Chapter Ninety-Five: The Taoist of Eternal Spring

“Fellow cultivator, do you not think it’s a little late to leave now?”
Ye Yun’s figure soared upward; the tip of his foot lightly tapped a stalk of green bamboo, and he swept forward like a crimson flame phoenix, winged and swift as the wind, intercepting the path of the man in blue robes.
“I am Guo Chufei. May I ask why you are blocking my way?” The man in blue introduced himself, his face tense and wary. He had witnessed the deaths of Wang Heng and Bai Zhan, and knew well the strength of this young scion of the Ye clan.
“So your surname is Guo. Are you from the Guo family?” Ye Yun asked.
“I am indeed. I have not made a move against you, fellow cultivator, so I hope you will let bygones be bygones. Otherwise…” Guo Chufei smiled as he spoke, though his words carried a veiled threat.
“Are you joking, Guo? If my strength were insufficient, I suspect you would have already killed me and stolen my treasures.” Ye Yun’s lips curled into a cold smile; he was utterly unmoved by the other’s threat. His voice was icy: “I am a man who always returns enmity and vengeance in kind. If you wish to leave, you must first prove you have the ability.”
As he spoke, Ye Yun moved. He transformed into a blazing fire dragon, a fierce and violent aura surging around him, launching himself at Guo Chufei.
“Do you intend to make an enemy of my Guo clan?”
Guo Chufei’s expression changed; he shouted angrily, but his hands moved swiftly. With a gesture, a streak of sword-light flew out, slashing toward Ye Yun.
“Mystic Power Shift!”
Ye Yun said nothing, but channeled his true energy, unleashing a secret technique. His aura surged, his speed increased.
“Crimson Flame Demon Body!”
In an instant, his red hair stood on end; flames a yard high blazed around him. In the span of two breaths, Ye Yun had amplified his strength to its utmost peak.
With a clang, he struck out with the Dragon’s Claw, sending Guo Chufei’s flying sword reeling away. Ye Yun’s figure appeared before his opponent.
“Make an enemy of the Guo clan? If you die, who will know it was me who killed you?”
Ye Yun’s voice was like a curse, freezing Guo Chufei in place, especially as the terrifying aura Ye Yun exuded made him feel as if he were facing a cultivator in the Golden Core stage from his clan.
There was a thunderous sound.

He struck Guo Chufei squarely in the chest. Only then did Guo Chufei react, but it was already too late; he spat blood and his body was flung backward.
Ye Yun knew that since he had made his move, he could not show the slightest mercy. With a flick of his hand, two fireballs shot out, their scorching heat rippling the air and raising the temperature to a terrifying degree.
In terms of attack, apart from the Nine Totem Combat Arts, the power of fire techniques driven by the Crimson Flame Essence was the strongest.
Guo Chufei had barely touched the ground when he felt the heat surge, his body igniting in flames. In the blink of an eye, he was reduced to ashes by the blazing fire.
Ye Yun exhaled a heavy breath, his aura rapidly fading. The dual amplification of the Mystic Power Shift and Crimson Flame Demon Body was a considerable strain on his current cultivation.
But with these two secret techniques, his strength could rise sharply for a short time—even a tough opponent like Xu Shaodong had ultimately fallen to him.
Guo Chufei was far weaker than Xu Shaodong, and was never a match for Ye Yun.
Knowing this place was unsafe, Ye Yun stepped forward and sifted through Guo Chufei’s ashes, retrieving a storage pouch before swiftly departing the bamboo grove.
“What an interesting young man—decisive and ruthless, cold-hearted. With merely the early Foundation stage, he could easily kill three at the peak of Foundation. Can the minor Ye clan of the borderlands truly produce such a formidable disciple?”
Just as Ye Yun left, a voice suddenly sounded in the tranquil bamboo forest. A breeze stirred, and a small, scruffy old man appeared.
This was the same old man who had descended from the heavens when Ye Yun first entered Luzhou City—a Golden Core stage cultivator.
“The secret techniques he used seem quite advanced. Perhaps the rumors about the Ye clan are true? I’ve been hunted by that she-devil for so long—if I hadn’t happened by, I might have missed the scene entirely.”
The old man’s eyes gleamed as he stroked his beard, muttering, “If I capture that youngster and use soul-searching, I should be able to obtain his secret techniques. However…”
“Old fiend of Evergreen, let’s see where you run today!”
At that moment, an auspicious cloud floated above the bamboo grove. Standing atop it was a stunningly beautiful woman, overlooking the scruffy old man below.
“Come now, she-devil, you’ve chased me for over three months. It was only a bath—no harm done. Must you be so vindictive?”
The old cultivator of Evergreen shuddered, glanced upward, and replied with a bitter smile.
“Damn you! To peep at my body—how can I not tear you to pieces to vent my rage?”
The beautiful woman’s face was flushed with anger, yet she carried a strange charm. Her pale hand struck downward, gathering blazing flames into a giant palm that crashed toward the old man in the bamboo grove.
Seeing this, Evergreen dared not delay. He quickly formed incantations, drawing the wood energy from the entire grove to manifest a towering ancient tree.
With a roar, the fiery palm collided with the ancient tree, and the wood energy was rapidly burned away.
“Filthy priest, your only talent is running for your life. How could you hope to match me?” the beautiful woman laughed coldly from her cloud.
“She-devil, don’t get cocky. If your fire technique didn’t counter my Evergreen Wood Art so perfectly, would I ever fear you?” Evergreen retorted, refusing to yield.
“You still dare argue? I’ll burn you to a crisp today!”
Again, the woman formed incantations. A fire dragon appeared in the air, roaring as it plunged downward.
Evergreen’s face changed; he spat out a flying sword, leapt onto it, and transformed into a rainbow streak, fleeing at top speed.
Thunder rumbled as the fire dragon rampaged through the bamboo grove, reducing swathes of it to barren wasteland. The beautiful woman immediately rode her auspicious cloud after him at even greater speed.
Meanwhile, far away, Ye Yun suddenly turned back, sensing the violent surge of elemental energy from the direction of the bamboo grove. He gazed into the distance and saw raging flames rising, and a fire dragon manifesting in the sky, its aura immense.
“Fire Dragon Technique? Golden Core cultivators are fighting?”
Ye Yun’s pupils contracted; he moved even faster toward Luzhou City.
No matter why Golden Core cultivators were appearing in the bamboo grove, he had killed Wang Heng, Bai Zhan, and Guo Chufei there, and he had to proceed with utmost caution.