Chapter 1175: Targeting

Lu Ye’s ability to teleport to various locations in the Blood Refining Realm via the Heavenly Secret Pillars was no longer a secret. After all, his sphere of activity had been incredibly vast recently, appearing suddenly in the east, then west, then south, then north. Without the aid of the Heavenly Secret Pillars, he couldn't have achieved such widespread movement by merely flying. No other cultivators from Kyushu possessed this privilege, leading everyone to marvel that he truly was favored by the Heavenly Secret, as its special provisions seemed to be everywhere for him.

There was no point in envying him, nor was it necessary. It was precisely because of his ability to use the Heavenly Secret Pillars for teleportation that he could repeatedly provide support across different fronts, assisting Kyushu cultivators in eliminating the Saint Seeds.

So, upon seeing two streaks of light approaching from the direction where a Heavenly Secret Pillar was located, the Divine Sea realm cultivators present immediately knew that Lu Ye had arrived. Why there were two streaks of light remained unknown. Soon, the two streaks of light landed before the crowd, revealing their forms. One was indeed Lu Ye, while the other was a burly man with an imposing aura.

"Yi Ye, you've finally arrived!" Ku Cha quickly led the group forward to greet him, looking as if he had been waiting for a long time.

Ku Cha's enthusiasm slightly surprised Lu Ye, and the way he addressed him was clearly well-considered.

Lu Ye was most often called "Little Friend Lu," given the age difference between them. It seemed the only person who referred to him as "Yi Ye" was the Sect Master.

However, he had to admit that such a form of address easily brought people closer.

"I was delayed a bit on the way," Lu Ye replied.

"And this is...?" Ku Cha looked at the burly man, vaguely guessing that he was one of the senior figures Lu Ye had mentioned before, but wasn't sure which one.

"Wu Dezhao," the man introduced himself, his hands clasped behind his back, radiating an air of natural authority.

After a moment's thought, Ku Cha and the others understood Wu Dezhao's origin and hastily saluted him. Although they were all Divine Sea Ninth-level cultivators, top figures in Kyushu, they were still a notch below a powerhouse like Wu Dezhao. They couldn't help but show respect, nor would they dare to disrespect him.

There was a slight element of coincidence in Lu Ye and Wu Dezhao meeting, but it was largely due to Wu Dezhao's own planning.

Wu Dezhao was extremely cunning. Knowing that Lu Ye would target the Saint Seeds, he had traveled north continuously since leaving Saint Island that day, specifically inquiring about the Saint Seeds' movements and whereabouts. He had no interest in ordinary Blood Race members, only wanting to kill more Saint Seeds. However, he knew that it would be difficult to kill Saint Seeds by himself, so he still needed Lu Ye's capabilities.

Upon hearing news of a Saint Seed in this area, he immediately rushed towards the nearest Heavenly Secret Pillar. Sure enough, he waited there and met Lu Ye, who had just teleported. They then immediately set off together towards this location.

Naturally, Lu Ye was very welcoming of this. With Wu Dezhao assisting him, eliminating the Saint Seeds would undoubtedly be much easier.

"What's the situation now?" Lu Ye asked. He had expected the battle to have already begun; he had rushed here with all his might, traveling at lightning speed. But now, it seemed the two sides hadn't engaged, which was peculiar. With so many Kyushu cultivators gathered here, the Blood Race members in Panshi Holy Land couldn't be completely unaware. Logically, the Blood Race in Panshi Holy Land should have launched an offensive long ago, because the longer they delayed, the more Kyushu cultivators would gather, making the situation increasingly unfavorable for the Blood Race.

As Ku Cha explained the situation, he naturally projected his battle imprint, exchanging it with Lu Ye. Seeing this, the other Divine Sea realm cultivators followed suit.

Lu Ye accepted all of them. He had experienced such scenes too many times recently. Every time he went to provide support, after slaying a Saint Seed, a large number of Divine Sea realm cultivators would come to exchange their imprints with him.

"Something's not right," Lu Ye frowned. "Even if the Blood Race's intelligence is slow, they should probably understand the current situation in the Blood Refining Realm. This kind of defensive retreat is extremely disadvantageous for them. What are they waiting for? Are there other Blood Race gathering points nearby?"

"If you're worried about hidden Blood Race reinforcements, there's no need," Ku Cha said. "We have scouts spread out across a ten-thousand-mile radius. If a large contingent of Blood Race members were to approach, we would know immediately." Ku Cha and the others were seasoned Divine Sea realm cultivators, figures who had spent their lives in battle; how could they not have considered what Lu Ye was worried about?

"We suspect they aren't attacking proactively because they know the disparity in strength and thus dare not rush in," Ku Cha continued. "They're waiting for us to launch an attack so they can gain a geographical advantage."

This explanation seemed a bit far-fetched, but it also appeared to be the only plausible one.

As they spoke, within the previously calm Panshi Holy Land, spiritual energy suddenly surged and blood mist permeated the air. Immediately after, a large number of Blood Race figures abruptly charged out.

Furthermore, a vast river of blood spread out from within, sweeping directly towards the gathering point of the Kyushu cultivators.

"To arms!" Ku Cha roared. Numerous Divine Sea realm cultivators shifted their bodies and swiftly moved towards their main formation.

