Volume One: The Dragon Rises from the Wilderness Chapter 129: Qi Gate Island

At that very moment, a sword beam spiraled through the air and pierced into Tao Feng’s chest with a soft thud. He staggered back a few steps, yet he continued to laugh uncontrollably—

"Hahaha..."

The middle-aged man spun around abruptly. Exhausted of his magical energy, he grabbed a talisman, intending to unleash a final strike. But before he could activate it, his head exploded with a bang. He slumped to the ground, a short sword still embedded in his back.

"Brother Tao—"

Yu Ye, having successfully struck with his sword energy, saw that Tao Feng was gravely wounded and moved to check on him, only to hear a sharp cry from elsewhere—

"Ah—"

Twenty or thirty paces away, Yu Xin and the others were locked in a desperate struggle with the Qizhou cultivators. Deprived of Tao Feng’s assistance, he, He Qingnian, An Yunsheng, Luo Chen, and Meng Qingqing were no match for the three Qizhou opponents. In a moment of distraction, Meng Qingqing collapsed to the ground. Seizing the opportunity, the enemies broke free from the encirclement; one charged toward Yu Xin, one intercepted He Qingnian, An Yunsheng, and Luo Chen, while the third drove his flying sword toward the Chen family disciples.

The sword light, fast as lightning, plunged into the crowd. In an instant, flesh flew, and cries of agony erupted.

Yu Ye had no time to attend to Tao Feng. He grabbed a talisman, his body transforming into a blur of wind as he surged through the rain and mist.

The one attacking the Chen family disciples was a burly man. Just as he was driving his sword to slaughter the defenseless, a shadow of wind slammed into him with tremendous force. He was sent flying, his torso exploding mid-air, spraying gore that stained the wind and rain. The wind shadow came to a sudden halt, and before Yu Ye could assess the casualties among the Chen disciples, two more screams rang out.

Yu Xin and Luo Chen fell one after the other. Only He Qingnian and An Yunsheng remained, struggling to hold off two Qizhou cultivators, but they were in total disarray and surrounded by peril.

Yu Ye was frantic, but he could not be in two places at once. He activated another Wind-Walking Talisman and charged forward recklessly.

One of the men swung his sword toward An Yunsheng. An Yunsheng raised his own blade to block, but with a crack, his short sword was knocked from his hand. He hurriedly activated two Li-Fire Talismans, but as the flames erupted, the fierce sword light struck again. Forced to draw a long sword, he felt the blade snap with a clang; his arm went numb from the shock, and he stumbled. Suddenly, a flash of light appeared—his limbs were bound by magical force. Just as despair took hold, a green dragon shadow materialized, blocking the sword light. The man who had been closing in fell to the ground, a bloody hole in the center of his forehead spewing filth.

In that same instant, the dragon shadow vanished, and a figure emerged from the rain: it was the stumbling, battered Yu Ye.

He Qingnian shouted, "The villain is escaping!"

The man who had been fighting He Qingnian was formidable, but seeing his companions fall one by one had sapped his will to fight. Noticing Yu Ye’s arrival, he turned and fled into the distance.

"Chase him!"

Yu Ye roared, his body swaying.

Someone stepped forward to support him—it was Yu Xin, blood staining the corner of his mouth, looking equally unstable.

"Are you badly hurt?"

"We must finish off the evildoers—"

He Qingnian arrived, anxious, and urged, "Quick, chase him!"

Yu Ye handed two Wind-Walking Talismans to them and pressed one onto himself. Each of them leapt from the ground, turning into a gust of wind as they gave chase.

The Qizhou cultivator fled toward a patch of woods at the foot of the mountain, about a hundred paces from the beach. In a blink, he had plunged into the trees. At the edge of the woods, where the mountain met the ground, stood a hidden cave entrance sealed by a wooden door. He scrambled to push it open, shouting, "Miao Qi..."

Whether he was calling for help or warning his companion to flee, he had barely uttered the name when a bloody hole burst open in his back. It was a grievous wound, though not immediately fatal. Two figures, fast as a gale, lunged forward, and with two swift strikes, they cut him down.

A sturdy man jumped out, roaring in anger, "Who dares to act so recklessly here..."

Yu Xin and He Qingnian, having revealed themselves, didn't waste a word and swung their swords.

