"Ye Feifei, do you really dare to attack me? You may be the strongest disciple in the family, but you're nothing before me. I know exactly what you're capable of," Ye Hongtao said.
"You're courting death! Today, I'll show you what I'm made of!" Ye Feifei flew into a rage. Her longsword traced a brilliant flourish as she attacked Ye Hongtao with lightning speed.
"Insignificant tricks! A firefly daring to challenge the brilliance of the moon!" Ye Hongtao said with contempt.
Her figure moving like lightning, Ye Feifei's Fine Steel Sword slashed out, sending a sharp wave of Sword Qi at Ye Hongtao. The very air around them seemed to vibrate, stunning Ye Tian who was watching from the side.
'So this is the power of a Seventh Stage Martial Artist... It's truly incredible! I'll have to cultivate diligently if I ever want to have this kind of Attack Power,' Ye Tian thought.
Ye Hongtao quickly drew his sword as well, meeting Ye Feifei's strike with a casual, dismissive slash. In his eyes, her attack posed no threat whatsoever.
CLANG! The two longswords collided, sending Sword Qi scattering in every direction. A powerful rebounding force sent Ye Feifei flying several meters back before she managed to land on her feet.
The veil on her face was blown away by the turbulent Sword Qi. It was hard to see clearly in the hazy night, but the one impression that came through was a single word: beauty.
If it had been daytime, Ye Tian would have seen that Ye Feifei's face was pale and her expression pained. A First Vein Seventh Stage Martial Artist was simply no match for a Second Vein Fourth Stage Martial Artist. The gap in power was just too vast.
"Ye Feifei, you're the one courting death, so don't blame me for being vicious! You want to protect that brat Ye Tian, don't you? Fine, I'll send you both on your way together!" Ye Hongtao roared with laughter.
Ye Feifei had been injured internally by Ye Hongtao's strike. A mouthful of blood surged up her throat, but she forced it back down, not wanting to make Ye Tian worry.
"Feifei, you have to get out of here! Go back and tell the Patriarch what happened today! I'm sure that even if I die, Ye Hongtao will follow me to the grave," Ye Tian said at once.
He couldn't stand the thought of a woman having to protect him. At that moment, his affection for Ye Feifei grew immensely. 'Perhaps only a woman willing to sacrifice so much for me is one who could truly be by my side for a lifetime.'
She was nothing like Ye Shixue, that fickle, opportunistic woman. To think he'd once fallen for someone like that... he must have been blind.
"Ye Tian, do you really think I would just leave you here? Even if we die, we die together! What's the point of living if you're not here?" Ye Feifei said, fighting through her pain.
"HAHAHA! How touching! So you two really are in love. No wonder the duel between my son and that brat Ye Tian drew Ye Weitian's attention. This was all your doing, wasn't it, Ye Feifei?
"It's getting late. Time to send you on your way!" Ye Hongtao's voice and expression turned harsh. It was clear he feared that any delay might bring unexpected complications.
"Killing us won't be so easy! Feifei, stand back! Let me handle him!" Ye Tian said.
The moment he finished speaking, his figure flashed forward, leaving an afterimage as he charged Ye Hongtao. His speed was even greater than Ye Feifei's.
Ye Tian was executing the Third Form of the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique, his most powerful move. When combined with the Flowing Cloud Step, its Attack Power was no less than Ye Feifei's.
Though injured, Ye Feifei's mind was perfectly clear. She was intimately familiar with the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique, so she was shocked to see Ye Tian instantly execute the Third Form with such immense Attack Power.
After all, Ye Tian hadn't been practicing the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique for long. To have already learned the Third Form... such a Cultivation speed was truly Heaven-defying!
"A fine attempt!" Ye Hongtao laughed, striking out with his longsword. This blow actually whistled with the sound of wind and thunder, its power far greater than the strike he had used against Ye Feifei.
Ye Tian's attack was fierce, but before Ye Hongtao, it was hopelessly outmatched. Against any other disciple of the family, the strike would have likely inflicted serious injury.
CRASH! Another deafening sound rang out. Ye Tian was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, soaring for dozens of meters before crashing hard onto the ground.
"Ye Tian!" Ye Feifei's figure flashed as she raced toward him. Ye Tian was coughing up blood nonstop, and several wounds on his body were clearly visible, deep enough to expose bone.
Two of the gashes were so deep that his internal organs were visible. Just then, the bright moon emerged from behind the clouds, almost as if it intended to make the gruesome sight clearer.
Tears welled up in Ye Feifei's eyes. "Ye Tian, you have to be okay! If anything happens to you, what am I supposed to do?"
Ye Tian looked at Ye Feifei. It was the first time he had seen her this close, and the first time he had seen her without her veil.
She was beautiful. As beautiful as an ethereal Fairy who subsisted on morning dew, a beauty that could topple nations, a beauty so pure it dispelled any impure thoughts. Her current pitiful and heart-wrenching appearance, in particular, stirred a primal urge in him to protect her, even at the cost of his own life.
"Feifei, I'm okay! Don't worry," Ye Tian said, gritting his teeth against the pain.
At that moment, however, he could clearly feel a stirring from the Dragon Pearl inside his Dantian. A powerful Dragon Power was being released, flowing ceaselessly through his meridians to his injuries, mending the horrific wounds.
"How can you say you're okay when you're this injured! You rest. I'm going to kill Ye Hongtao!" Ye Feifei declared.
"Feifei, don't! You're no match for him!" Ye Tian cried out, stopping her. His grievously wounded body miraculously rose to its feet, and he quickly grabbed her hand.
It was the first time Ye Tian had ever held Ye Feifei's hand. It felt so incredibly soft and delicate, a wonderful sensation. In that instant, he made a decision. If he survived this day, he would try to accept her love.
Ye Feifei's heart skipped a beat as Ye Tian's hand closed around hers. She wished he could hold her hand like this forever, never letting go.
"Well now, you two lovebirds are quite intimate. If I weren't here today, would you have done something illicit out here in the wilderness? It's hard to say, isn't it?
"Ye Feifei, you always act like such a prim and proper lady, but who knew you were so cheap. It's been a long time since I've had some fun... I think I'll start with you today for a fresh taste!" Ye Hongtao laughed.
Neither Ye Tian nor Ye Feifei could have ever imagined Ye Hongtao would say something so vile. He was worse than a beast. At that moment, they both wanted nothing more than to tear him to shreds. How could such human scum be allowed to live?
"Ye Hongtao! As a Protector of the family, how dare you say something that would infuriate gods and men alike! Aren't you afraid of retribution? Die!" Ye Tian roared, his figure once again flashing as he charged at Ye Hongtao.
But Ye Feifei, standing beside him, was even more shocked. A moment ago, Ye Tian had been on the verge of death. How was he suddenly full of life again in the blink of an eye? This was just too strange...