Chapter 84: Strong and Assertive

Chapter 84: Forceful Stance

"What arrogance!" The two cultivators from the Li family looked upset. "Are you... are you trying to instigate a war between sects?"

"A war between sects? Are you even worthy? You're probably not even in the same league," the knight, fully clad in armor, spoke coldly.

"Good! Good! Good! You certainly have spirit, but we'll see if you can leave Yan land!" The two Li family cultivators' faces darkened, their eyes flashing with cold light. Their minds raced as they prepared to provoke the wrath of the Misty Cloud Cavern elders.

"Do you think you can keep us in Yan land?" The knight sneered, "Even if a hundred thousand of you 'small fry' came, it wouldn't be enough."

"You..." The Li family cultivators felt deeply humiliated but were also shocked, sensing that their opponents must indeed be from a powerful background to dare speak so arrogantly. Yet, with no retreat, they had to bind the Li family to the Misty Cloud Cavern to have any hope of defeating their foes. Gritting their teeth, they said, "Since you don't show the Misty Cloud Cavern any respect, I will report this truthfully. The elders of our sect will naturally make you understand your place!"

"You're not worthy!" The knight merely took a powerful step forward, without truly striking. The two Li family members flew backward like scarecrows, slamming heavily into the wall. Their bones audibly cracked, and blood poured from their mouths, noses, and ears simultaneously.

"You..." More than half of their bones were shattered, and they clung to the wall like broken ragdolls, their eyes filled with terror.

At Jiang Yifei's signal, the knight did not deliver a killing blow, as there were still questions for the two men.

"Were Tingting's parents harmed by you?" Jiang Yifei's words remained calm, but to the Li family members, they resonated like thunder. The serene man in white before them felt as vast as a mountain, something they had to look up to.

"We'll tell you..."

"Who is so arrogant as to disregard even my Misty Cloud Cavern?" Just then, a middle-aged man strode into the front courtyard. Upon seeing over a dozen exotic beasts, his expression changed. "What is your purpose here, and why are you harming my Misty Cloud disciples?"

"Just eliminating evil," a knight stepped forward, blocking his path.

"What do you mean? Is my Misty Cloud Cavern considered 'evil'?" the middle-aged man demanded.

The knight responded coldly, "Whether the Misty Cloud Cavern is a great evil, I do not know. But these two are undeniably villains who took human lives."

"That's just your side of the story. How can you act so rashly before the matter has been thoroughly investigated? Furthermore, these are disciples of my Misty Cloud Cavern. If they have erred, it is naturally for us to handle, not outsiders like yourselves."

Jiang Yifei's expression was calm, but his words were chilling. "They have committed evil for many years, yet your Misty Cloud Cavern has not dealt with them. Now you even try to exonerate and protect them. It seems I truly need to visit the Misty Cloud Cavern myself to seek an explanation."

"What arrogance! What do you take my Misty Cloud Cavern for? Some words carry a price." The middle-aged man stared coldly at the people in front of him.

Jiang Yifei sneered faintly, "Is the Misty Cloud Cavern very powerful? Unfortunately, I've never heard of it. I'll certainly have to experience it for myself soon."

"You are truly arrogant!" the middle-aged man said coldly. "The Misty Cloud Cavern is one of the six great sects of Yan land. If you insist on causing trouble, a war between our sects will be inevitable!"

Jiang Yifei shook his head. "The Eastern Wasteland is vast and boundless, with countless nations. This small Yan kingdom is merely a tiny speck. I genuinely have not heard of the sects here."

"Such arrogance! I'll personally experience it and see how powerful you truly are."

The middle-aged man soared into the air, riding a rainbow. From his mouth, he conjured a purple-gold shield and a blood-red spear.

A roar from an exotic beast echoed. A knight, riding an exotic beast, shot into the sky, rushing past like a flash of green light.

"Ah..."

The middle-aged cultivator from Misty Cloud Cavern let out a scream on the spot. His purple-gold shield was instantly sliced in two, and the blood-red spear snapped into two pieces. His chest and abdomen were almost completely ripped open. He plummeted to the ground, blood gushing forth.

An ordinary person would have died instantly, but a cultivator's physique is exceptionally strong. He quickly stopped the bleeding, stabilized his injuries, and, with a deathly pale face, retreated to the side.

Ye Fan was deeply shaken. He felt that each of these dozen knights was extraordinary, significantly more powerful than the cultivators from the Ji family and Shakelight Holy Land he had encountered at the Demon Emperor's tomb.

Just then, several immortal masters, having heard the commotion, could no longer hold back and emerged from the backyard.

"Who are you people?" One of the elders frowned. He had already overheard the conversation in the front courtyard and was greatly annoyed and uneasy by how little these people regarded the Misty Cloud Cavern.

"Please, guide us to the Misty Cloud Cavern," Jiang Caixuan said with a cold smile on her beautiful face. "Gentlemen, if you please."

The Misty Cloud Cavern members' expressions all changed drastically. One of them said, "So young, yet so arrogant. Didn't your teachers instruct you to respect your elders and masters?"

Jiang Caixuan spoke coldly, "Your disciples have taken lives, bullied the helpless, and driven a seventy-year-old elder to despair. What right do you have to speak of 'mastery' or 'the Way'? You are not worthy!"

