Chapter 69: Fleeing in Panic-The Way of Eating and Sleeping(Demon Ink of the Southern Realm)

Ye Jiuyao hurriedly took out a pill and fed it to the old man, then glared at him with obvious displeasure. His flawless plan had been completely ruined by this meddler.

"Old man, where did you come from?"

"Cough cough... Old? Old man? You don’t know who I am?"

"Bah! Why should I know you? You're half dead, about to step into your grave, and you expect me to care? Are we sworn brothers now, promising not to be born on the same day, but to die together on the same day?"

"Bah, if you want to die, that's your problem. I'm still young, a pure-hearted virgin, and Qingyu is waiting for me. If anyone's dying, it should be you..."

Ye Jiuyao cursed at the old man, venting all his frustration. If not for this sudden intrusion, his plan would have been perfect: first, feigning weakness to lure the enemy, then letting them chase while he played hard to get, and finally, the coup de grâce—killing them before they even knew what happened. Yet the old man had messed everything up, and Ye Jiuyao’s mood was sour beyond words.

Everyone looked at each other, watching Ye Jiuyao berate the old man. If they hadn’t heard the old man speak earlier, they might have believed he wasn’t from Tongxuan Sect.

"Cough cough cough... Enough. I am Tongxuan Sect’s Grand Elder, Zhen Di Diao, living beneath the Tongxuan Tower..."

"I don’t care who you are! Right now, I’m in charge of Tongxuan Sect, and what I say goes. Ask them if you don’t believe me!"

Ye Jiuyao pointed toward the crowd outside. Zhen Di Diao felt a tightness in his chest—there was an even stronger master among them. So, after all his efforts, he was still no match for this young man.

"Ye Jiuyao, come out here!" Ye Qing looked at Ye Jiuyao with disdain, though anger blazed in his eyes.

"You really want me to come out?"

"Come out here!"

Suddenly, Ye Qing mimicked Ye Jiuyao’s tone, "How long are you planning to play hide and seek?"

Ye Jiuyao roared toward the outside, his patience snapped—he’d even started using the agreed code words, but his teammates still hadn’t shown themselves, so his anger flared.

Xuan San and the others had long since been frightened out of the formation by Ye Jiuyao, forgetting all about the code words until his furious shout. Those hiding in the shadows, led by Xuan San and the remaining disciples of Tongxuan Sect, suddenly erupted with murderous intent and charged out from hiding.

They’d been stunned by the sect’s defensive formation, unable to react when Ye Jiuyao mentioned the code, resulting in several moments of confusion. The Tongxuan Sect’s protective formation was only at the peak of the Awakened Realm—its very best—who would have thought it could unleash such terrifying power?

But when they saw the defensive formation, under Ye Jiuyao’s control, explode with astonishing strength, they were jolted awake.

In truth, Ye Jiuyao hadn’t been idly returning to simplicity; he was searching for the formation’s flaws to repair them. His methods might have been unconventional, but they worked. Their resolve to live and die with Tongxuan Sect now wavered.

With Nangong Mingyue able to restrain the opponent, and with the addition of a Grand Elder, everything seemed to turn for the better. The agreed-upon code words were forgotten.

Though Fallen Leaf Sect had not suffered heavy casualties, every member of Tongxuan Sect was nearly at the peak of the Awakened Realm. Fallen Leaf Sect’s disciples, repeatedly battered by Ye Jiuyao’s formation, had lost their morale, falling a step behind Tongxuan Sect. The outcome of this battle was still uncertain!

Tongxuan Sect’s momentum soared; with Ye Jiuyao’s formation cycling endlessly, they would surely sweep all before them. Besides, the Black and White Twins had been struck by lightning, burnt inside and out, dead beyond saving, and the morale of Fallen Leaf Sect was less than half what it had been. The effort required to break the formation was immense—though the battle was like catching fish in a barrel, it still demanded hard work.

Ye Qing’s face showed panic as four or five dozen people suddenly appeared. He wanted to charge in and start slaughtering, but a graceful figure flew out.

"Ye Qing, your opponent is me!"

The newcomer was Nangong Mingyue.

In an instant, the two began their duel.

"Kill!"

...

Led by Xuan San, the members of Tongxuan Sect roared their battle cries. Having cultivated in the sect for years, it was the first time they’d fought like this. The pent-up emotions within them were palpable.

Especially after the passing of Emperor Scar Diao, their internal repression grew even heavier.

The most terrifying killers were not Xuan San and the high cultivators, but Forty-Five and Forty-Four, the two oddballs Ye Jiuyao had first encountered at Tongxuan Tower.

Forty-Four wielded several cauldron-like objects; wherever the crowd was thickest, he tossed one, and thunder exploded as it landed.

The disciples of Fallen Leaf Sect had looked down on him at first, but once the cauldron dropped, regret was useless.

"Quick, dodge! That cauldron will explode!"

"It’s coming, it’s coming... Hurry!"

"Boom!"

Before the disciple could finish, a thunderous explosion erupted, a mushroom cloud instantly rising. Even Ye Jiuyao was startled by the blast.

Not just him—the spectators scattered at the first explosion, their hearts shaken.

"Hahaha... This little sect leader is something else! He taught me how to make explosive cauldrons!"

Forty-Four burst into laughter, producing more small cauldrons, each the size of a grenade, and threw them out, creating wide-scale destruction.

For a moment, Forty-Four became the center of attention.

"Forty-Four, you’re cheating!"

Forty-Five roared, but his own martial skills grew even more ferocious.

"The sect leader taught me! You don’t know how!"

Forty-Five mocked Forty-Four.

The disciples of Fallen Leaf Sect and the spectators from Xuantian Town grew curious about this sect leader—after all, news of Ye Jiuyao’s ascension hadn’t yet spread.

So curiosity blossomed among them.

Ye Jiuyao merely smiled and said nothing. Even in Tongxuan Tower, he had made Forty-Five call him "grandfather," but he honestly couldn’t remember what he’d taught them.

Under Xuan San’s command, the opposition had no worthy adversaries—not even Fallen Leaf Sect’s stewards could stand against them.

The previous exhaustion had been immense, and since Tongxuan Sect was hailed as Xuantian Town’s best, they naturally had outstanding abilities.

Now, those abilities shone brightly.

"Retreat!"

Ye Qing watched as Fallen Leaf Sect’s disciples were cut down one after another, the battle hopelessly one-sided. Though his eyes blazed with unwillingness, he had to give the order.

But Nangong Mingyue refused to yield, relentlessly attacking Ye Qing, every move pushed to the limit.

Ye Qing, however, used agile techniques to dodge and cover Fallen Leaf Sect’s retreat, but few managed to escape.

Out of thousands, barely a thousand fled the pursuit of Tongxuan Sect.

The spectators were utterly astonished, their spirits shaken as they witnessed the true power of Tongxuan Sect, each with their own thoughts.

Ps: Was that a surprise? Hehe...