Chapter 112: The Encirclement (Part One)

Half an hour later, Ye Feng emerged stealthily from his hiding place.

Clearly, no matter how tough a person was, no one had the courage to watch as their flesh was slowly devoured by crawling insects.

After briefly orienting himself, he slipped back into the forest, planning to quietly eliminate the people lurking there before continuing his search for the true entrance to the ancient ruins.

Ninety people had entered this sacred land. Aside from a dozen or so unparalleled prodigies, everyone’s primary mission was to kill Ye Feng.

The higher-ups of the sacred land had not revealed the real reason. These young, brainwashed elites never questioned why; their loyalty to the sacred land was absolute.

Of course, such loyalty was built on the premise of absolute control over resources.

The forest remained silent and still, but Ye Feng knew it was fraught with dangers. A vast net had long been laid, waiting to trap him.

This time, he was even more cautious. He had once toyed with his opponents; now, they would be far less likely to fall into the same trap.

Each of these enemies possessed the power of a Spirit Emperor; surrounded by such formidable foes, it was impossible for him to silently kill even one without being discovered.

Moving stealthily through the woods, Ye Feng sensed another group nearby. He froze and concealed himself on the spot.

After a long wait, he overheard one say, “I wonder what compensation the elders will grant us this time. Entering the ancient ruins is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity... such a pity.”

But another sharply retorted, “Shut up! The elders’ decisions aren’t for you to complain about. Haven’t we always been adequately compensated for our sacrifices?”

As the few argued quietly, suddenly someone rushed in, breathless, “Scout reports—Ye Feng’s trail has been found.”

Hearing this, Ye Feng’s heart sank.

“What?” Voices of confusion echoed through the forest, followed by a shout, “Damn, Ye Feng has slipped through!”

In an instant, a cacophony of sounds erupted.

Numerous figures rushed swiftly toward that direction. Ye Feng was speechless—he hadn’t expected their organization to be so tight-knit that despite his stealth, his trail was still detected.

At this moment, the forest stirred fiercely. Scores of sacred land elites surrounded Ye Feng, but many of them fell to his blade. The others present could hardly remain calm.

They were deeply fearful of Ye Feng’s power.

Members of the Heavenly King Alliance, also present, gathered continuously. Seeing Ye Feng in danger, they could not stand idly by.

While the Heavenly King Alliance assembled and unrelated parties waited to see how events unfolded, the battle had already begun deep within the dense forest.

A blood mist spread through the trees. Ye Feng had been locked in fierce combat with the ambush team for some time, having already slain two Spirit Emperor-level experts.

Surrounded by six sacred land elites, Ye Feng fought while retreating. Each time he thought he had shaken off his pursuers, another would suddenly strike, leaving him battered and exhausted.

Now, wielding his blade in his left hand, he swung with wide, forceful arcs—horizontal slashes and vertical chops—each radiating brilliant blade light several meters long. The forest echoed with terrifying howls as his unstoppable strikes cut through all defenses.

Yet, with each battle, Ye Feng grew increasingly alarmed. The number of enemies surrounding him kept growing as reinforcements arrived from afar. In less than half an hour, those attacking him had increased to seven.

If this continued, he would inevitably be exhausted and meet his death. Even with his Heaven-Shielding Body Technique, he could not withstand so many foes of equal rank attacking simultaneously.

Just then, a piercing whistle came from the distance. A figure darted through the thick trees, rushing towards the battle at incredible speed.

Ye Feng’s instincts warned him of danger. The prolonged whistle revealed the newcomer was a formidable expert.

The whistle grew louder. A young man in a gray robe leapt through the air like a great bird, covering several meters in a single bound, landing about ten meters away.

The gray-robed youth sprang upward, feet suspended in midair, unleashing a flurry of more than a dozen kicks. Intense energy waves surged through the forest, like a mighty tidal force rushing at Ye Feng.

Startled, Ye Feng raised his blade, slashing brilliant arcs at the airborne kicks, sending out a dozen gleaming strikes in rapid succession.

The two forces collided midair like crashing waves, unleashing violent energy ripples. Surrounding trees bent and toppled in neat rows under the shock.

Ye Feng staggered back several steps. The youth landed calmly. Now only the two of them remained in the clearing, the others encircling them tightly.

Ye Feng’s heart sank. The young man’s combat strength was definitely on par with his own. Combined with the seven other elites, a direct fight would be a death sentence.

“I want to know how you discovered my trail,” Ye Feng said.

The youth narrowed his eyes, cold light flashing briefly in his gaze. He sneered, “You must be Ye Feng. How we found you is none of your concern. Today, you die!”

Several hundred meters away, atop a large tree, Galo stood silently, arms crossed over his iron sword, watching intently without blinking. A gentle breeze stirred his white robe, lending him an ethereal and graceful air.

Yet at this moment, Galo’s face was grave, without a trace of a smile.

Though he possessed Spirit Emperor-level cultivation, the fact that eight of their peers surrounded Ye Feng meant even if he recklessly joined the fray, it would make little difference.

So he waited like a stalking leopard, ready to strike and offer Ye Feng the greatest aid when he broke through.

The fierce battle raged on. The seven elites encircled Ye Feng and the youth, allowing them to fight freely without moving to assist.

Clearly, they trusted this sudden newcomer implicitly.

Boom!

Ye Feng swung his broken blade again, dispersing the spiritual energy attacks hurled by the youth. He retreated several meters, observing the surroundings carefully.

After exchanging a few moves, Ye Feng was shocked to find the youth’s strength surpassed his own.

“The First Holy Son is indeed formidable,” one of the attackers said. “With the Holy Son’s aid, we can surely kill him and enter the ruins.”

Boom!

No sooner had he spoken than a giant golden palm, charged with intense spiritual energy, swept across violently.

At the same moment, Ye Feng gathered his spiritual power frantically, transforming in an instant into a giant dragon dozens of meters long, surging forward to break through.

“Stop him!”

The youth leapt up swiftly, pursuing relentlessly.

Boom, boom, boom!

Spiritual energy attacks rained down on the dragon’s body, but Ye Feng pressed on, unwilling to halt, bearing the onslaught as he charged out of the encirclement.

“Leave me behind!”

Behind him, the youth’s speed suddenly increased. In his hand appeared a whip over a meter long, crackling with spiritual energy as he lashed it fiercely around the dragon’s waist.