The Blood Race's attack came without warning. Fortunately, the Kyushu cultivators had been preparing, so they weren't caught off guard. In an instant, skirmishes erupted everywhere as both sides engaged in intense combat.

"Kid, be careful. It seems this is aimed at you," Wu Dezhao warned gravely.

Lu Ye nodded. "It must be."

It made no sense for the situation to be calm before his arrival, only for the Blood Race to launch an attack the moment he appeared. He had already suspected the Blood Race was waiting for something – if not reinforcements, then a specific enemy. An enemy that the Blood Race considered a major threat.

Among the current Kyushu cultivators, only Lu Ye could be honored with such distinction. However, Lu Ye couldn't quite grasp what the Blood Race's reliance was, or why they believed they could deal with him here. He had a faint suspicion, but whether it was true still needed personal verification.

Soaring into the sky, he and Wu Dezhao rushed directly towards the massive river of blood. If he wasn't mistaken, that was the Saint Seed's Blood River, likely unleashed by Panshi Saint Venerable.

At this moment, the Blood River swirled, and some Kyushu cultivators, caught off guard, were swept into it. Soon, piercing screams emanated from within, clearly indicating they had met a grim end.

The Blood River danced incessantly, causing some casualties, but not many. Instead, it seemed to be a menacing, provocative display.

This further solidified the suspicion in Lu Ye's mind.

Panshi Holy Land had remained motionless all this time, only to launch an attack immediately after his arrival. They were waiting for him, and this Blood River undoubtedly contained a trap specifically for him!

If things truly were as he suspected, then the Blood Race might end up losing more than they gained this time.

Therefore, he plunged into the Blood River without hesitation, with Wu Dezhao's figure following closely behind.

Upon entering the Blood River, Lu Ye immediately felt a strong binding force emanating from all directions. His heart settled; it seemed his earlier conjecture was correct.

Outside the Blood River, he hadn't felt much, but once inside, he immediately detected a familiar aura.

It was the aura of a Saint Seed he had encountered during the great battle in the Divine Palace Sea!

That Saint Seed's Sacred Power was incredibly strong; even he had been suppressed by it. Sensing danger at the time, he, Jian Guhong, and Wu Dezhao immediately retreated from the Blood River. The situation had arisen so suddenly that the opponent hadn't reacted in time, allowing them to escape the Blood River successfully.

In fact, even if the opponent had reacted then, it wouldn't have made much difference. With Jian Guhong and Wu Dezhao collaborating, supplemented by another senior figure in the Blood River, facing one opponent with three, it wasn't certain they could defeat that Saint Seed, but keeping Lu Ye safe would have been no problem.

However, once trapped within the Blood River, Lu Ye wouldn't have been able to slay more Saint Seeds later.

The one now present on this battlefield was precisely that Saint Seed with the intense Sacred Power. It was clear that he knew the demise of Saint Seeds was greatly linked to Lu Ye, and that Lu Ye had recently been active in hunting down Saint Seeds. Therefore, he had set up a trap here in Panshi Holy Land to lure Lu Ye. Now that the fish had taken the bait, he had learned from his past experience. The moment Lu Ye entered the Blood River, he immediately activated its binding force, confident that with the suppression his Sacred Power exerted on Lu Ye, he could eliminate Lu Ye, the bane of Saint Seeds, right here within this Blood River. Moreover, it wasn't just him; there was also the aura of another Saint Seed within the Blood River.

That should be the master of this place, Panshi Saint Venerable.

Saint Seeds generally wouldn't join forces because their individual Sacred Powers varied in strength. During combat, this could easily cause interference between their Sacred Powers, preventing the weaker party from unleashing their full strength.

This had been Lu Ye's previous understanding of Saint Seeds, not something he was told, but rather his own judgment.

But now, it seemed this judgment might be flawed.

Because at this very moment, Panshi Saint Venerable and the Saint Seed with the intense Sacred Power were clearly collaborating. One acted as the primary, the other as the secondary, their Sacred Powers fluctuating and forming an incredibly profound resonance.

The intensity of the Sacred Power filling the Blood River actually surpassed the original level of the Saint Seed with the strong Sacred Power.

It wasn't as terrifying as if their powers simply added together, but it was still significantly stronger than that Saint Seed's original Sacred Power.

A realization dawned on him: so this was their reliance.

During the Divine Palace Sea battle, this guy's Sacred Power was stronger than his own. So, he must have felt that as long as he lured Lu Ye into the Blood River, he could manipulate him at will. To be safe, he even joined forces with Panshi Saint Venerable, their Sacred Powers resonating to become even stronger.

And as long as they killed him here, the safety of the remaining Saint Seeds in the Blood Refining Realm would be greatly ensured. After all, even top powerhouses like Jian Guhong and Wu Dezhao wouldn't gain any advantage fighting against them.

Lu Ye couldn't help but sigh. The more he interacted with the Blood Race, the more he discovered things he had never noticed before.

He had always thought that Saint Seeds couldn't join forces, but the truth was that Saint Seeds simply never needed to join forces. This method of enhancing Sacred Power was only suitable for internal conflicts among Saint Seeds; in battles against the Human Race, such a combined effort would be meaningless.