72: Chapter 72 A Rush of Passion

Ye Jing and Ye Yi stood back-to-back, their weapons drawn simultaneously.

The sounds of battle were constant all around, and among the fray were two fat men wielding Broadaxes, fighting with great vigor, their strength far exceeding that of the ordinary bandits.

Ye Jing noticed that the Broadaxes wielded by these two fat men moved like whirlwinds; they were using none other than the "Black Whirlwind Axe Technique."

It seems the thief who broke into the Qinling Mountains really was a bandit from Longhu Mountain.

Ye Yi possessed great strength; as he swung his long saber, streaks of sharp Saber Qi erupted, instantly cutting down two bandits who rushed forward.

Beside him, although Ye Jing had not yet entered the Qi Refinement Stage, his movements were extremely agile. His long sword, like a venomous snake, specifically targeted the bandits' vital points, claiming a life with every strike.

Ye Jing tried his best to move closer to Ye Yi and said in a low voice: "Yier! These two men must be the leaders of Longhu Mountain. They are also using the 'Black Whirlwind Axe Technique.' Try not to use your axe, lest you become a target for everyone!"

"Yes! Father!"

Ye Yi immediately agreed; they were now trying to keep themselves from being too conspicuous.

Tang Wanxiong was also joining the battle. Although he appeared weak, his strikes were extremely ruthless. His long saber weaved like a ghost, each slash reaping the vital points of the bandits.

However, his gaze would occasionally dart towards Ye Jing, the malice in his eyes undiminished.

Those two fat bandits both possessed strength no less than that of a First-Stage Martial Artist, and they quickly swept through many Second-Stage Martial Artists.

One of the Full-bearded Men rushed towards the Ye father and son, who were fighting vigorously: "Come, come... I'm having a great time killing!"

Seeing the look of madness on his face, Ye Yi and Ye Xuan quickly jumped aside. Several minor bandits who didn't manage to dodge in time were caught off guard and cleaved in two by the fat leader.

The words "Chief, it's me..." were cut short just as they were shouted.

The Full-bearded Man's axe attack was fierce. Ye Jing did not clash head-on, instead using his sword to defend, while Ye Yi wielded his broad saber to strike from the front.

The three of them were locked in a fierce battle, the sounds of clashing weapons incessant.

Ye Jing could not help but be surprised; this fat man was truly formidable.

The Full-bearded Man fought with great zest, wielding his axe. Ye Jing shifted, leaping into the air with his long sword, aiming for his head.

Seeing that this old man actually wanted to take his head, while a young man in front kept interfering, the Full-bearded Man grew annoyed.

"You want to kill me! It's not that easy!" The Full-bearded Man roared, his fingers and the axe wind churning up and down, forming a rapid whirlwind.

The whirlwind was extremely fast, rushing towards Ye Jing and the others. Ye Jing and Ye Yi were shocked and immediately dodged.

However, the Full-bearded Man did not pursue the advantage. Instead, he withdrew his axe and said to the other leader: "Second brother! Let's go!"

With those words, the Full-bearded Man cut down several officials and then fled rapidly towards the mountain forest.

Tang Wanxiong immediately shouted to the crowd: "These rebels are trying to escape! Chase them! Don't let them get away! Otherwise, if the Immortal blames us, we'll all be in serious trouble!"

After saying this, Tang Wanxiong took the lead and rushed into the forest to pursue the Longhu Mountain bandits.

These Martial Artists centered themselves around Tang Wanxiong, and seeing him act this way, they all rushed forward without hesitation.

Seeing this, Ye Yi asked: "Father, should we also pursue those fleeing bandits?"

Thinking of the Full-bearded Man's unusual behavior, Ye Jing felt that something was wrong. He gripped his sword and shouted: "Everyone, stop! This path is dangerous; there might be a trap!"

However, those Martial Artists had long been incited by Tang Wanxiong's words, and their minds were clouded by the fervor of chasing down the rebels; they could not listen to Ye Jing's advice.

A Martial Artist holding a long spear turned back and glared at Ye Jing, saying disdainfully: "Elder Ye, stop with your alarmist talk! These rebels are fleeing from us; if we don't pursue them now and they escape, it will be an endless source of trouble!"

Another Martial Artist chimed in: "Exactly! The Head of the Tang Family has taken the lead, how can we retreat?!"

Tang Wanxiong was currently standing at the entrance of the forest. Hearing Ye Jing's shout, he turned back with a cold smile.

