Chapter 146: No One Can Force Me

Translator: Tim Editor: Chrissy

Seeing the extremely angry Du Tao, Ye Mo chuckled. Just by his attitude, he wouldn’t get far in martial arts.

“What are you looking at? Come on, make it quick. I need to gather materials afterward.” Ye Mo looked at Du Tao and shook his head. In the cultivation realm, fighting someone unfamiliar could be fatal with the slightest mistake.

Ye Mo could see Du Tao’s power, which fueled his arrogance. However, Du Tao, unaware of Ye Mo’s power, believed he could easily win. This was his fatal mistake.

Hearing Ye Mo’s words, Du Tao immediately attacked. Ye Mo, however, remained stationary, as if ignoring him. Judging by Du Tao’s personality, he would use only his legs, aiming for a quick victory without using his fists. As Ye Mo expected, Du Tao’s punches were feints, concentrating his power in his legs.

Before Du Tao’s fist landed, his right leg kicked out like a whirlwind.

Ye Mo nodded. Du Tao’s legwork was far inferior to Wu Qiang’s, but his speed was comparable. Wu Qiang’s legs were not only fast but also incredibly powerful. Even with Ye Mo’s strength, his legs ached after kicking Wu Qiang’s leg twenty times.

Du Tao’s speed was almost on par with Wu Qiang’s, but his power and technique were far inferior. Furthermore, Du Tao had a foolish plan: to kick with his left leg after his right leg connected. Ye Mo could tell by the way he was powering his left leg.

Ye Mo shook his head. He couldn’t fathom Du Tao’s thinking. He only needed his right leg to defeat Ye Mo, yet he planned to switch to his left leg for aesthetics. This guy was pretentious, vastly overestimating his ability to knock out an opponent he’d never fought before.

The woman beside Elder Han saw that Ye Mo didn’t even move under Du Tao’s feigned attack and immediately frowned. She, too, recognized the feints, but she didn’t expect Ye Mo to see through them. She couldn’t believe Ye Mo hadn’t had time to react.

Not only did Ye Mo not move, but he also looked at Du Tao’s left leg and shook his head. The woman immediately understood that Ye Mo had seen through Du Tao’s intentions. The move was visually appealing but impractical, only effective against a much weaker opponent.

As expected, Ye Mo slightly sidestepped without using his hands. He kicked Du Tao’s leg a few times. Before the woman could even clearly see Ye Mo’s movements, he’d switched to his right leg and kicked Du Tao several meters away. Ye Mo attacked Du Tao exactly as he did Wu Qiang, but with greater ease.

When Du Tao’s leg collided with Ye Mo’s, he rejoiced, feeling the power in his leg was too much for Ye Mo to handle. Just as he anticipated hearing Ye Mo cry out in pain and prepare to counter with a beautiful mid-air kick, a searing pain shot through his right leg, rendering him unable to use his left.

Du Tao was shocked, immediately realizing things were bad. Just as he tried to retreat, Ye Mo kicked his right leg into his stomach. His head buzzed in disbelief as he was sent flying, landing in the exact position he intended to kick Ye Mo from.

So fast—those were the only thoughts in his mind. He lasted only five moves before being sent flying.

The woman saw that Ye Mo had perfectly executed Du Tao’s intended move, even more aesthetically than Du Tao had imagined. Her heart stirred, and she felt a strong urge to fight Ye Mo, but she suppressed the desire. Though confident she wouldn’t lose, she didn’t want to reveal her strength in front of everyone.

Du Tao fell to the ground, unable to get up. Han Zaixin was shocked. He knew Du Tao’s capabilities; even within the Flying Snow Squad, he was above average. A yellow-ranked master, he couldn’t even last a few moves against Ye Mo.

Lu Gang and Li Hu were equally shocked. Li Hu knew Ye Mo was strong, but not this strong. Lu Gang was even more surprised. He’d been planning to fight Ye Mo, but now it seemed ridiculous. Ten of him wouldn't match Du Tao, yet Du Tao had lost so decisively to Ye Mo.

