59: Chapter 59 Bloodbath at the Valley Mouth, Xiaoyu's Crisis

At the entrance of Luoxia Valley under the night sky, the mist was stirred by a soaring Killing Intent, churning restlessly.

Dozens of Black Wind Stockade elites and the remnants of the Ye family, like a pack of hunting wolves, tightly surrounded Ye Chen's group in the center.

The giant man leading them, carrying a ghost head saber on his shoulder, had an aura like a Vicious Beast.

The pressure of the Wheel-Sea Realm Second Level was released without concealment, weighing on everyone's hearts like a mountain.

Scarface, Lin Dong, and the others turned pale, sweat appearing on their foreheads.

Although their cultivation was not weak, after a series of bitter battles, they were already at the end of their ropes.

Facing so many fresh troops, especially with a Wheel Sea Realm expert presiding over them, they could see almost no way out. Liu Yiyi gripped Chen Feng's hand tightly, her knuckles turning white.

Lin Qingxue also pursed her lips, her expression solemn, as she subconsciously took a step closer to Ye Chen.

Ye Hu stood beside the giant man, his only remaining arm pointing at Ye Chen as he roared venomously.

"Chief Xiong! It's this little bastard! He killed my grandfather and severed my arm! Kill him! Hack him into ten thousand pieces!"

The giant man called Chief Xiong was precisely the number two figure of the Black Wind Stockade, known as "Violent Bear."

With his mastery of external martial arts and fierce saber techniques, he was infamous throughout the Black Wind Mountain Range.

His eyes, as large as copper bells, swept over Ye Chen and then looked at Lin Qingxue and Liu Yiyi behind him, a hint of lewdness and greed flashing through them.

"Kid, don't say I didn't give you a chance. Obediently hand over everything you got in the Molten Fire Abyss, break your own arms, and leave these two little chicks to serve me. Then maybe I'll spare your dog life and let you be my stable slave!"

"Hahahaha!"

The surrounding bandits of the Black Wind Stockade immediately burst into a fit of lewd laughter, their gazes scanning Lin Qingxue and Liu Yiyi without restraint.

A cold light flashed in Lin Qingxue's eyes, and Liu Yiyi trembled with rage.

Ye Chen's expression remained calm, as if he hadn't heard the foul language. He merely looked at Violent Bear with a faint gaze, as if looking at a corpse.

"Remnants of the Black Wind Stockade and the stray dogs of the Ye family. Fine, it saves me the trouble of hunting you down one by one."

"Arrogant!" Violent Bear roared in fury, leveling his ghost head saber and pointing the blade directly at Ye Chen.

"Refusing a favor when it's offered! Boys, get him! Kill all the men and capture the women alive!"

"Kill!"

Dozens of bandits and Ye family disciples shouted in unison, surging forward like a tide!

Flashes of sabers and shadows of swords, with Killing Intent crisscrossing, instantly submerged Ye Chen and his group!

"Form a formation! Protect the Young Miss and Young Master Ye!"

Scarface shouted, standing back-to-back with Lin Dong and Chen Feng to form a small triangular formation, desperately resisting attacks from all directions.

Liu Yiyi also brandished her sword to protect Lin Qingxue's side, but facing enemies several times their number...

...she was soon in grave danger, with several wounds added to her body.

Ye Chen moved.

He didn't bother with the lackeys. Instead, his figure flickered as he charged directly at Violent Bear!

To shoot the rider, first shoot the horse; to catch the bandits, first catch the king!

As long as he dealt with this Wheel-Sea Realm Second Level leader, the remaining rabble would be nothing to fear.

"Good timing! I'll crush you to death myself!"

Violent Bear grinned hideously. Without dodging, his ghost head saber carried a shrill sound of breaking air, like a bolt of black lightning, as it hacked down towards Ye Chen's head!

Even before the blade arrived, the violent saber qi had already pressed down, causing sand and stones to fly!

"Clang—!"

The ice scar sword collided with the ghost head saber for the first time, producing a deafening boom!

The airwave exploded, directly blowing away several nearby bandits!

Ye Chen felt an irresistible, immense force surge through him. His arm went slightly numb, and his figure slid back several steps, his feet plowing two deep grooves into the ground.

The Wheel-Sea Realm Second Level was indeed no small matter.

Especially this Violent Bear, who was clearly a strength-based Body Cultivator with astounding brute force.

