Chapter Nine of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms: Enemy's Footprints Reappear

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During lunch break, as usual, it was Ye Tianlong's time to practice. Since his battle with the Heavenly Sword Elder, Ye Tianlong's understanding of swordsmanship had deepened considerably. From this master swordsman, he had learned a great deal of experience and techniques, and things that were previously difficult to grasp suddenly became clear.

This kind of life-or-death struggle was vastly different from his usual practice with his own people; the techniques learned in the face of danger were truly practical martial arts.

However, sitting in his practice room today, Ye Tianlong couldn't calm his mind, let alone enter a meditative state to cultivate his inner energy or comprehend swordsmanship. As soon as he tried to calm his mind, all sorts of thoughts would immediately pop into his head.

Ever since Chen Yue's words yesterday, Ye Tianlong's mind had been churning with that matter. Even during the morning routine meeting, he appeared distracted. Fortunately, his subordinates were already used to their commander's eccentric behavior and didn't pay any attention to his state. Apart from a few newly recruited generals who were secretly puzzled, everyone else reported, discussed, and prepared for the next steps as if nothing was wrong.

"Damn it!"

After sitting for a long time, Ye Tianlong still hadn't made any progress. He simply couldn't concentrate as he usually did. He knew how dangerous Chen Yue's suggestion was, yet it possessed an irresistible allure.

"Could it really be the number one person in the world?"

Recalling Chen Yue's whispered words in his ear before he woke up that morning, Ye Tianlong couldn't help but smile bitterly. What exactly was the number one person in the world? He remembered that when he first met Chen Yue, she had also used this phrase to him, and she had said with certainty that it was an ancient prophecy.

Since he couldn't concentrate on his training, he might as well go for a walk and relax. Having made up his mind, Ye Tianlong opened the door and went out.

Because it was lunch break, the entire compound where the command post was located was quiet. Apart from the guards in various places, there were hardly any people to be seen.

Unconsciously, Ye Tianlong walked to the training ground at the back of the compound. In the center of the field, he saw a tall, burly man continuously swinging his greatsword.

"Shura?"

Ye Tianlong recognized him at a glance. He walked over to Shura and saw that Shura had just finished his last move, deftly sheathing his greatsword and beginning to carefully wipe the blade.

"You really cherish this greatsword!" Ye Tianlong sat down next to Shura.

"Yes!" Shura didn't look up. "For a swordsman, a sword is his most trusted friend. Besides, Blood Wolf was forged by my own hands under my master's guidance. It has become a part of my life."

"Blood Wolf?" Ye Tianlong uttered it once. "What a terrifying name. Just hearing it makes one feel a murderous aura."

"Nothing is more terrifying than the human heart!" Shura stopped his movements, looked into the distance, and a strange expression flashed across his face.

"Why do you train so hard?" Ye Tianlong suddenly asked Shura.

From the day he met Shura, Ye Tianlong had seen him practicing whenever he had free time, his pursuit of martial arts reaching an unbelievable level.

"Because I'm pursuing to be the number one martial artist."

Shura wiped the sweat from his face, looking earnestly at Ye Tianlong. His body's recovery ability was truly astonishing; the injuries he sustained in his fight with the Heavenly Sword Elder had now completely healed.

"The number one martial artist..." Ye Tianlong's heart stirred.

"That's right." Shura nodded, "To become a strong person, one must pursue endlessly, constantly surpassing one goal after another. That's what my master told me. The end of martial arts is the beginning of the Heavenly Dao. I really want to see what the supreme Heavenly Dao is..."

Ye Tianlong didn't hear the rest of Shura's words, because his earlier words had deeply touched Ye Tianlong's heart.

"Endless pursuit...constantly surpassing..."

These two sentences repeated in Ye Tianlong's mind. Something deep within him seemed to be suddenly illuminated, yet upon closer reflection, he couldn't quite grasp it.

But one thing was clear to him: to protect those he loved, he had to take control of his own destiny and become a true strongman. To be honest, it was Chen Yue's final, fragile expression that ignited the boundless ambition within Ye Tianlong.

"Even if it's just for self-preservation, I need to be strong." This thought flashed through Ye Tianlong's mind, his heart began to pound, and his palms sweated.

"I'll take this gamble."

"Is there a problem?" Shura asked curiously, noticing the strange expression on Ye Tianlong's face.

After making his decision, Ye Tianlong felt more relaxed. He smiled and said to Shura, "Nothing, just thought of something interesting."

"Oh, what's so interesting?" Shura pressed.

"What is it?" Ye Tianlong suddenly noticed a hazy shadow rising from the rooftops in the distance.

"What?" Shura paused, looking in the direction Ye Tianlong was pointing. "It's a woman."

