Chapter 687: Brotherly Quarrel

After a day of recuperation, Lu Ye had fully recovered. Ye Liuli's recovery ability wasn't as astonishing as his, but she was finally out of danger.

The two were preparing to depart at dawn for Blade Sect Manor to exact revenge. While resting that night, Yi Yi, who was on alert nearby, spotted the figures of these cultivators. This led to the scene where Lu Ye brought Ye Liuli to confront them.

Their audacious appearance delighted the cultivators. They were aware of Ye Liu and Ye Liuli's cultivation levels: one was at the sixth level of the Cloud River realm, and the other had just entered it. Meanwhile, none of their own cultivation levels were inferior to the Ye siblings', so they didn't believe the siblings posed any threat. Upon spotting them, they all rose and charged towards them simultaneously.

"Take care of yourself."

Ye Liuli was still apprehensive when her sixth brother's voice sounded by her ear. Immediately after, she saw his figure turn into an afterimage, plunging into the enemy formation like a fierce tiger descending a mountain. Under the moonlight, a brilliant saber light streaked across the night sky like a meteor, and suddenly, a rain of blood began to fall. Screams followed.

Ye Liuli stared blankly at her sixth brother's figure, as if in a dream. Ye Ying, the master of Blade Sect Manor, had six sons and one daughter. All of them were exceptionally talented, true dragons among men. However, there was no consensus on which one possessed the highest talent. Among them, Ye Liu, in particular, had been traveling and adventuring outside for years since he was sixteen, only returning to Blade Sect Manor once or twice a year on average. So, even though Lu Ye was currently posing as Ye Liuli's sixth brother, Ye Liuli wasn't actually very clear about his true strength.

Earlier, in the cave, when Lu Ye suddenly attacked and killed a seventh-level body cultivator with three strikes, Ye Liuli already found it incredible. However, at the time, she didn't think too much of it, simply assuming her sixth brother had used some desperate secret technique. But now, it seemed that was simply her sixth brother's true capability, not some secret technique.

In her sight, her sixth brother advanced with his saber. Even facing four enemies whose cultivation was no weaker than his own, he showed no fear. With just one strike, he slew one of them with an unstoppable saber technique that looked somewhat similar to the Blade Sect's techniques, yet subtly different. No sooner had that thought crossed her mind than a second person screamed, their chest split open by a single saber strike. A clearly visible beating heart pulsed within the massive wound. Such an injury clearly meant they wouldn't live long.

As the saber light flickered, it enveloped the third person. Feeling an unspeakable pressure, that person's face turned ashen with terror, and their spiritual power felt somewhat stagnant. They had never encountered such a situation before. Although it was rumored that Blade Sect Manor's saber techniques were unparalleled and best at striking the strong with the weak, this level of performance was simply too exaggerated. Was this Ye Liu... still human?

The cultivation he displayed was indeed only the sixth level of the Cloud River realm, inferior to any of theirs. But under that long, dark saber that seemed to swallow even moonlight, they were like helpless chicks, merely waiting to be slaughtered, completely unable to fight back. The force transmitted through his spiritual power terrified him. The speed and angle of his opponent's strikes overwhelmed him. In just two brief breaths of engagement, the web between his thumb and forefinger had already split, and his spiritual power surged uncontrollably. "My life is over!"

Just as he was thinking this, the last remaining person gritted his teeth and lunged towards Ye Liuli. He was actually fortunate, having not yet been targeted by Lu Ye. Seeing Lu Ye's ferocity, he immediately realized they had encountered a formidable opponent. To survive, he could only capture Miss Ye Qi and hold her hostage, hoping for a sliver of life. If Ye Liu was so formidable, surely Ye Qi couldn't be equally capable, could she? It must be said that this person reacted very quickly. In such a desperate situation, he actually managed to find a good strategy to break the deadlock.

Seeing one of the enemies lunging towards her, Ye Liuli knew exactly what the opponent intended. She knew she was no match, but she also couldn't cause trouble for her sixth brother. So, without hesitation, she turned and ran.

Just then, a golden arc slashed over from the side. Ye Liuli turned her head and saw Yi Yi standing there, spiritual energy surging between her two fair hands. As the spiritual energy surged, golden arcs shot out like shooting stars chasing the moon.

"Sister-in-law!" Ye Liuli exclaimed with delight. When she had followed Lu Ye over earlier, Yi Yi hadn't shown herself because Yi Yi had been monitoring the area, maintaining constant contact with Lu Ye. Now, seeing Yi Yi, she quickly rushed towards her.

That single call of "sister-in-law" completely flustered Yi Yi, making her gasp. The spell in her hand suddenly collapsed. Even Lu Ye, on the other side, suddenly slowed his saber technique. Had he misheard something?

"Roar!" A tiger's roar echoed through the forest as Amber's mighty body darted out from the side. The cultivator, already in a desperate state from Yi Yi's spell, now found his mind reeling and his qi and blood churning from Amber's roar. By the time he recovered his senses, he had already been tackled to the ground by Amber. A massive tiger head was looking down at him, its eyes gleaming with a soul-capturing light.

