Chapter 119: Good Place (Seeking First Subscription)

Lu Ye, riding Amber, fled clumsily through the wilderness. Behind him, several spirit talismans exploded, releasing the powerful techniques sealed within and putting him in an extremely difficult situation.

After a full day of confrontations, the cultivators besieging him had learned their lesson. Now, whenever they encountered him, they would immediately unleash spirit talismans.

While spirit talismans were valuable, lower-level cultivators could still afford one or two if they really scrimped, often keeping them as a last resort for survival.

Their current disregard for cost in deploying these talismans made things particularly difficult for Lu Ye. If he hadn't constantly activated his Defense Spiritual Pattern to block them, both he and Amber would have been overwhelmed long ago.

Even so, both the man and the tiger had sustained multiple injuries.

It wasn't just spirit talismans; cultivators from the unknown faction had also deployed spirit beasts to pursue him. Not many cultivators had animal companions, as spirit beasts were difficult to tame and could often turn on their masters.

As Lu Ye fled ahead, five or six cultivators, each riding a different animal companion, thundered behind him. While these companions weren't as majestic or as fast as Amber, continuous obstacles in Lu Ye's path severely hampered his escape efficiency. Any slight delay meant he would be caught immediately.

Several times, Lu Ye was almost completely trapped, barely managing to break through a gap to continue his escape.

After this prolonged chase, Lu Ye realized a problem: he couldn't keep circling. The more he circled, the more enemies he encountered. Conversely, if he moved in a straight line, he faced fewer adversaries.

He was unaware that the cultivators of the Tai Luo Sect were being guided by Han Zheyue. With the Shadow Moon Disc, none of his movements could escape Han Zheyue's notice.

The sound of rushing air rang out again as several arrows shot towards Lu Ye from different directions. Though startled, Lu Ye remained calm, activating his spiritual power to protect himself while simultaneously striking forward with his saber.

He severed an arrow aimed at Amber, while Amber, beneath him, swiftly moved in a zigzag pattern to evade the other arrows.

This wasn't Lu Ye directing Amber; it was the beast's own painful lessons that had taught it this tactic.

The cultivators of the Tai Luo Sect knew that to corner Lu Ye, they first had to neutralize Amber. Otherwise, with such a spirit beast at his side, it would be extremely difficult to stop Lu Ye.

Therefore, after the initial skirmishes, those hidden archers began to target Amber, hoping to deal with it first.

Amber had suffered greatly, struck by several arrows. Fortunately, none of the wounds were severe. Lu Ye snapped off the fletching of the arrows, leaving only half the shafts embedded in Amber's hide.

Since then, Amber had grown smarter, immediately adopting an evasive, "snake-like" movement whenever it heard the sound of projectiles, thus avoiding many attacks.

No sooner had they dodged those arrows than several figures sprang out ahead. Under the night sky, the spiritual light emanating from them was conspicuously bright.

Three fifth-level cultivators!

Lu Ye's eyes narrowed; he realized the situation was dire.

He could handle one fifth-level cultivator, but two would be impossible. Now, with three fifth-level cultivators, he would surely die if trapped.

He wondered which faction's territory this was, to possess such profound strength. Along this path, he had encountered nearly a dozen fifth-level cultivators.

Previously, when he was involved in the conflict between the Mysterious Gate and the Nine-Star Sect, he hadn't even seen a single fifth-level cultivator.

What he didn't know was that the declaration of war between the Mysterious Gate and the Nine-Star Sect had been sudden. Most of the fifth-level cultivators from both factions were away on training expeditions and couldn't return in time, hence their scarcity and mutual restraint, which naturally kept them out of his sight.

The Dragon Spring Gathering, however, was different. Held every three years, it was highly anticipated by the three nearby factions. Ten days prior, all cultivators above the second level and below the fifth level had already gathered at their respective strongholds, awaiting the start of the gathering.

A sect typically had a considerable number of fifth-level cultivators. The dozen or so Lu Ye had encountered were just a small fraction; many more were garrisoned across various mountain peaks. While Han Zheyue wished to flay Lu Ye alive, she understood priorities. She couldn't possibly deploy all their powerful cultivators for an unknown fourth-level cultivator. Doing so would surely allow Green Feather Mountain to exploit their weakness, resulting in far more than just a dozen casualties – they would likely lose many mountain strongholds.

Of the three fifth-level cultivators who emerged, two lunged at Lu Ye, while the third stood a short distance away, raising a hand and pointing towards Lu Ye, spiritual energy surging at his fingertips.

He was a spell cultivator!

Lu Ye felt a severe headache coming on.

The archers hidden in the shadows weren't particularly skilled and usually had low cultivation levels. Lu Ye and Amber now had experience dealing with them and could usually avoid harm. However, a fifth-level spell cultivator was different. The techniques such a cultivator unleashed were incredibly powerful, and taking a direct hit would certainly lead to a terrible outcome.

So, seeing the cultivator casting a spell, Lu Ye made a decisive move, tossing an object into the air and forming a hand seal with one hand.

