"???"
Such an answer.
Hearing this, Hui Fen, who had been muttering to himself, suddenly froze.
He looked up.
When his gaze landed on Ye Liuyun, his face turned unbelievably ugly.
"I’m just here to set you off?"
Even his eyes seemed about to twist.
His whole life so far had been like the color green, existing only to make others stand out.
He’d just started to believe his luck was finally changing, that this was his moment.
And yet you say I’m still just a tool to make others look good? How could Hui Fen possibly stand that?
As Hui Fen’s emotions surged violently,
The ghostly blue inner strength swirling around him seemed to ignite instantly, blazing with fury.
"Has his mental state shattered?"
Seeing this,
Shu Fan, standing not far away, seemed to realize something and shook his head slightly.
This was only natural.
Martial arts gained quickly always came with side effects, but that wasn’t all.
There were other problems, too.
For example, the mind—sometimes one’s cultivation realm would rise, but their state of mind couldn’t keep up. That’s the most dangerous; it’s like giving a child a gun who has no idea they’re supposed to hold back.
Even before his mind broke, Hui Fen wasn’t Ye Liuyun’s match.
Now that his mind’s shattered, Hui Fen is even less likely to win.
Shu Fan shook his head again.
He was already certain of the outcome.
...
"Die!"
Sure enough.
At this point, Hui Fen abandoned all caution; he just wanted to kill Ye Liuyun in front of him.
No one was ever going to make him the background anymore—no one!
"That was all it took to break you?"
Seeing Hui Fen act like this, Ye Liuyun raised an eyebrow, a little surprised.
He’d just made a few casual remarks and Hui Fen’s mentality shattered? Wait, you’re that fragile?
He shook his head, full of exasperation.
If Hui Fen was no threat before, when he was still rational, there was even less to fear now.
Ye Liuyun sidestepped effortlessly, dodging Hui Fen as he lunged like a beast with claws extended.
"The biggest difference between a human and a beast is just this."
Seeing Hui Fen attack again, clawing desperately,
Ye Liuyun shook his head again, but this time he didn’t bother dodging. Face calm, he set his hand on the hilt at his waist.
As Hui Fen closed in—
Ye Liuyun drew his blade.
As the sword flashed from its sheath, searing flames erupted out of thin air.
With a slash, the blazing fire curled out like a dragon, roaring as it shot toward Hui Fen.
"Roar!"
The fire dragon tore straight through Hui Fen’s body.
When the flames faded, Hui Fen was left standing stiffly right where he’d been. His expression turned clear for a moment as he fixed his rigid gaze on Ye Liuyun.
"It—shouldn’t—have ended like this..."
His life was just about to begin. Why would it end here?
Was he really destined to be the green leaf that sets off others for his entire life?
With deep resentment, Hui Fen collapsed to the ground.
Ye Liuyun slowly returned his blade to its sheath. This move was something he’d come up with not long ago—looks like he pulled it off pretty well.
"Hmm?"
Watching from the sidelines, Shu Fan had only marveled at Ye Liuyun’s astonishing strike.
But as the fight ended, he’d just taken a couple steps forward, about to speak—
Then, as if noticing something, he sniffed the air and glanced at Ye Liuyun with surprise in his eyes.
This... is the aura of a spell?
As a mage himself, and one of pretty high cultivation, Shu Fan’s senses for magic were razor sharp.
The magical aura was faint, but he picked it up all the same.
That strike of Ye Liuyun’s—it wasn’t just a martial technique, it combined spells too?
At this thought, as Shu Fan looked at Ye Liuyun again, there was a subtle shift in his eyes.
Right then,
"Sir!"
Si Nan and the others had returned.
Arms full of chests, Si Nan walked toward Ye Liuyun, grinning ear to ear.
Shu Fan sensibly took a few steps back, choosing not to speak up just yet.
"Sir, we’ve struck it rich! This Yunkong Temple is filthy rich."
Shi Sheng’s description had already prepared them, but Si Nan had figured the temple must have plenty of silver piled up inside.
But seeing it with his own eyes was another thing entirely—the sheer amount was staggering, far beyond what he’d imagined. Only half a year, and Yunkong Temple’s money-making tricks really are something else.
Or maybe the Brahma Sect’s followers really are this fanatical.
To this, Ye Liuyun merely shrugged—it didn’t surprise him much.
"Same old rules."
Ye Liuyun didn’t squeeze anyone just because there was more loot.
He’d take half first—the rest could be divided up among his people.
But—
Something occurred to him, so he added,
"Just split it amongst yourselves as you see fit."
This time, though Ye Liuyun had brought a squad of Embroidered Uniform Guards, only Shi Sheng and Si Nan had actually gotten their hands dirty—the rest barely did a thing. If everyone got an equal share,
it wouldn’t be fair to Shi Sheng and Si Nan.
"Understood!"
Shi Sheng hadn’t caught Ye Liuyun’s meaning, but Si Nan understood immediately.
Eyes alight, he nodded seriously at once.
If Ye Liuyun hadn’t spoken up, even if Si Nan had some ideas, he wouldn’t have dared act on them.
"Heh heh!"
After splitting up the loot around Ye Liuyun, Qu Yinghua came walking back, grinning while carrying his spear.