Chapter 1266: Hugging the Stone

Yu Yaorao had barely finished speaking when the ground suddenly trembled. Amidst rolling waves of energy, she caught sight of Lu Ye's figure shooting into the sky, heading straight for the enormous demonic cloud.

Yu Yaorao was stunned. She had clearly warned Lu Ye to be careful of the opponent's tricky demonic energy, but Lu Ye clearly didn't heed her words. She couldn't tell if he was confident or arrogant.

But Yu Yaorao soon realized it wasn't arrogance, as intense sounds of combat quickly erupted from within the demonic cloud. Initially, the Sky Wolf clan's roar was full of vigor and quite powerful, but in just three breaths, it turned into gasps and low shouts, followed by cries of agony and despair.

A few more breaths later, the massive demonic cloud dramatically dispersed. A figure stood in mid-air, one hand holding a blade, the other holding aloft a huge wolf head. The wolf head's eyes were wide open, filled with terror, appearing as if it had died with a lingering grievance.

Drip, drip. Blood flowed from the wound, falling lightly. Though faint, the sound struck Yu Yaorao's heart like a heavy hammer.

Lu Ye flew back, casually tossing the wolf head aside. His expression was normal, as if he had only gone out to pick a wild flower, not a wolf head.

Yu Yaorao was profoundly shaken. Such decisive and efficient enemy-slaying was something she found hard to adapt to, no matter how many times she witnessed it. Originally, she had some confidence in her own strength, having repeatedly proven her abilities when traveling with Zhao Yunliu. However, only at this moment did she realize that before a true prodigy, her so-called prodigy status from her own realm seemed to have little distinction from an ordinary Divine Sea Realm cultivator.

Zhao Yunliu hailed from Baxing, a top-tier realm, and was considered exceptionally outstanding among the prodigies who entered the Primordial Realm. However, compared to Yu Yaorao herself, the gap was still significant.

Lu Ye gradually realized a problem: Yu Yaorao, with her mere fourth-level Divine Sea Realm cultivation, might become the most dazzling star in the entire Primordial Realm. Anyone who underestimated her because of her cultivation would undoubtedly pay a heavy price.

She needed to speed up her recovery. Yu Yaorao wasn't leaving at the moment, evidently caring for her injuries, but she couldn't keep him here indefinitely. She had to recover as quickly as possible and then leave, so as not to burden him.

She finally understood why all these people had come. The revelation from the Reincarnation Tree must have descended once already. Over two hundred kills were simply illogical, and coupled with the obscurity of Yu Yaorao's Four Heavens Realm origin, it was bound to attract attention from others.

Those confident in their strength, hoping to climb the ranks by stepping over him, would naturally come looking for him. Others, driven by curiosity, would come to watch the excitement. As a result, this place would naturally become a gathering hub for cultivators.

Lu Ye soon realized what he had overlooked, because the Reincarnation Tree's second revelation had descended.

"How... how was this done?"

Because in her perception, she could clearly sense hidden presences from all directions.

Thinking this, Zhu Qianxin swallowed another precious healing pill and quietly refined it.

"Senior Sister Yu, you'd best remain here."

Why was it like this? Lu Ye couldn't understand, but he knew he must have overlooked something. Otherwise, those prodigy cultivators scattered everywhere couldn't have all gathered here, and those Lu Ye had killed earlier had specifically sought him out by name.

Lu Ye didn't know if Zhu Qianxin was intentional or unintentional, but the bodies of the cultivators he had slain were neatly arranged beside them, clear for anyone to see.

Lu Ye could roughly guess the mindset of the cultivators hiding in the vicinity.

He had thought that the most likely ones to come looking for him would be either Gu Yulou from the Yellow Dragon Realm or You Ping from the Northern Underworld Ghost Domain. This was because if these two harbored ambitions for the top spot, they would have to find a way to eliminate him. As for others... even if they came looking for trouble, it wouldn't have much significance, because even if they somehow managed to kill him, their ranking would only rise by one position, offering no substantial benefit.

Lu Ye looked up, gazing in the direction of the voice, and indeed saw a burly figure steadily approaching from there.

Subsequently, every so often, someone would arrive from a different direction and then engage in a fierce battle. But regardless of their race or origin realm, without exception, they either died or were severely injured.

Two hundred and eighteen! Simply looking at that number was unremarkable, but it represented the cultivators' gains in the Primordial Realm. Each increase in that number meant the accumulation of a prodigy's blood from another realm.

Beside their resting place, fresh corpses accumulated continuously. In less than two days, four more individuals had already perished there.

