"Bang!" With a gunshot, Ji Feiyang appeared at the scene of the two people's battle. He held a handgun and fired a shot into the sky.
Ye Bufan and Ji Feiyang exchanged glances. As their feet moved, by the time the Onmyoji reacted, Ye Bufan had already put some distance between them.
"Great Xia Kingdom! Ji Feiyang!" The Onmyoji actually called out Ji Feiyang's name, and boundless rage surged in his heart. He then shouted, "It's death no matter what, so I'll consider it a gain if I take one with me."
The Onmyoji shifted his target and appeared beside Ji Feiyang the next second. Ye Bufan's broken sword also arrived at the same moment.
"Whoosh—"
A sound of air being torn through the sky rang out. Ye Bufan's face showed difficulty, and he let out a fierce roar, "Break for me!"
The broken sword materialized into countless sword shadows, charging towards the Onmyoji. The latter, holding Ji Feiyang with one hand, intended to use him as a human shield for defense.
Ji Feiyang, being a peak Wu Zun, exerted all his strength and inner energy, struggling in mid-air and unleashing a palm strike, the Lightning Palm, towards the Onmyoji.
As the broken sword neared Ji Feiyang, its direction completely changed. Subsequently, Ye Bufan unleashed his mental magic—the Illusionary Sound Demonic Eye.
Ye Bufan poured all his mental power out, then focused his sound into a line, warning Ji Feiyang not to look at Ye Bufan.
Ji Feiyang dared not delay and delivered over a dozen palm strikes to the Onmyoji. Under the enhancement of the Illusionary Sound Demonic Eye, the Onmyoji froze in place, and the broken sword penetrated his body.
The Onmyoji immediately began to swell like a balloon being inflated.
Ye Bufan moved to Ji Feiyang's side and quickly fled with him. After running about a hundred meters, a "bang" of an explosion echoed from behind them.
The Onmyoji's newly formed physical body instantly turned into a bloody mess.
"Hoo!" Ye Bufan breathed a sigh of relief, while Ji Feiyang, looking at the scene behind them, was still deeply shaken.
Ye Bufan's mind replayed the black frog the Onmyoji had released at the last moment. He suddenly recalled hearing Lin Xiaoyao mention that long ago, in Ying Country, there was a rare exotic beast called the Jiao Frog. It was entirely black, highly venomous, and particularly fond of feeding on human souls.
For some reason, Ye Bufan felt that something was not quite right, though he couldn't pinpoint what it was.
Setting Ji Feiyang down, Ye Bufan walked over to the Heart of the Banyan Tree and collected it into his spatial jade pendant.
"Brother Ji, I'll have to trouble you to handle the aftermath here," Ye Bufan said, turning to Ji Feiyang and cupping his fists.
"Brother, tell me truthfully, who exactly are you?" Ji Feiyang looked at Ye Bufan very seriously.
"A cultivator," Ye Bufan replied.
"Re-really... a cultivator?" Ji Feiyang's expression faltered.
Ye Bufan looked at Ji Feiyang and asked, "Brother Ji, do you know something?"
Ji Feiyang shook his head and said, "There has always been a legend in the army. When the Great Xia Kingdom faces a life-or-death crisis, legendary cultivators will emerge to save it. It is said that during the War of National Defense, there was a large-scale battle between cultivators from the Great Xia and Ying countries. After the war, the cultivators vanished, and it's rumored that both sides suffered heavy casualties."
"Oh?" Ye Bufan frowned upon hearing this.
From the conversation with the Onmyoji earlier, Ye Bufan could sense that he had an unspeakable plan for remaining in the Great Xia, but unfortunately, Ye Bufan hadn't managed to extract any valuable clues.
"Before you arrived, that Onmyoji mentioned that I had disrupted his plans. I didn't ask what those plans were," Ye Bufan explained to Ji Feiyang. "Brother Ji, you can investigate the family background of that Li Bai. Perhaps you can find some clues."
"Plans?"
Hearing Ye Bufan's words, Ji Feiyang's spirits immediately lifted.
"I'll arrange for people to investigate immediately. I hope we can get some valuable leads," Ji Feiyang said.
The two returned to the martial arts tournament venue. The matches had already begun. Ji Feiyang found a spot to help Ye Bufan regulate his breathing and prepare for recovery, while he arranged for people to investigate Li Bai.
Ye Bufan cultivated from daytime to night. In his battle with the Onmyoji, Ye Bufan had exerted his full strength.
Although he hadn't used many spells, those he did use were his specialties and proved to be incredibly potent killing moves. Every pore and every cell in his body were absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
It wasn't until late at night that Ji Feiyang drove to the Tianxing Martial Arts Hall. Ye Bufan sensed Ji Feiyang's presence, concealed his own aura, and exhaled a breath of stale air, opening his eyes.
"Knock, knock, knock—"
The next second, Ji Feiyang knocked on the room door.
Ye Bufan opened the door for Ji Feiyang, who was holding a thick stack of documents.
"Brother Ji, is this... Li Bai's information?" Ye Bufan asked, looking at the thick stack of files in Ji Feiyang's hand, surprised by its volume.
Ji Feiyang shook his head and said, "It's like this. We investigated Li Bai's whereabouts as you instructed. For the year and a half before the martial arts tournament, his movements were very clean. Apart from regularly visiting certain cities each month, he mostly stayed in one place. This is rather unusual."
Therefore, Ji Feiyang quickly investigated Li Bai's train tickets and travel itinerary.
The results were astonishing. Of the people Li Bai met in the cities he visited, and who could be traced, half of them were from Ying Country.
Furthermore, the other half were from our Great Xia. After investigation, Ji Feiyang discovered that these people, along with Li Bai, had all traveled to the same place at different times. The earliest traceable visit was five years ago, and the most recent was three months ago.
Thus, Ji Feiyang had compiled all the information on these individuals.
"Which place did they all visit together?" Ye Bufan asked.
"Han Linyuan," Ji Feiyang replied.
Han Linyuan is located in the northeastern part of the Great Xia Kingdom. It was once occupied by Ying Country and served as their base during the War of National Defense.
"I've already contacted people in the north. They aren't afraid of people going to Han Linyuan to investigate," Ji Feiyang said. "We just need to wait for news."
Ji Feiyang's expression was very solemn, and Ye Bufan could sense his emotions.
"Are you worried that Ying Country is plotting against the Great Xia?" Ye Bufan asked Ji Feiyang.
Ji Feiyang nodded gravely and said nothing further.
"Brother Ji, don't worry. Our Great Xia is no longer the Great Xia of the past. As the saying goes: friends arriving are met with good wine, and wolves arriving are met with a shotgun. If that time comes, your brother will not hesitate to do his part for the Great Xia," Ye Bufan said.
Ji Feiyang was deeply moved and patted Ye Bufan's shoulder.
"Brother, with your words, I am very comforted. The sons of Great Xia are not to be trifled with."