Chapter 14: Ye Huai Pursues

*Outside the Wanmulin Camp, Ye Huai arrived with two collateral disciples of the Ye family, both at the seventh transformation of the Body Tempering Realm.*

The trio immediately split up to search the camp.

"Brother Huai, we've looked everywhere and asked around. No one knows anything."

"Brother Huai, even though there are some disciples from our Dao Academy here for training, finding Chen Feng won’t be easy."

Ye Huai's face turned grim, his narrow eyes glinting with a cold light.

"Easy or not, we must find him. Chen Feng must die."

"Are you looking for a young swordsman, around seventeen or eighteen?" A sudden voice broke in, causing the three to turn around sharply.

A burly man in his thirties, clad in black, stood before them, staring intently.

"You’ve seen Chen Feng?" Ye Huai's blade-like gaze landed on Shi Feng's face, making him shiver as if cut by a sharp knife, his hairs standing on end.

"Yes," Shi Feng quickly twisted the truth. "Just now, a young warrior named Chen Feng joined my team. Once we entered Wanmulin, he suddenly drew his sword and killed my teammates. I was lucky to escape when I sensed something was wrong."

"Lead the way," Ye Huai demanded, ignoring his words.

"Wait, the kid isn't just quick on his feet but also skilled with the sword. Even those at the seventh transformation are no match for him. I doubt even someone at the eighth transformation could take him down," Shi Feng added. He was willing to lead them, but only if they could handle Chen Feng.

"We’re not just any disciples of the Dao Academy; we’re from the Ye family. My brother Ye Huai is at the ninth transformation and ranked third among the academy’s top ten. What Body Tempering warrior could possibly match us?"

Shi Feng was visibly shocked.

He knew exactly what it meant to be ranked among the academy's top ten.

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that any one of them could easily sweep through the Wanmulin camp, defeating all rogue warriors at the Body Tempering Realm.

"So you're one of the Ye family’s prodigies. My apologies for not recognizing you sooner. I’ll lead the way now." Shi Feng immediately put on a flattering smile, taking the lead while inwardly seething with killing intent: Chen Feng, you killed my three teammates. This time, you're dead for sure.

---

*A flash of the sword cut through the air, severing a Level 1, Sixth Tier spotted python into several pieces. Blood spattered everywhere, filling the air with a pungent stench.*

Chen Feng kicked the snake’s head aside, carefully picking a green fruit about the size of a longan. It was the Serpent Saliva Fruit, a valuable herb commonly found in Wanmulin, as Shi Feng and his team had mentioned. One fruit was worth as much as a Body Tempering Pill.

While the beast’s body was also valuable, it was inconvenient for Chen Feng to carry it alone. He could only take the most valuable parts, like the gall bladder.

"Snake gall can detoxify and improve eyesight. Let’s give it a try."

Chen Feng swallowed the gall bladder, allowing his Divine Seal of Creation to refine it. A cooling sensation flowed toward his eyes, making them feel refreshed.

Moments later, the sensation faded, leaving his eyes sharper and clearer.

"Not bad," Chen Feng nodded. "One Serpent Saliva Fruit is worth ten taels of silver. Adding the forty taels I took from the Windfire Squad’s loot, that’s half the value of a Qi Refining Pill."

Motivated, Chen Feng continued searching for treasures.

Treasured herbs were often highly valuable, and some even directly aided in cultivation or increasing one’s strength. However, such herbs were rare and often came with exorbitant prices.

---

*"These are my teammates, all killed by Chen Feng."*

Seeing the corpses of Zhu Li and the others, Shi Feng’s face twisted with rage and grief.

"Enough nonsense. Keep moving," one of the Ye family disciples said impatiently.

The deaths meant nothing to them, so they remained indifferent.

"Don’t worry. I’ll definitely avenge you," Shi Feng muttered under his breath. He quickly moved the corpses to one side and began surveying the surroundings. "He went this way," he said, pointing to a trail.

"You better not be wrong. If you are, you’ll pay dearly," another Ye family disciple threatened.

"I guarantee it’s correct," Shi Feng replied with a fawning smile.

Under Shi Feng’s guidance, Ye Huai and the others advanced quickly, dispatching any beasts they encountered with ease.

"There he is. That’s Chen Feng!" Following the trail, Shi Feng finally spotted a figure and whispered excitedly.

"Chase him!" Ye Huai’s eyes narrowed, locking onto the silhouette dozens of meters away. He charged forward with a burst of speed.

Shi Feng and the other two Ye family disciples also accelerated, hot on his heels.

---

*"Darkblood Grass—another herb worth as much as a Body Tempering Pill."*

Chen Feng carefully uprooted a small, dark red plant, brushed off the dirt, and stored it away.

His luck had been remarkable. Since entering Wanmulin, he’d already found three valuable herbs, worth a total of thirty taels of silver.

