The thick scent of blood filled the air above the grand plaza, setting everyone's nerves on edge. They all held their breath, their gazes fixed on Ye Wushuang, completely stunned.
This boy either didn't act, or he acted to kill!
So ruthless!
Even Chen Yuan hadn't expected Ye Wushuang to be so decisive, killing Ba Hu outright without even giving him a chance to apologize.
This level of ruthlessness and dominance left even him feeling wary and shaken.
Even now, droplets of blood fell upon the crowd's faces, still carrying a trace of warmth. The sensation made their pores clench shut, snapping them back to their senses.
SHFF SHFF SHFF!
The moment they came to their senses, nearly all the onlooking disciples from the Fierce Demon Cave scrambled back more than ten steps in fright, putting distance between themselves and Ye Wushuang.
Seeing this, a cold smile touched Ye Wushuang's lips as he advanced on the crowd, one step at a time.
The crowd's pupils shrank, and they couldn't stop themselves from backing away further.
"Am I a coward?"
"Am I a wuss?"
"Tell me, if you're facing a coward and a wuss, why are you all retreating?"
"Weren't you going to teach me a lesson? So why are you backing away now?"
His questions struck them like a series of sharp slaps to the face. They could almost feel the stinging pain, leaving them unable to offer any rebuttal.
Who the real cowards and wusses were... at this moment, it was perfectly clear.
Just moments ago, they had been boasting about "teaching Ye Wushuang a lesson," ready to bully him and put him in his place. But in the end, Ba Hu was killed instantly, without even a chance to apologize.
Did they still dare to teach Ye Wushuang a lesson now?
They didn't. Setting aside Ye Wushuang's own ferocity, they wouldn't dare make a move with Chen Yuan standing right there.
However, as Ye Wushuang pressed closer step by step, a young man at the Body Tempering Seventh Layer couldn't help but shout, "Don't be afraid, everyone! Ye Wushuang killed Ba Hu! He'll be executed by the Sect for this!"
"That's right! The Sect strictly forbids disciples from killing one another. Since Ye Wushuang killed Ba Hu, the Sect will certainly enforce its laws without bias."
Seizing upon this point, the crowd's trembling hearts began to steady.
Ye Wushuang had killed Ba Hu, a major transgression that they had all witnessed. As long as just one of them reported it to the Sect, Ye Wushuang would surely be executed.
At this thought, the crowd's fear vanished. They stood their ground, no longer retreating. They had leverage against Ye Wushuang now. Even with Chen Yuan's protection, he couldn't escape punishment.
'This is bad,' Chen Yuan thought, stepping up to Ye Wushuang's side.
"Younger Brother Ye, this is serious," Chen Yuan said gravely. "Once this gets reported, forget about a minor Steward like me. I'm afraid even Elder Yunn wouldn't be able to protect you."
"It's fine, Brother Chen."
Ye Wushuang stopped, turning to him with a smile. His expression was completely untroubled.
Seeing this, Chen Yuan couldn't help but give a wry laugh. 'At a time like this, how can he still look so relaxed? Does he really not understand how serious this is?'
"Younger Brother Ye, Ba Hu may have just been a pawn, but he has a brother in the Qi Vortex Realm who serves in the Inner Sect's Law Enforcement Hall. Once he learns you killed his younger brother, he'll surely find a way to eliminate you in the name of a grave Sect crime."
Chen Yuan added, his expression growing even more grave.
Although they were both in the Qi Vortex Realm, Ba Hu's brother was stronger. Otherwise, Chen Yuan wouldn't have turned a blind eye to Ba Hu's troublemaking.
'Qi Vortex Realm?'
'Isn't Chen Kun also in the Qi Vortex Realm? One more enemy doesn't make a difference.'
Ye Wushuang suddenly turned to the crowd. The expression on every single face screamed, "I'm going to report this," as if they had him right where they wanted him.
"Brother Chen," Ye Wushuang said suddenly after a moment, an eerie, cold smile playing on his lips, "if one wanted to ensure this matter was never spoken of again, what do you think they should do?"
"What are you planning to do?"
Hearing Ye Wushuang's sudden question, Chen Yuan's eyes narrowed, though the meaning didn't register at first.
'To keep it a secret... the only way is to silence them all. If he does that, everyone here will have to die.'
The surrounding crowd also seemed to grasp the meaning behind his words, and a stir of panic went through them. "Ye... Ye Wushuang, you... you're not thinking of killing all of us, are you?"
"And why shouldn't I kill you all?"
Ye Wushuang's tone was mocking. He knew the strongest person in this group was only at the Body Tempering Eighth Layer. With his Eight Kills of Battle, he had the ability to slaughter every last one of them.
Of course, he wasn't a bloodthirsty monster. His goal was simply to intimidate them—to make them fear him so much that they wouldn't dare try anything, at least not while in the Fierce Demon Cave.
