Chapter 335: Second Uncle, a Gambler

Just as Xiao Nanfeng was about to make his move, white light flashed around him. He shoved Ye Sanshui out of the domain of light, but he himself was submerged within it. He vanished from sight.

"King Xiao?!" Ye Sanshui shouted, glancing all around in search of his liege.

"Xiao Nanfeng's been tossed into an illusion. To think he would have shown up only in the form of his yin body—as for you, you were lucky enough to avoid the illusion, but you won't be able to escape, either." Marquis Zi tossed Ye Shuangcheng aside and struck at Ye Sanshui.

The two cultivators' palms met as a frightening burst of strength emanated from the point of impact, causing even more lava to splash all around. Ye Sanshui was sent flying. He hastily drew an Immortal sword to defend himself.

"Ye Sanshui, you've barely been an Immortal for a few days. How dare you launch a sneak attack at me? You're done for!" Marquis Zi shouted, drawing an Immortal sword himself and slashing at him.

The two Immortal swords clashed, causing a huge storm to form. It shattered the defensive formation around Blackflame Island. The two Immortals engaged each other high in the air, causing fire, wind, and slashes of energy to shoot out all over.

Ye Shuangcheng collapsed by the side of the balcony, his neck broken, his bones crushed from the force that Marquis Zi had exerted. He gasped his last.

"Uncle! Second Uncle!" Ye Dafu roared.

He struck at the chains that bound him, but his cultivation was sealed. There was nothing he could do. He bellowed in frustration.

Ye Shuangcheng looked weakly at Ye Dafu, smiling in relief. "With Young Master Xiao here to rescue you, you'll all be fine. Dafu, don't be like me in the future. I'm nothing but a useless gambler. Learn from your father, from your Third Uncle, from Young Master Xiao. The honor of the Ye clan rests with you. Be well... Be well..."

Ye Shuangcheng's eyes turned dim. Blood poured out from his body, his last breath gone.

"Sir Ye! Don't die, Sir Ye!" Ye Dafu's lackeys cried out.

Ye Dafu trembled. Countless memories from the past flashed through his head.

"Dafu, haha, see what I brought back for you! Didn't you want the third prince's small golden horse? I won you the same breed. Don't let your father know. He's an old stick-in-the-mud—if he knew that I gambled away ten treasures just for this one horse, he'd scold me for being a wastrel. I was happy to lose, though. Come on, let's go riding! You'll have to become the best general in the future, alright, Dafu?"

"Dafu, did you infuriate another tutor to the point of departure again? Quick, your father's coming with a rod! We have to run now! Dafu, you're sure to make a name for yourself in the future. So what if these tutors don't think much of you? I was like that too in the past. It's fine."

"Dafu, how could your father let you set off for the Taiqing Immortal Sect without giving you any gold? Cultivation needs gold. I don't have much savings, so I shamelessly stole from a gambling den. Go on, take this. Travel safely, you hear me? Ah, they're coming for me! Don't worry about me. Run!"

Memories and grief welled up as Ye Dafu watched his second uncle die. He was the most irreverent member of the Ye household, but Ye Dafu knew that his second uncle always had his best interests at heart.

"Second Uncle!" Ye Dafu bellowed in sorrow.

The seal on his cultivation broke in an instant as he recovered to peak strength. He wrenched himself free of the chains that bound him and rushed up to Ye Shuangcheng's corpse. He hugged him tightly, but Ye Shuangcheng didn't move whatsoever. Life had completely left his body.

Ye Dafu bellowed once more.

The endless grief and heartache he was experiencing seemed to trigger some form of sympathetic resonance with Indomitable Body. Golden flames blazed across his skin.

"Marquis Zi, you'll die for this!" Ye Dafu roared, rushing out of the volcano with Ye Shuangcheng's body in tow.

"Boss!" Ye Dafu's lackeys cried out.

Their eyes were blazing, too. No longer were they as relaxed as before. They roared as they smashed into each other, hoping to free themselves of their chains. The entire volcano seemed to quake.

Outside the mouth of the volcano, the demonic disciples in the vicinity were fleeing in panic as they attempted to avoid the shockwaves from the combat occurring high above them.

