Chapter 569: Chapter 568: Ruthless Tactics
"Ah!" Ximen Hengcheng cried out in agony. His right hand was broken, and his body was covered in grievous wounds. As he writhed on the ground, pain stole all his reason.
"Brother Ximen!" Duan Tianya cried out in alarm.
Ye Fan simply said coldly, "This is the price for provoking me. I don’t start trouble with others, but anyone who dares to insult me will have it repaid a hundredfold!"
Duan Tianya was stunned by Ye Fan’s imposing aura. He rebuked, "Impossible! How could you injure us when you’re only at the Third Level of Nirvana Realm? What kind of trick did you use?"
He refused to accept it. After all, he was a chosen Son of Heaven, yet here he was, a pathetic mess.
Ye Fan replied, "You don’t need to know, because you’re about to die."
His tone plunged Duan Tianya into despair and fear. It felt as if an overwhelming pressure was suffocating him.
At that moment, Duan Tianya said coldly, "I know what it is now. You fused with the Divine Dragon Essence Blood! You possess its power!"
"You’re not as stupid as you look," Ye Fan retorted. "Yes, I fused with it, but this is *my* power, not the power of the essence blood! Now, enough talk. How do you want to die?"
Ye Fan drew his sword and charged toward the disheveled Duan Tianya. With every step, Duan Tianya felt an immense pressure bearing down on him—not just spiritually, but physically as well. If Ye Fan had once been an ant he could crush at will, he was now a titan capable of crushing *him*. Fortunes can reverse over thirty years, but for them, the tables had turned in just a few short days.
As Ye Fan’s sword descended, Duan Tianya cried out in alarm, frantically channeling all his power into the Spirit Fan to block the blow. The blade fell in a flash of light and shadow, splitting the fan in two. The pieces clattered to the ground. But the attack didn’t stop there. The Yuanhong Sword had already pierced through Duan Tianya’s defense and was now embedded in his ribs. He struggled to hold the blade back, looking weakly at Ye Fan. He didn’t know how much longer he could last, but he knew the battle was lost. There was no longer any hope of turning the tables.
"Kill!" Ye Fan roared.
But just as he moved to finish the job, Ximen Hengcheng lunged forward and latched onto Ye Fan’s leg. "Brother Duan, run! Go!" he yelled hoarsely. "I’m entrusting my sister to you!"
Snapped from his despair, Duan Tianya cleared his head and fled for his life. It was his only chance.
Ye Fan swung his sword down on Ximen Hengcheng, who let out a final, agonizing scream.
"Brother Ximen!" Duan Tianya cried out, his voice filled with despair. But he knew that survival was all that mattered now. He pushed himself to run faster, desperate to escape Ye Fan’s reach.
Ye Fan was furious. As a genius of the Human Clan who had risen from the Secular World, he was always resolute and merciless in certain situations, never leaving trouble behind to fester. With that in mind, he struck Ximen Hengcheng several more times. Once the man was hacked into pieces, Ye Fan turned and gave chase to Duan Tianya.
Duan Tianya fled recklessly through the forest, tears of regret streaming from his eyes. He couldn’t believe it. The ant they had once trampled at will had now become an entity they couldn’t afford to provoke. All he could do was run. Only by escaping could he ever have a chance to avenge this humiliation. He was burning his very Life Force to flee.
Suddenly, his wounds flared up. The searing pain overwhelmed him, and he collapsed. He was barely clinging to life, unsure how much longer he had. Still, he desperately began to crawl, hoping to run into another Martial Cultivator who could save him.
Just then, a figure appeared through his blurry vision. It was Ye Fan.
"Where do you think you’re going?" Ye Fan asked coldly.
Duan Tianya gave up all hope of escape. Leaning against a tree, he said, "It seems I miscalculated."
"You mean you should have killed me sooner?" Ye Fan asked coldly.
Shaking his head, he replied, "No. I never should have made an enemy of you. I underestimated your strength. If I hadn’t opposed you from the start, I wouldn’t have ended up like this."
"You brought this on yourself!" Ye Fan retorted.
"You’re right," Duan Tianya admitted. "I brought this on myself."
"You still have to die." Ye Fan was not a soft-hearted or indecisive person. He fully intended to kill Duan Tianya. Leaving him alive would only bring trouble.
"I know," Duan Tianya said. "So, do it. Just leave my body intact."
"I will grant your wish." With a single sweep of his sword, Ye Fan ended Duan Tianya’s life. The man slumped to the ground, all vitality gone. Then, Ye Fan wiped his sword with a handkerchief and vanished from the mystic realm.
About two hours later, Mu Chen Dong and Mu Keqing arrived. When they saw the gruesome states of Duan Tianya and, in the distance, Ximen Hengcheng, Mu Keqing nearly vomited.
Even Mu Chen Dong was shaken. He hadn’t expected Ye Fan to be so ruthless, though he supposed it couldn’t be helped. After all, if these two didn’t die, Ye Fan would have. Still, isn’t this a bit too cruel? Ye Fan has now challenged the chosen geniuses of the Guihai Family, the Ximen Family, and the Duan Family. Isn’t he afraid of dying a miserable death?
"We were a step too late," Mu Chen Dong said. "This kid’s viciousness is beyond my imagination!"
Although Mu Keqing found the scene brutal, for some reason, she couldn’t help but side with Ye Fan. "It’s understandable that Ye would do something like this," she said. "He has my style. He’s worthy of being someone I personally guided!"
Mu Chen Dong shot her a sidelong glance. Her? Decisive? Please. However, he didn’t intend to expose her lie. Instead, he now pitied his sister. She really had changed after being deceived by Ye Fan.
Mu Keqing, however, didn’t understand what he was thinking. "What’s with that look?" she demanded indignantly. "Do I need your pity?"
"Now, now, sister, don’t get angry," Mu Chen Dong said quickly. "It’s not good for the baby!"
"I... I’m not pregnant!" Mu Keqing was on the verge of angry tears. She had only lied to pressure her brother; she never imagined he’d actually believe her.
"Sister, I already know everything," Mu Chen Dong insisted. "You absolutely must not get angry right now!"
Mu Keqing felt like she could die of frustration. I can’t be bothered to explain. The truth will come out eventually. The more I try to deny it now, the more complicated it will get.
