43: Chapter 43 One Against Four

Ye Tian followed the guidance of the chaos bead, proceeding cautiously.

Suddenly, he stopped. Before him lay a dense forest filled with pale purple poisonous miasma.

The miasma was pungent, making him feel very uncomfortable. Even his movements were somewhat affected; it was likely a nerve-paralyzing poison.

However, Ye Tian was not afraid.

His nameless Body Refining Cultivation Technique had reached the third layer of Perfection.

He held his breath, and the Qi and blood throughout his body surged slightly, forming a barrier that briefly isolated him from the poisonous miasma.

Although he could not stay for long, passing through it in a short time would not be a major issue.

"This miasma is so powerful; there must be something extraordinary inside."

Ye Tian was vigilant in his heart, secretly quickening his pace.

Passing through the poisonous miasma area, his view suddenly opened up to reveal a small valley basin.

And the throbbing of the chaos bead became even more intense!

At the same time, a refreshing fruit fragrance wafted from the center of the valley!

Ye Tian's spirits lifted, and he swept his gaze across the area.

He saw that on a piece of jade in the center of the valley, a strange plant only about a foot tall was growing.

Its entire body was pale gold, and its branches and leaves looked like they were cast from gold.

At the top of the plant hung a fruit, half the size of a fist, flowing with glazed golden light!

"golden body fruit!"

Ye Tian's pupils constricted, and turbulent waves surged in his heart!

This was the legendary Body Tempering holy fruit, a top-grade Spirit Medicine!

For a Body Refining Martial Artist, it was a priceless treasure!

After consuming it, one could greatly strengthen their Physical Body Foundation, cleanse the marrow, and even directly break through a Bottleneck!

Its value was far beyond the Spiritual Plant and spirit fruits he had obtained before!

"I didn't expect the chaos bead to sense such a treasure! Heaven is truly helping me!"

Ye Tian suppressed his excitement and was about to step forward to pick it.

Just as he moved his feet, he suddenly felt a Killing Intent approaching.

"Hehehe... Kid, your sense of smell is quite sensitive; you actually managed to find this place!"

A sinister, cold laugh rang out from behind him, accompanied by four sharp Killing Intents that instantly locked onto him!

Ye Tian's heart trembled, and he turned around abruptly!

He saw four men dressed in black, with cloud patterns embroidered on their chests, who had appeared ten zhang away behind him at some unknown time, surrounding him in a fan shape.

The four men had fierce eyes and thick auras; all of them were at the Qi Gathering Level 6!

They were the bandits of the Black Cloud Stronghold!

"People from the Black Cloud Stronghold?!"

Ye Tian's eyes instantly turned cold.

He did not expect to run into people from the Black Cloud Stronghold in the depths of the Black Cloud Mountains, and they didn't look like ordinary minions!

The leading man took a greedy look at the golden body fruit, then his gaze fell on Ye Tian, and he sneered: "Kid, looking at your attire, you must be from the Ye family, right?"

"You have good luck, actually being able to find a treasure like the golden body fruit."

"Unfortunately, our Black Cloud Stronghold has taken a liking to this fruit!"

A thin, tall man next to him licked his lips and said: "Brother Dao, why waste words with him?"

"Slaughter this kid, and the fruit will be ours!"

"Killing a member of the Ye family is just right to vent the anger for the Third Chief!"

Another short, sturdy man said: "That's right!"

"We lost our brothers in the Secret Realm last time; it must have something to do with this kid!"

Ye Tian was alert. It seemed that the Black Cloud Stronghold's hostility towards the Ye family was deeper than he had imagined.

His face was calm, but he had secretly raised his True Qi to its Peak, and he said coldly: "The Black Cloud Stronghold's reach is a bit too long."

"This Black Cloud Mountains is not yours to command."

The leading man heard this, and fierce light appeared in his eyes: "Sharp-tongued brat!"

"Still daring to be arrogant when death is imminent?"

"Brothers, do it!"

"Finish this quickly, take the fruit, and leave!"

"Kill!"

The four Black Cloud Stronghold bandits attacked simultaneously!

The leading man wielded a ghost-head broadsword, his strikes powerful and heavy!

The thin, tall man used a pair of poison-coated short daggers, his movements elusive, specializing in attacking the lower body!

