Chapter 123: Hunting

During the Dragon Spring Meet, clashes between cultivators from the three major factions primarily occurred as small-scale engagements involving small teams.

Large-scale battles had been attempted before, where a specific area was designated, and all cultivators from each side were committed to it for an intense fight. However, after two such attempts, none of the factions were willing to continue. This was because such battles resulted in huge losses for every side, with the cost far outweighing the gains.

Small-scale engagements involving teams were different; casualties could be effectively controlled. Moreover, cultivators guarding mountain peaks could retreat if they sensed danger, thus preserving their strength.

Teams were divided into three types: defensive teams, who garrisoned mountain peaks to resist invading enemies. Another type was assault teams, who actively launched offensives to capture enemy mountain strongholds. The third type was roamer teams, who moved freely, going wherever opportunities arose, and sometimes assisting assault teams in launching attacks when the time was right.

Lu Ye was part of a roamer team. The team consisted of only five people, but all had good cultivation levels. Besides Xie Jin, who was at the fifth-level, the other three were all at the fourth-level. Because roamer teams were most likely to encounter enemies, the cultivation requirements for them were higher. Furthermore, all five members had mounts, which gave them high mobility.

Before dawn, Lu Ye met up with Xie Jin and the others. They introduced themselves: four men and one woman. To Lu Ye's dismay, the woman who had ambushed him the previous night was also present. Her eyes lit up when she saw Lu Ye, and she repeatedly cast him flirtatious glances.

The woman, Qiao Qiao'er, was a recruited rogue cultivator with a bold personality and daring attire. The other two were named Song Xie and Tao Tiangang. Tao Tiangang was a disciple of the main Qingyu Mountain sect, while Song Xie was also a recruited rogue cultivator. This team originally included another fourth-level cultivator from Qingyu Mountain, but that person had been killed recently, and Lu Ye was filling that vacancy.

Their mounts varied: some rode wolves, others leopards, and one a giant wild boar. The most outlandish was Song Xie's mount, a large scorpion the size of a tabletop, gleaming with a metallic sheen. Its sharply raised tail shimmered with a cold light, making it look formidable. It was a mystery how Song Xie had managed to subdue such a monstrous creature. Song Xie himself looked sickly, with greenish skin and an expression that suggested he wouldn't live long. Lu Ye seriously wondered if the man might drop dead at any moment.

In the wilderness, silence reigned. The five people and their five mounts waited in silence, each closing their eyes to regulate their breathing. In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Xie Jin suddenly spoke: "Move out!"

The four others simultaneously opened their eyes, swung onto their mounts, and galloped in one direction, led by Xie Jin.

On a mountain peak nearby, a group of Qingyu Mountain cultivators were locked in a fierce battle against attacking Qin family cultivators. The Qin family had initially been spectators, but after Han Zheyue's outburst, Qin Wanli had no choice but to mobilize his forces to join the attack, putting pressure on Qingyu Mountain. Xie Jin's five-person team's coordination with their own mountain-guarding cultivators to launch a pincer attack on the Qin clan showcased the roamer team's formidable mobility.

However, they hadn't traveled far when Xie Jin shouted: "Engage the enemy!" The enemy's roamer team had also deployed and was heading their way; the two teams would soon meet.

Moments later, enemy figures became faintly visible ahead. Cultivators riding various demonic beasts moved nimbly through the mountain forest, and the distance between the two sides rapidly closed.

Xie Jin led the charge, with Lu Ye and Qiao Qiao'er flanking him, while Song Xie and Tao Tiangang brought up the rear. The five people and their five mounts advanced in a wedge formation.

When they were still thirty zhang apart, spiritual energy began to surge. Whether by unspoken agreement or coincidence, Xie Jin and the opposing fifth-level cultivator leading their team each unleashed a Golden Wheel Talisman. As the talismans activated, arcs of golden slashes surged towards the enemy. The sharp slashes felled large trees, and the ground was gouged with streaks. Cultivators from both sides maneuvered to dodge the attacks.

As the power of the talismans dissipated, the two groups of cultivators met head-on. Two long whips lashed out from their respective teams, shimmering with spiritual light – clearly spirit artifacts. The whips entwined, and with a pull from each side, both users were simultaneously dragged from their mounts. At one end of a whip, Qiao Qiao'er looked at an opposing fourth-level cultivator with disgust: "What's a man doing playing with a whip? Shameless!"

The cultivator remained silent, shook his whip to free it, and lashed out at Qiao Qiao'er. Not to be outdone, Qiao Qiao'er immediately engaged him in a fierce battle. Even their mounts began to tear at each other.

While those two fought fiercely, the others weren't idle. In the instant their forms intersected, at least six individuals from both teams were knocked off their mounts. Cultivators were generally unaccustomed to fighting while mounted. The primary use of mounts was for travel, and secondarily for assisting in combat. It was difficult to fully utilize one's strength while riding a mount.

Lu Ye also dismounted, though he did so actively. In the direct collision just now, he had slashed an opposing fourth-level cultivator off his mount, who, though not injured, was quite disheveled. Barely having regained his footing, the man found Lu Ye already upon him, blade in hand, slashing towards his neck.

