857: Chapter 853: Civil War within the Family 857: Chapter 853: Civil War within the Family “Considering the fact that the three of you are already of advanced age, I’ll make you a deal: if you don’t interfere with me killing Ye Tian, I’ll let you keep your entire corpses!
But since you insist on rushing toward death, don’t blame me, Sima Kuan, for showing no mercy!”
“After killing you, I’ll use your bodies to light the Heavenly Lantern.
Isn’t your Ye Family proud of absorbing the Power of Light?
Then, in death, turn into ten thousand rays of brilliance!”
Sima Kuan coldly mocked the three elders of the Ye Family, Ye Zhiran, Ye Zhicang, and Ye Zhirong, who all clenched their teeth in rage!
Ye Zhiran sneered, “Sima Kuan, ever since our Clan Leader fell victim to your Puppetry Technique, the grudge between our Ye Family and the Sima Family has been one of irreconcilable enmity.
So spare us your hypocritical acts!”
Ye Zhicang chimed in, “That’s right!
The Sima Family has been acting against the natural order and will pay the price eventually.
That price begins today!”
Previously, Ye Zhicang had suffered injuries from the joint attack of Sima Kuan and Xu Ziwen while protecting Ye Tian.
Those wounds still hadn’t healed…
Now, Ye Zhicang had also been struck by the lethal ‘Red Wind’ poison.
At his age, how could his body endure?
But for Ye Tian’s sake, this time, Ye Zhicang was willing to risk it all!
Ye Zhirong sighed and said, “Sima Kuan, though our Ye Family might be poor, we’re not to be underestimated.
So today, let us old men keep you company in battle!”
Sima Kuan noticed the fighting spirit radiating from the Ye Family’s three elders and was somewhat taken aback…
“You three old fools don’t have many years left anyway.
Your Qinggong is impressive; if you wanted to escape, Uncle Xu and I might not be able to stop you.
Yet, why do you insist on protecting Ye Tian?
You’re not related to him by blood, are you?”
In response to Sima Kuan’s inquiry, the three elders exchanged glances before unanimously gazing at Ye Tian, who was currently focused on expelling poison.
Though the Ye Family’s three elders couldn’t be expected to kneel to Ye Tian like the three Ding brothers did, they seemed to harbor a similarly devout sentiment toward him…
Ye Zhiran declared proudly, “Sima Kuan, you’re not wrong.
Our Ye Family and Ye Tian have no familial ties; we haven’t known him long, and there shouldn’t be much sentiment involved.
Moreover, Ye Tian even trespassed into our Ye Family’s forbidden grounds and stole its treasure!
Yet even under such circumstances, our Ye Family places extraordinary trust in Ye Tian.
Both I and Zhicang, as well as Zhirong, hold him in high regard.
There’s always an exceptional charisma emanating from Ye Tian—a charisma that draws martial artists to him like moths to a flame!”
Ye Zhicang nodded reflectively and added, “That’s absolutely true.
In some sense, Ye Tian represents the future of the Martial Arts World.
As long as Ye Tian remains, there’s hope for peace in this turbulent world.
Only Ye Tian can bring true tranquility!”
Ye Zhirong agreed, “There’s an aura around Ye Tian that unconsciously compels people to gravitate toward him.
Without employing any forceful methods, he inspires unwavering loyalty among fellow martial artists.
A warrior like him makes you want to fight alongside him without reservation!”
To the Ye Family’s three elders, though they greatly admired Ye Tian’s character, they hadn’t initially intended to lay down their lives to fight for him.
However, upon witnessing the desperation of the three Ding brothers in their effort to protect Ye Tian, the three elders couldn’t suppress their surging emotions, rising in wrath to battle on Ye Tian’s behalf!
Unlike the Ding brothers, who only practiced an incomplete Wind Flow Strength, the Ye Family’s ancestral Sun Droplet Technique was fully mastered, and its power surpassed Wind Flow Strength.
Thus, when the three elders decided to join the battle, Sima Kuan, Xu Ziwen, and the Three Ghosts couldn’t suppress a shudder…
These three old men were not easy opponents!
However, Sima Kuan remained confident and sneered, “Ye Family’s three elders, though you seem intent on fighting, I wonder—in your Ye Family, do you enjoy tearing one another apart?”
With that, Sima Kuan whistled sharply!
Suddenly, Ye Zhihuan, the Ye Family’s Clan Leader who had stayed idle up until now, lunged at the three elders.
His fists radiated powerful fire energy, so scorching it threatened to melt everything around him!
At this moment, Ye Zhihuan had already become Sima Kuan’s puppet.
Whatever command Sima Kuan gave, Ye Zhihuan was forced to obey—even if it meant turning his fists against his own brothers!
Previously, Sima Kuan hadn’t commanded Ye Zhihuan to act because the Three Ghosts were already stronger than the three Ding brothers.
