Chapter 47: Breaking Through the Siege

After Ye Xiao and his two companions left the inn, they found the streets already crowded with people.

Everyone was looking toward the volcano; some furrowed their brows, others muttered quietly, while a few showed excited expressions, cracking their knuckles and preparing to display their skills.

The three exchanged glances before heading directly out of town.

They had only taken a few hundred steps beyond the town when a series of beastly howls suddenly erupted from the dense forest ahead.

“Be careful!” Ye Xiao abruptly raised his hand, stopping Han Qi and Du Mao. His broken sword was already drawn.

The bushes ahead shook violently as dozens of crimson-red wolf-like monsters burst forth, their fangs dripping with viscous saliva.

Even more terrifying were the three giant bears nearly twice the height of a man, trailing behind the wolves, each step causing the ground to tremble.

“Flame Wolves! And Earth-shattering Bears!” Du Mao's face changed drastically. “These are the guardian beasts on the outskirts of the Spirit Path. How did they come this far?”

Not far away, more than a dozen cultivators were locked in a fierce struggle, their screams echoing endlessly.

A Flame Wolf was tearing into a cultivator’s arm, blood splattering on its fur, making it look even more ferocious.

“Stick close to me!” Ye Xiao commanded sharply, charging first into the fray.

His broken sword traced a streak of black light, cleaving the biting Flame Wolf in two!

Strangely, as the wolf’s corpse fell, a faint, almost invisible aura of blood energy seeped silently into Ye Xiao’s palm. His spirit surged, and his inner power began to recover slightly.

“Miss Han, stay in the middle. I’ll cover the rear!” Du Mao’s fists glowed with an earthy yellow light as he punched a rushing Flame Wolf away.

The three moved forward in a triangular formation. Ye Xiao wielded the broken sword skillfully, each strike precise, piercing the monsters’ vital points.

With every kill, the blood essence he absorbed grew richer, and instead of depleting, the power in his dantian slowly increased!

“Ye Xiao, left side!” Han Qi suddenly shouted.

An Earth-shattering Bear had circled around and was now slamming its massive paw toward Ye Xiao with a roaring wind.

Ye Xiao hurriedly crossed his sword to block. With a loud crash, he was sent flying several meters, only stopping after smashing through two small trees.

“Cough, cough…” Ye Xiao spat blood but smiled with excitement.

The blow had stirred his vital energy violently, but the blood essence inside immediately began repairing his wounds, at a rate at least three times faster than usual!

The bear roared again, lunging. Ye Xiao advanced instead of retreating, dodging to the side at the last moment and slashing diagonally from below with his broken sword.

“Shhh—”

The blade sliced through the bear’s belly, spraying hot blood.

Seizing the moment, Ye Xiao struck the wound with a palm glowing dark red, forcibly extracting a large amount of blood essence!

The bear howled in pain as its body visibly shriveled before collapsing.

“That guy…” Du Mao’s pupils constricted as he watched from a distance. He clearly felt Ye Xiao’s aura rising rather than faltering in battle!

After half an hour, the three finally broke through the encirclement.

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Ye Xiao was drenched in blood, the blood grooves on his broken sword now dark red.

He roughly estimated that he had absorbed the blood essence of over twenty beasts on this path, his cultivation subtly showing signs of breaking through to the fourth tier of the Prefecture Establishment Realm.

“There’s a stream up ahead; let’s rest,” Han Qi pointed toward a nearby spot.

The water was crystal clear. After a brief wash, they each took pills to regulate their breath.

Ye Xiao closed his eyes and looked inward. The whirlpool of energy in his dantian had grown nearly thirty percent larger than before, and the blood patterns on his sword had become even clearer.

“It seems the Blood Vein combined with the broken sword is a perfect match…” he thought quietly.

Suddenly, rustling came from the bushes on the right. Ye Xiao’s eyes snapped open, the broken sword already in hand.

Five figures stumbled out of the thicket, led by a bald, broad-faced man. The atmosphere instantly tensed at their meeting.

“From the Yin-Yang Academy?” The bald man squinted, eyeing the token at Ye Xiao’s waist and then glancing at the Mu family emblem on Han Qi’s sleeve, his expression flickering.

Du Mao slowly stood, cracking his knuckles, “People from the Iron Palm Sect? What, are you looking for a fight?”

The standoff lasted a moment before the bald man grinned, “A misunderstanding, just passing through.”