The thrown object instantly appeared above the spell cultivator's head, rapidly expanding into a large bell overflowing with spiritual light, which then slammed down, enveloping him.

The spell cultivator clearly hadn't anticipated this move from Lu Ye. There was no time to dodge in his haste, and he was completely encased.

The other two fifth-level cultivators had already charged close. The leader was burly and powerful, with a robust physique and overflowing vitality, clearly a body cultivator.

Facing Amber's pounce, he neither dodged nor retreated. Instead, he provocatively met the attack, raising both hands to brace against Amber's front legs, seemingly intending to throw the beast off balance.

"Roar!" With a tiger's roar that echoed through the forest, the body cultivator only managed to hold Amber at bay for two breaths before being knocked to the ground.

He had overestimated himself. While Amber's individual strength might not have surpassed his, spirit beasts possessed inherent advantages, especially a stout one like Amber. Its charge, without overwhelming power to counter it, was simply unstoppable.

During the two breaths he was delayed, another fifth-level cultivator had burst forth from behind him. This individual appeared to be a weapon cultivator, judging by the large hammer they wielded, its head as big as a human head and looking formidable.

The seemingly thousand-pound hammer felt weightless in his hands. Leaping from behind his comrade, he brought the hammer down on Lu Ye, its head radiating dazzling spiritual light. "Get down!" he roared.

This strike was immensely powerful, embodying the principle of using raw strength to overcome all obstacles.

Lu Ye couldn't possibly block such an attack; a direct defense would only result in broken bones and severed tendons.

So, he quickly activated his Defense Spiritual Pattern, transforming it into a protective shield before him.

With a deafening crash, Lu Ye felt the spiritual energy within him gush out like a breached dam.

Even the Defense Spiritual Pattern struggled against this ferocious blow; tiny cracks appeared, and it shattered completely in just three short breaths.

This was the first time Lu Ye had encountered someone who could shatter his Defense Spiritual Pattern with a single strike. Even Dong Shuye, a seventh-level cultivator from before, hadn't managed to do that.

It seemed the Defense Spiritual Pattern had an advantage in blocking spell attacks, but its defense was weaker against purely physical attacks.

Although the Defense Spiritual Pattern was broken, it had at least absorbed most of the impact.

As the great hammer descended, Amber's body dipped, its front legs buckling to the ground. Lu Ye himself was thrown backward by the force of the blow. Had he not hastily raised his saber horizontally in front of him, the impact would likely have crushed his chest.

Just as Lu Ye was about to fall from Amber's back, a small hand suddenly reached out at the critical moment, grabbing his belt and pulling him back. It was Yi Yi, who had been hidden inside Amber.

Her help in combat was very limited, which was why she hadn't appeared until now. At this precise moment, she made a divine move, saving Lu Ye.

His mouth tasted of rust, and his chest and arms ached intensely, clearly indicating he was injured.

A hammer blow like that was not easily fully blocked.

At that moment, Lu Ye was immensely grateful he had used the small bell spirit artifact to trap the fifth-level spell cultivator. Otherwise, with the coordinated attacks of these three, he would almost certainly have perished there.

The body cultivator scrambled to his feet, retreated several paces, and watched Lu Ye warily. The weapon cultivator also retreated a few paces, holding his hammer with both hands, his expression grim. A careful observer would have noticed his hands trembling violently as he held the hammer.

That last hammer blow was the result of his full power, and it had exacted a significant toll on him.

In this brief moment of delay, rustling sounds echoed from the surrounding jungle as more cultivators began to encircle them from all directions. The cultivators riding spirit beasts were also rapidly closing in.

Lu Ye ignored his injuries and quickly identified their weakest defensive point, immediately finding a direction.

Just as he was about to urge Amber in that direction, a prolonged howl suddenly echoed from a distance. The howl was continuous, and accompanying it were strong spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from the same direction.

Lu Ye turned his head and saw a kaleidoscope of spiritual light flashing continuously on the nearest mountain peak.

Someone was fighting over there! And it was an incredibly intense battle.

Lu Ye slapped Amber's back and pointed his saber towards that location. "Charge that way!"

He didn't choose the enemy's weakest defensive point; instead, he chose the direction where the fifth-level cultivator with the great hammer was positioned!

No matter who was fighting there, one of the factions had to be allied with the cultivators pursuing him. So, they had enemies...

Lu Ye immediately felt that direction was a good escape route.

Furthermore, his previous encounters had taught him that simply fleeing was not a solution. The enemy seemed capable of tracking his movements, and a highly skilled individual was directing them, making it easy to repeatedly encircle him.

Seeing Lu Ye charging in that direction, the fifth-level body cultivator urgently shouted, "Don't let him escape!"

The weapon cultivator, wielding the great hammer, puffed out his chest and stepped forward, blocking Amber's path. Veins bulged on both his arms as he raised the hammer high, and blood vessels burst on his arms, instantly staining his clothes red.

"Come and die!" he roared, charging towards Lu Ye.

With spiritual energy surging and glowing red, Lu Ye raised his hand and unleashed a spell towards him.