Flame Nation, Ning County.
Flame Nation was a small country located in the remote regions of the Sky Vault Continent, and Ning County was an impoverished backwater even within this already remote land.
When Lingyue struck Ye Han, she had deliberately aimed him toward such a place with no real experts.
This ensured Ye Han’s safety.
Unfortunately, Ye Han could not understand Lingyue’s painstaking effort at this moment. In his mind, her harsh words echoed again and again.
Pain. It hurt too much.
Bang!
Ye Han slammed his fist against the wall in front of him. However, having lost his cultivation, he no longer possessed his former strength. His punch left not a mark on the wall, but blood on his own hand.
“Damn Gu Lingxiao! Damn Gu Lingxiao!!!”
His eyes were bloodshot as he roared, drawing strange looks from passersby.
He cursed Gu Lingxiao endlessly. He cursed Lingyue as well.
But it was all useless.
After a while, Ye Han seemed to realize that venting his anger accomplished nothing. He gradually calmed down and began sensing his own body.
“My meridians are shattered. My cultivation is completely ruined. Without precious Heavenly Treasures to nourish and repair me, I am afraid I will never cultivate again in this lifetime. Lingyue, that woman, was truly ruthless!”
Ye Han gritted his teeth and struck the wall once more.
The intense pain made him frown deeply.
Previously, after entering the Azure Sovereign Holy Land, Ye Han had accumulated a considerable amount of Heavenly Treasures.
Unfortunately, he had stored them all within the inner spatial domain of the Heavenly Supreme Sword.
In the past, no matter how powerful an expert searched him, they would never discover the treasures hidden within the Heavenly Supreme Sword.
He had relied on it to fish for opportunities in many ruins, obtaining countless treasures.
But with the Heavenly Supreme Sword gone, those resources were gone as well.
Now, Ye Han’s predicament was far worse than at the beginning.
At first, he had been a worthless nobody, someone anyone could bully and despise.
Yet with Lingyue’s help and the Secret Techniques of the Fu Clan and the Gu Clan, his cultivation had grown at astonishing speed.
Now…
“What should I do?”
Ye Han leaned against the wall in frustration. Before he realized it, his stomach began to growl.
He was hungry.
Ye Han was startled for a moment, then revealed a bitter smile.
He had been able to subsist solely on absorbing spiritual energy from the air for so long.
He had never imagined he would feel hunger again.
“Hey, little beggar.”
As expected of the Son of Destiny with extraordinary Destiny Fortune.
Ye Han had only been sitting by the wall for a short while when a vibrant and energetic young girl appeared before him, smiling brightly.
“You…”
“You must have been hungry for a long time. Come, I will take you to eat.”
“Thank you.”
Ye Han did not refuse her kindness.
He was penniless and starving. He had little choice.
“No need to be polite.”
The girl smiled cheerfully and brought Ye Han to an inn, ordering food for him.
During their brief conversation on the way, Ye Han learned more about her.
Her name was Su Yingmeng. After quarreling with her family, she had left home and planned to uphold justice and eliminate evildoers within Flame Nation.
As they spoke, Su Yingmeng grew interested in Ye Han.
Though he was dressed like a beggar, his manner of speech and breadth of knowledge were extraordinary, as if he had seen the world.
This immediately captivated the inexperienced Su Yingmeng.
After some conversation, her form of address changed from “little beggar” to “Brother Ye Han.”
“One sword strike that severed a long river? That is incredible!”
“No matter how incredible, it is only in the past.”
Ye Han spoke with quiet melancholy.
He was already handsome, and with his current sorrowful and brooding expression, Su Yingmeng felt even more sympathy.
“It is alright, Brother Ye Han. You will rise again and make everyone who looked down on you regret it!”
“I hope so.”
“Brother Ye Han, tell me more about your experiences these past few years. I also want to travel the world alone like you!”
“There is nothing much to say.”
