Ye Fei found something puzzling: as he and Jiang Yiyun descended Black Cloud Peak, every Inner Sect Disciple they met gave him a look of gleeful anticipation at his misfortune.
"Martial Niece Yiyun, why are they looking at us so strangely?"
Ye Fei kept feeling that something was wrong and looked at Jiang Yiyun suspiciously.
"Are they?"
"They look perfectly normal to me!"
Jiang Yiyun wore a bewildered expression.
"Perhaps I'm overthinking it."
Ye Fei shook his head helplessly.
Just like that, he and Jiang Yiyun soon left the Free and Easy Gate.
"Martial Uncle Ye, have you ever killed a tier-one Demon Beast?"
After they had traveled a dozen or so li from the Free and Easy Gate, Jiang Yiyun asked curiously.
"No!"
Ye Fei answered frankly.
"Huh?"
"You've never killed a Demon Beast, Martial Uncle Ye?"
Hearing his answer, Jiang Yiyun looked surprised.
"What?"
"Have you killed one, Martial Niece Yiyun?"
Her expression left Ye Fei feeling a little awkward.
"Of course I... how could I possibly have killed one?"
Jiang Yiyun's beautiful eyes lit up, and she thrust out the two little buns on her chest. She was about to speak when something suddenly occurred to her, and she hastily changed tack, denying it.
"It's fine. We'll work together later. Once we've killed one, we'll get the hang of it."
Ye Fei smiled faintly, giving it no further thought.
"Martial Uncle Ye, if you've never killed a Demon Beast, how did you dare accept so many missions at once?"
"You had me thinking you were a Demon Beast butcher."
"Besides, without a Storage Pouch, you can't carry the mission items. What's the point of accepting so many missions at once?"
Jiang Yiyun blinked her bright eyes, looking at Ye Fei in confusion.
"Well..."
"I just thought that, with my abilities, handling tier-one Demon Beasts shouldn't be a problem."
"As for carrying the Demon Beast materials, I forgot to consider that."
Ye Fei scratched his head and answered sheepishly.
He had only been thinking of the Azure Dragon Sword. With its vast internal space, he could store any amount of Demon Beast materials.
But he had forgotten that he could not reveal this secret to anyone.
"Martial Uncle Ye, I think we'd better not go any farther."
At Ye Fei's answer, the corner of Jiang Yiyun's mouth twitched. She stopped immediately and spoke with some concern.
"Why?"
Ye Fei asked in surprise.
"I'm afraid we'll be in danger if we go too far."
Jiang Yiyun answered guiltily.
"How could that happen? There aren't any Demon Beasts here. Where would the danger come from?"
Ye Fei found Jiang Yiyun's behavior rather baffling.
They were only a dozen or so li from the Free and Easy Gate. Any Demon Beasts this close would have been slaughtered long ago.
From the living handbook, Ye Fei had learned that there were no Demon Beasts within fifty li of the Free and Easy Gate, let alone a dozen.
"There. They're coming."
No sooner had Ye Fei finished speaking than Jiang Yiyun pointed straight ahead. Then she tucked her neck in as though she had done something wrong and looked at him nervously.
"Demon Beasts!"
"How could there be Demon Beasts here!"
Following her finger, Ye Fei could not help crying out.
Two li ahead of them, two enormous Earth-Splitting Beasts were charging toward them.
"Stay back, Martial Niece Yiyun. Leave these two to me."
After a brief moment of shock, Ye Fei hurriedly shielded Jiang Yiyun behind him.
Then he reached back and drew the longsword from his back.
"Martial Uncle Ye, let's run! You can't fight two at once."
Seeing that Ye Fei had no intention of fleeing, Jiang Yiyun hastily warned him.
"It's fine. I have a way. Just watch from here."
Ye Fei smiled calmly, then pushed off with his toes and shot forward, sword in hand, to meet the two charging Earth-Splitting Beasts.
The two Earth-Splitting Beasts resembled crocodiles. Each was over a zhang long, with a gaping, blood-red maw as wide as a water vat, looking utterly ferocious.
Their fist-sized eyes were blood-red and fixed on Jiang Yiyun with a crazed stare.
"Do these Earth-Splitting Beasts have a taste for women?"
The look in their eyes left Ye Fei somewhat amused.
Still, he only quickened his pace, meeting the two Earth-Splitting Beasts in the blink of an eye.
Although Ye Fei had never fought a Demon Beast before, he had killed plenty of ferocious wild animals and had considerable combat experience.
Even facing two Earth-Splitting Beasts at once, he felt no fear.
