It was a young man dressed in apricot-yellow robes, with a prominent brow and eyes like flashes of lightning.
"It's Lǚ Zihong of the Jietian Sect! A Acupoint Opening Realm expert!" Immediately, someone recognized the young man and whispered.
"Senior Brother Lü! That damnable bastard captured Junior Brother Yuan! Please uphold justice, Senior Brother Lü!" From a nearby peak, a team of young martial artists soared into the air to greet Lǚ Zihong.
All of them were members of the Jietian Sect. One of the two individuals Ye Yunfei had just captured was from the Jietian Sect!
"Brat, which sect are you from? Why dare you lay hands on someone from our Jietian Sect?!" Lǚ Zihong's gaze, cold as lightning, fixed on Ye Yunfei from a distance. He wanted to ascertain the other party's background before making a move. What if the opponent came from some major force? He couldn't afford to push things too far in that case.
*Boom rumble rumble…*
A rolling torrent of energy pressure, like raging storm waves, swept towards the peak where Ye Yunfei stood, akin to a typhoon passing through.
Immediately, Pan Yi, Qin Lin, Hu Miao, and Huang Shang were all shaken back, unable to keep their footing. Only Ye Yunfei stood firm and unmoving.
"That's Lǚ Zihong, a Acupoint Opening Realm expert. We are no match for him. Do not provoke him!" Pan Yi exclaimed with a face full of alarm.
"He's right. Release them immediately, otherwise, the consequences are unthinkable!" Qin Lin urged as well.
Pan Yi and Qin Lin deeply understood just how terrifying a Acupoint Opening Realm expert was!
In terms of realms, Acupoint Opening Realm was only one major level above Sea Transformation Realm. However, the Acupoint Opening Realm was an extremely special boundary.
For the vast majority of martial artists, reaching the Acupoint Opening Realm was an enormous, formidable barrier! Breaking through from the Sea Transformation Realm to the Acupoint Opening Realm was incredibly difficult. Even with tremendous effort, those with slightly insufficient aptitude and talent found it very hard to pass this barrier.
It was no exaggeration to say that for a martial artist to break through from Sea Transformation to Acupoint Opening Realm was akin to a carp leaping through the Dragon Gate—a great leap forward in their level of life!
And once you broke through to the Acupoint Opening Realm, you entered a completely different level of life! A Acupoint Opening Realm expert was thousands, tens of thousands of times stronger than a Sea Transformation Realm expert!
"Eh? This brat looks familiar… Everyone, look, doesn't he resemble that Ye Yunfei who's wanted?" Suddenly, a disciple of the Jietian Sect shouted loudly.
As he spoke, the disciple took out a jade slip and activated it. Immediately, a figure rushed out from within the jade slip—it was indeed an image of Ye Yunfei.
Moreover, next to Ye Yunfei's image were lines of shining text detailing the specific bounties placed on him by several major factions' higher-ups!
This wanted poster for Ye Yunfei had already begun to circulate, though not all the young cultivators here knew about it. For example, Pan Yi and Qin Lin were unaware of its existence.
"It's him indeed! He is Ye Yunfei from the Tianluo Star Sea!" Immediately, those who were aware of the bounty began shouting, fixing Ye Yunfei with fiery gazes.
Previously, everyone's main focus had been on the herb garden. It was only now that they recognized Ye Yunfei.
"So you are Ye Yunfei! Excellent! This is 'having looked for you far and wide, then finding you easily without even trying!' Now, kneel immediately and surrender without a fight. Don't even think about resisting. If you cooperate a little, I can be more… civilized, merely sealing you and taking you directly to claim the reward. If you dare to resist… then I will cripple you, shatter every single bone in your body, break every meridian, and subject you to all kinds of tortures, making life unlivable and death out of reach. Then I'll take you to claim the bounty." Knowing Ye Yunfei's identity, Lǚ Zihong discarded all reservations. With his hands clasped behind his back, he began walking through the air step by step towards Ye Yunfei's peak.
