Chapter 1004: Helper (Happy Mid-Autumn Festival)

Lu Ye was utterly terrified.

He was plummeting from a height of ten thousand zhang, like a meteorite hurtling from the sky. Initially, he wasn't worried, confident in his ability to fly. But if he couldn't even activate his spiritual power, how could he possibly fly?

From such an immense height, even with his True Lake Realm foundation, a direct impact would surely leave him on the brink of death.

The mysterious force that had enveloped his body had vanished without a trace. Lu Ye clearly felt it transform into a binding imprint within him, causing his spiritual power to completely stagnate.

He hurtled closer and closer to the ground, his speed increasing rapidly, with the wind whistling past his ears.

A flurry of thoughts raced through his mind as he desperately sought a way out of his predicament. He was certain that his inexplicable presence in this unfamiliar place was the doing of the Heaven's Secret of Kyushu. It was highly probable that Heaven's Secret had sent him here for a specific task, and therefore, it wouldn't leave him to die. The mysterious power that had previously enveloped him felt like protection, but also very much like a barrier or a concealment...

What was Heaven's Secret trying to conceal?

The numerous meteorites plummeting alongside him didn't seem like a coincidence; they appeared to be a form of deception.

In this life-or-death crisis, Lu Ye's mind was unusually clear. He quickly arrived at a tentative conclusion.

Heaven's Secret had transported him here, but it seemed to fear detection. That explained the accompanying meteorites, a deceptive tactic, and the suppression of his power, likely to prevent his aura from being detected.

If that were truly the case, it would be a severe challenge for him.

He scanned his surroundings. The nearest meteorite was several hundred zhang away; if he could reach it, he might be able to use it to slow his descent. However, in his current state, he was utterly helpless.

As the ground rushed closer, Lu Ye gritted his teeth and strained his eyes, hoping to spot a body of water below that might offer a chance of survival. But all he saw was a dense jungle, with no water in sight.

He had no choice but to brace for impact. With his strong physique, he might survive if luck was on his side. Just as this thought crossed his mind, the binding force within him slightly loosened. His previously stagnant spiritual power began to flow, albeit incredibly slowly, but it was a glimmer of hope for survival.

He quickly tried to activate his spiritual power, hoping to fly, but failed. His cultivation had been suppressed to only the third layer of the Spiritual Stream Realm, making flight impossible.

With the ground just tens of zhang away, Lu Ye frantically squeezed out his remaining spiritual power to construct a pair of flying wing spirit patterns on his back.

With a whoosh, a pair of fiery red wings unfurled.

However, the very next instant, the wings disintegrated into nothingness, dissolving into specks of starlight. His third-layer Spiritual Stream Realm cultivation was simply insufficient to sustain the flying wing spirit pattern. Yet, that momentary boost from the wings drastically slowed his descent, and almost immediately after they vanished, his body crashed heavily to the ground.

He landed disoriented and in considerable pain.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!*

Violent crashes echoed from all directions, accompanied by shockwaves of heat. These were the meteorites that had fallen with him, now striking the ground, shaking the earth and sending birds scattering into the sky.

Powerful tremors rippled through the ground. Lu Ye lay there, bleeding from his mouth and nose, momentarily unable to get up.

Heaven's Secret had indeed provided him a way out, but his cultivation being suppressed to merely the third layer of the Spiritual Stream Realm had caused him considerable suffering.

With a thought, he assessed his injuries.

His injuries weren't severe, largely thanks to his quick thinking in that final moment. He had immediately constructed the flying wing spirit pattern upon realizing something was amiss, averting what could have been a truly dire situation. What pleased Lu Ye even more was that despite his cultivation being suppressed by the mysterious force, his divine sense remained usable.

This was, at least, some good news.

After lying still for a moment, Lu Ye slowly got to his feet.

This was no place to linger.

Regardless of why Heaven's Secret had sent him here or what task it required, its earlier actions clearly indicated that this was not a benign place; otherwise, such elaborate measures would have been unnecessary.

He recalled how, when he and Ying Wuji were sent to the Peerless Continent, they were simply teleported directly, without any of this elaborate fuss.

This world undoubtedly harbored great dangers. The massive commotion caused by the falling meteorites would surely attract many local creatures to investigate.

Lu Ye knew nothing about this world, so he naturally dared not reveal himself prematurely.

He chose a direction at random and limped forward.

He hadn't gone far when Lu Ye suddenly turned his head towards a specific direction, his expression a mix of surprise and doubt. His divine sense picked up a faint life force there, one that felt remarkably familiar.

After a moment of thought, he headed in that direction.

He arrived moments later, immediately spotting a sturdy figure lying in a crater.

It was none other than Dao Thirteen!

This fellow had actually made it here too...

Lu Ye suddenly remembered that when he had charged into the rift in the sky back in the nameless secret realm, he had faintly heard Dao Thirteen's roar. It seemed Dao Thirteen had pursued him and was subsequently swept into this place.

He wondered what Dao Thirteen had gone through to end up unconscious here.

Judging by the large crater beneath him, Dao Thirteen had evidently fallen straight down, creating that impact point.

What an impressive Divine Sea Realm physique; even such a fall hadn't killed him.

As he looked at the unconscious Dao Thirteen, a smile suddenly spread across Lu Ye's face.

Dao Thirteen's involvement should have been accidental. However, if Heaven's Secret possessed the power to transport Lu Ye here, it surely could have excluded Dao Thirteen. The fact that Dao Thirteen was still here with him suggested this was a tacitly approved outcome by Heaven's Secret.

