Chapter Twenty-Four: The Curtain Falls (Second Update)

Ye Feng stepped back, which made many members of the Ye family breathe a sigh of relief. Thankfully, he hadn’t lost his head and chosen to fight recklessly.

Backing up two steps, Ye Feng turned to the crowd and said, “Does anyone have a sword? Pass me a blade, any kind will do. This thing doesn’t feel right in my hand!”

“Yes, yes…” Someone behind him, lightly wounded, nodded eagerly and quickly tossed a sword over.

Admiration shone in the man’s eyes. This was one of their own—a younger generation from the Ye family—who had managed to fight an innate-level master to such a point.

“It’s handy enough,” Ye Feng said, weighing the sword in his hand.

This was his first time wielding a sword. After all, even postnatal cultivators could conjure blade energy. A hammer was only good for brute force, and even if you managed to summon hammer energy, it was useless—it had no lethality.

He had roughly figured out the principle behind the “Meteor Whip.” It exploded upon contact—if it didn’t touch him, it could explode all it wanted…

A resonant hum filled the air as spiritual energy poured into the blade. Instantly, the ordinary sword seemed transformed into a divine artifact, golden energy shining from it, extending more than a meter beyond the blade.

Ye Feng’s gaze burned with fervor—his blood was already boiling. Innate masters were no longer untouchable, and today, he could stand toe-to-toe with such power. There was nothing left to say, only battle…

Below, the Ye family members stirred uneasily. Was he really going to fight head-on? They were speechless—never had they seen such audacity.

Zhou Li laughed. What could a broken sword possibly change? Did Ye Feng really think that a postnatal blade aura could block him? How ridiculous…

He thought Ye Feng was grasping at straws in desperation. Regardless of the weapon, even a sacred artifact wouldn’t help—it was not a contest between equals, and weapons could not bridge such a gap.

Having tested the strength of an innate master, Ye Feng didn’t wish to waste any more time. The monkey had already finished its battle.

In the next moment, Ye Feng vanished—swoosh—

Terrifying golden spiritual energy shot skyward, above them!

In a blink, Ye Feng appeared overhead, right above Zhou Li, who hadn’t even had time to unfurl his whip—

This lapse was due to his own complacency. He didn’t believe a broken sword and a junior could threaten him.

But the spiritual energy fluctuation… was shocking! What kind of postnatal cultivator possessed such rich spiritual power?

Was this… the Dragon-Seizing Hand? But no one had ever deployed it like this!

Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom—

As people still wondered and speculated, Ye Feng’s spiritual power erupted. This child was born to take risks—acting on impulse, regardless of how many were watching. The family’s situation was already under control; Zhou Li had become a free test subject.

Before the eyes of all, Ye Feng swung his blade—a streak of golden energy several meters long surged forth like a brilliant ribbon. Though not perfectly executed, it was more than enough for someone like Zhou Li.

The sword cut through the air, the blade aura dazzling as a rainbow.

Zhou Li moved as well—innate masters’ reflexes were no joke. In an instant, his whip coiled like a serpent, entwining itself.

Nine spheres of spiritual energy connected, tightly binding the blade aura…

“Heh heh… Did you really think the Meteor Whip had such obvious flaws? Spiritual energy is condensed from within me; only under my control can it explode,” Zhou Li laughed coldly, glancing down at the crowd as if he were toying with monkeys.

But then—boom—

Just as Zhou Li finished speaking, the blade aura and the nine spheres exploded, an unstoppable shockwave sweeping across the field…

Splutter—

Zhou Li bore the brunt, knocked down hard. As he landed in disgrace, Ye Feng’s figure appeared before him.

Yet Ye Feng remained calm and composed, not a trace of embarrassment. “Did you not realize? The blade aura is condensed from my own power, too. It explodes whenever I will it…”

Zhou Li was nearly driven mad. In truth, it wasn’t just him—the Ye family members felt as if they were dreaming.

This should have been a bitter struggle between vastly unequal forces; at most, Ye Feng could have caused Zhou Li some trouble. But once Ye Feng entered the fray, everything changed—a single unprecedented Dragon-Seizing Blade turned the beginning into the end.

There was a long, stunned silence, followed by murmurs, and then thunderous cheers.

The monkey chattered as it leaped onto Ye Feng’s shoulder, scratching his hair and squeaking incessantly, apparently dissatisfied with Ye Feng’s speed.

As for Ye Tianya’s three opponents, they were already sprawled on the ground, the first to be dealt with. No matter how suppressed their cultivation, a tiger remains a tiger—it never becomes a sheep just because its power is restrained.

Victory—an overwhelming victory. The Ye family, against two rivals, not only defended their home but also captured all five innate masters from the Yuan and Zhou families.

Ye Feng stroked the monkey, ignoring the uproar around him, and walked toward the sword’s original owner.

“Sorry, the blade’s damaged. If you want compensation, talk to Second Uncle…”

The man’s hand trembled—the sword was completely ruined. It was actually a fine blade, forged from steel, not some market junk, but it couldn’t withstand the ferocious influx of spiritual power from the Dragon-Seizing Hand.

He wanted to say something, but the words caught in his throat—nervous and excited, he could only hold the broken sword, dumbstruck.

Suddenly, as if struck by a thought, he stared at Ye Feng’s left arm. If even a steel sword couldn’t bear that spiritual power, how had Ye Feng trained his arm?

“Hey, Ye Xuan, I’ll buy your sword—next month’s stipend is yours.”

“Sell it to me, two months’ stipend!”

The sword’s owner, still dazed, was jolted back to reality by those around him.

What’s money? Though he was a bit short of cash, this sword could never be sold—it was the start of a legend.

No one doubted Ye Feng’s rise—the legend of the Wild Ye would definitely not end here!

Ignoring those around him, the man hugged the broken sword and ran off, laughing wildly.

“Any thoughts?” Without paying attention to the near-frenzied crowd, Ye Tianya approached Ye Feng, his face full of satisfaction.

Looking around at the joyful crowd, Ye Feng smiled, too. “The feeling of family—it's wonderful. But… our core strength is a bit weak…”

“It’s because of you, you rascal. The Ye family’s Goldscale Guard was made up entirely of peak postnatal cultivators, and their leader Ye Kuang was a madman who stepped into the innate realm. Too bad… alas…” The speaker was a middle-aged man who always followed behind Xiao Ying, supposedly the groom; unexpectedly, he too was an innate master.

Indeed, Ye Feng and Ye Tianya’s roles were crucial. But if not for this man, who roamed the various courtyards and took out the main forces of the two rival clans, few young Ye family members would have survived.

“Then we’ll form another Goldscale Guard.” Glancing at Ye Tianya, Ye Feng continued, “Second Uncle, please gather all family juniors who have reached the spirit-communing realm. If they have enough potential, I can elevate them all to the postnatal stage within half a month.”