139: Chapter 139 Forced to Retreat

Before his voice had even faded, his figure flickered out like a ghost.

He was several times faster than the black-robed Cultivator from before. Black Qi condensed into a four-inch-long dark blade that lunged toward Ye Tianyao.

That Cultivator's cultivation was clearly higher than Ye Tianyao's, and his spiritual pressure surged forward, overwhelming everything.

Ye Tianyao felt a tightness in her chest. Not daring to take the hit head-on, she flicked her slender sword into three sword flowers before her, barely managing to block the residual force of the black blade.

Her arm went numb, and a trace of blood leaked from the corner of her mouth, yet she remained standing at the front.

The leader of the Black-robed Men unleashed several techniques in succession, striking heavily at Ye Tianyao. He sneered, "Struggling is futile! Today, every single one of you will die here!"

Ye Tianyao did not show any fear. Although she struggled to parry the blows, it wasn't as if she lacked the strength to fight back.

Seeing that this woman actually had the power to resist him, the Black-robed Man grew furious and called out to the other black-robed Cultivators, "Everyone, attack! Pin down this woman while I go finish off Lu Shaoyou!"

Receiving the order, the black-robed Cultivators ignored the Cultivators they had captured and used their Magical Artifacts to besiege Ye Tianyao.

The foul-smelling black Qi on their weapons intertwined, cutting off all of Ye Tianyao's paths for retreat.

Ye Tianyao's slender sword danced rapidly. Her moves were ruthless, but she was gradually becoming overwhelmed. More wounds appeared on her body, making her movements increasingly sluggish.

The black-robed leader walked toward Lu Shaoyou step by step, his greedy eyes fixed on the Storage Pouch at the man's waist as if he already held the treasures inside in his hand.

"Lu Shaoyou, you never expected this, did you? A Cultivator at the Perfection of Qi Refining like you is about to die at my hands!"

With that, he reached out to strike with his blade. At that moment, Ye Tianhao, who was to the side, finally moved. He swiftly unleashed a sword strike, slashing upward immediately.

The Black-robed Man felt his outstretched hand suddenly become light, followed by an intense, stinging pain that made him scream out loud.

His hand had been severed cleanly.

The Black-robed Man looked at Ye Tianhao in disbelief and flew into a rage. "You! How dare you!"

Ye Tianhao gave a cold snort. Most of his Spiritual Qi had already recovered. Ignoring the Black-robed Man's fury, he simply controlled his sword to rush toward his sister.

Despite his severed hand and the agonizing pain, the Black-robed Man gave chase, cursing, "You little brat! I'll grind your bones to powder and scatter your ashes!"

He clutched his gushing, bloody wrist. Black Qi surged frantically from the wound, but it could only barely stem the flow of blood.

For him, this severed arm was a true catastrophe!

To achieve Foundation Establishment, one's body must remain whole. Now that his arm was severed, he would never have the chance to reach Foundation Establishment again. How could he not be filled with rage and hatred?

His withered face twisted in pain and fury. With his remaining left hand, he slapped his Storage Pouch, and three poison needles glowing with an eerie green light shot through the air, aimed straight for the back of Ye Tianhao's heart.

Ye Tianhao was flying on his sword at high speed, the wind whistling past his ears, yet he keenly caught the subtle sound of the poison needles cutting through the air.

He immediately dodged to the side while simultaneously swinging his hand back to unleash a condensed blade of white Spiritual Qi.

With a "sizzle," the poison needles were ground into powder. When the toxic dust landed on the ground, it actually corroded a small hole into the rock.

By then, he had reached Ye Tianyao. He swung his longsword. The black-robed Cultivators besieging her were already weaker than their leader; faced with Ye Tianhao's sudden assault, they immediately fell into disarray.

Following several screams, two Cultivators had their shoulder blades pierced by Sword Qi, their Magical Artifacts flying from their hands. The others quickly retreated, not daring to approach recklessly.

"Brother!" Ye Tianyao gritted her teeth and leaned on her sword, her eyes shimmering with excitement.

Ye Tianhao arrived in front of Ye Tianyao and whispered, "Tianyao, drink the crimson blood wine and heal your wounds first! Leave this place to me!"

