Walking up the winding path, Jiang Che led Tian Sha halfway up Baiyun Mountain. A flat plateau with a wide view came into sight, dotted with a few thatched huts.
"This is the place!" Jiang Che sneered, stepping out from the bushes.
Xiao Han, who had been watering the vegetable garden, immediately noticed him. He frowned in confusion—how had this guy found his way here?
"Jiang Che, why are you here?!" Xiao Han took a deep breath. Fear flickered in his heart, but remembering that the old master was still inside, his confidence surged. They hadn't even gone to seek revenge on Jiang Che—yet this fool had come straight to his death.
"I'm here to kill you, you dog."
In a flash, Jiang Che appeared right in front of Xiao Han and delivered a ferocious kick straight to his abdomen.
"Boom!"
With a deafening crash, Xiao Han's body was sent flying, slamming into the thatched hut behind him. The impact was so great that the entire hut trembled.
Inside the house, Ye Chen and Deng Changfeng were startled by the commotion. Without hesitation, they rushed outside.
Deng Changfeng's expression darkened as his gaze landed on Xiao Han's unconscious body. Then, he shifted his attention to the young man standing nearby.
"Is that Jiang Che?" he asked, turning to Ye Chen.
Deng Changfeng had never met Jiang Che before, so he was certain that this young man wasn't his personal enemy. However, it was obvious that he had come for his apprentice.
"Yes, that's him." Ye Chen nodded grimly, still a little surprised by the situation.
Deng Changfeng narrowed his eyes at Jiang Che, his aura turning cold and dangerous.
"You injure my apprentice right in front of me. Do you think I, Deng Changfeng, am that easy to bully?"
Jiang Che smirked. "Not only will I hurt him, but I'll also beat you down, old bastard." His tone was arrogant, utterly dismissive of his opponent.
"Such audacity!" Deng Changfeng roared. "You impudent brat, die!"
Furious, Deng Changfeng vanished from where he stood. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared right in front of Jiang Che, his hands outstretched, crackling with powerful inner energy. His wrists twisted into an unnatural position as he launched a strike directly at Jiang Che's face.
Jiang Che didn't dare to be careless. He immediately activated his Dao Heart Planting Demon Technique—black and white energy surged around his body, colliding with Deng Changfeng's attack.
The battle raged fiercely, the two exchanging blow after blow, neither able to gain the upper hand.
Ye Chen watched in shock. He had assumed that Deng Changfeng would easily defeat Jiang Che, perhaps even kill him outright. But now… they were evenly matched?
Wasn't Jiang Che only at the Huajin level? When did he break through to the Innate Realm?!
Before he could dwell on the thought, Ye Chen made a decision—he needed to join the fight. His cultivation might not be the strongest, but he could still pose a threat to Jiang Che.
However, before he could act—
"Boy, your opponent is me."
Tian Sha appeared before Ye Chen, striding toward him with an eager expression, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Get lost!" Ye Chen snapped, dismissing Tian Sha as an ordinary person with no martial arts skills.
"Slap!"
Before he could react, Tian Sha's palm landed hard across his face.
"You—" Ye Chen staggered back, stunned.
"What about me?" Tian Sha sneered, then suddenly launched a brutal left uppercut, aiming straight for Ye Chen's Tianling Gai—the crown of his head.
Ye Chen's instincts screamed at him, and he hurriedly raised his arms to block. But the moment their fists collided, a sharp pain tore through his arm—
This guy's strength… he's at a higher level than me?!
Ye Chen was forced back several steps, his expression turning wary.
Tian Sha didn't give him a moment to recover. He struck again—this time, a vicious kick aimed at Ye Chen's chest.
There was no holding back.
With overwhelming force, the kick sent Ye Chen flying. His body arced through the air before landing harshly in the vegetable garden.
The difference in their power was enormous.
This wasn't even a fight—it was a one-sided massacre.
Meanwhile, the battle between Jiang Che and Deng Changfeng continued.
Deng Changfeng withdrew his hand and stepped back, eyeing Jiang Che with newfound wariness. "You're strong."
He had originally assumed Jiang Che was just another Huajin-level fighter. He hadn't expected him to be at the Innate Realm—and at such a young age, no less!
"An Innate Martial Artist in his twenties…" Deng Changfeng murmured in disbelief. "This is terrifying."
Most martial artists started training from childhood, yet even then, breaking through to the Innate Realm before thirty was a rare feat. This meant Jiang Che had either immense talent or had been trained by an extraordinary master.
Jiang Che grinned. "Thanks for the compliment."
He didn't waste time with words. Without hesitation, he attacked again.
Leaping into the air, he unleashed a flurry of palm strikes, sending waves of black and white qi surging toward Deng Changfeng.
Deng Changfeng's expression turned serious. He immediately channeled his own Innate Qi, forming a protective barrier around himself.
Jiang Che descended from mid-air, landing directly in front of Deng Changfeng. His palm struck downward—crack!
Deng Changfeng's protective energy shattered under the force of the blow.
A groan escaped him as he stumbled backward, his face turning pale. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
"How is his true energy so strong?!" Deng Changfeng thought, shocked. Although they were at the same realm, Jiang Che's zhenqi was clearly denser and more refined.
Struggling to steady himself, Deng Changfeng looked up at Jiang Che and asked, "Which sect do you belong to?"
A young Innate Realm martial artist couldn't have appeared out of nowhere—he had to have been trained by someone powerful.
Jiang Che smirked. "No comment."
Take advantage of your enemy's weakness—strike to kill!
Seeing Deng Changfeng's weakened state, Jiang Che pressed the attack. He rained down a barrage of strikes, overwhelming Deng Changfeng.
Deng Changfeng raised his arms to defend himself, but his strength was fading fast. Within moments, blood spewed from his mouth as his internal energy collapsed.
Although there were no external wounds, his inner force was utterly depleted—he was seriously injured.
His knees buckled, and he collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath.
Jiang Che walked toward him leisurely, towering over him. His tone was indifferent.
"I'll give you one chance to live."
"Hand over your most precious martial arts manual, and I'll spare your life."