Chapter 76: Master

Translator: Tim Editor: Tehrn

"Oh? It's you Ye Mo!" Brother Hu instantly recognized Ye Mo, having seen his photo countless times. Without hesitation, he spun and delivered a powerful punch, its force aimed squarely at Ye Mo.

Ye Mo, aware that Brother Hu was indeed a Master as he'd suspected, decided to test the man's strength. He responded with a single punch of his own.

A sickening "crack" echoed as bones shattered. Ye Mo stumbled back two steps, reaching the doorway. Brother Hu, also reeling from the impact, fell backward, colliding with Young Master Tan.

Both men suffered fractured fists. Ye Mo's eyes hardened as he realized his power was insufficient in this environment. Even at 70% strength, he was clearly outmatched.

"Yellow Level Tertiary Stage" Brother Hu gasped, his eyes wide with shock. His broken hand, however, prevented further fighting. Unlike Ye Mo, he lacked the ability to rapidly heal broken bones; such an injury would take him a month to recover from.

Seeing the seemingly even match, a flicker of worry crossed Young Master Tan's face. He'd never encountered anyone who could rival Brother Hu, a disciple of the Ancient Martial Arts, as he'd heard. Brother Hu's single blocked punch was utterly astonishing.

Though unfamiliar with the term "Yellow Level Tertiary Stage," Ye Mo surmised it referred to a martial arts ranking system.

Young Master Tan, witnessing Ye Mo's strength, started to reach for his phone to call for help. Knowing Tan was from the Song family and had come to capture him, Ye Mo showed no mercy. He casually flicked a metal nail, which struck Young Master Tan in the forehead before he could even dial.

"You killed Young Master Tan!?" Brother Hu exclaimed, his face a mixture of shock and fury.

Ye Mo offered a faint smile. "I also killed Song Shaowen. A problem?"

Brother Hu's expression returned to normal. He thought, He killed Song Shaowen; eliminating Song Shaotan will be no different.

"Answer a few questions, and I'll let you go," Ye Mo said, his gaze cold.

"Haha! Let me, Hu Qiu, go? You weren't even winning! Since you came, you're not leaving!" Hu Qiu's uninjured hand produced a whip, launching himself into a whirlwind of attacks. The whip blurred into a dizzying array of motions, aimed at Ye Mo.

The speed was overwhelming. Before treating Ning Qingxue, Ye Mo could have met the attack head-on, but his 70% recovered Chi was still unstable. He was forced to dodge.

The small room offered little space to maneuver. The whip caught him, burning his back as a deep gash opened.

Hu Qiu pressed his advantage, his body a blur as he attacked again.

Ye Mo acknowledged Hu Qiu's impressive whip technique. Trapped in the small space, he had little choice but to counter-attack. He gathered his Chi, launching three nails while simultaneously attempting to seize the whip's handle.

Hu Qiu was stunned. No one had ever dared to grab his whip during a flurry of attacks.

"You're asking for death," Hu Qiu sneered, his whip attack intensifying.

The nails flew, but Hu Qiu reacted, evading one and taking two to his left chest. Still, he didn't retract his whip, intending to inflict a crippling blow on Ye Mo, believing the whip's power far surpassed that of two nails.

However, Hu Qiu, lacking a cultivator's spirit sense, was unaware of Ye Mo's true position. Before he could react, Ye Mo had grasped the whip handle.

A powerful force surged through Ye Mo, a throbbing pain in his chest. The side effects of treating Ning Qingxue returned, nausea welling up.

Knowing he couldn't sustain the fight, Ye Mo focused his remaining Chi and kicked Hu Qiu in the chest.

Hu Qiu finally understood Ye Mo’s ability to pinpoint the actual whip within the blur of motion, wondering if he was a Dark Level Master.

"You're a Dark Level" Hu Qiu managed to utter before vomiting blood and collapsing, dead before hitting the ground.

Ye Mo breathed a sigh of relief, realizing how close he'd come to death. He’d hoped to capture Hu Qiu for information, but he'd overestimated himself twice that night. Powerful individuals were everywhere, and based on Hu Qiu's words, there were likely even stronger ranks beyond Dark Level.

Feeling dizzy, Ye Mo stumbled through the building, supporting himself on the walls. He found Qian Shiping assaulting two women in a nearby room. He burst in, pulling Qian Shiping out.

"Who are you? How dare you?" Qian Shiping, startled awake, initially underestimated the weakened-looking Ye Mo, but his arrogance quickly returned.

"The person who kills you!" Ye Mo gasped, the exertion of breaking down the door taking its toll.

"Kill me? Hahaha, do you know who I am? You'll never hide if you kill me! You think" Qian Shiping's taunting ceased as a metal nail found its mark in his forehead. He died in disbelief, still unaware his father's influence wouldn't save him.

Wasting no time, Ye Mo moved to the underground floor, finding three kneeling men. He dispatched them with three more nails before leaving a final room with two individuals untouched—presumably Qian Shiping's underlings.

"Leave," was his only thought. He'd taken too many risks. Hu Qiu's unexpected strength nearly cost him his life. If Hu Qiu hadn't been overconfident in his whip, Ye Mo might not have survived.