Han Zaixin, knowledgeable in martial arts, knew that in a life-or-death situation, Du Tao would have died much faster. No wonder the Song Family hadn't been able to do anything to Ye Mo. He was incredibly strong. Where had he learned this? Had he reached the Black level of martial arts?

Thinking how much stronger the Flying Snow Squad would be with Ye Mo, Han Zaixin pondered. He had to have Ye Mo in his squad.

Ye Mo ignored the flying Du Tao, focusing on the materials he could obtain from the keep. Seeing Elder Han deep in thought, he approached and said, “Elder Han…”

Han Zaixin gasped for air, finding Ye Mo increasingly fascinating. He was truly exceptional. He was grateful he’d decided to visit Ye Mo today; otherwise, where would he find such a valuable asset? Only a descendant of an ancient martial arts sect could compare to Ye Mo, but Ye Mo clearly wasn’t from one. If he were, how would the Song Family dare to provoke him? How would the Ye Family have expelled him?

“Ye Mo, I didn’t expect you to be so strong. Good, good, good.” Han Zaixin studied Ye Mo as if examining a treasure.

Ye Mo felt helpless and waited for Han Zaixin to speak.

By this time, Du Tao had crawled up. Besides some leg pain, he was fine. He looked at Ye Mo with reverence; he’d never faced such a powerful opponent. He now believed Ye Mo’s words. His power was for killing, not for show. If Ye Mo had wanted to kill him, even several of him wouldn't have survived.

He’d thought he was skilled, but now he felt intolerably weak compared to true strength.

And Ye Mo possessed an immense killing intent. His claim of disabling someone with superior leg techniques seemed true now. Someone like Ye Mo wouldn’t lie about such things.

The thought of offending Ye Mo and suffering a similar fate chilled him. He mustn’t offend Ye Mo. The stories of him antagonizing the Song Family without repercussions seemed to be true; not that the Song Family hadn’t tried, but they simply didn’t dare.

After repeating “good,” Han Zaixin passionately stated, “Ye Mo, join the Flying Snow Squad! You must! You can be the instructor.”

Ye Mo shook his head. “Elder Han, I’m not interested in joining the army. I’m only interested in the materials in the keep.”

“No, you must join! If you don’t, I won’t let you choose the materials!” Worried, Han Zaixin threatened Ye Mo.

Ye Mo smiled calmly. “In that case, Li Hu, I’ll be leaving.” He turned to leave, ignoring Han Zaixin.

Seeing Ye Mo leave, Han Zaixin worriedly grabbed Ye Mo’s clothes. “Brother Ye, you mustn’t leave! We can discuss this. Look at the materials first, then we can talk, I beg you!”

Ye Mo, initially annoyed, saw Han Zaixin’s expression and softened. He freed his clothes and said, “In that case, please send someone with me.”

“No need, I’ll go myself.” Han Zaixin, sensing Ye Mo’s personality, spoke quickly.

Ye Mo, having won, readily accepted. Han Zaixin’s offer made him say, “In that case, thank you, Elder Han. But if there’s something I don’t want to do, no one can force me, not even the Heavenly Emperor.”

Ye Mo’s last words were blunt. Du Tao and Li Hu’s jaws tightened, but they didn’t argue. Before the fight, Du Tao would have sneered, but now he felt he had no right.

However, the woman beside Han Zaixin frowned, seeming to want to speak but ultimately remaining silent.

Han Zaixin knew his previous words had been unreasonable, so he wasn’t angry. Instead, he said, “We can discuss joining the squad later. Let’s see the materials first. You’re free to join if you want.”

Despite his words, Han Zaixin pondered how to keep Ye Mo. He seemed to have slightly angered him. Yes, a master like him wouldn’t be easily controlled. If he were, the Song Family would have already dealt with him.