"Hide quickly. Something is being teleported here!" Ye Bufan called to Ye Qingcheng and Ling'er.
Following Ye Bufan's voice, the three of them quickly hid in the nearest concealed spot. Before long, the teleportation array boomed, and a person emerged from it.
"It's just one person?" Ye Bufan squinted. The person was wearing a green robe, holding a long sword, and appeared refined and scholarly.
"Nascent Soul early stage!" Ye Bufan took a deep breath, surprised to find the other party was a cultivator at the early Nascent Soul stage.
"Awooo—"
Just then, a cry from a Blazing Silver Fox echoed from outside the cave. According to the information Ye Qingyi had provided, there were thirteen Blazing Silver Foxes in total, including the Beast Emperor. Only five had returned earlier; eight remained.
Sensing the blood in the cave, the remaining eight Blazing Silver Foxes rushed in from outside.
The newcomer, seeing the sudden appearance of the Blazing Silver Foxes, was momentarily stunned but then couldn't help but chuckle.
"No wonder so many Blazing Silver Foxes were guarding the teleportation array. So, a companion was being teleported." The sword in his hand moved slightly, and his demeanor transformed completely.
"The spiritual energy here is truly thin, but it's enough to deal with you eight beasts."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Bufan noticed the man emanating battle intent. A thousand strands of sword qi condensed around his sword, his sword intent incredibly potent.
"Fengcheng Sword Art!" he shouted, "Perfect for testing my newly mastered Fengcheng Sword Art."
He brandished his long sword. To Ye Bufan's eyes, each move was graceful and decisive, possessing an elegant flair. However, these sword techniques seemed more for show, lacking any truly lethal killing moves.
The eight Blazing Silver Foxes, the strongest among them was only at the half-step Nascent Soul stage, just short of becoming a Beast Emperor. The rest were at the Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining stages.
Initially, the newcomer held the upper hand. But as time passed, especially with the half-step Nascent Soul Blazing Silver Fox constantly disrupting his vision, his advantage began to dwindle.
Ye Bufan's lips curled into a slight smile. The man's expression grew increasingly serious. He tossed his long sword into the air, which instantly split into eight.
"Fengcheng Gui Qu! Sending you to your demise!"
The man formed a hand seal, drawing a few strokes in the air. His true qi solidified in mid-air, forming a giant character for "wind." The eight swords sliced through this "wind" character.
Instantly, a gust of wind swept through the space. The swords seemed to ride the wind, carrying an overwhelming force.
The eight swords struck the eight Blazing Silver Foxes. The silver foxes retaliated with their beastly energies.
Ultimately, the less powerful Blazing Silver Foxes couldn't withstand the attack and fell, becoming cold corpses.
"Interesting."
In the end, only three Blazing Silver Foxes remained: one at the half-step Nascent Soul stage and two at the peak Foundation Establishment stage.
"Awooo— We'll fight you to the death!"
The half-step Nascent Soul Blazing Silver Fox emitted a dazzling white light. Ye Bufan felt a wave of heat surging outwards.
"Hmph! Seeking death!"
The cultivator was filled with confidence, charging towards the Blazing Silver Fox with his sword.
Seeing this, Ye Bufan couldn't help but roll his eyes, thinking, 'Is this guy an idiot? The Blazing Silver Fox looks like it's about to self-destruct and take him with it, and he's still charging forward?'
As soon as this thought crossed his mind, Ye Bufan saw the half-step Nascent Soul Blazing Silver Fox explode with a deafening "boom." The energy surge was comparable to the full-power strike of an early Nascent Soul cultivator.
Ye Bufan thought the cultivator would be either dead or severely injured.
When the smoke cleared, he saw the cultivator enveloped in a yellow light shield emanating from a ring he wore.
"Protective magic item," Ye Bufan's eyes gleamed. "It seems this person's status in his world is quite extraordinary."
The man looked at the remaining two Blazing Silver Foxes and said, "Trying to escape? Too late?"
The two remaining Blazing Silver Foxes turned and fled towards the cave entrance. But how could this man let them go?
The next second, the man vanished from his spot, appearing on the escape route of the two Blazing Silver Foxes. Sword light flashed, leaving numerous afterimages. About five seconds later, silence fell upon the scene.
The man stood in place. The two Blazing Silver Foxes standing behind him collapsed with a thud, their heads severed from their bodies.
"Quite interesting." Ye Bufan smiled slightly.
The man glanced around, sheathed his sword, and muttered to himself, "The spiritual energy here is so thin. Could this be another barren cultivation land? Yet, according to the family records, there's no information about this place."
"Could this be a lost land?" The man stood in place, contemplating for a moment, then spoke to himself again.
"If it is a lost land, it should awaken gradually, and perhaps many ancient cultivation ruins will appear later. I must report this to the elders of the family immediately so they can investigate." With that, he prepared to leave.
"You can't leave."
Ye Bufan took a deep breath and walked towards the teleportation array.
"Huh?" The man was greatly surprised by Ye Bufan's sudden appearance and immediately drew his sword again.
"Nascent Soul middle stage?" Seeing Ye Bufan's cultivation, he actually laughed.
"May I ask why you are blocking my path?" the man asked, narrowing his eyes at Ye Bufan.
"I overheard you saying you were preparing to send people here. I just wanted to remind you not to do that," Ye Bufan said.
"Are you threatening me?" The man looked at Ye Bufan, their eyes meeting for a few seconds.
"You can interpret it that way," Ye Bufan stated without concealment.
"Do you know who I am?" Seeing Ye Bufan's response, the man prepared to reveal his identity.
Ye Bufan tilted his head and looked at him, saying, "This is not your world. I don't care who you are. In this place, even if you die, no one will find you."
"You!" The man's face turned pale and then flushed.
"I believe you have seen the gap in our strength. Even with your protective magic item, you just finished a battle. It would be effortless for me to keep you here," Ye Bufan exuded killing intent, an invisible pressure making the man struggle to breathe.
"Hoo—"
The man gasped for air.
"Then what must I do to leave this place?" the man asked.