On the Brink

Both being of the ninth order, why was the gap between himself and the other so vast? This question lingered in the minds of some family guards who had witnessed the battle. The overwhelming strength, the lightning-fast speed, almost perfect defense – was this really the power of a ninth-order being?

The battle had ended, but everyone was still immersed in the shock of the fight. Only a few individuals at the forefront quickly recovered, their eyes fervently fixed on Ye Han. At this moment, their thoughts were not on any familial duties, but solely on the battle, the clash of the mighty.

"Take Xiao Ya away," Ye Han approached Lans and the others, whispering to them.

"What about you?" Lans was no fool; from Ye Han's recent battle, he knew that this man was now the target of all major powers in the city of Miyat.

"Don't worry, as long as no saints interfere, they are nothing in my eyes." His disdainful words instantly infuriated several people. As elites of various forces, they had never been spoken to like this by a peer.

"Alright," Lans knew they were of little help here and agreed.

"Xiao Ya, don't open your eyes, just follow Lans and Xue Li to the house we bought. I'll join you soon," Ye Han said gently to Xiao Ya, who had her eyes closed. His tone was entirely different from his previous cold demeanor.

"Okay, then you come back quickly," Xiao Ya obediently nodded. She would never question Ye Han's words.

Xue Li glanced at Ye Han, then, holding Xiao Ya's hand, started to leave with Lans, only to be blocked by people from the major forces.

"You," Ye Han's eyes turned cold as he stared at those blocking Lans and the others, his gaze sharp and piercing.

"Humph, thinking of just leaving like that? You're underestimating the young powerhouses of the world," Latiz stepped forward, his gaze fervent as he stared at Ye Han.

"You're looking for me, let them go."

"Impossible. You've killed so many of us. None shall leave," Sisedo said angrily. The loss of over sixty the day before, as a holy son of the Church of Light, was a huge disgrace for him in front of the major powers of Miyat City. He wouldn't easily let Lans and the others go.

Moreover, Xiao Ya's delicate features reminded Sisedo of that masked woman, further fueling his reluctance to let them leave.

"Tell me, where did you learn your swordsmanship?" a man holding a long sword asked in shock.

"And you are?" Ye Han didn't answer his question. This man seemed ordinary, unlike the others who bore faces of pride or anger.

"I am from the Sword Sect, Orte. Where did you learn your swordsmanship?"

"Is there anyone on this continent worthy of teaching me?" Ye Han's disdainful response instantly made everyone feel his arrogance, his contempt for all the powerful on the continent.

"Surrender your swordsmanship, and I will let you leave unharmed," Orte from the Sword Sect declared boldly, ignoring the anger of those around him. The Sword Sect certainly had the authority to make such a statement.

"Do you think I need to?" Ye Han looked at Orte indifferently, his tone arrogant, which infuriated Orte instantly.

"Then I'll take it myself," Orte said, his long sword vibrating as he released his fighting energy and attacked Ye Han.

"Hmph," Ye Han snorted coldly. Without any apparent movement, his long sword shot towards Orte at high speed.

"Clang!" The swords collided, sending powerful energy waves in all directions. Orte was forced back even faster than he had advanced, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

But Orte, a man of the Sword Sect, ignored his injury, took a step back with his right foot, and attacked Ye Han again.

"Hmph, you can't even protect your sword and still claim to be from the Sword Sect," Ye Han said coldly, not bothering with the attacking Orte. At this moment, Orte felt something was wrong with his sword. He stopped and looked at it, his heart churning with shock.

Staring at his long sword in disbelief and horror, Orte's body began to tremble violently. "My sword!" he exclaimed in terror.

In his hand, only about an inch of the sword hilt remained, the blade completely vanished. Everyone looked around to find the fragments of Orte's sword lying on the ground between him and Ye Han. Ye Han's own sword, however, was intact, emanating a grey, cold light.

"Just like that, the Sword Sect," Ye Han's words once again struck a heavy blow to Orte.

Orte spat out a mouthful of blood, the shock and defeat shattering his composure.

The most devastating blow one can deal is to defeat someone with the skill they pride themselves on, utterly and completely, and then add a disdainful remark. That's exactly what Ye Han did. He used superior swordsmanship to utterly defeat Orte, who valued his sword skills above all, leaving him no hope of redemption.

"Are you all attacking together, or..." Ye Han looked at the others, his sword lightly swinging, the faint sword flowers disappearing almost immediately.

