System Possession, One Sword Shocks the Gods

17: Black Wind MysteryThe next morning, at the mountain gate of Tianfeng Academy.

Before the morning mist had dissipated, Ye Chen arrived on time. He was still dressed in his simple green robe, carrying the qingfeng sword wrapped in coarse cloth on his back. His aura was restrained, yet he possessed a steady composure that commanded respect.

Su Wanqing and Wang Meng were already waiting there. Besides them, there was another person, Li Hao, who had fought the Earth Scale Rhinoceros with them that day. Upon seeing Ye Chen, the three of them hurried forward to greet him.

”Senior Brother Ye.” Su Wanqing had changed into a set of vigorous attire today that was convenient for movement, outlining her slender figure and giving her a heroic and spirited appearance.

Ye Chen nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the three of them. ”Is everyone ready?”

”Ready!” Wang Meng and Li Hao responded simultaneously. After the previous incident, they were completely won over by Ye Chen.

”Although our goal this time is to investigate herbs, the area near Black Wind Cliff is not peaceful. We must remain vigilant,” Ye Chen emphasized again. ”If anything unexpected happens, act according to our agreement.”

”Understood!” The expressions of the three turned solemn.

Without further words, the four of them utilized their movement techniques, left the academy’s mountain gate, and plunged once again into the vast Myriad Beast Mountain Range.

With a clear goal, the four of them moved quite quickly. Su Wanqing seemed indeed familiar with this area, leading the way and avoiding some known territories of powerful Yao Beasts.

Along the way, Ye Chen remained taciturn, focusing most of his mind on sensing his surroundings. His Divine Sense far surpassed those of the same level, allowing him to detect many subtle movements.

On the way, they also encountered some low-level Yao Beasts, all of which were handled by Wang Meng and Li Hao. Ye Chen did not intervene, letting them stretch their limbs.

The closer they got to the Black Wind Cliff area, the more silent the atmosphere became. Even the sounds of birds and insects grew sparse, and a faint sense of oppression permeated the air.

”Ahead is the outer perimeter of Black Wind Cliff.” Su Wanqing pointed to a range of hills where the terrain began to become treacherous and the woods grew deeper. ”According to the mission map, several specific herbs grow in the damp valleys or cliff crevices of this area.”

Ye Chen stopped and scanned the terrain ahead with sharp eyes. The mountains were steep and the rocks were jagged; it was indeed easy to defend but hard to attack, and also suitable for an ambush.

”Be careful, stay close to me,” he said in a low voice, taking the lead to step into the area.

The four of them formed a diamond Formation, with Ye Chen in the front, Su Wanqing at the rear, and Wang Meng and Li Hao on the sides, exploring forward cautiously.

Sure enough, before they had gone far, they discovered several ”Shadow Grass” plants with dark purple leaves emitting a faint glow in a shaded valley. These were exactly what the mission required.

”It’s Shadow Grass!” Li Hao’s face lit up with joy, and he was about to step forward to pick them.

”Wait.” Ye Chen raised his hand to stop him, his gaze falling on the ground next to the Shadow Grass. There were slight traces of fallen leaves being disturbed and covered. Although it was done discreetly, it could not escape his eyes.

”There’s a trap,” he whispered.

Wang Meng and Li Hao’s expressions changed. Looking closely, they indeed discovered the clues as well.

Ye Chen picked up a pebble and flicked it with his finger, precisely hitting the ground three feet in front of the Shadow Grass.

”Click!” A faint sound of a mechanical trigger rang out, and several short arrows coated with a faint blue cold light shot out from the crevices on both sides, thudding into the opposite tree trunk.

”That was close!” Wang Meng took a sharp breath. If not for Ye Chen’s warning, he would have likely fallen into the trap by rashly stepping forward.

Su Wanqing’s pretty face also turned solemn. ”Why are there mechanical traps here? It doesn’t seem like the work of Yao Beasts.”

Ye Chen did not speak, his gaze looking deeper into the valley. His Divine Sense perceived a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy and... the scent of blood.

”Follow me, stay alert.”