Killing ants didn’t require using an ox’s strength, so Ye Zhihuan’s involvement wasn’t deemed necessary…
But now that the three elders had decided to join the fray—formidable adversaries as they were—Sima Kuan naturally ordered Ye Zhihuan to act.
He enjoyed watching the Ye Family tear itself apart!
“Watch out—it’s Samadhi True Fire!”
Seeing Ye Zhihuan unleash his killing move, Ye Zhiran shouted in alarm.
The three elders leapt backward, narrowly evading Ye Zhihuan’s merciless strike that impacted precisely where they had been standing moments ago.
“Boom, boom, boom, boom—!”
A deafening explosion erupted as Ye Zhihuan’s fists smashed into the ground, his Samadhi True Fire melting the earth beneath them.
Lava flowed, and the surrounding air became stiflingly hot…
“Hahaha—water floods the Dragon King’s temple, and family doesn’t recognize family anymore!”
Sima Kuan laughed heartily, mocking the internal conflict of the Ye Family’s four elders!
Ye Zhirong shouted, “Clan Leader, wake up!
Don’t let yourself be controlled by the despicable Sima Family anymore!”
Though Puppetry Technique was a high-level ability, it wasn’t entirely unbreakable.
Back when Ye Xuong fell victim to Sima Feng’s Puppetry Technique, the martial artists at Night King Hall worked together to drive the swirling energy out of Ye Xuong’s body.
That precedent gave Ye Zhirong a glimmer of hope that Ye Zhihuan might break free from Sima Yun’s control.
“Stop!
It’s useless!”
Ye Zhiran cut short Ye Zhirong’s futile cries.
While Sima Feng’s Puppetry Technique had been countered before, Sima Yun’s skills far exceeded Sima Feng’s.
His caution only made matters worse.
Unless Sima Yun died, Ye Zhihuan wouldn’t escape the technique…
Despite being blood brothers, Ye Zhiran’s eyes glinted with killing intent—a necessity under the circumstances.
At this point, Ye Zhihuan was everyone’s enemy!
“Ye Zhirong, our Clan Leader is no longer the elder brother we knew; he’s now a puppet of the Sima Family.
To protect Ye Tian, we must kill him!
We can’t show mercy—or we’ll all die!”
Ye Zhiran spoke firmly.
They were brothers; who would willingly choose to kill their own?
Yet with Ye Zhihuan having lost all sanity, now turned against his comrades, Ye Zhiran couldn’t afford to waver out of sentimentality…
Ye Zhihuan had always been the most powerful among the Ye Family’s four elders.
Controlled by Sima Yun’s Puppetry Technique, his strength had only amplified.
If the three elders hesitated—bound by familial bonds—in dealing a decisive blow to Ye Zhihuan, it would spell death for everyone present.
“Exactly!
Ye Zhirong, we must set aside our hesitations to protect Ye Tian.
Killing Clan Leader is the only way!”
Ye Zhicang reinforced firmly.
“I understand…”
Ye Zhirong nodded reluctantly, acknowledging the harsh reality.
Having witnessed much of life’s partings and farewells in their old age, the three elders had grown indifferent to the transient sorrows of the world…
Still, the necessity of striking their own Clan Leader pained them deeply.
Yet, in the name of protecting something greater, they chose to abandon brotherly bonds.
“Let’s go—Four Symbols Formation!”
Ye Zhiran cried out, stepping into formation with Ye Zhicang and Ye Zhirong in the south, west, and north positions respectively…
The Four Symbols Formation, when wielded by all four elders of the Ye Family, unleashed its greatest power—but now, with Ye Zhihuan controlled by Puppetry Technique, the trio had no choice but to execute it with just three participants.
Even so, the power of the Four Symbols Formation fully materialized.
The three elders agreed to show no mercy against Ye Zhihuan, channeling their Sun Droplet Technique to its fullest potential from the very start.
Since the Sun Droplet Technique draws upon the Power of Light, using it at full capacity caused their entire bodies to become blazing hot, radiating intense brilliance.
Their glow made it impossible for Sima Kuan, Xu Ziwen, and the Three Ghosts to approach casually.
But since this battle was one of internal conflict within the Ye Family, Sima Kuan refrained from ordering the Three Ghosts to intervene.
Watching the Ye Family destroy itself was exactly what he wanted!
“Clan Leader!
Don’t blame us for showing no mercy!”
“When you fell under Sima Yun’s control, you must’ve known this was the inevitable outcome!”
“Rest assured, once we kill you, we will flatten the Sima Family and avenge you!”
Though Ye Zhiran, Ye Zhicang, and Ye Zhirong spoke with a trace of sorrow, their techniques were merciless in execution.
Underfoot, the ground had begun to collapse entirely, and Ye Zhihuan’s body sank further and further…
They were using the very technique they had once employed to trap Wang Cai, a martial arts prodigy, for hours—a testament to the Four Symbols Formation’s unparalleled might.