Fierce Battle in the Wilderness

Ye Kang left the Grand Tutor's Mansion and quickly returned to the inn.

Just as he was about to enter his room, a subtle movement in a nearby alley caught his attention.

He immediately concealed his figure and quietly followed.

In the dim street, several black-clothed assailants cautiously approached a separate courtyard.

Seeing their furtive behavior, Ye Kang knew they weren't good people.

After they entered the courtyard, a man dressed as a wealthy merchant soon came out to greet them.

"How is it? Did you find out clearly?"

"Let's go inside and talk."

The leader of the black-clothed assailants was extremely cautious. He directly entered a room, closed the door tightly, and left two black-clothed assailants outside to guard.

Ye Kang wasn't in a hurry. He circled around to the side of the courtyard wall behind the room and activated his five senses to their fullest. His powerful hearing immediately picked up their conversation clearly.

"We've investigated everything. After that person entered the city, he checked into the Fulin Inn. Jin Baobei is following right behind him, no doubt about it."

"Good! Elder Fire is just outside the city. Immediately inform him of this news, and our mission will be considered complete!"

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

Why does it feel like they're talking about me?

Could it be that I've been targeted the moment I entered the city?

Ye Kang didn't have time to think further, but he saw the black-clothed assailants quickly heading out of the city.

He followed directly.

No matter who it is, I'll go check the situation first.

Although the black-clothed assailant was extremely cautious, the gap in strength was too great. He never expected that an Innate expert would be following him.

The moon was high and the wind was strong. The two flew out of the city walls, one after the other.

The black-clothed assailant then headed directly towards the southeast.

After a rapid journey, they arrived ten miles outside the city.

Suddenly, a burst of firelight appeared on the open ground ahead.

Within the firelight, the shadows of tents could be seen.

The black-clothed assailant flew to the front of the largest tent, knelt down on one knee, and said in a low voice, "Elder Fire! This disciple has found the person's location."

The tent flap opened, and an old man with fiery red hair and a beard walked out.

Without a word, he grabbed the black-clothed assailant by the neck and lifted him up.

"Useless! Not only did you find him, but you even brought him here without realizing it."

The black-clothed assailant couldn't speak, but his eyes showed a look of terror.

With a snap.

Elder Fire mercilessly twisted his neck and casually threw him aside.

Then, he looked in Ye Kang's direction.

"Come out. Did you think you could hide from me?"

At this moment, the firelight surged, and dozens of Golden Saber Sect disciples, armed with sabers and torches, ran out simultaneously.

Ye Kang was not surprised.

He could tell at a glance that Elder Fire was also Innate First Rank.

It was normal for the other party to be able to detect him.

Besides, he hadn't intended to hide.

He had followed them here precisely to resolve the trouble.

Ye Kang cupped his hands behind his back and said, "Who are you people, and why were you inquiring about me?"

Elder Fire sneered, "You have courage. You killed an elder of our Golden Saber Sect and still dare to be so arrogant."

"So you're an expert from the Golden Saber Sect. It's normal for martial artists in the jianghu to be killed if their skills aren't good enough. It's truly unreasonable to blame me for this."

Ye Kang smiled, his body surging with fighting spirit.

This was the first time he was facing an expert of the same Innate realm directly. As a martial artist, one must constantly fight against strong opponents.

At the same time, the system's voice sounded.

[Ding]

[Task Issued: Defeat Elder Fire]

[Task Reward: 2000 Comprehension]

Finally, a task! Now there's even more reason I have to fight.

Ye Kang walked forward directly.

Elder Fire saw how arrogant Ye Kang was and immediately unleashed his boundless killing intent.

"Kid, whether you're a running dog of the Imperial Court or not, tonight is your death day. It's just too bad you killed Wang Hai!"

"Blade, come!"

Elder Fire roared, and a broad red saber was thrown over.

He caught the broad saber and swung it with force.

A wave of flame accompanied by saber energy tore through the air.

"Just a petty trick."

Ye Kang didn't even look. With a slight movement of his fingers, Hundred Flowers Sword Qi shot out, easily deflecting the wave of flame. An explosion immediately erupted in mid-air.

Elder Fire's eyes narrowed. "Sword Qi detached from the body? What kind of sword technique is this?"

As soon as he finished speaking, another Hundred Flowers Sword Qi was unleashed, this time targeting an ordinary disciple of the Golden Saber Sect nearby.

Whoosh. The man was completely unaware as the sword qi exploded his head.

Ye Kang's figure appeared there at the same time. With a tap of his toe, the great saber in the man's hand fell into Ye Kang's grasp.

"I'll borrow your saber for a moment."

Seeing this, Elder Fire's body erupted with red True Qi.

Boom!

The clothes on his upper body all burst open, revealing incredibly ferocious muscles.

Then he took a step forward, his figure instantly appearing before Ye Kang.

The blade edge, carrying flames, slashed down rapidly.

"Die for me!"

Ye Kang reacted just as quickly. Without thinking, he raised his saber to counterattack.

Then, a massive force pressed down on him, and a ball of flame simultaneously surged along the blade towards his face.

Seeing the situation turn dire, Ye Kang immediately retracted his saber and used the force to fly backward.

This single strike sent Ye Kang flying dozens of steps away. The power was immense, the strongest Ye Kang had ever encountered.

Of course, only with such strength could Ye Kang become thoroughly excited.

He fully activated the Wood Heart Sutra, and green True Qi quickly regulated his disordered breathing.

"What a powerful saber technique, to be able to unleash such a terrifying wave of flame!"

Ye Kang exclaimed.

Elder Fire sneered, "You are quite a character, to withstand my Blazing Blade head-on and remain completely unharmed. I just don't know how many more blows you can take."

"It's just a saber technique, I have one too."

Ye Kang roared, and a White Tiger phantom appeared above him. The giant tiger roared, shaking the mountains and forests.

The White Tiger Slaughtering Blade, cultivated to the extreme of Great Perfection, its mere killing aura struck fear into the hearts of the Golden Saber Sect disciples.

The two men exchanged glances and simultaneously drew their sabers. Two streams of True Qi, one white and one red, instantly collided.

Then, they both leaped out and clashed blades in mid-air.

This time, prepared, Ye Kang was not sent flying by the opponent's force but held his ground steadily.

The White Tiger and the flames also collided, erupting in chaotic saber energy that instantly swept the surroundings, severely wounding several ordinary disciples.

Without further words, the two continued to clash blades.

Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!

The air was filled with the sound of metal striking metal. In just over ten breaths, the two sabers had clashed dozens of times wildly!

When the blade clash ended, both men were sent flying backward. Ye Kang felt his arms go numb, his tiger's mouth split, and his True Qi consumption was unprecedentedly high. Even the Wood Heart Sutra was struggling to keep up.

Of course, Elder Fire was not in much better condition.

If anything, he was panting more heavily.

After all, every one of his strikes had to unleash a wave of flame. While it looked cool, it consumed a large amount of True Qi to activate.

Dozens of consecutive blade clashes had almost drained Elder Fire's True Qi.

He was already considering retreating.

"This person's internal energy is strange, his True Qi is inexhaustible. If this continues, I will be the first to collapse."

At this moment, the long saber in Ye Kang's hand suddenly cracked and disintegrated, turning into scrap metal.

Both men were stunned.

It was no wonder. How could an ordinary long saber compare to Elder Fire's blade? If Ye Kang hadn't constantly enveloped it with True Qi, it would have been cut in half during the first strike.

To last this long before shattering was already a miracle.

Seeing this, Elder Fire burst into laughter.

He had a chance again!

"Kid, you don't even have a saber anymore, what are you going to fight me with! Die!"