Chapter 72: Homecoming

Chapter 72: Chapter 72: Homecoming

CLANG! CLANG CLANG CLANG!

Gusts of wind followed the blade, each strike fierce and powerful. Yang Dalong was fighting Li Yunlong, swinging his Nine-Ringed Saber.

The fight was at its peak when suddenly, a Sword Roar echoed from ahead, and a chilling gust of sword wind swept toward them.

Yang Dalong hastily executed a clumsy roll on the ground, narrowly dodging the attack.

"How is it you!" Yang Dalong looked up, his expression changing instantly. He of course recognized the young man in green robes before him. It was the "fat sheep" he had tried to slaughter last time. Unfortunately, not only had he failed, but he had suffered a hidden loss, causing the Black Tiger Stronghold to lose a significant number of men.

The memory of that night put Yang Dalong on high alert. His eyes scanned the area around Ye Xing, as if searching for something.

"Stop looking. It’s just me. I didn’t bring any Demon Beasts with me!" A smirk touched Ye Xing’s lips. He saw right through Yang Dalong’s petty thoughts.

"You didn’t bring the Cyan Wolf? Looks like you’re courting death!" Yang Dalong sneered.

The Demon Beast, the Cyan Wolf, was incredibly ferocious. Yang Dalong himself could only handle one. If two appeared at the same time, he would have no choice but to turn tail and run. Seeing that Ye Xing had actually come without the Cyan Wolf, killing intent flashed in Yang Dalong’s eyes.

"To kill a small fry like you, I’m all I need," Ye Xing said with a faint smile, glancing at Yang Dalong with contempt.

"Hmph, a defeated foe dares to be so arrogant! I’ll kill you right now!" Yang Dalong roared, executing the Powerful Slash of Hua Mountain with his Nine-Ringed Saber and bringing it straight down on Ye Xing.

"Who’s killing whom isn’t set in stone!" Ye Xing sneered. He activated the Floating Leaves Body Skill, and with a slight shift of his body, he effortlessly dodged Yang Dalong’s ferocious strike.

The Floating Leaves Body Skill was from an Earth-tier Middle-grade Manual. Even though Ye Xing had only scratched the surface, its power far surpassed that of any Yellow-tier Manual. This was how easily a High-tier Manual could crush a Low-tier Manual. Yellow-tier and Earth-tier Manuals were separated by two whole major tiers, so there was simply no comparison.

Back at the Ye Mansion, when Ye Xing was just a First Realm Martial Artist, he could still last about ten moves against Yang Dalong. Now, Ye Xing had reached a Martial Arts Second Realm Cultivation. He had even cultivated three High-tier Inner Strength skills: Gale Sword Skill, Floating Leaves, and Wind Shadow Step. On top of that, his Innate Skill provided an endless supply of True Qi. In Ye Xing’s eyes, Yang Dalong, the Great Village Chief of Black Tiger Stronghold, was no longer worth mentioning.

’Anyone who dares to rob my Ye Mansion should be prepared to die!’ A cold glint flashed in Ye Xing’s eyes as his longsword stirred up a gale, slashing horizontally at Yang Dalong.

’So fast!’ Yang Dalong’s expression changed drastically. He hurriedly raised his Nine-Ringed Saber to block.

CLANG!

Sparks flew as the sword and saber clashed. Yang Dalong felt an immense Power surge through his Nine-Ringed Saber.

STOMP! STOMP! STOMP!

He stumbled back three consecutive steps before steadying himself.

’Impossible! It’s only been a few days. How did he get so much stronger?!’ Yang Dalong was horrified. He had barely caught his breath when Ye Xing’s longsword whistled toward him again.

SWOOSH!

The sword wind was piercingly cold, whipping up fierce gales. Each strike was faster than the last. He was executing the eleven stances of the Gale Sword Skill.

CLANG! PING PING PANG PANG!

SQUELCH! CLANG CLANG CLANG!

