A ruthless bandit from the celestial realm, he began his cultivation journey after kidnapping the Em

Tianling Peak, Cave No. 20.

Ye Chen suddenly opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them. The surging, violent spiritual energy around him gradually subsided and returned to calm within his dantian...

With each breath, his aura became even more profound than before.

"call..."

Ye Chen exhaled a breath of stale air, feeling the changes in the spiritual energy within his body, and a hint of joy flashed through his heart.

Although he hasn't yet reached the Foundation Establishment stage, his cultivation has improved significantly. Now, even if he encounters a cultivator at the peak of Foundation Establishment, he's confident he can defeat them without using his immortal sword...

"Gurgle!"

At that moment, his stomach started growling.

Ye Chen rubbed his stomach, only then realizing that it was completely dark outside the window, and everything was pitch black...

"strangeness..."

"It's so late, why hasn't that girl come back yet?"

He muttered in confusion.

Usually, he and Lin Ningxue would leave the herb garden around dusk and return to their cave before nightfall.

"Could something have happened?"

"Could it be... that they've found out we were diluting the morning dew with water?"

A flicker of worry crossed Ye Chen's mind, and he immediately got up and walked outside...

"Boom!"

The stone door to the cave slowly opened...

Ye Chen strode out, glanced at the tightly closed gate of the neighboring courtyard, and confirmed that Lin Ningxue had not yet returned.

"This girl doesn't have many friends in the sect, so it's impossible for her to be held back..."

He frowned slightly and walked towards the herb garden at the mountaintop...

In the darkness of night, the steps leading up the mountain were so dark that they were almost invisible, and there wasn't a soul in sight along the way; it was eerie and frightening.

As the wind blew, the dense forest around them rustled, and the swaying shadows of the trees resembled ghosts...

Ye Chen grew up in the mountains and was used to robbing and pillaging in the wilderness. Such a scene didn't frighten him at all; his only concern was Lin Ningxue's safety...

"If it's just punishment from the elders of the Spirit Herb Garden, that's fine, but if it's..."

While walking in a secluded spot, a cry for help suddenly came from the nearby woods...

"Help..."

"Let me go..."

Ye Chen stopped in his tracks, turned sharply in the direction of the sound, and his face darkened...

He knew that voice all too well!

With a light tap of his toes, he dashed into the nearby woods in a few strides...

As they drew closer, the shouts grew clearer, and a glimmer of light appeared ahead...

Lin Ningxue was tied to a tree trunk, and five young men dressed in outer sect uniforms stood in front of her, staring intently at her...

The young man leading the group had a sleazy appearance, and in the firelight, his face was clearly covered in poison, making him look rather frightening...

"Junior Sister Lin, don't waste your energy. No disciples will be wandering around the mountain right now. Even if you scream your lungs out, no one will come to save you..."

"Blame it on you for getting too close to that kid Xu Xiao. He injured Senior Brother Long, and we'll settle this score with you..."

"Don't worry, we're only after your virtue, not your life. If you cooperate, we'll let you go after we're done..."

The lewd-looking young man grinned wickedly, then walked towards Lin Ningxue, his hands already itching to grab something...

Upon hearing this, Lin Ningxue turned pale with fright, her heart filled with panic, and she hurriedly cried out for mercy.

"No...don't..."

"Waaaah, you can't do this! Senior brother won't let you get away with this..."

"What you've done violates the clan rules and will be punished by the Enforcement Hall!"

Upon hearing this, the sleazy young man sneered disdainfully.

"Do you know who Senior Brother Long's grandfather is? He's Elder Long, who's in charge of the Enforcement Hall..."

"Do you think the Enforcement Hall will still stand up for you if they find out about this?"

"Junior Sister Lin, I advise you to be sensible. Let your senior brother have his fun, and then nothing will happen..."

The reason they dared to bully Lin Ningxue at Long Aotian's instigation was undoubtedly because they relied on Long Xingyu, who was in charge of the Enforcement Hall, to act so recklessly...

They believe that no matter how big a mistake they make, someone will bail them out, so what is there to be afraid of?

Just as the lewd young man's hand was about to touch the milky-white skin, a sudden gust of wind swept in from the side...

"Who?"

The sleazy young man, who was at the ninth level of Qi Refining, immediately sensed something was wrong, quickly turned his head to look, and shouted sharply.

"Your grandfather..."

The moment the sound came, a fist the size of a sandbag slammed into his face...

"Bang!"

Before the sleazy young man could react, he fell backward to the ground, unconscious...

"Senior brother...you've arrived!"

Lin Ningxue was terrified. When she saw Ye Chen suddenly appear, she burst into tears, her face streaked with tears of grievance...

My heart immediately calmed down...

"Don't be afraid, it's alright now..."

Ye Chen turned to look at her and gently comforted her.

After all, it was because of him that Lin Ningxue was bullied, so he bears some responsibility...

"Uh-huh..."

Lin Ningxue nodded, tears streaming down her face, sniffling, but the tears still wouldn't stop...

Upon seeing this, the four outer disciples standing to the side all turned their gazes to Ye Chen, their expressions immediately showing some apprehension...

"You're Xu Xiao?"

"Kid, don't be so arrogant. If you offend Senior Brother Long, you'll regret it..."

"Let's all go together and teach him a lesson!"

None of them knew what had happened on Tianling Peak that day; otherwise, they would never have had the courage to threaten to teach Ye Chen a lesson...

These four outer disciples were all at the seventh or eighth level of Qi Refining. Accustomed to swaggering around the outer sect with Long Aotian, they completely disregarded Ye Chen, believing they could easily overpower him together...

"Really?"

"I'd like to see what you bunch of losers are capable of..."

Ye Chen narrowed his eyes, looked at the outer disciples in front of him, and said with a disdainful expression.

Even before he embarked on cultivation, he could easily deal with disciples at the eighth level of Qi Refining, let alone now...

"Xu Xiao, what the hell are you so arrogant about..."

"You think we'll be afraid of you just because you use underhanded tactics?"

"Since you've delivered yourself to our doorstep, don't blame us for being ruthless..."

"Let's go together..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the four outer disciples pounced on Ye Chen almost simultaneously...

Their seemingly fierce attacks were full of flaws in Ye Chen's eyes.

"With you?"

Ye Chen snorted coldly and charged forward in one stride...

Before one of them could react, he threw a punch with incredible speed, almost with all his might, creating a gust of wind...

"Bang!"

"puff..."

The disciple was sent flying by a single punch, spitting blood mid-air before crashing into a nearby haystack. He twitched a few times and then fell still...

Upon seeing this, the other three's expressions changed drastically; their eyes widened suddenly, and a chill ran down their spines...

"You...you're going to kill me?"