"Lin Fei!"
In the dark of night, Ye Tian slowly emerged from the underbrush, directing his piercing gaze toward Lin Fei's retreating figure, revealing a chilling intent to kill. With a powerful leap, he surged forward in pursuit.
Although Lin Fei had departed some time ago, Ye Tian moved with remarkable speed, silently navigating through Wang Village and skillfully avoiding its inhabitants, following Lin Fei from a distance.
Fortunately, it was the celebration of Wang Xu's birthday, and many villagers were preoccupied with the festivities. Coupled with the late hour, the streets were nearly deserted, allowing Ye Tian to tail Lin Fei without attracting attention.
At this moment, Lin Fei remained oblivious to the fact that he was being followed. After parting ways with Wang Hu and acquiring the century-old Zhu fruit, he was eager to consume it and attempt to break through to the ninth level of martial arts.
However, such a pivotal moment was fraught with danger; it required a tranquil and secure environment for the breakthrough. Despite the clandestine alliance between Lin Family Village and Wang Family Village, Lin Fei harbored doubts about Wang's sincerity. Hence, he refrained from consuming the Zhu fruit within Wang Village, instead opting to scale the walls and escape into a dense forest.
"Truly, heaven has its paths, yet you choose to trespass into hell."
Ye Tian, who had been trailing Lin Fei, noted with a cold smile that Lin Fei had ventured beyond Wang Village into a thickly wooded area. This reckless choice seemed to prepare a grave for Lin Fei, saving Ye Tian the effort of a stealthy ambush.
"This is your own doing; you have no one to blame but yourself!"
Determined not to waste any more time, Ye Tian accelerated, traversing the distance of a kilometer from Wang Village in a flash, resembling a darting arrow, and soon caught up with Lin Fei.
The sudden appearance of Ye Tian drew Lin Fei's attention. Startled by the sound of footsteps behind him, he instinctively spun around and unleashed a palm strike.
Indeed, Lin Fei, the captain of the beast-hunting team from Lin Family Village, was seasoned in battle. Regardless of who approached him, he took the initiative and struck first.
Ye Tian, caught off guard, was forced to retract the punch intended for Lin Fei's back, raising his arm to deflect Lin Fei's attack instead.
Their energies collided, generating a powerful shockwave that resonated through the air, producing a dull thud.
Both men were momentarily stunned, pushed back several steps by the force of the impact.
Lin Fei stared incredulously at his opponent, realizing it was Ye Tian. His eyes widened in shock as he exclaimed, "You! Impossible! How can you possess such formidable strength?"
A tempest of emotions churned within him as he struggled to fathom that the person he had just fought to a stalemate was indeed Ye Tian.
"Indeed, it is I. As for my strength, you can save that inquiry for the depths of hell!" Ye Tian replied with a cold smirk, stepping forward and executing the Thunderclap Palm, unleashing nine powerful palm shadows.
Lin Fei's expression shifted dramatically. The Thunderclap Palm, at its perfected form, was incredibly powerful. The nine ominous palm shadows surged toward him, blocking his escape and obscuring the line between reality and illusion.
"Fierce Tiger Fist!" Lin Fei roared, launching his fists forward like twin dragons emerging from the sea. The momentum was staggering as he shattered seven of the palm shadows. However, three shadows struck fiercely against his shoulder, chest, and abdomen.
With a resounding crash, Lin Fei was sent flying, crashing into a tree and spewing blood.
"Peak of the Eighth Level Martial Artist!"
Lin Fei's pupils constricted as he gazed at Ye Tian, disbelief flooding his expression.
In less than a year, this boy had ascended from the second level of martial arts to the peak of the eighth level. What astonishing speed of cultivation! What extraordinary talent!
Lin Fei was overwhelmed by shock.
"Betraying the alliance and colluding with Wang Family Village, Lin Fei, today you will meet your end." Ye Tian, having seized the upper hand, advanced menacingly, his gaze ablaze with a deadly glint.
Lin Fei's expression darkened as he retorted, "Ye Tian, what are you implying? When did our Lin Family Village betray the alliance? Speak clearly!"
The alliance between Lin Family Village and Wang Family Village had been conducted in secrecy, known to only a handful of individuals. He could not believe that Ye Tian was privy to this information.
Yet, Ye Tian had no interest in idle chatter. He charged forward with chilling laughter, saying, "I overheard your conversation with Wang Hu. You thought you could hide your schemes from me."
At this revelation, Lin Fei's complexion paled. He realized why Ye Tian had appeared before him—it was by chance that the boy had eavesdropped on his conversation with Wang Hu and decided to follow him.
With this understanding, Ye Tian's presence posed a significant threat to him and Lin Family Village.
Lin Fei cast a penetrating glance at Ye Tian, his expression darkening. "I didn't anticipate that my carelessness would reveal this secret to you. Since you've discovered it, then I can't let you live."
"Is that so? Do you truly believe you can defeat me?" Ye Tian chuckled coldly. He swung his arms in rapid succession, like a raging storm, launching an intense assault.