He loudly announced to the crowd: "Everyone, ignore him! The old man Ye is just old and treasures his life! The Immortal has ordered us to come to Longhu Mountain and must wipe out the bandit rebels. Whoever dares to retreat, don't blame the Immortal for punishing you!"

After saying this, Tang Wanxiong looked at Ye Jing with meaningful intent.

"Elder Ye, you had better keep up, otherwise when the Immortal blames us, no matter how capable you are, you won't be able to escape!"

As soon as this threatening remark was made, Ye Yi immediately became enraged.

Seeing him say this, Ye Jing realized that they had no choice but to go to Longhu Mountain.

"Yier, calm down." Ye Jing raised his hand to press down on Ye Yi, who wanted to step forward to argue.

His gaze was as deep as a pool, sweeping over Tang Wanxiong's provocative face, and he spoke slowly: "Since the Head of the Tang Family says it is the Immortal's order, my son and I will naturally not hold everyone back."

Having said this, Ye Jing looked at those hot-headed Martial Artists: "I just want to remind everyone: the rebels are acting strangely. Just now, the Longhu Mountain bandits were fighting fiercely and suddenly retreated. This matter is not simple. After entering the forest, I hope everyone will be extra vigilant."

These words were neither servile nor overbearing, both giving Tang Wanxiong a way out and reminding everyone once more.

But those Martial Artists had long been blinded by the fear of the "Immortal's punishment" and the fame of "wiping out the rebels," regarding Ye Jing's words as nothing more than old talk.

They all followed Tang Wanxiong and swarmed into the dense forest.

Watching their backs, Ye Yi said indignantly: "Father, this Tang Wanxiong is clearly targeting us on purpose, and those people are just as foolish! Do we really have to follow them in?"

Ye Jing sighed softly and patted Ye Yi on the shoulder: "Yier, let's do this: we will follow behind them and see what happens."

"Moreover, since he has brought out the name of the 'Immortal,' if we stay behind, he might badmouth us in front of the Immortal later. Then, we would be 'defying orders,' and our situation would only become more difficult."

Hearing this, Ye Yi suppressed his anger: "Father, I understand. Don't worry, this time I will definitely stay close to you and not hold you back!"

Ye Jing nodded.

Afterwards, the father and son stepped into the dense forest of Longhu Mountain, one after the other.

At this moment, a deafening explosion came from above the mountain.

Hearing the sound, Ye Jing looked up and saw that above the peak, a cyan figure was fighting with a blood-red figure, the two sides battling fiercely.

The battle between the Immortals had begun.

On the peak, Chen Mingyuan wielded his long sword, hacking at the red insects closing in on him. He shouted: "Demonic Cultivator! Is this all the ability you have? Only capable of releasing such small insects!"

The person in red before him held a human-skin lantern glowing with red light, from which countless such blood-colored insects constantly flew out, approaching with fierce intent.

"Don't rush, play with me properly. It's been a long time since I've had such an enjoyable fight!" The red-robed person giggled.

The human-skin lantern brightened with red light again, and the blood-colored insects immediately rushed forward. The soldiers who had followed Chen Mingyuan below had long since turned into piles of white bones, their flesh and blood drained by these insects.

Chen Mingyuan saw these eerie blood insects constantly absorbing flesh and blood, attacking him in an endless stream.

Chen Mingyuan roared: "Demonic Cultivator, stop harming living beings! Azure Sword Rain!"

He was not worried about the lives of those Mortals, but rather that if this Demonic Cultivator continued to absorb their essence and blood, the blood insects would only become increasingly difficult to deal with.

As soon as his words fell, the long sword in Chen Mingyuan's hand suddenly erupted with brilliant cyan spiritual light, the sword body spinning rapidly in his palm.

Countless fine, cyan sword shadows peeled off from the sword body, attacking the red-robed person like a torrential rain.

Each sword shadow contained sharp Sword Qi; the moment the blood-colored insects touched them, they were slashed into powder, and a foul-smelling blood mist permeated the air.

Seeing that this Cultivator had some ability, the red-robed person was greatly alarmed. He waved the human-skin lantern and then transformed into a red shadow, fleeing rapidly towards the edge of the mountain.

The sword shadows grazed his body, cutting down all the old trees in the mountain, showing how terrifying the power was.

"Demonic Cultivator! Where are you going!" Chen Mingyuan immediately gave chase.