Heaven rewards diligence; he fought his way through chaos to become a saint.

What's wrong?

The crowd was dense, their eyes all fixed on a few bare wooden poles by the roadside.

The reason was that a corpse was tied to each of those wooden poles.

The corpse was dressed in tattered clothes and covered in wounds. A deep, bone-revealing knife wound on its neck was particularly glaring, and the blood had long since congealed into a dark brown color.

"This is Manager Wang of the Han Family Silk Shop. His family was kidnapped, and he secretly reported it to the authorities yesterday. Today, he himself has met the same fate!"

"This is a provocation."

"There are two more corpses here, which belong to Steward Wang's personal guards. They were both trained in martial arts."

"No wonder they've summoned all the martial arts schools to patrol; a powerful figure has entered this inner city."

Ye Ci was standing on the outermost edge of the crowd at this moment.

"Senior Brother Ye!"

A young man dressed in black shorts squeezed through the crowd, quickly approached him, and took the initiative to talk to him.

Ye Ci hummed in agreement, staring at the corpses, his gaze drawn to a wound.

The corpse was missing a piece of flesh from its face, as if it had been torn off.

"My name is Li Fan, and I'm a part-time resident registration worker for the county's express delivery team..."

The speaker was a veteran Ming Jin disciple of the Pan Shi Martial Arts School, and naturally knew Ye Ci's status, so he stepped forward with the intention of currying favor.

"In the past few days, someone has been committing crimes in the city, kidnapping many wealthy people. If the ransom is paid slowly, or if they dare to report to the authorities, they will be killed and tied up in front of the City God Temple to intimidate the public."

The junior brother sighed and continued in a low voice, "Senior Brother Ye should go back and remind the Shen family that these bandits specifically target wealthy households in the county town. Although the government patrols at night, they can't prevent them from appearing and disappearing like ghosts."

"Thank you for the reminder, junior brother."

Ye Ci knew his junior brother was trying to curry favor, so he nodded and then left the crowd.

The junior brother was very attentive: "Take care, senior brother."

Even a small leak of wealth from the Shen family's patrons is far better than this part-time job.

In the time it takes to burn two incense sticks.

Ye Ci walked alone, his mind filled with thoughts of the corpse he had just seen.

As we walked into a secluded alley, the faint sounds of fighting could be heard coming from the depths of the alley.

He slowed his pace, not because the sounds of fighting had caught his attention, but because he vaguely felt that someone was watching him.

The alley was pitch black.

Ye Ci scanned his surroundings, considering whether to take a detour. This was not a necessary route, and he would not easily assess his opponent unless there was no way to avoid it.

But just then, the sounds of fighting became even clearer in the dark alley.

A piercing, sinister laugh suddenly slammed into Ye Ci's eardrums, causing his pupils to shrink slightly.

"Miss Shen, stop struggling..."

"..."

Miss?

After considering it for a moment, Ye Ci concluded that the only two members of the Shen family who could support their daughters were Shen Xin and Shen Yixi.

In the past, he only practiced martial arts at the "Tingzhuxuan" in the Shen family. Apart from Shen Wanzhou visiting him from time to time, he did not have much interaction with the two young ladies of the Shen family.

The only time he saw Shen Yixi was that day in the pavilion.

Shen Xin had only met him once.

Which Miss Shen has been kidnapped?!

After pondering for less than three breaths, Ye Ci's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile as he strode away.

bypass.

Deng Deng Deng!

Rapid footsteps echoed from the wall, and a figure quickly followed.

Under the moonlight, the man slowly raised his arm, revealing a longbow in his hand, the arrows gleaming with a chilling light.

"Whoosh!"

Ye Ci lightly touched the ground with his toes, slightly turned his body, and the arrow shot into the wall next to him, getting deeply stuck in the crack between the bricks.

At the same time, a figure suddenly attacked from behind, the short knife in the man's hand gleaming coldly.

This slash was cunning and ruthless, aimed straight at Ye Ci's neck.

At the same time, the man with the bow nocked another arrow, which shot out like a venomous snake, whistling through the air.

The man moved up and down, as if launching a combined attack.

Ye Ci paused slightly, his spine making a "crackling" sound like a dragon. His whole body rotated at an incredible angle, first dodging the flying arrows, then using the force of his spine to grab the arm of the attacker behind him and thrust it downwards.

boom!

The man's hand was pressed directly into the bluestone slab, which shattered with a piercing cracking sound.

whoosh-

Arrows came again.

Ignoring everything else, Ye Ci coiled around the pillar like a python, using the arm to arch and spring his body, his spine suddenly exerting force as he leaped away, and at the same time, he stomped hard on the forehead of the person on the ground.

Bang! ! !

The man slammed his entire body into the ground, creating a deep crater.

