Her pretty face changed drastically, and Zuo Shi immediately retreated explosively. In that moment, Zuo Lingyun appeared in front of her, blasting away the dense flurry of hidden weapons.
"Who dares ambush us so sneakily!"
Zuo Shi shouted angrily. These people, each wielding swords and knives, had brazen eyes and sinister expressions, clearly not good people, likely desperate outlaws who lived by the edge of their blades.
Among them, at the forefront were three men around the age of thirty, whose features bore some resemblance to each other, obviously brothers, with cunning ferocity flickering in their eyes.
"What are you doing?" Zuo Lingyun stared at this ill-intentioned group and demanded coldly.
Ye Xuan’s gaze also shifted over, and shortly his brows knit slightly. These people were quite strong; the three leaders possessed Semi-Saint Cultivation levels, and the nearly ten others were all of High Rank Martial Venerate Cultivation.
Such a team composition was certainly formidable.
"Hehe, my friends, we have been eyeing this Black Spirit Flower for a day now. We finally cleared out the nearby Demon Beasts, only for you to snatch it away ; isn’t that a bit too much?" one of the leading three chuckled.
"Fortune favors the capable. You’ve kept an eye on it for so long without obtaining the treasure; either your luck or your abilities are lacking. You’d better leave, this treasure is not destined for you."
How could Zuo Shi believe the word of outlaws? Clearly, they had come to seize the treasure, and their intentions were malevolent.
"That’s not necessarily the case; isn’t this a fateful encounter as we have met? As the saying goes, the treasure belongs to the one who sees it; it’s not very nice of you to try to monopolize it."
The man continued to speak, still grinning.
Ye Xuan’s eyes grew cold, disinclined to waste words with them, and he responded icily.
Dealing with these near-hooligan ruffians did not necessitate politeness; the more you engaged with them, the more emboldened they would become.
"What a big mouth on this kid!"
The leading man glared menacingly at Ye Xuan and slowly said, "We three brothers have been rolling around in the Demon Ruins for so many years; which power hasn’t treated us politely? You, a young whelp, also dare to disrespect us?"
"To deal with your kind of worthless scum, I’m already being remarkably patient."
Ye Xuan stated indifferently.
"Who are you to talk here? Believe it or not, I could chop you down. You, with the strength of a Sixth Grade Martial Venerate, dare to shout here; you’re really a fool ignorant of death!" A man with a scarred face shouted harshly, his demeanor extremely fierce.
Hearing this, Ye Xuan’s eyes suddenly grew icy, and then he swiftly moved his hand, his index and middle fingers coming together to jab forward. A Sword Qi, like a shooting star, burst forth explosively.
There was a crisp sound as the man who had just made the threatening remarks suddenly had a bloodied hole at his knee, pierced by the Sword Qi, causing him to fall and kneel on the ground.
"The strength of a Sixth Grade Martial Venerate is enough to shut you up."
Ye Xuan uttered with cold laughter.
"Kid, you’re courting death!"
One of the leaders at the Half-Saint level shouted fiercely. He stepped forward, his hand morphed into a claw, True Yuan surged, and the claw wind was sharp. The True Yuan seemed to transform into the light of an eagle’s claw, ripping through the twisted space and fiercely striking towards Ye Xuan.
Facing such an offensive, Ye Xuan’s expression remained undisturbed. The moment the eagle claw ripped through the air, he too threw a punch in retaliation.
The punch and the claw collided fiercely, and a heavy wave of True Yuan swept out. The leader’s face changed drastically, then with a scream, the sound of breaking fingers came from his hand, and his body was sent flying backwards.
"How is this possible?"
The Half-Saint Leader obviously didn’t expect Ye Xuan to strike so swiftly. Before he could even react, Ye Xuan had sent him flying. He hurriedly tried to stimulate his True Yuan to stabilize his figure.
Ye Xuan didn’t intend to give his opponent any chance to catch his breath. His figure flashed, and he struck out again, his punch hitting the leader’s stomach like lightning.
Without time to react, he was hit again and sent crashing into the trunk of a massive tree. Only after colliding with four or five large trees did he finally stop.
This scene had the group of adventurers slightly startled. Just one move, and their Half-Saint Realm leader was defeated? Unable to even withstand a single punch from Ye Xuan?
They had originally thought that among Ye Xuan’s group, Zuo Lingyun would be the most troublesome. Even though her cultivation was high, they had more people and overall, a stronger force, which should have given them some advantage. However, now it seemed that just Ye Xuan alone was enough to give them a headache.
Not only were they shaken, but Zuo Lingyun and Zuo Shi were also staring at Ye Xuan in amazement. Although they had known since last night that Ye Xuan was capable of killing four Alien Clan experts of the Half-Saint level by himself, seeing him repel a Half-Saint level enemy head-on still unavoidably touched their hearts.
Ye Xuan slowly withdrew his fist, his gaze indifferent as he looked at the batch of desperados. Now, facing his gaze, these men no longer dared to hurl abuses recklessly, their eyes slightly dodging. They were indeed ruthless on ordinary days, but facing this seemingly mild-mannered young man who turned out to be even more fierce when provoked, they were merciless once they made a move.
"Can you scram now?" Ye Xuan said slowly.
Behind Ye Xuan, Zuo Lingyun stretched out her slender jade hand and the Phoenix Pattern Exquisite Sword landed in her hand. Subtly, an astonishing aura of True Yuan began to emanate from it, and on her delicate face, a hint of chilliness emerged.
"If you don’t scram now, then just stay here forever."
The Phoenix Pattern Exquisite Sword lit up inch by inch, it was clear Zuo Lingyun no longer wished to entangle with these people. Dealing with such people required harsher methods than theirs to be effective.
Zuo Shi and the others also stimulated their True Yuan and drew their weapons, clearly ready to fight.
Seeing this, the opposing leader’s expression changed slightly, his eyes flickering between Ye Xuan and Zuo Lingyun, a hint of fear passing through his eyes.
A genuine Martial Saint strong person and someone who easily bullied Half-Saints, just these two alone were enough to overwhelm them. If a battle were to break out, the loss would mostly be on their side.
To risk so much for a Black Spirit Flower seemed not worth it. Like Ye Xuan, they too were heading deeper into the mountain range for the Demon Ruins. Wasting too much energy here was clearly unwise.
"Today we admit defeat, but don’t think this is the end of it. I hope you have good luck, and that we don’t meet again."
The face of the Half-Saint Leader was cold. Their boss was also a Saint, which is why they felt confident opposing Ye Xuan and other Sect Disciples and did not feel inferior.
For now, they could only wait for their boss to arrive before trying to regain their standing.