"Kid, let's see if your physical strength is more formidable or my Thunder Prison Blade is!"
The tall elder roared. A purple longsword appeared in his hand, coiled with glaring bolts of lightning that crackled and sparked. The purple sword swung down towards Ye Yunfei.
Boom! Immediately, bolts of lightning struck down from the sky, all converging onto the purple longsword. The blade drank its fill of thunder, transforming into a purple lightning dragon dozens of yards long that radiated an aura of world-destroying power as it pounced towards Ye Yunfei.
Ye Yunfei didn't dodge or evade. Instead, he alternately punched out with his left and right fists. Invisible fist seals, imbued with terrifying power, slammed into the purple lightning dragon from a distance.
Thud! Thud! The shockwaves generated from the collision rippled outwards in mighty waves.
Neither side gained the upper hand. After all, that tall elder was at the mid-stage True Manifestation Realm; his combat power was far greater than those at the early stage.
"Die!" At this moment, the scholarly-looking man, gripping a slender, sharp sword, unleashed a sword beam like a swift silver lightning snake. It crossed a hundred yards in an instant, slashing towards Ye Yunfei.
Amidst the ferocious spiritual power pressure was blended a hint of sword intent.
"What I fear the least is swordplay!" Ye Yunfei laughed loudly, punching through the air. Although it was a fist technique, it contained the essence of sword arts. His blood-red fist seal struck precisely upon that sword beam.
Thump! Ye Yunfei's fist, executed with natural artistry and perfection, smashed into the most fragile point of that dazzling sword beam.
Immediately, that sword beam exploded like a snake struck at its vital point.
"How is this possible!" The scholarly man staggered back over a dozen steps, his face filled with disbelief.
And so it went.
Those dozen-plus True Manifestation Realm experts unleashed their ultimate killing moves, surrounding and attacking Ye Yunfei together.
Ye Yunfei met his enemies with only his fists, growing fiercer and more valiant with each exchange, showing no signs of defeat. On the contrary, each time those True Manifestation Realm early-stage experts clashed head-on with Ye Yunfei, they were forced back, looking thoroughly disheveled. Only those two mid-stage experts could barely match Ye Yunfei blow for blow.
Ye Yunfei, facing ten opponents, advanced step by step, his fist seals shattering the heavens. Those ten True Manifestation Realm experts each gasped in shock, finding it impossible to believe.
Originally, they thought that once they sealed the valley's space, preventing Ye Yunfei from using that bizarre body movement technique of slipping into space, they could deal with Ye Yunfei however they pleased. They never imagined that the combat power Ye Yunfei was displaying now would leave them utterly dumbfounded. Ten True Manifestation Realm experts, joining forces in a siege, actually couldn't do anything to a junior!
"Don't lose heart, everyone! Judging by his appearance, he must have activated some evil unorthodox technique that temporarily stimulates his potential. Such techniques all have time limits. Once the time is up, he'll revert to his original state automatically! Let's work together to pin him down!"
The tall elder spoke loudly.
"That's right!" His words lifted everyone's spirits.
Rumble... The ten True Manifestation Realm experts, rallying themselves, charged forward again to surround and attack Ye Yunfei.
"Try my Seven Steps Pursuing Soul body technique!" A cyan-robed elder shouted explosively. His body swayed, taking seven consecutive steps. With each step, an afterimage appeared, totaling seven afterimages. Even more marvelous was that each afterimage unleashed a different martial skill attacking Ye Yunfei—fists, palms, fingers, swords, blades...
"Flashy but insubstantial! Martial techniques like these are simply trash!" Ye Yunfei roared. His feet moved as he flashed forward like lightning.
"God-Slaying Penetration!" Ye Yunfei called out softly. His fists struck like lightning, alternating blows. Terrifying power surged between his arms, yet when his fists shot out, they made no sound at all.
"Hu Miao, use your Illusion Art!" Ye Yunfei transmitted a sound message to Hu Miao.
Immediately, a surge of demonic aura erupted, flooding the space around the cyan-robed elder.
At the same time, Ye Yunfei directly used Single Thought Births Demon.
Roar!... The cyan-robed elder suddenly discovered that a ferocious-looking demon had appeared within his own Soul Sea, roaring as it pounced towards his Soul Body.
Under the dual effects of Illusion Art and Single Thought Births Demon, the cyan-robed elder instantly lost his focus, his movements ceasing.
Ye Yunfei unleashed seven consecutive punches, clashing with the seven afterimages of the cyan-robed elder.
After the seventh punch, the cyan-robed elder finally regained his senses.
"Kid, what did you just do to me?!" The cyan-robed elder demanded sternly, suspicious and unsettled.
However, upon checking his body, he found that nothing seemed amiss; the demon in his Soul Sea had also vanished. Thus reassured, he saw Ye Yunfei watching him with a mocking smile.
"Kid, what are you smiling at! You're dead today!" the cyan-robed elder angrily cursed.
The next moment…
Boom! Boom!... A series of resounding explosions erupted from within his body—seven in total.
Pfft! Pfft!... With each loud explosion, the cyan-robed elder violently coughed up a mouthful of blood mixed with shattered internal organs.
Ah! Finally, with a last scream, the cyan-robed elder's body flew backwards, crashing into the ground in the distance, lying motionless, his condition unknown.
This cyan-robed elder, being at the True Manifestation Realm Early Stage, had taken seven of Ye Yunfei's God-Slaying Penetration punches. His internal organs were severely damaged.
How is this possible?!
The other nine True Manifestation Realm experts were each filled with shock and awe.
"Hahaha... Come on then! Let's see how long you can keep me pinned down!" Ye Yunfei stood mid-air, his robes flapping wildly as he laughed heartily.
"Good, good, good!"
"This little fellow has the qualifications to be selected for the Guardian Dao Academy."
From a sea of clouds high above the valley, two voices sounded.
"Let's keep watching. If his life is truly in danger at a critical moment, we'll intervene."
One voice said.
"Agreed." The other voice replied.
Meanwhile.
A flying boat was racing towards the Tianyuan Sect headquarters at an astonishing speed.
Inside the boat, a girl with bright eyes, white teeth, and beauty like a lotus flower just emerged from water paced back and forth anxiously.
"Ye Yunfei, you have to hold on. I'm coming back to help you!"
This girl clenched her delicate fists, repeating the words over and over. She was none other than Su Qingluo.
Far behind this flying boat, another flying boat was desperately trying to catch up to Su Qingluo's.
"Rong Popo, how could you be so careless! You actually allowed the Young Miss to sneak away. If anything happens to her, can you bear that responsibility?"
In this boat, a black-robed elder, hands clasped behind his back, questioned coldly.
Beside him, an old woman's face changed color slightly, her expression fearful. This old woman was Rong Popo, who had always accompanied Su Qingluo.
"Elder, I was momentarily careless and the Young Miss slipped away. I am willing to accept the clan's punishment."
The old woman said with bowed head.
"Sigh, Rong Popo, it's not that I'm deliberately giving you a hard time. Don't you know how important Young Miss Qingluo is in the eyes of the Patriarch and those reclusive elders now? Young Miss Qingluo has successfully activated the clan's bloodline, and its purity approaches ninety percent. In the future, Young Miss Qingluo is sure to be the hope of our Su Family's rise. Therefore, the safety of Young Miss Qingluo is of utmost importance. Rong Popo, the clan assigned you to protect Young Miss Qingluo—that is actually a sign of trust in you."
The black-robed elder sighed.
"I understand! Elder, please rest assured. From now on, I will definitely do my utmost to look after Young Miss. Nothing like this will ever happen again!"
Rong Popo hurriedly answered.