Chapter 104: Swordsmanship Excellence of Senior Brother Zhou

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The spiritual artifact, a small bell, that had trapped Senior Brother Zhou was precisely the one Lu Ye had acquired from the Young Master of the Nine Star Sect. For some time, Lu Ye had been nourishing it with his own spiritual power, and his efforts were quite effective. Although he hadn't fully refined all its restrictions yet, it could now display some of its power.

Activating the bell's power allowed him to trap enemies; Yiyi herself had been caught by it in the past. As for its other abilities, Lu Ye couldn't utilize them yet.

The turn of events happened very suddenly. In a flash, among the five cultivators from Youyun Mountain, Senior Sister Yu was killed, and Senior Brother Zhou was trapped, leaving only the last three cultivators at the third level.

Before they could even react to what had happened, Lu Ye, saber in hand, charged towards the closest of them.

The person retreated frantically, hastily drawing their weapon to meet the attack. However, Lu Ye had already brushed past them.

This third-level cultivator immediately froze, swayed slightly, and then collapsed to the ground. The earth quickly became stained with blood.

Though both were at the third level, how could he withstand a saber strike enhanced with "Sharpness"? One had prepared meticulously, the other reacted in haste; their first encounter decided their fate.

Lu Ye then lunged towards the second third-level cultivator. This seemed to be Junior Brother Xiong, who had almost soiled himself from fear of Amber and Yiyi. He had a bit more time to react, but facing a ruthless killer like Lu Ye, he had completely lost the courage to resist. He frantically waved his weapon and retreated in panic, shouting, "Don't come any closer!"

This didn't delay his death. Lu Ye rushed up to him and unleashed a saber strike. In terror, Junior Brother Xiong instinctively raised his weapon to block, and a faint spiritual glow emanated from it.

It was clearly a low-grade spiritual artifact.

Such low-grade spiritual artifacts typically had reinforcing spiritual patterns engraved on them. This was because low-level cultivators often engaged in close-quarters combat, and a more durable weapon undoubtedly allowed for longer fights. Otherwise, if their weapon broke mid-battle, they would be left to die.

Just as the two spiritual artifacts were about to clash, Lu Ye flicked his wrist. His saber bypassed the opponent's guard and slashed diagonally downwards.

If this had been shortly after he left Qingyun Mountain, that strike would have continued unabated, aiming to cleave through the opponent's weapon. However, after experiencing numerous life-and-death battles in Rift Heaven Canyon, Lu Ye's combat experience had significantly improved.

The strike nearly tore open the opponent's entire chest, revealing his faintly beating heart.

"Ah!" the person shrieked, collapsing to the ground, not immediately dead.

Lu Ye spun his saber and stabbed down.

Junior Brother Xiong convulsed violently a few times, his body stiffened, and he became completely silent.

Lu Ye pulled out his saber, bringing forth a spray of warm blood, and without pause, he charged towards the third third-level cultivator.

This person was currently being harried by Amber, and Yiyi had also emerged, continuously distracting him. As a spirit body, she was extremely agile and elusive. Although the combination of a spirit and a tiger couldn't defeat the cultivator, they had no trouble holding him back.

Seeing Lu Ye swiftly cut down two of his companions, this person knew he was no match. While waving his weapon to ward off Amber, he fumbled for his storage bag and hastily pulled out a spiritual talisman.

Just as he was about to activate the talisman, Lu Ye was already upon him and swung his saber down!

The hand holding the talisman was severed at the wrist.

The severed hand fell to the ground, blood splattered, and a shriek rang out before abruptly stopping. Lu Ye's saber precisely pierced the opponent's mouth, went through his skull, and with a powerful twist, shattered his life force.

Amber panted heavily nearby, and Yiyi joyfully pounced on Lu Ye, exclaiming, "Lu Ye!"

Lu Ye smiled at her, but before he could speak, a loud boom echoed from nearby.

Lu Ye turned his head and saw the spiritual bell glowing brightly, having expanded significantly from its original size, which was only about that of a water vat.

