Rumble rumble...
The sky was getting darker, and lightning-filled clouds rumbled periodically, a prelude to the impending storm.
Four persons stopped in front of the jungle as the youngest was put on the ground.
Liu Shanhe was eleven years old and didn't learn a movement-oriented battle skill yet, so Liu Guan Tao had to carry him all the way.
At this moment two figures quickly approached the group. One was high in the air jumping back up and down continuously, while the other was on the ground surrounded by wind currents.
Soon they arrived at Liu Guan Tao's level.
"Brother Hong, what are you doing here?" Liu Guan Tao asked, but he knew the answer already.
"Brother Tao, how could I leave you to brave all the dangers by yourself? Once I heard you went ahead to chase after this hooded person, I immediately departed with junior Deng to lend a helping hand and left the others to watch out for Ye Mo." Liu Hong explained calmly.
He seemed perfectly fine, while on the contrary, Liu Deng was perspiring and took some time to catch his breath.
Liu Hong used the Skybound Leaping battle skill to catch up with Liu Guan Tao's team, which was of the mid-tier Yellow Class while Liu Deng only had the usual Wind Flow battle skill, it was easy to understand who was faster.
Liu Hong deliberately reduced his speed, but Liu Deng still had to go all out to not be left behind.
"Lending a helping hand? Hmph, you scum just want to reap all the merits for yourself!"
On the outside, Liu Guan Tao expressed a joyous smile, but inside he cursed at this greedy bastard.
Liu Hong only wanted to share the honors of catching the culprit, he couldn't care less about his wellbeing.
"Let's hurry and catch this person, the board of elders are already discussing which one of them will go see this through. We should bring him back quickly and not waste their time with an idiot who thinks he can fool our Liu clan."
Liu Hong said as he engulfed himself in the woods followed by Liu Deng, but in his heart he snickered, "How could I leave you to get all the benefits when I was the one who was sent to investigate this case?"
He was dispatched with expectations behind him and had the responsibility to bring results. He could not return empty-handed after being deployed, or his image would suffer and his evaluation from the clan would drop.
Regardless of whether he brings back the culprit himself, at minimum, Liu Hong should assist Liu Guan Tao in catching him. Even if he ends up doing nothing, at least this way he would have justifications for his actions and could return to the clan with his head held high.
"The elders are reacting quickly and plan to send a Foundation Establishment Realm expert, they really take this matter to heart, which means greater rewards if I catch this person first!"
Liu Guan Tao thought quickly and went forth along his team, regrouping with Liu Hong and Liu Deng.
During nighttime the jungle was covered in darkness, and the group could barely see the tip of their hand.
Liu Yujia raised her palm and was about to invoke a ball of light, but she was stopped at the last moment by Liu Guan Tao who muttered, "If you do it here, you will attract blood beasts and we will be in greater danger instead."
Liu Yujia nodded silently and lowered her hand.
Ordinarily, this would have been a sensible warning, but Liu Guan Tao didn't know that only ordinary animals lived in this part of the jungle.
Due to the low visibility and their cautiousness, the group advanced slowly and covered little ground as they silently walked for more than an hour.
Liu Shanhe would look around him nervously and jump out at every little sound. He was too young and lacked experience furthermore, his battle skill increased his vision, but in this place surrounded by darkness it was completely useless, making him feel all the more helpless and vulnerable.
"It's too dark here, how can we orient ourselves without any map and all those trees surrounding us to no end? Also, what is this person doing in this jungle in the first place? Honestly, I wouldn't be able to think of a better location if I wanted to hide." Liu Jiali's rambling resounded in the jungle, making the quietness of the surroundings even more prominent.
After an hour walking randomly and seeing nothing, the group grew discouraged and started to ask themselves if they should keep going or turn back.
Only Liu Hong and Liu Guan Tao were bent on catching this cloaked person. Merely thinking of the differential treatment when they would return with the suspect was enough to wash away all their doubts.
Liu Hong left markings on the ground and the bark of trees on their path so as to find their way out if needed.
At this moment, a shadow surged and a fist was aimed.
Splash!
Liu Shanhe felt droplets hitting his face.
"Rain?" He wiped them with his hands, then looked at his palm, but this rain was different. It was dark red in color.
When he looked at his side, Liu Jiali's body was reduced to a pulp.
"Ah!" Liu Shanhe screamed in shock, stumbling back and falling on his butt.
The shadow left as fast as it came and vanished in the obscurity.
"We're under attack!" Liu Guan Tao and Liu Hong heard the splashing sound and both reacted immediately.
Shouting, one positioned himself in the rear watching out for the slightest of movement, while Liu Hong took the front.
Because it was dark, they focused mainly on their hearing, if someone attacked them, he was bound to make some noise.
Liu Hong and Liu Guan Tao were veterans and without panicking, they instinctively displayed all their experience.
Liu Deng, between these two leaders, quickly calmed down and clapped his hands as he closed his eyes.
Yellow Class mid-tier battle skill - Chasing Soundwave!
From his clapped hands, a sound wave was created and traveled quickly in the surroundings. Through it, Liu Deng could locate and identify elements of the environment in a radius of sixty meters.
"Here!" Liu Deng yelled, pointing to his left.
Liu Yujia followed suit and with a movement of her wrist, she sent a wind blade in this direction.
The wind blade slashed four trees in a straight line and stopped at the fifth, leaving a cutting mark on the trunk.
The trees fell down, their shadows dissipated and the sky became visible, slightly reducing the darkness.
Behind the second log, the group watched a shirtless teen crouched down slowly stand back up.
The sky roared and lightning fell sporadically, illuminating the surroundings and highlighting the youth's features.