"You...!!"
The crowd's pupils contracted as a chill shot through their hearts. 'He actually wants to kill us all just to cover this up? That's too damn ruthless!'
SHFF SHFF SHFF!
The last vestiges of their resolve were shattered by his words. Their expressions grew even more panicked, and they scrambled back again, putting even more distance between themselves and Ye Wushuang.
Some were even about to turn and flee.
"Younger Brother Ye, don't!"
Chen Yuan was also taken aback by Ye Wushuang's vicious threat. 'Kill them all? How could he dare say something like that out loud?'
"You don't have to kill them!" Yangg Qing'er, who had been silent until now, stepped forward and said.
Ye Wushuang turned to look at Yangg Qing'er.
The girl still seemed to be afraid of him, but her eyes no longer held the same terror as before.
"Why not?" Ye Wushuang asked.
Yangg Qing'er fiddled with the hem of her clothes and said in a low voice, "My senior sister once told me that the Fierce Demon Cave isn't technically considered part of the Sect. So, this wouldn't count as an intra-Sect killing. They can't actually report you."
"The Fierce Demon Cave isn't considered part of the Sect?" Ye Wushuang was taken aback. 'Is that really a thing?' he wondered.
He turned back to Chen Yuan for confirmation.
"That's right! How could I have forgotten? Miss Yangg is correct. The Fierce Demon Cave is treated as a prison, and the Sect generally doesn't interfere with what happens here. So, it isn't technically considered part of the Sect."
It was a sudden realization for Chen Yuan. The crime of disciples killing each other could only be charged if it happened within the Sect's official grounds. There were no explicit rules for incidents outside, so the charge couldn't be applied to Ye Wushuang.
"I see!"
"So if I killed everyone here, the Sect wouldn't interfere, right?"
Ye Wushuang muttered. Hearing this, the crowd's eyes twitched violently, and they nearly coughed up blood from sheer rage. They glared at him resentfully. 'You bastard! So you still want to kill us all, is that it?'
Seeing their terrified expressions, Ye Wushuang's eyes narrowed. His mocking, playful gaze swept over them. "Forget it. Someone here already committed suicide. Any more deaths would just be bad luck, don't you think?"
"Someone committed suicide?"
"Right!"
"Right, right! Ba Hu committed suicide! Any more deaths would be bad luck!"
"That bastard Ba Hu, really... couldn't even pick a proper place to kill himself. Someone get him out of here!"
These disciples were all savvy veterans. The moment they understood the meaning behind Ye Wushuang's words, they all began nodding like chickens pecking at grain.
At the same time, they all began to bow and scrape, forcing obsequious smiles onto their faces.
Meanwhile, in front of a large hall in the distance, two young men were standing.
One of them was Yuncheng.
"Brother Chengx, that kid's no simpleton. And he's actually connected to Steward Chen," the other young man said to Yuncheng.
"Interesting, indeed!" Yuncheng sneered as he watched Ye Wushuang.
"Brother Chengx, should we make our move now?" the young man asked again.
"Are you a damn idiot? Can't you see Chen Yuan is still over there? What move are you going to make? Wait for him to leave, then we'll take our time dealing with that kid," Yuncheng snapped.
The young man flinched and didn't dare say another word.
Yuncheng was an expert at the Body Tempering Tenth Layer, capable of wielding ten thousand jin of force. He, on the other hand, was only at the Body Tempering Sixth Layer. For Yuncheng to kill him would be as easy as crushing an ant.
"Brother Chengx, how should we do it then?" the young man asked timidly.
"How? This is my territory. I can deal with him however I please." Yuncheng mused for a moment, then turned to the young man. "Right, isn't there a Fierce Beast hunting mission tomorrow? Invite that kid along. We'll kill him out there and blame it all on the Fierce Beasts."
"Understood!" The young man nodded.
"Let's go meet him first," Yuncheng decided after a moment's thought, and started walking toward the center of the grand plaza.
"Younger Brother Ye, even though the Sect won't punish you for this, Ba Hu's brother definitely won't let you off easy once he finds out. You must be extremely careful."
As he watched the crowd disperse, Chen Yuan's expression remained grave. He personally wasn't afraid of Ba Hu because he was also in the Qi Vortex Realm and held a higher status than Ba Hu's brother, so he didn't fear retaliation. But Ye Wushuang was different.
"Don't worry, Brother Chen. I know what to do."
Ye Wushuang replied with a smile. He appreciated Chen Yuan's concern and knew full well that Ba Hu's brother would undoubtedly come to kill him.
But he was not afraid.
'It's only the Qi Vortex Realm, not some peerless grandmaster. As long as I increase my strength quickly enough and become a true expert, what's a mere Qi Vortex Realm? Even if someone from the True Essence Realm came for me, so what?'
'If they come, I'll kill them all the same!'