105: Chapter 105 Fire Cloud Stronghold

Feeling the scorching heat in the air ahead, Ye Yisong couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his face. It seemed he hadn't taken the wrong path; Fire Cloud Stronghold had arrived.

Fire Cloud Stronghold was the most powerful of the eight strongholds. Built upon red sandstone, the weather there was unbearably hot all year round. Due to the perennial high temperatures, the entire area surrounding the stronghold was barren, without a single tree to be seen.

The entire stronghold was occupied by over two hundred Loose Cultivators. The Chief Leader's strength had reached the Nine-Star Martial Master Realm. His fire-attribute Cultivation Technique, the "Li Fire Shield," was mastered to perfection, combining both offense and defense. Leveraging the fire-field of the stronghold's red sandstone, his power was even more formidable; ordinary Martial Masters dared not contend with him.

With the addition of the other four leaders, each of whom was an expert in the Martial Master Realm, they were like a tiger with added wings, truly a dominant force within a thirty-mile radius.

"Big Brother, the scouts reported that the several strongholds to the south were all wiped out overnight. Should we go out and hide for a while?" the Second Leader said with a worried expression. This was their standard procedure: when encountering a purge, they would first abandon the stronghold, and wait for the situation to blow over before returning—the stronghold was right there, after all, it wouldn't run away.

"Second Brother, how can those southern strongholds compare to our Fire Cloud Stronghold? Being wiped out only proves that their own strength was lacking," the Fourth Leader said with disdain, not taking the Wolf Fang Stronghold and the others seriously at all.

"Fourth Brother, this matter is truly suspicious; we must guard against it," the Second Leader said.

"Could it be the work of the nearby Martial Ancestor Families? I haven't heard of them making any moves recently!" the Third Leader said.

"It shouldn't be. If it were those families, it would be impossible for us not to receive any wind of it. Old Six still has a certain degree of influence within their Family," the Second Leader said.

"Big Brother, please make a decision! We will all listen to you," the Third Leader said to the burly man at the head of the table.

"Second Brother, do not worry. The scouts from the south reported that it is merely a Martial Master. If he dares to invade our Fire Cloud Stronghold, I will ensure he never returns!" the Chief Leader said, looking at the latest news in his hands. In this Fire Cloud Stronghold, he was confident that no Martial Master could act presumptuously before him.

"Could it be some wandering hero passing by? Not knowing the height of the sky and the depth of the earth, daring to come to our Fire Cloud Stronghold—I will surely make him never return!" Such incidents had occurred dozens of times since the brothers had occupied this place over the past hundred years. Any Martial Master who dared to provoke Fire Cloud Stronghold, with the exception of a few Late Stage Martial Masters who managed to escape by luck, had without exception been besieged by the brothers and lost their lives on the spot.

In the years since the Chief Leader achieved a Breakthrough to the Nine-Star Martial Master Realm, their confidence had inflated even more, and they had become increasingly unscrupulous in their actions. They even dared to occasionally intercept and extort the airships traveling to and from the capital of Cangjiang Prefecture, completely oblivious to death.

"Oh, is that so? This Young Master would like to see how you intend to ensure I never return." Ye Yisong, carrying the corpse of the Fifth Leader of Fire Cloud Stronghold, walked openly and brazenly into the stone courtyard where the four were deliberating.

The Fifth Leader of Fire Cloud Stronghold was a One-Star Martial Master. Today happened to be his turn to patrol the stronghold, and he had the misfortune of running into Ye Yisong, who was strolling through the stronghold with a swagger. He didn't even last a single move before Ye Yisong and met his end on the spot.

"Fifth Brother!"

The group glared at Ye Yisong and instantly surrounded him. They always fought together, to avoid capsizing in the gutter.

"You are quite sensible, gathering together like this, saving me from having to find you one by one." Ye Yisong applied a Vajra Talisman to himself, and without wasting words on them, drew his precious sword and began the fight.

If one is going to fight, fight the strongest. He slashed his sword against the Chief Leader's Li Fire Shield, nearly shattering it and giving everyone a fright.

"He's a tough nut to crack. Don't hold back on the Talismans, attack him!" the Chief Leader shouted.

Without hesitation, the group unleashed several second-tier and third-tier Talismans, striking Ye Yisong. In the confined stone courtyard, flames immediately splashed everywhere, and explosions rang out one after another, directly blasting the stone courtyard into ruins.

"Comparing Talismans with me? Hahaha." Ye Yisong chuckled, waved his hand to disperse the dust in front of him, and with over a dozen third-tier Talismans now in his hand, fired them toward the four.

"How is this possible?" The Fourth Leader looked at Ye Yisong in disbelief, having never seen a Martial Master who could be hit head-on by several third-tier Talismans and remain completely unscathed.

"Retreat to the back mountain!" the Chief Leader said decisively, showing a bit of the demeanor of a Big Brother, as he stayed behind to cover their retreat, blocking Ye Yisong's pursuit to buy time for his brothers to escape.

With the Chief Leader, a Nine-Star Martial Master, blocking most of the attacks, the other three still didn't completely dodge Ye Yisong's group attack of Talismans. The Second Leader and Fourth Leader were hit by an Explosive Flame Talisman and a Sword Qi Talisman, respectively.

Just as Ye Yisong was about to step forward to harvest their heads, the Chief Leader, utilizing the red sandstone of Fire Cloud Stronghold, unleashed his ultimate move—the Red Rock Li Fire Shield. He manipulated three giant boulders to press down on Ye Yisong from three sides, stalling Ye Yisong for a breath or two and creating a golden opportunity for the two to escape.

"I originally wanted to finish them off and then have some fun with you. Since you have a death wish, I will slaughter you first, then deal with them." Ye Yisong said, annoyed, as he blasted the three giant boulders to pieces. His opportunities to harvest heads had been blocked by this burly man several times; he had to eliminate him.

"Freeze!"

Stepping on the debris of the giant boulders, Ye Yisong arrived in front of the Chief Leader with a few leaps, slapped a Binding Talisman onto him, and fixed the Chief Leader in place.

Seeing Ye Yisong rushing toward him, the Chief Leader didn't retreat at all; he was never afraid of close-quarters combat. He hadn't expected to be restrained by a Talisman. Panicking, he hurriedly channeled his Spiritual Qi, trying to break through the shackles.

Ye Yisong estimated that one Binding Talisman could only restrain this burly man for the time of a single breath, but that was enough.

He quickly formed hand seals, and a Nine-Colored Green Lotus floated in his palm. He slammed it down onto the Chief Leader's chest, erupting with a cyan mystical light that illuminated the entire small courtyard.

When everything settled, only a charred, unrecognizable corpse lay quietly in the stone courtyard.

Ye Yisong didn't look back at the Chief Leader again; having taken a hit from his Nine-Colored Green Lotus, he was dead for sure. He quickly pursued the fleeing individuals.

"Big Brother!" The three fleeing individuals looked back inadvertently and saw the Chief Leader's corpse. Grief and indignation filled their hearts, but they dared not stop for a single moment, as Ye Yisong was getting closer and closer to them.

"Who exactly are you, Your Excellency? We brothers are confident we haven't offended you. Why are you relentlessly pursuing us and dealing lethal blows?" the Second Leader asked while running.

"For that question, wait until you go down below and ask the Martial Artists you innocently killed!" Ye Yisong sneered. To still have the leisure to ask such things at this time was truly stupid.

"Second Brother, Third Brother, you go first. I will stay behind to hold him off for a while," the Fourth Leader said, turning back to meet Ye Yisong.