Ye Bufan's pressure increased tenfold. He had underestimated Murata Ryuu's strength.
However, this was not a major issue for Ye Bufan. After all, he was no longer an ordinary early-stage Core Formation cultivator. He could now draw upon the energy of the Dragon Emperor Token, and at least with the current amount he could mobilize, dealing with a Core Formation expert was not out of the question.
"Bang—"
Ye Bufan's broken sword collided with Murata Ryuu's black-gold long saber. The black-gold ancient saber vibrated, and even a notch appeared on its surface.
"Your broken sword can actually damage my black-gold long saber!" Murata Ryuu took a deep breath, his conviction growing that Ye Bufan must have gained something from the Taiyi Sect's secret realm. His desire to capture Ye Bufan intensified.
"Hand over the treasures from the secret realm, and I'll spare your life!" As soon as Murata Ryuu finished speaking, he teleported beside Ye Bufan.
He had expected his mid-stage Core Formation cultivation to give him an advantage in speed, but he hadn't anticipated Ye Bufan's speed to be equally fast, or even slightly faster.
Ye Bufan's footwork, the Chaos Steps, made his figure appear ethereal and illusory. Murata Ryuu couldn't grasp his movements and was forced to resort to wide-range, long-distance magical attacks.
The black-gold long saber flew into the air, spun, and surprisingly, spawned dozens of identical blades.
"Kill!" With Murata Ryuu's fierce roar, the dozens of blades materialized from the black-gold long saber shot towards Ye Bufan. Ye Bufan took a deep breath and continued to dodge using the Chaos Steps.
Simultaneously, Ye Bufan launched his own attack covertly. His Sword Domain was activated once more as he dodged and closed in on Murata Ryuu.
The broken sword transformed into a colossal giant sword, descending from the heavens. In an instant, the spiritual energy within the entire Sword Domain was drained by this massive broken sword.
"Not good!" Murata Ryuu roared, sensing a hint of danger. He turned, preparing to find an opportunity to escape.
"Trying to escape? It's too late." Ye Bufan smiled faintly, locking his spiritual sense onto Murata Ryuu.
With the spiritual energy in the Sword Domain depleted, Murata Ryuu was like a fish out of water. His spells were significantly weaker, and he had already expended a considerable amount of energy in Ye Bufan's ring space earlier.
"Sword Qi Dragon Roll!"
Ye Bufan roared. A dragon's cry echoed throughout the Sword Domain space. Ye Bufan channeled the energy of the Dragon Emperor Token, unleashing the true power of the Ancestral Dragon, which transformed into a colossal dragon descending from the sky. It was both a sword and a dragon, possessing extraordinary might.
Murata Ryuu's face turned ashen. He was forced to expel all his true qi and unleash his ultimate techniques to resist.
The colossal dragon descended, engulfing Murata Ryuu within its maw. Murata Ryuu found himself in a world composed entirely of sword qi. His body was constantly enveloped by Ye Bufan's sword qi, and every inch of his skin felt a magnified sensation akin to countless ants and insects biting him.
This feeling was excruciating for Murata Ryuu; he felt as though he was undergoing torture, truly experiencing a thousand cuts.
"Ye Bufan! Even if I die, I'll drag you down with me!"
Murata Ryuu endured the searing pain and lunged towards Ye Bufan. His black-gold long saber emanated a powerful saber qi. Finally, he spat out a mouthful of blood, and all the energy within his body merged into the black-gold long saber.
The next second, Murata Ryuu's face turned pale, his skin began to wrinkle, and he visibly aged.
"He's actually overdrawing his life force!" Ye Bufan hadn't expected Murata Ryuu to go to such extremes.
The black-gold long saber thrashed within the dragon formed from sword qi. Ye Bufan snorted coldly and shouted, "In my Sword Domain, your saber qi is useless!"
Ye Bufan rapidly formed hand seals. The Xuanwu Sword flew out from his spatial jade pendant, drawing an arc in mid-air as it charged towards Murata Ryuu's black-gold long saber.
"Break!"
With a humming sound, the Xuanwu Sword struck down with all its might upon Murata Ryuu's black-gold long saber. The entire sword qi dragon surged even more intensely. Ye Bufan even unleashed all the lightning energy within his body.
"Die!"
True qi poured out as Ye Bufan's Sword Domain rapidly contracted, compressing the space and instantly increasing the density of the sword qi.
"Roar—"
The phantom of the dragon let out a long cry. With a "pop," a bloody hole erupted in Murata Ryuu's chest.
The Xuanwu Sword descended from above like a celestial river, its blade light flashing continuously, forming a curtain of sword light that finally finished off Murata Ryuu.
Ye Bufan landed on the ground, gasping for breath, completely drained and collapsing.
His chest bore a wound from Murata Ryuu's saber qi, but it was not life-threatening.
Ye Bufan found a hidden spot, sat down cross-legged, and took out a fist-sized spirit ore from his Taiyi Ring. He quickly entered a state of cultivation to replenish his body and spirit for the day.
The dense spiritual energy from the spirit ore flowed continuously into his body, and Ye Bufan felt an unprecedented sense of comfort.
Soon, he entered a state of deep meditation within a cave.
However, in the outside world, after Song Mingqin could not contact the disciple sent to escort Ye Bufan to the airport, he felt that something was amiss. He used his locating device to track the disciple's phone and rushed with his men to the forest where Ye Bufan had encountered the ambush.
"Something has happened." Seeing the battlefield, Song Mingqin felt a headache coming on.
Ye Bufan's recent performance had been too dazzling. Given the habits of the people from Sakura Island, they would likely resort to lethal measures against Ye Bufan. He hadn't expected the Sakura Island people to act so quickly.
"Issue an order for all disciples to search this area." Song Mingqin commanded, and he himself remained at the scene, examining the battle traces to deduce whether Ye Bufan was still alive.
The surrounding trees were covered in marks left by sword qi, and there was also scorched earth from the burning of the Purple Nether Cold Fire.
A disciple reported to Song Mingqin that they had found a corpse. Upon seeing it was Murata Ryuu's body, covered in sword wounds, Song Mingqin was certain that Ye Bufan should be fine.
"Continue the search, and if you can't find him here, expand outwards," Song Mingqin instructed his disciples.
After speaking, Song Mingqin himself rose and began searching the nearby forest for Ye Bufan's tracks.
Based on Ye Bufan's usual behavior, Song Mingqin reasoned that after killing a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator, Ye Bufan was likely injured and wouldn't have gone far. He would surely find a hidden place to cultivate and recover.
Therefore, Song Mingqin focused his search on caves and valleys within the mountains.