The Wealth of Mountain Crossing Wind (Seeking Recommendation Votes!)

The mountain ridge was about a meter wide, uneven, and rugged. On both sides of the ridge lay bottomless, ten-thousand-foot abysses. Coupled with the high altitude and fierce winds, one had to move in tiny, half-step increments to maintain balance.

If one took a step too large, the howling gale would catch them, and a single moment of instability would send them plummeting off the ridge. This was how the name Half-Step Many originated, and this mere twenty-meter-long ridge had become a natural fortress for the bandits led by Mountain Crossing Wind.

When Ye Zhen arrived at Half-Step Many, the sky had already turned completely dark, making the mountain forest appear even more gloomy!

Upon seeing the full panorama of Half-Step Many, Ye Zhen drew a sharp breath; this place was far too perilous. Although his Snake Springing Grass could now cover a distance of forty meters in a single leap, Ye Zhen truly lacked the confidence to safely execute such a maneuver here.

The uneven ridge was only half a step wide at its narrowest point, and the areas near the gate were densely packed with Iron Caltrops by the bandits. If one rushed across and was even slightly careless, they would fall into the ten-thousand-foot abyss!

Lifting the Bearded Third Boss by the back of his neck with his left hand, the dangling head immediately snapped upright. Ye Zhen then gripped the Third Boss's lower back with his right hand, crouching behind the corpse to use it as cover, and began to slowly advance toward the lair of Mountain Crossing Wind.

"Who's there?"

"Who is it?"

"Speak up, or I'm going to start shooting!"

The moment Ye Zhen stepped onto Half-Step Many, the bandits on the opposite side spotted his figure—or more accurately, they spotted the figure of the Bearded Third Boss—and began shouting questions.

If he spoke, he would certainly be exposed. Ye Zhen decided to remain silent; since the corpse in his hands was the Third Boss of Mountain Crossing Wind, he surely held some prestige among the bandits.

Shadows flickered on the bandit gate. Seeing the newcomer remain silent, they waved their torches vigorously. By the light of the flames, a sharp-eyed bandit recognized the identity of the person approaching.

"It's the Third Boss! It's the Third Boss! Third Boss, where are the other brothers? The boss said you would be bringing back a large amount of loot soon; why don't we see anyone else?"

Ye Zhen did not answer, moving his feet with extreme caution. In this short time, he had already traversed half of the twenty-meter-long Half-Step Many while shielding himself with the Third Boss's corpse.

"Third Boss, why aren't you speaking? Are you hurt?" The torches on the other side were waved even more frantically. By the firelight, they could already see the bloodstains at the corner of the Third Boss's mouth.

"Third Boss?"

The bandits on the other side were extremely vigilant. After receiving no answer to several questions, a torch was thrown high from within the gate toward Ye Zhen's side.

Almost the instant the torch was thrown, Ye Zhen knew things had gone wrong; he was about to be discovered!

In a flash, the thrown torch illuminated the Third Boss's appearance with perfect clarity: the tightly closed eyes, the sallow complexion, the bloodstains at the corner of the mouth, the collapsed hole in the chest, and the feet hovering inches off the ground were all clearly revealed.

Almost simultaneously, Ye Zhen let out a thunderous roar: "Open the gate for me, you bastards! I'm wounded!" As he roared, Ye Zhen instinctively exerted force with both hands, causing the Third Boss's limp head to snap upright once more.

"Ghost!" The timid bandits screamed in terror when they saw everything clearly.

In the dark night, with the torches flickering, the Third Boss floating above the ridge looked just like one of the Fierce Ghosts.

The Bearded Third Boss did indeed have some prestige among the bandits. Under Ye Zhen's inexplicable, fierce roar, several bandits guarding the gate instinctively pushed it open a crack.

Taking advantage of the bandits' shock and confusion, Ye Zhen used the torchlight to dash forward a few steps, immediately closing the distance to within five meters of the gate.

"No, the Third Boss is dead! Someone has snuck up on us! Shoot! Fire the arrows!" one quick-witted bandit roared.

"Quick, close the gate! That's not the Third Boss!"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The sound of arrows suddenly rang out.

Almost the moment the bandits shouted, Ye Zhen's figure suddenly crouched and then sprang, darting toward the gate like an arrow while still shielding himself with the corpse. As he lunged, he used the Third Boss's body to block the dozen arrows raining down from above, his own fists already surging with True Essence as he smashed them toward the gate!

Boom!

Wood splinters flew everywhere.

Ye Zhen's fists struck the wooden gate like siege hammers, not only smashing open the gate that was about to be closed but also punching two large holes through it, sending the four bandits guarding the rear flying backward while vomiting blood.