"You're actually wanted with a bounty from several major factions?" Seeing the gleaming wanted poster, Pan Yi and Qin Lin turned pale with shock. Qin Lin let out a low exclamation of alarm.
The bounty was jointly issued by six major forces: the Jiang Family of Tianfu Star Sea, the Tianlin Clan, the Jietian Sect, Yin Corpse Valley, the Taihuang Sect, and the Bright Light Ancient Sect! Moreover, the rewards offered were of astonishing value!
"So I am wanted…" Ye Yunfei looked at the bounty poster targeting him and sneered coldly.
"Stay closer to me." Ye Yunfei transmitted his voice to Hu Miao and Huang Shang.
Ye Yunfei knew that with his current strength, he was temporarily no match for a Acupoint Opening Realm expert. The difference between Acupoint Opening Realm and Sea Transformation Realm was vast! They were not beings of the same level of life!
"Brat, didn't you hear Senior Brother Lü's command?! Release me immediately!" At this moment, the Jietian Sect disciple whose neck was held in Ye Yunfei's right hand suddenly barked a rebuke. He believed that with Lǚ Zihong's arrival, Ye Yunfei could only submit and admit defeat!
"A pity. This brat is about to be captured by Lǚ Zihong. All the rewards on the bounty will fall into his pocket. How great it would have been if I had discovered him first! Capturing him would have been a huge windfall!" someone in the distance sighed softly.
"Cut it out. With your strength, you'd capture this Ye Yunfei? Didn't you see? Just moments ago, he captured two mid-stage Sea Transformation Realm cultivators in the span of a single breath! Could you defeat him?" Someone nearby immediately scoffed.
At this moment, all eyes were on Ye Yunfei, watching to see just how he would kneel and beg for mercy. Everyone believed that facing a Acupoint Opening Realm expert, Ye Yunfei would not dare to resist, nor would he be capable of resisting!
Pan Yi and Qin Lin instinctively kept their distance from Ye Yunfei, looking at him with complex expressions. Few dared to associate with someone hunted by several major factions.
"You dare disobey my command? Still not releasing him?" Lǚ Zihong's lightning-like gaze was also fixed on Ye Yunfei as he approached step by step, his voice brimming with authority.
"Who said I would release anyone? A Meridian Opening cultivator who has only opened three cardinal acupoints is practically at the bottom of his entire realm. I truly don't understand where your sense of superiority comes from?" Ye Yunfei suddenly gave a cold laugh, meeting Lǚ Zihong's gaze without the slightest trace of fear.
"Even if I have only opened three cardinal acupoints, killing you would be as easy as killing a chicken!" Hearing this, Lǚ Zihong flew into a rage, roaring angrily. A mere Domain Realm brat daring to mock him like this!
"Then I'd like to see just how you can kill me as easily as a chicken." Ye Yunfei sneered.
*Pfft!*
As he spoke, Ye Yunfei's right hand exerted a slight tremor of force, instantly crushing the Jietian Sect disciple into a mist of blood.
"The audacity of this brat!" This sudden turn of events shocked everyone present.
"Very well, brat. I swear I will subject you to all manner of the cruelest tortures, making life unbearable and death unattainable!" Seeing Ye Yunfei dare to kill in front of him, Lǚ Zihong was simply incensed, speaking through gritted teeth.
"Just now… that was my fault, I apologize, please spare my life…" At this moment, the other youth still held by Ye Yunfei was scared out of his wits, his whole body trembling violently like a sieve, pleading in a quavering voice.
Ye Yunfei glanced at the young man and, with a wave of his hand, tossed him away.
"Thank you for sparing me! Thank you for sparing me!" The young man crashed onto the ground in the distance, then scrambled up, his feelings a mix of terror and elation, and desperately fled into the distance while shouting loudly. He was afraid Ye Yunfei might change his mind and suddenly strike, so he yelled his gratitude while fleeing.
*Boom rumble rumble…*
At this moment, Lǚ Zihong suddenly erupted into action, thrusting out a palm that instantly expanded. Dominating from above, it shot towards Ye Yunfei like lightning.
