TL: Etude
"Grandmaster? That alone isn't enough to qualify you for a favor!"
Ye Tian showed no respect for Yao Ye, the Grandmaster.
Gasps of astonishment erupted from the crowd, including those who had come to watch the excitement. They were shocked by Ye Tian's audacity—after all, Yao Ye was a Grandmaster! Could Ye Tian, no matter how powerful, really contend with a Grandmaster?
"Master Yao, please stand up for our Sun family!"
The last two surviving Grand Martial Warriors of the Sun family walked up to Yao Ye and knelt before him, pleading.
"We beg Master Yao to stand up for our Sun family!"
Many members of the Sun family also knelt on the ground, imploring Yao Ye.
"I'll take care of it," Yao Ye said indifferently.
In truth, he didn't really care about the lives of the Sun family members, but the Sun family was a clan that had come from the Tieya (Iron Fang) Base. If they were wiped out shortly after arriving at the Linhai Base, the impact would be significant.
If he, as one of the two Grandmasters of the Tieya Base, remained indifferent, it would imply that the Tieya Base was afraid of the Linhai Base.
How then could the Tieya Base faction continue to control the Linhai Base?
Therefore, for the sake of the dignity of the martial warriors of the Tieya Base faction, he had to suppress the Linhai Base faction. He would never allow Ye Tian to annihilate the Sun family.
This was also why he had come here as soon as he heard that the Sun family was in trouble.
"Young man, I'll give you another choice. Apologize to the Sun family, and I can overlook your offense against me," Yao Ye said arrogantly, as if he were high above everyone else.
Indeed, as a Grandmaster, he had grown accustomed to throwing his weight around in the Tieya Base, considering everyone below the level of a Grandmaster to be insignificant. Even Sun Kong, a peak Grand Martial Warrior, was nothing more than a strong ant in his eyes.
It was precisely these misunderstandings that led Yao Ye to completely disregard Ye Tian.
"Your name is Yao Ye, right? I'll give you a choice too. Apologize to me and leave, and I can also overlook your offense against me. Otherwise, you'll fall here just like the Sun family," Ye Tian said, infuriating Yao Ye and shocking the onlookers.
Threatening a Grandmaster—how audacious could he be?
At this moment, the Sun family members were elated.
"He's going to die! How dare he offend a Grandmaster? Once he's dead, we'll be safe," many in the Sun family thought to themselves.
"Die!"
Yao Ye flicked a finger, and a burst of energy shot out at an incredible speed, reaching ten times the speed of sound.
Such speed was too fast for Grand Martial Warriors to react to, let alone defend against.
If it were Sun Kong facing Yao Ye, even if Sun Kong were stronger, he probably wouldn't be able to block even one burst of energy from Yao Ye. He would be severely injured or even killed instantly.
This was one of the advantages of being fast.
Unfortunately, Yao Ye had underestimated Ye Tian.
With a flick of his knife, Ye Tian deflected Yao Ye's energy burst, then mocked, "You're too slow!"
"Interesting. You were able to block my energy burst. No wonder you could sweep through the Sun family," Yao Ye said, somewhat surprised, but that was all.
That energy burst was just a test; he hadn't really made his move yet.
Whoosh!
Yao Ye finally made his move, disappearing in an instant as if he had teleported.
This was the manifestation of supersonic speed. At close distances, it really did look almost like teleportation.
At ten times the speed of sound, Yao Ye was confident that he could easily deal with Ye Tian. He appeared next to Ye Tian and reached for his neck.
However, a knife swung toward him.
With a splattering sound, one of Yao Ye's hands was severed and fell to the ground.
"Not good!"
Yao Ye was shocked. He formed a protective shield with his elemental force and retreated with all his might.
He retreated quickly, but Ye Tian's attack was even faster. In the blink of an eye, Ye Tian caught up and unleashed another sweeping Qingfeng Slash (Wind Slash/the sword technique that he won in the bet against Sun Feng).
Boom!
The Qingfeng Slash struck Yao Ye, shattering his elemental shield on the spot, and sending him flying backward. Yao Ye's upper garment was completely torn, and a knife mark over an inch deep was left on his chest. It was a horrifying sight.
"Grandmaster-level speed, Grandmaster-level attack!"
Yao Ye quickly assessed Ye Tian's true strength and was instantly shocked. Ye Tian's attack and speed both surpassed him. Even if his defense was lacking, it didn't matter much. Ye Tian was essentially a true Grandmaster.
"Damn it, has the Sun family gone mad? They've provoked a Grandmaster!"
Yao Ye deeply regretted getting involved on behalf of the Sun family.
"Friend, I concede!" Yao Ye hurriedly said.
"I don't accept your surrender," Ye Tian coldly responded.
Yao Ye fled, and Ye Tian pursued. The two quickly left the residential area of the Sun family.
Suddenly, another blade light from Ye Tian severed one of Yao Ye's hands. Facing desperation, Yao Ye shouted, "Old Man Li, come save me!"
The Old Man Li that Yao Ye was calling for was none other than the other Grandmaster of the Tieya (Iron Fang) Base. As soon as his words fell, a man in gray cloth appeared, but it only deepened Yao Ye's despair.
"Master Ye, this matter has nothing to do with me!" Old Man Li immediately made his stance clear.
"Old Man Li, you..." Yao Ye's face turned green with anger.
Old Man Li was slightly stronger than him. If they teamed up, perhaps there would be a chance for survival. But now, Old Man Li clearly didn't want to get involved, leaving him with zero hope.
"Ye Tian, I'll fight you to the death!"
Desperate, Yao Ye charged at Ye Tian, using a burst technique to increase his strength. However, it was all in vain.
"Shadow Kill!"
Ye Tian's twelve-fold speed of sound combined with Shadow Kill made his blade incredibly fast. Yao Ye, who had just activated his burst technique, was too slow to react and was decapitated by Ye Tian's blade.
A Grandmaster had fallen.
From a distance, Old Man Li, who had been watching the battle, paused for a moment, a hint of relief flashing deep in his eyes.
"I've met Master Ye," Old Man Li ran over, cupping his hands in a very polite manner.
"You're not planning to stand up for the Sun family, are you?" Ye Tian asked indifferently.
"The Sun family offended Master Ye; they brought this upon themselves. Master Ye need not worry; from this day on, the Sun family will cease to exist!"
Old Man Li's words were very clear. He would help Ye Tian deal with the Sun family to show his stance. He was afraid; after all, Ye Tian's strength was terrifying. Yao Ye had been killed without any resistance, so he naturally wasn't Ye Tian's match either. Fearing that Ye Tian might kill him, he could only try to appease him this way.
"Good, I don't want to see the Sun family again after tomorrow," Ye Tian left these words and walked away.