Having breached the gate, the area was illuminated by torches scattered everywhere, and the view opened up; the danger of falling off the cliff at any moment was gone. Ye Zhen's figure flickered, and he immediately charged at two bandits who were preparing to shoot arrows at him.

With a light flick of his hands, he snatched the two arrows out of the air. Rushing close, he thrust them backhand, driving the arrows straight into the chests of the two bandits.

For a time, Ye Zhen was like a tiger among a flock of sheep, slaughtering the bandits until they wailed and howled; some even knelt on the ground to beg for mercy.

Ye Zhen did not show the slightest bit of leniency. Whether they were bandits at the third or fourth level of Blood Refining, or ordinary thugs who only knew a few superficial moves, he struck them all down with ruthless efficiency.

The scene in the forest had already taught Ye Zhen a cruel and bloody lesson, not to mention the dozen shriveled corpses hanging in the bandit courtyard at this very moment.

Everything caused the young man's heart to turn as hard as iron in that instant!

Ye Zhen did not kill all the bandits at the gate, leaving two alive and allowing them to flee toward the interior of the stronghold, while he followed closely behind.

Along the way, the two bandits Ye Zhen had spared screamed frantically, and from time to time, other bandits who heard the commotion and were confused by the situation rushed over.

But before the current Ye Zhen, any existence below the True Essence Realm could not last even half a round; as his figure drifted and flashed, they were killed by a single palm strike from him.

Following them to a cluster of dimly lit houses, as he passed one of them, a bandit who hadn't even put on his pants jumped out and slashed at Ye Zhen with a saber.

On the blade, pale green True Essence was densely packed like water.

Without even looking, Ye Zhen unleashed a Five Peaks Divine Fist from a distance. Before his fist even arrived, the green fist imprint blew the bandit's head apart like a rotten watermelon.

"Second Boss..."

The two bandits fleeing in panic ahead suddenly shrieked as if someone had grabbed their throats; one of them was so terrified that he collapsed limply to the ground.

It turned out that the person Ye Zhen had casually killed with a single punch was the Second Boss of Mountain Crossing Wind.

Slicing through the throat of the bandit who had collapsed on the ground with a palm strike, Ye Zhen suddenly grabbed the neck of the last remaining bandit in his sight, lifted him into the air, and demanded, "Where is Mountain Crossing Wind?"

As the bandit rolled his eyes and struggled to raise his arm to point toward the only courtyard in the area, a series of cracks sounded, and Ye Zhen crushed his cervical vertebrae directly.

The moment Ye Zhen stepped into that courtyard, a large man with a bare chest covered in hair also stepped out from the inner hall.

"Young Lady He, I'll give you another half-quarter of an hour to consider. If you submit to me, Mountain Crossing Wind, I promise I won't disgrace you, and your father will even benefit greatly! Once I finish off this fly, if you're still willing, don't blame me, Mountain Crossing Wind, for using force!"

As he stepped out from the inner hall, Mountain Crossing Wind was still busy trying to persuade the young girl who was tied up inside.

"If I'm a fly, then why don't you try me!"

Whoosh!

Ye Zhen erupted in an instant, launching a Snake Springing Grass combined with the Five Peaks Divine Fist in a mid-air assault.

Hm?

His eyes narrowing as he watched the fierce incoming attack, Mountain Crossing Wind's expression suddenly turned grave. His palms blurred, meeting the strike with a fist technique that appeared slow but was actually lightning-fast.

Bang!

Two streams of True Essence collided violently, kicking up a small whirlwind. Ye Zhen remained rooted to the spot, while Mountain Crossing Wind was forced back half a step.

"True Essence Second Layer cultivation?" Ye Zhen snorted coldly. Ye Zhen's current cultivation was barely at the late stage of the First Layer True Essence Realm, but given his exceptionally pure True Essence, the only people who could trade blows with him were those at the Second Layer or higher.

Mountain Crossing Wind frowned deeply, clearly shocked by Ye Zhen's strength.

"Brother, which path do you walk? Why are you crashing my place? If we've offended you somewhere, just lay it out, and I, Mountain Crossing Wind, won't be unreasonable." Having suffered a minor setback in the first exchange, Mountain Crossing Wind's eyes began to flicker.

"I want your head. Will you give it to me?" Ye Zhen sneered.

"Kid, don't be ungrateful! I don't even take your level of cultivation seriously. You'd best be sensible."

"Is that so? Then come on!"

With an angry shout, Ye Zhen charged forward like a whirlwind, unleashing the Thunder Leopard Lightning Fist he had only recently mastered.

"You ungrateful wretch!"