Under the assault of Ye Xing’s Gale Sword Skill, Yang Dalong was flustered and frantic, beads of cold sweat dotting his forehead. In less than fifteen moves, he had already been wounded in three places. One cut was on his arm, another on his abdomen, and a third on his thigh. Blood trickled out, staining his pant leg and sleeve.

"Second Brother, come help me! This kid’s Sword Skill is too formidable!" Drenched in sweat, Yang Dalong struggled to fend off Ye Xing’s attacks while shouting to the Black Tiger Stronghold’s Second Village Chief, who was fighting Li Yunlong.

The Second Village Chief glanced over at Yang Dalong’s battle, and his expression changed.

"Brothers, this one’s a tough nut to crack! Retreat, quickly!" the Second Village Chief yelled. He then forced Li Yunlong back with a sword strike and fled into the forest.

The remaining twenty-odd bandits also turned and fled, disappearing into the woods in moments.

"Stop, damn it! They all ran!" The Black Tiger Stronghold’s Great Village Chief, Yang Dalong, was furious and frustrated. He scanned the surrounding woods, wanting to escape as well.

Unfortunately for him, Ye Xing had him locked down. The Gale Sword Skill was immensely powerful and astonishingly fast, leaving Yang Dalong with barely any strength to parry. The more he resisted, the wider he realized the gap between them was.

"Brother Ye, need a hand?" Li Yunlong asked, having just run a bandit through with his spear.

At this point, the tables had completely turned. The bandits were all scattering and fleeing, posing no real threat.

"No need. I can handle him easily. I was just using him for practice!" Ye Xing said with a relaxed smile. It was as if he wasn’t in a life-or-death battle at all, but simply playing a game.

CLANG! PING PING PANG PANG!

In the blink of an eye, thirty moves had been exchanged with the Black Tiger Stronghold’s Great Village Chief, Yang Dalong.

Ye Xing’s Gale Sword Skill became more and more proficient, and Yang Dalong was no longer a threat to him at all.

"I wanted to exchange a few more moves, but since this is the extent of your strength, I’ll see you on your way!" A cold glint flashed in Ye Xing’s eyes. He executed the Gale Sword Skill, and the surrounding airflow surged, boosting his sword’s speed as he charged directly at Yang Dalong.

CLANG CLANG CLANG! SQUELCH!

After three more moves, Ye Xing’s sword slit Yang Dalong’s throat, killing him.

"Brother Ye, that was amazing! To think that even the Black Tiger Stronghold’s Great Village Chief, Yang Dalong, was no match for you." Li Yunlong was both emotional and grateful. "If it weren’t for you today, I’m afraid our entire caravan would have been wiped out."

"Heh, it was nothing. I just had a small breakthrough with my Sword Skill recently. By the way, what are the casualties?" Ye Xing’s gaze swept over the caravan. The scene was chaotic. Although the bandits had retreated, many women and children were still shaken.

Severed limbs and torsos lay on the ground, belonging to both bandits and the Escort Agency’s Escort Masters.

"The Escort Agency lost two Escort Masters, and three passengers were killed by stray arrows. As for the injured, there are about sixteen or seventeen people." Li Yunlong sighed. "I don’t think we can travel this afternoon. A lot of the injured need their wounds tended to. There’s an inn just ahead; we’ll rest there. We were lucky to have Brother Ye this time. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been just three or five deaths."

They rested at the inn for a night and handled the aftermath.

The next morning, the caravan was ready and continued its journey. After another day and a half of travel, the caravan finally arrived at Phoenix Town.

After parting ways with the caravan, Ye Xing was eager to return home, heading straight for the White Cloud Mountain Ye Mansion.

His trip to Sunset City had taken seven or eight days, and Ye Xing was truly starting to feel homesick.

"Qiao’Er, I’m back! Did you miss your big brother?" Ye Xing said with a smile as he pushed open the main gate of the Ye Mansion.

However, in the next moment, his expression changed drastically. The smile on his face froze as his gaze locked onto the scene in the courtyard before him.