He had tanned skin from long exposures to the sun and short spiky hair, like each strand wanted to pierce the heavens.
They had seen his face even more than their mother's during the last six months, and now he was standing right in front of them.
The only difference was that his face was covered in strange claw scars like old wounds from a beast's laceration.
"Ye Mo!" The group was taken aback not only because he was their assailant but also because of what it implied.
They had been on watching duty for so long trying to catch him once he stepped outside, and now he was here, ambushing them in this jungle, how were they supposed to feel?
The roles had reversed, not only was he freely wandering far from the institute, he was the one attacking them instead.
Their heart would be filled with embarrassment if the situation were not this serious.
When this realization dawned on them, they understood he had a concealment battle skill since he just used it to kill Liu Jiali and hid back.
After that it was easy to piece everything together.
How he left the institute under their guard and killed Liu Zhan Lie or purposefully attracted them to this place.
Liu Hong and Liu Guan Tao looked at him with shining eyes.
Everyone knew how much the patriarch and his entourage wanted this little demon. If catching the culprit behind Liu Zhan Lie's disappearance would cause a surge in their reputation, seizing Ye Mo would directly incur favors from the patriarch and his family.
They would be nurtured greatly and wouldn't have to go to the frontlines again. They could focus solely on their cultivation, and the resources needed would be laid in front of them at their call.
Now if they handed both of them as one person, the rewards would simply be astronomical. They would assuredly live a good life, and their name will be left in the history of the clan.
One must realize the impact Ye Mo had on the Liu Clan. He almost caused their patriarch's death by stealing and refusing to hand over the moon pacifying herb and he ended their line of succession, nearly creating their downfall.
The one to take him down would do a favor to the whole clan. He assuredly would be talked about for a long time and have his name marked down in their history books.
"You thought you could kill us all after leading us to this jungle, but you overestimated your abilities. You didn't expect we would have a battle skill that countered your concealment, right?!" Saying so, Liu Guan Tao threw himself at Ye Mo.
He could feel Ye Mo's cultivation now that his concealment wore off. Liu Guan Tao was both his senior and had a superior cultivation level, he did not fear him at all.
Using the Black Earth Heavy Palm battle skill, his palm turned to a dark brown color, and a light brown aura circled around it.
As the palm neared Ye Mo he felt his body suddenly becoming five times heavier, obstructing his movements.
He was unable to dodge and had no defensive battle skill, so instead he chose to use offense against offense.
Forming a fist with his hand, Ye Mo whipped the air, putting his mastery of the Stone Breaking Punch to use.
Bam!
The palm and the fist connected violently, and both fighters were sent moving back.
Ye Mo retreated two steps while Liu Guan Tao retreated seven steps.
"He's stronger than me? How could it be, I'm at the 7th layer while he's only at the 5th, yet even the mid-tier Black Earth Heavy Palm is not enough!?" Liu Guan Tao was incredulous.
From his shadow, Liu Hong left and attacked Ye Mo, drawing a saber out of his spatial pouch.
If Liu Guan Tao could think of benefits, Liu Hong could as well.
"I won't let this chance slip by!" Liu Hong came before Ye Mo and slashed with his blade.
Mid-tier Yellow Class battle skill - Demon's Horn saber art!
Five sharp red blade lights were sent flying at great speed towards Ye Mo.
They looked like spiraling horns and held much penetrative force.
"If I meet this attack head-on, my body will be pierced despite my body refining cultivation." Ye Mo immediately reacted and used Cyclone Kick.
He didn't directly kick them but slightly tapped the sides of the blade lights with his foot, deflecting them in the surroundings. The blade lights went through the trees and wrecked the earth, raising a small cloud of dust.
Followed by Liu Hong's attack, Liu Yujia jumped from the rear and rushed at Ye Mo.
"I will avenge sister Jiali!" Her eyes were spitting fire as she looked at her foe while on her arms multiple bone blades protruded.
Ye Mo watched coldly.
When Liu Yujia was close enough, she waved her arms, trying to cut his body in pieces. However, Ye Mo was much faster than her and avoided the strikes with minimal movements then reached out with his hand.
"Ah!" Liu Yujia suddenly shrieked.
During the confrontation, Ye Mo's hand firmly grabbed her chest, and for a fraction of a second she lost focus. She wasn't a novice thus, her reaction was brief, but Ye Mo expected no less, and before she collected herself, he sent his fist with the other hand.
It must be known that even before Liu Yujia dropped her guard, Ye Mo was already punching. At this distance, if she reacted to his groping, she was done for but if she didn't, she would still be significantly injured.
Connecting with the middle of the torso, her chest caved in and she was sent flying headfirst into a nearby tree.
With only a cultivation of the 6th layer, how could she be Ye Mo's match in close combat as a body refining cultivator?
What occurred seemed long, but from the first kill till now it actually happened in an instant.
As a young girl, to be unfazed as someone groped your chest would require a vast amount of experience and being naturally detached or, in another case, someone who was used to being touched this way.
But Liu Yujia was only twenty one years old and although she fought many times, she never met this kind of situation.
She couldn't predict such a young boy would be vicious enough to grab her private areas during their battle.
However, Ye Mo came here with clear intentions and had his own objectives. The way to attain them never mattered.
In short, he was unscrupulous in his actions.
"Shameless scum!" Liu Guan Tao howled fiercely seeing such a despicable act as another of his teammates died in this conflict.
Lightnings fell, casting fleeting shadows across the landscape below, followed by the resounding growl of thunder. At last the first drops of rain wet the earth, quickly escalating into a torrential symphony.
Ye Mo kept mum as a ghost, facing the remaining Liu clan members without faltering.