The man raised his hand, unleashing a sword beam that sent Yu Xin and He Qingnian flying backward with a crash. He was yet another master of the eighth or ninth level of Qi Refining; even their combined strength could barely withstand his brutal strike.

Yu Ye, also emerging, pressed the attack, pinching a sword seal and flicking his finger.

To his dismay, he flicked his finger repeatedly, but nothing happened. His inner magical energy was all but depleted; he could not conjure another thread of sword energy.

The man was now inches away, swinging his sword down upon him.

Yu Ye dared not retreat. He slapped two Dragon-Subduing Talismans forward, then spent his very last ounce of energy, forming a seal with both hands and shouting, "Bind!"

Before the man’s sword could strike, he was suddenly enveloped in light and his momentum faltered.

Yu Xin and He Qingnian, still rolling on the ground and vomiting blood, scrambled up and lunged forward like madmen.

Yu Ye reached out and drew his green steel longsword.

Amidst the flickering light, the man had already fallen to the ground, yet the two of them continued to hack away frantically, blood splattering everywhere...

Yu Ye’s legs gave way. He propped himself up with his sword, fell to one knee, and gasped for air.

A moment later, Yu Xin and He Qingnian finally stopped, both covered in grime and blood, collapsing to the ground.

As for the Qizhou man, he was already a mangled, unrecognizable heap of flesh.

Just then, a frantic cry for help rang out—

"Benefactors, help us..."

***

The location was a mountain cave.

By the light of the torches on the stone walls, one could see the cave was filled with cluttered items on one side, while a wooden fence partitioned the other. More than twenty people were crammed behind the fence—men and women, old and young. A middle-aged man was calling for help through the bars, while the others gestured expectantly.

Yu Xin and He Qingnian exchanged glances, then looked at Yu Ye.

Yu Ye, clutching his longsword, struggled to stand, but he merely shook his head, saying nothing.

Yu Xin and He Qingnian traded looks again, helped each other up, and surveyed the crowd behind the fence. "Why are you all here?" they asked.

The middle-aged man replied hurriedly, "I am a boatman from the State of Wei. We were heading to the State of Qi when these villains hijacked us and brought us here two days ago. I thought we were dead for sure, but then we met you three noble souls..."

"How many villains are there?"

"Seven."

"Are you all from the State of Wei?"

"We were all passengers on the same boat..."

Yu Ye turned and walked outside.

He was worried that other villains or experts might be hiding in the cave. Now, he didn't have a shred of energy left; he couldn't even handle a common thug. Having unleashed nine sword beams in succession, he had exhausted everything.

Outside, the rain was still falling.

Yu Ye sat on a stone beside the cave entrance, holding his longsword, leaning his back against the rock wall, and slowly closed his eyes. The cold rain lashed his face and soaked his clothes, but he felt nothing, his heart trembling slightly.

It was the exhaustion of battle, the biting chill of the winter rain. Perhaps it was the fear of being helpless, the powerlessness in the face of life and death...

"Rumble—"

A clap of thunder rolled into the distance.

Yu Ye looked up at the sky.

Winter thunder?

An ominous sign.

The elders in his village used to say: *When winter thunder rolls, nothing grows; great wars will break out, and thieves will run rampant.*

And in the grey sky, a patch of red clouds suddenly appeared...

No, it was a red oil-paper umbrella.

Yu Ye was startled.

Yu Xin and He Qingnian had smashed the fence and released the captives.

At this moment, a woman walked out of the cave, holding the red umbrella, and stood still, staring intently at him.

A woman?

She wore a red, rough-cloth dress, her black hair tied back with a red ribbon. She looked to be about twenty-five or twenty-six, her appearance refined and poised.

Yu Ye couldn't help but tighten his grip on his sword.

The woman, however, smiled sweetly, swayed her waist, took a light step, and walked away gracefully.

Not only were her umbrella, dress, and ribbon red, but the embroidered shoes on her feet were red as well...

Yu Ye shook his head.

Though the woman's appearance and attire were eye-catching, she was ultimately just an ordinary woman. It was fortunate they had rescued her, otherwise, she would not have escaped the villains' clutches.

More people streamed out of the cave.

Yu Xin and He Qingnian emerged as well; one was limping with a leg injury, the other’s clothes were rags, his face haggard. Both were covered in mud and blood.