The situation here now maintained a peculiar balance. Those who intended to test their strength dared not act rashly, while those observing the excitement waited for others to make the first move. Thus, the overall situation was relatively calm.

A large chunk of information appeared in her mind, containing twenty names. These twenty names included the top ten and bottom ten ranked individuals at the current stage.

Lu Ye was waiting, waiting for a truly formidable opponent. Only then could he resolve the problem once and for all; otherwise, those with malicious intentions lurking around would not easily disperse.

But she quickly discovered that things seemed to be getting complicated, because less than an hour after Lu Ye slew the Sky Wolf clan cultivator, someone else came knocking. After a brief and intense confrontation, the newcomer was, as expected, cut down by Yu Yaorao's blade.

Lu Ye nodded slightly, recognizing the newcomer. They hadn't met before, but according to the Reincarnation Tree's revelation, Baoshi from the Seven-Colored Domain had previously been ranked first.

He had been waiting for the two individuals he deemed the most formidable, but instead of them, he had encountered Baoshi, who was previously ranked first.

But merely observing the excitement didn't mean they wouldn't kick someone when they were down. The current situation was temporarily stable due to the clear precedent. The four bloody corpses on the ground undoubtedly created a powerful visual impact and deterrent. Anyone intending to cause trouble for him would have to weigh whether they were stronger than the fallen.

After two days of recuperation, Yu Yaorao's injuries had recovered significantly. According to her original plan, she should have left Lu Ye and acted independently. However, the developments over these two days made it impossible for her to leave.

Just as they were waiting, the ground suddenly began to tremble gently. Initially, the tremors were not obvious, but as time passed, the vibrations became clearer, as if some colossal entity was slowly approaching.

Lu Ye didn't know if the Seven-Colored Domain was a top-tier realm, but for Baoshi to be ranked first in this Divine Sea Realm competition meant he was incomparable to the cultivators Lu Ye had encountered before. In fact, Lu Ye indeed felt some pressure from the opponent's aura.

In other words, their position had already been surrounded! However, the several corpses lying on the ground provided a strong enough deterrent and shock, so for now, no one dared to act rashly, to avoid meeting the same fate as those who had fallen.

"Lu Ye..." Yu Yaorao couldn't help but call out softly. She had many questions, but once the words were out, she didn't know where to begin. She couldn't just directly ask Lu Ye about the two hundred plus kills, could she?

The one ranked first was none other than Lu Yiye from the Four Heavens Realm; the number two hundred and eighteen after his name made her dizzy.

His body seemed extremely heavy, as every step he took left deep imprints on the ground, making the earth tremble gently.

Those quick to react could swiftly retreat after a few clashes and preserve their lives. Those who were slow to react, once the confrontation dragged on for more than ten breaths, basically had no chance of survival.

Yu Yaorao stared blankly at Lu Ye nearby, truly unable to understand how such a seemingly quiet young man, without any particularly domineering aura, could have killed so many.

Lu Ye's voice rang in her ears, sounding somewhat solemn: "It's a Stone Clan member. It must be Baoshi!"

Lu Ye roughly guessed her thoughts and offered no explanation. Since the Reincarnation Tree counted those insectoid guards as his kills, then they were rightfully his. If others were unconvinced, they could certainly try to uproot the insect nest themselves.

But such calm was bound to be broken. Lu Ye didn't believe he could remain undisturbed until the Primordial Realm closed. Not to mention others, among the top-ranked prodigies, there would surely be those who aspired to the number one spot. These prodigies were true powerhouses, and to reach the top, they would have to bring him down.

The figure was abnormally burly. Even Lu Ye, clad in his dragon armor, might not be as tall and imposing. The newcomer was bare-chested, with only simple beast hide wrapped around his lower body. His skin gleamed with an ancient bronze luster, and his muscles were distinctly defined. At first glance, he didn't look fleshy at all, but rather like a stack of stones.

Yu Yaorao realized she seemed to have misunderstood some things.

This was undoubtedly a form of deterrence, and also a warning.

Previously, if Yu Yaorao had left, she would have simply left. Even if her injuries were not fully healed, she still had some strength and wouldn't be completely defenseless against danger. But in the current situation, it was no longer suitable for her to leave. Now, countless cultivators were hidden in all directions, and they had all seen Yu Yaorao with Lu Ye. If Yu Yaorao were to leave at this moment, she would easily be targeted, and in her current state, she couldn't withstand too many attacks.

They might not all be here to cause him trouble; perhaps many were just here to watch the excitement. After all, his kill count was too astonishing; surely everyone would want to see if he had three heads and six arms.

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