Chapter Seventy-Three: An Unbeatable Foe

The other party inquired about his origins, but Ye Yun did not answer. Instead, he fixed his gaze coldly upon the elder across from him and said indifferently, “So it was Ye Peng colluding with your Wu Clan to lay this formation here and plot against the master of my Ye Clan’s manor?”

“Haha, and what if it was? Even a cultivator at the Golden Core stage would be hard pressed to escape from within this formation—do you think a mere junior who has just reached the Foundation Establishment stage can hope to survive?”

This elder was an elder of the Wu Clan. He had no intention of further words; with a single hand, he formed a seal, and a rainbow of flying swords streaked through the sky, slashing mercilessly down on Ye Yun.

Ye Yun did not move a step. As the flying swords neared, his body suddenly transformed into a fierce crimson dragon. With a sweep of his tail, a crisp snap echoed as the flying swords were sent hurtling away.

“A transformation into a dragon? What technique is this you’re practicing?” The Wu Clan elder was startled. He could tell Ye Yun was performing a martial divine ability, but could not place its origin.

Whoosh—

Ye Yun ignored him. His body flickered; his arms spread like the wings of a great roc, and without warning he crossed the distance between them, appearing instantly before the Wu Clan elder.

The sudden burst of speed was astonishing. The Wu Clan elder had no time to react. The jade pendant at his waist abruptly shattered, turning into a green barrier that enveloped him.

Bang!

With his speed and brute strength, Ye Yun’s punch could easily kill an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator. But when it struck the green barrier, it merely set off rippling waves, failing to break through and harm the Wu Clan elder within.

“You Ye brat—you're dead!” The Wu Clan elder’s face went ashen. Just now, he had brushed shoulders with death itself.

Ye Yun stared at the barrier enveloping the other, a puzzled glint in his eyes. The shattered jade pendant was not a magic treasure; the green barrier seemed more like a spell.

At that moment, the Wu Clan elder turned to flee. Before Ye Yun could give chase, thick gray mists surged from all directions, cutting him off.

Although Ye Yun’s Infinite Divine Eyes allowed him to see through the illusions of the formation, the forces of heaven and earth manipulated by the array still posed a great hindrance.

Recalling the earlier barrier, Ye Yun surmised that the jade pendant must have contained a spell inscribed by a powerful cultivator.

Spells, too, vary in strength. Foundation Establishment cultivators can only wield lower-level spells; only upon reaching Golden Core can one access higher magics. Yet the power of a spell does not depend solely on its grade—a low-level fireball spell cast by a Nascent Soul cultivator could be far deadlier than a high-level spell from a Golden Core.

The green barrier just now was likely a low-level defensive spell, but it hadn’t been cast by the Wu Clan elder himself. Rather, a master had imbued it into the jade pendant in advance, allowing instant activation in a moment of crisis.

...

The Wu Clan elder whom Ye Yun had repelled emerged from the mists of the formation without impediment, arriving at its heart.

This was the core of the array, where many of the Wu Clan’s elites—each at the Foundation Establishment stage—had gathered.

At the center, a young man in blue robes was surrounded by a crowd of Foundation Establishment cultivators. When the elder returned, the young man frowned slightly. “You, a late Foundation Establishment cultivator, couldn’t defeat a mere junior at the initial stage?”

The Wu Clan elder looked somewhat embarrassed. “It’s not for lack of ability, but that boy is truly formidable. Had I not had the protective jade from the clan leader, I would surely have died at his hand.”

“He’s that strong?”

“Impossible! Even Wu Kun in his prime, who was invincible at the mid Foundation Establishment stage, might barely have had such prowess.”

“Does that kid have some rare treasures or secret techniques?”

The Wu Clan’s experts were all skeptical. The gap in cultivation wasn’t something that could be bridged by ordinary means; they assumed Ye Yun must possess some unique advantage.

The elder nodded. “Wu Qiong’s Azure Jade Seal is in his hands. Though it’s a lower-grade magic treasure, its materials are exceptional—far surpassing ordinary items of its class. Furthermore, he displayed a martial divine ability that allowed him to transform into a dragon for an instant—its power was astonishing.”

He paused, then continued, “I suspect he cultivates both the martial and magical paths. His movement was so swift, I barely registered before he appeared in front of me. If not for the spell within my jade activating instantly, I would have been killed by his punch.”

