"Heh, come with us."
Liu Qi gave a sinister smile and reached out to capture Ye Han alive.
"You're truly asking for death!"
Seeing the other party act with such outrageous arrogance, Ye Han let out a cold internal hum. He abruptly took a step forward, the spiritual power fluctuations across his entire body swirling and expanding like a vortex, completely shattering and scattering the rubble and dust on the ground.
Then, channeling spiritual power into his palm, he unleashed a fierce, howling palm strike.
Boom!
"What?!"
The palm wind was sharp as a blade, radiating an overwhelmingly formidable momentum that instantly caused the expressions of Liu Qi and his companion to change dramatically. Their faces filled with profound terror, and they hurriedly switched from offense to defense, channeling their spiritual power to form a protective light barrier around themselves.
Yet with the strength of these two merely at the Sixth Layer of Spirit Spring Realm, how could they possibly block Ye Han's onslaught?
Bang—
The ferocious palm wind cleaved through Liu Qi's defense without the slightest effort, landing heavily upon the crown of his head. With a muffled sound and a crisp crack of breaking bone, Liu Qi let out a miserable scream of "Ah!" and instantly crashed to the ground, dead.
"Liu... Liu Qi!"
Seeing Liu Qi slain, Liu Yunhai was so terrified that his crotch and legs trembled, and he locked eyes with Ye Han in absolute panic.
Yet before he could even attempt to flee, the next moment—
Crack!
"Ah!"
A swift and fierce hand landed directly on top of Liu Yunhai's head. With a sharp snap, his skull was violently twisted off and torn away by sheer force. Ye Han coldly carried the bloody head and tossed it with a dull thud toward the front of Liu Ming, where it rolled across the floor.
Hiss—
Startled and terrified, Liu Ming and his men retreated a few steps, gazing at the wide-eyed severed head of Liu Yunhai on the ground and the lifeless body of Liu Qi not far away.
Instantly, a chill surged from the soles of their feet straight to their crowns, making their hair stand on end.
"How is this possible?"
Liu Ming's expression turned ashen as he muttered to himself.
Two experts of the Sixth Layer of Spirit Spring Realm had been killed by Ye Han in a single encounter!
Nearby, Ye Ling, Ye Hongling, and the other clansmen were also frozen in place, their expressions shifting drastically.
This was their first time witnessing Ye Han kill someone, and his methods were so decisive, ruthless, and without a trace of hesitation.
Having casually dispatched the two men, Ye Han did not even bat an eyelid. Fixing a chilling gaze upon Liu Ming, he said in an indifferent tone,
"Liu Ming, your Liu Family clansmen dared to trespass into our Ye Family mining area. Today, however many men my Ye Family has lost, your Liu Family will pay for in full with lives."
Hearing these words, the clansmen behind him stared intently at the group behind Liu Ming, waiting only for Ye Han's command to swarm them and kill them all.
Recovering from his shock, Liu Ming raised his head with a gloomy complexion, baring his teeth in a savage grin.
"This really catches me by surprise. I never expected your Dantian wasn't actually crippled. However, if you think you can kill me, Ye Han, I'm afraid you don't have what it takes!"
Arrogance radiated from his eyes.
Liu Ming was only a step away from the Spirit Sea Realm, and coupled with the many high-grade spiritual arts at his disposal, he was fully confident in his ability to fight even a Spirit Sea Realm expert without falling into a disadvantage!
"I'll slaughter you with my own hands!"
The corners of Liu Ming's mouth curled slightly as a surge of spiritual power shook his entire body. A robust golden spiritual power erupted from around him, kicking up gusting whirlwinds.
Swish!
Liu Ming's figure bolted forward, moving with lightning speed so that only a blur remained in motion.
In barely the span of a breath, Liu Ming had closed the distance to Ye Han. The moment he neared, his palms were entwined with scorching spiritual power, which then fused into a blazing red sun about the size of a yard, slowly rising and radiating astonishing fluctuations.
"Great Sun Burning Heaven Hand!"
Liu Ming let out a low internal shout, striking out with a palm that carried the force of a miniature sun.
"A Seventh-Grade Spiritual Art?"
Sensing the violent, scorching spiritual power rushing toward him, Ye Han's gaze narrowed slightly. He shifted his stance, turning slightly to the side. The sun-like palm strike slammed into a massive boulder, shattering it into fine powder with a loud bang.
It seemed that despite his dismissive words, Liu Ming was actually deeply wary of Ye Han; otherwise, he would not have unleashed his ultimate killer move right from the start.
Having missed with his first strike, Liu Ming was now enveloped in red flames, both palms simultaneously summoning two blazing suns as he charged forward like a wild bull.
"Die!"
Roaring furiously with his hair flying wildly, Liu Ming instantly made the suns in his hands burst forth with blinding light.
