Chapter 67: First Display of Might

Chapter 67: Chapter 67: First Display of Might

However, Yi Xiaoyao was still a bit inexperienced in the art of assassination. The thud of the body hitting the ground immediately drew the attention of another guard hundreds of yards away.

Seeing that his cover was blown, Yi Xiaoyao stopped hiding and darted toward the guard.

"Intruder!"

The guard cried out in alarm, and the three remaining guards immediately gathered.

At the same time, the enemies inside the mine tunnel that Ye Ping and the other three had entered were also alerted, and the sounds of a struggle immediately erupted from within.

However, once they got their bearings, the three guards had no intention of ringing the Copper Bell.

Like the guard before them, they saw that Yi Xiaoyao was just a boy at the Second Realm of Foundation Establishment.

In their eyes, dealing with such a small fry didn’t warrant making a fuss by ringing the bell. If they woke the other guards this late, they’d get an earful.

"This kid at the Second Realm of Foundation Establishment actually killed Fourth?"

"Hmph! It must have been a sneak attack. But for him to know he’s exposed and not even try to run... he’s simply asking to die."

"Kill the kid!"

Spiritual Power erupted from the three guards as they drew their sabers and charged at Yi Xiaoyao.

Facing three enemies at the Fourth Realm of Foundation Establishment, Yi Xiaoyao remained unfazed. In fact, when he saw them move away from the Copper Bell, the corners of his mouth curled into a slight smile.

’As long as they don’t ring that Copper Bell, I’m confident I can kill all three of them without alerting anyone inside the Spirit Stone Vein.’

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

Three long sabers, pulsing with dense Spiritual Power, slashed at Yi Xiaoyao from all sides. An attack from three cultivators at the Fourth Realm of Foundation Establishment was not to be underestimated.

Yi Xiaoyao changed his Sword Technique, unleashing his Spirit-Devouring Swordsmanship like a phantom, instantly creating a defense that covered all angles.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The three sharp clashes of metal on metal were especially clear in the night, but the sound didn’t travel far enough to alert the enemies inside.

In the instant it blocked their attack, the Spirit-Devouring Swordsmanship devoured every last wisp of Spiritual Power from the three sabers, failing to even push Yi Xiaoyao back a single step.

The three guards’ faces fell. They couldn’t believe that someone at the Second Realm of Foundation Establishment could so easily block their combined attack.

The shock on their faces was slow to fade, for they would never make another expression again.

The Spirit-Devouring Swordsmanship instantly shifted to Silent Swordsmanship. His longsword flashed out. With a single lunge, Yi Xiaoyao crossed the distance between the three men, slicing each of them in two. Six bloody halves fell to the ground simultaneously.

Killing enemies at the Fourth Realm of Foundation Establishment was as easy as cutting down weeds.

But Yi Xiaoyao wasn’t surprised. After all, he had killed Shi Tong, who had been at the Fifth Realm of Foundation Establishment.

’Looks like my Silent Swordsmanship and Spirit-Devouring Swordsmanship are comparable to top-tier Profound-grade Swordsmanship,’ Yi Xiaoyao mused.

Even in the Star Spirit Pavilion of the Seven Kills Star Hall, the highest level of Swordsmanship available was only top-tier Profound-grade.

But the two styles of Swordsmanship Yi Xiaoyao had created himself were far more powerful than any top-tier Profound-grade Spiritual Skill, mainly because he utilized Destructive Sword Qi and Devouring Spiritual Power.

But Yi Xiaoyao was in no mood to dwell on this. He crouched down, took the Storage Pouches from the four corpses, and began to check them one by one.

"Hm?"

Yi Xiaoyao frowned. ’What rotten luck.’ There wasn’t a single key on any of the four guards.

Just then, he realized that Ye Ping and the three young men still hadn’t emerged from the mine tunnel. The sounds of fighting had long since vanished.

’Could something have happened to her?’

A flicker of worry crossed Yi Xiaoyao’s face. Ye Ping had always tried to protect him, and he had developed a certain fondness for her.

At that thought, Yi Xiaoyao turned and entered the mine tunnel.

Normally, there should have been no problem with four people taking on a single opponent. But Yi Xiaoyao considered another possibility.

And at that very moment, his suspicion was proving true inside the cave.

Inside the cave, three young men pointed their swords at Ye Ping, whom they had struck down.

"Ye Ping, for your father’s sake, we don’t want to kill you. Hand over the key!" the long-faced young man snickered.

A trickle of blood escaped the corner of Ye Ping’s mouth. She clutched a golden key tightly in her hand, glaring at the three of them with resentment.

"The three of you conspired to ambush me! Even if I give you the key, you won’t be able to divide it amongst yourselves!"

The long-faced youth grinned. "You don’t need to worry about that. Since you decided to side with that Second Realm Foundation Establishment brat, it was destined that neither of you would get a key. Eight keys are just enough for the rest of us to split evenly."

Seeing that Ye Ping was still refusing to hand over the key, the three young men grew anxious. They, too, had heard the commotion outside just moments ago.

"Ye Ping, let me warn you one last time. That kid you’re so intent on protecting has been discovered by the outer guards. Dragging this out won’t do anyone any good!"

Ye Ping’s heart sank. She had heard the sounds as well and assumed Yi Xiaoyao was most likely dead.

Just as Ye Ping raised her hand to surrender the key, her eyes suddenly lit up, and she stared in surprise at the space behind the three young men.

"Heh, three grown men ganging up on a woman with such dishonorable tactics. Don’t you feel any shame?" a light, casual voice suddenly echoed in the cave.

The three young men’s expressions changed drastically as they whirled around.

There, at the entrance to the cave, stood Yi Xiaoyao. He held the Bloodthirsty Sword, a cold look on his face as he slowly walked inside.

’He’s not dead?’

The three of them were stunned. They had been certain that Yi Xiaoyao would die after being discovered by the four outer guards.

They also noticed the bloodstains on his clothes. The blood clearly wasn’t his, and its bright color indicated it was fresh.

Ye Ping was just as stunned. A wave of relief washed over her at the sight of him alive, but she quickly blurted out, "What about the four guards? Didn’t they find you?"

The three young men were wondering the same thing.

Right, where were the four guards? Why hadn’t they pursued him inside?

They had clearly heard the shout of "Intruder!" a moment ago. But here was Yi Xiaoyao, alive and splattered with someone else’s blood. What could that possibly mean?

’Did Yi Xiaoyao kill all four guards in such a short amount of time? Without making a sound?’

’Absolutely impossible!’

Even the three of them, all at the Fourth Realm of Foundation Establishment, couldn’t have pulled that off. There was no way a boy at the Second Realm could have done it.

Ye Ping thought the same. To keep Yi Xiaoyao from getting dragged into her mess, she immediately tossed the key to the three men and yelled at him, "You can’t help me! Get out of here!"

After dismissing their impossible theory, Ye Ping’s shout made the three young men snap back to reality. They remembered that Yi Xiaoyao had just been mocking them for ganging up on a woman.

"So what if we ganged up on a woman, kid? What are you going to do about it? You’re nothing but a coward who hides behind women."

The three scoffed contemptuously, then snatched the key from Ye Ping’s hand with satisfaction, preparing to leave the troublesome scene behind.

"Give her back the key, and I might spare you this once."

Yi Xiaoyao blocked the tunnel entrance, his feet never ceasing their slow advance as he spoke in a cool, level voice.