Ye Ci fell to the ground, then slammed his hand on the ground to regain his footing, coldly staring at the scene before him.

This series of counterattacks was dazzling.

He had long suspected that the "Miss Shen" in the alley was a fake.

Firstly, the Shen family has considerable hidden strength. Given the status of the two young ladies of the Shen family, they would never go out at night. Even if the kidnappers were incredibly bold, they wouldn't have the ability to enter the Shen family compound to arrest them.

Secondly, all I heard was their sinister laughter. Didn't that young lady have a mouth? Couldn't she call for help herself?

"Giggle—giggle—"

At this moment, the person who had been kicked to the ground slowly got up, making a sound like grinding his teeth.

This made Ye Ci feel that the scene was extremely strange.

The man suddenly crouched down, letting out a wild beast-like roar, followed by a series of sharp claws that dug two deep dents into the bluestone slab before lunging at him.

"court death!"

Ye Ci roared inwardly, advancing instead of retreating, his legs suddenly pushing off the ground, his body stretching out as he opened his right fist.

This punch, imbued with the force of the entire body and aided by the momentum of the movement, was thrown out like striking an anvil.

call--

A loud whooshing sound rang out as Ye Ci's punch slammed into the black shadow rushing towards his face, like hitting a fast-moving water buffalo, the impact feeling extremely elastic.

With a deafening roar, the man let out a strange howl and was sent flying like a cannonball.

It slammed heavily against the wall with a loud thud.

The next moment!

A short blade, gleaming with cold light, suddenly appeared behind Ye Ci's head. Ye Ci's entire body tensed up, and he turned slightly to the side, pulling with both hands to dissipate the force. However, he still felt a tremendous force coming from his hands, and his body involuntarily took two steps back.

A few stray hairs drifted in the air.

Ye Ci scanned his surroundings by the moonlight, his pupils contracting sharply. There were five people in front of him, plus the archer on the wall, making a total of six.

Judging from the two who had just exchanged blows, both possessed internal strength, but the strange man's strength seemed to be even greater than his own.

As the saying goes, even two fists can't beat four hands, let alone when there are so many opponents.

But Ye Ci calmly rolled up her sleeves, her face showing no sign of panic, instead a faint smile appeared on her lips:

"I don't know what merit or ability I have to have been ambushed by you."

"It's you?!"

One of the people in front of them exclaimed in surprise.

The archer on the wall cursed in a low voice, "It's that bastard! What a small world! Seventh Brother died at his hands!"

"Seventh brother?"

Before Ye Ci could speak, a series of thumping sounds came from the ground.

Two dark figures swung their swords from both sides, their robes fluttering, blocking Ye Ci's escape routes.

"Kill him."

A piercing voice came from the man who had made the strange "giggle" earlier. He darted across the ground like a gecko, heading straight for Ye Ci's lower body.

The others charged straight at him, while the archer waited for his chance, locking onto Ye Ci.

One against six.

If it were someone else, they would probably panic on the spot.

The moonlight was shattered into fragments, and the murderous aura pressed down so heavily that the blue bricks trembled slightly.

The moment the gust of wind hit his face, Ye Ci didn't retreat but advanced, his right foot slamming into the ground, his body shooting out like an arrow. His right hand darted out, precisely grabbing the wrist of the man on his left, twisting it with the opponent's force. A crisp crack rang out, the man's wrist bone shattered, and before he could even scream, he was kicked towards his accomplice attacking from the right.

whoosh-

The archer on the wall seized the opportunity and fired another arrow through the air, its sharp whistle aimed straight for the center of the forehead.

At the same time, a dark figure rushed towards him, its long sword aimed straight at Ye Ci's neck.

Without turning his head, Ye Ci took a step forward. The moment the two collided, Ye Ci groaned. Even though he dodged the blade, he still took a hit. But he used "Crossing the River and Embracing the Mountain" to grab the person in front of him around the waist and turn him around.

The arrow pierced the man's chest with a thud; his skin was tough, and the arrow's fletching was stuck in his ribs, still trembling.

There was a moment of silence.

Ye Ci slowly tossed the corpse aside, picked up the long sword the man had just used, and looked at the group:

"Your strength is stronger than Ming Jin (manifest strength), but weaker than An Jin (hidden strength)..."

"Attack together! Stop talking nonsense!"

The others roared, looking like madmen, their strength surging as they charged forward again.

Ye Ci lightly touched her chin, her eyes gradually turning cold.

After a brief struggle, he had figured out the details of the group. Individually, each of them was weaker than Jiang Ding'an, but they had the advantage of numbers and a well-organized offense and defense, which was why they dared to set up an ambush.

The only person we need to avoid for now is that strange man who made the first move.

Suddenly, Ye Ci's eyes narrowed, and he glanced at the archer on the wall, whose bowstring was half drawn.