Hearing Ye Han's words, the others hesitated. They had clearly seen Ye Han's prowess and had to reassess their understanding of his strength.

"If you're not attacking, then I won't stay any longer." With that, Ye Han turned nonchalantly and walked towards Lans and the others.

"Hmph, let's attack together. This man has killed countless people with extreme cruelty. If we let him go, who knows how many more will die by his hand," Sisedo panicked upon seeing Ye Han about to leave unchallenged by the young powerhouses of the continent.

If Ye Han were to leave just like that, how would they stand on the continent in the future? So, Sisedo urgently shouted to the others, his holy light shining brightly, and signaled the guards blocking Lans.

Latiz from the Swordsmen's Guild and Dolores from the Magic Guild, both elites, immediately drew their weapons. Latiz, being a swordsman, charged at Ye Han first, while Sisedo and Dolores, as magicians, began preparing their magic. A massive battle was about to erupt.

No one expected such a scene to unfold. Three young powerhouses attacking Ye Han alone. Ye Han, who had previously shown strength not inferior, even superior to the three, made everyone's eyes widen in anticipation. Would Ye Han still dominate as effortlessly, or would the combined strength of the three be greater?

"This is the so-called elite of the major forces of the continent? Today has truly been an eye-opener," Ye Han laughed maniacally, his black robe fluttering in the energy he emitted.

"Today, I shall witness the strength of the younger generation of the continent," Ye Han declared and stomped his right foot on the ground, causing a powerful tremor.

His long sword thrust rapidly towards Latiz, who was charging at him. "Clang!" The clash of their swords marked the beginning of a fierce battle.

Ye Han's figure flickered, his sword tip radiating a sharp aura, sending a fierce sword qi shooting towards Latiz. As an elite of the Swordsmen's Guild, Latiz had ample combat experience. Seeing the formidable sword qi, he swiftly retreated. The memory of Ye Han killing five swordsmen of the Yanlong Empire was still fresh in his mind. He didn't want to face that destructive power head-on; this wasn't the time to show off.

As Latiz retreated, Ye Han's afterimage flashed, his solid-like shadow moving towards Dolores and Sisedo, who were casting magic.

Seeing Ye Han bypass Latiz and head their way, the two magicians chanted spells rapidly and retreated.

"O blade of light, transform into an invincible sword and slash through the dark space-time," Sisedo chanted. His body glowed with holy light, and a sword made of light elements gathered and slashed towards Ye Han.

Ye Han smirked disdainfully. His long sword met the light sword head-on.

"Boom!"

A loud explosion sounded, but Ye Han's speed was unimpeded. In a blink, he was before the two. His long sword swept across with a hissing sound.

However, at the same moment, a painful scream came from where Lans and the others were. Ye Han quickly withdrew his sword and saw Lans and the others surrounded by over a dozen eighth-order guards. Lans was desperately resisting, with a bloody wound on his chest – clearly the source of the scream.

Shocked, Ye Han realized that an eighth-order, a sixth-order, and an unskilled Xiao Ya could not withstand the attack of more than a dozen eighth-order swordsmen. Without a second thought, he turned and rushed towards them.

"You should worry about yourself first," Latiz charged at him. Dolores's magic was also reaching its climax. The battle was tipping dangerously in favor of Latiz and the others.

In desperation, Ye Han no longer held back. He circulated the Fan Shi Jue to its full extent, sending a massive amount of Tai Yin energy into his long sword, causing a blinding grey light to flash, hurting everyone's eyes.

"Meteor Pursuing the Moon!"

Ye Han bellowed, his long sword shooting rapidly towards the group surrounding Lans. Latiz's second attack was imminent. Unable to dodge, Ye Han's body glowed with a bright grey aura.

"Thunder Break!"

"Straight to the Core!"

Two loud shouts, from different individuals. Latiz's sword carried the sound of thunder, its force like a raging storm, attacking Ye Han. Ye Han's right foot, with immense force, met it head-on.

As everyone thought Ye Han was insane to confront them head-on, the two collided in mid-air. All eyes were wide, eager to see whether Latiz's sword was mightier or Ye Han's kick was stronger.

"Boom!"

The ground and space trembled under the explosion of violent energy, with ripples spreading rapidly. Several cracks appeared on the ground, extending far and wide.

"If anything happens to them today, I will make the entire city of Miyat pay," a furious roar erupted from the center of the explosion, sending shockwaves through everyone. They all turned to look at Lans and the others.