"This 'Living Yama' is really persistent, like a ghost that won't leave," Ye Qingcheng said. "He's fixated on your Dragon Emperor Token. It seems he's more interested in your token than the Taiyi Divine Sect's inheritance."
Ye Qingyi smiled slightly. "Only Dragon Emperor Tokens can sense each other. Besides, the Dragon Emperor Token is said to be related to ancient Kunlun. The secrets behind it are far greater than those of the Taiyi Divine Sect."
We people of Jiuzhou are also called descendants of the dragon, and this Dragon Emperor Token was left by the ancestral dragon of Jiuzhou. The energy within is mysterious and unfathomable. Those who obtain the Dragon Emperor Token, as long as they don't perish prematurely, will undoubtedly become great figures in the future.
"However, speaking of this Dragon Emperor Token, why do I feel a sense of déjà vu?" Ye Qingcheng scratched his head.
Ye Qingyi smiled faintly, but her eyes were filled with a trace of bewilderment. Ye Bufan noticed this. He naturally wanted to know the reason behind this secret.
Currently, Ye Bufan, Ye Qingyi, and the others were still on a cliff, with a forest behind them.
As the five of them were about to rest, they noticed someone approaching. Soon, several disciples of the Scarlet Sword Sect rushed out, followed by a dozen or so people from Sakura Island dressed in samurai attire.
"Ye Bufan?" Among the Scarlet Sword Sect disciples, someone saw Ye Bufan and blurted out his name.
"Ling Yunluo?" One of the dust-covered Scarlet Sword Sect disciples was Ling Yunluo, who had a conflict with Ye Bufan before. However, Ling Yunluo now lacked the spirited aura he had previously possessed.
The Sakura Island people behind them saw Ye Bufan, Ye Qingyi, and Ye Qingcheng and the other two. The leader let out a fierce cry, "Leave none alive. Kill those five as well."
Quickly, five people from the dozen Sakura Island individuals split off and surrounded Ye Bufan and his companions.
"Boss, I say these four girls look pretty good. It'd be a shame to kill them," the Sakura Island men exchanged glances, revealing lecherous eyes.
"If you can take them, you can do whatever you want with them," the leader of the Sakura Island group chuckled.
Upon hearing this, Ye Qingyi couldn't help but laugh. She looked at the five people surrounding them and asked, "I've lived for so long, and the last time I heard someone say such things was a long time ago."
Xun'er and Ling'er looked at the Sakura Island men with murderous intent.
"Ye Bufan, stop wasting words with them. Hurry up and kill them?" Ling Yunluo shouted at Ye Bufan.
Ye Bufan calmly looked at Ling Yunluo. The Sakura Island men, in turn, looked at Ye Bufan and said to Ling Yunluo, "He can't even save himself right now. Do you think he can save you?"
"Boss, this name, Ye Bufan, why does it sound so familiar?" At this moment, a subordinate beside him spoke up.
At this, the leader of the Sakura Island group paused for a moment, then began to ponder where he had heard the name Ye Bufan before.
Two seconds later, the Sakura Island man slowly looked at Ye Bufan and signaled to his subordinates.
"Retreat!" the leader shouted, then moved back himself.
"You want to retreat now? It's too late?" Ye Bufan's sword domain had unknowingly enveloped these Sakura Island people.
A sword cry echoed, followed by flashes of sword light across the bodies of these individuals. Ling'er and Xun'er also moved swiftly. In less than a minute, except for the leader of the Sakura Island group, everyone else lay on the ground, lifeless.
"Ye Bufan, spare my life! Spare me!" The man knelt before Ye Bufan, begging desperately. "It was my ignorance. I disturbed you. Please, be magnanimous and let me go."
Ye Qingyi looked at him and suddenly asked, "How many people did you send this time? How many groups were there?"
The man hesitated and looked at Ye Qingyi. Xun'er placed a knife at his throat.
"I'll tell you, I'll tell you everything, as long as you don't kill me," the man said. "We came in batches. The first batch was ambushed by mysterious cultivators a few nights ago, and no one survived. Fortunately, someone had already sent out the news. So, after you cultivators entered the ancient cultivation ruins, we also entered the ancient cultivation ruins."
Ye Qingyi and Ye Qingcheng exchanged glances. Ye Qingcheng asked, "So, how many people did you actually send?"
"We split into six routes, arriving separately from all other cultivators entering the ancient cultivation ruins," the man replied.
"Have the second batch of cultivation sects arrived?" Ye Qingyi asked again.
The man nodded and said, "In the second batch, there were more cultivation families from Jiuzhou and fewer sects. According to our calculations, there will be two more batches arriving successively. Including your first batch, there will be a total of four batches."
"What are your plans?" Ye Bufan asked the man.
When asked about their plans, the Sakura Island man fell silent. He rolled his eyes and said, "I don't really know the specific plans. We just follow orders from our superiors."
Ye Bufan looked at him with skepticism and called out, "Look up! What's your name?"
"My name is Higashino Kou," the man replied, but he still refused to look up.
Seeing this, Ye Qingyi signaled to Xun'er and Ling'er. They forced Higashino Kou's head up. Higashino Kou reluctantly met Ye Bufan's gaze, and an overwhelming sense of powerlessness washed over him.
"No!" To everyone's surprise, Higashino Kou suddenly opened his eyes, his eyes bloodshot. Then, blood began to flow from the corners of his mouth.
Ye Bufan and Ye Qingyi rushed forward to examine him. They discovered that he had hidden poison, which would instantly dissolve when activated by mental energy.
"It seems the Sakura Island people had prepared for you in advance," Ye Qingyi said.
Ye Bufan shook his head helplessly. With this, important information was lost. The Sakura Island people had sent six batches, and Ye Bufan worried that this might be detrimental to the cultivation sects of Jiuzhou.
After all, before breaking through the limitations on Blue Star, the Sakura Island people had already been very active. The matter of the Yamata no Orochi was not yet over, and who knew what other troubles the cultivation secret realm might cause.
Ling Yunluo, along with the disciples of the Scarlet Sword Sect, walked up to Ye Bufan and knelt down, cupping his fists in a bow.
"Ye Bufan, I, Ling Yunluo, acknowledge your life-saving grace today. This bow is my apology for all the foolish things I have done before."