This time, Ye Han did not dodge. Instead, he took a deep breath, and the one hundred black spiritual power vortexes within his body spun, simultaneously erupting with suction force.
"Let's use you to test just how effective this Dragon Absorption Art of mine really is."
Roar—
A dragon's roar echoed from within his Dantian. In an instant, boundless spiritual power from all directions poured into Ye Han's body, his limbs and bones feeling as though they were brimming with surging spiritual power. Then, a steadily growing, formidable aura abruptly surged outward.
Boom!
"Sp-Spirit Sea Realm... Mid Spirit Sea Realm?!"
At this sight, Liu Ming abruptly stopped in his tracks, his eyes bulging wide and his expression locked in shock.
An indescribable terror spread through his heart!
With the spiritual power inside him surging and boiling, Ye Han smoothly channeled it into his palm, condensing it like a stream before clenching his hand into a fist.
This single punch was suffused with terrifying spiritual power fluctuations!
"Liu Ming, what about now?"
Ye Han gave a grim, chilling smile. Under Liu Ming's horrified gaze, that punch slammed heavily into his chest.
Bang!
The might of this punch directly pierced through Liu Ming's physical body, leaving a bloody hole behind.
"You..."
Liu Ming's lips trembled as he looked down at the bloody cavity in his chest. His life force was rapidly draining away...
Chapter 18: Talismans
"How is this possible..."
A thin stream of crimson blood slowly slipped from the corner of Liu Ming's mouth.
With eyes wide as copper bells, he stared in terror at the hole in his chest as his vitality rapidly faded.
In this moment, his expression was filled with despair and profound regret.
With a heavy thud, Liu Ming collapsed to the ground, his life force completely extinguished.
Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that this time, he had kicked an iron wall he could never afford to provoke!
"Young... Young Master!"
Not far away, the Liu Family members felt their legs turn to jelly, their expressions warped with extreme terror.
As they looked at Ye Han's figure, even their legs trembled uncontrollably.
Someone as powerful as Liu Ming, a Half-Step Spirit Sea Realm expert, had actually been killed with a single punch!
"Run!"
With Liu Ming slain, the remaining Liu Family disciples no longer dared to linger. Scattering like loose sand, they fled in panicked disarray.
"Humph! You think you can just run after killing my family's disciples? Slaughter them!"
Ye Ling let out a cold snort. The anger burning in him from being besieged by the Liu Family had nowhere to vent, and he immediately led the clansmen behind him in pursuit.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Before long, a fierce battle erupted once again.
However, the Liu Family members were completely devoid of fighting spirit, acting like scattered sand, while the Ye Family disciples subjected them to a brutal massacre.
Soon, the stench of blood filled the air, and corpses littered the ground.
"A Qiankun Bag? It seems there are quite a few treasures inside..."
Taking advantage of the chaos, Ye Han searched Liu Ming's body and finally pulled a Qiankun Bag from his robes.
He weighed it in his hand; it felt heavy, causing a trace of joy to flicker across his face.
With a thought, a surge of spiritual soul power poured right into it.
"As expected of a Liu Family young master, his collection is quite lavish. Too bad it's all mine now."
After a careful inspection, Ye Han did indeed find plenty of fine treasures within the Qiankun Bag.
Among them was even a high-grade spiritual art—none other than the Great Sun Burning Heaven Palm that Liu Ming had wielded earlier.
This spiritual art reached a full seventh grade in quality!
Aside from the Great Sun Burning Heaven Palm, the Qiankun Bag also contained numerous spirit stones and other cultivation resources.
Having gathered the spoils of war, the distant battle soon subsided.
Swish!
"Young Master, a few of them got away. Should we continue the pursuit?"
Ye Ling flew over, his face streaked with blood, yet his expression was one of absolute satisfaction.
"No need. They're just fish that slipped through the net," Ye Han said in an indifferent tone.
Beside him, Ye Hongling knitted her delicate brows and spoke with a hint of worry,
"But if they make it back to report, and the Liu Family finds out you killed Liu Ming, I'm afraid they're bound to come to the Ye Family to make trouble and demand accountability."
"Since the Liu Family has already set their sights on our Ye Family's mine, it means they've been planning to make a move against us all along. That being the case, why should we hide away and invite trouble? We might as well kill a chicken to scare the monkeys and make them suffer a harsh lesson."
With that, Ye Han glanced back at Liu Ming's corpse and sneered,
"Send these corpses back to the Liu Family."
"This..."
Hearing these words, Ye Ling and the others naturally understood Ye Han's intent. He wanted to break their spirits and completely infuriate the Liu Family.
"Understood!"
Ye Ling and the others cupped their fists in acknowledgment and proceeded to carry out the order.
Behind them, Ye Hongling stole a glance at Ye Han, her lovely eyes carrying a complex and awestruck look.
