Chapter 153: Sitting on the Mountain to Watch the Tigers Fight

"What? Ye Lingyun is here?"

Su Ye's heart trembled. Dealing with Clan Chief Miao alone was already stretching his limits; if Ye Lingyun joined the fray, he would truly have no chance of winning.

Moreover, it wasn't just Ye Lingyun. Once he arrived, Luo Gui and Yu Zhisha from the Yu family would inevitably follow right behind him.

This was bound to be a fight to the death with no retreat!

"Hahaha, do you still want to run?" Clan Chief Miao, having heard the shout, let out a wild laugh. He leaped up into the air amidst the ruins, grabbed with one hand in mid-air, and the Rage Blade of the Gu King once again flashed with a dazzling, mottled radiance.

Boom!

Before Su Ye could steady his stance, the mottled light from the sky crashed down upon him, blasting his entire body away.

This time, Clan Chief Miao did not pursue him immediately. Instead, he stood tall upon the earth, laughing wildly with an air of unbridled arrogance and spirit, as if Su Ye were already a dead soul beneath his feet.

Griping his sword in one hand, Su Ye kept a vigilant eye on Clan Chief Miao while casting a swift glance into the distance. Sure enough, at the far end of the city, a crowd of martial artists was surging forward.

These martial artists were very easy to identify; they wore the attire of the Yu family, numbering over a hundred at a glance. Not only that, but they also seemed to have acquired some powerful entity, for hovering above their heads was a mass of unscattered black Qi.

This black Qi spread out over two hundred meters in diameter, with what appeared to be demonic beasts writhing within it, sending a chill down the spine of anyone who merely looked at it.

Standing right in the center of this group was a handsome young man of noble bearing, accompanied by a beauty by his side—it was none other than Ye Lingyun.

Because of the sudden appearance of this group of martial artists, both the city-guard martial artists and the Jiang family martial artists turned vigilant. The fierce battlefield pulled back slightly, hinting at a temporary truce.

Jiang Ziyang shouted loudly, "Ye Lingyun, this is a blood feud between us and Futian Peak. Are you going to stick your nose into this as well?"

Ye Lingyun stood in place, his entire troop holding their ground without advancing. With one hand, he wrapped his arm around Yu Zhisha's waist. Judging by her pretty face and glowing, energetic appearance, the severe injuries she had suffered seemed to have completely healed.

Moving his gaze away from Yu Zhisha, he said in a clear voice, "Family Head Jiang, there has never been any enmity between you and me. Even if there was, it was just a minor misunderstanding! Besides, out of respect for Miss Liuying alone, I would not kick the Jiang family when they are down. Rest assured!"

Although these words left a sour taste in the mouth, the Jiang family martial artists secretly breathed a sigh of relief. They were currently locked in combat with the martial artists of Futian Peak; if Ye Lingyun had suddenly led a charge against them, the Jiang family would have been in grave danger.

Hearing this, Jiang Ziyang's expression calmed somewhat, though he remained uneasy. "Then I hope you will not advance any further or step onto the battlefield."

Jiang Liuying, on the other hand, let out a cold snort, though she found it difficult to say much more at this moment.

"Hahaha, Ye Lingyun, you choose to stand aloof now—do you really think it's still in time?"

Clan Chief Miao swung the Rage Blade of the Gu King in the air with one hand, shouting from afar, his voice laced with anger and disdain.

Back at the Futian Peak stronghold, he and Ye Lingyun had reached a private agreement. Little did he expect that Ye Lingyun would now choose to sit back and watch the tigers fight, clearly harboring the despicable intention of letting them weaken each other so he could reap the benefits at the end.

At the same time, Clan Chief Miao felt a deep sense of contempt. He was now the new Gu King, wielding the Rage Blade of the Gu King; wiping out the Jiang family would be effortless. Once he slaughtered the Jiang family, he would turn around and kill this Ye Lingyun as well.

Ye Lingyun merely looked up to the sky and laughed. "Clan Chief Miao, do not blame me for not lending a hand; this matter has nothing to do with me. But let me warn you, make sure you do not harm Miss Jiang Liuying. If any harm comes to her, I will not let the matter rest easily."

Standing right beside Ye Lingyun, the old woman Luo Gui let out a cold snort at these words. Giving Ye Lingyun a wary glance, she said in a raspy voice, "Clan Chief Miao, he may not help, but our Yu family shares a deep, irreconcilable hatred with Su Ye. I will come to your aid!"

"Haha, good! Elder Yu, please!" Arrogant though he was, Clan Chief Miao knew that both the Yu family and the Martial Alliance were formidable forces, and he needed to enlist the Yu family's strength.

No one had anticipated such an outcome. Even if Ye Lingyun chose not to strike, he had brought his men, and the main offensive force was still the Yu family!

