"Who goes there?" Song Mingqin shouted fiercely.
In mid-air, numerous cultivators from Sakura Island appeared from all directions. The forest was the same, but the cultivators in the sky were generally of higher cultivation, mostly at the Core Formation stage or the Great Perfection of late Foundation Establishment.
"Sakura Island truly knows how to spare no expense," Huangfu Zheng snorted coldly.
"Didn't you people from the Nine Provinces enter the secret realm and exclude our Sakura Island people? We merely wish to take back a little of what belongs to us." The Sakura Island man with a goatee smiled and replied in very broken Chinese.
"What a joke! How did the possessions of our Nine Provinces become those of Sakura Island? No matter how many years pass, you can't change your bandit hearts." The patriarch of another cultivation family spoke up.
Song Mingqin looked at the other party and exchanged a glance. This person's cultivation realm was likely mid-Core Formation, far above Song Mingqin and the others.
"Since you're just 'taking a little,' you wouldn't need to make such a grand display, would you?" Song Mingqin said. "Previously, you harmed the lives of our rogue cultivators from the Nine Provinces. How will you settle that debt? And the disciples injured by your Sakura Island people, how will you compensate them?"
"Their strength was insufficient. What's there to blame us for?" The man said with utter self-righteousness. Ye Bufan, watching from below, couldn't help but want to slap him.
"If that's the case, how do your Sakura Island people prove that what you call 'yours' is indeed yours?" Song Mingqin retorted without any politeness.
The man was momentarily stunned by Song Mingqin's words, then chuckled again.
"Proof? Of course, we prove it with strength. You are currently outnumbered and we are well-prepared. We just need to surround you. Given time, you will run out of food and any resources, and will naturally surrender obediently," the other party said.
Song Mingqin frowned deeply, not expecting such shamelessness from the other side.
While cultivators didn't need to eat much, and the intervals between meals were longer, if they were truly trapped for months as the other party suggested, the disciples below certainly wouldn't be able to endure it.
"You must be the Supreme Elder of the Red Sword Sect, right? Our demands are not excessive. As long as you hand over what you obtained from the secret realm, you can leave here safely." The other party said.
"Do you think we'll believe your nonsense?" Song Mingqin replied. "If we want to force our way out, you won't gain any advantage either."
"Old Song, stop wasting your breath. I think he has a misunderstanding of the phrase 'not many demands'," Qu Fei said, looking at the other party. With a stretch of his hand, his saber appeared.
"Speak your name. I, Qu Fei, do not kill the nameless," Qu Fei declared with imposing killing intent.
"Are all people from your Nine Provinces so overconfident? Qu Fei, I've heard that name. The Supreme Elder of the Overlord Saber Sect. I originally thought you were merely a cultivator at the Great Perfection of late Foundation Establishment, but I didn't expect you to have reached the Core Formation stage. Not bad, but in the eyes of this mid-Core Formation cultivator, early-stage cultivation is trash."
The word "trash" was spoken with perfect pronunciation, but it was extremely grating to Qu Fei.
Fortunately, Song Mingqin stopped Qu Fei before he could charge forward. He said to Qu Fei, "Don't fall for his taunts. Besides wanting what we obtained from the ancient ruins, they likely have another objective."
"Song Mingqin, sometimes, being too smart is not a good thing." The other party fanned himself with a feather fan. The feathers from the fan suddenly shot towards Song Mingqin.
Seeing this, Song Mingqin immediately summoned his long sword to block in front of him.
But a single feather seemed to possess immense power. Song Mingqin was instantly sent flying backward.
"Old Song!" Seeing this, Qu Fei swung his saber at the attacker. The next second, another feather shot out from the other party's fan, repelling Qu Fei as well.
At this moment, both Song Mingqin and Qu Fei were struggling with the feather.
"Buzz—"
Just then, two small stones flew out from the forest and lightly struck the feather. The feather was immediately knocked away, flying back towards the Sakura Island man with the goatee.
Seeing this, the goatee was greatly shocked. Just as he was about to wave his fan to deflect the two feathers, he found himself unable to control them. The feather directly pierced through his feather fan.
"Baga!"
The goatee's face was pale with shock. He retreated backward, summoning the true qi of his body and rapidly forming hand seals in mid-air, directing them towards the white feather.
"Bang—"
Under the relentless attacks of the other party, the feather eventually disappeared, turning into an ordinary feather and drifting into the forest.
"Who's there?" The man looked around vigilantly.
In the forest, Ye Bufan looked at Ye Qingyi, realizing this was Ye Qingyi's doing.
Ye Bufan altered his voice and amplified it with his true qi.
"This is just a warning. You have ten breaths to retreat, or face the consequences."
The man took a deep breath, then immediately regained his composure and said, "My name is Yamamoto Ichiryu. May I know your honorable name?"
In Yamamoto Ichiryu's eyes, he had merely been caught unprepared earlier, hence the loss. Therefore, he didn't believe the person behind the attack had a cultivation higher than his own.
"Scram!"
Ye Bufan shouted fiercely. Ye Qingyi secretly unleashed a palm strike from a distance. By the time Yamamoto Ichiryu reacted, the palm had already struck him. Caught off guard, Yamamoto Ichiryu spat out a mouthful of blood.
"So strong!" Feeling the power of that palm strike, the man signaled to those around him. The Sakura Island people then retreated.
The Sakura Island people in the forest, upon hearing this news, also withdrew.
Song Mingqin breathed a sigh of relief and exchanged a look with Qu Fei. Both were very curious about who had made the move just now, but no matter how hard everyone on the scene searched, they couldn't locate the person's position.
Everyone returned to the forest. Song Mingqin even specifically asked Ye Bufan if he had noticed any mysterious person.
Ye Bufan shook his head and said something absurd, "Could it be that a senior from the Grand Unity Divine Sect made a move?"
Expecting Song Mingqin to dismiss his idea, Ye Bufan was surprised when Song Mingqin nodded and said it was very possible, which made Ye Bufan feel both amused and exasperated.
After Song Mingqin left, Ye Bufan turned to look at Ye Qingyi, and they exchanged a knowing smile.
"Little brother Ye, you cooperated wonderfully with big sister," Ye Qingyi transmitted telepathically.
Ye Bufan heard this and let out a helpless laugh...