In the past, she had harbored profound admiration for Ye Tiange, believing him to be peerless, but after today, she had to admit she was wrong.
It wasn't just about strength; it was also Ye Han's daring and boldness—qualities that Ye Tiange could never hope to compare with.
"Is this the Tianyang Mineral Vein?"
Ye Han shifted his gaze forward, landing upon a crimson mountain range in the distance.
This mountain range wound and undulated like a dormant giant dragon. Deep within the mountain body lay an immensely rich mineral vein!
The vein ran from west to east, with a cavern entrance situated in the western section. The Ye Family had excavated an opening here, extracting a large quantity of spiritual ores over the years.
Not far away, the cavern entrance was a dark opening from which a wave of heat constantly billowed forth.
Pondering for a moment, Ye Han stepped into the pitch-black, narrow tunnel.
The surroundings were as sweltering as an oven, wave after wave of heat rolling in and making it difficult to breathe.
However, while the entrance was somewhat narrow, as he ventured deeper, the tight passageway gradually broadened.
"Are these the raw spiritual ores?"
Touching the rough stone walls, Ye Han saw countless transparent crystal formations embedded within them, brimming with rich spiritual power.
However, these spirit stones seemed to have absorbed a massive amount of subterranean fire, leaving their surfaces blazing hot and somewhat crimson.
For anyone cultivating fire-attribute techniques, their utility far surpassed that of ordinary spirit stones.
Using his hand, Ye Han snapped off a palm-sized piece of raw ore from the wall. Its surface was covered in a rough, stony crust.
Crack~
The moment he crushed the rock in his palm, a vast surge of spiritual power, smooth as silk, was drawn through his hand and absorbed into his body.
A pure and scorching spiritual power surged within him, which was thoroughly absorbed by his Dantian shortly after.
"Such pure fire-attribute spiritual power."
Ye Han clicked his tongue in slight amazement, not expecting the power contained within this mineral ore to be practically devoid of impurities.
In short, its quality was of the highest grade.
"No wonder the Liu Family wanted to fight for it. If our Ye Family can fully develop this mine, even ten Liu Families wouldn't amount to a fraction of us."
Musing thus, Ye Han crushed the depleted spirit stone in his hand and scattered the ashes.
Fixing his dark gaze on the depths of the cave, he continued onward.
Yet, the depth of this mineral vein somewhat exceeded his expectations.
After walking for an hour, he finally reached the very end of the mine.
There, at the culmination of the tunnel, stood a mottled stone door.
Embedded directly into the mountain rock, the door looked weathered and ancient.
A flicker of light crossed Ye Han's eyes as he looked on with some confusion.
"How could there be a stone door in a place like this?"
He tried pushing it with his hand, but the stone door was firmly lodged in the mountain and refused to budge an inch.
Growing even more intrigued, Ye Han channeled his spiritual power and slammed his palm fiercely against the ancient stone door.
Boom!
His palm force, carrying a piercing edge of momentum, crashed violently into the stone door.
With a loud bang, the entire stone door collapsed with a rumble, debris caving inward.
A wave of sealed, decaying odor rushed out.
The smell was somewhat pungent and unpleasant.
Using his sleeve to disperse the dust, Ye Han stepped inside and discovered that it was actually a sealed, enclosed chamber.
"Oh?"
On a stone platform within the chamber, Ye Han spotted a skeleton sitting cross-legged.
Stepping forward for a closer look, he saw several bizarre apparatuses laid out before the stone platform.
These items consisted of ancient rune-engraving brushes covered in complex patterns, as well as a cauldrons.
"These are... talisman-making implements?"
Having been the Pill Sage in his past life, Ye Han possessed at least that much discernment.
The moment he saw these strange utensils, he knew they belonged to a Talisman Master.
In other words, the mysterious skeleton before him had likely been a Talisman Master during his lifetime.
Searching around the skeleton, Ye Han suddenly discovered another Qiankun Bag.
This instantly made his eyes light up.
Picking up the Qiankun Bag, he gently opened it.
The very instant it opened, a brilliant, intense light suddenly burst forth.
Hum!
Following that, three ancient, yellowed pieces of talisman paper slowly floated up from within.
"Talismans?!"
Inside the enclosed secret cave, Ye Han's eyes swelled with an indescribable, wild joy at that exact moment.
Chapter 19: The Enraged Liu Family
Hum!
Accompanied by a dazzling brilliance that instantly illuminated the entire stone cave with bright light, three pieces of talisman paper floated up from the Qiankun Bag.
Each of the three talisman papers was inscribed with bizarre patterns drawn in gold ink, radiating an ancient yet powerful, mystical fluctuation.
"These are... intact talismans?!"
Staring intently at the three pieces of talisman paper, Ye Han could hardly suppress the joy in his heart.