"Haha! Kid, just this much strength? It's not even enough to tickle me!"

Violent Bear pressed his advantage relentlessly. His ghost head saber danced, turning into a mountain of blades that crushed down once more!

His saber techniques were bold and heavy, each Move carrying the power to split mountains and crack stones.

Forcing Ye Chen to dodge repeatedly, seemingly afraid to take them head-on.

Scarface and the others felt their hearts sink further as they saw Ye Chen being forced back.

Ye Hu, however, was full of delight and laughed wildly.

"Ye Chen! You've finally met your day! Chief Xiong, hurry up and slaughter him!"

However, amidst the flashes of the saber, Ye Chen's eyes remained calm.

He wasn't losing; he was observing and adapting.

He had just achieved a Breakthrough, and his control of power had not yet reached the Transcendent level. He needed such an opponent to temper himself.

Although this Violent Bear's strength was great, his saber techniques lacked agility, relying entirely on brute courage.

After taking a few more strikes and figuring out the opponent's patterns, Ye Chen's gaze sharpened.

He no longer just dodged. He pushed his Mist Transformation Steps to the limit, his figure flickering like a ghost as he wove through the sky full of saber shadows.

Each time, he avoided the blade by a hair's breadth.

Meanwhile, his ice scar sword was like a venomous snake's tongue, focusing on the tiny flaws in Violent Bear's transitions and his vital points!

"Ding ding dang dang!"

The sound of clashing metal was like heavy rain hitting banana leaves!

Ye Chen's sword became faster and more cunning.

The strange energy contained within his Ice Fire True Essence continuously seeped into Violent Bear's body through the clashing of their weapons.

Causing his blood and Qi to churn, making his movements gradually lose their fluidity.

"Damn it! You're like an eel! If you have the guts, face me head-on!"

Violent Bear fought with frustration, roaring repeatedly. His saber momentum became even more violent, yet it was increasingly difficult to catch Ye Chen's figure.

On the other side, under the absolute disadvantage in numbers, the defensive line of Scarface's trio finally developed a gap!

A seventh-level leader of the Black Wind Stockade slashed through Lin Dong's defense, the blade aiming straight for his back!

Chen Feng was too late to help, his eyes nearly splitting from rage!

"Lin Dong, watch out!" Scarface roared urgently.

Just at this critical moment—

"Swoosh!"

A tiny, almost invisible blue finger-wind shot out from the battle between Ye Chen and Violent Bear.

It arrived later but struck first, precisely piercing the forehead of that seventh-level leader!

The leader's body stiffened, and he collapsed to the ground.

It was precisely Ye Chen who, amidst the fierce battle, had diverted his attention to flick out a "Profound Ice Finger."

However, this distraction also gave Violent Bear an opportunity!

"Die! Violent Bear Earth-Splitting Slash!"

Fierce light exploded from Violent Bear's eyes as his entire body's True Essence burned.

A blinding black light erupted from the ghost head saber, carrying a destructive aura as it hacked down towards Ye Chen with immense force!

With this strike, he used ten-tenths of his power, seeking a certain kill in one blow!

Before the saber qi even arrived, the sharp wind had already made Ye Chen's clothes flutter loudly and caused the ground to crack.

Facing this fatal strike, a cold light flashed in Ye Chen's eyes, and he no longer held back.

The ice and fire cyclones inside him spun madly, and the Ice Lotus Imprint glowed slightly.

A surge of Ice Fire True Essence, more refined and overbearing than before, poured into the ice scar sword!

On the blade, icy blue and golden-red light flared brilliantly, faintly forming a tiny, slowly rotating phantom of an imprint!

"Ice Fire... Reincarnation Seal!"

He thrust out his sword, not to meet it head-on, but with the tip trembling to trace a strange circle.

Within the circle, the powers of ice and fire intertwined, annihilated, and were reborn.

Forming a terrifying force field that was twisted and devouring, carrying a Concept of both extinction and Rebirth.

It met the world-destroying saber qi!

"Boom—!!!"

An unprecedented roar, as if the heavens and earth were collapsing!

Intertwined black and red light flashed madly, swallowing everything!

The violent airwave swept out like a tsunami, knocking over the crowds in the surrounding melee.

A dozen bandits nearby were directly shaken until they bled from their seven orifices and fell dead!

