The disciples of the Crimson Sword Sect discovered Ye Bufan's disappearance and immediately stopped their vehicle. They then grabbed the walkie-talkie and shouted, "He's discovered us, act now!"
As the words fell, a blood line appeared on the neck of the other person, and he collapsed onto the car.
Subsequently, three figures emerged from the forest, finally stopping beside the car.
"Two at the Core Formation stage, one at early Core Formation. What a grand gesture," Ye Bufan hid within the Taiyi Divine Sect's inheritance ring, his aura undetectable by those outside.
"Where is he? We didn't see him come out," the cultivator at early Core Formation said.
Listening to the other party's accent, Ye Bufan could basically confirm they were from Sakura Island.
"This is truly strange, we haven't detected any trace of Ye Bufan," the early Core Formation cultivator spread his spiritual sense, searching the surroundings, and frowned.
"They say this Ye Bufan is difficult to deal with. I didn't expect his concealment techniques to be so formidable," the mid Core Formation cultivator said.
"He can't have gone far, right under our noses. It's impossible for him to escape," another mid Core Formation cultivator snorted coldly. "I didn't expect this kid to be so quick."
The three men were originally tasked with dealing with the Sakura Island cultivators from the Demonic Cult. After a fourth "mysterious force" appeared, Sakura Island immediately decided to retreat.
Just as they were preparing to leave the northwest, this group of Sakura Island cultivators received a call. It was an order to send three cultivators, at least at early Core Formation, to assassinate Ye Bufan. To Sakura Island, Ye Bufan was a significant variable and had to die!
At first, the three were puzzled. Wasn't Ye Bufan at the peak of Foundation Establishment? Sending three Core Formation cultivators seemed like overkill.
To their surprise, the latest news indicated that Ye Bufan had broken through from Foundation Establishment to early Core Formation, and it happened within a secret realm. This suggested that Ye Bufan possessed treasures from the secret realm.
Therefore, whether it was due to Ye Bufan's monstrous talent or the secret treasures he obtained from the Taiyi Divine Sect, Ye Bufan was indeed worth sending three people to assassinate.
After careful selection, it was ultimately the early Core Formation cultivator Yanchi Jianren, and the mid Core Formation cultivators Ri Jing Zhiye and Muraji Takashi, who were sent to assassinate Ye Bufan.
"Search the surroundings again, and we'll regroup here," Muraji Takashi scanned the area, his eyes showing a hint of unwillingness. The other two also looked very disappointed. They hadn't even seen Ye Bufan, and he had escaped just like that?
Thus, the three headed in different directions to search.
"You want to kill me? How can I not make you pay a price," Ye Bufan's killing intent flashed as he saw the three leave. When they were together, he indeed had no certainty of defeating them. Now that they were separated, he was sure to make these three pay.
Ye Bufan returned to his car from the ring and followed the direction in which the early Core Formation cultivator had left.
Yanchi Jianren, at early Core Formation, was investigating a large area to the north, his spiritual sense spread out, clearly sensing everything within three to four hundred meters of him.
Suddenly, Yanchi Jianren's body trembled, and he let out a laugh.
"Heaven is truly good to me. I didn't expect to encounter you." Yanchi Jianren turned around, and Ye Bufan was standing behind him.
"You actually dare to show yourself?" Yanchi Jianren chuckled.
"With only you, why wouldn't I dare to appear?" Ye Bufan also smiled, then disappeared from his spot.
Yanchi Jianren immediately reacted. Two figures collided in the woods, and finally, Yanchi Jianren was caught off guard and sent flying backward.
"You're already this strong right after breaking through to early Core Formation!" Yanchi Jianren stomped his foot, instantly stopping in place.
Ye Bufan stopped, looked at Yanchi Jianren from the outside, and said, "You're too weak."
As the words fell, Ye Bufan moved again. This time, Ye Bufan aimed for a swift victory. He unleashed his sword domain, the surrounding spiritual energy condensed into sword qi, and flew towards Yanchi Jianren.
The opponent reacted, summoning his weapon. Ye Bufan sneered. These sword qi transformed into small swords, attacking Yanchi Jianren from all directions.
"Two Sleeves Green Snakes!"
Within the sword domain space, countless short swords made of sword qi transformed into green snakes and lunged at Yanchi Jianren.
Yanchi Jianren was instantly engulfed by the sea of sword qi. He was greatly alarmed and immediately used his ultimate technique – Ba Ji Tian Beng!
Ye Bufan formed a sword seal. Yanchi Jianren struggled within the sea of sword qi.
"Die!"
The broken sword descended from the sky. Ye Bufan gathered all his true qi onto the broken sword. The moment Yanchi Jianren touched the broken sword, all the sword qi exploded, and Yanchi Jianren immediately fell to the ground, lifeless.
The Purple Nether Cold Fire shot onto Yanchi Jianren. To Ye Bufan's surprise, the opponent leaped up.
"So you're not dead, trying to trick me!"
The broken sword appeared out of nowhere and pierced Yanchi Jianren's heart from behind. This time, Yanchi Jianren was utterly dead.
Ye Bufan looked around the environment. With a thought, the Purple Nether Cold Fire disappeared from Yanchi Jianren's body, and a new plan formed in his mind.
...
Meanwhile, Ri Jing Zhiye and Muraji Takashi, after searching, found no trace of Ye Bufan. According to their prior agreement, they returned to the car.
The two waited for a long time but didn't see any sign of Yanchi Jianren, and their expressions changed drastically.
"Could this kid have found Ye Bufan's trail and taken the secret treasures from the secret realm for himself before leaving?" Muraji Takashi narrowed his eyes, revealing a sinister look.
"I doubt Yanchi has the guts for that," Ri Jing Zhiye said.
The next second, the two looked at each other, and a cold expression appeared on their faces. They vanished from their spots.
The two moved rapidly towards the direction Yanchi Jianren had left, finally arriving at the location where Ye Bufan and Yanchi Jianren had fought.
Yanchi Jianren's corpse was placed on the ground by Ye Bufan. He sat cross-legged, with scorched marks on his body.
"Yanchi!" Ri Jing Zhiye shouted. Yanchi Jianren remained motionless.
"He's already dead," Muraji Takashi frowned.
"Ye Bufan! Come out!" Ri Jing Zhiye roared, then turned to Muraji Takashi and said, "We must avenge Yanchi!"
"That brat can't have gone far. He might even be watching us in the shadows," Muraji Takashi swept his gaze around and said to Ri Jing Zhiye.