At this moment.
On Water Peak.
Within one of its tall, luxurious pavilions, in the main hall.
"You wretched thing! Will you speak or not?! Is Yichen alive or dead?!"
Li Chaofan's furious roar echoed.
Dozens of Water Peak disciples were also in the hall.
Tied to a pillar in the center was a person drenched in blood, beaten beyond recognition.
It was A Niu.
Just moments ago, in this very hall, A Niu had been interrogated relentlessly for hours.
However, A Niu's temper was extremely stubborn. Despite being tortured until his body was a mass of wounds, he had gritted his teeth and endured, not uttering a single word.
Beside him stood two Water Peak disciples, each holding a barbed leather whip, their expressions fierce.
"Beat him again!
Keep beating him until he talks!
If he still refuses, beat him to death! He can accompany Yichen to his grave!"
Li Chaofan said through clenched teeth, his killing intent thick and palpable.
"Senior Brother Li! It's bad!
Over a thousand disciples from Jin Peak are charging toward our Water Peak.
They demand we release this A Niu.
The one leading them seems to be Ye Yunfei."
Suddenly, a disciple rushed into the hall, reporting urgently to Li Chaofan.
"Oh?!
Ye Yunfei!
Good!
Excellent!
Ye Yunfei is the prime suspect in Yichen's disappearance.
I was just thinking of looking for him. Who would have thought he'd come knocking at my door!
Hmph, what do I care how many of Jin Peak's trash come? I'm not afraid.
Now, pass down my orders.
Say that I, Li Chaofan, will personally lead the Water Peak disciples to meet this enemy!"
Upon hearing this, Li Chaofan immediately stood up, the killing intent in his eyes reaching an extreme peak.
"Hmph, people from my Li Family are not to be trifled with!
Let's go!"
Li Chaofan waved his hand and strode out of the hall, followed by the disciples inside.
"Senior Brother Li, what about this trash? How should we deal with him?"
A disciple asked Li Chaofan.
"Bring him along.
I will execute this piece of garbage right in front of that Ye Yunfei!"
Li Chaofan replied with a cold sneer.
At that moment.
"By Senior Brother Li Chaofan's order, all Water Peak disciples are to mobilize and engage the forces from Jin Peak!"
"Anyone who dares not come out to face the enemy is unworthy of being a Water Peak disciple and should get the hell off this peak!"
...
Shouts resounded across Water Peak.
Thus, many disciples on Water Peak quickly assembled, forming a formidable force that surged down the mountain.
At the same time, Ye Yunfei, leading over a thousand Jin Peak disciples, was also charging upward in a formidable surge toward the top of Water Peak.
Finally.
At the mountainside.
A huge square.
The forces from the two peaks happened to meet right here in this square!
This square was Water Peak's martial arts training ground, of considerable size.
The square was packed densely with people.
The Jin Peak disciples occupied one side.
The Water Peak disciples occupied the other.
The two factions stood facing each other in a tense standoff.
However, judging by numbers, the Water Peak disciples clearly had a significant advantage—almost double the number of the Jin Peak disciples!
"Hmph, this trash from Jin Peak overestimates themselves, coming here to provoke us."
"This time, we must teach them a harsh lesson they'll never forget!"
...
The Water Peak disciples all looked at the Jin Peak disciples with mocking and disdainful eyes, taunting them in shrill voices.
"Enough nonsense!
Release our Jin Peak disciple A Niu immediately. Otherwise, today, I will fight my way through every single Water Peak disciple!
I'll keep fighting until your Water Peak sets him free!"
Ye Yunfei took a firm step forward, declaring loudly.
Since the people from Water Peak had boldly gone to Jin Peak and publicly seized A Niu,
then Ye Yunfei would openly and with great fanfare retrieve A Niu right in front of everyone.
Over this period, Ye Yunfei had developed a favorable impression of A Niu.
Moreover, to put it bluntly, A Niu had gotten involved because of him.
So Ye Yunfei could not and would not abandon A Niu.
As soon as Ye Yunfei's words fell, the entire square fell into silence.
Fight his way through *every* Water Peak disciple?
Keep fighting until Water Peak *released* someone?
Such words were utterly audacious, outrageously arrogant, and tyrannical!
It was simply not putting the entire Water Peak in his eyes at all!
If a truly fearsome expert had come and dared to say such a thing, then it might have been understandable.
But it so happened that the spiritual energy fluctuations Ye Yunfei displayed were only at the Early Stage Earth Realm.
Such strength was as common as dirt among Water Peak disciples.
For someone so weak to speak such arrogant words was a massive insult to Water Peak!
In the square, every Water Peak disciple who heard Ye Yunfei's words was first stunned, then overwhelmed with heaven-shaking fury and roars. Countless murderous gazes focused on Ye Yunfei.
If looks could kill, Ye Yunfei would have been a cold corpse at this moment!
Under the influence of this towering rage, the Water Peak disciples, one by one, began to lose control, their ferocious natures revealing themselves. They all wanted to charge forward and strike at Ye Yunfei.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Streams of spiritual energy power burst forth. The entire square shook and rumbled.
"What? Not convinced?
If you're not convinced, step forward.
I, alone, will challenge all the disciples of your Water Peak!"
Ye Yunfei took another step forward, shouting sternly.
"Kid, are you suffering from delusions of grandeur?!
You think you, alone, can fight through all our Water Peak disciples?
Now, I, Liu Feng, shall behead you!"
As the words fell, a tall, slender youth stepped out from the ranks of the Water Peak disciples. The hem of his robes fluttered without wind, giving him an aura of transcendent grace.
"Senior Brother Liu Feng ranks twentieth among our Water Peak disciples, with Late Stage Earth Realm cultivation. He's more than enough to deal with this trash who's only at Early Stage Earth Realm!"
A Water Peak disciple shouted loudly.
"Trash, prepare to die!"
Liu Feng suddenly moved, his body technique unfolding like a swift breeze, incredibly fast. A long sword appeared in his hand as he shot toward Ye Yunfei like a bolt of lightning.
Clearly, this Liu Feng was skilled in movement techniques!
However, Ye Yunfei's Soul Power captured his movements perfectly, as if in slow motion.
Ye Yunfei leaned sideways slightly, easily evading the sword thrust by Liu Feng.
Then.
He swung his hand in a slap.
SMACK!
A crisp sound of a slap rang out.
Liu Feng's body flew backward like a cannonball, hurtling out of the square before crashing heavily outside its perimeter.
"Is this the level of Water Peak's disciples?
Send a few more that are actually worth something."
Ye Yunfei stood with his hands clasped behind his back, speaking indifferently.
Today, to avenge A Niu, Ye Yunfei was prepared to stir up a massive storm on Water Peak!
"Utterly insolent!
Kid, I'll behead you!"
A great roar sounded as a burly man charged out from the Water Peak disciples. His body was packed with thick muscles and he was powerfully built as he rushed toward Ye Yunfei.
Wherever he passed, the ground trembled under his heavy stomps.
"It's Senior Brother Ouyang, the thirteenth-ranked expert on our Water Peak!"
"Senior Brother Ouyang's external strengthening arts are incredibly formidable, said to be impervious to swords and spears!"
Immediately, there were whispers of exclamation among the Water Peak disciples.
"Kid, I'm going to beat you to death!"
The burly man charged with overbearing momentum, like a great shark from the deep ocean pouncing through the air at Ye Yunfei.
Behind him, faint illusory images of towering, crashing waves seemed to appear.