Just as he finished, the sound of hurried footsteps and an icy killing intent reached him from behind.

Turning around, Chen Feng’s eyes narrowed sharply.

"Ye Huai!"

"Chen Feng, this is where you die," Ye Huai declared as he charged forward, his blade half-drawn. The sharp glint of steel pierced through Wanmulin’s dimness, radiating lethal intent.

Seeing Ye Huai and the others, including the familiar face of Shi Feng, Chen Feng immediately understood what had happened.

Without hesitation, he turned and sprinted deeper into Wanmulin.

---

"Struggling is futile," Ye Huai sneered, watching Chen Feng retreat deeper into the forest. A sinister smile spread across his face.

Ye Huai’s Body Tempering Ninth Transformation far outstripped Chen Feng’s. He surged forward with astonishing speed, closing the distance rapidly. His eyes narrowed as his legs flexed, propelling him forward with a sudden burst of speed. With each step, his pace increased exponentially, covering over two meters in a single stride.

In mere moments, Ye Huai closed the gap. His blade unsheathed in a flash, slashing horizontally with a sharp, chilling gleam. The blade seemed to cut through the dimness of Wanmulin, emitting a menacing whistle.

The oppressive force of the blade bore down on Chen Feng, making his scalp tingle.

Activating his perfected Nine Phantom Movement, Chen Feng’s form split into multiple illusory shadows, weaving through the forest to confuse his pursuer.

Ye Huai hesitated momentarily but quickly adjusted. His blade quivered, splitting into multiple projections.

Wave-Splitting Slash!

The blade projections tore through the phantoms, dissipating six of them instantly. However, three remaining illusions circled to Ye Huai’s flank, accompanied by a swift sword strike.

Ye Huai froze momentarily before sneering in disdain. His blade emitted a cold gleam as it unleashed another devastating strike, tearing through the illusions.

When the sword and blade clashed, Chen Feng’s weapon snapped in two. The blade’s superior quality overwhelmed the sword, sending its tip flying into a nearby tree, embedding itself deeply into the trunk.

"The quality of my sword can’t compare to his blade," Chen Feng thought grimly.

Realizing he couldn’t win, Chen Feng didn’t linger. His earlier attack had merely been a probing strike to test Ye Huai’s strength. Knowing his opponent was far superior, Chen Feng summoned another set of phantoms to obscure Ye Huai’s vision and darted deeper into the forest.

Ignoring the earlier warnings from the Windfire Squad about the dangers of Wanmulin’s depths, Chen Feng pressed on. The inner areas were said to harbor Level 1 Ninth Tier beasts and even the occasional Level 2 beast, comparable to human warriors at the Qi Refining Realm.

"Chen Feng, you can’t escape!" Ye Huai’s chilling voice echoed behind him.

Chen Feng’s expression darkened as he activated the Nine Phantom Movement repeatedly, using the towering trees as cover to evade pursuit.

"How much strength do you have left, Chen Feng?" Ye Huai’s voice taunted him, laced with malice.

Chen Feng’s heart sank. The repeated use of his movement technique had drained more than half of his strength. If this continued, he would eventually exhaust himself completely and be left defenseless.

How can I turn the tables? Chen Feng thought desperately.

"If only I could break through to the Body Tempering Seventh Transformation, refining my internal organs to harness organ power. With that, I’d have greater stamina and endurance."

But such breakthroughs could not be forced, and Chen Feng was still far from reaching the Seventh Transformation.

Just as Chen Feng dodged another slash from Ye Huai, a chilling sensation gripped him. His instincts screamed danger as a faint whistling sound cut through the air. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a shadow descending from above with lightning speed.

In a life-or-death moment, Chen Feng pushed his strength to the limit, executing the Nine Phantom Movement to its fullest. Yet even his perfected technique couldn’t avoid the attack entirely. His afterimage was shredded, and his clothing was torn, leaving faint scratches on his skin that burned with an icy sharpness.

"Shadow Panther!"

Ye Huai’s voice, filled with surprise and caution, confirmed Chen Feng’s worst fear.

The Shadow Panther was one of the top predators in Wanmulin, a Level 1 Ninth Tier beast. Its pitch-black body was perfectly suited for stealth, and it moved like a ghost, striking with claws sharper than tempered blades. Even Body Tempering Ninth Transformation warriors struggled to escape once it marked them.

If not for Chen Feng’s heightened senses, aided by the Divine Seal of Creation, and his mastery of the Nine Phantom Movement, he would have already perished.

The panther, sensing Ye Huai’s greater strength, shifted its focus to him. Its sleek body moved with deadly grace as it lunged at Ye Huai from the flank.

"Courting death!" Ye Huai roared, unleashing his Wave-Splitting Blade Technique to counter the beast’s attack.

Seeing the opportunity, Chen Feng cautiously retreated, making sure not to draw the panther’s attention.

[----------------°-------------]

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