Ye Feng had just dodged the forceful gust behind him and had not even had time to catch his breath when a black shadow wrapped in terrifying power charged straight out of the battle zone in the center of the clearing.
It was none other than the second-tier Vajra Bear!
It had actually managed to break free from the entanglement of the Baiyang Sect disciples for the moment and had shifted its target to Ye Feng, who was hiding in the shadows.
The Vajra Bear's entire body was covered in Black Armor that glinted with a cold light. It struck out with one paw, and the power wrapped in its Black Armor swept forth like a raging gale.
The bushes where Ye Feng had been hiding were instantly ground into powder. The force did not diminish in the slightest and crashed straight into a thick tree more than ten meters wide behind him.
"Boom!"
The trunk was pierced in response, leaving a bowl-sized hole straight through it. The remaining shockwave continued to tear through the air before finally vanishing into the depths of the dense forest. Its might was chilling.
"Gasp—this Vajra Bear's Black Armor has absurdly strong defenses, but its attacks are actually this terrifying too!" someone among the Baiyang Sect disciples said, drawing a sharp breath. His face was full of horror.
"If that paw had landed on me just now, I'd have been smashed into a pool of flesh! Everyone, be careful!"
Ye Feng's expression shifted slightly, and he did not dare be careless in the slightest.
He swiftly activated Shadow Step, his figure transforming into a blurred shadow as he rapidly dodged through the forest.
The Vajra Bear's paw wind brushed past the corner of his clothes, and the resulting airflow made his skin sting.
Fortunately, Ye Feng's movement technique was swift. He ultimately landed steadily on the branch of a large tree, avoiding the surprise attack without exposing his central position.
Just then, a cry of alarm came from the Baiyang Sect disciples: "Look! There's a Feiyun Sect guy over there!"
Ye Feng followed the voice and saw a Baiyang Sect disciple at the eighth layer of the Qi Gathering Realm pointing at him, his face filled with wariness.
Yun Hai also stopped attacking the Vajra Bear and turned his head to glance at Ye Feng.
When he sensed that Ye Feng's cultivation was only at the third layer of the Qi Gathering Realm, a trace of contempt flashed through his eyes. He then instructed the two identically built disciples behind him, "Li Da, Li Er, go deal with that Feiyun Sect brat. Be quick. Don't delay us from dealing with the Vajra Bear, and don't let him run back to call for reinforcements."
"Yes!"
Two voices rang out simultaneously. The twin disciples, Li Da and Li Er, stepped forward in response.
Both were at the ninth layer of the Qi Gathering Realm. The True Qi fluctuations around them were steady and vigorous, and they were famous among the Baiyang Sect's disciples for their strength.
They looked as though they had been carved from the same mold. Even their gazes were identical. At this moment, they watched Ye Feng with mocking eyes, as if looking at prey that was about to fall into their hands.
"A piece of trash at the third layer of the Qi Gathering Realm actually dares to join in the commotion over the Bone Tempering Flower?" Li Da licked his lips, his tone full of contempt.
"Today, I'll teach you how vast the sky and earth are."
"When the two of us brothers attack, you won't even have a chance to escape," Li Er added. Although they spoke disdainfully, neither of them was careless in the slightest.
Even a lion used its full strength to catch a rabbit. They did not want to capsize in the gutter because they had underestimated a disciple of a lower realm.
Before his voice had even faded, Li Da struck first.
The black True Qi inside his body suddenly erupted. His palm curved into a claw, carrying a sharp gust of wind as it went straight for Ye Feng's neck. Clearly, he intended to subdue him with a single strike.
At the same time, Li Er circled around behind Ye Feng. Blood-red True Qi condensed around his fist, and he punched toward Ye Feng's back. One attacked from the front and the other from behind, their coordination seamless as they sealed off every direction in which Ye Feng could dodge.
Yet Ye Feng remained calm.
He activated Shadow Step, his figure once again transforming into a shadow as he rapidly retreated.
Ye Feng's speed far exceeded Li Da and Li Er's expectations. The path they had thought they could easily seal off was forcibly widened by the distance he created.
"Trying to run? Not so easy!" Li Da and Li Er exchanged a glance. A trace of astonishment flashed through their eyes before they erupted with all their True Qi, their speed suddenly surging as they gave relentless chase.