Ye Tianyao nodded quickly and took out the crimson blood wine she carried in her Storage Pouch. After taking a few gulps, her Spiritual Qi began to recover.

Seeing this, the black-robed leader gritted his teeth in resentment and glared at the two of them, cursing, "I'll remember you! The Xuanyou Sect will not let you off!"

Though he was infuriated, these two had recovered most of their Spiritual Qi, and one of them possessed impressive strength. He was no match for them.

After a final curse, he quickly fled.

Seeing their boss give up the fight, the other Black-robed Men immediately lost their will to fight and tried to flee as well.

But Ye Tianhao and Ye Tianyao would not let them go so easily. Together, they unleashed sword techniques and killed all the remaining Black-robed Men.

Ye Tianhao stopped Ye Tianyao from giving chase. "Don't pursue a cornered foe!"

Ye Tianyao watched the fleeing Black-robed Man with frustration and cursed, "These people from the Xuanyou Sect are like nuisances! They're so difficult to deal with!"

At that moment, Lu Shaoyou flew up on his sword. His wounds hadn't healed yet, and his face was pale. He cupped his hands toward Ye Tianhao and Ye Tianyao, saying, "Thank you, Fellow Daoists. Otherwise, we would have fallen into the hands of these demonic Cultivators."

After speaking, Lu Shaoyou looked at Ye Tianyao with a face full of gratitude.

He thought to himself that the Ye family not only had a powerful Genius youth like Ye Tianhao but also a young girl whose strength could not be underestimated. It seemed the Ye family was not to be trifled with.

Ye Tianhao said calmly, "Senior Lu, there's no need for such formalities. The people of the Xuanyou Sect already have a grudge against my Ye family. I would never let them succeed."

At this point, Ye Tianhao turned to look at the bound Cultivators and said, "Senior Lu, this Junior previously heard about disappearing Cultivators in Tiangong Market. It now seems the Xuanyou Sect was behind it!"

Hearing this, Lu Shaoyou's expression became solemn. He manifested his suyu boat and said, "Fellow Daoist Ye, this is no place to talk. Follow me back to Tiangong Market, and we can discuss this in detail!"

Ye Tianhao nodded and, supporting Ye Tianyao who had just stabilized her breathing, stepped onto Lu Shaoyou's suyu boat.

They also took along the Cultivators who had been captured by the Xuanyou Sect.

The jade boat sped through the air and soon arrived at Tiangong Market. Lu Shaoyou ordered the Qingyun Sect Disciples to take the Cultivators for questioning, determined to uncover the Xuanyou Sect's intentions.

Meanwhile, Wu Meng looked at the Ye siblings with constant shock and suspicion. These two had actually been hiding their strength all along.

At the thought of having offended them earlier, his hair stood on end, and his steps became unsteady.

Surely... nothing will happen, right?

Seeing Wu Meng wobbling, Ye Tianyao couldn't help but laugh and said to Ye Tianhao, "Brother! Look at that man, he walks just like a duck!"

"Tianyao, don't be rude!" Ye Tianhao said helplessly.

Ye Tianyao stuck out her tongue and finally quieted down.

Seeing this, Lu Shaoyou smiled warmly. "Fellow Daoists, this way please!"

He led the Ye siblings to a teahouse, ordered a private room, and raised his hand to set up a Sound-isolating barrier.

"Fellow Daoist Ye, regarding the missing Cultivators in Tiangong Market you mentioned, the Qingyun Sect had already sent people to investigate."

As soon as they sat down, Lu Shaoyou said with some helplessness, "However, most of these Cultivators disappeared after leaving the market, making it difficult to verify. We tracked them for many days without a single clue, assuming it was just Rogue Cultivators on the outskirts or some wild Essence Spirits causing trouble. I never imagined it was the demonic Cultivators of the Xuanyou Sect acting in the shadows."

Ye Tianhao frowned and asked in confusion, "Why would the people of the Xuanyou Sect capture so many Cultivators?"

Lu Shaoyou sighed and simply said, "To recruit them into their ranks, or perhaps to refine Human Pills for cultivation."}