"Kid, don't blame me. Blame your bad luck."
A black shadow appeared out of thin air. Without wasting words or making any unnecessary movements, he immediately unleashed his signature hidden weapon, Celestial Maiden Scattering Flowers Needles.
The entire process was crisp and clean, without the slightest drag. This was exactly the effect he wanted—a single strike, a sure kill.
Clang, clang, clang.
Just as he thought he had completed his task, a longsword suddenly appeared in the other man's hand. The instant the sword emerged, an ultimate might burst forth, displayed to perfection.
"Wait. Just who are you, kid? Could you really be Ye Yang, the Young Sect Master of the Ye Household? That good-for-nothing everyone despises?"
The man clearly had not expected this. After a brief moment of astonishment, he finally composed himself.
"Who I am isn't important. What matters is that I know who you are and who sent you. Will you admit it yourself, or do I have to beat an admission out of you?"
Ye Yang had completely shed his usual demeanor. The calmness he had shown moments ago was gone, replaced by a sharpness in his eyes.
From the very first sentence, the enemy had already come knocking at his door. If he still tried to reason and speak nicely with him, wouldn't that make him the laughingstock?
"Cut the crap. Have we met? Do I know you? What exactly are you trying to say?"
Right up to the last moment, he stubbornly refused to admit his identity. But to Ye Yang, that was unimportant.
"Keep pretending. Pretend in front of me. Let's see how long you can keep it up. Continue, and be careful—you might not even know how you died."
Ye Yang was unconcerned. After probing him, he had already guessed a few things.
"Wait a minute. Could my identity have been completely exposed?"
The Black-Clad Man had come prepared. To complete his mission, he had made thorough preparations. He had never expected to suffer defeat before even getting started, carelessly capsizing in a ditch.
The instant their four eyes met, time seemed to stop. Then, at a certain moment, one of them broke the silence.
"Heh heh, I thought you weren't coming today. Are you the storyteller?"
Ye Yang waved his hand, and the entire room lit up. The other man, meanwhile, was like a rat that had seen a cat, his legs trembling uncontrollably.
"Kid, who exactly are you? How did you discover me? I've been watching you, and I thought my concealment was flawless."
Like a shadow in the dark suddenly exposed beneath the sunlight, he struggled briefly before finally adapting.
His entire body gathered power, like an elf lurking in the night. Having found its prey, it could launch a fatal attack at any moment.
"Did he send you? I only need you to answer one question. Is it or isn't it?"
Ye Yang did not want to entangle himself with the other man any further, because he had also sensed several hidden presences watching this place.
He could not help but sneer inwardly without saying a word: Just as I thought. These people see me as a soft persimmon. They come whenever they want, leave whenever they want, and take a bite whenever they please.
He stepped forward, and an overwhelming aura surged toward them. His entire being was like an unparalleled treasured sword, making it impossible to look directly at him.
"Are you going to talk? I'll ask you one last time. Otherwise, bear the consequences."
On the surface, he only possessed the cultivation of a Martial Master. In truth, that was merely what he chose to display, because he was an outlier in everyone's eyes.
Being invincible among those of the same level was merely his standard. Killing those above his level was commonplace. If anyone looked down on him because of his current cultivation, there could be only one outcome: paying the price with their life.
"Kid, with your current cultivation, I admit I was careless just now and fell into your trap. You only had the advantage of timing, terrain, and people. Now I'm getting serious."
The Black-Clad Man had come prepared this time, but he was nothing more than a tiny cannon fodder. Although he understood that himself, he had no choice but to do this.
His entire body became as black as a shadow in the night. As long as there was a shadow, he could not be killed, nor could he be caught. This was one of his secret techniques.
Without shadow or form, color or scent, he hid directly within the shadows, making him impossible to guard against and impossible to fathom.
"So it really was you. I didn't expect you to prepare so thoroughly, even using a method like this."
Ye Yang was unconcerned. Before absolute strength, none of the other man's tricks had any practical effect.
Shadow Assassination emphasized catching the enemy off guard and attacking where they were unprepared. Performing it openly before him was nothing more than an ant trying to stop a chariot—an overestimation of his own strength.
He had lost the element of surprise all at once. Trying to achieve his goal again and increase his chances of success would be extremely difficult.
"Kid, you're courting death!"
Several times in succession, he appeared to find an opening and launched a killing strike, yet each time Ye Yang emerged completely unharmed. Repeatedly thwarted, his patience was ground away.
Even a clay figure had three parts of temper. He could already tell that Ye Yang was deliberately toying with him.
He could endure no longer. There was no need to endure further. At that moment, he decided to attack first and unleashed his ultimate killing technique, Thousand Shadow Phantom God Kill.
In the blink of an eye, thousands upon thousands of the other man's figures appeared around Ye Yang. Real and fake, they were impossible to distinguish.
Every figure looked exactly like him. Their auras and cultivation levels were identical as well. In short, they were indistinguishable in every way. With thousands upon thousands of them appearing, the sight was utterly terrifying.
He had seized the initiative once again and turned the tables once again. Unfortunately, he had encountered Ye Yang, a monster-like existence.
"Six Paths make a fine cycle. I've decided to send you on your way."
Ye Yang's gaze turned cold. The other man had tried to take his life time and again, so there was no need to show mercy. He would kill him with a single strike and extinguish that thought forever.
"Hahaha, kid, are you a comedian sent here by the Monkey King? You're messing with me."
Clearly, he had not taken Ye Yang's words to heart, nor had he taken Ye Yang's strength seriously. In his eyes, Ye Yang was merely a little Martial Master. Why make such a fuss?
Only at that moment did a bolt of lightning flash past him. Immediately afterward, a neat, hair-thin cut appeared across his chest at waist level, so fine that it could not be seen without close inspection.
"Hahaha, kid, you're forcing me!"
"A dying man should leave his final words."
"Impossible! Kid, what did you do to me?"
Immediately afterward, blood gushed wildly. A domineering force entered his body, and his entire form became like porcelain covered in cracks.
"No!" Before he could call for help, before he could unleash his ultimate killing move—
With a boom, his chest was pierced through, and his flesh turned into blood mist that scattered across heaven and earth!
Thud.
He collapsed stiffly onto the ground and completely lost all signs of life.
"Old fox, what other tricks do you have? Use them all."
Ye Yang had dispatched the other man cleanly. He had not even drawn his sword, yet he had already defeated him.
"Very well. Six Paths of Reincarnation will send you on your final journey!"
He snapped his fingers, and a flame appeared out of thin air in his hand. It swayed beneath the lamplight, then swelled wildly as the wind fanned it.
Whoosh!
The flame adhered directly to the other man's body and, under its terrifying heat, burned his corpse to ashes!
"Who will be next?"
Ye Yang did not dwell on it. In war, deception was fair game. The one who could laugh until the end was the victor!
Before you continue