Chapter 115: The Battle of Lois

"Did I say he could leave?"

Ye Ran flashed forward, blocking the path of Merz the Gray Wolf. While Merz did not rank within the top ten of Frostfrost City, he was still a master whom no one dared to underestimate. His martial arts were exquisite and his footwork agile, yet Ye Ran’s physical combat skills were peerless among his peers, making him something of a natural nemesis to Merz.

"Are you really going to be distracted while I'm still here?" Lois waved her hand, and an invisible current of air surged toward him. Although Ye Ran could not see the powerful gust, he could feel it, and he immediately leaped backward to evade her attack.

*Whoosh.* Seizing the opening, Merz the Gray Wolf vaulted into the air and disappeared into the woods within a few bounds. A few wooden arrows chased after him, but the Gray Wolf was already long gone.

Lois approached as lightly as a civet cat. Ye Ran dared not look at her face—beautiful, flamboyant, and as vibrant as peach blossoms—keeping his eyes locked instead on her moving feet.

In the thick fog nearby, the sound of wind stirred. Lois brushed a curl of golden hair from her forehead and smiled. "Ye Ran, be careful."

*Whoosh.*

It was merely a warning; the next moment, the wind shifted. Her feet seemed to vanish, and a powerful blast of air slammed into his chest. Ye Ran sliced through the current with a palm-strike, intending to counterattack, only to find nothing but empty space before him.

He furrowed his brow and looked up to find her, but the moment he did, he met those ghostly green eyes. His mind went blank—a momentary void, yet enough to shift the momentum of the battle.

Lois struck with a knee, sending him flying, then seized his wrist, unleashing a flurry of punches and palm strikes. Before Ye Ran could recover his senses, she whirled around and kicked the back of his knee, forcing him to one knee, then countered by locking her arm around his.

Control over air, jujutsu, and the eyes of illusion: she was the perfect convergence of all three.

*Thud.*

Ye Ran spat out a mouthful of blood, but the fog in his mind vanished completely, replaced by a steadily rising fighting spirit.

"Do you concede now?" Lois asked, twisting his arm with a smile.

"Concede? Ha, isn't this just the beginning?"

With a tremor in his arm, Ye Ran unleashed a surge of immense power. Lois felt the force, recoiled with a spring of her knees, and landed half a meter back before stamping the ground to close in on him once more.

Ye Ran parried her palm, his body vibrating with internal energy as he struck her chest, sending her reeling backward. He then tore off a strip of his sleeve and bound it over his eyes.

Lois’s porcelain face turned serious. She had fought her way into the top ten of Frostfrost City with genuine skill and possessed a deep understanding of combat. While Ye Ran’s techniques were impressive, she had known how to dismantle them—but his choice to blindfold himself reminded her of a battle she once had against the Three Prodigies.

The woman who was known as the leader of the Three Prodigies had fought with the exact same style. Could he truly judge a person’s movements by sound alone?

*Click.*

Without a word, Ye Ran clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking as an explosive power surged through him. The sound of wind rose, the air flowed, and he walked forward step by step.

What the eyes cannot see, one must feel with the heart. As he closed his eyes, the world plunged into darkness, yet the wind and air currents—usually invisible—now seemed to leave a traceable path.

The wind entered his ears; he heard the rustling of the leaves and felt the trajectory of the flowing air. Then, he seemed to see the gaps—the flowers, the trees, and... the opponent before him.

*Bang.*

Lois did not hesitate. She pressed her hands forward, sending a sudden blast of air his way, and lunged like a civet cat. Ye Ran walked straight ahead, raising a hand to disperse the current, and accurately deflected her long, lithe leg. He stepped forward, unleashing a punch that Lois narrowly dodged, her supple, boneless arm coiling around his wrist.

"Snake Hand." Unexpectedly, the moment her hand coiled around his wrist, Ye Ran’s arm moved like a water snake, sliding up her arm to her shoulder blade. Her own jujutsu had been countered.

Lois’s heart sank. She had encountered many powerful opponents, but rarely one who could counter her own style with such fluidity. She pressed her right palm against Ye Ran’s lower abdomen, her internal energy surging.

But the moment her energy pulsed, Ye Ran’s left palm pressed against hers. In a silent, seamless motion, her energy dissipated into nothingness.

"You..."

*Whoosh.*

With a rush of wind, Lois was sent flying backward. Using the "Dragon-Snake Shifting Force," Ye Ran had returned her own energy back to her.

Lois landed with a thud but immediately stood up, brushing the dirt from her clothes in frustration. Ye Ran did not pursue. Instead, he stood with one hand behind his back, extending only his right, appearing as if he had merged into the surrounding wind.

To Lois, he now gradually overlapped with a figure from the depths of her memory, and a feeling of flawlessness rose from the bottom of her heart.

*Rumble.*

Just as she was distracted, a thunderous roar erupted. The massive trees on all sides suddenly collapsed, crashing down toward both her and Ye Ran. At the same time, several auras approached rapidly, one of them reeking with the thick, pungent scent of blood.

Ye Ran sensed the shift in the air currents and frowned. The trees were closing in from every direction; there was nowhere to hide.

"Come here!"

Ye Ran ripped the blindfold from his eyes and stepped forward, bracing himself against the falling trees. Lois hesitated for only a second before running toward him. She knew that in this situation, she would be severely injured without Ye Ran’s strength.

*Bang.* *Rumble.*

A slightly shorter tree fell first. Ye Ran caught the trunk with both hands, his body immovable. But then came the relentless roar of collapse; dozens of massive trees crashed down upon him. He let out a muffled groan, his feet sinking deep into the earth, leaving behind two cavernous prints.

"...Ye Ran..."

Lois, hidden beneath him, felt a jolt of alarm. She wanted to help but was powerless to do so; they were completely buried by the fallen timber, unable to see anything outside. Yet, both could smell that thick, bloody stench closing in.

*Thud.*

A sound came from above. A tall figure landed on the pile of trees, and a terrifying weight pressed down. Ye Ran’s feet sank further, his left calf buried deep into the mud.

A familiar voice drifted down from above.

"Kid, we meet again. It’s my turn for revenge this time. Hahahaha..."

Jim, the leader of the Blood Gnomes?

Ye Ran’s brow tightened, and a wave of killing intent surged from him, permeating his entire body.

*Bang.*

The Blood Gnome leader, clad in thick armor, stomped heavily onto Ye Ran’s back. Ye Ran could not help but drop to one knee. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, dripping onto Lois’s forehead and sinking into the dirt, staining it a tragic red.