Supreme of the Heavenly Realm
Chapter 457 - 454: Traces

Chapter 457: Chapter 454: Traces

"Huang Bo, what were you thinking, bringing such a weakling here? Are you trying to get us killed?"

Lu Zong, supported by the female disciple, grew even more arrogant. He snorted coldly, his disdain palpable in his expression.

"You!"

Huang Bo’s face turned extremely ugly. These people were tough nuts to crack. He then looked apologetically at Ye Xuan. Today, he felt he had wronged Ye Xuan somewhat. But there was nothing to be done; these Inner Sect Disciples were not easy to deal with and spoke without any consideration for others’ feelings.

"Brother Huang, if this is the attitude of your team members, I think it’s better to forget about forming a team." Ye Xuan’s expression was indifferent. Having said that, he turned around to leave, preparing to walk away.

"Hmph, trash is trash. The task of dealing with the blood-sucking bat demon is not something any Tom, Dick, or Harry can take on. Go back and train a few more years." Even as Ye Xuan was leaving, Lu Zong still did not forget to mock him, his words extremely rude.

At this, Ye Xuan, who was originally about to leave, suddenly stopped in his tracks. He then turned, a mysterious smile flickering across his lips, and his gaze landed on Lu Zong. "Could you repeat that?"

"What, upset about being called trash? Trash is trash, so quick to anger. You better recognize your status. It’s not too late to scurry away right now."

Lu Zong’s face was still filled with disdain.

However, this time, just as his words fell, Ye Xuan’s figure suddenly disappeared from the spot. By the time he reappeared, he was already right in front of Lu Zong.

Initially, Lu Zong saw Ye Xuan’s movement and a cold smile also streaked across his lips. Just as he was about to give Ye Xuan a harsh lesson, he suddenly discovered that Ye Xuan’s palm was already in front of him at an unbelievable speed, then brought along a gust of wind and slapped fiercely toward Lu Zong.

Lu Zong’s face turned to shock, wanting to dodge, but he found that the palm seemed to have already locked onto him. Before he could even move, a "smack" - a crisp sound - suddenly echoed.

Wow!

Two teeth were knocked out, and Lu Zong was sent flying backward, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Half of his face swiftly swelled up.

"Lu Zong!"

The female disciple cried out in alarm while Huang Bo and the stoic-faced disciple were also shocked, staring incredulously at Lu Zong, who was sent flying with a slap. Despite his First Grade Martial Venerable cultivation, he had no chance to react and was slapped away by Ye Xuan like an adult slapping a child.

Even if taken by surprise, it was impossible for it to result in such a shocking outcome.

"Beast! How dare you launch a sneak attack?"

Lu Zong clutched his swollen face, his eyes fierce as he stared at Ye Xuan. In his view, there was no way Ye Xuan could touch him with his strength. Ye Xuan had taken advantage of his distraction to land such a humiliating blow.

Hearing this, Huang Bo and the others shook their heads secretly. Ye Xuan hadn’t sneak-attacked. Clearly, Lu Zong was no match for Ye Xuan. The scene just now was no accident.

"With your strength, do I need to sneak attack?"

Ye Xuan couldn’t help but scoff. He wasn’t intentionally mocking, but this guy had been too hateful earlier. Now, he was only giving him a taste of his own medicine.

"Shut up! How dare you belittle me! I’ll slaughter you!"

Lu Zong’s eyes darkened immensely, his gaze filled with manic fury as he recklessly charged towards Ye Xuan, seeming determined to fight him to the death.

"Not waking up."

Ye Xuan didn’t waste words, sending a palm strike towards Lu Zong. It looked rather ordinary, but when it hit Lu Zong, it not only instantly dissolved his attack but also sent him flying again.

Pfft!

This time, after spitting out a mouthful of blood, Lu Zong angrily pointed at Ye Xuan, but then he immediately passed out, unconscious.

Hiss!

Seeing this, the beautiful female disciple and the stoic-faced disciple both gasped in shock. In their eyes, a deep sense of fear emerged. It was good that they hadn’t provoked Ye Xuan earlier; otherwise, it would have been them lying on the ground like dead dogs.

"I wonder if the two of you have any objections regarding me now?"

Ye Xuan glanced at the two female disciples and spoke indifferently.

"Hehe, no objections here. The team is being led by Brother Huang, what objections could we possibly have? Lu Zong acts arrogantly as if nobody else matters; him being injured by Brother Liu was self-inflicted and has nothing to do with us." The female disciple quickly dissociated herself and Lu Zong, clearly not wanting to end up battered and bruised like him. Though she considered herself quite pretty, she had no doubt that Ye Xuan was someone who wouldn’t hesitate to destroy beauty, for she had just cast a flirtatious glance at Ye Xuan, which went completely unacknowledged.