"A woman? What does she want?" Ye Tianlong watched the slender figure leap lightly across the rooftops, gradually approaching their dwelling.

"Is she a thief, or a spy?" Shura stood up. "Judging from her movements, her skills are quite good. It's a pity she's an inexperienced novice. Walking on the rooftops in broad daylight—won't that make her easily spotted?"

"Looks like a clumsy thief." Ye Tianlong became interested. He stood up and laughed. "A trained spy wouldn't do something like this."

At that moment, the woman on the rooftop seemed to notice Ye Tianlong and Shura watching her. Suddenly, she crouched down and disappeared below the roof. When she reappeared, she was on another rooftop.

"She's escaping! Chase her!" Ye Tianlong glanced at Shura, whose eyes also held amusement. The two nodded simultaneously and leaped forward.

"Anyway, we have nothing else to do, catching a clumsy thief for fun would be quite interesting," Ye Tianlong said to Xiu Luo as they sped forward.

At this moment, the two reached the rooftop, gaining a clearer view. The woman was leaping along the northeast-facing rooftop, her speed seemingly increased due to her escape.

"What an idiot," Xiu Luo laughed. "Running away on the rooftop, while faster, makes her too conspicuous. Why didn't she think of jumping down and taking the alleyways?"

As luck would have it, just as Xiu Luo finished speaking, they saw the woman leap off the rooftop and disappear into the winding alleyways.

"Oh no!" Ye Tianlong and Xiu Luo shouted simultaneously, surprised that this clumsy female thief had suddenly become clever. They felt incredibly embarrassed that they had let a woman slip through their fingers.

Just as they were about to give up and turn back, a sudden alarm bell rang in Ye Tianlong's mind; it seemed someone was quietly approaching.

Without thinking, he blurted out, "Watch out, there's an ambush!"

At the same time, Shura also warned him. Just then, four figures suddenly emerged from under the roof ridge, moving with lightning speed, rushing towards them from both sides, their gleaming swords radiating boundless killing intent. Even the most foolish person would know what was happening.

The attackers moved with bizarre movements. Two leaped high, overtaking Ye Tianlong and Shura, while the remaining two crouched forward before charging diagonally.

Two on each side, a perfect two-against-one ratio, their movements incredibly fast and silent, the only sound the whistling of their swords cutting through the air. Clearly, they had all undergone rigorous, specialized training.

These four swordsmen were undeniably skilled, but unfortunately, they had chosen the wrong targets: Shura, known as the King of Mercenaries, and Ye Tianlong, whose martial arts had repeatedly broken through their limits—both already among the continent's top masters.

They were fast, but Ye Tianlong was faster. Although he hadn't yet seen the enemy's attack, his divine sense had already fully perceived their movements.

With a roar, Ye Tianlong slid and twisted, plunging into the thick shadow of swords, ready to engage in direct combat.

Two sharp swords, one above and one below, completely enveloped Ye Tianlong's figure, seemingly intent on severing him into pieces. Yet, Ye Tianlong's hand slipped through the gaps in the dense sword shadows. The exchange was incredibly brief, the movements so fast they were almost imperceptible.

The three figures entangled for a mere instant; almost immediately after contact, the mountain-like sword shadows vanished in mid-air.

Two crisp sounds rang out, and the two attackers were sent flying, crashing heavily onto the roof ridge, causing a large section to collapse. They landed as two immobile corpses, their necks severed by Ye Tianlong's palm—a swift and deadly strike.

At the same time, Shura beside him also dealt with his two opponents. When the swordsmen appeared, he stood there without moving, merely letting out a loud shout, unleashing "Thunderous Roar," which disrupted the minds and blood of the two swordsmen. Their bodies momentarily froze in mid-air, their sword strikes losing accuracy and power.

In that instant, a tiny flaw appeared in the tight sword net. Seizing the opening, Shura raised his hand and unleashed two "Blood Wolf Sky-Piercing Slashes," killing both swordsmen instantly.

A commotion broke out below; the sounds of fighting and collapsing rooftops naturally attracted the attention of the curious onlookers. Amidst the clamor, Ye Tianlong suddenly saw the woman's figure emerge from the rooftop of the sixth house not far to his left. She had been hiding there, observing.

Seeing the woman leap down from the rooftop again, Ye Tianlong felt a surge of anger. He let out a long howl, signaling his men to come to the scene. At the same time, he nodded to Shura; the two were of one mind, both wanting to know what had happened in this assassination attempt. Capturing the escaped woman was key.

"I'll pursue her this way," Shura said, leaping down from the rooftop and speeding along the street, while Ye Tianlong raced directly towards the rooftop of the house where he had seen the woman.