Mountain Crossing Wind roared, his fist stance shifting. He met the attack with the same slow-yet-fast technique he had used before. This time, however, Mountain Crossing Wind executed it with even greater mastery.

The fist technique was slow yet fast, continuous and unending. As one wave of force subsided, the next surged forward like water. Faintly, Mountain Crossing Wind's True Essence shifted into a watery blue hue, revealing the profound nature of his martial art.

What was worse was that once one made contact with this fist stance, it became sticky and clinging, making one feel as if they were trapped in layers of strange, continuous force fields. Every movement felt sluggish, preventing one from unleashing their full strength.

"The technique Mountain Crossing Wind is using is definitely a Human-tier Mid Grade martial art!"

Ye Zhen's expression grew increasingly grave. Whether it was the Five Peaks Divine Fist, the Thunder Leopard Lightning Fist, or the Inch Step Collapse Fist, none could break through Mountain Crossing Wind's relentless defense. The continuous force field was subtly restraining Ye Zhen's own techniques.

If not for Ye Zhen relying on his incredibly pure True Essence, which allowed him to suppress Mountain Crossing Wind in terms of raw power, he might have already been defeated.

Half an hour passed. Mountain Crossing Wind's fist stance remained as relentless as the waves, while Ye Zhen's own attacks grew increasingly weary.

It's a pity I haven't perfectly fused the Thunder Leopard Lightning Fist with the Inch Step Collapse Fist. Otherwise, I could defeat him in one blow!

Sighing inwardly, Ye Zhen allowed his body to be pulled by the momentum of Mountain Crossing Wind's relentless stance. Losing his balance, his shoulder swayed, exposing a flaw.

Having been anxious throughout the long, drawn-out battle, Mountain Crossing Wind's eyes lit up with a fierce glint. He stepped forward, his palm slashing toward Ye Zhen's throat.

Almost simultaneously, Ye Zhen swayed his body, slamming his shoulder into Mountain Crossing Wind. His shoulder was instantly covered in dense True Essence, vibrating at a strange frequency.

Snake-Wandering Steps: Slippery Snake Style!

"Oh no!"

Realizing the change, Mountain Crossing Wind cried out in alarm, but his palm couldn't be stopped and slashed into Ye Zhen's shoulder. Ye Zhen, in turn, used the momentum to crash into Mountain Crossing Wind's chest.

However, Mountain Crossing Wind's palm was no joke. Even though Ye Zhen had prepared his True Essence defense and used the Slippery Snake Style to dissipate the force, the strike still left Ye Zhen's right arm numb.

With his right arm paralyzed, Ye Zhen's left hand flashed out like lightning, striking sixteen points with green light: Spirit Snake Vein-Cutting Hand: Pulse Severing and Essence Sealing.

Visibly, Mountain Crossing Wind's body stiffened for a moment, and the sound of popping beans echoed from within his body as he struggled to break through Ye Zhen's sealing energy.

Ye Zhen seized this fleeting opportunity.

Moving his body, he put all his strength into his left fist, landing a solid Inch Step Collapse Fist directly onto Mountain Crossing Wind's chest.

Bang, bang, bang, bang!

A dense series of cracking sounds could be heard from within Mountain Crossing Wind's body—the sound of his internal organs being shattered by the collapsing force of the fist.

His throat rattled a few times, and with a heavy thud, Mountain Crossing Wind fell backward.

Looking at the fallen Mountain Crossing Wind, Ye Zhen felt a twinge of shame. He had still needed to rely on his old trick of baiting the enemy and using the Snake-Wandering Steps to secure the win; his mastery of martial arts was still too thin.

In the inner hall not far away, the Young Lady He, who had struggled to crawl to the doorway to watch the fight, stared at Ye Zhen with eyes full of brilliance as he killed Mountain Crossing Wind with a single punch.

After roughly treating the injury on his shoulder, Ye Zhen squatted down and searched Mountain Crossing Wind's body. Based on his understanding, this man's hidden wealth shouldn't be small.

To Ye Zhen's surprise, after searching him thoroughly, he found nothing.

Just as Ye Zhen was feeling disappointed, his gaze fell upon an ancient-looking bracelet partially hidden by Mountain Crossing Wind's sleeve. The style of this bracelet was remarkably similar to the storage treasure Jin Yuanbao wore.

"Could it be?"

With a thought, Ye Zhen reached to remove the bracelet from Mountain Crossing Wind's wrist. Almost at the same time, a dense patter of footsteps erupted from outside the courtyard gate, accompanied by the mechanical sounds of crossbows being readied.

Instantly, Ye Zhen's back tightened, and a feeling of extreme danger washed over him.