In the darkness of the night, Ye Guan moved like a ghost, constantly weaving through the crowd of experts.
Screams of agony rang out incessantly.
One sword, one kill.
All instant deaths.
Ye Guan pursued only one thing, speed. There was no flourish or extravagance, just a single sword strike to end a life.
In less than a quarter of an hour, nearly a hundred corpses lay scattered across the field.
The remaining survivors had long lost their courage and fighting spirit. They fled in all directions.
Yet Ye Guan’s sword was faster.
This time, with his sword control technique, beams of sword light shuttled through the night, slaying as they went. In an instant, more than a dozen experts were cut down.
The few who still lived frantically raced towards Sin City.
Ye Guan did not let them escape. He grabbed his sword and chased after them.
Hidden in the shadows, Rao Xiu watched the scene with a pale face full of shock.
He knew Ye Guan was strong, but he had never imagined he was this strong.
He was simply a monster.
High in the treetops, Ji Xuan watched Ye Guan pursue his prey. Shock filled her heart as well.
This man who appeared so refined and gentle was utterly ruthless in battle.
At that moment, Ji Xuan suddenly turned her head. Her eyes narrowed. The next instant, a throwing knife flew dozens of zhang away.
A ripping sound echoed.
There, a blood-drenched head slowly fell. Moments later, a corpse dropped from the tree. In its hand, it clutched a bow.
On the other side, Ji Xuan’s figure flickered and vanished into the distance.
…
Before Sin City.
More than a dozen people desperately fled towards the city gates. Behind them lay a field of corpses.
Terror filled their pale faces and eyes.
Just then, a sword light flashed across the scene.
Two of the experts lost their heads in an instant.
The remaining eight ran even more frantically towards the city gate.
Another sword light flashed.
One more fell.
By now, seven had rushed inside the city.
A sword shot towards the interior, but just as it reached the gate, a cold beam struck it.
Boom.
The sword was forced to stop right at the entrance.
Far away, Ye Guan opened his palm. The energy sword flew back to him. He looked up at the city wall where an old man stood. The elder stared at him. “No fighting in Sin City.”
Ye Guan glanced at the old man and nodded. “Very well.”
With that, he began collecting the storage rings from the corpses.
On the wall, the elder heard Ye Guan’s reply and paused in slight surprise. This young man was so compliant?
He had expected a hot-blooded youth to charge straight into the city.
Yet the fellow simply stopped.
Soon, Ye Guan gathered all the storage rings from the bodies and prepared to leave.
The elder suddenly called out. “Wait.”
Ye Guan turned to face him. The old man spoke gravely. “You are Ye Guan?”
Ye Guan nodded. “Yes.”
The elder fixed his gaze on him. “Someone has placed a thirty million gold crystal bounty on your head.”
Ye Guan gave a slight nod. “I know.”
The elder was about to speak again when a voice suddenly rang out from within the city. “The bounty list has been updated. One hundred million. Anyone who kills Ye Guan receives one hundred million gold crystals.”
One hundred million.
Hearing this, the eyes of the experts who had gathered on the wall instantly burned with greed.
The elder looked at Ye Guan, his brows deeply furrowed, lost in thought.
One hundred million.
Ye Guan chuckled lightly. “I am worth quite a lot.”
He glanced at the crowd of experts on the wall. “Is anyone coming to claim my head? If not, I shall take my leave.”
“I will.”
A youth suddenly leapt down from the wall, but at that moment a sword light flashed across the field.
Sword control technique.
In full view of everyone, the youth’s head flew off, yet his body continued rushing forward.
The head flew ahead while the soul chased behind.
By the time the body hit the ground, it was headless.
Ye Guan crouched down, removed the youth’s storage ring, and said, “Thank you.”
The youth: “…”
On the wall, everyone’s expression changed drastically.
An instant kill.
That youth had been in the Sky Destruction realm.
And he was killed just like that?
For a moment, many in the crowd abandoned any thought of pursuing Ye Guan.
The bounty was tempting, but life was more precious.
Ye Guan raised his head to look at the crowd. “Anyone else?”
Silence fell over the wall.
Ye Guan turned to leave, but as he did, he suddenly coughed violently. Everyone saw a trace of blood spill from the corner of his mouth.
He was injured?
Confusion spread across the faces on the wall.
“Damn it.”
At that moment, a burly man leapt down from the wall. He gripped a large sabre and glared furiously at Ye Guan. “Everyone, join forces to kill him and share the bounty.”
The crowd stirred with interest.
Yet no one moved.
Seeing this, the burly man paused, then roared in anger. “The timid starve while the bold feast. He is already gravely wounded. What are you afraid of? Get him.”
Still, no one moved.
A man holding a folding fan suddenly smiled. “Geng the Great, why don’t you exchange a few blows with him first? Let us see if he can still fight. If he can, we will come down to help you.”
The others quickly nodded in agreement.
Geng’s face turned extremely ugly. He stared at the fan-wielding man. “Zhang Huahua, do you take me for a fool?”
Zhang Huahua laughed. “I think you are exactly that, a fool.”
Geng flew into a rage and was about to explode when Zhang Huahua continued with a smile. “Geng you great fool, calm down. I am saving you. Think carefully. This Young Master Ye has killed hundreds with a single sword, and not one of those hundreds was below his realm. What does that mean? It means not only is he extraordinarily powerful himself, but the people behind him must also be extraordinary.”
He glanced at the distant Ye Guan and added, “Can we afford to provoke someone capable of raising such a genius?”
