One of the men snorted, "Yu Ye, you think too highly of yourself."
Yu Daohen didn't retort. He drew the Kanglong Mace from his waist, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "You can try."
As soon as he spoke, a killing intent surged from Yu Daohen's brow, making even Qiangzi beside him tremble.
The man who had just spoken instantly deflated. He had only dared to speak out because Fen Yue was nearby.
The four men exchanged glances. No one dared to make the first move. Truthfully, they would rather face Fen Yue than a murderous Yu Daohen. Moreover, Fen Yue hadn't explicitly stated he would help them. Making a rash move might lead to more loss than gain.
Others might not know, but the Xiangxi massacre had been a topic of discussion in the martial world for a long time. Although Yu Daohen hadn't admitted it, all signs pointed to him being the perpetrator.
"Who's going first?" the man who had provoked earlier asked.
"Le Ye, wasn't it agreed? You lead, and we'll follow," a man beside him said fearfully.
The reason they dared to challenge Yu Daohen was their numerical advantage. In a one-on-one fight, none of them possessed the courage or the skill.
"I think we should forget it. It's not worth offending Yu Daohen for the spirit spring," someone began to back down.
The others chimed in, "I agree. Honestly, with that thing, we'd be lucky to get a good price."
With that, three of them prepared to leave. Only the man who had provoked earlier remained. "This is a golden opportunity to become famous. If you're afraid, I'll go."
The man's sturdy physique was already in an offensive stance. After a moment of hesitation, he stomped his foot and charged towards Yu Daohen.
The three men beside him watched the charging man without rushing to intervene. They wanted to see if Yu Daohen was truly injured. If he was, they could attack later. If not, they would suffer no losses.
Yu Daohen saw the man charging at him alone, without any weapon. He grinned, "Below the Earth Ranking, you're the first to dare to fight me with brute strength."
Yu Daohen tossed the Kanglong Mace to Qiangzi and met the man's charge with his bare fists.
*Bang!*
Their fists collided. The man's face changed. He felt as if his entire arm was about to fall apart. Yu Daohen's strength was far beyond what he could handle.
"Good strength, but still lacking," Yu Daohen said with a light laugh.
The man was forced back by the impact. Yu Daohen seized the opportunity and charged forward. The man stabilized himself and, seeing Yu Daohen in front of him, swung his fist.
Yu Daohen grabbed the incoming fist and twisted it forcefully. The man's arm bent outwards at an unnatural angle, causing him to grimace in pain. Yu Daohen then yanked him back and drove his knee into the man's abdomen.
The man's face contorted. He spat out bile and knelt on the ground, howling in agony.
Yu Daohen turned to look at the three men and Fen Yue, his expressionless face betraying no emotion. "Who else wants to challenge me? Come and try."
Although Yu Daohen's face was blank, he was inwardly panicked. He could handle one opponent, but if three attacked him in his current state, he wouldn't be able to cope.
Seeing that Yu Daohen had subdued Xu Le so easily in two moves, the three men dared not act. They turned to look at Fen Yue.
The clue that Yu Daohen was injured had come from him. This was clearly a setup.
However, they knew that Fen Yue was someone they couldn't afford to offend, and neither was Yu Daohen. All they could do was suffer in silence, bearing the pain without complaint. They had to endure the beating.
"My apologies, Yu Ye. It was just a misunderstanding. We'll take him and leave now. We hope Yu Ye will overlook our transgressions," one of the three said, cupping his hands.
Yu Daohen nodded, his gaze fixed coldly on Fen Yue.
The three men breathed a sigh of relief. They helped the injured Xu Le up and hurried away. It seemed that if the two were to fight later, they would have to flee.
A gentle breeze stirred, lifting their hair. Both men stared at each other with expressionless faces.
Ge Peiwen and Qiangzi beside them grew tense. The opponents were not weak and could not be underestimated.
"Do you two also wish to try?" Yu Daohen spoke first.
Fen Yue's expression turned cold. He slowly reached for the dagger at his back. Just as he was about to draw it, Ge Peiwen beside him stopped him.
Fen Yue turned to look at Ge Peiwen.
Ge Peiwen shook his head slightly, signaling Fen Yue that now was not the time for conflict and that the bigger picture should be prioritized.
Fen Yue tightened his grip on the dagger, then slowly let it go. The item had been obtained. Now was not the time to fight Yu Daohen; returning to the sect was the most important matter.
"Hmph."
Fen Yue snorted and turned to leave. Ge Peiwen, relieved, followed him.
"Remember, Yu Daohen will personally settle this debt," Yu Daohen called out.
"I'll be waiting!" Fen Yue stopped, his voice filled with anger, before continuing to walk away.
Qiangzi watched them leave, a sense of relief washing over him. Fen Yue was known as a ruthless figure among the younger generation. Before he himself had gained renown, Fen Yue had already earned a reputation for his brutal methods among his peers. However, compared to the now famous Yu Daohen, Yu Ye, he was still a hundred million points behind.
Author's Note: