After leaving the residence, Ye Hongtao moved with extreme caution, concealing his presence. After all, the sky had not yet fully darkened, and his all-black outfit could easily attract attention.
Ye Tian, meanwhile, had glanced toward the foot of the mountain several times. He was starving, but Ye Feifei still hadn't arrived, leaving him a little exasperated.
"Don't tell me that girl forgot! Or was she held up by something? Oh, whatever. It's more important to continue practicing the Third Form!" Ye Tian muttered to himself.
The Fine Steel Sword in his hand traced one elegant flourish after another. Powerful blasts of Sword Qi shot out in all directions, tearing the surrounding ground to pieces.
The Third Form of the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique could only be performed by infusing it with Dragon Spiritual Power. This was Ye Tian's biggest headache. The resulting noise could easily attract attention, but there was nothing he could do about it.
Ye Tian practiced the Third Form of the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique over and over, completely lost in his training. He never imagined that an uninvited guest was about to arrive.
"Well, kid, you've improved a great deal! Pretty bold, cultivating all alone on this back mountain!" a voice suddenly reached Ye Tian's ears.
Ye Tian's heart skipped a beat. He immediately stopped his cultivation and scanned his surroundings for any sign of movement.
A few breaths later, a man in all-black attire appeared before him. From his build and appearance, he seemed to be a middle-aged man.
"Who are you? I don't believe I've done anything to offend you by cultivating here," Ye Tian asked. However, he could tell from the man's powerful aura that he was a master.
'This is a master I can't possibly fight right now. A dangerous man. I have to handle this situation with extreme care.'
"Ye Tian, you're about to die and you don't even know it! Your talent is indeed among the finest in the Ye Family, but by choosing to come to this back mountain today, you've guaranteed no one will come to save you. Therefore, you must die today!" Ye Hongtao sneered.
"You're Protector Ye? You want to kill me? Aren't you afraid of the Patriarch holding you accountable? He gave you specific orders!" Ye Tian was inwardly shocked. 'I can't believe I was so careless. I let him find me.'
'If I'd known, I would've gone back to the spot where I killed the Gale Wolf to practice my cultivation. No one would have ever found me there. But it's too late now.'
"It doesn't matter that you know. You'll be dead soon enough! Are you scared now? Full of regret? I just love seeing your fear, seeing your despair.
"Do you have any idea how much you've hurt my son and me? Feng'er was crippled! After all my years of hard work, I was demoted from Elder to Protector in an instant! Even if you were to die a hundred times, it wouldn't be enough to extinguish the hatred in my heart!" Ye Hongtao raged.
"A Protector bullying a member of the younger generation, and you have the gall to sound so self-righteous! Have you no shame? The Ye Family is truly cursed to have someone like you," Ye Tian retorted angrily.
"Still talking tough? You'll learn your place soon enough! Didn't you cripple my son with a single punch? Well today, I'll end your worthless life with a single strike of my sword!" Not wanting any unexpected delays, Ye Hongtao prepared to kill Ye Tian on the spot.
"Killing me won't be that easy!" Ye Tian retorted. 'So, just because I'm weaker, I'm just an ant to him? Things aren't that simple. He should know that even an ant can sometimes kill an elephant.'
"Then give it a try! Kid, I'll let you witness the power of the Second Vein Fourth Layer!" Ye Hongtao roared. At the same time, an oppressive aura erupted from him, making Ye Tian's blood boil in his chest and leaving him struggling for breath.
'What a powerful aura! So this is the pressure from a Second Vein expert? It's terrifying!' Ye Tian thought in shock, forcing the Dragon Spiritual Power within him to circulate and resist the uncomfortable sensation.
"Now you understand! But it's too late!" As Ye Hongtao spoke, a brightly gleaming sword appeared in his hand.
One glance was enough to tell this was no ordinary weapon; it was far superior to Ye Tian's Fine Steel Sword. It had to be a Spiritual Artifact. It was perfectly normal for a former Elder of the Ye Family to possess a Spiritual Artifact as his personal sword.
Just then, a voice as clear as silver bells rang out, "Ye Hongtao, you're getting far too bold!"
The voice had barely faded when a figure appeared. It was none other than Ye Feifei, who had come to bring Ye Tian his food.
She hadn't expected Ye Hongtao to find them here, much less that he would defy her father's orders and try to kill Ye Tian.
"Feifei? What are you doing here?" Ye Hongtao was clearly startled. Her presence here would complicate things.
But today was the perfect opportunity to kill Ye Tian. If he missed this chance, he might never get another one. He didn't want to give it up, but having Ye Feifei here made things very tricky.
She was the apple of the Patriarch's eye. If anything were to happen to her, Ye Weitian would hunt the culprit to the ends of the earth. The entire Ye Family, perhaps even all of Lisha City, would be thrown into chaos.
"If you can be here, why can't I? My father values Ye Tian's talent. Since he's cultivating here, it's only natural that I come to check on him.
"I just never expected you to be so audacious as to try and kill him. You truly have no respect for my father! Just wait until I get back to the mansion, you'll regret this!" Ye Feifei fumed.
Trying to kill the man she loved was tantamount to plucking a dragon's reverse scale.
Ye Hongtao was now in a difficult position. If Ye Weitian found out what he had done, forget being a Protector, he would probably be kicked out of the Ye Family. All his years of effort would be for nothing.
"Feifei, this has nothing to do with you! I'm sure you are well aware of the harm Ye Tian has caused my son and me. If I don't kill him, how can I ever face Feng'er?" Ye Hongtao said angrily.
"If you want to kill Ye Tian, you'll have to go through me first!" Ye Feifei declared, an indescribable aura emanating from her.
"Feifei, this doesn't concern you. You should leave now!" Ye Tian whispered to Ye Feifei. If Ye Hongtao decided to eliminate all witnesses, she would be in grave danger too.
How could he, a man, let a woman stand up for him? So Ye Tian immediately stepped forward and said to Ye Hongtao, "This has nothing to do with Feifei. If you want to kill me, you can do it tomorrow!"
"Tomorrow? By tomorrow, you'll be back in the Ye Mansion! Kid, do you take me for a three-year-old? No one can save you today! And if Feifei insists on getting in the way, I don't mind killing one more person.
"From the looks of it, you two have feelings for each other, don't you? Making you a pair of ghostly lovers wouldn't be so bad. In fact, you should thank me for it!" Ye Hongtao laughed sinisterly.
At that moment, he made up his mind to kill both Ye Tian and Ye Feifei. If Ye Feifei made it back to the mansion, she would certainly tell Ye Weitian what had happened, and he would be finished.
This place was dark and deserted. If he killed them both, no one would ever know! This was the best chance he would get to kill Ye Tian. He couldn't give it up.
"Ye Hongtao, how dare you! You want to kill me too? It seems you have a death wish!" Ye Feifei exclaimed in fury, drawing her sword…