Geng fell silent, dread creeping in as he considered it.
Zhang Huahua glanced at him. “When you have time, stop training only that rubbish sabre of yours. Train your brain a little too.”
Geng shot Zhang Huahua a cold look, then turned to the distant Ye Guan. Ye Guan said calmly, “Are we fighting or not?”
Geng shook his head. “No fighting. No fighting.”
Ye Guan replied evenly, “If we are not fighting, leave your storage ring.”
Geng instantly exploded with fury, but when he saw the sword in Ye Guan’s hand, his anger quickly died down.
Damn it.
Was this man faking injury to lure him in?
With that thought, he glanced towards the city gate.
Just then, Ye Guan spoke. “You may try. Let us see whose speed is greater, yours or my sword.”
Geng fell silent.
Zhang Huahua suddenly said, “Hand over the storage ring. Better to lose wealth than life.”
Geng looked at Ye Guan, then opened his palm. The storage ring flew towards him.
Ye Guan inspected it. Inside were only a little over five hundred thousand gold crystals.
He frowned slightly, somewhat dissatisfied. “How are you so poor?”
Geng’s face twitched. He glanced at Ye Guan, said nothing, and turned to walk back into the city.
He had to admit he was seething inside.
He had thought that with one call to arms, everyone on the wall would swarm down. He had never expected no one would join him.
He really had been an idiot.
At that moment, Zhang Huahua suddenly looked at Ye Guan and smiled. “Young Master Ye, I just received news that two students from the Guanxuan Academy died outside the city. I wonder if you had anything to do with that?”
His words carried hidden malice.
Ye Guan glanced at Zhang Huahua on the wall. He opened his palm, and a storage ring flew towards the man.
Zhang Huahua froze.
Everyone present froze.
Ye Guan said calmly, “Brother Zhang, this is what you deserve.”
With that, he turned and left.
His speed was astonishing. In the blink of an eye, he vanished into the distance.
On the wall, Zhang Huahua suddenly flew into a thunderous rage. “Damn it, don’t go. Explain yourself clearly. Hey, hey…”
The crowd on the wall looked at Zhang Huahua with unfriendly expressions.
Damn it.
So you two were in it together.
Zhang Huahua’s face grew unsightly. He knew he could not stay. Without hesitation, he leapt down and disappeared into the distance.
…
As soon as Ye Guan entered the dense forest, Rao Xiu appeared before him holding a large pile of storage rings.
While Ye Guan had been killing, he had been collecting the rings.
Though tempted to keep some for himself, he did not dare.
A person could have ambition, but greed, especially for what did not belong to him, was dangerous.
Ye Guan took the rings and counted them. Altogether, there were nearly thirty million gold crystals.
He took out one ring and handed it to Rao Xiu. Inside were three million gold crystals.
Rao Xiu hesitated.
Ye Guan said, “It is yours.”
Rao Xiu looked at Ye Guan. Seeing no intent to silence him, he relaxed. He accepted the ring and said, “Many thanks, Young Master Ye.”
Ye Guan replied calmly, “We should leave quickly.”
Rao Xiu hesitated, then said, “Young Master Ye, I live in a ruined temple in the southern corner of Sin City. Over the years I have gathered a group of brothers there. We are not strong, but we know everything that happens in the city, big or small. If you ever need anything, just say the word.”
Ye Guan thought for a moment, then said, “Go to the Immortal Treasures Pavilion. Find a manager named Qin Feng and tell him to investigate who exactly is targeting me.”
He knew that to thoroughly uncover the true identity and strength of his enemy, only the Immortal Treasures Pavilion could help.
Sitting and waiting for death was not his style.
Rao Xiu nodded. “Understood.”
With that, he cupped his fists and left.
After Rao Xiu departed, Ye Guan slowly closed his eyes.
Soon, his brows furrowed.
Ji Xuan had not appeared.
Why had she not appeared?
Someone was there.
Ye Guan’s eyes narrowed. At that moment, the ground before him erupted. A figure burst out, and a cold gleam slashed towards his throat.
Just then, a throwing knife flashed through the air.
The cold gleam stopped an inch from Ye Guan’s throat.
A black-clothed figure stood before him, a throwing knife embedded in the back of his head.
At that moment, Ji Xuan appeared in front of Ye Guan.
She smiled faintly. “This fellow is called Ghost, a very famous assassin in Sin City. He has been lurking here for a long time.”
Ye Guan opened his palm. A storage ring flew into Ji Xuan’s hand.
Inside were nearly fourteen million gold crystals.
Ji Xuan looked at Ye Guan. “For me?”
Ye Guan nodded.
Ji Xuan thought for a moment, then laughed. “Honestly, I feel a little ashamed. I did not really help much, yet I receive so much money. I am being greedy. Truly greedy.”
With that, she put the ring away.
Ye Guan suddenly said, “Miss Ji Xuan, I would like to ask for your help with something.”
Ji Xuan smiled. “Speak, speak.”
Ye Guan said, “From my guess, the ones targeting me this time are either the An family or the Ancient Heavenly Dragon clan. As soon as the intelligence from the Immortal Treasures Pavilion arrives, I will enter Sin City. At that time, I will be alone and without allies. I will surely be at a disadvantage. Therefore, I hope you will come with me. Will you?”
Hearing this, the smile on Ji Xuan’s face froze completely.
Suddenly, the storage ring in her hand felt burning hot.
She was done for.
This man had laid a trap for her.