Just as Ye Tianlong reached the rooftop of the third house, he saw the woman turn into a nearby alley. Her movements were graceful and agile, yet surprisingly fast—a significant improvement over when he first spotted her.

"Was she deliberately luring us?" This thought flashed through Ye Tianlong's mind, but confident in his abilities, he didn't wait for his men to catch up and pressed on.

He had barely closed the distance when the woman leaped to the side and disappeared. Then, she reappeared in the alley ahead. Ye Tianlong was furious, itching to catch her.

The woman's figure appeared and disappeared in the alleys, sometimes even deliberately leaping onto rooftops and speeding across them. She seemed very familiar with the roads, running with remarkable composure and ease.

During the chase, Ye Tianlong initially let out a howl to guide Shura and the Heavenly Dragon Legion soldiers who had rushed to the scene. However, as the woman's speed increased, Ye Tianlong, fueled by his own power, focused all his energy on the pursuit.

The chase continued until they reached the North Gate. Without hesitation, she leaped onto the gate tower; outside lay the North Pass. When Ye Tianlong followed, he was astonished to find the entire gate tower empty and unguarded, as was the area outside. The wide avenue of the North Pass was deserted.

"Strange, why is there no one here?"

Ye Tianlong couldn't believe his eyes, but he quickly discovered the answer: all the soldiers guarding the gate tower had been killed—killed with a single, swift sword strike, without a drop of blood. The technique was clean and efficient, a marvelous swordsmanship.

All the corpses were piled in a room in a corner of the gate tower. The faces of the dead were perfectly calm, clearly killed in an extremely short time, before they even had a chance to react.

Now, Ye Tianlong was determined to capture the mysterious woman who had escaped. He carefully examined his surroundings. The inner city wall was clearly visible, as were the outer battlements. The woman couldn't have jumped down; there was no cover on the long stretch of road outside the wall, and she couldn't have flown fifty zhang in an instant.

"Impossible, she should still be here," Ye Tianlong told himself silently.

He drew his divine weapon, the Blazing Fire, calmed his mind, and focused his eyes to examine his surroundings. Suddenly, he saw something flicker at the corner of a pillar by the wall, but when he looked again, it vanished without a trace.

"Could it be that my eyes are playing tricks on me?"

Ye Tianlong refused to believe it. He simply closed his eyes, and this time his mind and the Blazing Fire sword in his hand became completely integrated. What the Blazing Fire sword sensed was what Ye Tianlong saw.

To Ye Tianlong's right, a figure bulged out from the corner of a pillar—the mysterious woman he had chased all the way here. And on the brick floor, another object lurked.

At this moment, the object lurking in the brick floor seemed to sense Ye Tianlong watching it, so it twisted a few times and slowly rose up.

If anyone else were present, they would think that Luo Yuzai's eyes were playing tricks on him, or that he had encountered a ghost—a woman with a slender figure rising from underground, her face covered with a strangely colored, multicolored veil.

But Ye Tianlong knew what was going on. "Phantom Transformation," a strange and unorthodox magic, was rarely mastered. Even the slightest deviation during practice could result in serious injury or death.

"Who is this woman? Why are you lying in ambush here? Did you kill all the soldiers here?" Ye Tianlong asked her three questions in a chilling tone as he slowly moved forward.

The woman remained silent, coldly gazing at Ye Tianlong. A strange light flickered in her eyes, a hint of confusion mixed with a palpable killing intent. A chilling aura of murderous intent emanated from her, surging towards Ye Tianlong like a tidal wave, threatening to engulf him.

Anyone lacking sufficient cultivation would be rendered helpless in the face of such terrifying killing intent. Even Ye Tianlong, whose cultivation had advanced daily, felt a chill run down his spine.

One step, two steps, Ye Tianlong gradually approached the pillar where the mysterious woman was hiding. Although the woman concealed her aura well, guided by the divine artifact, the Blazing Fire, Ye Tianlong could see it clearly.

Finally, Ye Tianlong reached a point where the mysterious woman could strike. A blazing red light suddenly erupted from the Blazing Fire, illuminating the dimly lit city gate tower. The moment the woman's figure appeared, Ye Tianlong whirled around, unleashing the Blazing Fire at an angle, aiming precisely for the woman's throat.

Unexpectedly, Ye Tianlong had already discovered her presence, and the mysterious woman was suddenly forced into a life-or-death situation. Facing the swiftly approaching Fiery Sword, her own sword was still at her side, leaving her no time to retaliate.

With a sharp cry, the mysterious woman fell backward with force, and at that moment, the divine weapon Fiery Sword was only a hair's breadth away from her throat; she could even feel the terrifying flames emanating from it on her skin.

