Ye Tianchen knew it was somewhat awkward. When he was with Xiao Ling, he was indeed happy. This quirky, carefree young girl gave him a feeling he had never experienced before. However, to say that Ye Tianchen liked or loved Xiao Ling was impossible. Ye Tianchen wasn't someone who easily fell in love or was fickle. He was just a normal man, and at times, having some normal reactions was quite ordinary!

Xiao Ling was only eighteen. That taste between a girl and a woman was very special. Lively, cheerful, she liked to laugh and play around, yet carried a hint of a woman's charm, which truly made one feel an itch in their heart, subconsciously wanting to get closer. Being with Xiao Ling felt like this to Ye Tianchen. Therefore, protecting Xiao Ling was not only because her mother entrusted her to him before dying, but Xiao Ling also brought some different feelings to Ye Tianchen. She was like an elf, very endearing.

That night, there was some small ** between Ye Tianchen and Xiao Ling. Naturally, Xiao Ling felt a mix of emotions—some unhappiness, some frustration, and some inexplicable excitement. For an eighteen-year-old girl, experiencing such a small incident with a man for the first time was indescribable. As for Ye Tianchen, he had some feelings but considered them in his mind. He treated Xiao Ling as his sister, and at over thirty years old while Xiao Ling was only eighteen, playing the elder brother role was quite fitting for him.

"You go in. I won't go inside. I'll stay outside tonight just in case!" Ye Tianchen walked to the large tree, looked around, and then said to Xiao Ling.

"The night on Penglai Fairy Island is very cold. It's not good for your health!" Xiao Ling didn't turn around but said while facing away from Ye Tianchen.

"It's fine. You forgot I'm a powerful Martial Artist. Getting sick is almost impossible for me," Ye Tianchen said with a smile.

"Suit yourself... you big bad guy!" Xiao Ling whispered at last, saying this as she went down through a hidden entrance in the tree into the wooden house inside.

Ye Tianchen smiled slightly, flashed up to the top of the large tree, sat down cross-legged, and extended his powerful Divine Thought to sense the surroundings. He first needed to determine whether there was danger around to ensure Xiao Ling's safety. After searching for more than half an hour and expanding the search range to a thousand miles, Ye Tianchen finally felt at ease because he didn't detect anything amiss. He slowly closed his eyes and started meditating.

At this time, Xiao Ling, inside the wooden house, returned with a flushed face. After changing her clothes, she lay on the wooden bed. However, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, the scene of kissing Ye Tianchen would float into her mind. That scene made her feel a bit angry, a bit shy, and also a bit expected, a very peculiar feeling. Trying to clearly explain it was still challenging for her at the moment. In short, this night was very sleepless for Xiao Ling until after midnight, whispering "big bad guy" a few times before she couldn't hold on any longer and drifted into dreamland...

Whoosh!

A figure appeared not far from the residence tree, standing on the treetop of another tree. Simultaneously, several figures appeared on the treetops nearby. Each figure carried a Flying Sword on their back. The leader looked towards the direction where Ye Tianchen and Xiao Ling were and coldly said, "They should be there. Remember, kill and seize the egg!"

"Understood!" The others replied softly.

"No need..."

Swish!

Ye Tianchen's figure appeared in front of the leader, startling the eight people who instinctively retreated. Only the leader looked coldly at Ye Tianchen and asked, "Who are you?"

"I'm the one you're looking for. Now that I'm here myself, aren't you happy?" Ye Tianchen said with a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth.

"You... you're the one who stole the Eight-Armed Evil Dragon Egg?" The leader asked with shock.

"That's right. Are you from the legacy of the Ancient Martial World of Penglai? Do you have a Sect?" Ye Tianchen asked, wanting to know more.

"Hmph, we are from Blood Sword Mountain. If you're smart, hand over the Eight-Armed Evil Dragon Egg. You can't escape with it, and it's better to hand it over and save your life than face death!" The leader said with a cold snort.

