Huff!
As the woman struck with a whip-like kick, Ye Fei instantly sensed a gust of wind rushing at him from behind. Clearly, this woman was a trained martial artist!
However, the current Ye Fei was no longer the penniless youth who couldn't even truss a chicken.
After gaining the memories of the Soul-controlling Demon and devouring the Devil Soul, Ye Fei was now an early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Without even looking back, he shifted his body slightly and effortlessly evaded the attack.
"Hmm?"
The woman obviously hadn't expected Ye Fei to dodge her kick so easily and immediately prepared to strike again.
Ye Fei frowned at this and said, "I've already told you I'm just passing through. Why are you attacking me all of a sudden?"
"Passing through? Who do you think you're fooling?"
With a domineering tone, the woman said, "My grandfather came to pay respects to my grandmother today. Qingyun Mountain has long been sealed off. You claim to be passing through, so how did you even get here? And on top of that, why are you coincidentally near my grandmother's tomb? I think you have ulterior motives!"
Hearing this, Ye Fei found himself at a loss for words.
He couldn't exactly tell her that he had flown here directly, could he? That kind of thing only happened in television dramas. Who would believe it?
Seeing Ye Fei's silence, suspicion in the woman's eyes deepened, and she prepared to throw another kick.
Just as Ye Fei was about to dodge again, his expression suddenly darkened.
His Divine Sense had detected that the commotion here had alarmed the black-clad enforcers on the mountain path. If those people made their way up here, things would only get worse.
Determined, Ye Fei raised his hand, and a wisp of black energy flashed through the air, intercepting the woman's attack mid-air. Without hesitation, he prepared to retreat.
"Externalized inner strength? Could it be the Innate Realm?"
Standing before the tomb, the elderly man who had paid no attention to Ye Fei earlier suddenly exclaimed in shock.
Innate Realm?
Both the woman and the man beside the elder were stunned, their gazes fixed on Ye Fei in disbelief as they carefully reevaluated him.
"Grandfather, you must be mistaken. How could someone acting so suspiciously possibly be in the Innate Realm?" The woman refused to believe it.
"Nonsense! Are you questioning your grandfather's judgment? Come back here immediately!"
At the elder's stern rebuke, the woman lost all her previous arrogance and obediently stepped back.
Seeing this, the elder clasped his hands in respect, stepped forward, and addressed Ye Fei, "Esteemed expert, my granddaughter is hot-tempered and has offended you in many ways. I hope you can forgive her!"
"Elder, you're being too polite. It's I who should apologize for disrupting your time paying respects to your late wife," Ye Fei replied, hastily bowing in return.
Despite possessing the memories of the Demon Evil, Ye Fei was still Ye Fei, and he firmly upheld the traditional Chinese virtue of respecting the elderly.
Seeing Ye Fei's courtesy, the elder let out a small sigh of relief.
After all, he had seen a great deal in his lifetime and knew that anyone who had achieved the Innate Realm was a formidable figure. Among such experts, many possessed eccentric tempers. Although Ye Fei appeared young, if he were to act unruly, even the elder himself might not be able to handle the consequences.
The woman, however, clearly couldn't comprehend her grandfather's behavior and immediately muttered, "What's the big deal? He's just in the Innate Realm and putting on airs!"
"Silence!"
The elder immediately snapped, glaring at the woman. "A Martial King of the Innate Realm stands before you, and you remain so insolent? Clearly, I've spoiled you too much!"
"Grandfather, he doesn't even look older than me! Who says he's definitely in the Innate Realm? I, for one, don't believe it!"
The woman turned to Ye Fei and challenged him, "If you really are in the Innate Realm, then prove it by fighting me. If you win, I'll believe you!"
Prove it?
Ye Fei couldn't help but laugh at her challenge.
Although he didn't quite understand what this "Innate Realm" was, to him, this woman appeared to have only rudimentary martial arts skills.
If Ye Fei were to truly demonstrate his power with his early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, he could obliterate the woman's very soul in an instant.
Hearing the woman's challenge, the elder's face turned red with anger, and he was about to scold her again.
But just then, something unexpected occurred. A wisp of black energy flashed between the elder's brows. His face turned pale, and he collapsed to the ground.
"Grandfather!"
"Elder!"
Both the woman and the man shouted in unison, rushing forward to catch the old man.
"Grandfather! Grandfather, what's wrong?" The woman held the elder tightly, her voice trembling with panic.
But the elder's eyes remained tightly shut. His brows furrowed deeply, and cold sweat poured down his face in heavy beads, as though he was suffering immense pain.
Faced with this scene, the woman's distress grew even greater. The man in military attire, however, managed to stay calm and promptly said, "Miss, there's a City Center Hospital not far from the base of the mountain. Let's hurry and take the elder there!"
"Alright! Quickly—"
The woman had just begun to respond when Ye Fei suddenly let out a cold snort. "If you don't want the elder's condition to worsen, I suggest you don't move him!"
"What do you mean?"
Hearing this, the woman immediately sprang to her feet and yelled, "It's definitely your fault! Grandfather was fine until you showed up. I'll kill you!"
As she spoke, she threw a palm strike at Ye Fei.
But Ye Fei nonchalantly extended a hand, grabbed the woman's wrist, and flung her aside effortlessly.
Then, he quickly stepped toward the elder.
Seeing Ye Fei's overwhelming strength, the man instinctively reached for the weapon at his back.
"I'd advise you not to act rashly, or you'll lose any chance of saving this elder," Ye Fei said without sparing him a glance.
Hearing this, the man hesitated, unsure of what to do.
"You… can you really save the elder?" the man asked.
"I can try," Ye Fei replied, without waiting for the man to respond. He pressed a hand onto the elder's skull.
The moment the elder fainted, Ye Fei had sensed a dense and potent soul energy emanating from his body—far richer than the ghostly souls Ye Fei had devoured previously.
Otherwise, given the woman's earlier behavior, Ye Fei wouldn't have bothered to intervene.
As Ye Fei muttered an incantation, a dark mist swirled up from his hand, forming a vortex that hovered over the elder's head and started pulling.
Suddenly, a vicious Evil Spirit with sharp horns and a menacing visage materialized out of thin air, lunging straight at Ye Fei.
"Hmph! Just a mindless newborn ghost? How dare you act out? Devour!"
Ye Fei reached out and grabbed the Evil Spirit. Instantly, a tremendous suction force emanated from his hand, and the spirit was entirely absorbed into Ye Fei's grasp.
The Soul-controlling Technique devours all soul energy in the world. As a being made of soul energy, the Evil Spirit had no chance of escaping Ye Fei's clutches.
But just as Ye Fei had finished devouring the spirit, a sudden commotion erupted. The sound of footsteps grew closer as the black-clad enforcers stationed at the base of the mountain approached.
Upon seeing the scene before them, the woman immediately shouted, "Seize him! He hurt my grandfather!"
Hurt her grandfather?
When the black-clad enforcers heard this and noticed the elder lying before Ye Fei, they wasted no time. Swiftly and with precision, they surrounded Ye Fei, all holding him at gunpoint.