It seemed he wasn't alone after all; Heaven's Secret of Kyushu had sent him a helper.

Under normal circumstances, Lu Ye would have been powerless against Dao Thirteen, whose cultivation and strength far surpassed his own.

But an unconscious Dao Thirteen... that presented an opportunity.

Lu Ye quickly approached and kicked Dao Thirteen. This was both to confirm his unconscious state and to exact revenge for the punch he had received earlier.

Dao Thirteen remained motionless.

Confident that he wouldn't awaken easily, Lu Ye raised a hand, extended a finger, and touched Dao Thirteen's forehead, activating the Soul Control Spirit Pattern.

This was undoubtedly Dao Thirteen's moment of weakest soul defense. If Lu Ye could successfully control his soul, he could enslave him, and in a completely unfamiliar world, a helper like Dao Thirteen would be invaluable.

His high hopes quickly turned into disappointment.

That familiar sensation of hitting a wall of iron returned. Though not as severe as before, even an unconscious Dao Thirteen's soul defense was not something Lu Ye could easily breach.

Not daring to waste a moment, Lu Ye quickly took out a drop of Soul Water and swallowed it to replenish his depleted soul power, then attempted again.

Still, there was no effect. Instead, the attempt elicited a muffled groan from Dao Thirteen, and a faint expression of pain crossed his face.

Lu Ye realized that if he continued, Dao Thirteen might awaken. Once he was conscious, the plan to enslave him with the Soul Control Spirit Pattern would become extremely difficult. Under normal circumstances, a Divine Sea Realm cultivator like Dao Thirteen wouldn't easily fall into such an unconscious state.

In a flash, Lu Ye made up his mind and retrieved the Spirit Exterminating Sword from his storage space. He had considered using it when he first tried to enslave Dao Thirteen, but decided against it, knowing that activating it would enrage Dao Thirteen, who would undoubtedly beat him severely – and Lu Ye was no match for him.

Now, however, was the perfect opportunity to use the Spirit Exterminating Sword.

He channeled his sparse spiritual power into the Spirit Exterminating Sword. Normally, activating this treasure would be effortless, but with his cultivation so heavily suppressed, Lu Ye could only proceed slowly.

Yet, time was of the essence.

After a full thirty breaths, Lu Ye felt it was ready and aimed the small sword in his hand at Dao Thirteen's forehead.

The palm-sized Spirit Exterminating Sword didn't even pierce Dao Thirteen's skin, but a flicker of spiritual essence from its blade vanished instantly into his forehead. Even while unconscious, Dao Thirteen immediately grimaced in pain and abruptly opened his eyes, which were blood-red, like those of an enraged bull. It was at this exact moment that Lu Ye unleashed his divine sense upon him. Unlike previous attempts, this time Lu Ye encountered no resistance; his divine sense effortlessly bypassed Dao Thirteen's soul defense and imprinted the soul control within his spirit.

Dao Thirteen's expression grew even more tormented. He let out a low growl, seemingly attempting to resist, but was powerless.

A moment later, Lu Ye, his face slightly pale, retracted his divine sense, gasping for breath as he scrutinized Dao Thirteen.

The Soul Control Spirit Pattern had been successfully established. Lu Ye could clearly feel a subtle yet profound connection forming between himself and Dao Thirteen, similar to his bond with Amber, but with a far more absolute degree of control.

Perhaps due to his soul being torn by the Spirit Exterminating Sword, Dao Thirteen vigorously shook his head, and the light in his eyes dimmed even further.

His mind wasn't particularly sharp to begin with, and now he seemed even more dazed. Lu Ye took out another drop of Soul Water and administered it to him.

Visibly, the pained expression on Dao Thirteen's face quickly receded, and the dullness in his eyes slowly faded.

"Let's go," Lu Ye commanded, turning and running in a chosen direction. Dao Thirteen immediately got up from the ground and followed closely behind.

As they ran, Lu Ye assessed Dao Thirteen's condition.

He quickly noticed something: Dao Thirteen's cultivation had also been suppressed. The spiritual power fluctuations emanating from him were nearly identical to Lu Ye's, both reduced to the level of the third or fourth layer of the Spiritual Stream Realm.

This further solidified Lu Ye's earlier suspicions.

It seemed the Heaven's Secret of Kyushu was using this method to conceal their presence, preventing detection by certain entities in this world.

Although both their cultivations were suppressed to the Spiritual Stream Realm, Dao Thirteen still retained the physical foundation of a Divine Sea Realm cultivator. Moreover, as a body cultivator, he was physically much stronger than Lu Ye.

After running for some distance, Lu Ye decisively climbed onto Dao Thirteen's back, letting him carry him forward.

Dao Thirteen moved with remarkable speed!

After running for a considerable time, they arrived at a city-like structure. A long line of people were orderly queuing to enter. Every pedestrian wore a white mask, and each gate guard also wore a mask, holding a small wooden stick with a bit of white material wrapped around its tip. They would insert this into the mouth of each person waiting to enter and stir it around. Some were simply nodded through, while others were immediately arrested. This peculiar procedure thoroughly confused Lu Ye, leaving him wondering how he should proceed to enter.

"Excuse me, why are the guards doing that?" Lu Ye asked a nearby pedestrian. He had already dismounted from Dao Thirteen and instructed him to find cover and wait for his signal.

The pedestrian replied, "You're not from around here, are you? Recently, an unknown illness has been spreading through oral fluids. Those who contract it become listless and find their cultivation hindered. Wearing this mask effectively prevents transmission."