Chapter 148: The Counterattack

"No way, I can understand Yang Fengge, but why are you even this cautious around Yang Qi? You are a powerful expert who has just stepped into the peak Return to Origin realm; shouldn't you swagger up and shake them down?" Che Wuyou looked suspiciously at Yun Fan, then turned to gaze at Yang Qi, whose expression had darkened considerably, a slightly sheepish look crossing his face.

"Anyone who insults the Yang family... deserves death!" Yang Qi's voice was as cold as ice, yet it exuded immense confidence and unquestionable authority. A chill ran through Che Wuyou's entire body as he felt a perilous presence locking onto him firmly. He could practically sense that the slightest suspicious movement on his part would instantly provoke Yang Qi's most merciless and razor-sharp lethal strike.

"This must be Big Brother Yang Qi, right?" Yun Fan spoke up at that moment, a rare look of solemnity crossing his youthful face. "Big Brother Yang Qi, my mother always said to be forgiving where possible. Besides, I have no desire to come into direct conflict with you right now. Why don't you just withdraw, and I will pretend nothing ever happened? How does that sound?"

"No, it doesn't! If you want me to leave, hand over all your treasures, and this fellow as well." Yang Qi's tone remained frigid and unyielding, leaving no room for negotiation.

"Yang Qi, don't be ungrateful. Even your elder brother Yang Stone wants to avoid a direct confrontation with me; do you really think I'm afraid of you?" Yun Fan's tone dropped to a frosty chill in an instant. He took a slight step forward, placing himself in front of Che Wuyou to directly counter Yang Qi's locked-on aura.

"Hmph, courting death!" Yang Qi pulled his hands apart with one in front and the other behind, bending his knees slightly like a drawn bow as he assumed a combat stance ready to strike at any moment. "If Big Brother Yang Stone hadn't feared exposing too much on the first floor, he would never have let you run amok this far. Very well, since you've gathered so many treasures now, I'll take custody of them on Big Brother Yang Stone's behalf."

"Wait a moment!" Seeing Yang Qi adopt a fighting posture, Yun Fan called out with a somewhat shy expression, "Yang Qi, do you really want to fight me? If that's the case, I'll just surrender... Please don't pursue this further, I'm leaving now." With that, he actually gave Che Wuyou a tug and called out to Zhang Qing'er, "Let's go!"

"You scoundrel, are you toying with me?" Arrogant as he was, and despite not holding Yun Fan in high regard, Yang Qi could not help but recall Yang Stone's words at that moment. Yang Stone had specifically instructed him to be wary of two people: one was Ye Xuan, and the other was Yun Fan. Though he did not fully grasp Yang Stone's intentions, out of trust for him, he had kept his guard up. Therefore, seeing Yun Fan prepare to leave, he was momentarily unsure of what Yun Fan was plotting and chose to question him rather than launch a direct attack.

"Ugh..." Yun Fan tightly guarded Che Wuyou, terrified that Yang Qi would suddenly lunge forward and rob him of his treasures. "I've already surrendered, and since you won't let it go, let's just part ways here." Protecting Che Wuyou, he turned around ready to flee once more.

"Yun Fan, what are you afraid of him for? His strength is at most just a fraction greater than Li Zhen's. Didn't you hear what Yang Fengge said? If Li Zhen's bloodline awakens, even Yang Qi wouldn't be his match. How can you possibly be afraid of him?" Che Wuyou could no longer hold back his frustration. "Li Zhen couldn't even last five rounds against the Steel Giant, yet you possess strength comparable to the Steel Giant. Taking him down would be a matter of mere seconds for you. Why are you running away? Besides, even if you want to run, he might not let you."

"Ugh..." Yun Fan wore a bewildered expression at Che Wuyou's words. However, catching sight of Yang Qi's increasingly dark countenance, a sudden jolt went through his heart. "Can I really take him down? But why do I feel so completely unconfident inside? How about the two of you go on ahead, and I'll hold Yang Qi off... But you must make sure to keep a close eye on my treasures! If I lose them, it will break this baby's heart."

The fact that Yun Fan was still fussing over his treasures right before a decisive battle with Yang Qi left Che Wuyou utterly helpless; he felt Yun Fan was simply making a mountain out of a molehill. Still, seeing that Yun Fan had finally resolved to fight, Che Wuyou felt a measure of relief—another one hundred and twenty kilograms of medium-grade primordial stones would soon be his...

Yang Qi and Yun Fan finally collided fiercely, yet it did not result in the one-sided rout Che Wuyou had imagined. Although Yang Qi fell on the defensive after just a few exchanges, he managed to hold his ground, and if Yun Fan wanted to crush him head-on, it would likely take some time. This left Che Wuyou dumbfounded. Just what tier was Yang Qi at—the later Return to Origin realm or the peak Return to Origin realm? How could he be this fierce? He couldn't help but secretly congratulate himself; fortunately, Yun Fan's cultivation had advanced further, otherwise there's no telling who would have ended up beating whom.

Even so, Che Wuyou finally let out a sigh of relief. Yun Fan's earlier hesitation had shaken his confidence somewhat. Seeing Yun Fan steadily suppressing Yang Qi and realizing that victory was merely a matter of time, Che Wuyou's heart settled down considerably. But before this thought could even fully settle in his mind, the situation on the field suddenly reversed. Yun Fan began dodging left and right while shouting frantically at the top of his lungs, "Run and take the treasures with you... You must not lose the treasures!"

A long sword had appeared in Yang Qi's hand at some unknown point. Even from a great distance, the blade made Che Wuyou feel a bone-chilling cold. A treasured artifact—it was definitely a treasured artifact, and likely one of a quite high grade at that. Che Wuyou's expression changed drastically at the sight. How could Yang Qi possibly possess a treasured artifact? Could he have picked it up in the Tower to Heaven? But he had no time to ponder such questions now; he only knew that Yun Fan could not hold out much longer. Without hesitation, he grabbed Zhang Qing'er and ran for his life...

Che Wuyou had no idea how long he ran. He only knew that the moment he fled, Yang Qi seemed to be pursuing his direction as well, but had been stubbornly intercepted by Yun Fan. In the end, he kept running with Zhang Qing'er, never daring to stop, nor daring to look back. He believed Yun Fan could escape, but he feared Yun Fan might fail to hold Yang Qi back. Fortunately, he managed to shake off Yang Qi, and only then did he finally have a moment to collect his thoughts.

Yang Qi possessed only one hundred and twenty kilograms of medium-grade primordial stones, yet he wielded a sharp sword that was at least of the medium-grade treasured artifact level. One had to know that a decent lower-grade treasured artifact typically required ten to twenty-odd kilograms of medium-grade primordial stones, roughly equivalent to the value of a D-tier grade-three pill or an A-grade superior Huai Dan (though a grade-three pill was a tier-two pill, a D-tier grade-three pill's value was not much higher than a Huai Dan's).

However, the value of a medium-grade treasured artifact was roughly a hundred times that of a lower-grade one, equivalent to about one to two thousand kilograms of medium-grade primordial stones. From these figures, it was clear that its worth was astonishingly high. Clearly, Yang Qi's "medium-grade treasured artifact" had not been displayed by the Tower to Heaven. That left only two possibilities: either it was not an item originating from the Tower to Heaven, or some glitch had occurred with Yang Qi's "medium-grade treasured artifact." Yet, judging by its overwhelming might, Che Wuyou firmly believed in the former.