Chapter 50: The God of War of the Borderlands? You're Not So Great After All

The moment Ye Aotian laid eyes on Lin Li, his fury surged uncontrollably. Because of Lin Li, he had suffered countless hardships in the past. Now, seeing Lin Li appear here, he felt no fear whatsoever; instead, a smile broke across his face.

“Hahaha,” he laughed. “I’ve been looking for you, not just for a day or two. I thought you’d gone into hiding like a coward, but I never expected you’d dare to show yourself before me.”

“It seems you truly have no idea what situation you’re in right now. Today, I’ll teach you a lesson you won’t soon forget.”

Ye Aotian flexed his body as he spoke, his gaze icy as it settled on Lin Li. He assumed Lin Li would be trembling in fear at this moment. But Ye Aotian was quickly disappointed; not a trace of fear could be found on Lin Li’s face.

“You think your secret collusion is flawless,” Lin Li said coldly. “What you don’t realize is that all your schemes were already within my calculations. Ye Aotian, I won’t kill you today, but I will show you what happens to those who oppose me.”

With those words, Lin Li sprang into action.

Ye Aotian had been brimming with confidence, never imagining that Lin Li’s strength would far surpass his expectations. In an instant, the two were locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle.

Chen Along, watching from the side, was utterly stunned. According to his plans, no matter how strong Lin Li was, there was no way he could be a match for Ye Aotian. After all these years, Ye Aotian, hailed as the god of war on the border, possessed power and experience that no ordinary person could rival. Yet now, Lin Li was fighting him to a standstill, proving he himself was no simple figure.

Even more terrifying was the realization that if Ye Aotian’s previous defeat at Lin Li’s hands could be attributed to a surprise attack and his incomplete recovery, then after days of recuperation, his strength should have been unrivaled in Jiangcheng. Yet Lin Li was suppressing him with sheer force.

Ye Aotian was deeply shocked. “How is this possible? Has that kid’s strength already reached the middle rank?”

He muttered to himself, unable to believe what his senses told him, no matter how impressive Lin Li had seemed before. Now, he was at a loss as to how to proceed.

Lin Li, meanwhile, moved with effortless ease. He knew that after his own enhancements, his power had grown formidable, but he hadn’t expected Ye Aotian to be so weak. It seemed Ye Aotian’s injuries from the border were far more severe than he’d thought; otherwise, he wouldn’t have stepped down.

Ye Aotian had intended to gather his strength in Jiangcheng, to recuperate and reclaim his peak. But he could never have anticipated encountering Lin Li, a troublesome adversary, nor that Lin Li’s power would exceed his own by such a margin. As a result, every step of Ye Aotian’s carefully laid plans unraveled because of Lin Li, pushing him ever closer to a dangerous precipice.

Chen Along watched as Ye Aotian and Lin Li became increasingly entangled in combat, and he realized what was coming. “This can’t go on. With the young master’s current strength, if this battle drags on, he’ll surely be defeated. His injuries simply aren’t sufficient to sustain him.”

He whispered anxiously, worried about Ye Aotian’s condition. He wanted to help, but Fang Tai stood firmly before him, offering no opportunity.

“You little brat,” Fang Tai sneered, “I didn’t expect you lot to have some real skills. But you’re quite the pretender, daring to let your mind wander while fighting me.” As the thought flashed through Chen Along’s mind, Fang Tai struck him squarely in the chest.

Blood sprayed forth. Chen Along staggered back several steps, clutching at the base of the wall to steady himself, his expression darkening as he looked at Fang Tai.

It was clear that today’s battle would be bitter, and whoever wished to claim victory would have to pay a steep price—even Fang Tai was no exception.

“So you set a trap here long ago, just waiting for us to walk right into it,” Chen Along snarled at Fang Tai, his earlier suspicions now confirmed. Everything before him was nothing but the schemes of these men, ensuring their own invincibility.

“If you want to blame someone, blame yourselves for your incompetence,” Fang Tai retorted with a cold laugh. “To think you’d naively trust information handed to you by the enemy. If you truly had any real ability, how would you have ended up like this?”

Fang Tai felt not the slightest shame in his actions. Chen Along said nothing more; as he’d known from the start, this was not a situation easily resolved.

Meanwhile, Lin Li and Ye Aotian had already exchanged dozens of blows. After so many rounds, Ye Aotian was gasping for breath. When he looked at Lin Li, even his gaze had changed.

To Ye Aotian, Lin Li seemed like a monster. Though his strength shouldn’t have been extraordinary—at most, they should have been evenly matched—somehow Lin Li grew stronger as the fight went on. Ye Aotian sensed that it wouldn’t be long before Lin Li would surpass him.

Because of this, Ye Aotian fought with every ounce of his ability, pushing his advantages to the extreme. Yet even so, he could do nothing to Lin Li. Lin Li was like an impenetrable wall; no matter how Ye Aotian attacked, he could find no weakness.

Lin Li continued to move with relaxed confidence. “Ye Aotian, if this is all you’ve got, you’d best give up now,” he mocked. “I thought you must be formidable to dare attack the warehouse, but it turns out you’re nothing special.”

Even as he suppressed Ye Aotian, Lin Li kept up his relentless taunts, infuriating Ye Aotian further. Already wounded, Ye Aotian could not unleash his full strength. Now, after Lin Li’s repeated insults, he felt a burning urge: even if it cost him dearly, he would kill Lin Li today.

“You brat, do you really think I don’t dare to kill you?” Ye Aotian’s expression grew ever uglier, feeling himself teetering on the edge of eruption.