The narrow path outside the Small Woods was surrounded by desolation, with not a soul in sight—a perfect place for murder and robbery.
"Look, that kid's appeared. Everyone, get ready for battle."
The group had long since prepared themselves like bloodthirsty beasts. The moment their target appeared, they would pounce and tear him to shreds.
"Wait, Big Brother. We should confirm it first, just in case. This kid is extremely strange."
One of them stopped the other's rash action. Just now, they had received news that the kid had overcome obstacle after obstacle, unstoppable. Every person who had tried to kill him had been taken out in a single move—cleanly and decisively.
"Little Brother, what's wrong? Don't tell me you're starting to get cold feet? You should know that I asked all of you before we began. It's too late to retreat now."
When the leading man heard this, his expression immediately turned grim. The air around them seemed to drop several degrees at once, as though winter had descended.
In a single thought, life and death became worlds apart. At that moment, he sensed the other man's powerful killing intent flash and vanish, making him feel as though his soul had been plunged into an ice cavern.
"What? You all have the same idea? I advise you to abandon it as soon as possible. With me here, no one is to mention it again. Otherwise, there will be no mercy."
Man and sword stood proudly between heaven and earth. His voice echoed through the world. Like a nail driven into its proper hole, once he said it, he would see it done.
Their emotions grew agitated at that moment. There was no helping it—he had also signed a Life and Death Contract. If he failed to complete the mission without achieving anything, he could only bring his head to account.
"Big Brother, that's not what I meant. It's not what everyone else meant either. I'm saying that this kid is extremely strange. You must not be careless."
The man obediently shut his mouth at that point. He could only hand over the intelligence he had gathered and briefly explain it to the other man.
The atmosphere froze. Everyone held their breath, waiting for his decision.
Just now, he had already arranged for scouts to intercept the enemy, but they still had not sent any signal. The thought made him increasingly restless.
They might already have encountered the enemy, or they might have been wiped out completely. In any case, at this time, having received no news was not good news for them.
"Report! The target has appeared. Shall we begin the operation?"
When the message had just been sent, the target was still five miles away. How had he suddenly reached a distance of only five hundred meters, close enough to see with the naked eye? Everyone tensed up.
"Wait. There's no need to hurry. This is the only road he must take. Once he passes this place, the path ahead will be completely open. Unfortunately, he won't have that chance today."
The leading man finally calmed himself somewhat. Just now, he too had unconsciously let his emotions spill out, making everyone uncomfortable.
Once a demon was invited in, it was difficult to send it away. Now they were all grasshoppers tied to the same rope. Leaving alone was impossible unless they left their lives behind; there was no other way.
His icy gaze swept across the entire field. He knew that before a true expert, five hundred meters could be crossed in the blink of an eye—in only a few seconds.
"Big Brother, rest assured. We've laid a Tianluo Earth Net. Not even a fly can escape, let alone a mere Martial Apprentice."
"That's right. We've each displayed our own abilities, with everything we've got. How could he possibly defeat us?"
"Enough. Those were your own words. I didn't force you. I hope you'll do as you said and not make me resort to force."
After that minor interlude, everyone had united. After all, they would have a much better chance of completing the mission if they worked together.
A quarter of an hour later...
"Interesting. It seems someone doesn't want to live long enough to see tomorrow's sun. I just wonder who it is this time and what tricks they have. Go ahead and use them all."
Ye Yang showed no hesitation or fear. He had long since grown used to such things. Perhaps an even greater crisis was waiting for him!
"Looks like this challenge on the Heaven's Pride Arena really is fraught with difficulties." With a single sweep of his gaze, he guessed where the enemy was hiding.
"You want to kill me? It won't be that easy. I'll give you a great surprise."
Ye Yang deliberately feinted. With a whoosh, he flashed away and vanished!
"Wait, I could still see him just now. How did he disappear so suddenly? Did he vanish into thin air?"
"Something's wrong. This must be some mysterious technique that has been lost for ages. Otherwise, how could he be so formidable? He disappeared right under our surveillance."
The group wore bewildered expressions, unable to understand how he had accomplished this.
They had clearly been the hunters, yet at this moment the roles had completely reversed. They had become the prey, while the prey was watching them. The feeling left them sitting on pins and needles.
