In the end, Ye Xuan left the Flame Eagle’s corpse untouched. He gave up its Beast Pill, Essence Blood, feathers, and claws. Taking out a Treasure Sword, he dug a deep pit in the ground. After burying the Flame Eagle, he tucked the two Little Flame Eagles into his shirt and turned to leave the Asura Forest.
Ye Xuan’s current position wasn’t far from the southern entrance. The Flame Eagle had been highly intelligent; it hadn’t flown deeper into the woods earlier, knowing that if it died in the depths of the forest, both this human and the Little Flame Eagles would likely perish.
Using the sun to guide his way, Ye Xuan soon exited the Asura Forest. Upon emerging, he was just about to pull down his face mask when he spotted two Niu Family members. They had likely stayed behind to pack up the tents and other supplies.
Beside the Niu Family members stood a carriage drawn by a unicorn. A beautiful woman with gorgeous features and a graceful figure stepped down from it.
Ye Xuan raised an eyebrow. He wondered why this woman looked so familiar. It was as if he had seen her somewhere before, but he couldn’t quite place her. Then he shook his head, wondering if all men felt a sense of déjà vu whenever they saw a beautiful woman.
Just then, the Niu Family members respectfully approached her. "Miss Fang, what brings you here!"
Fang Lian replied calmly, "Sheng has been out for several days now. I was worried something might have happened to him, so I asked the Second Elder to bring me here to take a look."
"Please rest assured, Miss Fang. Nothing could possibly happen to Young Master Ning; he has an expert guarding him."
"That’s good. I’ll go inside and look for him."
"Don’t! You absolutely cannot go in. If anything were to happen to you, we wouldn’t be able to explain it! The entire Niu Family would suffer the consequences."
"That’s right, Miss Fang. We understand how much you miss Young Master Ning, but the Asura Forest is far too dangerous. You must not enter."
"Alright, then I’ll wait for him here."
"Miss Fang, are you waiting for Young Master Ning so you can return to your family home together?"
"Yes. I haven’t been back in several months, and I miss my younger siblings."
"Miss Fang, the Fang Family is truly blessed beyond measure to have you. I heard that once Young Master Ning officially gets engaged to you, he will bring everyone in your Fang Family over to the Ning Family. The entire Fang Family’s status will elevate because of you."
Hearing this, Ye Xuan abruptly stopped in his tracks. The Fang Family? Miss Fang? The young lady of the Fang Family from Hongtu Town?
He turned his head again and carefully scrutinized the woman. Finally, he understood why she looked so familiar. She was the young lady of the Fang Family, Fang Lian. After thirteen years of not seeing each other, she had grown increasingly beautiful. Even her once modest curves had blossomed into an incredibly voluptuous figure.
After realizing the woman’s identity, Ye Xuan’s expression turned grim. He thought, "Does this mean Fang Lian is that Young Master Ning’s woman? This is bad! A complete disaster!"
Men flying into a rage for the sake of a beautiful woman was an incredibly common occurrence on the Beast Soul Continent. If Fang Lian and Young Master Ning found out that the Fang Family had already been wiped out by his Ye Family, the only path awaiting the Ye Family would be total annihilation.
A profound sense of crisis washed over his entire body. At this moment, Ye Xuan was drenched in cold sweat, a deep chill running down his spine.
He had already tried his best to restrain himself and avoid a direct conflict with Young Master Ning. Even when snatching the Fire Spirit Ginseng, he had secretly waited for the right opportunity. But now, he finally realized that some people and some situations simply could not be avoided, no matter how hard you tried.
Thinking of this, a gleam of murderous intent shot out from Ye Xuan’s eyes. He had to seize this moment before the rest of the Niu Family and Young Master Ning came out. While there were few people around, he had to kill Fang Lian!
"Huh? Who are you? Why are you hiding your face?" While Ye Xuan was lost in thought, a Niu Family member shouted coldly, having finally noticed him in the distance.
Ye Xuan didn’t answer. Golden light burst from his body as a Divine Demon Statue abruptly materialized. In its hands, the Divine Demon Statue wielded a Giant Sword and a scythe.
