Encounter Again

As time passed, though he had no idea how long it had been, the tingling sensation gradually faded. Ye Yun knew this was because the system was about to drain the spiritual energy from the spiritual vein. Once the tingling had completely disappeared, he withdrew his hand. The spiritual vein had been utterly drained.

Rare herbs and treasures were usually guarded by strange beasts or other unusual creatures. Ye Yun guessed that this lightning-struck peach tree had been the guardian of this Spiritual Spring. Unfortunately, for some reason, it had been struck by lightning. Otherwise, Ye Yun would never have found the spring so easily.

He had everything he came for, so there was no need to stay. After casually plucking a few peaches, he flew on his sword toward Cang'er City. He had his eye on the medicinal herbs owned by that group of demonic cultivators, and now that they were all away, it was the perfect chance to clean out their hideout.

Ye Yun still couldn't break the sound barrier while flying on his sword, but he was close. Going at full speed, he returned to Cang'er City in little more than ten minutes. The few demonic cultivators left behind there hadn't even reached the Fourth Layer of Jade Purity, and he killed them all in a single exchange. Their medicinal herbs naturally fell into his hands, though Ye Yun left the valuables they had looted untouched.

After returning to the inn and eating a meal, Ye Yun left Cang'er City. There were still plenty of places he hadn't visited, such as the Hundred Thousand Mountains, the Arctic Ice Field, and the East Sea. He couldn't waste his time here.

After leaving Cang'er City, Ye Yun headed north. By dusk, he had reached a large city called Fusang City. Curious, he made a point of asking how it got its name, but the answer left him unimpressed. Fusang City was called that because the area around it produced abundant Fusang trees, which were ideal for raising silkworms. It had nothing to do with the Fusang divine tree of myth.

Once he learned the reason, Ye Yun lost all interest in Fusang City. He found a decent inn and settled in, only to frown when he spotted people from that demonic sect whose name he still didn't know. Judging by their looks, they had come for him.

When Ye Yun had left the mountain, his cultivation had already reached the Jade Purity Eighth Layer. The system had absorbed energy from the spiritual vein earlier and given him another boost; now he was not far from the Jade Purity Ninth Layer. At this level, he was on par not only with the younger generation but with many of the older generation as well. He wasn't worried in the slightest. If these people dared to come for him, he would simply kill them.

Though he had complete confidence in his strength, as the saying went, it was better to be safe than sorry. So Ye Yun decided not to sleep that night. He would spend the whole night meditating and cultivating instead. That way, he could cultivate without worrying about anyone sneaking up on him in the night—a win-win.

At dawn the next morning, Ye Yun stopped circulating the Tai Chi Xuan Qing Dao. He opened his mouth and gently exhaled, sending a streak of white light shooting out nearly a yard before it quickly dissipated. It was the useless spiritual energy his body couldn't absorb. After expelling it, Ye Yun opened his eyes, which gleamed brightly.

Looking at the bright sunshine outside the window, Ye Yun's eyes showed a hint of disappointment. He had waited all night, but no one had come to assassinate him. It was a real letdown. He had gone out of his way to stay awake and wait the whole night, yet the other side didn't even have the guts to act.

Forget it. I'll stay here for one more day. If they don't make a move by then, I'll leave. Having made up his mind, Ye Yun grabbed his sword and left the inn. He had completely lost interest in this world's entertainment. Only the local food and scenery could still catch his attention, and now he planned to sample the city's delicacies.

Every city had its own specialties, and Fusang City was no exception. Its specialty was silk, and its smooth, exquisite bolts were extremely popular. But they held no appeal for Ye Yun; he had no use for them, and the city's snacks were far more enticing.

Though this world resembled ancient Huaxia, it was much more prosperous, especially when it came to food. There were all kinds of cooking methods—frying, deep-frying, boiling, stir-frying, braising, stewing, and roasting. Their cooking utensils were just as varied as those in the modern world, and their seasonings and ingredients were far superior to those of ancient Huaxia. After all, this was a fantasy world where people had long been able to fly everywhere, unlike the modern world, where airplanes and high-speed trains had only appeared in recent times.

The food in this world was good, but it had one fatal flaw: there were no food streets. If you wanted to eat, you had to search for places one by one. Ye Yun wasn't in a hurry, so he wandered from street to street, and found it quite pleasant. But when he took a skewer of fried silkworm pupae from a young man, he couldn't help frowning. It wasn't that he disliked the pupae; someone had smeared them with a deadly poison that killed on contact with blood.

After a moment's hesitation, Ye Yun patted his already full stomach and finally handed the skewer back to the young man. He was confident he could avoid being poisoned, but this wasn't his home ground, so it was better to be cautious. Otherwise, it would be all too easy to get caught off guard.

The moment he took the skewer of silkworm pupae, Ye Yun knew the other side had begun to act. He patted his stomach to subtly indicate that he was full, then asked the young man for directions to Fusang City's famous scenic spots. The young man was very enthusiastic and explained the route in great detail, almost as if he were about to pull out a map.

After thanking him, Ye Yun left the stall and followed the route the vendor had pointed out. Even as the surroundings grew more and more deserted, he paid no mind, thinking it was only natural. But after walking a little farther, he had to stop: several men dressed in black were blocking the road ahead. When he turned around, he saw that the road behind him was blocked too.

They didn't ask questions or even greet him. Once they had trapped Ye Yun in the alley, the men charged without a word, weapons in hand. Apart from their heavy footsteps, there was not a sound. Ye Yun didn't waste words either. He swept his right hand, and a streak of yellow light instantly sank into the ground.

The moment the yellow light entered the earth, the hard ground rippled. Then several hard stone spikes, each as thick as a thigh and over a yard long, suddenly shot up beneath the group. But the moment the yellow light sank into the ground, the men had already leaped into the air. Everyone dodged safely except for one unlucky man who hadn't jumped high enough and had his lower leg pierced by a stone spike.

Ye Yun hadn't expected the ground spikes to take out the whole group, but the result still surprised him a little. Yet if they thought they could escape his attack just by dodging the spikes, they were sorely mistaken.

As he changed the hand seal, the men who had been congratulating themselves on dodging Ye Yun's attack suddenly noticed the smile at the corner of his mouth. A sense of dread struck them, but they were already in midair with nothing to push off against. Even realizing something was wrong, they could do nothing. Just then, the hard stone spikes on the ground suddenly sprang up, instantly impaling most of them like pincushions. Only two or three managed to deflect the spikes with their superb swordsmanship and quick reflexes, escaping with their lives.