163: Chapter 163 Stealing the Spirit Pearl

The sounds of slaughter echoed through the forest, and the roar of spiritual energy collisions was incessant.

The two siblings temporarily separated to deal with a few Cultivators before regrouping.

On this side, Ye Tianyao had dealt with two Qi Refining Level 5 Cultivators and obtained two Spirit Pearls from them.

Just as she was about to rush to her brother's side, she heard a flurry of fighting nearby.

There, three Qi Refining Level 6 Cultivators were besieging one Qi Refining Level 7 Cultivator; although the latter had a slightly higher cultivation level, he was outnumbered and retreated steadily, blood flowing from a spiritual energy strike to his chest.

Ye Tianyao felt no ripple of emotion; she collected the Spirit Pearls and intended to leave the area.

Suddenly, a roar echoed through the woods, followed by a large tiger leaping down from a tree to pounce on Ye Tianyao.

Ye Tianyao immediately drew her thin sword and swung it forward, instantly tearing a large gash in the tiger's fur.

The beast let out a shrill cry of pain, which quickly attracted the three Qi Refining Sixth Layer Cultivators.

Seeing the situation, they all charged toward Ye Tianyao.

Ye Tianyao's eyes darkened at the sight; looking at the tiger still trying to pounce, she cursed it as a "beast" before flicking her thin sword to violently knock its head aside, instantly slicing open its skull.

When the Cultivators caught up and saw she was a beautiful female Cultivator alone, their expressions immediately turned lewd.

"Tsk tsk, I didn't expect to find such a beauty in this Beast Forest; a Qi Refining Level 5 Cultivator, quite the little belle."

The leading Cultivator's lustful eyes darted around, his gaze scanning over Ye Tianyao's slender yet upright figure.

"Be sensible and surrender, so your big brothers don't have to hurt you!"

The Cultivators laughed wantonly and then swarmed forward to attack Ye Tianyao.

Ye Tianyao gave a cold sneer, spiritual energy quietly swirling around her sword, the chill in her eyes nearly overflowing.

But she turned and fled, heading straight in the direction of Ye Tianhao.

Seeing her try to escape, the Cultivators chased after her with wicked smiles.

One of the Cultivators waved a Short Staff, and several Earth Spikes formed from yellow spiritual energy erupted from the ground, clearly intended to block Ye Tianyao's path.

Once Ye Tianyao stopped, the remaining two Cultivators began their assault on her.

Seeing this, Ye Tianyao immediately brandished her thin sword to block all their attacks; after all, she now had a Qi Refining Level 7 cultivation, so she could hold her own against three Level 6 opponents.

The leader was shocked to see this young girl actually had a Qi Refining Seventh Layer cultivation, but his surprise quickly turned to disdain.

"Just a little woman, so what if you have a Qi Refining Seventh Layer cultivation? Do you think I'd be afraid of you?!"

The Cultivator grinned maliciously, his Short Staff continuing to rain blows toward Ye Tianyao's head.

Under the siege of so many, Ye Tianyao remained agile, constantly dodging before slapping her Storage Pouch.

Instantly, a Fire Fox leaped out of the pouch, followed by countless nimble Spirit Sparrows, blocking the two Cultivators like a storm.

"This... is a Yao Beast?!" the leader exclaimed in shock.

Especially the Fire Fox Ye Tianyao summoned; with a body over ten feet tall and covered in flames, it was clearly a First-Order Demonic Beast, its powerful spiritual energy nearly matching a Qi Refining Sixth Layer Cultivator.

At this moment, the Qingyun Sect Elders watching from outside saw a beast-controlling Cultivator appear in the Beast Forest through the barrier, and their faces couldn't help but show some surprise.

Seeing that the female Cultivator looked somewhat like Ye Xuan, Yun Jian couldn't help but be surprised: "Could this be a junior of the Ye Clan?"

"A Ye Clan junior? Is it that Ye family that offended the Xuanyou Sect and sought protection?" Qin Yunhe suddenly spoke up with a look of realization. "Then she truly shares a fate with this old man."