After all, he hadn't fully refined the bell, so he could only use its enemy-trapping ability, and for a limited duration. Senior Brother Zhou, a fifth-level Spirit Creek cultivator, certainly wouldn't idly wait for death while trapped inside. Under his rampant destruction, the trapping time was further shortened.

If Lu Ye didn't retrieve the bell, this spiritual artifact would soon be destroyed. The bell's exterior defense was stronger; it was, after all, a life-saving artifact. Comparatively, it was easier to damage it from the inside.

"Take Amber far away!" Lu Ye quickly instructed. Amber's injuries hadn't fully healed, and she had been wounded again during the siege by the Youyun Mountain cultivators; her pristine white fur was now stained red. Furthermore, given her current strength, she wouldn't be able to effectively participate in the upcoming fight.

Yiyi didn't hesitate, but instead, worriedly cautioned Lu Ye, "Be careful!"

She led Amber slightly away, but kept her eyes fixed on Lu Ye without blinking. If the situation turned grim, she and Amber would rush forward together, contributing whatever they could.

Lu Ye nodded and quickly ran towards Senior Brother Zhou. Midway, he extended his hand, and the spiritual bell immediately flew up, rapidly shrinking, and returned to his grasp.

As he put away the bell, he leaped high into the air and brought his saber down fiercely.

Senior Brother Zhou had just broken free when a dazzling flash of a saber was already before him. He lightly poked forward with his long sword, striking the flat of Lu Ye's saber.

Lu Ye's stance became unstable; not only was his attack nullified, but he also stumbled backward.

Senior Brother Zhou seized the opportunity to press forward, his long sword continuously poking and thrusting, forming intricate sword flowers. Though his attacks weren't ferocious, they were relentless, forcing Lu Ye to retreat step by step.

This was the first time Lu Ye had encountered such an opponent. Previously, when he killed, it was always with swift, precise, and ruthless saber strikes, either cleaving through the enemy's weapon or their body, very clean and decisive. Even the fourth-level cultivators from the Nine Star Sect couldn't withstand several of his "Sharpness"-enhanced slashes.

However, Senior Brother Zhou's swordsmanship was exceptionally formidable, leaving Lu Ye temporarily at a loss on how to strike. Several hasty attacks he launched were not only neutralized by the opponent without injuring him, but the opponent also took the opportunity to inflict several wounds on Lu Ye.

Lu Ye also activated his Protective Ward spiritual pattern for defense, but the opponent's long sword was like a snake, erratic and elusive, constantly bypassing the ward to stab at his body, causing him to waste some spiritual power.

Unless he activated a spiritual pattern that could completely cover his front, he couldn't defend himself at all.

But even if he did activate such a spiritual pattern, not only would the consumption be enormous, but Lu Ye himself wouldn't be able to launch any attacks.

This kind of close combat was completely different from his battle with Luo Ji. Luo Ji was a spell cultivator, and his techniques always left discernible traces, which Lu Ye could block by activating spiritual patterns.

Senior Brother Zhou, on the other hand, was a close-quarters weapon cultivator; the angles of his sword strikes were very difficult to predict.

Therefore, even though Luo Ji himself was roughly equivalent to an ordinary fifth-level cultivator, the combat experience he offered Lu Ye was completely different. Lu Ye could defeat Luo Ji, but he was definitely no match for Senior Brother Zhou.

After retreating for dozens of feet, the opponent's attacks became even more relentless. Lu Ye immediately realized that in terms of combat skill, the opponent was miles ahead of him!

He had, after all, only truly begun cultivating a few months ago. But Senior Brother Zhou, a fifth-level Spirit Creek cultivator, had undoubtedly been cultivating for an unknown period and possessed profound mastery in swordsmanship.

If this continued, defeat was certain!

A fierce resolve ignited in Lu Ye's heart. While fully activating his protective spiritual power, he ignored everything else and unleashed a ferocious saber strike. The long saber glowed with spiritual light, enhanced by "Sharpness"!