The man reacted swiftly, raising his spirit artifact to parry. However, the blade didn't fully descend, stopping just short of his spirit artifact. Spiritual energy surged. The man suddenly looked up and saw Lu Ye raising a hand towards him, a faint reddish glow emanating from his palm. The sound of flapping wings filled the air as a plump bird suddenly appeared, colliding head-first into the cultivator's chest.

With a bang, spiritual energy exploded, and a scorching aura diffused. The cultivator screamed and was sent flying, his chest a bloody mess. A flash of bright blade light crossed his vision. The man was alarmed and fully activated his protective spiritual energy, but a slight pain pierced his neck, and his vision began to tilt.

Lu Ye had already sheathed his blade. He found that combining his blade with spell arts made killing enemies much easier than before. In the past, even if he could kill a fourth-level cultivator, it would take a long time, as cultivators weren't fish on a chopping block to be cut at will; they had weapons and would block lethal attacks. But with a spell art, the opponent would be hard-pressed to defend themselves unless they activated a defensive spirit talisman. When their mind was in disarray, Lu Ye could naturally strike as he pleased.

In virtually an instant, a fourth-level cultivator met his end by the blade. While others' battles were just beginning, Lu Ye's was already over.

He propelled himself forward, reaching the nearest combat zone in a few strides, where Xie Jin was locked in an intense struggle with an opposing fifth-level cultivator. Both were martial cultivators, dismounting immediately upon meeting to engage in close-quarters combat. However, their strengths were evenly matched, making it difficult to determine a victor.

Suddenly, a chill ran down the fifth-level cultivator's spine. As a strong gust of wind assailed him, he quickly ducked, feeling a sudden coolness on his head. Severed hair flew, and a piece of his scalp was sliced off. When he looked up again, he finally saw who had attacked him. Not far away, another clan member lay in a pool of blood. His mind reeled. Had someone already died? He suddenly recalled the news he had received earlier and stared at Lu Ye in horror: "It's you?"

He finally remembered that two days prior, someone had single-handedly fought their way through Tailuo Sect territory. That person was reportedly riding a large, white tiger. It was said that over a dozen people from Tailuo Sect had died, including one fifth-level cultivator. He hadn't recognized Lu Ye earlier because the Qin family had not previously encountered him.

Xie Jin was already formidable, and now with such a fierce combatant joining the fray, how could he possibly contend? He immediately wanted to retreat. However, retreating now was not so easy. Lu Ye and Xie Jin launched a powerful joint assault, forcing the fifth-level cultivator to retreat step by step. In just ten breaths, the man's defenses were completely exposed.

Lu Ye, quick-eyed and nimble-handed, unleashed a slash. Spiritual light pulsed on his long blade, enhanced by spirit patterns. As the blade descended, the man was disemboweled, screamed, and fell to the ground. Xie Jin's long sword vibrated repeatedly, piercing the opponent's wrist and severing the tendons. With a clang, the weapon fell to the ground. Lu Ye flipped his long blade, thrusting straight down into the opponent's heart. As he withdrew his blade, blood gushed out.

The next instant, Lu Ye and Xie Jin swept left and right respectively, where two other intense skirmishes were still ongoing.

Lu Ye rushed towards Qiao Qiao'er's battle. She and the male cultivator were whipping their long whips vigorously, spiritual light constantly flickering from them. Qiao Qiao'er had been struck by a whip across her face; half her cheek was swollen high, with a very noticeable whip mark. However, her opponent was no better off. It was unclear what injuries he had sustained, but his posture was now peculiar, his legs clamped tightly together, and his face as pale as paper.

Seeing that his side had already lost two members, and even their strongest fifth-level cultivator was dead, the male cultivator knew his time was short. He endured a whip lash from Qiao Qiao'er, which tore his skin, then pulled a spirit talisman from his storage bag and launched it at her. The spirit talisman exploded, transforming into three slashes arranged in a triangular pattern that instantly attacked Qiao Qiao'er.

Qiao Qiao'er tried to dodge but couldn't. She hurriedly retreated, attempting to retrieve a Golden Body Talisman from her storage bag. At this critical moment, a figure suddenly darted in front of her, and a shimmering, shield-like object appeared before them, blocking the attacks. Thud, thud, thud... The three slashes landed but failed to budge the shield in the slightest.

With the crisis averted, Qiao Qiao'er blinked, looked at the figure shielding her, and smiled, though the injury on her face made her smile appear somewhat frightening and distorted.

A rumbling sound emanated as a wild boar charged forward with full force. The male cultivator wielding the whip had just taken a lash from Qiao Qiao'er, his tendons and bones already broken, making escape impossible. With a thud, the wild boar sent the male cultivator flying. Its tusks, protruding from its mouth, scraped off a chunk of flesh. When he landed, the fourth-level cultivator was barely breathing. Qiao Qiao'er brought her whip down, and in her fury, the long whip directly smashed the man's head open, as if crushing a watermelon.

On the other side, Song Xie's faint cough was heard. Beside him, the giant scorpion's pointed tail impaled a person, holding them high. The person was not yet dead and struggled violently, blood and organs continuously spilling out, making for a gruesome scene.