Chapter 116: What Is This?

Facing the fierce sword strike, Lu Ye did not dodge. Instead, he chopped down hard at the young man. A fiery red glow flashed across the blade, making the long saber appear to be on fire.

Surprised by Lu Ye's ferocity, the young man was visibly startled. He quickly changed his move, raising his sword to block. With a clang, as the saber and sword met, the long sword almost flew out of his hand, and the young man was forced to retreat repeatedly by the powerful impact. His eyes widened in shock, but before he could react further, Lu Ye's long saber rained down upon him like a storm.

Ever since leaving Azure Cloud Mountain, Lu Ye had insisted on practicing with his saber for over two hours daily, whenever conditions allowed. This training might not have taught him profound saber techniques or skills, but it steadily solidified his fundamentals. Coupled with the experience accumulated from countless battles during this period, Lu Ye was no longer the naive youth who had just emerged from Azure Cloud Mountain. He had gradually developed his own combat style: fierce and relentless. This was because he could rely on his Guardian Spirit Pattern. If the young man hadn't hastily changed his move to block the first strike, that single blow would have cleaved him in two. The young man's caution had allowed him to narrowly escape death's door, but that was all.

Clanging sounds echoed continuously; with every descending saber strike, the young man was forced back three steps. Under the impact of the immense force, the skin between his thumb and forefinger began to split. He inwardly wailed, "Where did this madman come from? He fights with such intense aggression! And despite being at the same fourth-level cultivation realm, my strength is vastly inferior to his." When his opponent struck, the vitality of his blood and qi surged powerfully, giving the young man the illusion that this person was a fierce beast escaped from a cage, ready to devour its prey.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted two junior disciples circling around from behind Lu Ye. If he could just hold out for a few more breaths, he could team up with them to jointly attack the opponent. Retreating, he simultaneously reached into his storage pouch. Just as he pulled out a spirit talisman, preparing to unleash it, he heard a crisp snap... The young man was greatly alarmed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his long sword shatter in the middle, the broken blade flying diagonally. Immediately after, a numbing sensation spread through his body, freezing him in place. His vision began to tilt, and the last thing he saw was half a body that looked eerily familiar. "Is that... my body?" The young man's consciousness faded.

As blood splattered, Amber's tiger roar came from the right, followed by a terrified yell. From the left, the sound of an arrow tearing through the air indicated that the hidden enemy had fired another arrow at Lu Ye. However, this arrow missed its mark; the young man's death had likely rattled the attacker's composure. He wasn't the only one unsettled; two other cultivators, who had already rushed to within a short distance behind Lu Ye, were also disturbed.

There were a total of five cultivators from the Tailuo Sect guarding this peak: one at the fourth-level, two at the third-level, and two at the second-level cultivation realm. This configuration wasn't particularly strong, but it was the rear of the Tailuo Sect's territory, so a powerful lineup wasn't necessary. As long as the front peaks weren't lost, cultivators from Green Feather Mountain couldn't reach this point, making it the safest location. People were stationed here simply as a precaution. This supposedly foolproof arrangement, however, was disrupted by Lu Ye's arrival.

The two Tailuo Sect cultivators who had rushed behind Lu Ye now felt as if they'd been doused with a bucket of cold water in winter, their bodies turning icy cold. They had just witnessed their fourth-level cultivation senior brother being cleaved in two by an unwelcome guest in a mere five breaths, and terror and panic instantly surged to their peak. This caused them to abruptly halt their advance, together, less than ten meters from Lu Ye.

Lu Ye turned around, his long saber pointing diagonally to the ground, blood dripping from its blade. He stomped his feet on the ground, creating an indentation, and in a few steps, he was before the two petrified Tailuo Sect cultivators. In this moment of life-or-death crisis, the two finally unleashed their potential and charged at Lu Ye together. After a series of clanging exchanges, both third-level cultivators were forced to lean back, leaving themselves wide open. The disparity in their cultivation levels meant that even fighting together, they couldn't withstand more than a few of Lu Ye's saber strikes.

The long saber, imbued with spiritual power, drew a fiery red streak before him. This strike didn't even need the Sharpness Spirit Pattern. As screams erupted, the chests of both cultivators struck by the saber were torn open. A faint scent of burning flesh emanated from their wounds. One fell to the ground, while the other stumbled backward. Lu Ye stepped forward, stabbing his saber into the heart of the fallen cultivator. Without a moment's hesitation, he pulled out his blade and swung it towards the other person. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted an arrow flying towards him. He raised his saber and chopped, deflecting the arrow. Just as he was about to finish off the surviving third-level cultivator, the man suddenly collapsed to the ground. Lu Ye's previous saber strike had already pierced his heart.

A piercing shriek came from the side. Lu Ye turned to see Amber gripping a female cultivator's neck, blood gushing from its maw. The woman, still holding a bow, struggled and flailed beneath Amber, but couldn't budge the tiger an inch. This female cultivator was only at the second-level cultivation realm. She was one of those hiding in the trees, shooting arrows at Lu Ye. When Amber separated from Lu Ye, it charged directly towards her. If it had just been Amber alone, it might have had trouble, as she was hidden in the tree. But with Yiyi, it was different. Yiyi appeared directly behind the female cultivator and pushed her down forcefully.

During its time with Lu Ye, Amber had been well-fed and consumed countless Spirit Condensing Pills. Its strength had greatly improved since then, and working with Yiyi, it easily subdued this second-level cultivator. Ignoring the female cultivator, Lu Ye looked to the side. There had been two archers ambushing him; one was now caught by Amber, and there was still another. However, when Lu Ye looked, he realized that this individual had already fled dozens of meters away.

Lu Ye raised his saber to pursue but suddenly remembered something. He lifted his hand towards the person's back, and fiery red spiritual energy began to gather in his palm. Pure spiritual energy formed a stout fiery quail. The fiery quail flapped its wings and shot forward like an arrow from a bowstring. In a blink, the fiery quail grazed the fleeing cultivator's body and crashed into a large tree, bursting into flames. It missed... Lu Ye raised an eyebrow. Spiritual energy gathered in his palm again, this time with a slight adjustment in direction. The second fiery quail flew out, striking the person directly in the back. With a loud bang, the person collapsed as if struck by lightning, their back scorched black. They twitched a few times before falling silent. The accompanying spell from the Red Lotus Soaring to the Heavens Art was quite potent.

A speck of red light flew from that direction and landed on the back of Lu Ye's hand. Lu Ye looked around, frowning deeply. "What was that?"

This battle had started inexplicably. He had merely misinterpreted their secret signal, and they had mercilessly attacked him without even asking which faction he belonged to. Since they showed no courtesy, Lu Ye naturally wouldn't either. Only after he had finished them off did he confirm that these individuals belonged to the Myriad Demon Ridge faction. It seemed he hadn't killed the wrong people.