He led the three of them, bypassing the trap and quietly sneaking deeper into the valley.

The further they went, the thicker the scent of blood became. Soon, the sight before them made the faces of Su Wanqing and the other two turn pale instantly.

In an open space, several mutilated corpses were scattered, wearing the uniforms of Tianfeng Academy! The bodies seemed to have been gnawed by wild beasts, but the fatal wounds were clearly caused by Sharp Weapons and some kind of violent power. There were also traces of intense fighting around.

”It’s... it’s Junior Brother Zhang and Junior Sister Liu who went missing before!” Wang Meng’s voice trembled as he recognized the identities of two of the corpses.

Su Wanqing suppressed her discomfort and anger, observing closely. ”Their Storage Pouches are gone. The wounds... were not entirely caused by Yao Beasts. There are heavy marks of blades and axes and... a kind of burning sensation.”

Ye Chen crouched down, his fingertips brushing over a charred wound on the neck of a corpse, his eyes cold. ”It’s fire-attribute spiritual energy, and it’s mixed and violent, not from an orthodox Cultivation Technique.”

He stood up, his gaze sweeping like lightning toward the steep mountain wall on one side of the valley. There was a cave entrance half-hidden by vines. The scent of blood and the residual mixed fire-attribute spiritual energy were emanating from there.

”The Bandit Cultivators’ nest might be inside,” Ye Chen said in a low voice.

Just then, the vines at the cave entrance moved without any wind!

”Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”

Several figures lunged out of the cave like ghosts, instantly surrounding Ye Chen and the others! These people all had fierce expressions and were dressed in rags yet carried an Evil Qi. The weapons in their hands shimmered with cold light, and most of their cultivation was at the eighth or ninth layer of the Quenching Body Realm. The leader was a One-Eyed Strongman holding a Ghost-head Saber, his aura surprisingly reaching the Kaiyuan Realm First Layer Peak!

”Hehe, another few fat sheep coming to their deaths!” The One-Eyed Strongman licked his lips, his single eye flashing with cruelty and greed. ”Especially this little lady, with such tender skin, she’ll be perfect as a side dish for the Stockade Master!”

The Bandit Cultivators behind him let out a burst of lewd laughter.

Su Wanqing’s face turned red with anger, while Wang Meng and Li Hao were both shocked and furious, tightening their grip on their weapons.

Ye Chen’s face remained calm as his gaze swept over the group of Bandit Cultivators, finally landing on the One-Eyed Strongman. ”From the Black Wind Stockade?”

The One-Eyed Strongman was taken aback, then grinned savagely. ”Since you know our names, why don’t you kneel and accept your death! Hand over everything valuable on you and this little lady, and maybe we’ll leave you a whole corpse!”

”The disappearance of the Disciples, was it your doing?” Ye Chen asked again, his tone still flat.

”So what if it was?” The One-Eyed Strongman impatiently waved his Ghost-head Saber. ”Stop the nonsense! Move, kill them!”

The Bandit Cultivators shouted in unison and charged forward, brandishing their weapons!

”Form the array!” Su Wanqing cried out, quickly standing back-to-back with Wang Meng and Li Hao to form a simple Three Talents Array to resist the attacks of the Bandit Cultivators.

And Ye Chen, the moment the One-Eyed Strongman gave the order, had already moved!

His target was directly aimed at the One-Eyed Strongman at the Kaiyuan Realm First Layer Peak!

”Seeking death!” Seeing Ye Chen dare to charge at him, the One-Eyed Strongman was furious. His Ghost-head Saber slashed down with a piercing sound of breaking air, like splitting Mount Hua! On the blade, there was a faint red mixed spiritual energy—exactly that fire-attribute power!

Facing this fierce strike, Ye Chen did not dodge. The qingfeng sword suddenly left its scabbard!

The dark green sword light arrived later but struck first. Instead of a direct clash, it slithered up the spine of the Ghost-head Saber like a spirit snake, the tip of the sword pointing directly at the opponent’s wrist holding the saber!

This strike was tricky and swift! It was the essence of the Wind Shadow Sword Art!

