"Who are you?"
Zhuge Feng's face turned incredibly grim as another person arrived to disrupt the situation. He looked at Ye Ling and Zhang Xiaoxia and asked.
While Zhang Xiaoxia's strength was negligible, Ye Ling beside her... Zhuge Feng found himself unable to see through him!
Zhuge Yehan had no idea when Ye Ling had appeared. He only wanted to distance himself from Ye Ling as quickly as possible and retreated rapidly to Zhuge Feng's side.
Zhang Muya raised her head with difficulty. Seeing Ye Ling and Zhang Xiaoxia appear, a bitter smile touched her lips. "You two little ones, how did you find this place?"
"Grandma!"
Seeing Zhang Muya almost turned into a bloody mess, Zhang Xiaoxia's eyes filled with anxiety. She wanted to rush forward to save Zhang Muya, but Ye Ling stopped her. "She's fine. Don't come here and cause trouble."
The paper needles he had shot out earlier were not meant to kill Zhuge Feng, but to keep Zhang Muya alive.
Zhang Muya, having consumed something unknown, had temporarily recovered her strength, but had completely exhausted her remaining life force. She had just taken a solid palm strike from Zhuge Feng, and her life was already like a candle in the wind.
It was possible that before Zhuge Feng could even deliver his final palm strike, Zhang Muya would have already passed away.
Therefore, Ye Ling could only inject his spiritual energy into the paper needles, piercing key acupoints on Zhang Muya to keep her last breath.
Stopping Zhang Xiaoxia, Ye Ling then looked at Zhuge Feng and said, "My name is Ye Ling."
"Ye Ling?"
Upon hearing the name, both Zhuge Feng and Zhuge Yehan's expressions changed dramatically!
Within the Red Dust Pavilion, Ye Ling's name was already a thunderous roar.
Single-handedly, he had annihilated two branches of the Red Dust Pavilion in Huaguo, practically dragging their faces on the ground!
On the list of extraordinary individuals ranked by the Red Dust Pavilion, Ye Ling was the only terrifying figure who, in just a few days, had risen from obscurity to the top ten of the Heaven ranking!
If not for the fact that the Immortal ranking was comprised of Red Dust Immortals from past generations, none of whom were active in the world today, and the Red Dust Pavilion lacked precise data on Ye Ling's true strength, Ye Ling could have directly ascended to the Immortal ranking!
It was important to note that in the past hundred years, not a single person worldwide had qualified to enter the Immortal ranking!
Seeing that the newcomer was Ye Ling, Zhuge Yehan broke out in a cold sweat, his entire body drenched.
With such a powerful individual charging towards them, they were likely in grave danger!
Zhuge Feng also had close ties with the Red Dust Pavilion, and his visit to find Zhang Zhiyue was heavily related to the Red Dust Pavilion.
He had also heard the name Ye Ling many times.
Zhuge Feng forcefully suppressed the shock within him and asked Ye Ling in a low voice, "You are Ye Ling?"
Seeing the obvious changes in their expressions, a hint of a smile flashed in Ye Ling's eyes. "It seems you both know me, so there's no need for a detailed introduction."
"Then, about the suggestion I just made to you two, are you going to consider it?"
"Actually, I don't wish to make a move. I hope you two are sensible and give up your resistance."
Seeing Ye Ling's attitude, Zhuge Feng felt inexplicably displeased.
He had never been looked down upon like this before!
With Zhang Muya no longer interfering, Zhuge Feng once again deployed his Qimen array, enveloping Ye Ling and Zhang Xiaoxia within its range.
Zhuge Feng said coldly, "To tell me to stop, and I just stop? You underestimate me too much."
"I'd like to know, as we are both individuals on the Heaven ranking of the Red Dust Pavilion, how you rank above me!"
Zhuge Feng held nothing back. He directly condensed a small meteor above the Qimen and hurled it fiercely at Ye Ling!
"Eight Gates Shifting Stars · Star Plucking!"
"A mayfly trying to shake a tree."
As the small meteor hurtled towards him, Ye Ling's lips curved slightly. Demonic energy surged around him, and then a demonic sword materialized in his hand.
With a casual flick of his wrist, sword energy shot out.
The sword energy crisscrossed, and the meteor was directly sliced into powder!
Zhuge Feng's pupils constricted sharply!