So-called talismans were items where a Talisman Master used spirit paper as a medium, inscribing various array patterns upon it to imbue the paper with formidable power.
Different talismans possessed different grades, and their functions and powers varied completely.
Like Alchemists, Talisman Masters were an extremely rare profession, commanding immense prestige across the vast firmament continent.
The people in this world one least wished to provoke were Talisman Masters.
Because a casual talisman from their hands could unleash boundless power.
Top-tier Talisman Masters required merely a single spirit paper to move mountains, overturn seas, pluck stars, and grasp the moon.
These three talismans gleamed brilliantly and carried powerful fluctuations of energy, indicating they were completely intact and presumably still usable.
With this thought, Ye Han waved his sleeve, and the three talismans slowly descended into his hand.
Impatiently, he picked up one of the golden talismans and began examining the patterns and characters inscribed upon it.
"Iron Body Talisman."
The first talisman was named the Iron Body Talisman.
As the name suggested, once this talisman was driven into the physical body, it could make one's flesh as unyielding and indestructible as metal and stone.
This was a defensive spiritual talisman.
"This Iron Body Talisman should be a ninth-grade talisman."
Ye Han's gaze flickered slightly as he clicked his tongue in wonder.
Utilizing this Iron Body Talisman would render the physical body hard enough to easily withstand the full-force strike of a Quasi-Spirit Soul Realm expert, or a ninth-grade spiritual weapon.
However, the validity period of this Iron Body Talisman was only half an hour.
Once that time passed, the miraculous power contained within the talisman would dissipate along with it.
Stowing this talisman away, Ye Han curiously turned his attention to the second one.
Hiss!
"A Quasi-Mystic Grade talisman?!"
Ye Han drew in a slight breath of cold air; the second talisman was even higher in grade than the first.
This talisman, named the Black Demon Lightning Talisman, reached the level of a Quasi-Mystic Grade talisman.
Once activated, this talisman would summon terrifying Black Demon Lightning. Even experts in the Late Spirit Soul Realm would be blasted to death by it!
"I've really struck gold this time."
Ye Han's heart bloomed with joy, never expecting to stumble upon such a treasure by sheer coincidence.
However, what about the third talisman?
Filled with anticipation, Ye Han looked toward the final piece of talisman paper.
"Wild Bull Talisman... grade unknown?"
Ye Han frowned. The third talisman seemed to be a defective product; it bore no grade marker, nor did it contain any detailed description of its function.
For the moment, he had no idea how powerful this talisman might be.
"No matter. Even if it's defective, its value shouldn't be low. Besides, having the first two talismans means I've already had a stroke of supreme luck."
Ye Han was not an insatiable person, so he contentedly put the talismans away.
Scanning the stone platform once more, a smile curved the corners of his mouth.
"These things shouldn't be wasted in vain either."
With that, sweeping through like a storm, he stashed the various talisman implements from the stone platform into his Qiankun Bag.
Even if these treasures couldn't be used directly, they might fetch a good price in the future.
Emptying the stone chamber of all its contents, Ye Han finally walked out with a sense of satisfaction.
Before long, he retraced his steps back along the tunnel.
However, halfway back, a green flash suddenly burst out from the darkness.
Flash!
The green gleam flickered erratically, appearing to be some sort of flame radiating a scorching heat.
Stepping forward for a closer look, Ye Han found numerous deep cracks running across the ground.
Beneath those cracks, a jade-green flame was rising.
It flickered like a green fire snake, poking its head out from beneath the crevices from time to time.
"Jade Heart Earth Flame."
Raising his brows in surprise, Ye Han recognized it as a flame born beneath the earth's veins.
This Jade Heart Earth Flame could not be considered overly violent, but its temperature was extremely scorching, making it ideal for alchemy.
If ranked among pill flames, it barely scraped into the category of a third-grade pill flame.
"I just happen to lack a pill flame. While the grade of this Jade Heart Earth Flame isn't high, it's still better than the first-grade flame I have right now."
Recalling the awkwardness of lacking a pill flame when competing with Master Zhuge in refining the Nine Origins Pill, Ye Han realized that although this Jade Heart Earth Flame wasn't exceptionally precious, it would suffice as a transitional tool.
Reaching out with his palm, he grabbed forward and pulled sharply. A cluster of jade-colored flames slowly rose from beneath the crevice.
Having successfully subdued the Jade Heart Earth Flame, Ye Han contentedly left the mine.
...
In the eastern district of Flame City, the Liu Family estate.
Within a spacious and imposing main hall, a gloomy, oppressive atmosphere hung heavy, making it hard to breathe.
Upon the floor of the hall lay corpses, sprawled in all directions.
Occupying the main seat was a powerfully built man whose arms resembled heavy mountain peaks.