"Oh? Even if I give it to you, there's no guarantee of survival, is there?" Ye Tianchen asked with a playful smile.

"Why so much nonsense? Hand it over when told and die painlessly..."

Before the leader could finish, another Martial Artist with a Flying Sword on his back launched an incredibly strong punch at Ye Tianchen. The leader was about to stop him, but it was too late. The confident Martial Artist had already punched with absolute confidence.

Ye Tianchen's lips curled into a faint smile. He neither dodged nor used any Martial Arts Divine Skill to resist. Instead, he just stood there as the martial artist's punch headed for him. This left the other martial artists present stunned, wondering what Ye Tianchen was trying to do—was he courting death?

"You should have listened to advice if you know you're weak!" The martial artist who punched at Ye Tianchen thought that Ye Tianchen couldn't possibly dodge his fast punch, so he laughed triumphantly as he spoke.

Bam!

With a dull thud, the martial artist's punch landed squarely on Ye Tianchen's chest. However, Ye Tianchen was not sent flying and continued to stand there with a slight smile on his face. The other martial artists were shocked, frozen in place, while the leading martial artist quickly drew his Flying Sword and, reacting fast, slashed a blade of light toward Ye Tianchen's head.

Clang!

Sparks flew, and a massive wave of Sword Qi scattered, shattered on impact. Ye Tianchen remained unmoved, frightening the martial artists into involuntary trembling. They all summoned their Flying Swords, while the martial artist who had punched Ye Tianchen began to feel an intense pain spreading from his fist throughout his body, reaching every cell.

"Go back!" Ye Tianchen said these words calmly. With just a slight tremor of his body, he sent the martial artist who had punched him flying.

Oof!

The martial artist who had attempted to strike down Ye Tianchen flew back thousands of meters, crashing through several large trees, and ultimately died with all his meridians shattered before he could make a sound. This left the remaining martial artists dumbstruck and trembling, unable to believe what they were seeing.

Ye Tianchen smiled faintly and said calmly, "You asked me questions just now, now it's my turn to ask you..."

"Retreat!"

The leading martial artist sensed the predicament and Ye Tianchen's overwhelming power. The martial artists present also felt it, and upon the leader's command, the remaining seven dispersed in different directions, and at that moment, Ye Tianchen vanished too!

Among the eight, the leader of the martial artists had the highest cultivation strength. He headed in the opposite direction, but before he could fly far using Qi Manipulation Flight, he heard screams, almost simultaneous with his breaths, echoing all around. His heart sank, and he thought to himself, this is bad. They had run into a tough opponent, never expecting the thief who stole the Eight-Armed Evil Dragon Egg to be this powerful. Their cultivation realms were not low, nor were their strengths weak, yet they couldn't withstand even one move from this person. How terrifying is this?

As he pondered, the leading martial artist unconsciously stopped and turned to look, but as soon as he did, he was startled and hurriedly retreated because Ye Tianchen was already standing in front of him, smiling, with an innocent, harmless smile that terrified him likened to facing a devil.

"W-what are you?" The leading martial artist, trembling, asked Ye Tianchen.

"I will ask, and you answer. If not, you'll soon be utterly annihilated!" Ye Tianchen said calmly.

"I—I can't..."

The leader attempted to be defiant, but before he could finish his sentence, a hand shaped from Martial Arts True Qi from Ye Tianchen grasped his head. No matter how he struggled, it was in vain; with a gentle squeeze from Ye Tianchen, his head would shatter, and he would perish, his soul utterly extinguished.

"The fear of death is terrifying. I believe you don't want to die; I don't want to kill more people. Just answer my questions properly!" Ye Tianchen coldly said, looking at the lead martial artist.

"C-can you really not kill me?" The lead martial artist broke out in a cold sweat, still somewhat afraid of the fear of death. People are like this; as long as it's not too difficult and they can survive, why not choose to live?

"You are from Blood Sword Mountain; what kind of heritage is that? How did you know our location?" Ye Tianchen asked. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets at Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com for reading.)

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