"What evidence do you have?"

"They themselves have already confessed."

The elder among them frowned, saying, "Whether you forced a confession or not, even if they truly committed evil, it's not for you to handle. My Misty Cloud Cavern has its own rules for dealing with such matters."

"How convenient, 'handling it yourselves.' For over two years, the deceased have not rested in peace, and the culprits have roamed free, continuing to persecute the vulnerable and elderly. Is this your sect's rule?" Jiang Caixuan felt deep sympathy for little Tingting. As she spoke, her pretty face was covered in frost. "Even now, you're still trying to exonerate and protect them. You truly are worthy of being their teachers; birds of a feather flock together indeed."

"You..." The leading elder's eyebrows immediately shot up, but he dared not erupt on the spot. The opposing formation was too intimidating; just the golden divine beast made him extremely wary.

Just then, Jiang Yifei spoke. "Take them all down!" Several knights advanced simultaneously upon hearing his command.

The elder shouted, "Go!" He was the first to shoot into the sky, fleeing on a rainbow. He had already realized that these people were from a powerful background, beyond their ability to contend with. The other individuals also scattered in all directions, streaks of rainbow light shooting towards the horizon.

Exotic beasts roared, and tremors filled the sky as several beasts, carrying their knights, charged in different directions, instantly giving chase.

"Ah..."

Screams followed one after another. Soon after, several knights rapidly returned, dragging everyone back as if they were dead dogs. All of them, including the elder, bore horrific wounds.

Beside them, Ye Fan was utterly shocked. The Desolate Ancient families truly were colossal powers; these knights were terrifying.

Jiang Yifei designated two knights to stay and deal with the Li family members, admonishing them not to indiscriminately kill the innocent, but only to execute the main culprits.

"We're going to the Misty Cloud Cavern!"

Jiang Yifei personally helped Elder Jiang onto the Golden Divine Beast, riding with him. Jiang Caixuan held little Tingting onto a divine deer, with Tingting in front of her. Ye Fan, meanwhile, shared a ride with a knight as they ascended into the sky.

"There's no need to go to the Misty Cloud Cavern anymore. Those two beasts are dead, and our great revenge has been exacted..." Elder Jiang, learning his son had been murdered, shed tears from his cloudy old eyes.

On the other side, little Tingting also began to weep.

"No, we must go. No one can kill a member of our Jiang family just because they wish to!" Jiang Yifei's expression was calm, but his words were remarkably forceful.

Ye Fan sighed inwardly. The path ahead for him was still long; compared to colossal powers like the Desolate Ancient families, he was truly insignificant.

The townspeople were dumbfounded, and it was a long time before they erupted in cheers. The cancerous growth in their town had finally been eradicated.

The captives from Misty Cloud Cavern, facing life and death, had no choice but to submit and lead the way forward.

Over a dozen exotic beasts soared through the clouds and mist, thundering through the sky, like a thousand cavalry charging or a tsunami sweeping across the heavens.

Just then, Ye Fan felt someone watching him. He turned to find it was none other than the arrogant young man, Jiang Yichen.

Seeing Ye Fan look his way, Jiang Yichen averted his gaze, a cold sneer playing on his lips.

Ye Fan's heart instantly stirred. Why was the other person acting like this? Had he discovered something?

Soon, the group arrived at the Misty Cloud Cavern. Ahead, peaks were green, valleys lush, mist billowed, and rays of light shimmered, truly living up to its name.

"Who dares trespass upon our sacred ground?" A loud shout came from ahead.

Thump, thump, thump!

All the captured prisoners were thrown forward, immediately eliciting gasps from the people ahead.

"Major enemies approaching!" The Misty Cloud Cavern erupted into chaos.

In an instant, misty clouds surged skyward. The Dao patterns carved into the mountains and land activated, releasing streaks of blazing divine light, blocking their path.

"It's nothing special; I'll break it," said the arrogant young man, Jiang Yichen, who suddenly made his move. A purple-gold gourd flew out from his body, glowing with brilliant purple light. It rapidly expanded in the sky, drawing all the misty clouds into its mouth like a whale gulping water. In a blink of an eye, the power of the Dao patterns was suppressed.

Then, the purple-gold gourd descended forward like a small mountain, emitting a hazy purple mist. Immediately, gasps of alarm arose as many figures flew backward and were sucked into the purple-gold gourd.

Ye Fan was astonished. He hadn't expected the purple-gold gourd to be so powerful, effortlessly breaking through the Misty Cloud Cavern's protective Dao patterns and even capturing many cultivators. It was truly terrifying.

"The Desolate Ancient families' foundations are too immense. This is just a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy, yet he possesses such a terrifying treasure..." Ye Fan muttered to himself.

"There's no need for this..." Elder Jiang continuously tried to dissuade them from the side.

Jiang Yifei shook his head and said, "Tingting's parents committed no evil, yet they were persecuted. We must seek justice. Our Jiang family is never afraid of trouble!"

Boom!

Just then, a powerful wave of energy erupted from within the Misty Cloud Cavern, pushing back the purple-gold gourd. An ancient voice echoed, "So, it's people from a Desolate Ancient family. May I know how my Misty Cloud Cavern has offended you?"