Wilds Showdown

After leaving the Grand Tutor's Mansion, Ye Kang quickly returned to the inn.

Just as he was about to go back to his room, a faint noise from a nearby alley caught his attention.

He immediately concealed himself and quietly followed.

On the dimly lit street, several men in black cautiously approached a secluded courtyard.

Ye Kang saw how furtive they were and knew at once they couldn't be up to any good.

As soon as the men entered the courtyard, a man dressed like a wealthy merchant came out to greet them.

"How did it go? Did you find out everything?"

"Let's go inside."

The leader of the men in black was extremely cautious. He went straight into the room and shut the door tight, leaving two men in black outside to keep watch.

Ye Kang wasn't in a hurry. He circled around to the wall behind the room and focused his Five Senses to the utmost. His keen hearing immediately picked up every word spoken inside.

"We found out everything. After entering the city, that man checked into the Fulin Inn. Jin Baobei followed right behind him. There's no doubt about it."

"Good! Elder Fire is just outside the city. Tell him this news at once, and our mission will be complete!"

As Ye Kang listened to their conversation, his expression turned peculiar.

Why did it sound like they were talking about him?

Had he been targeted as soon as he entered the city?

Ye Kang had no time to think it through. The man in black had already hurried toward the city outskirts.

He followed right after him.

Whoever they were, he'd go see what was going on first.

Though the man in black was extremely cautious, the gap in their strength was insurmountable. He never imagined an Innate Master was trailing right behind him.

Under a moonless sky and rising winds, the two slipped over the city wall, one after the other.

The man in black then headed straight southeast.

After a rapid journey, they reached a spot ten li outside the city.

Suddenly, a blaze of fire appeared across the wilderness ahead.

The firelight revealed the silhouettes of tents.

The man in black sped to a stop in front of the largest tent and dropped to one knee. "Elder Fire! This disciple has found that man's whereabouts."

The tent opened, and an old man with red hair and a red beard emerged.

Without a word, he grabbed the man in black by the throat and lifted him up.

"Useless fool. You found him, and even brought him here, but you didn't realize it."

The man in black couldn't speak, but terror filled his eyes.

Crack!

Elder Fire showed no mercy. He snapped the man's neck and casually tossed him aside.

Then he looked in Ye Kang's direction.

"Come out. Did you think you could hide from me right under my nose?"

Flames shot into the sky. Dozens of Golden Saber Sect disciples rushed out carrying sabers and torches.

Ye Kang wasn't surprised.

At a glance, he could tell that Elder Fire was also an Innate First Rank expert.

It was only natural that the man had sensed him.

Besides, he hadn't planned to hide.

He'd followed them here to deal with the trouble.

Ye Kang clasped his hands behind his back. "Who are you, and why were you investigating me?"

Elder Fire gave a savage grin. "You've got some nerve, killing an elder of my Golden Saber Sect and still acting so brazenly."

"So you're experts from the Golden Saber Sect. People in the martial world get killed when they aren't skilled enough. Blaming me for that is utterly unreasonable."

Ye Kang smiled, his whole body brimming with fighting spirit.

This was his first time facing another Innate expert head-on. As a martial artist, he had to keep fighting powerful opponents.

At the same time, the System Sound rang out.

[ Ding ]

[Mission: Kill Elder Fire]

[Mission Reward: 2000 Comprehension]

A mission at last. Now he definitely couldn't back down.

Ye Kang strode forward.

Seeing Ye Kang act so brazenly, Elder Fire unleashed an endless killing intent.

"Boy, whether you're a lapdog of the imperial court or not, tonight will be your last. You should never have killed Wang Hai!"

"Blade!"

Elder Fire roared. A broad red saber flew toward him.

He caught it and slashed down with all his might.

A Flame Wave accompanied by saber qi tore through the air.

"That's nothing but a parlor trick."

Without even looking, Ye Kang flicked his fingers. Hundred Flowers Sword Qi shot out and easily deflected the Flame Wave, setting off a thunderous blast in midair.

Elder Fire narrowed his eyes. "Sword Qi released beyond the body? What kind of sword art is that?"

The moment he finished speaking, another burst of Hundred Flowers Sword Qi shot out, but its target was an ordinary Golden Saber Sect disciple nearby.

With a whoosh, the man didn't even notice before the Sword Qi blew his head apart.

Ye Kang appeared there at the same time. He tapped the ground with his toe, and the saber in the man's hand fell into his grasp.

"I'll borrow your blade."

A surge of red qi rose from Elder Fire's body.

Boom!

The clothes on his upper body burst apart, revealing a mass of grotesquely bulging muscles.

He stepped forward, and in an instant, he was right in front of Ye Kang.

His blade, wreathed in flames, came slashing down.

"Die!"

Ye Kang reacted just as quickly. Without a moment's hesitation, he raised his saber and struck back.

Then a tremendous force crashed down on him, while a ball of fire raced along the blade and roared toward his face.

Seeing the danger, Ye Kang immediately pulled back his saber and rode the force backward through the air.

That one strike sent Ye Kang flying dozens of paces. It was the most powerful force he'd ever faced from an opponent.

And only an opponent this powerful could truly get Ye Kang excited.

He urged the Wood Heart Sutra to full force, and green qi quickly regulated his ragged breathing.

"What incredible saber art! It can unleash such a terrifying Flame Wave!"

Ye Kang praised him.

Elder Fire gave a scornful laugh. "You're quite something yourself. You took my Blazing Blade head-on and didn't suffer so much as a scratch. Let's see how many more strikes you can withstand."

"It's just saber art. I can use it too."

Ye Kang roared. A phantom White Tiger appeared around him. The mighty tiger howled, shaking the mountains and forests.

The White Tiger Slaughtering Blade had already reached its Great Perfection limit. Even its killing intent alone was enough to leave the Golden Saber Sect disciples trembling.

The two locked eyes and struck at the same time. Their white and red qi collided in an instant.

Then they leaped toward one another and clashed blades in midair.

This time, Ye Kang was prepared. He wasn't knocked flying by the force of the other's strike and instead held his ground.

The White Tiger and the flames collided too, unleashing a storm of saber qi that swept through the surroundings and left several ordinary disciples badly wounded.

They said no more and simply kept clashing blades.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The air rang with the clash of metal. In just a dozen breaths, the two sabers had met dozens of times!

When the clash ended, both men were sent flying backward. Ye Kang's arm felt numb, his palm split open, and his qi was more depleted than ever before. Even the Wood Heart Sutra was struggling to keep up.

Of course, Elder Fire was in no better shape.

If anything, he was panting even harder.

After all, every one of his strikes unleashed a Flame Wave. It looked impressive, but took a tremendous amount of qi to produce.

After dozens of consecutive clashes, Elder Fire's qi was almost completely drained.

He was already considering retreat.

"This man's Internal Energy is strange. His qi is more abundant than anything I've ever seen. If we keep fighting, I'll be the first to run out of strength."

Just then, the long saber in Ye Kang's hand suddenly cracked apart, breaking into useless scrap metal.

Both men stared in surprise.

It was no wonder. An ordinary saber couldn't compare with Elder Fire's blade. If Ye Kang hadn't kept it wrapped in qi, it would've been cut in two by the very first strike.

That it had lasted this long before breaking was already a miracle.

Seeing this, Elder Fire burst into laughter.

He was back in business!

"Boy, you've lost your saber. What are you going to fight me with now? Die!"