Chapter 1265: One Rider Leaving All Behind

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The Wind Rises in Kyushu

Even if they withdrew from the Grand Beginning Realm, their path to becoming a Star Constellation wouldn't be severed in the future. For these exceptional talents, who hail from at least large-scale realms, the path to becoming a Star Constellation has always been open, and opportunities are abundant. They don't necessarily have to compete for that specific chance within the Grand Beginning Realm.

The Divine Sea War had been ongoing for over two months. During this period, an unknown number of participants had died in battle, but there were certainly some who had voluntarily withdrawn.

Of course, these were merely Lu Ye's own considerations. How Yu Yaorao chose to evaluate them was her own affair.

Lu Ye expected the other party wouldn't retreat so easily.

For the prodigies from various realms, those still persisting in the Divine Sea War within the Grand Beginning Realm were no longer fighting solely for the final victory opportunity. More likely, it was a form of self-tempering.

As expected, Yu Yaorao said, "I should rest for a few days first... Junior Brother Lu, don't worry, I certainly won't hold you back. I'll leave once I've recovered a bit." Previously, when she was with Zhao Yunliu and Ding You, she had been willing to ally with Lu Ye. However, under the current circumstances, it was not appropriate to travel with anyone, lest she become a burden.

She had no immediate way to repay his life-saving kindness, so how could she possibly become a burden to him?

Lu Ye remained silent. He wasn't concerned about Yu Yaorao holding him back; rather, he was somewhat worried that he might implicate her.

This woman had been unconscious and hadn't woken up, so she was unaware that the situation within the Grand Beginning Realm had once again shifted.

Only the final twenty days remained of the three-month period. The Revelation of the Reincarnation Tree had also descended half an hour earlier, accompanied by tremors throughout the land.

Yang Qing had mentioned this to him before, and Lu Ye had been anticipating this moment. He was eager to discover what ranking his many kills over this long period would earn him, as this would dictate his subsequent actions.

Although he had some expectations, Lu Ye couldn't help but be surprised when the revelation from the ethereal realm descended, as his name was ranked first!

Nine Heavens Realm, Lu Yiye, two hundred and eight! Lu Ye wasn't surprised by the ranking itself; he knew his position wouldn't be low, and first place wasn't out of the question. What astonished him was the number.

Two hundred and eight was undoubtedly the number of enemies he had killed recently, but this figure was clearly unreasonable.

Unless... the insectoid guards he killed while eradicating the insect lairs were also counted!

He had successively destroyed three insect lairs. Besides killing the dozen or so insectoid cultivators hidden within, he had also exterminated all the insectoid guards. Each lair housed dozens of these guards, so only by including them could his kill count possibly reach over two hundred.

As it stood, this was the only possibility. However, insectoid guards were creations of the insectoid cultivators within their lairs; they weren't considered participants in the Divine Sea War. So, did killing them actually count?

No one had ever told him about this, nor had anyone ever done such a thing before; there was no precedent.

Upon closer thought, the insectoid guards were not weak. They were concentrated within the core of the insect lairs, and commanded by insectoid cultivators. Ordinary cultivators would gain no advantage in a head-on battle in such an environment. Killing insectoid guards under those circumstances didn't seem to be meaningless at all.

All the rules of the Divine Sea War were established by the Reincarnation Tree. If it deemed something reasonable, then it was so, and likely no one could object.

However, this meant Lu Ye's kill count was truly impressive.

In contrast, Gu Yulou from the Yellow Dragon Realm, ranked second, had a mere fifty-three kills.

And You Ping from the Northern Nether Ghost Domain, ranked third, had only forty-nine.

In comparison, the number two hundred and eight was so far ahead that it left others in the dust, making it impossible for them to catch up.

Lu Ye didn't know what kind of uproar the Reincarnation Tree's revelation had caused among the surviving cultivators within the Grand Beginning Realm, but the sheer difference in kill counts had undoubtedly reached a level that made all the prodigies aspiring to the top spot feel despair. The number two hundred and eight was destined to be an insurmountable mountain.

Only twenty names were revealed in the revelation: the top ten and the bottom ten. When cultivators immersed their minds to check on a specific name, they would immediately learn that person's location and could roughly estimate the distance from themselves.

This revelation was originally a change made by the Reincarnation Tree to prevent individuals from exploiting loopholes, ensuring no one could hide until the very end using special secret techniques and gain benefits without effort.

Lu Ye didn't know what impact such a revelation would have on others, but he was certain it would be detrimental to him.

Leaving aside everything else, consider the other individuals in the top ten. Every one of them originated from a top-tier realm, renowned and famous across the starry sky. Only Lu Ye's Nine Heavens Realm was completely obscure. Even though the figure of two hundred and eight was frightening enough, some people would undoubtedly be tempted to test his true capabilities.

Therefore, as soon as the Reincarnation Tree's revelation was released, whether Lu Ye liked it or not, he would instantly become the most conspicuous target.

