Ye Wudao narrowed his eyes. He had just been locked in a fierce struggle with that "Wild Dog," not because he could not kill it, but because he had been testing several footwork techniques in battle.
From beginning to end, he had not drawn his blade even once, relying only on his footwork to evade.
Only after he saw the four people from the Four Blade Sect approaching did he draw his blade and finish off that "Wild Dog."
He planted his broadsword in the ground and snorted coldly. "I didn't expect to run into you here today, either."
"Aren't you afraid my master will come looking for trouble with you?"
Hearing this, the middle-aged man glanced around, then burst into laughter. "Kid, quit using Hu Lianfeng to scare us."
"We just came from the gentle slope by the riverbank. We didn't see Hu Lianfeng at all."
"Good thing I've got sharp eyes and spotted you, you little beast."
"Otherwise, you would've slipped through our fingers again today."
"Heh heh!" Ye Wudao chuckled, then shouted in a deep voice, "So what if my master isn't here? I alone am enough to deal with trash like you!"
The middle-aged man flew into a rage. "You little brat, you don't know the height of heaven or the depth of earth! I'll send you straight to hell!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he charged at Ye Wudao with his blade in hand.
"Your footwork is a mess, your stance is unstable, and your core has no strength!"
Yet in Ye Wudao's eyes, the instant the middle-aged man charged from three meters away, his entire body was full of openings.
Though he was fast, his footwork was terrible. His body swayed far too much, making even the hand holding his blade tremble slightly.
"Hmph!"
Ye Wudao snorted coldly, and the blade in his hand swept upward with the motion.
The next second, blood sprayed across his face.
The middle-aged man who had rushed before him stared at him in disbelief, then glanced down at his own chest.
A wound no wider than a chopstick ran from his abdomen all the way to his chest.
The tip of Ye Wudao's blade had plunged straight into his heart.
It had pierced through his chest and out his back, piercing his heart clean through.
"You..."
He raised the blade in his hand, only to feel utterly weak and powerless.
"Cough, cough..."
He coughed up a mouthful of blood, and his head drooped helplessly.
Ye Wudao pulled his blade from the middle-aged man's body and looked expressionlessly at the three remaining people from the Four Blade Sect.
"I was originally planning to settle the score with you after I got out!"
"Since you've delivered yourselves to my doorstep today, then let's settle the score now!"
At those words, the three Four Blade Sect members standing frozen in place finally came back to their senses.
"A-Tai!"
The old woman cried out loudly.
Her cry drew the attention of the others nearby.
Those who had formed teams to hunt demon beasts began discussing among themselves.
"Isn't that the Four Blade Sect's sect master? What happened to her?"
"Didn't you see the person lying on the ground? They must have clashed with that young man."
"Four against one, and they still got killed in return? The Four Blade Sect really is beyond saving!"
"Don't underestimate the Four Blade Sect. Their sect master is at least an expert of the Houtian Initiation Realm."
"A Houtian Initiation Realm cultivator still hunting first-rank demon beasts here? Isn't that humiliating enough?"
"But why haven't I seen this young man before? Is he a newcomer? A newcomer dared to go head-to-head with the Four Blade Sect?"
"That young man should be at the Body Tempering Great Accomplishment Realm. Otherwise, he couldn't have dealt with the Four Blade Sect's men. The other three from the Four Blade Sect were all at Body Tempering Great Accomplishment too, so they won't be easy to handle."
"Then he's in for it! The Four Blade Sect's sect master has some real strength. At the very least, dealing with a Body Tempering Realm cultivator should be easy for her."
"Hunting demon beasts in the Rift World at such a young age—he should be a disciple from some great clan. He probably has a protector nearby."
The discussions around them completely ignited the Four Blade Sect sect master's fury.
She drew the broadsword at her waist and growled, "Kid, I want you dead!"
Ye Wudao stepped back. He had heard Hu Lianfeng say that the Four Blade Sect's sect master had reached the Houtian Initiation Realm.
The Houtian Initiation Realm was still within the Houtian Realm. She had already mastered Inch Power, so dealing with someone at the Body Forging Realm like him would not be a problem.
"Attack together! Don't let him escape!"
The Four Blade Sect's sect master shouted, and the other two middle-aged men immediately moved, flanking Ye Wudao from both sides.
Ye Wudao frowned tightly and raised his blade into a defensive stance.
Behind him was a horde of demon beasts, the paths on both sides were blocked, and ahead stood the old woman from the Four Blade Sect. If he wanted to escape, he could only break through on the left or right.