The One-Eyed Strongman’s expression changed slightly. He hadn’t expected Ye Chen’s swordplay to be so eerie. He hurriedly changed his Move, flipping his wrist and slashing the blade horizontally, trying to parry the long sword.

However, Ye Chen’s sword momentum changed accordingly, shifting from a point to a slash. The sword light drew a strange arc, bypassing the horizontal blade and piercing straight toward his throat!

Fast! Too fast!

The One-Eyed Strongman turned pale with horror, and in his haste, he could only lean back with all his might.

”Chii!”

The tip of the sword grazed his throat, bringing a trail of blood! Although not fatal, it broke him into a cold sweat!

”Damn it! This little brat is a bit weird!” The One-Eyed Strongman was both shocked and angry. He dared not be careless anymore and fully unleashed his saber technique. The crimson blade light enveloped Ye Chen like a violent storm.

Ye Chen’s figure was ethereal, like willow catkins in the wind, weaving through the sky full of blade light. Every time the qingfeng sword struck, it precisely pointed at the flaws in the opponent’s Moves, forcing the One-Eyed Strongman into a frantic state, unable to fully utilize his strength despite having it.

On the other side, Su Wanqing and the others relied on their array to barely withstand the siege of seven or eight Bandit Cultivators, but the situation was precarious.

Ye Chen’s eyes turned cold, knowing he had to end this quickly.

With a thought, the spiritual energy in his body flowed in an unprecedented way. A trace of the ”Explosion” Sword Intent he had comprehended from the Myriad Worlds Sword Tomb was carefully channeled and integrated into his next strike.

The qingfeng sword thrust out again, seemingly no different from before.

The One-Eyed Strongman had already been frustrated to the extreme by Ye Chen’s fast sword. Seeing this strike coming, he roared and slashed his Ghost-head Saber with all his might, attempting to break the skill with brute force!

The moment the saber and sword were about to collide—

A cold light exploded in Ye Chen’s eyes!

”Explode!”

The trace of ”Explosion” Sword Intent integrated into the sword tip erupted!

It wasn’t an earth-shattering Explosion, but an extremely condensed and destructive force that surged through the sword tip, instantly flooding into the Ghost-head Saber and then into the One-Eyed Strongman’s right arm!

”Crack! Pfft!”

The Ghost-head Saber was the first to give way, with cracks appearing on its blade! Immediately after, the bones in the One-Eyed Strongman’s right arm made an unbearable cracking sound, and the entire arm instantly twisted into a bizarre shape!

”Ah—!” A piercing scream came from the One-Eyed Strongman’s mouth. He was sent flying like he had been hit by a giant hammer, crashing against the mountain wall. He spat out blood, clearly not going to survive.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye!

The Bandit Cultivators who were about to besiege Su Wanqing and the others were terrified when they saw their powerful leader killed in a single exchange. Their movements froze instantly.

Ye Chen stood with his sword, his gaze coldly sweeping over the remaining Bandit Cultivators.

When those Bandit Cultivators were swept by his gaze, it was as if they were being stared at by the god of death. Their Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering. With a shout, they dropped their weapons and scattered like headless flies, disappearing in an instant.

In the valley, only Ye Chen’s group of four remained, along with the mess and corpses on the ground.

Wang Meng and Li Hao looked at Ye Chen, who stood with his sword and steady breath, as if they were looking at a deity, filled with immense awe. Senior Brother Ye actually... killed a Kaiyuan Realm expert in one strike?!

Su Wanqing’s beautiful eyes were also wide open, her heart surging with waves. She knew Ye Chen was strong, but she hadn’t expected him to be this strong! The terrifying destructive aura contained in that sword strike just now made her Soul tremble.

Ye Chen ignored their shock and walked to the One-Eyed Strongman’s corpse. After searching, he found a black token carved with a ferocious wolf head and some other items.

He looked at the token, his gaze deep.

”Black Wind Stockade... I’m afraid things aren’t that simple.”

He felt an invisible web seemed to be closing in on him. And this Black Wind Stockade might just be a node.