Exposed 2

A thin, gleaming sword had pierced straight through his chest, emerging from the front, slick with blood.

Tom spun around at the sound, his face draining of color.

"T-Tim…?"

Tim's lips quivered, his eyes wide with shock. He tried to speak, but only a wet gurgle escaped his throat as blood trickled from his mouth.

His Ki Armor flickered desperately, the protective layer shattering like fragile glass.

Behind him, Ye Xian stood unmoving, his sword buried deep in Tim's back. With a slow, deliberate motion, he twisted the blade.

Tim convulsed. His entire body seized up as the last remnants of life drained from his eyes.

It wasn't an ordinary strike.

Even with Limit Release, Ye Xian's raw strength alone would never have been enough to penetrate the Ki Armor of a Peak Ki Warrior Realm cultivator like Tim. But this attack wasn't about brute force—it was about precision.

Ye Xian had used Reverse Taiji heavn defying treasure energy—a technique of his own creation, one that allowed him to drain a portion of an enemy's Ki Armor through physical contact. A technique still incomplete, yet already terrifying in its effectiveness.

He hadn't yet mastered the ability to infuse this power into his weapon. But through direct touch? That was a different story.

And that was why, earlier, when he had casually patted Tim's back, he had secretly siphoned away a sliver of his Ki Armor.

A small weakness. A single moment of vulnerability.

And in that instant, Ye Xian had struck— exploiting the opening to deliver a fatal blow.

The blade had skewered through Tim's body like a spear through flesh.

Tim coughed violently, his legs weakening beneath him. His vision blurred. The strength in his limbs faded. He was dying.

Before he could collapse, Ye Xian ripped the sword free.

A sickening spray of crimson followed.

Tim crumpled to the ground, his lifeless body slumping into the dirt, eyes still frozen in shock.

For a moment, silence reigned.

Then—

"TIM!!"

Tom's anguished scream tore through the battlefield. His entire body trembled as he stumbled backward, staring at his brother's corpse in sheer horror.

His hands clenched into fists, his nails digging into his palms until they bled. He gasped for breath, his heart pounding violently against his ribs.

Then, something inside him snapped.

"You… You killed Tim…?" Tom's voice shook with disbelief, his eyes red with rage.

"W-Why?!"

Ye Xian turned to him slowly, his silver eyes cold and unfeeling. His expression was unreadable, yet the aura around him carried an unmistakable weight of coldness.

Raising his sword once more, he spoke in a voice as sharp as the blade itself.

"The thing I hate most in this world… is betrayal." His words were eerily calm.

"And I don't leave traitors alive."

A shiver ran down Tom's spine. As he howl in rage charged at Ye Xian to cut him into pieces with his sword.

Ye Xian casually flung Tim's lifeless body at Tom, as if discarding a broken doll into a trash basket.

Tom instinctively caught his brother, but the warmth of Tim's blood soaking into his clothes sent a shudder of rage through him.

His eyes burned with fury.

"I will kill you, bastard!" he roared.

But before he could fully react, Ye Xian exploded forward, his speed like a phantom shadow. His sword flashed, slashing straight toward Tim's body.

Tom's heart turned ice-cold. His ki armor covered his body.

His brother was already dead—how could he allow this murderer to further desecrate him?

Gritting his teeth, he raised his sword with his right hand, while still clutching Tim's body with his left.

Clang!

Blades clashed. Sparks scattered like fireflies.

But Tom's stance was unsteady. Supporting Tim's weight meant he couldn't exert his full strength. The force of Ye Xian's attack sent him staggering back, his arms trembling from the impact.

Meanwhile, Ye Xian's spiritual perception remained active, scanning the battlefield.

Everyone else was still locked in combat with the bandits—except Tom.

A cold glint flashed in Ye Xian's eyes.

Now.

With a flick of his wrist, he retrieved a small, fist-sized object from his spatial ring and hurled it at Tom.

Tom, still blinded by rage, reacted on instinct.

His sword slashed at the incoming object.

Boom!

A sharp explosion erupted. The shockwave blasted Tom backward, sending him crashing into a nearby supply cart. The wooden wheels groaned as the impact made the entire cart shift.

Tom coughed violently, his vision swimming. His Ki Armor had shattered, his body battered. He tried to stand, biting his tongue to force himself awake.

But at that moment—

Schlick!

A cold blade pierced straight through his chest.

Spurt!