Luo Gui and the others moved immediately. For some reason, however, Yu Zhisha allowed Ye Lingyun to keep his arm around her waist, not charging forward with her clansmen.

"Damn it!" Even with Jiang Ziyang's level of self-cultivation, he could not help letting out a fierce curse. Ye Lingyun had claimed he wouldn't get involved, but with the Yu family charging into battle, how was that any different from him attacking alongside them?

Ouyang Yunfeng immediately shouted the order to retreat; under no circumstances could they continue fighting.

In an instant, the entire battlefield descended into chaos.

Although Su Ye was still standing on the battlefield, for the first time, he felt a profound sense of powerlessness. Even though his cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds, facing such an encirclement, he still felt far from strong enough.

It looked as though Ye Lingyun hadn't stepped forward, but lingering there in the distance made him all the more formidable and dangerous, someone who had to be guarded against at all costs! Moreover, Ye Lingyun's attitude had now become crucial; it seemed that whichever side he leaned toward would tilt the scales of victory in their favor!

"Little beast, you traveled thousands of miles here just to throw away your life?" In the distance, Luo Gui was already charging toward him in a rage. Although she looked aged and withered, she clearly possessed deep cultivation, and her movements were swifter than those of ordinary martial artists.

The moment Su Ye saw her, the fury in his heart flared up instantly.

"I came... to kill you!"

Three years ago, the Yu family had ripped out nine of his thunder meridians, six of which had been taken by Luo Gui himself. If they were talking about deep, bloody hatred, Luo Gui undoubtedly topped the list.

Bang!

Abandoning his confrontation with Clan Chief Miao entirely, Su Ye unleashed the thunder and fire blazing across his body. Dragging the giant sword with one hand, he sprinted wildly across the flagstone pavement of the city. Because of the sword's immense weight, its scraping against the ground kicked up a long trail of sparks.

Within moments, the two sides collided directly.

"Slash—!"

Su Ye swung the giant sword in his hand with all his might, slashing upward from the earth with a thunderous roar that erupted into a crescent-shaped sword beam.

"Awoo—!"

Suddenly, a beast-like roar tore from Luo Gui's throat. A flash of thunder burst from her single palm as she slammed it viciously onto the giant sword, forcing the thunder blade down.

The true Qi of both parties violently collided right before them, exploding into a ring of blinding light.

Every martial artist felt a jolt in their hearts; from this single exchange alone, they knew that both combatants were entities they could never afford to provoke.

"A beast's roar?"

Su Ye's pupils constricted. He had clearly heard the sound emanating from Luo Gui's throat—it was undeniably the cry of a wild beast. What on earth was going on here?

Whoosh—

Before Su Ye could look closer, a sharp, mottled light ray suddenly streaked through mid-air, hurtling straight down to ruthlessly impale his skull.

"Despicable and shameless!"

Boom—

To his surprise, this sudden strike was none other than the Rage Blade of the Gu King, manipulated by Clan Chief Miao.

Su Ye and Luo Gui were both sent flying backward simultaneously, dodging that terrifying blow. Su Ye fared slightly better, having already experienced the terrifying power of the Rage Blade of the Gu King numerous times.

Luo Gui, however, was left disheveled and covered in flying dust, her previous majestic and overbearing aura somewhat diminished. She shrieked furiously, "Clan Chief Miao, what is the meaning of this?"

Clan Chief Miao laughed wildly, still manipulating his massive Rage Blade of the Gu King in the air, and shouted loudly, "Hehe, this brat needs to die by my hands. Keep your little tricks to yourself and stop making a fool of yourself—save them for killing the others!"

"Oh? It seems Clan Chief Miao truly looks down upon this old woman. Today, I shall show you a trick or two and let you witness my true abilities." As Luo Gui spoke, her throat suddenly began to swell violently.

*Croak!!* A bizarre sound echoed as her throat ballooned to the size of a watermelon.

The sight was utterly grotesque and terrifying.

"What is that thing?" Many people cried out in shock, and even Clan Chief Miao watched from afar, consumed by curiosity.

Griping his giant sword, Su Ye retreated abruptly, already sensing a savage aura closing in on him, as if a fierce beast were watching his every move.

It seemed that in this era of spiritual recovery, in this miracle-filled Thunder City, he wasn't the only one blessed with extraordinary encounters; everyone present harbored their own strokes of fortune and closely guarded secrets.

"Blech—!"

Luo Gui opened her mouth wide and retched, actually vomiting a wild beast straight out of her throat...

The beast was pitch-black all over. The moment it hit the ground, its body was still dripping wet, yet it instantly stood upright, shook its frame, and ballooned to a size of two to three meters within the span of just a few breaths...