Ye Sanshui was, in the end, new to being an Immortal. Marquis Zi pushed him back time and again, inflicting serious wounds each time. Then, Marquis Zi sent him flying from the skies. He smashed into the ground, creating a huge crater.

"Ye Sanshui, you're no match for me!" Marquis Zi mocked.

Ye Sanshui spat out a mouthful of blood. He wiped his lips clean and prepared to continue fighting.

Just then, a beam of golden light flashed by. Ye Dafu had emerged with Ye Shuangcheng's corpse.

"Third Uncle, take care of Second Uncle's corpse. Let me fight!" Ye Dafu demanded, stuffing Ye Shuangcheng in Ye Sanshui's arms as he shot into the air.

"Dafu! Get back here—you aren't a match for him!" Ye Sanshui shouted.

When he looked at Ye Shuangcheng's corpse in his lap, however, his face twisted in pain. "Second Brother, wake up! Don't die!"

Ye Sanshui infused his Immortal qi into Ye Shuangcheng's corpse, hoping a miracle would occur, but Ye Shuangcheng had already perished. There was nothing he could do.

"Marquis Zi, I'll kill you!" Ye Dafu roared, shooting into the skies.

"Ye Dafu, you weren't my match before. What makes you think you can resist? You're asking to die!" Marquis Zi smirked, slashing at him with his sword.

Ye Dafu's surroundings lit up with golden light. His fist blocked the sword slash.

"What an incredible technique. Your body's as hard as an Immortal relic! No wonder Her Majesty wants to make you her puppets," Marquis Zi exclaimed.

"Kill!" Ye Dafu howled, charging forward once more.

Ye Dafu's strength grew by leaps and bounds, concentrated by his anger, but Marquis Zi was ultimately an Immortal. He sent Ye Dafu flying time and again.

Not long later, however, with a great crack, Marquis Zi's Immortal sword was shattered.

"How could you have grown stronger while you were trapped in the lava? Impossible!" Marquis Zi exclaimed.

"Die, Marquis Zi!" Ye Dafu bellowed in rage.

His eyes were filled with tears, and his heart with grief. Just then, golden fog emerged from his body and shot into the sky. Raging gales and dark clouds flocked him.

"A tribulation?!" Ye Sanshui shouted as he flew toward them.

"An Immortal tribulation? You were able to trigger one all by yourself?" Marquis Zi exclaimed.

He turned to run in shock, but Ye Dafu grabbed his qi barrier. A bolt of divine lightning shot down from the skies and surrounded both cultivators.

The frightening shockwave that resulted buffeted even Ye Sanshui.

"Dafu!" Ye Sanshui shouted.

"Argh!" Marquis Zi yelled.

By the time the lightning dissipated, the qi barrier around Marquis Zi's body had been destroyed. Ye Dafu wrapped his arms around Marquis Zi's waist.

"Let go of me! Don't you know that these tribulations grow stronger the more people there are? This is far stronger than an ordinary tribulation. Do you want to die together?!"

"If I can kill you, I don't care what happens to me!" Ye Dafu howled.

"Let go! Let me go!" Marquis Zi shouted again, striking at Ye Dafu with his elbow. The tremendous force caused Ye Dafu's body to shake, but he refused to let go.

Another bolt of lightning struck the two cultivators.

"Argh!" Marquis Zi yelled out again.

After the lightning dissipated, both cultivators were charred and smoking.

"Release me!" Marquis Zi continued to strike Ye Dafu with his elbow, but even though blood was trickling from his lips, Ye Dafu held on tight. Marquis Zi gaped in despair.

More and more bolts of lightning rained down, surrounding the two cultivators and intent on destroying them.

"Release him, Dafu!" Ye Sanshui shouted from afar.

He didn't dare draw near. He knew that, if he were to charge into the tribulation, it would sense his presence and ramp up the strength of the lightning accordingly. He continued to shout at Ye Dafu from afar.

Even so, Ye Dafu refused to let go. His eyes flashed with madness. Even if he had to die that day, he would avenge Father and his second uncle. Marquis Zi would die with him!

"No! Let go!" Marquis Zi howled in despair.