If this hidden threat is not eliminated first, a prolonged battle could easily lead to unforeseen changes.

In a flash, Ye Ci spun around and unleashed a sharp gust of wind with his longsword, forcing back the two men who were rushing towards him.

Before the two could regain their footing, he lightly touched the ground with his toes, leaped up from the wall, and rushed towards the archer.

The archer on the wall was shocked to see this and hastily released the bowstring. The arrow grazed Ye Ci's ear, lifting a strand of hair.

Ye Ci was completely unaware. He was already close by, and with a slash of his long sword, the archer's head rolled off the wall.

Blood trickled down the cracks in the brickwork, staining half the wall red.

With a sword in hand, Ye Ci's combat power has increased to another level.

After dealing with the archers, Ye Ci landed on his feet and first stabbed the man on the far left in the abdomen with his sword. With a twist of his wrist, he pulled out the long sword, and blood splattered all over his body.

In no time, the six-man team was reduced to only two, one of whom was trembling with fear, wielding a short blade.

The other was that strange man, who still had strength left after being hit several times by Ye Ci. His eyes were filled with rage, and he made a hoarse, unpleasant sound:

"Alright, alright! I'm going to dismember you and eat your bones one by one with my drinks."

The speaker's tone was filled with anger and deep regret.

If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have chased after him. I should have spared his life and waited until he fell into a trap before we all attacked together.

The thought of his brother's death filled him with intense hatred.

The seven brothers had never suffered a major loss before. The first time they met this kid, he was only at the Ming Jin level. They tried to rob the escort agency's goods but were ambushed by this kid instead.

Now, they've taken on a mission to kill this guy named Ye Ci, but unexpectedly, they've lost even more men.

"A scholar should be viewed with new eyes after three days' absence. I didn't expect you to have such hidden strength. You are truly an extraordinary young man..."

His words were not praise, but rather a sign of jealousy.

The brothers paid a heavy price and used secret medicine to break through to the Dark Force realm, and I paid even more, so it's impossible for me to be at a disadvantage in the Dark Force realm.

The next moment, a series of soft, creaking sounds emanated from inside his body, and his entire body seemed to grow taller.

Ye Ci wouldn't waste words with him. With a "Splitting Mount Hua" strike, the blade flashed like a bolt of lightning, instantly striking and accurately aiming for his forehead.

The man blocked the blow by raising his arm.

This is the true defense of hidden strength. The skin is as tough as elephant hide, leaving only some superficial wounds, with blood slowly dripping down from the wounds.

"You think your knife is fast?"

A piercing sound drilled into Ye Ci's eardrums. The man gripped the back of the knife, not even bothering to make a move, and let out a sneer.

"Have you discovered how powerful my physical body is? You're surprised that this blade couldn't penetrate it? Heh heh... Since you're courting death, I won't hold back anymore."

"Noisy."

This time, Ye Ci finally spoke.

As he spoke, his aura suddenly changed.

The originally fierce aura surged like the deep sea, and a heavy, vast, and imposing pressure suddenly spread out.

He discarded his knife, raised his hand, and stomped his feet firmly on the ground. His palms faced each other, and the air around him suddenly stagnated.

"Embracing the Mountain Seal"

The two words were uttered softly, calmly and without any emotion, yet they carried an unparalleled suppressive force.

The man instinctively wanted to make a move, but in his pupils he saw a powerful palm slapping down from above!

Click!

The raised arm bent at an inverted ninety-degree angle like a tree branch.

In the blink of an eye, before the man could even react, he was slammed to the ground by the force.

The young man remained calm, a faint sneer playing on his lips, and clapped his hands again.

"What kind of strength is that?!"

The man cried out in alarm, making a piercing sound. His pride and joy lay in his bones, which were as strong as refined iron, yet they were shattered by this single blow.

At that moment, his mind went blank, and he only saw the young man in front of him raise his hand again.

He acted like an emperor, too lazy to even utter a single word.

It was just a direct, forceful shot.

boom--!!!

An immense and unparalleled power suddenly spread out, sweeping across all directions like a tidal wave.

The man's body suddenly stiffened. Under that mountain-like force, his bones shattered inch by inch, and even his screams were crushed in his throat. He died on the spot.

But in an instant.

Of the six men who were just moments ago so menacing, five lay dead in the alley, utterly silent, while the other collapsed to the ground in terror.

In an instant, he felt as if the entire long alley was shrouded by an invisible mountain.

There was no earth-shattering roar, no dazzling brilliance, only a terrifying sense of oppression.

Suffocating.

Ye Ci slowly withdrew his hands, his sleeves hanging down gently, his breathing steady, his face expressionless, and his voice icy:

"Tell me, how did you recognize me...?"

He looked at the last person, wondering who had ambushed him there.

-

P.S.: Tuesday's showdown, and I'm also asking for your monthly votes and recommendations.