The next second, he suddenly moved.
Hu Lianfeng had taught him one principle: whenever facing an enemy, strike first and seize the initiative.
He pushed the Light Smoke Step to its limit. In the blink of an eye, he had rushed before the middle-aged man on his left.
"A-Jun, be careful!"
Seeing Ye Wudao suddenly move, the Four Blade Sect's sect master immediately called out a warning.
The middle-aged man called A-Jun tensed every muscle in his body and shouted, "Life-Taking Four Blades!"
The corner of Ye Wudao's lips curled upward slightly. This middle-aged man's Life-Taking Four Blades had perhaps only reached minor mastery, and it was far too slow.
"I'll teach you what the real Life-Taking Four Blades are!"
He shouted and rushed before the middle-aged man, bending down, swinging his blade, then lifting it upward in one fluid motion.
The next second, the middle-aged man fell straight backward.
"A-Jun!"
The Four Blade Sect's sect master shouted again, raising her blade and chopping down at Ye Wudao's head.
Ye Wudao had long noticed her charging over. He slid sideways, moving two meters away in an instant and avoiding that fatal strike.
"A-Hua! Attack together! Something's wrong with this kid!"
Seeing Ye Wudao's movements, the Four Blade Sect's sect master simply could not connect the Ye Wudao before her with the Ye Wudao who had lost his footing and fallen into the canyon yesterday.
She realized that Ye Wudao might be hiding a secret.
In an instant, greed surged within her!
The middle-aged man beside her had also seen Ye Wudao kill A-Jun. It had been smooth and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.
Knowing Ye Wudao would not be easy to deal with, he heard the sect master's call and charged toward Ye Wudao's right side.
Ye Wudao shifted one step backward, swiftly widening the distance.
Just as the middle-aged man continued pursuing him, he suddenly stopped retreating, then pitched his body forward.
This was the essence of the Roaming Dragon Step—retreating in order to advance!
By the time the middle-aged man reacted, Ye Wudao had already charged before him.
Looking at the blade appearing before him, the middle-aged man had only one thought in his mind: It's over!
The next second, Ye Wudao's blade came down viciously upon the middle-aged man's head.
He did not bother looking to see whether the middle-aged man was dead. He knew that strike had undoubtedly killed him.
Because he heard the Four Blade Sect's sect master rushing at him from behind. With no time to think, he turned and raised his blade to block.
Clang...
The sound of broadsword striking broadsword rang beside his ears, jolting his eardrums until they throbbed with pain.
A strange force traveled along the blade into his arm, numbing the web between his thumb and forefinger.
"Inch Power!"
Ye Wudao hurriedly retreated to disperse the force. Only after backing up four or five steps did he barely steady himself.
He narrowed his eyes at the Four Blade Sect's sect master three meters away. As expected of an Houtian Initiation Realm expert, she could suppress him fiercely in terms of strength.
At this time, Qin Tianlong also came down from the gentle slope.
He had originally intended to save Ye Wudao, but when he saw Ye Wudao cleanly and efficiently deal with the three middle-aged men from the Four Blade Sect, he was somewhat surprised.
Though they were all at the Body Tempering Great Accomplishment Realm, Ye Wudao's combat strength was on a completely different level from those three middle-aged men.
He found an unoccupied spot, pinched a pebble between his fingers, and quietly watched Ye Wudao battle the Four Blade Sect's sect master.
He also wanted to see just how long Ye Wudao could last against this Four Blade Sect sect master at the Houtian Initiation Realm.
The pebble in his hand would allow him to save Ye Wudao at any moment.
"A-Hua!"
The Four Blade Sect's sect master looked at the last middle-aged man to fall and cried out in grief and fury.
She stared at Ye Wudao, gritted her teeth, and said in a low voice, "Kid, I will definitely make you die today!"
"Yesterday, you were still a Body Tempering beginner who couldn't even stand steady on a steep slope. Today, you can kill someone at Body Tempering Great Accomplishment. You must have some secret!"
"Once I kill you, your secret will be mine. Then I'll be able to restore the Four Blade Sect to glory!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she charged at Ye Wudao again.
Ye Wudao's brows knitted tightly. The Four Blade Sect's sect master was not slow. If he wanted to flee with his speed, it seemed somewhat difficult.
He glanced at the Four Blade Sect's sect master, narrowed his eyes, and shouted, "Then come!"
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