Chapter 49: The Next Time We Meet, We Might Be Enemies

Before long, the two men who had collapsed in front of Lin Ye slowly melted into puddles of water and vanished from the clearing.

Conal faced off with Lin Ye, a faint smile on her lips, as if she held the entire situation in her grasp.

Yet her demeanor deeply repulsed Lin Ye. Gripping his cane, he leaped forward, landing beside Conal. She stepped back, slow and composed, avoiding him.

Conal murmured under her breath, but no one could hear what she was saying.

Lin Ye, noticing her actions, narrowed his eyes and immediately dodged to the side.

The moment he moved away from Conal, two men appeared behind him once again—this time, they were burly giants.

"Heh, do you think this is enough? Once you run out of strength, I want to see how you'll handle it," Conal taunted. But Lin Ye slipped aside once more, deftly evading the attacks of the two strongmen.

These hulking figures relentlessly pursued Lin Ye; despite their massive build, they moved with surprising speed.

Xi Yan watched the pair closely from within the circle, soon discerning Conal's ability.

She could summon two servants to fight for her, their appearances shaped by her will. The two men seen earlier in the tunnel were manifestations of her power.

As for Lin Ye...

Xi Yan believed he would emerge victorious, that Conal would meet her end at his hands.

On the surface, Lin Ye moved slowly, retreating as if pressed by Conal, seemingly overwhelmed. But in truth, Conal was being lured into a trap.

Xi Yan noticed that Lin Ye's apparently frantic dodging had a peculiarity—each step landed in strange positions.

It resembled... Bagua?

Bagua? Did this man know Bagua?

Xi Yan had read such books before, though never studied them deeply. He could only surmise that Lin Ye was arranging a Bagua formation.

...

"Lin Ye, stop this pointless resistance. Give me the crystal. Look at you, retreating at every turn—I can barely restrain myself from killing you," Conal said, covering her mouth with a laugh.

Lin Ye gave no reply, his retreating pace quickening. The two burly men also sped up, their fists nearly striking Lin Ye's face several times.

Yet Lin Ye remained relaxed, as if toying with the strongmen, thoroughly enjoying himself.

Conal, frustrated that Lin Ye still evaded capture, gritted her teeth and chanted something strange once more.

The strongmen, compelled by her words, doubled their speed. This time, they closed in from both sides, each swinging a punch at Lin Ye.

But their fists stopped just three centimeters from his face, and the two men froze in place, unmoving.

Conal, seeing this, muttered again, but the strongmen remained unresponsive, standing rigidly.

"You! What did you do?" Conal spat, furious.

Lin Ye smiled, slipping out from between their fists. He pointed to the ground beneath Conal's feet. "Look down," he said.

A wave of foreboding surged within Conal. She glanced downward and saw a strange formation beneath her feet.

She didn’t understand it, but Xi Yan did. He couldn’t help but comment inwardly.

Isn’t this the Taiji Bagua formation from my homeland? Lin Ye is truly remarkable!

Conal was Western, so she didn’t grasp the power of the Bagua formation. But Xi Yan certainly did.

The formation allowed for countless variations. He knew its power but not how to break it.

...

Conal raised her head in anger, glaring at Lin Ye. "Do you think your pathetic formation can stop me?"

Lin Ye shrugged, showing no hurry to enter the circle. Instead, he gloated, "Why don’t you try and see for yourself?"

Conal gritted her teeth, attempting to leave the formation, but found herself unable to escape, trapped within its boundaries.

"Lin Ye, you’re despicable!" Conal shot him a venomous glare.

Lin Ye was indifferent, resting one hand on his cane, the other at his side, walking elegantly into the circle. With his back to Conal, he said, "Despicable? You hunt newcomers, taking advantage of their ignorance to eliminate them—is that not despicable?"

As soon as Lin Ye finished speaking, Conal suddenly screamed in agony. "Ah! Lin! Ye..."

Lin Ye rubbed his ear, looking at her with disgust.

"People like you deserve to die. Oh, by the way, my Bagua formation isn’t fully developed yet; otherwise, you’d have turned to smoke on the spot. But this is my evolving ability—I’ll keep working on it."

Conal barely managed another word before she dissolved into a puddle of blood, vanishing without a trace. With her gone, the strongmen disappeared as well.

...

Once Conal vanished, Lin Ye looked around the clearing and announced loudly, "The lot of you—don’t provoke me."

Everyone fell silent, terrified. Who would dare challenge him? That formation alone was enough to keep people at bay.

Lin Ye surveyed the remaining places in the circle, finally approaching Xi Yan.

Their eyes met. Lin Ye said, "Brother, would you mind giving up your spot?"

Xi Yan made no sound, simply shifting over to let Lin Ye have the space.

Whether Lin Ye had been alone too long or simply bored, he suddenly pulled Xi Yan into conversation.

"Brother, my name is Lin Ye. And you?"

"...," Xi Yan was speechless, unsure what Lin Ye wanted, but still answered, "Xi Yan."

Hearing the name, Lin Ye narrowed his eyes, smiled meaningfully, then turned away, leaning against the wooden plank and gazing at the ceiling of the mine.

"Xi Yan, it’s a good name. But I suggest you avoid telling it to everyone who asks. You must realize how much envy your name attracts."

Xi Yan turned to look at Lin Ye. He understood the meaning behind the words and was suddenly seized by dread.

He had forgotten—he was the master of the ninth Survival Domain, and his name would appear on the control panel.

The big players in the Survival Domains would certainly monitor the state of the nine domains. Faced with a newly born master of the ninth domain, how could they not take an interest?

Thankfully, the control panel wasn’t absolute; it still left a way out. There were no photos of the nine domain masters.

As long as Xi Yan didn’t reveal his real name, no one would recognize him, thus reducing his risk of being targeted.

But one thing still puzzled him: if they hadn’t met before, how did Qing Yan and Lin Shuang recognize him at first sight?

...

"Mr. Lin Ye, thank you," Xi Yan said.

Lin Ye waved his hand dismissively. "No need to thank me. I... well, after midnight tonight I’ll leave here. Next time we meet, we might be enemies. Take care of yourself."