He gestured for his group to retreat to the other side of the stream, though his gaze never left Ye Xiao’s broken sword.

Ye Xiao knew well that under the rule allowing only one to reach the summit, everyone was an enemy. Not fighting now was merely mutual caution.

A quarter of an hour later, the Iron Palm Sect members left first. The three resumed their journey, moving with extra caution.

“Look at that tree…” Han Qi suddenly stopped, her voice trembling.

About a hundred meters ahead stood a towering ancient tree wide enough for ten people to embrace. Its trunk was covered in grotesque knots that formed a twisted, human-like face.

More than twenty cultivators had gathered beneath it, yet no one dared approach.

“A thousand-year-old tree demon!” Du Mao gasped, “It’s said to prey on passing cultivators!”

As if to confirm his words, a black-clad cultivator suddenly dashed toward a gap in the trunk.

With a swift “whoosh,” a branch as thick as a bowl shot out like a spear, piercing the man’s chest!

When the branch retracted, the body had already turned into a dried husk, its blood essence completely drained.

“Such powerful wood-element demon energy…” Ye Xiao frowned deeply. Plant-type monsters were the hardest to deal with; ordinary attacks couldn’t reach their vital points.

As he pondered a strategy, a familiar cold sneer sounded behind him.

“Isn’t this Brother Ye? How come a tree’s got you stumped?”

Ye Xiao stiffened and slowly turned around.

Xu Beichen appeared with five disciples from the Xuanhuang Sect, their jade pendants jingling at their waists.

More alarmingly, two elder figures with unfathomable auras followed behind—both peak Dantian Realm masters.

“Xu Beichen!” Du Mao stepped before Ye Xiao. “Are you trying to break the rules by bringing guards into the Spirit Path?”

Xu Beichen sneered, “These two elders are just here to see me off.” He deliberately raised his voice, “But dealing with certain trash, I, the Young Lord, am more than enough!”

The cultivators beneath the tree murmured, some recognizing Xu Beichen.

“That’s the Young Lord of the Xuanhuang Sect!”

“Is that… an Immortal Bone on his chest?”

“This ought to be good entertainment…”

Veins bulged on Ye Xiao’s hand gripping the sword. He could feel Xu Beichen’s aura far stronger than their last encounter, likely half a foot into the Dantian Realm—and with that Immortal Bone.

“Ye Xiao, don’t act rashly,” Han Qi quietly tugged his sleeve. “Let’s first find a way past the tree demon.”

Xu Beichen seemed to see through their concerns and suddenly called out, “Everyone! Instead of wasting time here, why not join forces to fight this tree demon? The Xuanhuang Sect will lead the charge!”

The crowd stirred. With the Xuanhuang Sect taking the lead, this was indeed an opportunity.

But Ye Xiao knew Xu Beichen’s kindness was a facade.

Sure enough, Xu Beichen’s next words revealed his true intent: “However, if some intend to take advantage of the chaos…” He glanced meaningfully at Ye Xiao. “Don’t blame me for not considering the ties between our two sects!”

The atmosphere instantly froze.

Everyone understood this was a naked threat! Once the battle erupted, Xu Beichen would surely seize the chance to assassinate Ye Xiao.

“What do we do?” Du Mao wiped sweat from his brow. Trapped between the tree demon ahead and formidable enemies behind, it was a dead end.

But Ye Xiao suddenly smiled.

He gently traced the blood patterns on his broken sword, feeling the surging power within. Much of the recently absorbed blood essence remained unrefined.

“Since Senior Brother Xu is so enthusiastic,” Ye Xiao stepped forward, blood-tinged light flashing in his eyes, “let’s see who can slay this tree demon first.”

His words caused an uproar! A mere third-tier Prefecture Establishment Realm youth dared challenge Xu Beichen, who was nearly half a foot into the Dantian Realm?

Xu Beichen was momentarily stunned, then burst into loud laughter. “Interesting! I’ll make sure you die with some style!”

He whispered to the two elders, who then stepped aside.

The thousand-year tree demon seemed to sense the killing intent; its “face” twisted further, countless branches rising like venomous snakes, ready to strike at any moment.

Ye Xiao took a deep breath, his blood veins surging wildly. He could feel the broken sword thirsting for battle and blood.

“Let’s begin.” He murmured, launching himself like an arrow toward the demon tree.

Almost simultaneously, Xu Beichen struck, the Immortal Bone on his chest radiating blinding white light!

Thus began a life-or-death duel before the eerie ancient tree.