“Wei Donghai!”
Suddenly, Elder Tang activated the speaker, connecting to Wei Donghai.
“Elder Tang, what are your orders?” Wei Donghai asked.
Elder Tang said, “Can I speak directly to Ye Qiu?”
“Of course,” Wei Donghai replied. “The brooch has a communication system. Activate it, and in three seconds, you can talk to Ye Qiu.”
“Good, activate it now.”
Elder Tang stared at his watch, waited three seconds, then said, “Ye Qiu, can you hear me?”
Ye Qiu, hearing Elder Tang’s voice from the brooch, was slightly startled and said, “I can hear you.”
“Ye Qiu, I’m ordering you to retreat immediately,” Elder Tang said. “They have too many people. You’re not their match. I’ll have Wei Donghai pick you up.”
Ye Qiu glanced at the Daito people, shook his head, and said, “Elder Tang, I can’t retreat.”
Elder Tang snapped, “Ye Qiu—”
“Elder Tang, hear me out,” Ye Qiu said. “I’m a soldier. Fleeing without fighting? That’s desertion!”
“Secondly, those soldiers can’t have died for nothing. I need to avenge them.”
“And these Daito experts set this trap with my father as their ultimate target. They won’t let me leave.”
Ye Qiu’s conversation with Elder Tang was overheard clearly by the old man and the young man, their strength as top-tier experts making it impossible for any sound to escape their notice.
“Ye Qiu, you’re right. We won’t let you leave.”
“Our goal is to capture you and lure your father here.”
“But don’t worry, we won’t kill you until we’ve dealt with your father.”
“Ye Qiu, I advise you, if you don’t want to suffer, surrender quietly.”
“Surrender? In your dreams!” Ye Qiu’s words fell, and he spun around, stomping his foot into Yamazaki Jiro’s face.
Yamazaki Jiro, his meridians shattered and defenceless, had let his guard down upon seeing his allies, never expecting Ye Qiu to strike suddenly.
*Splat!*
Yamazaki Jiro had no time to call for help before his face was crushed into a pulp by Ye Qiu’s foot.
Dead on the spot.
Instantly, the old man, the young man, and the nine ninjas glared with killing intent.
“Killing in front of me? Ye Qiu, you’ve got some nerve.”
“Since you won’t surrender, don’t blame me.”
“Go!”
At the old man’s command, two ninjas stepped forward, swiftly drawing the samurai swords from their backs.
The two ninjas, gripping their swords, advanced a few steps, their bodies blurring into afterimages as they charged at Ye Qiu.
Their killing intent was chilling.
Yet Ye Qiu seemed oblivious to the danger, standing still, his gaze fixed on the old man and the young man.
The two ninjas reached Ye Qiu’s sides, one from the left, one from the right, their blades slashing toward him simultaneously.
*Swish!*
*Swish!*
At the critical moment.
Ye Qiu moved.
*Bang!*
*Bang!*
Ye Qiu threw punches with both hands, striking to either side, his fists fierce and brimming with terrifying force.
Before the ninjas’ blades could reach him, Ye Qiu’s punches sent them flying.
And as they flew a few metres, their bodies exploded mid-air.
*Splat!*
*Splat!*
In an instant, the two ninjas turned into mists of blood, not even bone fragments remaining.
Nine ninjas were now down to seven.
The old man remained calm, issuing another command, “Go!”
Immediately, four ninjas advanced, closing in on Ye Qiu from all four directions—east, south, west, and north.
The remaining three ninjas stepped forward too, trailing behind the four, ready to strike at any moment.
Four ninjas in front, three behind, they radiated overwhelming killing intent, utterly terrifying.
Ye Qiu glanced at the ninjas, his eyes suddenly sharpening like twin heavenly swords, awe-inspiring.
*Whoosh!*
Ye Qiu took the initiative, launching an attack.
As the ancients said, strike first to gain the upper hand, hesitate and suffer.
Rather than wait for them to surround him, Ye Qiu decided to strike first and take them out.
*Boom!*
Ye Qiu moved like a gale, unleashing four punches in succession.
As his fists swung, they compressed the air, causing terrifying sonic booms.
Each of Ye Qiu’s four punches was stronger than the last, slamming into the four ninjas.
*Bang!*
*Bang!*
*Bang! Bang!*
The four ninjas didn’t even have a chance to fly backward; their bodies exploded before they could.
*Splat, splat, splat, splat—*
Four clouds of blood mist erupted simultaneously.
Ye Qiu had decisively killed four ninjas, leaving the remaining three with fear in their eyes, their bodies drenched in cold sweat.
As skilled fighters, they could see Ye Qiu had obliterated the four ninjas purely with overwhelming strength.
“Killing across realms, crushing cultivators with raw power—is this guy even human?”
The remaining three ninjas’ legs trembled with fear.
*Hmph!*
The young man snorted coldly, stepping forward to take Ye Qiu down himself, but the old man grabbed his sleeve.
“Stay calm.”
Using a secret sound transmission, the old man said to the young man, “They’re just a few ninjas. If they die, they die. It doesn’t affect the bigger picture.”
“Besides, these ninjas aren’t ours. Once they’re dead, we’ll capture Ye Qiu ourselves.”
“Then, the credit will be all ours.”
The young man, still worried, transmitted back, “But…”
“I know what you’re worried about. Don’t worry, I’ll take responsibility if anything goes wrong.”
The old man glanced back into the forest depths, then ordered the remaining three ninjas, shouting, “All of you, go! Capture Ye Qiu. I want him alive.”
The three ninjas, though terrified, had no choice but to advance. Having seen Ye Qiu’s skills, they grew cautious, drawing their samurai swords before acting.
Then, the three exchanged a glance and nodded slightly.
Each pulled out a dagger, gripping it with their teeth.
*Whoosh!*
*Whoosh!*
*Whoosh!*
The three ninjas used their ninjutsu simultaneously, a wisp of green smoke appearing as they vanished.
Immediately after, poisoned needles flashed through the air like a storm of pear blossoms, raining densely toward Ye Qiu.
*Roar!*
A strand of innate true qi hovered above Ye Qiu’s head, forming a golden curtain of light that enveloped him.
The poisoned needles struck the curtain, producing a *ding-ding* sound, sparks flying as if hitting a steel plate.
Ye Qiu scanned around, unable to see the three ninjas, and sneered inwardly, “Since you like playing invisible, stay hidden forever.”
Ye Qiu silently activated his Heavenly Eye.
Instantly, he spotted the three ninjas’ locations.
*Whoosh!*
Ye Qiu shot forward like lightning, throwing three punches in rapid succession.
*Splat, splat, splat!*
Three clouds of blood mist exploded in the air, the stench overwhelming.
With that, all nine ninjas were dead!
