Chapter 28: Two Big Fish

## Chapter 28: Two Big Fish

"Not bad," Ye Chen muttered, the thrown object indeed a smoke bomb, acquired from the hunchbacked old man.

Originally, he hadn't planned on using it, but with eight opponents, who knew what mishaps could occur? After weighing his options, he decided to deploy the smoke bomb to obscure their vision.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" a cold shout erupted from a Diyang Peak disciple lost within the swirling black mist.

*Bang!*

The words were met with the sound of an iron rod connecting with the back of a head.

"Ah...!"

A pig-like shriek of agony followed, and one disciple crumpled to the ground instantly.

Seeing this, the purple-robed disciple reacted immediately, unleashing a palm strike towards the source of the cry.

"Ah...!"

Another scream echoed. The purple-robed disciple's terrifying palm force missed Ye Chen, instead sending one of his fellow Diyang Peak disciples flying.

In that instant, Ye Chen was already behind the purple-robed disciple, landing a solid blow to the back of his head with the rod.

True to his peak Condensing Qi sixth level cultivation, the purple-robed disciple was merely stunned by Ye Chen's strike, not knocked unconscious.

Seeing this, Ye Chen, with practiced efficiency, delivered a supplementary blow.

This time, the purple-robed disciple, who had been swaying precariously, plastered himself to the ground like a fallen character.

"Ah...!"

No sooner had the purple-robed disciple fallen than another agonizing scream rang out, the sound of Ye Chen's rod rendering another disciple unconscious.

Next, the entire valley filled with a cacophony of miserable cries.

Within the black fog, vision was already limited. Coupled with the element of surprise, Ye Chen's attacks were consistently successful. Even the Condensing Qi seventh level Diyang Peak disciple was staggered by a single punch before being ushered into slumber by the rod.

Having broken through to the Condensing Qi fourth level, Ye Chen was confident he could face all eight head-on. However, to avoid unnecessary complications, he chose to employ more… unorthodox methods.

"Ah...!"

With the final miserable shriek, all eight Diyang Peak disciples lay sprawled on the ground.

The black fog from the smoke bomb remained thick, but Ye Chen had already emerged, laden with eight storage bags. In his hand, he clutched an iron chain, its other end securely tied to the eight bound figures.

He dragged them into the forest behind the valley. Before leaving, Ye Chen didn't forget to administer a dose of a special incense to each of them, ensuring they remained asleep and wouldn't disrupt his plans by waking prematurely.

Having completed this task, Ye Chen returned to the valley, ready to ambush the next wave of Diyang Peak disciples.

As morning approached, scattered Hengyue disciples trickled through the valley intermittently.

During this time, Ye Chen made several moves, but they were against insignificant 'small fry'. He'd simply rush out, deliver a single blow with the rod, even saving the smoke bomb.

By the end of the day, he had knocked out over twenty Diyang Peak disciples in total, a significant harvest that would keep him comfortable for days.

The sky, he noticed, had begun to dim.

Ye Chen glanced up at the last sliver of sunset on the horizon, deciding it was time to return.

However, just as he rose, he felt a surge of true qi fluctuations from the valley entrance. Two indistinct figures emerged from the direction of the demon beast forest, approaching rapidly and traversing the valley.

"Human Yuan Realm, two," Ye Chen whispered, shrinking back into the shadows. He inwardly rejoiced, "Two big fish caught!"

As they drew closer, Ye Chen could finally discern their appearances.

One was tall and the other short. The tall one, named Wang Heng, possessed a tiger's back and a bear's waist, his true qi radiating with power. His muscles were exceptionally developed, clearly indicating a strength-based cultivator. The shorter one, Song Yu, appeared slightly effeminate, with a slender physique and delicate, pale features. At first glance, one might even mistake him for a woman.

"Slightly weaker than Qi Hao, but they'll do," Ye Chen thought to himself. As Wang Heng and Song Yu entered his ambush range, he produced two poison needles.

The Human Yuan Realm was vastly different from the Condensing Qi Realm. Defeating them without revealing his identity was something Ye Chen was not entirely confident in achieving through direct confrontation. Therefore, he decided to rely on some... unconventional methods. His goal was merely to acquire wealth, not to take lives.

With this thought in mind, Ye Chen waved his hand and threw a smoke bomb.

"Be careful," Wang Heng and Song Yu, their vigilance high, immediately drew their spirit swords upon seeing an unknown object flying towards them.

*Bang!*

The smoke bomb exploded, releasing a thick cloud of smoke once more.

"Who is it?!" the sturdy Wang Heng roared in anger.

*Zheng!*

A faint whirring sound accompanied a needle, thin as ox hair, piercing the air and embedding itself in Wang Heng's arm. He remained completely unaware.

Song Yu experienced a similar fate, a poison needle finding its mark in his back without his notice. The two, in a silent understanding, stood back to back, releasing their true qi to desperately try and dispel the smoke.

Soon, both began to feel something was amiss.

"Senior Brother Wang, don't you feel a little dizzy?" Song Yu swayed slightly.

"Yes... a bit," Wang Heng shook his head, feeling his entire body weak, his true qi sluggish, unable to exert even half his usual strength.

"That hunchbacked old man's poison needles are truly potent," the hidden Ye Chen couldn't help but sigh in amazement, observing Wang Heng and Song Yu's state. He secretly lamented that such potent poison needles were almost wasted in this situation and should be used sparingly.

*Bang!*

*Bang!*

Two consecutive thuds sounded as a hard object connected with the backs of their heads. They both lost consciousness.

"Don't blame me, blame your master," Ye Chen emerged, grabbing a leg of each man, and swiftly dragged them into the forest.

Just like the previous two dozen Diyang Peak disciples, Wang Heng and Song Yu's storage bags were confiscated. Every valuable item on their person was thoroughly searched and taken by Ye Chen.

Having completed his task, Ye Chen vanished into the night. Before leaving, he didn't forget to administer the antidote to Wang Heng and Song Yu.

"Ah...!"

"Ah...!"

Not long after, the quiet mountain forest was shattered by consecutive roars.

The Diyang Peak disciples Ye Chen had knocked out were waking up. Seeing their missing storage bags and their bodies stripped of all valuables, including their clothes, they let out furious, earth-shaking curses.

That night, a group of Diyang Peak disciples stumbled back up to the spirit mountain of the Hengyue Sect.

"This... what in the world is going on?" The corners of the mouths of the Hengyue Sect disciples twitched violently at the sight of this group.

They couldn't be blamed for their astonishment. This group of over twenty Diyang Peak disciples was hard to ignore. They were all bare-chested, wearing only their inner garments.

Most importantly, this wretched appearance wasn't limited to one person; it was over twenty. This had become the most eye-catching spectacle of the night.

"Were they all robbed?" This question echoed in everyone's minds.

"This is too much!"

"They even stripped their clothes! How desperate was the culprit?"

"Who did this?!" As the over twenty disciples reached Diyang Peak, a hysterical roar of anger erupted from the peak's summit – it was Ge Hong.

And the mastermind behind it all, Ye Chen, was meticulously counting his spoils of war in his small spirit garden.

Today's harvest was more than double that of yesterday's. The main contributors were Wang Heng and Song Yu, the two Human Yuan Realm cultivators. The wealth of the Condensing Qi Realm, compared to the Human Yuan Realm, was truly a vast difference.

The candlelight flickered in the room.

Ye Chen placed the spirit stones, spirit liquid, and spirit tools into his storage bag, holding only an ancient scroll in his hand.

The ancient scroll was somewhat tattered, perhaps due to its age, causing its surface to yellow.

"Refining Tool Secret."