71: Chapter 71 Lin Batian is shocked

Black Cloud Stronghold, Assembly Hall.

Second Chief Yan She sat high upon the tiger-skin throne, his expression grim.

Below, the various leaders of the Black Cloud Stronghold did not dare to breathe loudly, each keeping their head bowed for fear of provoking the Second Chief, who was currently fuming with rage.

"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!"

Yan She slammed his hand onto the armrest, his voice exploding with fury. "Over a thousand men!"

"And yet you couldn't take down a tiny Ye family!"

"We even lost so many brothers! You've completely disgraced the Black Cloud Stronghold!"

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, especially when he recalled that youth in green named Ye Tian!

That kid was simply bizarre to the extreme!

"That Ye Tian... what the hell kind of monster is he?!"

Yan She gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with confusion. "He clearly only has a cultivation at the Peak of the Ninth Level of Qi Gathering Realm; I should be able to swat him to death with one hand!"

"But his movement technique..."

Images of the battle replayed uncontrollably in his mind. Every one of his killing moves that should have hit—whether it was the tricky Venomous Snake Sting or the forceful Black Shamanic Palm—had been rendered useless before Ye Tian.

It was as if the kid had foresight; at the most critical moments, he always managed to dodge fatal blows by a hair's breadth, or used that strange punch force to skillfully deflect most of the impact!

It felt like trying to punch a slippery loach; it was so frustrating it made one want to cough up blood!

"How can someone in the Qi Gathering Realm possess such combat instincts?!"

Yan She was completely baffled. He had traveled the Jianghu for decades and seen many Geniuses, but he had never heard of anyone like Ye Tian who completely defied common sense!

This unknown factor made him feel a hint of wariness.

He had originally wanted to regroup immediately and attack the Ye family again, determined to eliminate this major threat at any cost.

But after calming down, he had to suppress that impulse.

"That old fogey Ye Qingtian must be protecting Ye Tian like a precious treasure now!"

"If we force another attack, facing Ye Qingtian and that weird kid together while the Ye family is on guard, the outcome would be uncertain... If we stumble again, the Black Cloud Stronghold's prestige will truly be destroyed!"

More importantly, Ye Tian's unpredictable state left him feeling uncertain.

He couldn't figure out how deep Ye Tian's trump cards really went.

"Forget it... A lack of patience ruins great plans!"

Yan She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his surging killing intent. He turned his gaze toward the stone door leading to the secluded cultivation chamber at the back of the Assembly Hall, a glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes.

"Big Brother... I hope you can successfully Breakthrough!"

"As long as Big Brother emerges from seclusion and steps into the Ningyuan Realm Third Stage!"

"Whether it's Ye Qingtian or that weird kid, before absolute strength, they are nothing but clay chickens and pottery dogs!"

"When that time comes, we will wash the Ye family in blood, leaving not even a chicken or dog alive, to wipe away today's humiliation!"

...

Meanwhile, at the Lin Mansion in Luo City.

Lin Batian listened to the detailed report from his trusted steward, his face filled with shock. The hand holding his teacup trembled involuntarily.

"What?!"

"Yan She led over a thousand men to attack the Ye family and returned empty-handed?!"

"They were... even driven back?!"

Lin Batian's voice rose several notches in astonishment. "How is that possible?!"

"When did the Ye family gain such strength?!"

The steward replied cautiously, "Patriarch, it is absolutely true!"

"According to the reports from our spies stationed near the Ye family, the battle was exceptionally fierce. The Ye family's protective array was nearly breached.

"But at the critical moment, it was that youth named Ye Tian. He suddenly erupted with incredible combat power and actually fought the Black Cloud Stronghold's Second Chief to a standstill!"

"In the end, Yan She was forced to order a retreat!"

"Ye Tian?! That Ye Tian again?!"

Lin Batian stood up abruptly and paced irritably within the secret room. "A Qi Gathering Realm cultivator standing toe-to-toe with the Ningyuan Realm?!"

"Although that old venomous snake Yan She's cultivation is slightly inferior to mine, he is still a genuine Ningyuan Realm expert!"

"How on earth did Ye Tian do it?!"

He felt a chill rise up his spine.

Ye Tian's growth rate had completely exceeded his understanding and control!

He had thought that after losing Ye Long, the Ye family would be like meat on a chopping block, but he never expected an even greater Prodigy like Ye Tian to emerge!

If this trend continued, the Ye family might surpass the Lin family in just a few years!

"Ye Qingtian... your Ye family has truly produced an unparalleled talent!"

A cold light flickered in Lin Batian's eyes, filled with jealous killing intent. "No... I absolutely cannot let him grow any further!"

He looked at the steward and asked in a low voice, "What is the reaction from the Black Cloud Stronghold's side now?"

The steward replied, "After Yan She retreated, there has been no movement from the Black Cloud Stronghold."

"According to the spies, the Chief of the Black Cloud Stronghold, 'Bloody Hand' Tu Qianshan, seems to be in seclusion attempting to reach the Ningyuan Realm Third Stage. Everyone in the stronghold is waiting for him to emerge."

"Tu Qianshan is about to break through to the Third Stage?"

Lin Batian's pupils constricted, feeling a hint of apprehension, but then a cold smile appeared on his face. "Good! Very good!"

"Once Tu Qianshan breaks through, the first thing he will do is definitely destroy the Ye family, who made him lose face!"

"When that happens... it might be an opportunity for my Lin family!"

He pondered for a moment, a look of cunning flashing in his eyes, and whispered instructions to the steward: "Have our people continue to closely monitor the movements of the Ye family and the Black Cloud Stronghold!"

"Also, find a way to tip off the Black Cloud Stronghold that my Lin family is very interested in their actions and perhaps we could have a chat."

The steward understood immediately and bowed. "Yes! Patriarch! I understand!"

Lin Batian waved his hand to dismiss the steward and stood alone by the window, looking toward the Ye family estate with a calculating sneer.

"When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman gains the advantage... Ye Qingtian, Ye Tian, enjoy this final bit of peace while you can!"

Inside a bedroom in the Ye Family Annex.

Ye Tian slowly finished his exercise and exhaled a long breath of turbid air, his brow slightly furrowed.

He had just finished a trial cultivation of the fifth level of the Dragon Elephant Art, but the results were not ideal.

"The second volume of this Dragon Elephant Art is indeed incredibly difficult," Ye Tian sighed inwardly.

The first four levels mainly tempered the skin and flesh, enhancing defense and strength. Though difficult, it was still within an acceptable range.

But starting from the fifth level, the focus of cultivation shifted to the deeper layers of the tendons and bones!

This required a more refined tempering of blood and True Qi, and the difficulty increased exponentially!

He had tried for a long time but hadn't even managed to touch the first threshold of entry.

According to his estimation, he would probably have to wait until his cultivation broke through to the Tenth Level of Qi Gathering, or even stepped into the Ningyuan Realm, when his blood and True Qi underwent a qualitative change, before he could truly begin cultivating this fifth level.

"It seems the path of Body Refining cannot be rushed."

Ye Tian shook his head and temporarily set aside the Dragon Elephant Art.

The priority now was still to raise his cultivation Realm.

Just as he stood up to stretch his muscles.

The chaos bead he kept close to his chest suddenly gave a slight vibration!

At the same time, from deep within a crack in the wall in the corner of the room near the bed, there came a faint but continuous buzzing sound!