"We'll see about that. The disparity between the ninth level and the eighth level of martial arts will bring you despair," Lin Fei declared ominously. Sensing the power behind Ye Tian's strikes, he resolved to either capture the boy or face injury himself, for with Ye Tian's talent, he would inevitably become a dire threat to Lin Family Village.
A sixteen-year-old at the eighth level of martial arts, having ascended from the second level within a year—such a prodigious display had ignited a murderous intent in Lin Fei.
"What a pity your talent is wasted on someone outside Lin Family Village; you shall die!" Lin Fei roared with ferocity, his eyes gleaming with determination as he unleashed a punch, descending upon Ye Tian like a ferocious tiger.
He had mastered the essence of the Fierce Tiger Fist, bringing it to perfection, as he sought to overwhelm Ye Tian's Thunderclap Palm.
Ye Tian's gaze hardened; his opponent was indeed the captain of the Beast Hunting Team from Lin Village. Decades of training had allowed him to master a low-grade yellow-tier martial art to perfection, combined with a higher tier of true energy, granting him a definitive advantage in combat.
Without comprehending the essence of the blade, Ye Tian would have been forced to flee at this moment; his advantage with the Thunder Palm was utterly insufficient against a veteran martial artist like Lin Fei, who had devoted years to his craft.
Lin Fei, having risen to the position of captain of the Beast Hunting Team, was undeniably one of the most talented individuals in Lin Village, akin to Ye Feng, having also perfected a low-grade yellow-tier martial art.
Ye Tian's expression grew grave as he withdrew his offensive stance and slowly unwrapped the beast hide scroll from his back, revealing a blood-red long blade encased within, its surface glistening as if forged from the depths of a blood sea.
"Hmm? The Blood Saber of the Blood Cloak Guard!" Lin Fei's eyes narrowed, fixating on the weapon in Ye Tian's hand, a look of astonishment crossing his face.
"Indeed, it is the Blood Saber. To die by this blade is your honor!" Ye Tian declared, gripping the blood-red sword with the tip aimed menacingly at Lin Fei, a palpable aura of malevolence emanating from him.
Lin Fei's expression shifted, filled with disbelief as he gritted his teeth, saying, "You're courting death! How dare you steal the Blood Saber? If the Blood Cloak Guard learns of this, your Ye Village will be finished."
Assuming that Ye Tian had stolen the weapon, he was astounded by his audacity, feeling it was utterly brazen.
"As long as you are dead, no one will know!" Ye Tian retorted coldly, slashing toward Lin Fei, the blade shimmering with a lethal chill.
Lin Fei, unwilling to confront him directly, retreated three paces, drawing his large cleaver from his waist and advancing to engage in combat.
In an instant, flashes of blades and the sound of clashing steel echoed like rolling thunder.
However, as the battle raged on, shock began to creep onto Lin Fei's face. Ye Tian's swordsmanship was fierce and imbued with murderous intent; each strike was lethal, making it impossible for him to defend without peril.
In mere moments, Lin Fei's clothing was torn in over a dozen places. Had he not evaded swiftly, he would have already been reduced to a bloody pulp.
As time passed, Lin Fei's expression shifted to one of urgency; he was nearing his breaking point.
At that moment, Ye Tian's eyes blazed with intensity, an overwhelming aura of slaughter emanating from the Blood Saber in his grasp. Suddenly, an invisible blade intent shot forth silently toward Lin Fei.
Crack!
Lin Fei had just lifted his cleaver, preparing to deliver a forceful strike when the unseen blade intent collided with his weapon. A sharp sound rang out as the cleaver shattered into two pieces.
"How is this possible?" Lin Fei's eyes widened in disbelief, his pupils constricting as he stared at the broken blade in his hand.
Ye Tian was also taken aback; he hadn't expected Lin Fei to fortuitously raise his cleaver just in time to block his fatal blade intent.
However, that stroke of luck was now at an end. Ye Tian sneered, raising the Blood Saber and executing a horizontal slash. The blade intent erupted, an invisible force hurtling toward Lin Fei.
This time, Lin Fei had nothing left to defend himself with. He grunted, propelled backward, his chest mangled and bloodied.
Ye Tian pursued him closely, lifting the Blood Saber high and delivering a decisive downward strike, sending a bloodied head soaring into the air.
The severed head, still wide-eyed with disbelief, reflected Lin Fei's utter shock; he could hardly fathom that he would meet his demise at Ye Tian's hands.
"Had I known this would be the outcome, I would have acted differently," Ye Tian sighed softly. He rifled through Lin Fei's headless corpse and soon discovered a fist-sized crimson fruit.
This fiery-red fruit was incredibly alluring, exuding a refreshing fragrance, and pulsating with immense energy within.
"A hundred-year-old Zhu Guo!"
Ye Tian could not contain his excitement, his eyes sparkling with joy.
The Zhu Guo was a treasure for enhancing one's cultivation, and being a century-old fruit, its potency was sufficient to propel him past the pinnacle of martial artist level eight and into level nine.