Chapter Forty-Three: Astonishment

Elsewhere, several companions who had arrived with Mus witnessed everything. They roared in rage—what had begun as a trivial vendetta had ended with Mus being slain. Had it been any other among them who fell to Ye Feng, it might have been overlooked, but Mus’s status was far too exalted; he was a favored protégé of a highly esteemed elder from the Sacred Land. Moreover, it was at their urging that Mus came to kill Ye Feng. Should the elder discover this, given their backgrounds, they would certainly be sacrificed to appease the elder's wrath—a consequence too dreadful to bear.

Grief and fury erupted from the group. Exchanging glances, they struck in unison. Their strides spanned over ten meters, and in a flash, they leapt high, unleashing dazzling spiritual techniques toward Ye Feng.

“Courting death!” Ye Feng thundered. Brilliant golden spiritual energy surged around him, illuminating heaven and earth. In that instant, he appeared like a golden war god, peerless and formidable.

He soared aloft, gripping his long blade in both hands, and cleaved downward with a scorching golden blade light that seemed capable of rending the sky, enveloping the three Sacred Land youths beneath its brilliance.

“Monkey!” With one slash, Ye Feng turned and shouted loudly into the depths of the dense forest.

The next moment, a silver shadow darted out from the trees, attacking the remaining two Sacred Land youths.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions shook the earth. Ye Feng’s blade flashed rapidly, unleashing a golden radiance that shattered nearly half of the enemy's attacks in an instant.

As the saying goes, even a hero cannot withstand overwhelming odds. Though Ye Feng possessed a demon king’s inner core, granting him near-limitless spiritual power, the three opponents were each a full realm above him in cultivation. Joining forces, they presented a threat even Ye Feng could not face head-on.

With another slash, Ye Feng swiftly retreated. In a heartbeat, his left hand shot out; the Dragon Seizing Hand instantly formed—a massive golden palm, bolt-like in its swiftness, seized one of his foes.

“Aah—!” Suddenly, a giant golden hand emerged from the void, gripping one man tightly. A pained, drawn-out scream escaped him as his body grotesquely twisted and then, with a thunderous crash, exploded apart.

“You… you monster…” The remaining two stared, eyes bulging in terror. Ye Feng’s brutal methods awed them with dread.

Ye Feng’s face remained calm and impassive. With cold resolve, he wielded his blade and charged forward once more. This was the effect he desired. This battle was of great significance; he was revealing all his trump cards just to intimidate the Sacred Land.

Farther away, several others who had been watching the fight seized the opportunity to intervene, for they too were implicated in today’s events. If Ye Feng were to slay the remaining two, they would have a hard time explaining themselves upon their return to the Sacred Land.

They rushed forward—three of them already at the peak of the Innate Realm—leaping skyward and unleashing torrents of spiritual energy as if it cost them nothing.

A violent gale surged behind Ye Feng; a splendid array of spiritual power, like colorful clouds, swept toward him.

But it was all in vain. Under the "Dragon's Roaming," the onslaught of spiritual power barely harmed him.

“How… how is this possible? He’s still only at the Postnatal level—how can he be so terrifying?” The four gathered around, shielding the battered duo at the center. Each looked at Ye Feng as though they had swallowed poison, disbelief etched on their faces.

“Die!” As they faltered, Ye Feng, fierce as a god or demon, flashed to Monkey’s side. His blade rose and fell—quick and decisive—beheading the last opponent locked in battle with Monkey.

Ye Feng understood well that with his current strength, it was impossible to kill them all. Confronted directly, he couldn't rival their combined might. But these rivals were already half-mad with fear. As Ye Feng and Monkey regrouped, the others quickly fled, escaping the scene.

Unrelenting, Ye Feng brandished his long blade and charged after them. By this point, he intended to instill utter terror in any faction within the imperial capital daring to challenge him—to let them know that Ye Feng was not a man to be trifled with.

Yet, after pursuing for several hundred meters, the first young expert who had attacked him abruptly stopped, his face twisting into a cruel smile as he turned to charge at Ye Feng. Spiritual energy erupted from his body, blazing so brightly it nearly blinded the eye—he was about to self-destruct, seeking to take Ye Feng with him.

“If a sacrifice must be made, let it be me! Ye Feng, to make an enemy of the Sacred Land is a death sentence. You will die a miserable death! Hahaha…” The youth’s face contorted with madness and laughter.

Ye Feng’s expression remained unchanged as he gazed upon the savage, deathly visage. His intention had only been to send a message. But since this man did not fear death, he could not be blamed.

He brought his long blade down in a cleaving arc. The golden blade light surged forth like a raging tide, and a geyser of blood shot skyward. Without suspense, the foe was split in two on the spot.

In the wake of the golden blade light, the man’s corpse exploded as well.

Boom—

Ye Feng moved with lightning speed, thrusting his left palm forward. In an instant, a massive golden palm materialized, swelling in the wind from the size of a hand to that of a millstone, firmly shielding Ye Feng and rebuffing the explosion of flesh and spiritual energy.

When Ye Feng looked up again, the remaining adversaries had nearly vanished from sight.

Youth, after all, values life above all else. Cultivation is arduous; to have reached this point, each had made countless sacrifices. None were willing to die, not even the self-destructive one before. But with every choice comes the responsibility of consequence.

With four Innate-level experts slain, the Sacred Land’s prodigies had utterly lost their will to oppose Ye Feng.

Yet the news that the Second Holy Son was soon to arrive rekindled their resentment—such is the way of the weak, relying on the powerful.

But now, Ye Feng would see it through to the end. If he did not assert himself today, tomorrow every petty cur and stray would dare to take a bite out of him.

The survivors fled in panic; Ye Feng had no intention of chasing them to the death. At last, he and Monkey plunged deep into the Falling Wild Goose Mountains.

……………………….

A new storm swept across the entire Sky-Shrouding City.

In one battle, Ye Feng had slain four Sacred Land prodigies—an achievement so dazzling that all who heard were left dumbstruck.

Even those once lofty and arrogant scions of the capital, upon hearing the news, fell silent; their conduct became markedly restrained.

As for the local youths of Sky-Shrouding City, the news set them ablaze with excitement. At last, such a victory allowed them to hold their heads high, no longer suffering the disdain and scorn of the two great factions.

At this moment, the architect of all this had already arrived at the Celestial Garden.