“Come on, tell me.”
Ye Han had not intended to elaborate. A true hero did not boast of past glory.
But seeing Su Yingmeng’s eager gaze, he continued recounting his past adventures.
When he spoke of defeating powerful opponents, Su Yingmeng applauded enthusiastically.
When he described foreign lands, she marveled in amazement.
When he mentioned Lingyue’s betrayal, she grew indignant.
“That Gu Lingxiao is truly terrible! And that Lingyue is just as bad!”
Su Yingmeng clenched her small fist and slammed it onto the table, causing bowls and chopsticks to rattle noisily.
Ye Han did not refute her. He silently agreed.
At that moment, someone at a neighboring table burst into laughter.
“Hahaha, this young fellow is quite good at bragging.”
“Who are you calling a braggart!”
Before Ye Han could speak, Su Yingmeng stood up and slammed the table.
She felt Ye Han’s stories were vivid and detailed, clearly not fabricated.
Could someone describe events so vividly without having lived them?
“Of course your Brother Ye Han. How old is he? Yet he speaks as if he were a seasoned veteran.”
The man at the neighboring table had flushed cheeks, clearly having drunk heavily.
Others at nearby tables turned their attention toward them, eager for entertainment.
In such a remote place, few bothered with cultivation. If there was excitement to watch, they would watch.
At this moment, Ye Han’s protagonist aura seemed to draw even more ridicule, as some idle onlookers began mocking him.
Su Yingmeng’s anger flared instantly.
“If you dare say one more word, I will teach you a lesson!”
“Hahaha, did you hear that? This little girl says she will teach us a lesson.”
Laughter erupted around them. Su Yingmeng’s face flushed with anger, and she wished she could tear their mouths apart.
She tried to argue back, but one mouth could not outmatch so many voices.
Furious, she stomped her foot and drew her sword, charging forward.
Her strength was respectable in Ning County, but two fists could not defeat four hands. Within moments, she was at a disadvantage.
“Yingmeng, follow my instructions.”
“Ah? Alright.”
Ye Han’s eyes also burned with anger. If his cultivation had not been crippled, a single finger would have been enough to knock them all down.
Even so, his experience remained.
In his eyes, these men were nothing but chickens and dogs, riddled with flaws.
“Shift left. Dodge.”
“Strike low.”
“Jump. Evade.”
Ye Han calmly directed her, and gradually Su Yingmeng gained the upper hand.
“Brother Ye Han, you are amazing!”
Su Yingmeng exclaimed in delight, further convinced that Ye Han had once been a formidable expert who had merely lost his cultivation due to misfortune.
The ruffians realized the situation was turning against them. Following the logic of capturing the leader first, they attempted to seize Ye Han.
However, Ye Han was no fool. He coordinated with Su Yingmeng seamlessly, preventing them from advancing.
After several exchanges, the ruffians were bruised and battered, collapsing onto the ground, their earlier arrogance gone.
Su Yingmeng stood protectively before Ye Han, her sword pointed at them.
“Are you not leaving?”
The ruffians gritted their teeth but did not retreat.
“Kid, do you know who stands behind me? You have brought catastrophic trouble upon yourselves!”
“Heh.”
Ye Han sneered. He had heard similar threats countless times over the years.
Beat the small one, the big one comes. Beat the big one, the elder comes.
Would he fear that?
“And who might that be?”
“My elder brother is the third-in-command of the Flying Eagle Society! If you dare touch me, he will never let you off!”
As his words fell, an extremely cold and sinister force suddenly erupted from within Ye Han’s body.
Was it power left behind by Gu Lingxiao or Lingyue?
Ye Han had no time to think.
The force spread throughout his body, bringing unbearable pain.
All his focus went into resisting it.
But unfortunately.
In his current state, he had no strength to resist.
Thud!
Overwhelmed by agony, Ye Han slid from his chair and fell heavily to his knees on the ground.