Chapter 50: Run, All of You—I'm Going After Him

The power within Ye Jiuyao surged like a boundless sea, continuously sustaining the output of the Nine Nether Desolate Heaven Palm. At this moment, the faces of the four men had already flushed crimson.

“Don’t hold back—this brat’s been playing the fool!” one of them shouted.

The four nodded in unison. Their internal energy roared anew as they forcefully broke free from Ye Jiuyao’s colossal palm. Drawing a deep breath, four beams of light flared upward.

“Die!” Their coordination was flawless; in an instant, the four streams of force merged into one, striking toward Ye Jiuyao.

Yet Ye Jiuyao remained utterly unafraid. After thirteen years of tempering in the Canglang Diagram and more than ten days of slumber, while his cultivation had not broken through, his strength was far beyond what these four weaklings could compare to.

With a furious roar, Ye Jiuyao caused the giant palm above the sky to swell once more; in a heartbeat, it loomed like a tidal wave, blotting out the sun and sky, crashing down in all directions.

“I was in a good mood and didn’t want needless slaughter, but now I run into you lot again. Very well, I’ll treat this as chopping firewood!” As he spoke, Ye Jiuyao unleashed his power, the Nine Nether Desolate Heaven Palm growing ever more solid, until it seemed no different from a real hand, descending in utter silence.

A thunderous explosion sounded as the two forces collided. Fierce gales, as sharp as steel blades, howled past, stinging their cheeks and eventually slashing their faces open.

In stark contrast, Ye Jiuyao stood unmoved, the violent wind as gentle as a spring breeze against him. His eyes were as bottomless as an abyss, impossible to fathom.

“Do you still want to fight? Will you hand over the Gold and Silver Mist Flower or not?” His voice was like a specter’s whisper from the depths of hell—unnerving to most, yet in the four men’s ears, it was almost divine.

“Big brother, please, don’t kill me! I have elders above and little ones below, an eighty-year-old mother and a two-year-old son still at the breast…” The four spoke in uncanny unison, making Ye Jiuyao marvel at their talent for imitation—they’d picked up his own lines quickly and with remarkable accuracy. In fact, they’d even surpassed the original.

“Hm, let me think…” Ye Jiuyao said, feigning contemplation. Hope flickered in the four men’s eyes.

“Kneel and call me Grandfather!”

Just as the four wore looks of relief, Ye Jiuyao suddenly barked out, his power erupting again. Despair washed over the four—like escaping wolves only to stumble into a den of tigers and leopards.

“Big brother, please, don’t kill us! Didn’t you say you’d think about it?”

“I’ve thought it through. First, I’ll give you a beating as a lesson, so you won’t try to bully an old man like me again.”

With that, Ye Jiuyao’s energy exploded once more. The giant palm crashed down, and utter hopelessness engulfed the four—fresh out of one disaster, straight into another.

“Big brother, don’t kill us…”

“Kneel properly and call me Grandfather!” Ye Jiuyao shouted, shoving both hands forward. The four suddenly wondered if they’d tried to rob the wrong person—just what sort of immortal had they run into?

“Grandfather… Grandfather…” The words tumbled out, and Ye Jiuyao felt a wave of satisfaction—like a fire in winter, instantly warming him through.

“Alright, since you’re so sincere, I’ll let you run a few miles before I give chase,” Ye Jiuyao said, withdrawing the oppressive force of the giant palm. The four were left dazed.

Just like that—freedom? With a single sentence?

Their minds reeled, but Ye Jiuyao, seeing their vacant expressions, relented and offered a reminder. “Remember my name—Ye Jiuyao, the man who slew Ye Qi. If you don’t run now, you’ll have no more chances.”

“It’s you?!” the four exclaimed, then shot off like lightning. This time, perhaps united by their brush with death, they didn’t scatter but fled together, side by side, as if a deep bond had formed.

Ye Jiuyao watched, speechless. He’d told them to escape, yet they huddled together as if for warmth—were they afraid he’d catch them too easily?

“Hurry, I’m about to give chase!” he called out mildly, striking terror into their hearts and causing them to run even more tightly packed.

“Were you all sent by the monkeys, trying to make me die of laughter?” Ye Jiuyao mused to himself. It seemed heaven had sent these four for his amusement, a welcome diversion in this otherwise tedious trial.

“Here I come!” he shouted, transforming into a streak of light and shooting forth like a storm, traversing a hundred miles in a flash.

The four, seeing this, were panic-stricken, their flight accelerating yet again. Ye Jiuyao, toying with them like a cat with mice, alternated between closing in and letting them go.

Spectators outside watched this chase with bemusement; to them, it looked more like a playful herding game than a life-and-death pursuit.

Among the onlookers, some recognized Ye Jiuyao. They’d thought him a ruthless killer, but now their opinions were upended.

“Hey, look—who’s that?”

“That’s Su Wuquan, the Su family prodigy. And his opponent?”

“Cao Youshi, the genius girl from the Cao family.”

Recognizing the two, the crowd’s attention shifted from Ye Jiuyao to them. The battle between Lin Yibai and Jian Ming had already ended with Jian Ming’s victory.

The duel between Su Wuquan and Cao Youshi was even more ferocious. Watching Cao Youshi, there was no trace of feminine frailty—she was like a rampaging gorilla, exuding a wild energy. Her exposed limbs displayed a sculpted beauty, marking her clearly as a body refiner.

The spectators couldn’t help but admire her. Body refinement was considered the last resort, and to have made it this far through such means was rare—doubly so for a woman.

“Cao Youshi, are you mad?!”

“Su Wuquan, I’ve heard you’re the unrivaled genius outside Xuantian Town. Now that I’ve encountered you, how could I let you go?”

Su Wuquan was at a loss. Such a bellicose woman—was this what all female body refiners were like?

“I concede! I concede…” Seeing the killing intent in Cao Youshi’s every move, with no sign of holding back, Su Wuquan truly did not wish to fight—losing would be humiliating, but winning would see him accused of bullying a woman.

As their exchanges intensified, Su Wuquan gradually unleashed his full strength. At that moment, Ye Jiuyao, still chasing the four, happened to pass by and glanced curiously at the battling pair.

“You four are still running? Haven’t you reached home yet?” he called out.

Hearing this, the four really did stop, looking down at the combatants below. Immediately, they regretted arriving—both the man and the woman possessed terrifying strength.

And with the fiend Ye Jiuyao still behind them, the four felt utterly hopeless. Su Wuquan and Cao Youshi also noticed Ye Jiuyao and his group, and their fight abruptly halted as they turned to look.