Furthermore, for the top-ranked cultivators, who undoubtedly hoped to reach the pinnacle and secure the greatest rewards, their original method of surpassing rivals by continuously accumulating kill counts through combat was no longer viable. The current immense gap, with a figure of two hundred and eight being truly excessive and insurmountable through ordinary means, left them with only one choice: eliminate the person ranked first.

As long as Lu Ye was eliminated, his two hundred and eight kills—or even two thousand and eight—would become meaningless.

Therefore, Lu Ye could clearly foresee that at this very moment, many individuals were undoubtedly checking his location. Some were even already converging on his position, and certainly more than one!

He had considered whether to relocate.

The Reincarnation Tree's revelation wasn't continuous; it would last for roughly the time it takes an incense stick to burn, then vanish. After a period, a new revelation would descend, and this cycle would repeat.

Thus, if Lu Ye relocated in time, there was still hope of evading those who sought trouble.

However, he knew he might evade it this time, but not the next. So, after a brief consideration, Lu Ye simply chose to remain where he was.

Let things unfold as they may. The Divine Sea War was nearing its end in twenty days, and having such an opportunity to temper himself in the final moments was not bad at all!

While Lu Ye was contemplating, Yu Yaorao quietly recuperated nearby, neither disturbing the other.

Then, at a certain moment, Yu Yaorao suddenly felt a surge of violent spiritual energy, immediately followed by the clang of a long saber being unsheathed. The spiritual energy, rising like a sudden tempest, made her clothes flap noisily.

When she quickly looked up, she was astonished to find Lu Ye had already sheathed his saber and remained calmly seated. But not far behind him, a short figure had appeared at some unknown moment. At that instant, this figure, wide-eyed, clutched its neck and stumbled backward. After only a few steps, it dropped to its knees with a thud, then fell stiffly to the ground, a horrifying patch of crimson blood quickly spreading beneath it.

Yu Yaorao was startled; she instantly realized that someone had attempted to ambush Lu Ye, only to be cut down by him instead.

What shocked her even more was that she hadn't detected anyone approaching before Lu Ye made his move. While this was partly due to her current weakened state and dulled senses, it also highlighted the assailant's masterful stealth techniques.

This was undoubtedly a ghost cultivator of considerable skill.

Even though she had witnessed Lu Ye's method of killing enemies once before, seeing it again now still evoked a sense of unreality.

She had also achieved kills when traveling with Zhao Yunliu and others, but each time required an extremely arduous battle, gradually turning an advantage into a winning position, and then consolidating it into a decisive victory, only then succeeding. But with Lu Ye, how could killing someone be as simple as slaughtering a chicken?

One must remember that all these cultivators who entered the Grand Beginning Realm were the most formidable Divine Sea realm cultivators of their generation from their respective realms. Even if ghost cultivators weren't proficient in close-quarters combat once their presence was revealed, they shouldn't have been cut down so easily.

Yu Yaorao realized she seemed to have underestimated Junior Brother Lu's capabilities.

However, one thing puzzled her: why would this ghost cultivator ambush Junior Brother Lu? Logically, wouldn't ambushing her have been better? Any discerning individual would have seen that her current poor condition made her an ideal target for a sneak attack.

Unable to understand, and with the person already dead, there was no way to ask.

The scent of blood permeated the air. Yu Yaorao forced herself to her feet and walked toward the corpse.

Lu Ye looked up at her. "Senior Sister Yu, what are you doing?"

"I'll take care of the body. Some people have very keen senses of smell, and the scent of blood might attract their attention," Yu Yaorao explained, panting.

"No need to trouble yourself, Senior Sister. Just rest," Lu Ye said. Hearing this, Yu Yaorao didn't insist and quietly sat back down.

Moments later, she suddenly looked up in a certain direction, her expression grave. "Junior Brother Lu," she said, "it seems they're coming for us."

Lu Ye nodded. "I see them."

In that direction, demonic energy surged skyward, and demonic clouds rolled in, connecting heaven and earth with truly terrifying momentum.

The gigantic demonic cloud stopped less than three miles from Lu Ye. Within the cloud, an extremely potent and wild aura permeated, and surges of bestial roars emanated from within.

Wolf howls, followed by a massive head emerging from the demonic cloud.

It was distinctly a wolf's head, ferociously menacing and terrifying.

The wolf head looked down on Lu Ye from above, its eyes brimming with cold indifference and viciousness, inspiring dread. Then, the wolf head spoke, its voice like rumbling thunder: "Are you that Lu Yiye from the Nine Heavens Realm?"

Lu Ye looked up, narrowed his eyes at the wolf head, and remained silent.

Yu Yaorao, however, seemed slightly nervous and secretly transmitted a message to Lu Ye: "Junior Brother Lu, be careful. This appears to be a Heavenly Wolf from the demon race, likely drawn by the scent of blood. Its demonic energy is peculiar and can induce madness. If you intend to fight it, be sure not to let its demonic energy touch you."