The Martial Saint Started from Scavenging

"Brother!"

Ye Sheng stared into Ye Kai's pitch-black eyes, his heart trembling violently. He could feel a pure, destructive power awakening wildly within Ye Kai's body. That power was cold and violent, seemingly intent on devouring everything.

"roar!"

Ye Kai let out another low roar, and he suddenly leaped up from the ground with unimaginable speed, grabbing Ye Sheng by the neck.

The originally thin hand now contained terrifying power, choking Ye Sheng so hard he almost suffocated.

"Brother! It's me! It's me, the older brother!"

Ye Sheng shouted with difficulty. He did not resist, but used all his strength to try to awaken his younger brother's consciousness.

But in Ye Kai's dark eyes, there was no emotion, only chaos and madness. He tightened his grip, his nails digging deep into Ye Sheng's flesh.

Ye Sheng felt his consciousness beginning to blur. The internal energy in his dantian was utterly powerless against that violent black energy.

Am I really going to die at the hands of my own brother?

Do not!

A resolute glint flashed in Ye Sheng's eyes. He couldn't die! He suddenly raised his hand, but instead of attacking Ye Kai, he slammed his palm onto the top of his head.

"puff!"

He forcibly reversed his internal energy, forcing out a mouthful of blood, which he sprayed onto Ye Kai's face. The warm blood, carrying the scent of Ye Sheng's closest relative, splattered on Ye Kai's face.

Ye Kai's body trembled violently, and a trace of struggle and pain flashed in his dark eyes.

"elder brother……"

A series of broken, indistinct sounds came from his throat.

it works!

Ye Sheng was overjoyed. He endured the excruciating pain caused by the reversal of his internal energy and shouted hoarsely again, "Brother! Wake up! Look at me!"

He reached out, wanting to touch Ye Kai's face.

But at that moment, the black energy within Ye Kai's body surged wildly once more. He let out an even more piercing roar, and with a sudden tightening of his grip on Ye Sheng's neck, he lifted the latter up completely.

At this moment, Ye Sheng's feet were off the ground, his breathing was completely cut off, and his face turned as red as a pig's liver.

Just when he thought he was about to die, another unexpected event occurred.

Suddenly, Ye Kai's body began to tremble violently, like a leaf. He loosened his grip on Ye Sheng's hand, then clutched his head, rolling on the ground in agony, letting out a wild howl.

The black energy beneath his skin surged wildly like boiling water, threatening to burst his body. And in his pitch-black eyes, the blackness was slowly fading, replaced by endless pain and confusion.

"Brother...save me...it hurts so much..."

Ye Sheng got up from the ground, clutching his neck, and looked at his younger brother rolling on the ground, his heart breaking.

He guessed that this must be a sign of the backlash from the Dao Calamity Body. Ye Kai's body was about to be unable to withstand that enormous Yin energy, and he had to find the ingredients to refine the Soul-Soothing Powder as soon as possible!

Ye Sheng silently recited in his heart: "A hundred-year-old rotten wood heart, three leaves of tranquil flower."

Then, he stood up, carried Ye Kai, who was still struggling in pain, on his back, and casually tore off a vine from the side to secure it firmly.

"Little brother, hang in there! I'll take you to find some medicinal herbs right now!"

He muttered to himself, channeling his inner energy to its limit. He then unleashed the Blood Shadow Step, transforming into a blur as he rushed out of the cave and quickly disappeared into the vast night.

He had to get to Qingyun City as soon as possible, because only there could he possibly find these two rare spiritual plants.

……

Three days later. Deep within Black Wind Ridge.

This is a continuous mountain range with steep slopes and dense forests.

It is said that a vicious band of bandits known as "Black Wind Stronghold" is entrenched here, specializing in intercepting and killing passing merchants and travelers, and even the government can't do anything about them.

At this moment, Ye Sheng carried Ye Kai Shen on his back, walking unsteadily along the rugged mountain path. He had barely slept for the past three days.

Ye Kai's condition fluctuated, sometimes lucid, sometimes succumbing to madness. Each time he had an episode, Ye Sheng could only use his own heart's blood to temporarily revive him.

