Chapter 51: Casting Wide Nets, Gathering Many Fish

Ye Jiuyao watched as the two fighters below suddenly ceased their battle, and an ominous feeling crept over him. But when his gaze fell upon the tokens hanging from their waists, his steps faltered, unable to move forward.

The tokens distributed by the three sects were unique—not for their marks, but because they could not be kept inside a spatial ring and had to be carried on one's person. Thus, they were fastened to their waists.

"You four, hurry up and do what Grandpa says. Snatch their tokens. If I'm in a good mood, I'll let you go," Ye Jiuyao barked suddenly. The four exchanged uncertain glances, looking first at him, then at Su Wuquan and Cao Youshi.

Their hesitation was plain to see; clearly, they had recognized the pair. Yet when they saw Ye Jiuyao's expression again, they realized there was no turning back—they could only follow this path to the bitter end.

Reluctantly, the four attacked, unleashing thunderous power. Light flashed across the sky, and spiritual energy surged like a raging river.

Su Wuquan and Cao Youshi saw the murderous intent in the four's eyes, and their own power erupted instantly. Su Wuquan wielded spiritual energy, while Cao Youshi relied on sheer physical strength, shattering the void and charging headlong.

Their forces collided like the collapse of a mountain. The roar of impact exploded, wild gusts spreading out in ripples across the scene.

Ye Jiuyao had already retreated far away—after all, defending against such power was exhausting; it was better to keep his distance and enjoy the spectacle.

The four showed no panic. In the face of Ye Jiuyao’s strength, the two were as different as a stream and the ocean; with the four working together, they could still put up a fight.

"Out of the way!" one of the four shouted angrily. The remaining three, as if sharing a single mind, unleashed their strongest techniques, flooding the air with spiritual energy.

"I’ll attack from afar to support you; you take them head-on. Try to take them out one by one. That one in the back seems to be their leader—his cultivation likely isn’t much, or he wouldn’t be skulking so far away," Su Wuquan said confidently, issuing instructions to Cao Youshi, who followed them without protest, unleashing her absolute strength to cut down the four.

"You should withdraw; you won’t be able to withstand this," Ye Jiuyao’s voice exploded suddenly. The four, relieved, retreated quickly. The power Cao Youshi had just released was terrifying.

Her graceful, panther-like physique radiated wild strength. As she charged forward, the air itself broke with sonic booms, a testament to her terrifying speed and ferocious power.

Su Wuquan’s voice rang out again as his technique continued to gather, and a giant serpent appeared in the sky.

"Don't let your guard down—keep up the attack!"

"I know."

At that moment, the two prodigies of Xuantian Town joined forces. Outside, Sword Cloud Master narrowed his eyes, watching their flawless cooperation with a sense of satisfaction.

Perhaps this generation would produce even more prodigies.

Yet Sword Cloud Master found Ye Jiuyao the most inscrutable. Earlier, he could not see how Ye Jiuyao had unleashed that palm strike, nor understand why he alone pursued the four.

Now, Ye Jiuyao drew his attention even more.

"Look, Ye Jiuyao seems about to fight two at once, taking on Xuantian Town's prodigies. Too bad Sword Ming and Lin Yibai aren't here, or it would be even more spectacular!" someone sighed, though their anticipation was undiminished.

"Hand over your tokens. I don’t want to get rough, but if I do, you might end up convulsing on the ground," Ye Jiuyao declared, still posturing. The four looked at him speechlessly, while Su Wuquan and Cao Youshi regarded him as if he were a fool.

"Where do you get such courage?" Cao Youshi shouted, her fist hammering forward like a steel mallet. The four’s faces showed surprise and concern.

"Out of the way!" Ye Jiuyao roared, and a giant palm formed in the sky, crashing down in an instant. Cao Youshi’s eyes widened in fear, as if witnessing the impossible.

"Retreat!"

"Too late!" Su Wuquan said quickly. In a flash, a figure darted before Cao Youshi, unleashing spiritual energy and raising both hands to block Ye Jiuyao's massive palm.

"Not bad, kid," Ye Jiuyao praised, then struck again with his right palm. The wild force descended, changing the color of the world; the sky seemed to be covered by his hand, the void shattered, and a colossal hand appeared, slamming down in front of Su Wuquan.

"Kneel and call me Grandpa!" Ye Jiuyao’s voice thundered like a storm, a terrifying pressure enveloping them, his overwhelming strength crashing down on Su Wuquan.

With a deafening boom, Su Wuquan was flung like a kite with a broken string. In Cao Youshi’s eyes, a trace of pity flashed; she tore at her waist, scattering her token to the ground.

"I’ll remember you," she said, then darted after the falling Su Wuquan. Watching, Ye Jiuyao felt wicked—but he enjoyed it immensely.

"Pick them up, don’t leave any behind. Our goal is to eat, drink, and take everything, leaving them hungry and thirsty," Ye Jiuyao continued to instill his philosophy in the four, who found it oddly compelling.

Walk their path, so they have nowhere left to go.

The four accelerated, instantly catching up and reaching Su Wuquan and Cao Youshi.

"Grandpa says we need all the tokens, so you’ll have nowhere to go. Don’t think the Su or Cao families are impressive—in Grandpa’s eyes, they’re nothing but useless!" Ye Jiuyao heard this from above and felt the kid was worth cultivating. The four snatched the tokens from the furious Cao Youshi and Su Wuquan and brought them to Ye Jiuyao.

"Keep them all. Our days of fortune have arrived," Ye Jiuyao said cheerfully, then realized he didn’t know their names. "What are your names?"

"Mo Liqing, Mo Lihong, Mo Lihai, Mo Lishou," they introduced themselves one by one. Ye Jiuyao couldn't help but laugh.

Without the strange Canglang Scroll, perhaps Ye Jiuyao wouldn’t have noticed anything, but after being exposed to its influence, he felt these four were indeed talented.

"Are you four brothers, or are you teasing me?"

"Big brother—Grandpa—don’t kill us, we just changed our names. We thought they should match your style. Our old names didn’t suit us anymore, and our parents will surely be pleased."

Are you really this mischievous—do your parents know?

Outside, the crowd was surprised by the odd behavior of the four being chased by Ye Jiuyao, sensing something unusual.

"He’s cheating, forming a team in there…"

"Get him out…"

"Sword Master…"

"……"

For a moment, the crowd condemned Ye Jiuyao’s shameless tactics, but Sword Cloud Master made no move.

"Let’s go cast a net and catch some fish. I’ll show you what it means to follow me—never lacking food or drink. This is the art of casting a wide net, gathering more fish, and never being picky!"

Ye Jiuyao waved his arm, leading the four to the entrance, and tossed all the tokens there.