Chapter 15

The two cat warriors, both at the fourth-tier strength, were full of arrogance, convinced of their superiority. That was why they had been assigned to patrol the rabbit tribe’s territory. Their overconfidence made them careless—they spoke loudly as they walked, oblivious to their surroundings.

Meanwhile, Ye Chuan and the others listened to their conversation, their expressions shifting.

Ye Chuan’s face turned pale, his fists clenched tightly against the tree hollow as he struggled to contain his emotions.

Ye Baizhi remained still, her entire presence exuding an icy chill, her eyes darkening with a growing murderous intent.

The two cat warriors, unaware of any danger, continued talking.

“So what if Ye Chuan escaped? Our warriors have already begun attacking their tribe’s leader, Ye Dashan, and his mother, Ye Lu.”

“As long as we capture or kill them, Ye Chuan is bound to show himself. Once that happens, taking him down will be effortless.”

“And if the rabbit tribe loses its leader, wiping them out and taking over their territory will be easy…”

Just as they were speaking, an abrupt gust of cold wind swept through the area. The howling wind carried a biting chill. They watched in shock as the once-green leaves around them suddenly turned yellow, fluttering to the ground in an instant.

With a sharp “swoosh,” Ye Baizhi had already closed in on one of the feline beasts. Her bone knife struck without hesitation, killing the creature instantly.

The slain cat beast stared with wide eyes, as if unable to believe it had been defeated so easily—even in its final moments. The other fourth-tier cat beast reacted swiftly, attacking Ye Baizhi without delay.

Ye Baizhi had just forcibly absorbed the surrounding natural energy, temporarily increasing her strength. This gave her the power to slay a fourth-tier beast. However, her body struggled to adapt to the sudden surge in power. She felt uncomfortable—her stomach even ached. But she had no time to dwell on it now. She was determined to kill them.

Anyone familiar with Ye Baizhi knew that she was fiercely protective of her loved ones. If someone dared to harm her family, they deserved to die.

At that moment, Ye Chuan and the others sprang into action, rushing to help.

Ye Chuan instinctively tried to shield his sister with his own body. Even though he lacked strength, he was willing to sacrifice himself to protect her.

Lin Caocao saw the cat beast’s blade about to strike Ye Baizhi. With all her strength, she leaped forward, positioning herself in front of Ye Baizhi. Her blade slashed toward the cat beast.

Qiu Shi and Qiu Cai, the sibling duo, moved swiftly, using their bone knives to block the attack.

A loud crack echoed.

Qiu Shi’s bone knife shattered instantly. After all, his strength was only at the third tier, and Qiu Cai was even weaker at the second tier.

Fighting across tiers created an overwhelming disadvantage. Yet, despite the odds, they refused to back down—they had to protect Ye Baizhi. It was an instinctual reaction, ingrained in them.

Even though Ye Baizhi’s sudden appearance and her swift kill of a fourth-tier cat beast had initially left them in shock, freezing them in place for a moment, now everyone fought desperately.

Yan Yang, who had third-tier strength, launched an attack from behind.

Everyone threw themselves into the battle, giving their all to defeat the cat beast. They didn’t need Ye Baizhi’s command; their coordination was effortless, a silent understanding driving their actions.

The cat beast was entangled in battle, unable to strike Ye Baizhi. This brief moment gave her a chance to catch her breath. Yet her companions had suffered—wounds now marked their bodies, blades had cut through skin, blood spilling instantly.

Seeing them like this stirred something indescribable within Ye Baizhi. She clenched her teeth, focusing all her energy. Lifting her bone knife, she infused it with every ounce of her wood-elemental power. With all her strength, she condensed it into a single decisive strike. Finding the perfect moment, she struck.

Swoosh!

“Ah!”

Ye Baizhi’s blade pierced the cat beast’s throat, delivering another instant kill. But the moment the battle ended, sharp pain shot through her stomach. Her head spun—dizziness overwhelmed her. She reached out to steady herself against a nearby tree, nausea rising within her.

“Ye Baizhi, what’s wrong?”

“Ye Baizhi, are you okay?” “We’ll take you back right away!”

Everyone was still in shock, unable to fully process what had just happened. But the reality was undeniable—Ye Baizhi had slain two fourth-tier cat beasts. The sheer astonishment left them at a loss for words.

Who dared call Ye Baizhi useless? Who would ever say it again?

Before they could recover, they saw Ye Baizhi clutching a tree trunk, overcome by nausea. Panic spread among them. Ignoring their own injuries, they rushed to her side.

Ye Baizhi took a few deep breaths, resting briefly before saying, “I’m fine. You all fought hard—thank you.”

“Ye Baizhi, don’t say such formal words. We came together, we fight together.”

“Exactly! You don’t know how much we admire you.”

Everyone, despite their bleeding wounds, looked at Ye Baizhi with admiration in their eyes.

Seeing their injuries, a pang of guilt welled up inside her.

“I will heal you all when I return. For now, go back to the tribe.”

With that, Ye Baizhi shifted into her true form, preparing to run off.

Ye Chuan immediately grabbed his sister’s arm. “Baizhi, don’t go!”

He had a feeling he knew exactly what she intended to do.

Ye Baizhi looked at him seriously. “Big brother, I have to go. Trust me—I’ll be fine.”

Lin Caocao quickly chimed in, “We’ll go together. If we fight the enemy beasts, we fight as one.”

“That’s right—together!”

A warmth spread through Ye Baizhi’s heart. At that moment, she truly saw them as her companions.

“You all go back. Warn the tribe. Tell them to stay on high alert—I fear the cat beasts might launch a surprise attack on our rabbit tribe.”

The cat and rabbit tribes lived close to each other, and they had always believed their relationship was peaceful, with no looming threats. But everyone had heard what those cat beasts said moments ago—even plotting to kill the tribe’s leader. This was a crisis.

The severity of the situation sank in.

“For now, the tribe’s safety comes first. Go back and protect our people.”
Ye Chuan wanted to follow his sister, but he knew that right now, he would only be a burden.

Without waiting for anyone’s reaction, Ye Baizhi gathered her energy once more and swiftly dashed away in a chosen direction. She moved with incredible speed—disappearing in the blink of an eye.

At that moment, everyone realized they had underestimated her strength. The precision and decisiveness of her earlier killing strike were astonishing. Even now, they struggled to recover from the shock.

With no choice, they hurried back to the tribe to inform the elders and prepare for an emergency defense.

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Meanwhile, Ye Baizhi, using her ability to sense energy, raced to where her mother and uncle were fighting. Her mother and uncle were locked in battle, surrounded by six cat warriors—two of the fifth tier, two of the fourth tier, and two of the third tier.

Her uncle was occupied with the two fifth-tier warriors, while the other four cat beasts raised their bone blades, ready to strike her mother.

Without hesitation, Ye Baizhi rushed into the fray, positioning herself protectively in front of her mother. She unleashed her energy in a sweeping attack, breaking through the four-tiered encirclement. But the force of her ability had exceeded her body’s limits—blood suddenly gushed from her mouth.

“Baizhi!” Ye Lu cried out, shocked at her daughter’s sudden appearance—and even more so at how she had pushed herself to protect her, coughing up blood in the process. Her face turned pale.

Ye Baizhi staggered, barely able to steady herself. She had calculated her abilities carefully, but why was the pain in her stomach so unbearable? It was intense enough to prevent her from gathering her energy again.

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At that exact moment, as Ye Baizhi reeled from the pain and blood loss, Xue Youchen, deep in seclusion, suddenly sensed something. Without hesitation, he broke his retreat, stepping into the air.

Wherever he passed, an icy chill enveloped the earth.