"According to the boatman, he lost two of his crew. If not for you and us today, many more would have died."

"The boat captain offered us gold and silver as a reward, but we refused. Once he retrieves the stolen goods and recovers a bit, he will set sail for the State of Qi..."

Having faced such strong enemies, these two, who used to only know how to boast, had shown remarkable ferocity, even teaming up to take down the last enemy in a moment of crisis. The other sect disciples had also been equally fearless, leaving Yu Ye with a sense of shock and nascent respect.

"I wonder if Brother Tao, Luo Chen, and Qingqing are all right, and how the Chen family fared."

"Brother Yu, let us go back and take a look!"

Yu Ye leaned on his sword and stood up, following Yu Xin and He Qingnian back.

***

Passing through the woods and a slope, they reached the beach.

The long-raging, bitter wind and rain were finally subsiding.

The group of people who had just escaped their cage were heading toward the large ship on their left. On the beach to the right, however, it was a scene of bloody carnage.

The Chen family disciples were gathered together, busy tending to the wounded; An Yunsheng and Luo Chen stood side by side, both looking utterly heartbroken...

Yu Xin and He Qingnian’s expressions shifted, and they rushed over.

Yu Ye, too weak to run, followed with heavy, faltering steps.

In the pool of blood before An Yunsheng and Luo Chen lay a corpse.

A bloody hole had burst open in the corpse's shoulder, and the hilt of a sword protruded from its back. It was that Foundation Establishment expert, now long dead.

A few feet away knelt another person—it was Tao Feng. A short sword was plunged into his chest, his head held high, eyes wide, and mouth twisted in a grin, but he, too, had departed this world.

"Brother Tao—"

Yu Xin let out a low, trembling cry.

He Qingnian fell to his knees with a thud and laughed bitterly, "Heh, Brother Tao, you and I hadn't even finished wandering the world, and you’ve gone and left a step ahead..."

Yu Ye arrived at the scene, staring blankly. He propped his sword on the ground and let out a silent sigh.

An Yunsheng’s eyes were red, his grief wordless.

Luo Chen had an injury on his shoulder, though it seemed manageable. He gritted his teeth and whispered, "Brother Yu, I fear Qingqing cannot hold on much longer..."

"What!"

Yu Xin turned to look.

Under a reef ten paces away sat a withered-looking woman; it was Meng Qingqing.

"Qingqing—"

Yu Xin turned and ran toward her, calling out, "Yu Ye—"

Yu Ye caught his breath and slowly moved his feet.

Meng Qingqing slumped on the ground, a large patch of blood seeping from her abdomen. Her face was filled with despair as she said through tears, "Senior brother... my Qi sea is shattered, my cultivation is all gone..."

"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter—"

Yu Xin arrived at her side in a few steps, leaning down to comfort her. "We can cultivate again another day. What matters now is treating your wounds..."

"There's no need!"

Meng Qingqing shook her head and gestured with her hand. "Yu Ye, this is for you—"

Yu Ye, still several paces away, hurried his steps.

He saw Meng Qingqing holding a grass-woven insect in one hand, while with the other, she brushed back the messy hair from her cheek. She smiled through her tears: "Yu Ye, do you remember the 'Ten Miles of Mist and Rain' I gave you? A hundred years of mortal dreams broken, ten miles of mist and rain for a lifetime, the Green Phoenix spreads its wings to the nine heavens, the clear breeze departs..."

He remembered the last line was supposed to be *the clear breeze departs for ten thousand miles.* But before the word "ten thousand" could leave her lips, a thread of blood spilled from her mouth. She collapsed softly, a smile of tragic relief on her face.

"Qingqing, Qingqing—"

Yu Xin grabbed her pulse and cried out, "You foolish girl, you severed your own heart meridian..."

Yu Ye’s body froze in place.

Severing one's own heart meridian—what did that mean?

Death!

Meng Qingqing would rather die than lose her cultivation...

At that moment, he heard Ah Hu shouting, "Daoist Guiyuan, Daoist Guiyuan—"

Yu Ye’s heart lurched. His body swayed, and he forced himself to move, stumbling toward the sound. A moment later, he felt as if struck by lightning. He fell to the ground with a thud, his hands gripping his sword tightly, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Ah Hu and the others were lifting a blood-soaked elder from the mud...