Chapter Ninety: The Three Supreme Arts of the Illusory Sea

"Avenge the young lord!"

At Ouyang Man's rallying cry, a throng of martial artists raised their arms and charged forward with fervor.

Since it was Su Ye who killed Ouyang Yunfeng, killing Su Ye now would ensure there were no witnesses left alive—a plan as safe as possible.

Swish, swish, swish—

Though these martial artists had witnessed Su Ye’s power, they had been caught off guard before. Now, attacking together, and with Ouyang Man, Old Granny Wen, and Master Chen Yu, the veteran alchemist, holding the line, they were more than confident—killing one Su Ye should be more than enough for them.

The first martial artist had already reached the front lines, thrusting his long spike fiercely at Su Ye.

"Foolish overconfidence!"

Su Ye barked coldly, his eyes suddenly flashing with light. He was not accustomed to using weapons, and in the Opening Meridians stage, martial artists rarely practiced techniques and even more rarely used weapons. Now, he simply met them barehanded.

"Thunder Born—"

Boom!

In a flash, a lightning arc nearly a meter long burst from Su Ye's forearm, curving like a crescent blade and attaching itself to his hand. As he swung it, it proved even more terrifying than any saber.

Splat!

Su Ye charged forward in fury, sweeping his hands enveloped in rolling arcs of lightning. The two martial artists before him were instantly killed, their heads rolling from their bodies.

The others halted in shock. Though used to violence, they had never seen anyone as ruthless as Su Ye—killing without even blinking.

When he had slain Yu Xingkun and the others, the whole city of Yangcheng had whispered of Su Ye as a "fierce man" and a "ruthless killer." Seeing him now, the rumors were clearly true.

But these martial artists were not so easily frightened away. Reorganizing themselves, they pressed the attack.

Once again, blood and flesh flew through the air. Cries of agony echoed unceasingly. The ground was strewn with shattered pieces of the furnace, with flames still burning in many places—a battlefield of blood and fire indeed.

"Kill him!"

"Surround him—surround him!"

Amidst the shouting, an aged figure shot forth like an arrow. A withered hand struck down toward Su Ye’s chest.

Bang!

Caught off guard, the shockwave around Su Ye was blasted apart, and he slid backward, using the force to his advantage. His feet carved two deep ruts, each ten meters long, into the ground.

With that, the two sides entered a brief standoff.

Su Ye looked up to see that it was Old Granny Wen, her face twisted in a ferocious snarl, liver spots and black moles trembling as they gathered murderous intent.

"You little wretch, even the furnace couldn’t kill you! It seems your thunder veins are indeed most peculiar!" Old Granny Wen sneered coldly. She was determined to strike personally, while the other martial artists could only circle round, forming a tight encirclement.

"You old hag! Today, I'll kill you first!"

Bang!

Su Ye’s aura surged forth again. With a sweeping gesture, as if embracing all the power in the void, he readied himself.

At this, Old Granny Wen shrieked and lunged forward. Her feet left the ground—she seemed to fly, driving out streaks of black light with her palms.

"Let me show you the unique skills of our Illusory Sea Sect—"

"The Three Illusions of the Sea! The First Form!"

Swish, swish, swish!

Suddenly, a series of afterimages appeared before her, and waves of force surged forth like crashing seas.

Su Ye roared, clenching his fist and striking out.

The first wave of force crashed into his fist, making the lightning arc flicker, nearly dissipating. But there was no time to respond before the second, third, fourth, and fifth waves struck in quick succession.

Bang, bang, bang!

Su Ye's body shuddered as if struck by a thousand-pound force, sending him flying backward once again.

"The Three Illusions of the Sea, Second Form!"

Even as Su Ye was hurled through the air, he heard Old Granny Wen’s cold shout. Suddenly, it felt as if his body was grasped and frozen in midair.

The energy that had just been forced into his body now seemed to be sucked back out. With a whoosh, his body was violently yanked toward her.

This terrifying technique made Su Ye’s heart tremble.

"Die, boy!" Old Granny Wen, seeing Su Ye drawn back to her, flashed a cold light in her hand and stabbed out with a spike.

Su Ye roared, unleashing the surging thunder energy within him.

The technique he had comprehended now floated clearly in his mind:

"All under Heaven, the Gate of Mystery!"

Bang!

In an instant, all the foreign energy forced into his body was expelled, and his strength returned in a flash. He forced himself to halt, stopping hard less than two meters from Old Granny Wen.

"What? Impossible!" she exclaimed in shock. She had used the Illusory Sea Sect’s secret art, one she had never failed with—how could Su Ye force himself to stop?

But she had no time to consider. She stabbed at Su Ye with her spike.

"Hmph, your Three Illusions of the Sea are nothing special! Now see my technique!"

Though shocked, Su Ye would not allow her to unleash her secret skill again. At the same time, he activated several major acupoints—over a dozen of the one hundred and eight in his body.

At once, the flames drawn into his acupoints earlier were summoned forth!

Boom—

Flames shot from his palms, interwoven with arcs of lightning.

The instant fire and lightning met, they exploded violently!

The flames surged, swelling to a length of five or six meters. The martial artists about to rush in all paled and stopped dead in their tracks.

"You threw me into the alchemy furnace—now, taste the power of alchemical fire! Kill—!"

With a mighty sweep, Su Ye sent the flames surging forth, engulfing Old Granny Wen in an instant.

"Aah—!" She had no time to dodge—the thunderfire roared into her body.

This was no ordinary fire, but true thunderfire!

Even her bones were set ablaze in an instant. Her screams had barely begun when she was already a figure of living flame. In her frenzy, she unleashed every technique she knew, sending wave after wave of force outward, desperately trying to extinguish the flames.

But she could not.

"Aah…ah! Help me!" Old Granny Wen staggered dozens of meters before collapsing, unable to move.

All the martial artists stood frozen in place, stunned that Su Ye possessed such a terrifying skill. Even Old Granny Wen of the Illusory Sea Sect had been slain and burned to ashes.

"What…what kind of monstrous technique is that?"

"He can breathe fire! Just how many elements can he command?" All at once, the martial artists retreated in terror—none dared approach and throw their lives away.

Ouyang Man stared, dumbfounded. She had spent a fortune to hire such a powerful ally. Who could have guessed Old Granny Wen would die like this? If the Illusory Sea Sect sought retribution, what then?

The Illusory Sea Sect was not only strong but domineering. She had gone to their gates to request help; now, within days, their expert was dead. Surely thunderous wrath would follow!

"Damn it!"

Without a second thought, Ouyang Man retreated swiftly.

"You’re using alchemical fire—what right do you have to command alchemical fire?" As everyone else fell back, only Master Chen Yu, the old alchemist, cried out, stepping forward.

His eyes shone with greed and longing.

As an alchemist, he harbored an incomprehensible yearning for furnaces and all kinds of flames. Especially alchemical fire—even with the finest materials, without such fire, one could not refine true elixirs.

Among alchemists, there were even rankings for the various sacred flames.

Master Chen Yu had long coveted alchemical fire—how could it end up with Su Ye?

"The alchemical fire in your hand is mine!"