As the light dissipated, Ye Chen could be seen kneeling on one knee, leaning on his sword, with blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

His face was pale, clearly showing the massive exhaustion.

Meanwhile, Violent Bear stood frozen in place, and the ghost head saber in his hand...

...was reduced to just half a hilt; the front half of the blade had completely vanished!

In his chest was a transparent hole the size of a bowl, its edges showing strange marks from the ice and fire burns.

Before blood could even flow out, it was frozen and evaporated.

Violent Bear's eyes widened as he looked down at the hole in his chest.

He looked at Ye Chen in disbelief and opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something.

But only a wheezing sound came out, and his massive body crashed backward, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The Wheel-Sea Realm Second Level, the number two figure of the Black Wind Stockade, Violent Bear, was dead!

Silence!

After a brief, deathly silence, there were terrified screams and the collapse of the Black Wind Stockade bandits and the Ye family remnants!

"The chief is dead!"

"Run!"

With their leader killed, this rabble instantly lost all will to fight. With a shout, they dropped their armor and weapons and fled in all directions!

Ye Hu was also scared out of his wits and turned to run.

"Trying to leave?"

Ye Chen forced a breath, his figure shooting out like lightning as the ice scar sword turned into a streak of light.

In an instant, he caught up to Ye Hu, the sword tip piercing through his back!

Ye Hu let out a miserable scream, fell to the ground, twitched twice, and died.

Ye Chen leaned on his sword, panting heavily.

After successive fierce battles, especially using the prototype of the Ice Fire Reincarnation Seal to kill Violent Bear, he had nearly drained all his strength.

But he knew he couldn't fall now.

Scarface, Lin Dong, and the others also took the opportunity to clear out the remaining enemies.

A bloody battle finally came to an end. The valley entrance was strewn with corpses, and the smell of blood was pungent.

"Ye Chen, how are you?"

Lin Qingxue was the first to rush over, supporting the swaying Ye Chen. Her eyes were filled with worry as she quickly took out a Medicinal Pill and fed it to him.

"I'm fine... just exhaustion."

Ye Chen swallowed the pill and sat cross-legged to regulate his breathing on the spot.

Scarface and the others also hurried to treat their wounds and guard the perimeter.

Half an hour later, some color returned to Ye Chen's face, and he opened his eyes.

Although his True Essence had only recovered by thirty or forty percent, his movement was no longer hindered.

He looked into the depths of the valley.

"This place isn't safe for long; the smell of blood will attract Yao Beasts and other trouble. Let's enter the valley and meet up with the people Uncle Lin sent."

Everyone nodded and, supporting each other, stepped over the corpses and walked into the mist-shrouded Luoxia Valley.

The inside of the valley was much warmer than the outside, and the Spiritual Qi was denser. Many exotic flowers and herbs grew there; it was clearly a spiritual land.

They walked along a bluestone path for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn.

A fenced-in medicinal garden appeared ahead.

A few bamboo huts were nestled in a bamboo forest, with warm lights glowing inside.

"This is it."

Scarface breathed a sigh of relief.

However, as they approached the huts, they found it was quiet inside, with no sound of people.

The bamboo door was slightly ajar, and on it... there were faint bloodstains.

"Not good!" Scarface's expression changed, and he pushed the door open ahead of the others.

Inside the bamboo hut, it was a mess.

Tables and chairs were overturned, medicine baskets were knocked over, and two corpses wearing Lin family servant attire lay on the floor, long since dead.

Judging by the signs, they had been dead for no more than a day.

"Old Wu! Xiao Zhu!"

Scarface recognized the deceased, his eyes nearly splitting from rage.

"It's Old Wu, who guarded the garden, and his grandson! They were silenced!"

Lin Qingxue turned pale, her figure swaying.

Clearly, this secret stronghold had already been exposed!

Moreover, the enemy had been ruthless, not even sparing the elderly or the young.

Ye Chen's eyes were cold as he walked to the table. On its surface, several hideous characters were written in blood:

"Ye Chen, wanting your sister's life, come alone to the mass grave west of Qingyun City in three days. If you're late, you'll be collecting her corpse."

The signature was a dripping wolf head pattern—Black Wind Stockade!

"Xiao Yu!"

Ye Chen's pupils constricted, and a soaring Killing Intent erupted from him like something tangible.

The temperature inside the hut plummeted, and frost condensed on the cups!