickly!" Yamamoto Naryuu retreated, and only then did the people behind him react to what was happening.
"Die!" Ai Feihuan arrived, unleashing a palm strike at the nearest thug, who instantly stopped breathing.
"I'll take care of that side," the ninja said to Ishitsuka Kosuke, then charged towards Ai Feihuan. However, he felt a tremor of fear when he saw the group of martial artists rapidly approaching Ai Feihuan from behind.
"Baka! Mr. Yamamoto, hurry and go! They came prepared," the ninja warned Yamamoto Naryuu.
Yamamoto Naryuu stumbled and fled towards the space behind him. Ye Bufan glanced back and sneered, "Trying to escape? Not so easy."
Ye Bufan moved his feet, appearing beside Yamamoto Naryuu. At the same time, Ishitsuka Kosuke also materialized next to Ye Bufan.
"You're my opponent," Ishitsuka Kosuke said grimly. "Foolish martial artist, you shouldn't have underestimated me."
Ishitsuka Kosuke handed the wooden box to Yamamoto Naryuu. Ye Bufan, unhurried, said, "It doesn't matter. None of you will escape anyway."
"Hmph!" Ishitsuka Kosuke found Ye Bufan extremely arrogant and sent his whisk flying towards him.
"I forgot to tell you, I'm not a martial artist."
Ye Bufan unleashed his Sword Domain. Within this space, the Broken Sword vibrated with a hum. With each vibration, it unleashed sword qi that flew rapidly towards Ishitsuka Kosuke.
Ishitsuka Kosuke's whisk spun like helicopter blades, creating an invisible vortex that eroded Ye Bufan's sword qi.
Ye Bufan let out a cold chuckle. In an instant, his sword qi caused the whisk to explode, and a long silver needle shot out from the handle.
*Clang!*
The Broken Sword blocked the silver needle, and the needle was repelled back by the sword's vibration.
"Baka!"
Ishitsuka Kosuke was instantly shocked. He leaped from the ground. Without a word, Ye Bufan sent all his sword qi raining down, pressing Ishitsuka Kosuke downwards, making him fall flat on his face.
"You're also a cultivator!" Ishitsuka Kosuke looked at Ye Bufan in disbelief. In that instant, the Broken Sword had silently pierced his heart.
"Still want to escape?" Ye Bufan moved his finger slightly, and the Broken Sword flew in front of Yamamoto Naryuu, blocking his path.
"Ye Bufan, it's you again! You ruin my plans every time. You will die a terrible death," Yamamoto Naryuu turned to face Ye Bufan, his eyes filled with hatred, gnashing his teeth.
"As long as anyone appears who wants to harm our people in Kyushu, I will naturally fulfill my duty," Ye Bufan said.
"Baka!" Yamamoto Naryuu moved, attempting to escape again. Ye Bufan's mind stirred, and the Broken Sword sliced towards Yamamoto Naryuu's feet.
"Ah—!" Yamamoto Naryuu let out a scream.
"Ye Bufan, you can't kill me! I'm an envoy of Sakura Island. Killing me will damage the friendship between our two countries," Yamamoto Naryuu pleaded.
"Is that so? But I doubt your superiors are unaware of what you've been doing in our Kyushu. If you fail, they should be busy shifting the blame onto you. Why would they fall out with us over you?" Ye Bufan smiled faintly.
"Wuwuwu!"
At this moment, Ai Feihuan charged forward, swinging his sword towards Yamamoto Naryuu's throat, aiming for a fatal blow.
Seeing this, Ye Bufan directly used his suction palm, forcefully pulling Ai Feihuan backward and glaring at him fiercely.
"If you make another rash move, I won't mind killing you too. I am a Great Martial Saint, and you are a Martial Saint. Killing one Martial Saint shouldn't bring anyone looking for trouble, right?" Ye Bufan's killing intent surged, converging on Ai Feihuan. Simultaneously, he dared not use his Illusory Sound Demonic Eyes. Ai Feihuan instantly fell into a daze, his eyes filled with terror.
"Mr. Ye!" Shen Bai, seizing a moment, rushed over. Seeing Ai Feihuan nearby, Shen Bai naturally understood what had happened.
"How should we deal with this Yamamoto Naryuu?" Shen Bai asked.
Ye Bufan pondered for a moment and then sent a gentle palm strike towards Yamamoto Naryuu. Yamamoto Naryuu's consciousness instantly blurred.
"What is your objective!" Ye Bufan activated his mental power, attempting to hypnotize Yamamoto Naryuu's mind.
Yamamoto Naryuu swayed precariously. Shen Bai stepped forward to support him. Yamamoto Naryuu's mouth parted as if to speak, but he quickly closed it again.
"You're quite tight-lipped," Ye Bufan increased his mental power, penetrating Yamamoto Naryuu's mind once more.
"What is your conspiracy?" Ye Bufan's voice entered Yamamoto Naryuu's mind, like that of an ancient king, leaving no room for defiance, only submission.
"We... we..."
Yamamoto Naryuu began to speak intermittently.
"We want to use the Soul Beads to restore the Eight-headed Serpent's strength," Yamamoto Naryuu's fragmented words formed a sentence.
"Eight-headed Serpent?" Ye Bufan's brow furrowed upon hearing this.
The Eight-headed Serpent is a legendary monster from Sakura Island, also known as Yamata no Orochi. Its true form is a ferocious giant serpent, said to possess eight heads and eight tails. It is rumored to conceal a legendary sword within its body. According to legend, the Eight-headed Serpent was also a beast banished by the Land of Kyushu's Shan Hai Jing.
"What is the Eight-headed Serpent?" Shen Bai asked.
"Why do you want to revive the Eight-headed Serpent? Are there any hidden reasons?" Ye Bufan continued to inquire.
Hearing Ye Bufan's questions, Yamamoto Naryuu hesitated. Ye Bufan once again intensified his mental power.
"Ancient battlefield, the Eight-headed Serpent is not dead, only sealed." Yamamoto Naryuu could no longer withstand the overwhelming pressure of Ye Bufan's powerful mental energy. He finally foamed at the mouth and fell unconscious.
"What happened to him?" Shen Bai felt Yamamoto Naryuu's nose and found that he was still breathing.
"He couldn't withstand my mental power. He'll likely be crippled even if he wakes up. At best, his intelligence will be impaired; at worst, he'll suffer a stroke," Ye Bufan explained.
Shen Bai looked at Ye Bufan and asked, "Mr. Ye, is that Eight-headed Serpent the legendary beast of Sakura Island?"
Ye Bufan remained silent, only nodding.
"But that's something that only exists in legends! How could it be real?" Shen Bai couldn't comprehend it.
Ye Bufan took a deep breath and said, "Some things, you need to start accepting slowly, especially in the times to come."