"Everyone, be careful. Don't spread out. Be ready to support one another at any moment. Understood?"
They had been in the shadows and their enemy in the open, but now the situation had directly reversed, leaving them astonished. They did not understand how he had done it, but facts spoke louder than words.
They looked around, trying to find Ye Yang's trail, but they found nothing. It was as though that kid had vanished into thin air.
"What? Do you want my life or not? If you have the ability, then take it."
Before his voice had even faded, a figure shot out from the woods like a ghost, heading straight for the leading man.
"Big Brother, watch out! Someone's ambushing us!"
A contemptuous smile hung on Ye Yang's face, but sharp, icy light flashed in his eyes, as though it could pierce through every obstacle.
"Isn't it a little late to realize that now? Better late than never, they say—but what use is saying all this at a time like this?"
He had no sword in his hand, yet he was better than one who did. He casually picked up a branch and used it in place of a sword. With a gentle sweep, it seemed to slice through the air with such sharpness that a faint yet distinct tearing sound rang out.
"Not good! This person is no ordinary man. Everyone, be careful!"
The leading man's pupils contracted sharply. He instinctively leaped backward, narrowly dodging the invisible strike.
"You're certainly quick to run. I just wonder how many times you can run, and how many times you can dodge. You can dodge it on the first day, but can you dodge it on the fifteenth? Sooner or later, I'll seize an opening and kill you outright."
Ye Yang was brimming with confidence. The situation had already begun developing in his favor. In terms of strength, he could crush them completely; in terms of time, he had plenty of it; and in terms of methods, he could utterly toy with his opponents.
"Boom!"
Before they knew it, the two sides had clashed, producing a thunderous roar.
The air around them seemed to solidify. All they could hear was everyone's hurried breathing and pounding hearts, sending their morale plunging to rock bottom.
"Big Brother, we can't fight this person head-on. We must outwit him. Should we think of another way? If this continues, we'll be in great danger."
After only a few exchanges, they were clearly at a disadvantage. It was obvious that the youth before them had not even used his full strength, yet they were already exhausted and barely able to defend themselves.
Bang!
The leading man could only grit his teeth and charge forward, joining the formation to create a combined attack. Relying on everyone's strength, they collided head-on with Ye Yang.
The instant the two sides collided, tremendous force surged outward. Trees toppled and dust billowed, leaving the entire Small Woods in a sorry state.
Clatter, clatter, clatter...
One side, along with the rest of the group, was forced back dozens of steps before finally coming to a stumbling halt, leaving a deep furrow beneath their feet.
Ye Yang, by contrast, had not moved an inch, steady as Mount Tai. The collision had not affected him in the slightest.
With a single thought and a single move, the difference in strength was immediately clear. Ye Yang plainly held the absolute upper hand.
"Oh? I didn't expect you to have some strength. But even if you have a little ability, that's all it amounts to."
Ye Yang did not stop moving. He advanced as though riding the wind, each step seeming to shorten the distance to his target. Every breath stirred the surrounding air, forming an invisible pressure that made it hard to breathe.
"Let's fight! This kid won't let us live comfortably, so we won't let him off easy either. Fight him! Use that move!"
Everyone gave a miserable smile and swallowed a black pill.
"Kid, you forced me!" Since they could no longer complete the mission, they could only sacrifice themselves for righteousness. Even if it meant dying together, they would not hesitate.
"What the hell? Are you kidding me? You can't win, so you resort to taking pills? Is this how you people fight?"
Ye Yang was startled by the scene before him. He had not expected them to pull such a move—it was completely outside the rules. Unfortunately, the weak were still weak. No matter how they struggled, they were nothing more than ants.
They had clearly appeared in the role of hunters, yet they had failed to steal the chicken and instead lost the rice, becoming food for their opponent. Truly pitiful and lamentable!
"You want to risk your lives? Unfortunately, you no longer have that chance."
With a thought from Ye Yang, the Soul-Reaping Sword he had comprehended flew from his hand!
"No! Sir, save me!"
Soul-reaping and life-taking—just as its name implied, the sword shot out like a dragon. Once it was drawn, blood was certain to flow!
The group could only feel their souls trembling. Then they saw a rain of swords fill the sky, burying them beneath it. Their bodies were pierced through until their souls were extinguished.
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