Chapter 2464: Chapter 2464
"Has the young master considered how this matter might ultimately be resolved?" the elder pressed on.
Ye Liuyun chuckled carelessly. "If I can beat you, I’ll wipe you all out. If not, I’ll just run away!"
He meant every word—it was exactly what he had planned from the start.
The elder gave a dry laugh. "How delightfully simple-minded of you. By then, you may find escape impossible." His tone carried a clear undercurrent of threat.
Ye Liuyun shrugged. "We’ll see. If I truly want to run, you might not be able to stop me."
"Do you know our manor lord?" the elder pressed. "If he intervenes, do you really believe you could escape?"
Ye Liuyun pretended to ponder for a moment before replying, "Perhaps I’m no match for him. But I doubt he’ll bother."
In truth, he had already decided—he wouldn’t face the Sword-master head-on. The golden light from his pupils would be more than enough.
The elder smirked. "The manor lord is indeed in seclusion, cultivating his skills. But after you slaughtered over two hundred of his disciples, do you think he’ll stand idly by?"
Ye Liuyun spread his hands in mock helplessness. "That’s why I say the choice is yours! If you want to interrupt his training, then I’ll accept my fate—death is just death, after all.
"If you prefer to face me yourselves, well, you’re no match for me. The Divine Sword Manor’s reputation will be ruined, and you’ll never be able to bully others again!
"Or, if you’d rather not disturb the Sword-master or suffer further losses, you could just give me some resources and let me slip away quietly. You can claim you killed me or that I escaped—either way, you’ll save face."
He was deliberately playing the rogue now, extorting them outright.
The elder nearly choked on his tea. "Hah! The young master’s ideas are truly laughable. The Divine Sword Manor, bowing to extortion? After you’ve killed so many of us, we’re supposed to pay you to leave? What kind of absurd logic is that?"
He thought Ye Liuyun must be joking. Who in the world could be so shameless—not only refusing to compensate for the lives taken but demanding payment on top of it?
But Ye Liuyun spoke with utter seriousness, "You might find this laughable now, but soon enough, you’ll change your mind. After all, as you said, this is a world where the strong prey on the weak. Without your Sword-master emerging from seclusion, your sect lacks true power—and without power, you have no right to choose."
He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in before continuing, "Even if your Sword-master does emerge, the most he can do is kill me for revenge. That brings no real benefit to your sect. The outside world will simply say the Divine Sword Manor is full of worthless weaklings—save for the Sword-master alone!"
The elder’s expression darkened as he considered Ye Liuyun’s words. The logic was undeniable. If they interrupted the Sword-master’s cultivation and forced him to intervene, he might slay Ye Liuyun, but the Divine Sword Manor would lose face. Worse, the Sword-master himself would likely chastise them for their incompetence.
Yet if the Sword-master refused to act, dealing with Ye Liuyun would demand an even steeper price.
"This brat is extorting us!" the elder realized with a jolt.
Leaning forward, he narrowed his eyes and asked, "Are you truly serious about this proposal, young master?"
Ye Liuyun merely shrugged. "I’m just offering a suggestion. The decision is yours."
The elder studied him for a long moment before discreetly activating a communication talisman, relaying every word back to the elders of the Divine Sword Manor. From the moment he’d arrived, he’d been silently updating them on every gesture, every phrase—ensuring they grasped Ye Liuyun’s intentions in real time.
Back at the manor, the elders fell into heavy silence as they digested the proposal.
Just then, Ye Liuyun noticed one of the disciples beside the elder scratching his palm—a telltale sign. The poison had spread through his body, and now the point of contact was reacting.
Without missing a beat, Ye Liuyun calmly gathered the tea set, his movements smooth and deliberate.
"We’ve talked long enough for now. Senior, you may return and discuss this with the other elders first."
Ye Liuyun’s tone made it clear he was ushering them out.
"Very well. We shall take our leave then!"
Having gotten their answer, the elder knew it was time to go.
From their conversation with Ye Liuyun, they had all concluded that his intentions had nothing to do with the Sword-master. He hadn’t even shown the slightest interest in the legendary figure—even going so far as to use the Sword-master’s absence as leverage against them.
Ye Liuyun had successfully diverted their attention, making them believe his sole purpose was extortion.
And against such a demand, they had no immediate counter.
With that, the elder and his two disciples departed from Ye Liuyun’s residence.
Outside, many martial artists still lingered, unwilling to give up on the spectacle. But when they saw the elder from Divine Sword Manor emerge with his disciples—without any sign of a fight—their disappointment was palpable.
This only reinforced their belief that Divine Sword Manor lacked the courage to confront Ye Liuyun. In an instant, the reputation of the once-revered sect plummeted in their eyes.
Their hushed murmurs didn’t escape the elder’s sharp hearing, and he made sure to report every word upon his return.
Not long after they left, Piaoyu, who had pushed his way to the front, absentmindedly scratched his arm. The itch was faint at first, barely worth noticing.
But soon, the sensation intensified—unnaturally so. A flicker of wariness sparked within him.
For a martial artist, the refined energy within their body made them nearly impervious to common ailments. Such an inexplicable reaction was anything but normal.
He immediately used his spiritual sense to inspect his body internally. What he saw made his blood run cold.
His entire arm had turned black. When he checked his core and vital energy, his heart sank even further.
"When was I poisoned?"
He had been pushing through the crowd himself, making it impossible to pinpoint when the poison had been administered.
Still, with the little time he had left, he quickly sent word to the elders about his poisoning. At the very least, this confirmed that Ye Liuyun had accomplices outside.
Meanwhile, the elders and disciples who were already halfway back began experiencing the same symptoms. Two of the disciples beside the elder noticed something wrong with their hands. Upon further inspection, they realized they had all been poisoned.
"Damn it! That brat didn’t poison the tea—he poisoned the cups!"
The elder, seasoned as he was, immediately figured out Ye Liuyun’s method.
He hastily swallowed an poison pill and sent a message back to the manor.
But the poison in their systems was worsening by the minute. The antidotes they took barely made a difference. At this rate, they wouldn’t even make it back to the manor.
Piaoyu, realizing he was on the verge of collapse, charged into Ye Liuyun’s courtyard, intent on fighting him to the death.
But Ye Liuyun had already activated the defensive formation, barring him from entering.
Piaoyu attacked the barrier frantically, but before he could land more than a couple of strikes, the poison had already spread to his core. Once his core sealed shut, he couldn’t even muster a trace of vital energy.
And so, under Ye Liuyun’s cold gaze, Piaoyu finally collapsed, succumbing to the poison.