Immediately, a torrential, exceedingly violent energy surged towards Ye Yunfei, intent on suppression.
However, Ye Yunfei had long been prepared. With a sweep of his sleeve, enveloping Hu Miao and Huang Shang, he executed Spatial Teleportation Art and vanished directly from the spot.
Though Ye Yunfei couldn't defeat this Lǚ Zihong, escaping from him was well within his capabilities.
"Senior Brother Lü, he's over there!" a Jietian Sect disciple shouted, pointing into the distance.
Ye Yunfei had already reappeared hovering in mid-air some distance away.
*Swoosh!*
Lǚ Zihong's figure flashed, transforming into a streak of light as he sped towards Ye Yunfei.
*Swoosh!*
Ye Yunfei's form vanished once again, only to reappear at another location further away the next moment.
"Damn it! How can this brat's movement technique be so elusive and swift!" Lǚ Zihong was nearly mad with rage.
Right at that moment.
"So there really is an herb garden, and it's filled with Void-Grade Herbs!" suddenly came a joyful cry from afar.
Then, a team of people arrived from the distance, landing near the herb garden.
"They're from the Raksha Sect! Tong Wuhao is here too—another Acupoint Opening Realm expert!" someone whispered.
"Haha, so many Void-Grade Herbs! We're in for a windfall!" At this moment, a loud laugh rang out. In the distance, an expanse of radiant light covering sky and ground swiftly approached.
It was a group of tall, well-built, handsome young martial artists whose bodies radiated streams of light.
"Disciples of the Bright Light Ancient Sect are here! The one at the front is Nangong Wu, yet another Acupoint Opening Realm expert!" another person whispered furtively.
"Hehehe… Such a bounty of Void-Grade Herbs… And so many people… Can harvest quite a batch of corpses later." Suddenly, a voice spoke—one that was sinister, cold, and sounded as though it emanated from the deepest pits of the Nine Serenities.
Then, a group of men exuding dense death aura drifted over like a cluster of ghosts.
"It's the people from Yin Corpse Valley!" someone exclaimed in shock.
Seeing these Yin Corpse Valley members, many young cultivators showed wary expressions, quietly backing away.
It was well-known that the Yin Corpse Valley people loved nothing more than collecting corpses everywhere to refine into walking corpses. Few were willing to get close to them.
In the following moments, teams from several other major factions arrived one after another. Furthermore, each group was led by a Acupoint Opening Realm expert!
Including Lǚ Zihong, a total of seven Acupoint Opening Realm experts had gathered here!
An herb garden filled with Void-Grade Herbs was of immense value even to Acupoint Opening Realm experts!
"Oh? So that's Ye Yunfei? Hmm, capturing this brat and taking him out to claim the bounty… that would also be quite a fortune." Upon learning Ye Yunfei's identity, the disciples of these newly arrived major factions all fixed him with burning gazes.
Meanwhile, Lǚ Zihong was still relentlessly chasing Ye Yunfei.
It was just that the Spatial Teleportation Art Ye Yunfei employed was far too exquisite—Lǚ Zihong couldn't catch up!
"Everyone! What are we waiting for? Act together, surround this guy, and capture him!" Lǚ Zihong called out to the other Acupoint Opening Realm experts.
"Good idea! Let's act together and capture this brat first!" The other Meridian Opening experts all nodded in agreement, preparing to encircle Ye Yunfei.
*Swoosh!*
Suddenly, Ye Yunfei appeared at the entrance to the herb garden and charged inside!
"That brat is trying to rush into the herb garden!" someone yelled.
"We're going in too!"
"Right! No more waiting! Go in and harvest the Void-Grade Herbs!"
…
Seeing Ye Yunfei about to charge into the herb garden, no one could remain composed. Shouts and clamors broke out.
After all, whoever entered first would get to harvest the herbs first.
Moreover, they could snatch the most precious Void-Grade Herbs ahead of others!
Those entering later would inevitably be at a disadvantage!
"Charge!" And so, everyone sprang into action, activating their movement techniques and surging towards the herb garden.