Seeing this, Yun Jian hastily asked, "Elder Qin, have you seen her?"

Qin Yunhe chuckled and said, "I have. Previously, I was wondering how two little kids in their teens could hide their cultivation and come to the Mission Hall to take on tasks. Seeing them now, they are indeed impressive."

"This Ye family is also strange; long unheard of, how did they produce such formidable juniors?" Yun Jian was also amazed.

He looked at Ye Tianyao, who was fighting three opponents at once, and Ye Tianhao, who was almost sweeping through half the Cultivators on the other side, his eyes full of shock.

On the other side of the Beast Forest, Ye Tianhao's sword danced with several flourishes; a cold light flashed, and the last Cultivator besieging him cried out in pain as a deep, bone-chilling wound was sliced across his chest.

He hurriedly threw a Spirit Pearl to Ye Tianhao: "I lose! The Spirit Pearl is yours!"

Ye Tianhao caught the Spirit Pearl and shook the blood off his sword. Sensing the sounds of his sister's spiritual energy collisions, his brow furrowed, and his body shot off like an arrow from a bow, racing toward the sound.

Along the way, bloodstains left by Cultivators and the corpses of Yao Beasts were everywhere—all traces left by him in moments, showing his formidable combat power.

He didn't seem at all like a teenage Qi Refining Cultivator; he clearly possessed a steadiness and ruthlessness far beyond his peers.

On this side, Ye Tianyao had already been locked in combat with the three Cultivators for a long time.

The Fire Fox was covered in raging flames; with one swipe of its claw, a Cultivator hurriedly used a Magical Artifact for defense, barely blocking the strike, though the powerful impact caused him to cough up blood.

"Boss, this Yao Beast is extraordinary!" the Cultivator shouted urgently.

Another Cultivator was besieged by a flock of Spirit Sparrows; their sharp claws and beaks forced him into a purely defensive position, unable to move an inch.

Meanwhile, the leader was currently battling Ye Tianyao. If not for his skilled techniques barely blocking the pincer attack from the Fire Fox and Ye Tianyao, the disdain on his face would have long since vanished.

He never expected that this seemingly weak female Cultivator had not only hidden her cultivation but could also control multiple Yao Beasts with such perfect coordination.

"You damn woman! How dare you play with me!"

The leader was fuming with rage; he slammed his Short Staff onto the ground, causing yellow spiritual energy to surge wildly.

The ground beneath Ye Tianyao's feet suddenly shook violently, and several thick earth pillars erupted, instantly forming a sealed Earth Prison that trapped her and the Fire Fox inside.

The walls of this Earth Prison were covered in sharp Earth Spikes that slowly contracted inward, clearly intending to crush Ye Tianyao to death.

Seeing this, Ye Tianyao's gaze sharpened; her thin sword glowed with white light as she slashed violently.

The fierce Sword Qi collided with the earth pillars with a dull thud; several fine cracks appeared on the pillars, but they did not collapse.

Seeing this, Xiao Chi slammed into the Earth Prison, its flames scorching the soil with a sizzling sound.

Standing outside the Earth Prison, the leader sneered, "Little beauty, where else can you run? Hand over the Spirit Pearls obediently, and maybe I'll spare your life. Otherwise, I'll let the Earth Spikes grind you to pieces!"

Ye Tianyao ignored his mockery and commanded Xiao Chi: "Xiao Chi! Use your Divine Ability! Give it your all with me!"

Upon receiving the command, Xiao Chi's flames burned even more fiercely; it let out a long roar and charged at the Earth Prison together with Ye Tianyao.

With a "bang," the Earth Prison shattered and instantly collapsed.

Ye Tianyao leaped to the side atop Xiao Chi. Seeing this, the Cultivator shouted, "Useless trash! Kill her!"

This woman had some tricks up her sleeve; she had to be dealt with immediately.

Suddenly, a blast of Sword Qi struck, deflecting the leader's attack just as he was about to strike.