“He cultivates both martial and magical arts?” The Wu Clan experts were visibly shocked.

Even the blue-robed youth at the center showed a hint of curiosity and said with a smile, “You’re saying this young Ye Clan disciple practices both?”

“Yes,” replied the elder respectfully.

“Heh, the little Ye Clan can produce such a dual-cultivation genius?” The youth’s lips curled with mockery; he clearly didn’t believe it.

The elder’s expression was awkward, but he dared not voice his anger. The blue-robed youth’s background was extraordinary—even the Wu Clan patriarch would treat him with respect.

“Bring Ye Peng here,” the youth suddenly ordered.

A cultivator went to summon Ye Peng.

“Greetings, Master!” Ye Peng arrived, bowed respectfully, and then eagerly asked, “Is Ye Yun dead yet?”

“This Ye Yun you speak of—is it this person?” The blue-robed youth, addressed as “Master,” flicked his sleeve, and a mirror appeared before the crowd, revealing two blurry figures: Ye Yun and Lu Suxue, currently within the formation.

“That’s him!” A vicious glint flashed in Ye Peng’s eyes.

“What is Ye Yun’s talent?” the youth asked.

“They say he has a tenth-grade, lamp-bright aptitude—far inferior to mine,” Ye Peng replied quickly.

“Tenth-grade? An innately perfect soul?” The youth’s calm demeanor suddenly changed. He sprang to his feet, his expression shifting dramatically.

...

“Ye Yun, this formation channels the five elements of heaven and earth. The gray mists are mere distractions—the true danger lies in the manipulation of elemental forces that trap intruders within a set range,” Lu Suxue said suddenly after Ye Yun had forced the Wu Clan elder to retreat.

“You understand formations?” Ye Yun was delighted.

Though his Infinite Divine Eyes protected him from the illusions of the array, he was powerless against its manipulation of elemental energies. If someone knowledgeable could guide him, there might be hope of escape.

“I know a little,” Lu Suxue nodded, her delicate fingers forming seals, light swirling at her fingertips. After a moment, she stopped and pointed out several directions. “This is a minor Five Elements Entrapment Array—a mid-grade first-level formation. To construct such an array requires at least a first-level formation master at the Golden Core stage.”

“To break it by force would require at least a Golden Core cultivator at the mid-stage or above. But I once read of this array’s solution in a clan tome.”

As she spoke, Lu Suxue deduced their route with her seals, while Ye Yun led the way to guard against surprise attacks.

After a while, the gray mists ahead seemed to thin, and the ambient energy grew more turbulent. Ye Yun was delighted—such signs suggested they were nearing the site where the manor lord and Elder Ye Min were fighting.

Just then, a multicolored barrier suddenly appeared ahead, blocking their path.

Lu Suxue frowned and formed seals to deduce.

“Miss Suxue, I advise you not to bother. With your level of skill, you cannot break through my formation,” came a voice as a blue-robed youth strode through the barrier and appeared before them.

“Lu Mengqiu? Is it you?” Lu Suxue’s complexion changed at once on seeing him.

“Yes, it is I. I have come by order: first, to take you back; second, to destroy the Ye Clan,” Lu Mengqiu replied with a casual smile, as if discussing something trivial.

“Destroy the Ye Clan?” Ye Yun’s gaze sharpened, his eyes brimming with unmasked killing intent as he stared at Lu Mengqiu.

Just then, Lu Suxue sent a message via divine sense: “Be careful, Ye Yun. This Lu Mengqiu is a formation master of the Xu family and a Golden Core cultivator.”

“A Golden Core formation master?” Ye Yun’s heart trembled at her words.

The initial stage of Golden Core was a whole realm above his own early Foundation Establishment. Moreover, the man was a formation master—drawing on the power of the array, his strength could even rival mid- or late-stage Golden Core experts.

“How can I possibly contend with that...?”

An unprecedented gravity settled in Ye Yun’s eyes.

Even with the Infinite Divine Eyes and his cultivation of the Nine Heavens Ten Earths Devil Art, the chasm between their realms was insurmountable.

If his opponent were a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator, Ye Yun might have stood a chance. But against a Golden Core master and a formation expert, a sense of despair welled up from deep within him...

(With gratitude to Brother Lazy for the fourth distinguished reward, and heartfelt thanks to every friend who has given flowers and votes to this novel~)