"That’s good. Since the troublemaker has been dealt with, we should set off as well. Bringing Lu Zong would only slow us down; better to let him rest here."

Having said that, Ye Xuan went off on his own.

"Let’s go."

A trace of joy appeared on Huang Bo’s face, and he briefly called out to the female disciple and the wooden-faced youth before following after him.

This opportunity to recruit Ye Xuan, a hidden expert, was indeed the result of his keen insight; otherwise, they might have missed out on such a powerful teammate.

For outdoor missions, the strength of teammates was undoubtedly very important. Huang Bo thought to himself that Ye Xuan’s capabilities could likely match those of a Second Grade Martial Venerate Realm inner sect disciple; such strength was only slightly inferior to that of the elite disciples of the inner sect.

Both the female disciple and the wooden-faced youth developed a slight reverence for Ye Xuan. As for Lu Zong, who had been knocked out by Ye Xuan, no one bothered with him anymore.

After leaving the Spiritual Spring Sect, the four-member team headed southward. Four days later, following rumors, they traced the leads to Yellow Sand Ridge in the south.

The climate around Yellow Sand Ridge was extremely arid. Looking around, there was nothing but barren yellow soil and sand, sparsely dotted by drought-resistant plants shivering in the sandy wind.

The cawing of crows from some trees only added to the desolation.

Yellow Sand Ridge was recently plagued by blood-sucking vampire bats.

In the midst of Yellow Sand Ridge loomed a colorless, invisible toxic gas mixed with the sandy winds, easily penetrating a martial artist’s defenses. Besides this danger, peculiar creatures lurked beneath the sands; even a Martial Venerate expert had to tread carefully here, lest they face unexpected calamities.

"This place is too strange, everyone be extra careful!"

Feeling the pressure on his Protective True Essence, Huang Bo was extremely vigilant. The sect had issued a mission to eliminate these vampire bats and had offered merit points as a reward, indicating that these creatures were no ordinary foe, and the task wouldn’t be smooth sailing.

The female disciple and the wooden-faced youth nodded, their faces tense. However, upon seeing Ye Xuan, they couldn’t help but express surprise, as he seemed much more at ease. The toxic-laden winds had no effect on him, not causing even a slight disturbance.

"Brother Liu Xuan truly is unfathomable and admirable."

Seeing this, Huang Bo couldn’t help but express his admiration openly.

"Now isn’t the time to worry about these. There seems to be the smell of blood ahead; there might be traces of the vampire bats!"

With a whoosh, Ye Xuan moved swiftly, disappearing from everyone’s sight, forging ahead through the sandy winds and quickly distancing himself from the trio.

"Blood smell?"

Huang Bo and his team slightly narrowed their eyes. Although they hadn’t smelled the blood, they didn’t doubt Ye Xuan’s judgment and immediately followed him.

Within a few minutes, as the sandstorm gradually subsided, an old desert town emerged into view for the four members.

Located at the center of Yellow Sand Ridge, the scene that greeted the four upon arriving at the town was startling.

The town was littered with corpses, the ground stained with dark red blood nearing dryness. Men, women, elderly, and infants included, all had been drained of blood, their bodies contorted in agony, clearly having suffered immensely before death.

Desert wolves and venomous scorpions roamed, gnawing on the bones of these desiccated bodies, their sounds eerily resonating like living hell.

"This must be the work of the vampire bats!"

The three, upon seeing this sight, furrowed their brows tightly. Even though they were all powerful martial artists, they were still human and could not help but feel deep hatred toward the vampire bats after seeing so many gruesomely killed.

"These people must have died early this morning, so they have been dead for less than half a day," Ye Xuan stated calmly after killing a venomous insect and a demon wolf that tried to pounce and examining the bodies.

"The vampire bats fly quickly; they arrive swiftly and leave just as fast. Everything they pass meets the same fate as this town. If we let them escape, it will be even more difficult to find them again," Huang Bo inhaled deeply.

"That’s not necessarily true. This town must have housed several thousand people, many of whom were martial artists here to explore Yellow Sand Ridge, including some at the Martial Venerate level. Yet, they were exterminated within a very short time. There must be a considerable number of vampire bats, likely including a vampire bat king. From the traces left in this town, they should have headed northeast. If we move fast, we might still catch up with them," Ye Xuan analyzed methodically, a glint shines in his eyes.