The pillar behind her shattered upon contact, and dust instantly filled the entire city gate tower. Ye Tianlong's sword was right in front of the woman's throat, but he could no longer close that gap; the woman fell at the same speed as his sword approached.

However, under the powerful flames of the divine weapon Fiery Sword, the mysterious woman's veil was torn and ripped apart, and in the swirling dust, Ye Tianlong saw the woman's true face.

In an instant, the hatred in his heart ignited completely, and rage surged to the top of his head.

"Hua Rou!"

This face, deeply etched in Ye Tianlong's heart, finally reappeared before him. A major reason that fueled Ye Tianlong's relentless training was Hua Rou, for he had sworn to kill her with his own hands.

He had witnessed Hua Rou's swordsmanship on Qingfeng Mountain and knew that without significant improvement, he wouldn't be able to kill her.

He knew that with just a little more progress, he could kill this woman, but Ye Tianlong simply couldn't. This realization made him understand that his martial arts skills were currently not much better than Hua Rou's. He already held a significant advantage, but even under such unexpected circumstances, he still couldn't kill her.

A sharp sword aura suddenly erupted in the air, and chaotic sword shadows surged around Ye Tianlong. It was the woman standing to the side who had made her move.

The moment she attacked, Ye Tianlong felt a chill run down his spine. This woman was even more powerful than he had imagined. This feeling reminded him of the mysterious masked woman on Qingfeng Mountain; the unpredictable, eerie, and chilling swordsmanship she possessed had left a deep impression on him.

The sword in the woman's hand transformed into a lightning bolt too fast for the eye to see, suddenly shooting, flashing, flowing, and piercing the air…

Ye Tianlong had no choice but to abandon the thought of killing Hua Rou and turn to parry the woman's attack. Now he was certain that this woman was the one with the strange mask on Qingfeng Mountain, and only she possessed martial arts skills stronger than Hua Rou's.

The divine weapon, Blazing Fire, danced wildly amidst the ever-changing lightning, emitting an unbelievable dragon's roar, as if it too sensed the anger in Ye Tianlong's heart, unleashing power even greater than before.

The swirling dust stopped, and the bursts of light abruptly ceased. Within the city gate tower, the faint sounds of sword cries and dragon roars seemed to still linger.

Ye Tianlong and his opponent switched positions; his sword was lowered to the side, while his opponent's sword proudly pointed towards his center. At this moment, Hua Rou also sprang up from the ground, standing diagonally opposite Ye Tianlong, a bead of sweat faintly visible on her face, clearly indicating that the life-or-death dodge had consumed a significant amount of her true energy.

Ye Tianlong's progress had also exceeded her expectations. Now, his martial arts skills were completely on par with hers.

The three of them faced each other, about ten feet apart. The frenzied battle from before seemed never to have happened, and the life-or-death danger was gone, as if it had occurred a long time ago. Only their long breaths echoed on the city gate tower as they caught their breath.

In reality, Hua Rou and the others were unsure of Ye Tianlong's martial arts prowess and were still reassessing their situation, planning their next attack. Ye Tianlong, however, knew his own limitations. On his left back, there was a deep gash, penetrating his inner garment, torn by his opponent. That sword strike had been incredibly dangerous.

"Why does her swordsmanship feel so familiar?" The aura emanating from her sword reminded Ye Tianlong of Yu Zhu's dark energy: "Could it be that she and Yu Zhu are related?"

Ye Tianlong secretly felt a surge of relief, knowing that he had once faced death in a split second. When that sword swept across, he could clearly feel the shock of his protective inner strength being shattered by the immense external pressure, as well as the instantaneous heat and bone-chilling cold generated when the sword tip grazed his skin at terrifying speed.

The difference between life and death is just a fleeting moment. Perhaps one doesn't feel anything at the time, but only afterwards does one realize the immense danger, feel a chill run down one's spine, and break out in a cold sweat.

"Excellent swordsmanship, almost a single strike decides life or death."

Ye Tianlong let out a long breath and coldly stared at the two women before him. Having faced death and confronted his most vengeful enemy, Ye Tianlong's mind was completely free of distractions. Life and death, honor and disgrace, fear and joy—all vanished from his heart at this moment. His only thought was of the divine weapon, Blazing Fire, which had become one with him.

"You only have one chance left," Hua Rou said with a radiant smile, but the words uttered from her beautiful lips sent chills down one's spine: "The next move will leave you utterly destroyed."

"Is that so? Then let's see!" Ye Tianlong's voice was strong, powerful, steady, and sharp, displaying unwavering confidence and will: "Let's see who falls between us!"

With another sharp shout, the two women launched their attacks simultaneously. Thunder and lightning raged, and death once again descended upon Ye Tianlong.

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Chapter Nine of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms: Enemy's Footprints Reappear

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