The instant they met, Ye Fei flickered into motion, unleashing the Mistlike Step he had practiced for so long. In a flash, he stood to the left of one Earth-Splitting Beast.
"Die!"
At the same time, Ye Fei shouted, driving his wrist forward and thrusting his longsword fiercely at the Earth-Splitting Beast's belly.
To his surprise, the Earth-Splitting Beast had no intention of stopping. It merely flicked its tail, evaded his attack, and continued charging toward Jiang Yiyun ahead.
"Martial Uncle Ye, save me!"
Now looking frantic, Jiang Yiyun called to Ye Fei for help.
"Stop running! Come at me!"
Seeing both Earth-Splitting Beasts charge toward Jiang Yiyun, Ye Fei grew frantic. His toes tapped the ground repeatedly as he used Mistlike Step in rapid succession, soon catching up.
Fortunately, the two Earth-Splitting Beasts had eyes only for Jiang Yiyun and had lowered their guard against Ye Fei, allowing him to land several sword thrusts on their bodies.
But to Ye Fei's dismay, their armored hides were so tough that his longsword could not pierce them. He could not hurt the Earth-Splitting Beasts at all.
What should I do?
Seeing the two Earth-Splitting Beasts about to reach Jiang Yiyun, Ye Fei grew anxious.
"Martial Uncle Ye, stab their eyes! Their eyes are their weak point!"
Just then, Jiang Yiyun's somewhat excited voice reached him.
Yes, Jiang Yiyun was extremely excited now.
She had never expected Ye Fei to be so fast despite being only at the qi refining fourth layer. Had the magical treasure in his hand not been so low-grade, he probably would have slain both Earth-Splitting Beasts already.
"Their eyes?"
At Jiang Yiyun's reminder, Ye Fei brightened. He pushed off with his toes and sprang into the air.
A moment later, he stood atop one Earth-Splitting Beast's head.
At the same time, he turned his wrist and drove his longsword viciously into its eye.
Squelch!
Blood sprayed everywhere as the longsword pierced straight through the Earth-Splitting Beast's eye.
"Grr!"
Unable to bear the pain, the Earth-Splitting Beast threw back its head and roared, sweeping its tail viciously at Ye Fei above.
Seeing this, Ye Fei's lips curved upward. He turned his wrist again, twisting the longsword inside its eye socket, then pushed off with his toes, pulling out his sword and leaping clear of the sweeping tail.
"Let's ruin this eye too."
As he descended, Ye Fei thrust his longsword toward the Earth-Splitting Beast's other eye.
Squelch!
Its other eye was pierced by Ye Fei's longsword in an instant.
"Grr! Grr..."
Blinded in both eyes, the Earth-Splitting Beast could no longer spare any attention for Jiang Yiyun ahead. It spun in place, howling in agony.
At the sight, Ye Fei inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
But when he looked up ahead, he was startled.
The other Earth-Splitting Beast was now less than three zhang from Jiang Yiyun.
Meanwhile, he was still five or six zhang from that beast.
It was already too late to catch up.
At this hairbreadth moment, a thought flashed through Ye Fei's mind. The true qi within him surged, pouring madly into his longsword.
"White Rainbow Pierces the Sun!"
Ye Fei unleashed the first strike of the Nine Leaning Luo Swords.
He pushed off with his toes, launching himself forward into the air as he slashed his longsword fiercely at the Earth-Splitting Beast ahead.
A keen streak of sword light flew from the tip, striking the Earth-Splitting Beast over five zhang away in the blink of an eye.
Squelch!
Flesh and blood flew everywhere. Ye Fei's ranged sword strike cleaved the Earth-Splitting Beast in two, killing it on the spot.
Not only was Jiang Yiyun left dumbfounded by the sight, even Ye Fei himself could hardly believe it.
"Martial Uncle Ye, you're amazing!"
The first to recover, Jiang Yiyun looked at Ye Fei with adoration.
"Just luck."
Ye Fei smiled sheepishly, then swung his sword again, killing the blinded Earth-Splitting Beast as well.
"Martial Uncle Ye, run!"
Ye Fei was just about to step forward and cut away the Earth-Splitting Beast's armored hide when Jiang Yiyun's anxious voice rang out again from a distance.
"What's going on?"
Ye Fei's heart jolted, and he hurriedly turned to look behind him.
One glance made his pupils contract sharply. Forgetting all about the armored hide before him, he turned and fled.
As he passed Jiang Yiyun, he seized her delicate hand without a word and sped toward the Free and Easy Gate.
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