Settling Grudges with a Smile

With the star fruit in sight, Xing Ye dared not delay any longer. The commotion from behind was growing louder, indicating that those people were advancing deeper into the canyon. Although he wasn't afraid of Wang Hu and Zhao Xuan, the fifth realm cultivators by their side were still troublesome.

The moment Xing Ye touched the star fruit, his vision blurred, and a sea of stars appeared before him. He found himself standing in the midst of the starry sea, gazing at countless twinkling stars.

Wang Can had mentioned on the way that one must be careful when picking the star fruit because hallucinations might occur. And at such moments, it could be fatal.

Xing Ye shook his head abruptly, decisively giving up the star fruit. He stood up and turned away. A massive python approached, opening its mouth to bite Xing Ye. An overwhelming chill invaded, accompanied by a foul odor that made Xing Ye shiver involuntarily.

The scales on its body shimmered with a cold light, its eyes ice-cold. Surrounded by five glows, it was a fifth-tier star beast. Its attack was silent and deadly. If Xing Ye had been a bit slower to react, he might have lost his life by now.

Faint light radiated from Xing Ye's body, and his eyes became extremely sharp. A powerful aura surged from his clenched fist.

Star Magic Technique – Star Fist!

This was the first time he had employed a Star Magic Technique, and his fist sparkled like starlight. The punch carried a tremendous explosive force, hitting the python's head.

Boom!

The Ice Polar Python crashed outside the mist, emitting a painful hiss. The impact of the fist was somewhat mitigated by its scales, and the fifth realm Ice Polar Python was only injured, not dead. Xing Ye immediately bent down, picked the star fruit before the illusion could occur this time.

Without the star fruit, the thick fog quickly gathered around this place again.

Xing Ye glanced at the puddle, ultimately giving up the idea of taking a few sips. The water here was comparable to spirit liquid; otherwise, the star fruit wouldn't have grown. However, the Ice Polar Pythons were crazily converging on this spot, and the fifth realm Ice Polar Python was getting closer. Xing Ye stood up swiftly and left...

"Has anyone seen that factotum monkey? I want to feed him to the pythons!" It was Wang Hu's voice.

"I haven't seen him on my side," Zhao Xuan shouted, "Have any of you found him?"

"No..."

As Xing Ye turned back, he heard the conversation between Wang Hu and Zhao Xuan. The hissing sounds from behind were getting closer—the fifth realm Ice Polar Python was catching up. In Xing Ye's perception, all the surrounding Ice Polar Pythons were heading towards him.

Xing Ye's eyes flickered slightly. "To blatantly try to kill me like this without any restraint. That's good; that way, I won’t feel too much guilty after dealing with you."

Xing Ye bent down, picked up some small stones, and quickly threw them in all directions.

Pap! Pap! Pap!

The small stones fell on the raging Ice Polar Pythons, deliberately making noise. The Ice Polar Pythons accelerated towards the sound, and the fifth realm Ice Polar Python was the fastest.

If the mist were removed, one could see Xing Ye leading the way, with a group of Ice Polar Pythons following closely behind.

Finding the location of Wang Hu by following the sounds, Xing Ye smiled coldly and stealthily approached him.

Wang Hu executed his moves in silence, his eyes occasionally scanning the surroundings as if searching for the star fruit. At that moment, Xing Ye's eyes flashed with a cold light. Swiftly approaching, his palm, like a knife, struck the back of Wang Hu's neck.

Wang Hu's attention had been fixed forward, oblivious to the anomaly behind him. With the sudden strike, his vision darkened, and he collapsed immediately. Xing Ye grabbed him and retreated quickly, easily evading the Ice Polar Python's attacks. He took the package behind Wang Hu and prepared to hand him over to a fifth realm cultivator.

However, Xing Ye noticed that the situation of the other three was not favorable. Without hesitation, he grabbed Wang Hu and moved towards them. Following the same tactics, he reached Zhao Xuan, delivering a swift blow to the back of his head, then pulled him along.

The six fifth realm cultivators were still engaged in battle with the Ice Polar Pythons and remained oblivious to their surroundings. They had no idea that the two young masters had been taken down by Xing Ye.

The peripheral battlefield was intense. Despite taking detoxification pills, many were trapped due to the overwhelming number of Ice Polar Pythons.

Xing Ye, taking advantage of his own strength, avoided one small battlefield after another, heading towards the outside. Some sustained injuries during the process, unable to persist any longer, and began to retreat.

When Xing Ye emerged from the canyon, dozens of people were already outside, their eyes filled with lingering fear, some looking towards the canyon with reluctance.

A short distance away, Skinny was in high mood. He had made a great fortune this time, feeling grateful to the factotum disciple for playing tricks on the two young masters. Without him leading the way, others wouldn't dare to enter the canyon, and his plan would have failed miserably.

Suddenly, Skinny's expression changed. He saw the factotum disciple but was astonished to find him carrying two people, strolling out as if he were holding chicks.

"What the hell is that..."

After seeing the appearance of the two, Skinny’s eyes nearly popped out. It turned out to be the two young masters, and where were their fifth realm guards?

Shouts of surprise echoed from all around as people watched Xing Ye's actions in astonishment.

Xing Ye walked out of the canyon, casually discarding the two. Then, he looked at the crowd, spoke confidently, "I'd like you all to bear witness. I rescued these two from the jaws of Ice Polar Pythons. It's only right for them to express their gratitude. Feel free to accept their thanks."

With Wang Hu's package on his back, Xing Ye approached Zhao Xuan, removing his package too.

Everyone was dumbfounded. Clearly, it was a robbery, yet he spoke so calmly and elegantly.

Skinny had eyes wide open, full of envy. This was what they called a risk-free business without any upfront investment. Unlike himself, who needed perfect timing and conditions, he had almost messed up even with a stockpile of elixirs.

"Remember, you all are witnesses. I, Xing Ye, don't steal or rob. They mistreated me before, but I returned good for evil and saved them. They repaid me with their belongings, and now we're even, without any debts between us."

With the packages in hand, Xing Ye turned and entered the woods, leaving behind a crowd of almost petrified people. However, as soon as he entered the forest, Xing Ye's expression suddenly stiffened, becoming solemn...