What kind of power was this?
After slicing through Zhuge Feng's condensed meteor, Ye Ling gripped his sword and instantly appeared before Zhuge Feng, slashing down.
"Glazed Palm!"
Seeing Ye Ling close in on him instantly, Zhuge Feng was terrified. His palms turned black and he struck towards Ye Ling!
The Glazed Palm could make his palms as hard as profound iron, capable of shattering any divine weapon with a single palm!
But...
Ye Ling merely gave a light slash with his sword, and the demonic sword severed his palms!
Before Zhuge Feng could even scream, Ye Ling flicked his sword again.
The sword tip pressed against Zhuge Feng's throat, piercing his skin.
Blood seeped out.
Zhuge Feng froze, not daring to move.
Beside him, Zhuge Yehan was so terrified by Ye Ling's aura that he collapsed onto the ground.
"You, you..."
Zhuge Feng was in excruciating pain, sweat pouring down his forehead, blood gushing from his severed arms. Yet, with the sword tip at his throat, he dared not stop the bleeding!
One sword!
Ye Ling, with a seemingly ordinary sword strike, had shattered all his techniques!
This was an absolute crushing defeat!
Zhuge Feng stared intently at Ye Ling, his mind becoming utterly chaotic.
After personally experiencing Ye Ling's strength, Zhuge Feng realized that the rumors about Ye Ling outside were completely wrong.
Ye Ling was far stronger than the rumors suggested!
He was already at the peak of the eighth rank, and had been immersed in the Qimen of the Martial Marquis for a hundred years, reaching a state of perfection where he had few rivals in the world.
Yet, even so, he was still utterly crushed by Ye Ling!
What kind of monster was this?
"Do you still need confirmation?" Ye Ling asked Zhuge Feng with a smile.
"No, no need..."
Zhuge Feng was utterly convinced of his defeat and had no desire to resist further.
Although he possessed many clever tricks that could display considerable combat power in a fight, in the face of absolute strength, his techniques were insignificant.
If he were to struggle forcefully, he would only bring humiliation upon himself.
Seeing that Zhuge Feng had lost his will to fight, Ye Ling smiled slightly. The demonic sword in his hand dissipated, and he did not kill Zhuge Feng.
After all, Zhuge Feng was the sect leader of the Martial Marquis Sect, and his life and death carried significant weight.
With Zhuge Yexun already dead in the territory of Daocheng, if Zhuge Feng were to die at Zhengyi Gate, then Zhengyi Gate would truly be in an irreconcilable conflict with the Martial Marquis Sect.
Judging by the sect leaders of the Martial Marquis Sect and Zhengyi Gate alone, the Martial Marquis Sect was currently far stronger than Zhengyi Gate. If they were to fight, it wouldn't be surprising for Zhengyi Gate to be wiped out.
Although Ye Ling was doing this for his own purposes, there was no need to drag innocent people into this conflict.
Furthermore, he was curious about Zhuge Feng's purpose in seeking out Zhang Zhiyue and his entanglement with Zhang Muya.
When Zhang Muya spoke of past events, she had not mentioned Zhang Zhiyue or Zhuge Feng at all.
*Plop!*
As Ye Ling withdrew his demonic energy, Zhuge Feng's legs went weak, and he knelt directly on the ground, his body trembling, his eyes vacant.
Blood continuously spurted from his hands, making his face pale.
He had already lost too much blood!
Ye Ling did not want Zhuge Feng to die from excessive blood loss. He instructed Zhuge Yehan, who was nearby, "Help him stop the bleeding. Don't let him die."
"Yes, yes..."
Zhuge Yehan did not dare to disobey Ye Ling's command. He quickly scrambled up, tore his clothes, and began to bandage Zhuge Feng.
Seeing that both Zhang Muya and Zhuge Feng's injuries were stabilized and their breathing had become steady, Ye Ling then looked at Zhang Zhiyue, who was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed on the stone platform, his gaze becoming even more profound.
When he had first found this cave dwelling, he had only assumed Zhang Zhiyue was an ordinary seventh-rank cultivator and had paid little attention.
However, judging from the entanglement between Zhang Muya and Zhuge Feng, Zhang Zhiyue was not a simple figure...
And what concerned him even more was...
The injuries on Zhang Zhiyue's body did not seem to be mere simple wounds.