"Die! Divine-Demonic Slaying!"
Without any hesitation or misplaced mercy, Ye Xuan moved in for the kill. A gold-and-black Spiritual Energy Bullet shot forward, its terrifying power fracturing the earth inch by inch. The several Niu Family members didn’t even have time to defend themselves before the energy storm shredded them into mincemeat. A nauseating scent of blood instantly filled the air.
RUMBLE!
The Spiritual Energy Wave expanded outward for fifty meters before finally halting. Thick smoke and dust billowed across the entire entrance, coiling like a massive dragon. To their dying breaths, those men never expected Ye Xuan to initiate such a massacre without uttering a single word.
However, Ye Xuan did not leave. Reaching out his hand again, he manipulated his golden Spiritual Qi to conjure a strong gale, blowing away the dust. He had to make absolutely sure that his previous attack had killed Fang Lian.
Soon, the smoke cleared. Fang Lian reappeared in Ye Xuan’s line of sight. She had fallen to the ground, her face deathly pale, looking just like a terrified little rabbit.
"She’s not dead? How is that possible!" Ye Xuan’s pupils trembled violently. That strike just now was the strongest attack of his Divine-Demonic Overlord Body. How could Fang Lian still be alive? Had she really become that powerful after thirteen years of not seeing each other?
After the initial shock, Ye Xuan noticed a faint glow of Spiritual Qi enveloping Fang Lian’s body. His eyes narrowed, and he unleashed another Divine-Demonic Slaying. This time, he saw it clearly: as the attack approached Fang Lian’s body, the glowing Spiritual Qi transformed into a Guardian Barrier.
"A Protective Talisman!" Ye Xuan was quite knowledgeable and immediately guessed that she had one on her. The higher the grade of a Protective Talisman, the stronger its defensive capabilities. For Fang Lian’s Protective Talisman to block his attack, it had to be at least a Rank Three Mid-Grade item. A Rank Three Mid-Grade Protective Talisman could block an attack from a Cultivator at the 6th Layer of the Frenzy Spirit Realm at its very limit. That was the exact reason why his attack couldn’t shatter the Guardian Barrier in a single strike. Even though his cultivation base had increased by two layers, he could at best kill a Cultivator at the 3rd Layer of the Frenzy Spirit Realm.
"Who... who are you? Why are you trying to kill me?" Fang Lian finally spoke up. Her voice was gentle and heart-wrenching.
But the moment the words left her mouth, another shockwave slashed toward her. Ye Xuan was ruthless and a man of few words! He didn’t care if she was a beauty. As long as she was an enemy and posed a threat to the Ye Family, there was only one thing left to do—kill.
Unfortunately, the power of a Rank Three Mid-Grade Protective Talisman was simply too strong for Ye Xuan to breach at his current level. His attacks only served to deplete its energy faster. He knew he had to completely drain the Protective Talisman’s energy and silence her before Young Master Ning and the rest of the Niu Family emerged. With that thought in mind, he closed the distance and bombarded Fang Lian’s Guardian Barrier with a furious onslaught!
Terrified, Fang Lian curled up into a ball, nearly wetting herself in fear. She couldn’t understand why this man, whom she had never wronged, was acting like a madman trying to murder her.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions echoed endlessly at the entrance as dust and smoke billowed up like soaring dragons.
After a while, Fang Lian finally regained her senses as she realized the man’s intentions. He was trying to wait for the Protective Talisman’s power to run out before going in for the kill. She hastily reached out her hand, and three Yellow Talismans materialized in her palm. The Yellow Talismans were inscribed with dazzling, intricate patterns, and right in the center was a large character for "Protect."
Seeing those three Yellow Talismans, Ye Xuan furrowed his brows tightly. At that moment, an overwhelming wave of pure frustration crashed into him, making him want to curse out loud. He thought, "Is Ning Zheseng from the Ning Family actually this generous? He gave this woman so many Rank Three Protective Talismans. These are Protective Talismans, for crying out loud! Talismans meant for saving lives are incredibly rare to begin with. And you just hand out several of them at once? Do you own a damn gold mine or something? Is this how you pick up girls?"