He vomited a mouthful of blood as his organs twisted in agony from the cruel twist of the blade's owner.

"You...!"

Tom's voice trembled with rage as he forced himself to look around one last time. But the moment his gaze landed on **Tim's body—now in pieces, sprawled across the ground—**his fury surged once more.

Another mouthful of blood burst from his lips. His vision darkened.

And then—Tom collapsed, dead.

---

Ye Xian retrieved his sword, wiping its edge clean with a flick. The remaining blood dripped onto the ground, staining the dirt beneath him.

Without hesitation, he turned and vanished into the dense forest, seizing the moment while the others were still entangled in battle.

---

Meanwhile, Joseph's fight with the bandit leader, One-Eye, was nearing its conclusion.

Joseph had the advantage. He had been a step ahead of One-Eye throughout the battle.

Crack!

With a palm like forged steel, Joseph slammed his hand into One-Eye's chest, shattering ribs upon impact. The force sent the bandit leader hurtling through the air, crashing into a tree.

The first tree splintered from the impact, and his body slammed into a second, where he finally spat out a mouthful of blood.

With the leader down, Joseph quickly turned to assist the others, swiftly eliminating the remaining bandits.

Within moments, the battle was over.

Joseph stood victorious, one foot pressing down on One-Eye's shattered chest. From time to time, he applied more pressure, forcing the bandit leader to groan in pain and cough up more blood.

"As I said before, you would regret this."

One-Eye didn't speak. His face was smeared with blood, his strength utterly drained.

Suddenly, Joseph's sleeve trembled.

He pulled out a sound transmission jade stone, which was shaking violently.

Tapping on the stone, a cold, furious voice erupted from it—

"You idiot! What are you doing?! Ye Xian has escaped! He's heading into the forest to your left. Somehow, he's learned about the trap. Capture that bastard immediately!"

The enraged voice belonged to Lu Aotian, Joseph's master.

Joseph's face turned ashen. Like a blur, he rushed behind the cart, his eyes landing on the corpses of Tim, Tom, and the bandits.

His frown deepened.

How did this happen so quickly?

There was no time to think.

Joseph turned and bellowed to the others.

"All of you, spread out to the south! Ye Xian has escaped, and he knows our plan. If he gets away, none of you will escape punishment! Your families will suffer for your failure! If he escapes, the Ye Clan will never forgive us!"

The students who had joined this mission for extra money, thinking it was a simple capture job, felt a wave of dread.

None of them had anticipated such a simple plan falling apart because of a group of bandits.

_____

Lu Aotian jumped down from the tree with Ye Shen in his hand a beam shape equipment with lense to both ends. His face twisted in displeasure—he had witnessed everything.

He saw where Ye Xian used a bomb to break ki armor of Tom before skewering him and escaping into the woods.

"Don't worry. With his speed, he can't have gone far. Soon, he'll be beneath our feet."

Ye Shen reassured Lu Aotian, who nodded in agreement.

---

All of them spread out into the forest, heading south.

It had been about the time it took for a stick of incense to burn, yet there was still no sign of Ye Xian.

They continued following his tracks, which led them deeper into the dense woods. After searching for a while, they found themselves back where the trail had ended.

"Did you find any clues?" Joseph asked.

The others shook their heads.

"Where did Ye Xian disappear to?"

One of the Ki Warrior Realm cultivators spoke up, his expression grim. He had come alongside the twins, Tim and Tom, but now both of them were dead.

Joseph narrowed his eyes. "Search the tree branches."

With that, he vanished into the distance, moving like a blur.

The others followed suit, spreading out and searching the trees.

One of them arrived beneath a particularly large tree and decided to climb it for a better vantage point.

Gripping the trunk, he ascended swiftly. Once he reached a thick branch, he jumped onto it, then leaped again toward a higher branch, where the dense foliage provided excellent cover.

His plan was simple—hide and wait. If he spotted Ye Xian, he would strike first.

But the moment he reached mid-air—

Shing!

A cold glint flashed.

A blade sliced clean through his neck, severing his head from his body.

His eyes widened in disbelief. As his head tumbled, his gaze locked onto Ye Xian—hidden among the leaves.

Then, his lifeless body crashed onto the ground below.

---

Ye Xian had concealed himself within the thick leaves, using Shrouded Aura to completely erase his presence. His plan had been to wait for them to leave the area before making his escape.

But he never expected that someone else would try to hide in the exact same place he had.