"Hahahaha! I've met my share of arrogant people, but never anyone as cluelessly overconfident as you! Running into me today means your death is certain!" the middle-aged man laughed.
"It looks like you already knew about the Three-leaf Golden Ganoderma in this cave. You must be pretty bitter that we got to it first, aren't you? Well, meeting us today means *your* death is certain!" Ye Tian scoffed.
The middle-aged man's expression flickered at Ye Tian's words. He did, in fact, know about the Three-leaf Golden Ganoderma. He had stumbled upon it once by chance, but the Eight-winged Golden Scale Python had been inside, and he hadn't dared to provoke it.
Back then, the python's enormous body and overwhelming aura had sent him fleeing without a fight. He had returned today precisely to see if the Eight-winged Golden Scale Python was still in the cave.
If it wasn't, he would seize the chance to take the Three-leaf Golden Ganoderma. If it was, he would simply flee again.
However, upon entering today, he hadn't seen the Eight-winged Golden Scale Pythonâor the Snake Centipede, as he thought of it. Instead, he saw Ye Tian and Ye Feifei, and found it strange that the Snake Centipede was gone.
When he saw the Three-leaf Golden Ganoderma in Ye Tian's hands, he was filled with rage. A rare opportunity like this had presented itselfâhow could he possibly let Ye Tian walk away with the prize? The thought of killing them both arose instantly.
"Brat, you talk too much! I might as well just send you on your way to the afterlife!" The middle-aged man was growing impatient. 'The Snake Centipede has probably only left the cave temporarily,' he thought. 'It could return at any moment, and that would be a problem. I need to make this quick, grab the Three-leaf Golden Ganoderma, and get out of here.'
With a flicker of his will, Ye Tian drew the Black Glaze Sword from his Storage Ring. He stared intently at the middle-aged man and said, "Aren't you a little overconfident? I bet you're wondering why the Snake Centipede that lived here is gone, aren't you?"
A look of surprise flashed across the middle-aged man's face as a thought occurred to him. "Don't tell me⊠you're the one who killed it?"
"You guessed it. If I can kill the Snake Centipede, what chance do you think you have? This cave is too narrow. We should fight outside. I'd hate for one of my strikes to bring the whole place down on our heads. Getting buried alive would be such a bother," Ye Tian said with a laugh, looking as if victory was already in his grasp.
This was precisely what the middle-aged man had been thinking. He was skeptical of Ye Tian's claim, with doubt far outweighing belief. 'No matter how talented this brat is, there's no way he has the power to kill the Snake Centipede.'
'The auras coming from them are at the One Vein Seventh Layer, at most. The girl's might even be a little stronger. He's clearly just trying to bluff me.'
"As you wish. That way you can die without regrets. I suppose I'll be doing you a favor!" With that, the middle-aged man turned and walked out of the cave.
"Brother Tian, that man's strength is unfathomable. Are you sure about this?" A worried expression clouded Ye Feifei's beautiful face.
"I'm not entirely confident myself, but we have Ye Lin, don't we? Killing that guy will be a piece of cake for him. Besides, I have Elder Qing protecting me from the shadows. If anything were to happen to me, the Young Master, he'd be the one to bear the blame," Ye Tian said with a laugh, not a hint of worry on his face.
Ye Feifei thought Ye Tian had a point, and her worries instantly vanished. "Let's go out then! We'll see what this guy is all about!"
Just then, the Eight-winged Golden Scale Python materialized. It flew to Ye Tian's side and said, "Boss, you two just wait here. Let me go and eat that guy. A mere Second Vein Fifth Layer pipsqueak acting so high and mighty? He really thinks there's no one who can take him down a peg."
Ye Tian smiled inwardly. 'You're an Eight-winged Golden Scale Python, not a person yet.' "No need to rush. Let me go and test my skills against him first. I'm confident that with the Black Glaze Sword, I won't be that much weaker than he is. This is a good opportunity to gain some combat experience, which will be a huge help for increasing my strength."
"Brother Tian, please think this through! This man is powerful, I'm worried you'll be at a disadvantage. Just let Ye Lin help!" Ye Feifei urged.
The Eight-winged Golden Scale Python nodded emphatically, agreeing with Ye Feifei, but Ye Tian's mind was made up. He wouldn't listen. "Let's go. We'll deal with the Three-leaf Golden Ganoderma after we've taken care of that guy."
Ye Tian, Ye Feifei, and the Eight-winged Golden Scale Python then left the cave. The middle-aged man stood a hundred meters away, completely unaware that his doom was slowly closing in.
In a flash, Ye Tian left behind an afterimage and appeared before the middle-aged man. "How would you like to die? I have plenty of methods. Take your pick."
"You're arrogant, brat! Arrogant and foolish. I don't have time to waste on your nonsense! I'll just end your life and be done with it!" the middle-aged man roared.
Ye Tian saw that the middle-aged man now held a large, white-bladed saber. Its edge was exceptionally sharp, glinting with a cold, faint light. It was clearly a fine weapon.
He tightened his grip on the Black Glaze Sword as the Dragon Spiritual Power inside him began to circulate rapidly. A faint ache throbbed in his chestâno doubt a lingering effect from when he separated his soul and forced out his Essence Blood. Even after all this time, it hadn't healed. 'A soul injury is truly something else,' he thought.
Ye Tian's Dragon Spiritual Power had been severely depleted in his fight with the Eight-winged Golden Scale Python. Although the Dragon Pearl within him was continuously releasing Energy, he had only recovered to about seventy percent of his peak.
In other words, Ye Tian could only use the Black Glaze Sword for a single attack. If that one strike failed to heavily wound his opponent, he would have no choice but to let Ye Lin finish the job.
He wanted to see for himself just how powerful an expert of the Two Vein Realm truly was. The single strike he had faced from the Qin Family's Qin Wushuang hadn't given him a proper chance to gauge it, but he was sure he would get the full experience this time.
"Die!" The middle-aged man's figure flashed as his great saber swung, unleashing a blast of Sword Gang that shot toward Ye Tian.
Ye Tian saw that this blast of Sword Gang was laced with red flames, giving it a bizarre appearance. This was only the second time he had seen a Martial Skill incorporate flames, and he found it peculiar.
The space around the attack trembled violently. It was incredibly powerful; if he couldn't block it completely, he would likely be cleaved in two.
The corners of Ye Tian's lips curved into a faint smile. His Black Glaze Sword had already absorbed the majority of the Dragon Spiritual Power from his body, and the Dragon-shaped Mark on his hand was emitting a blinding light.
In that instant, his arm and the Black Glaze Sword seemed to merge into a single entity. He swung with all his might. The dark blade of the Black Glaze Sword turned a brilliant white, radiating a blinding light.
A powerful blast of Sword Qi erupted from the blade. The surrounding space once again began to vibrate violently, but Ye Tian's attack had one distinct difference: it was accompanied by the sound of a Dragon's Roar.
The Dragon's Roar was deafening. A close look would reveal that the Sword Qi was slowly coalescing into the form of a giant dragon, which then lunged toward the middle-aged man with the speed of lightningâŠ
(More to come tonight! Whether I release one chapter or two depends on everyone's support!)