The Soul-Capturing Roar was Amber's innate ability. It had helped Lu Ye a lot when he was in the Spirit Creek realm, and now, as Amber's strength grew, its power had also increased significantly. Even though this person was at the sixth level of the Cloud River realm, Amber's roar left him utterly disoriented.

He still wanted to resist, but a figure slowly appeared in his vision, holding a blood-stained long saber. The figure gave it a gentle flick and returned it to its sheath. There were no sounds of fighting or screams nearby; the battle had ended.

The cultivator was horrified, realizing his three companions had been completely slain. Young Master Ye Liu's strength far exceeded everyone's imagination; such strength was comparable even to someone at the ninth level of the Cloud River realm. "Young Master Liu, spare my life!"

He was the fish, and Lu Ye was the butcher. The man begged for mercy swiftly and without hesitation. Under the night sky, Lu Ye looked down at the cultivator before him, his tone calm: "If you want to live, prove your worth."

"Young Master Liu, whatever you wish to ask, Xu will tell you everything he knows; I only ask that you spare my life." This person was quite astute, knowing that he hadn't died not because Lu Ye couldn't kill him, but because he was being kept alive to be questioned. This was evident from his earlier attempt to capture Ye Liuli when he saw the situation turn dire.

"However, words alone are not enough. Young Master Liu must make a Heart Demon Vow." This person naturally couldn't trust Lu Ye's verbal promise. There was no "Heavenly Secret Vow" in the Dragon Ascent realm, but a Heart Demon Vow was a similar concept; while its binding power wasn't too strong, it was better than nothing. "If Young Master Liu is unwilling, then kill me," he finished speaking, closing his eyes and adopting a posture of resignation to death. His attitude contained both softness and firmness. It must be said that his reaction to the crisis was sufficient. However, from his uneasy and apprehensive expression, it was clear that he wasn't as composed as he appeared.

"Alright!" Lu Ye didn't waste words; he immediately made the Heart Demon Vow. "Now, can you speak?" The cultivator surnamed Xu didn't expect Lu Ye to be so straightforward; for a moment, he was somewhat unprepared. But Lu Ye had indeed made the Heart Demon Vow, and if he hesitated any longer now, he would surely be cut down. "What would Young Master Liu like to ask?"

"Tell me everything you know." A moment later, Lu Ye's expression remained calm. In contrast, Ye Liuli looked incredulous, as if unable to accept the information she had heard, shaking her head repeatedly: "That's impossible, how could something like this happen?" Yi Yi gently put her arm around Ye Liuli's shoulder.

"That's all I know," the cultivator surnamed Xu said, looking nervously at Lu Ye. Lu Ye nodded: "Then be on your way." "Huh?" The cultivator surnamed Xu realized something was wrong. Then a flash of saber light crossed his vision, and his consciousness faded completely. Lu Ye sheathed his saber, his expression calm. The Heart Demon Vow made by Ye Liu had nothing to do with him, Lu Yiye.

Ye Liuli was softly sobbing, and Yi Yi comforted her. Lu Ye stood rooted, lost in thought.

The last time he entered the Myriad Beast Domain secret realm, Xia Qianqian had told him that events in such secret realms were usually re-enactments of past occurrences, recreated by means they couldn't comprehend. Therefore, the people they encountered in the secret realm might not be living beings, but merely shadows of a past era, which outsiders like them couldn't discern.

Furthermore, cultivators typically entered such secret realms at a point when a major event was unfolding in that world. Lu Ye had initially thought that the massacre of Blade Sect Manor would trigger some extraordinary events, perhaps affecting the overall structure of the Dragon Ascent realm. However, after hearing the cultivator Xu's account, he realized he had overthought it. If things were truly as the cultivator Xu said, then the downfall of Blade Sect Manor was merely a drama of fraternal strife. Such an event was clearly not a major affair for an entire realm. Although a bit melodramatic, human nature is complex, and such things are bound to happen.

While Blade Sect Manor was founded by Ye Ying, it also had a second master. That second master was none other than Ye Ying's half-brother, Ye Xiong. In terms of status, he was Ye Liu's second uncle, and a paternal one at that. Among the information Lu Ye received when he entered the secret realm were some basic details about this "convenient" second uncle. However, because Ye Liu was away from Blade Sect Manor for most of the year, he didn't know much about this "convenient" second uncle. From what he remembered, the man was a dignified middle-aged male.

Ye Ying had once married a woman named Guo, but she passed away three months after giving birth to Ye Liuli. For all these years, Ye Ying had not remarried. Unlike the deep affection between Ye Ying and his late wife, Ye Xiong had a multitude of wives and concubines. The two brothers not only had a stark contrast in their views on marriage, but also in their offspring. Ye Ying married only once, yet had six sons and one daughter. Ye Xiong, despite having many wives and concubines, only had one son over the years, who was born with a congenital illness and was frail. The relationship between the two brothers wasn't particularly good, but it wasn't bad either. Lu Ye truly couldn't figure out what reason could have led to such fraternal strife.