They were afraid Ye Feng would truly run back to call for reinforcements. By then, not only would the Bone Tempering Flower be snatched away, but they would also gain nothing from it.
Just as the two were about to catch up with Ye Feng, he suddenly stopped. He turned around, his face utterly free of panic and instead carrying a faint smile.
Li Da and Li Er's hearts jolted. They had a bad feeling, but the arrow was already nocked on the bowstring. They had no choice but to release it.
Just as they prepared to attack again, they saw Ye Feng slowly draw the Low-grade Spirit Sword from his waist.
Azure True Qi surged upward in an instant and poured into the Spirit Sword. Two-tenths Sword Intent erupted without reservation.
The Spirit Sword let out an intense sword cry, and the air around its blade began to twist.
Ye Feng's wrist trembled lightly. An Azure Sword Qi tore through the air like a Long Rainbow, carrying terrifying might as it slashed straight toward Li Da and Li Er!
The sword was so fast that Li Da and Li Er could not even see the trajectory of the move. They only felt a flash of azure light before a bone-chilling cold enveloped their entire bodies.
Their expressions changed drastically. Instinctively, they condensed the True Qi within their bodies into a shield and raised it before them.
This was the fastest defense they could manage.
"Crack!"
The True Qi shield lasted only two seconds before being shattered by the Azure Sword Qi with a thunderous crash.
The Sword Qi did not slow down in the slightest and pierced straight through their bodies.
"Splurt!"
Blood sprayed through the air. Li Da and Li Er were severed at the waist by the Sword Qi, their four body halves crashing heavily to the ground as blood instantly dyed the surrounding earth red.
Two Baiyang Sect disciples at the ninth layer of the Qi Gathering Realm had not even been able to withstand a single sword from Ye Feng before dying on the spot!
In the clearing, the Baiyang Sect disciples who had been locked in combat with the Vajra Bear instantly stopped. One by one, they stared at the scene with their mouths agape, as if they could not believe their own eyes.
Yun Hai also stopped attacking. He had originally wanted to urge Li Da and Li Er to finish off Ye Feng quickly, but just as he shouted half a sentence—"Not finished yet?"—he sensed a familiar power of artistic conception.
That was Sword Intent!
Yun Hai abruptly turned his head and happened to see the gruesome sight of Li Da and Li Er being severed by the Sword Qi. His pupils contracted sharply, and his entire body froze in place.
"A third-layer Qi Gathering Realm cultivator... killed two ninth-layer Qi Gathering Realm cultivators?"
Yun Hai's voice trembled slightly. He stared fixedly at the Low-grade Spirit Sword in Ye Feng's hand, then looked at the Sword Intent fluctuations radiating from Ye Feng's body. In an instant, he understood.
"Two-tenths Sword Intent! And a Low-grade Spirit Sword! No wonder... no wonder he can kill people across so many levels!"
Earlier, he had thought Ye Feng was merely an ordinary disciple of a low realm. But now, it seemed that Ye Feng's combat strength far exceeded his imagination.
What stirred him even more was the Low-grade Spirit Sword in Ye Feng's hand.
That was a Spiritual Artifact!
Even among the Inner Court Prodigies of the Baiyang Sect, only a few possessed Spiritual Artifacts!
A greedy thought began to sprout in Yun Hai's heart.
If he could snatch this Low-grade Spirit Sword and then kill Ye Feng, not only could he eliminate a major threat, but he could also obtain a Spiritual Artifact. By then, his strength would certainly rise another level!
At the thought of this, the look Yun Hai gave Ye Feng changed from its initial contempt to wariness, and then from wariness to undisguised greed.
Yun Hai slowly tightened his grip on the Long Rainbow in his hand and instructed the Baiyang Sect disciples behind him, "Keep an eye on the Vajra Bear first. Don't let it escape. I'll deal with this Feiyun Sect brat!"
Ye Feng looked at the greed in Yun Hai's eyes and understood.
A hard battle was probably unavoidable.
Ye Feng tightened his grip on the Spirit Sword. Azure True Qi began surging once again, and his Sword Intent silently condensed, ready at any moment to face Yun Hai's attack.
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