The short, sturdy man brandished a heavy iron hammer, smashing it towards Ye Tian's head!

The last person held a chain dart, harassing and launching sneak attacks from a distance!

The four coordinated tacitly, their attacks fierce, instantly sealing off all of Ye Tian's retreat routes!

"Well come!"

A cold glint flashed in Ye Tian's eyes. Instead of retreating, he took the initiative to meet them!

The three-fold force of his Overlapping Wave Fist at Great Perfection erupted!

He dodged the entanglement of the chain dart, sidestepped the slash of the ghost-head broadsword, and threw a right punch, the hidden force, one layer more fierce than the last, directly slamming into the thin, tall man's short daggers!

Crack!

The thin, tall man had not expected Ye Tian's punch force to be so tyrannical; his short daggers were directly knocked away, his arm bone fractured, and he flew backward while screaming!

"Third!"

The leading man was both shocked and angry, his sword stance becoming even more fierce!

Ye Tian did not let up after gaining the upper hand. His footwork was continuous, dodging the heavy blow of the iron hammer, and his left fist, carrying the Overlapping Wave Fist force, slammed into the short, sturdy man's wrist holding the hammer!

"Ah!"

The short, sturdy man's wrist instantly shattered, and the iron hammer slipped from his hand!

Almost at the same time, Ye Tian's body suddenly lowered, and the chain dart grazed his scalp!

He followed up with a sweeping leg, tripping the sneak attacker!

In just a few breaths, Ye Tian had severely injured two people and forced one back!

The strength he displayed was far beyond an ordinary Qi Gathering Level 6!

"This kid is not simple, go all out!"

The leading man was shocked in his heart, roaring as he lunged again, his blade technique even more frantic!

The remaining three also had bloodshot eyes, ignoring their injuries, and desperately surrounded him!

For a moment, the valley was filled with crisscrossing Qi forces!

Ye Tian brought his Overlapping Wave Fist and Body Refining advantages to the extreme. Under the siege of the four, he was still handling it with ease. The Overlapping Wave Fist was grand and open, and every collision made the Black Cloud Stronghold bandits' Qi and blood churn!

His Physical Body was formidable; he withstood some non-fatal attacks and specifically looked for openings to deliver lethal blows!

Within half an incense stick of time, the short, sturdy man with the shattered wrist was hit in the chest by a heavy punch from Ye Tian and died on the spot!

The bandit using the chain dart was also caught when an opportunity arose, and his throat bone was shattered by a punch!

Only the leading man and the thin, tall man with the broken arm remained!

"Second, go!"

The leading man saw that the situation was bad and felt the urge to retreat. He feinted a slash to force Ye Tian back, then turned and wanted to run!

The thin, tall man was even more scared, his Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, scrambling away.

"Want to run? It's too late!"

Ye Tian's eyes were cold. He exerted force with his feet, instantly catching up to the thin, tall man, and ended his life with one punch!

Immediately, he looked at the leading man who had already escaped a dozen zhang away, snorted coldly, picked up the chain dart from the ground, gathered his strength, and threw it fiercely!

Swish!

The chain dart caught up to the leading man and pierced deeply into his thigh!

"Ah!"

The man screamed and fell to the ground, but his desire to survive made him struggle desperately, pulling out a Talisman and slamming it onto his body!

A burst of black mist exploded, the man's figure instantly became blurred, his speed increased drastically, and he disappeared into the depths of the dense forest, dragging his injured leg.

"Escape Talisman?"

Ye Tian frowned; he didn't expect the opponent to have such a life-saving item.

He did not pursue deeply; the Black Cloud Mountains had complex terrain, and there was no guarantee he wouldn't run into other people from the Black Cloud Stronghold.

He turned around and looked at the golden body fruit flowing with golden light in the center of the valley, exhaling a long breath.

Although one ran away, the golden body fruit was preserved.

"Black Cloud Stronghold... It seems this grudge is becoming deeper and deeper."

Ye Tian did not delay any longer, walking quickly towards the golden body fruit.

He cautiously picked this Body Tempering holy fruit and put it into his storage ring.

After doing all this, Ye Tian looked around.

"It seems this place is not suitable for staying long; it's better to leave as soon as possible."