Therefore, in just three days, Ye Qi suffered severe blood and qi depletion, his face turning as pale as paper. He knew very well that if he continued like this, he would not last long and had to cross Black Wind Ridge and reach Qingyun City as soon as possible.

Just as he crossed a hill and was about to find a place to rest, he suddenly heard the sound of weapons clashing in the woods ahead, mixed with a woman's screams and a man's screams.

Ye Sheng's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately hid behind a rock, peeking out cautiously. He saw a bloody battle raging in the open space ahead.

On one side were a dozen or so guards dressed in caravan attire, who were forming a defensive formation around a magnificent carriage, struggling to hold them off.

On the other side were thirty or forty bandits wielding gleaming steel knives, each one looking fierce and menacing, who were frantically attacking the caravan's defenses.

Although the caravan guards were well-trained, they were outnumbered and several had already fallen, and the defensive line was on the verge of collapse.

"Young Miss! Run!"

A middle-aged man who appeared to be the leader of the guards shouted loudly at the carriage after forcing a bandit back with a single slash.

The carriage curtain was lifted, and a girl of about fifteen or sixteen years old, dressed in a pale yellow dress, peeked out. The girl was extremely beautiful, with skin as white as snow, and her almond-shaped eyes were now filled with fear and panic.

"Uncle Li! I...I'm not leaving! If we're leaving, we'll leave together!"

"Foolish!" the guard leader roared. "It doesn't matter if we die, but if something happens to you, how are we supposed to explain to the master!"

"Hahaha! You think you can leave? Nobody's leaving today!"

A bandit leader with a fierce face and carrying a large, grotesque knife walked out, laughing wildly.

"Kill all the men, but spare the women! This chick's pretty; she'll give the brothers some fun!"

"Shameless bandits!" The guard leader was so angry that his eyes were bloodshot, and he swung his knife at the bandit leader.

"Hmph, overestimating yourself!"

The bandit leader sneered, raised his large, ghost-headed sword, and charged forward.

With a loud "clang!", the long sword in the guard leader's hand was cleaved in two. The bandit leader then kicked him to the ground and beheaded him.

"Uncle Li!"

The girl let out a piercing scream and fainted from fright. Seeing their leader killed, the remaining guards completely lost their will to fight, threw down their weapons, and knelt down to beg for mercy.

"Hahaha! Men, charge! The money and the women are all ours!"

The bandit leader laughed wildly, yanked open the carriage curtain, and was about to drag the unconscious girl out.

Behind the rock, Ye Sheng watched this scene with a furrowed brow. He hadn't wanted to meddle, but when he saw the girl's beautiful eyes, he was stunned.

He recognized those eyes. Though they had only met once, he remembered them clearly; they were the eyes of the stall owner who had bought his spirit stone fragments from the ghost market and given him the ghost market bronze token.

No, that's not right. It's not the stall owner; the stall owner is a man. But they do share a seven or eight-point resemblance in their features.

Moreover, based on Ye Sheng's innate perception through his scavenging skills, he felt that both of them possessed a unique aura, a pure and refreshing aura that one would acquire from long-term contact with high-grade spiritual materials and pills.

Could they be father and daughter? Or is there some other relationship? Countless thoughts flashed through Ye Sheng's mind in an instant.

To save or not to save?

Rescuing him is too risky; it's almost certain death. If he dies, his younger brother on his back won't survive either.

If we don't help, are we just going to stand by and watch that girl be violated by these beasts?

Suddenly, Ye Sheng thought of the two main ingredients in the formula for the Soul-Soothing Powder: the heartwood of a hundred-year-old rotten tree and the three-leaf tranquil flower, both of which are rare spiritual plants.

As a powerless and reclusive man hunted by the Blood Pact Merchant Guild, even if he did arrive in Qingyun City, how would he find his way around in such an unfamiliar place? The girl in front of him, however, might be able to help him.

Risk always coexists with opportunity.

This risk is worth taking!

"Damn it! Let's give it our all!"

Ye Sheng cursed under his breath, the struggle and hesitation in his eyes instantly replaced by a resolute determination.

He gently removed Ye Kai, who had fallen asleep on his back, and let him lean against a rock, then covered him with several large blades of grass.

Today, he's going to start a killing spree!