Chapter Eighty-Seven: Young Master Xu

In the concealed cave where Ye Yun resided, its location was so well hidden that Xu Shaodong and his companions passed nearby without noticing a thing. From the faint sounds of footsteps, Ye Yun discerned that there were four people, but he refrained from probing with his spiritual sense, lest he alert them.

Listening to Xu Shaodong conversing with another, Ye Yun felt a trace of perplexity. He could not fathom why a powerful faction like the Xu clan would be wary of the Ye clan. Yet, he vaguely guessed that it might have something to do with his master, the Grand Ancestor.

The Grand Ancestor had founded the Ye clan more than seven hundred years ago, which meant he was at least that old—a formidable cultivator whose powers surpassed the Nascent Soul stage by an unknown margin, unfathomable in depth. In the lands of the Sacred Dragon Dynasty, the Nascent Soul stage was already the pinnacle of cultivation. Even a major faction like the Xu clan at best had one or two late or perfected Golden Core cultivators presiding over them.

Thus, for the Xu clan, Golden Core cultivators were exceedingly rare. After pondering for a moment, Ye Yun cautiously exited the cave and quietly followed behind Xu Shaodong and his companions.

“No Golden Core cultivator among them,” Ye Yun mused, his brow furrowing. He could not understand Xu Shaodong's intentions—did he truly believe he could force the Ye clan to hand over Lu Su Xue with only three Foundation Establishment cultivators at his side?

Recalling Xu Shaodong’s greed for Lu Su Xue’s beauty, and remembering that Lü Mengqiu, who nearly brought ruin upon the Ye clan, was sent by him, Ye Yun felt a surge of murderous intent rise within him.

Concealing his aura, the moment his killing intent emerged, those ahead noticed immediately.

“Who’s there?” The man beside Xu Shaodong turned sharply, vigilant.

At the same moment, Xu Shaodong and the other two also turned to see Ye Yun, their eyes full of caution.

“There is a Golden Core cultivator guarding the Ye clan, and you four Foundation Establishment cultivators wish to demand someone from Cloudwater City?” Ye Yun stepped from the shadow beneath the trees, his expression indifferent.

“You’re from the Ye clan? Merely a lowly Foundation Establishment cultivator. Xu Zhou, Xu Long, kill him,” Xu Shaodong sneered coldly. “So what if the Ye clan has a Golden Core cultivator? Do you think your insignificant clan dares defy me?”

At his command, Xu Zhou and Xu Long swiftly formed hand seals. A flying sword and a treasure seal appeared, attacking Ye Yun in unison.

Above Ye Yun’s head manifested a golden treasure bell—a mid-grade magical artifact once refined by Ye Haiyi. With its protection, Ye Yun became impervious to all attacks, standing firmly.

He waved his hand, and the jade seal expanded to the size of a millstone, transforming into a streak of light that smashed forward ferociously.

A metallic clang resounded. The flying sword, swift as lightning, collided with the jade seal, sparking brilliant light. Though both were low-grade artifacts, the sword’s material paled in comparison to the jade seal and was sent flying.

A thunderous crash followed as the two seals collided. The opponent’s seal immediately fractured, spinning away with cracks sprawling across its surface.

“My treasure!” Xu Long cried out in anguish, pain etched on his face.

“A magical artifact forged from Azure Spirit Jade?” Another man beside Xu Shaodong looked on, his eyes flashing with greed.

“Xu Zhou and Xu Long, you two useless fools can't even deal with a mere Foundation Establishment novice. Xu Fa, you act—make it quick,” Xu Shaodong ordered, his brows knotted in frustration.

Xu Fa, a cultivator at the peak of Foundation Establishment, moved with the speed of thunder.

With a resounding blow, Xu Fa’s palm, imbued with tremendous force, sent shockwaves through the air, dark energy flickering between his fingers. He met the jade seal head-on, and with a dull thud, the seal trembled violently and spun back toward Ye Yun.

“A martial cultivator at the peak of Foundation Establishment?” Ye Yun summoned the seal, shrinking it to palm size and holding it in his hand, his gaze narrowing as he scrutinized Xu Fa.

When he first studied under his master, Ye Yu, he had been told that at the same level, martial cultivators were often far stronger than those who only practiced magical arts. Yet martial cultivation demanded exceptional talent and insight, unlike those who relied on spells and artifacts, which only required hand seals.

Thus, few succeeded on the martial path. Ye Yun had seen a peak Foundation Establishment martial cultivator before—Wu Daoshan, during the battle for the millennium spirit milk. Wu’s power had been overwhelming.

If not faced with an equally monstrous opponent, martial cultivators were nearly unrivaled. And Xu Fa, being from the Xu clan, practiced a superb martial technique, making him far stronger than Wu Daoshan had been.

To strike down the jade seal with a single blow revealed his formidable strength.

Yet such a foe stirred a strange excitement within Ye Yun. Below the Golden Core stage, it was rare for him to find an adversary who could challenge him!

“Divine Dragon's Claw!”

With a leap, Ye Yun’s body transformed into a crimson dragon, its claws lashing fiercely at Xu Fa.

“Dual cultivation of magic and martial arts?” Xu Fa’s expression shifted, then he snorted coldly. The dark energy in his fingers coalesced into a pitch-black sword, which he swung at Ye Yun.

The sword radiated chilling murderous intent, prompting Ye Yun to swiftly change tactics. With a flick of his tail—the Divine Dragon's Tail—he dodged the blade’s arc.

At the same time, Ye Yun spat forth a flying sword gleaming with azure light, its aura powerful. It was the mid-grade magical artifact sword left behind by Wu Ying after his death.

Xu Fa hurled a jade talisman, summoning a bolt of lightning that clashed with the azure sword.

“A talisman?” Ye Yun frowned, observing the formidable force of the lightning, which knocked his sword aside, its light dimming.

Xu Fa’s face turned pale. Though his martial body was strong, he dared not let a mid-grade artifact strike him. That lightning talisman was one of his prized possessions, crafted by a Golden Core stage talisman master of the Xu clan.

Xu Shaodong and the two late Foundation Establishment cultivators watched from nearby. Seeing that even Xu Fa struggled against Ye Yun, Xu Shaodong snorted, “You two join in as well. This Ye clan brat has plenty of good treasures.”

“Yes!” Xu Zhou and Xu Long responded, summoning their flying swords to join Xu Fa in attacking Ye Yun.

With three men besieging him, Ye Yun’s expression remained calm, though his heart grew heavy. He immediately activated a secret technique, drawing a surge of power from his dantian, and his aura soared!

Shielded by the golden bell, maneuvering both the azure sword and jade seal against Xu Fa, Ye Yun spread his arms wide and, like a blazing giant roc, swept toward Xu Zhou and Xu Long.

Though his cultivation was low—only at the early Foundation Establishment stage—he knew that to defeat these foes, he must vanquish them one by one.

(A chapter added! Hope everyone enjoys reading. Things have been busy lately, so updates are slow. Please bear with me for now; once the chores are cleared, updates will speed up…)