Chapter 1361: A Group of Madmen

The Rise of Kyushu

"Put away the Ten Thousand Souls Banner!" Lu Ye commanded.The woman dared not disobey. She channeled spiritual power into the large banner before her, cooperating fully throughout the process, not even daring to entertain any mischievous thoughts. There was no alternative; in this situation, if she dared to make any sudden move, she would likely perish instantly. Once the banner's domain vanished and all the souls were reabsorbed, Lu Ye calmly extended a hand towards her.

The woman obediently handed the Ten Thousand Souls Banner to Lu Ye. Lu Ye put the banner away and cast a glance at Nian Yuexian. Nian Yuexian immediately summoned an Immortal Binding Rope and securely bound the woman. Only then did Lu Ye withdraw the Pan Mountain Blade from her body.

As blood erupted, the woman let out a soft groan, a sound with a unique allure. Tears welled up in her clear, large eyes, clearly indicating she was in pain. Along with her groan, there was a crisp slap. The pitiful woman's head snapped to the side, a red palm print appearing on her fair, snow-white cheek. Nian Yuexian shook her hand and said coolly, "Behave!" The woman lowered her head, her tear-filled eyes full of resentment.

The distant battle continued. As Lu Ye had anticipated, their Star Constellation cultivators had been exposed because they were facing a late-stage Star Constellation cultivator. However, with the outbreak of combat, Star Constellation cultivators from Kyushu quickly arrived from all directions as reinforcements, and the battlefield began to shift extensively. By the time Lu Ye and Nian Yuexian arrived on the scene with the captured woman, the fighting had ceased, and nine Star Constellation cultivators from both sides were in a standoff.

The reason for the standoff was precisely because the late-stage Star Constellation cultivator had shamelessly taken many hostages. He had originally been searching for Kyushu cultivators throughout the Peerless Continent, capturing them and delivering them to the woman to help her upgrade her Ten Thousand Souls Banner. On this trip, he had captured over a dozen individuals, including Spirit Sea and True Lake cultivators. Upon sensing the aura of Kyushu Star Constellation cultivators mid-journey, he immediately launched an attack.

He hadn't paid much attention to the two early-stage Star Constellation cultivators. However, as the battle commenced, he sensed more Star Constellation auras converging from all directions. He immediately realized something was amiss. Although he was powerful, the enemy's numbers were simply too great. He promptly returned to the Kyushu cultivators he had previously captured, intending to assess the situation before making further plans. These captured Kyushu cultivators had all been placed under restrictions, making escape impossible even for Spirit Sea realm cultivators. In his view, the attacking Star Constellation cultivators and the ones he had captured must belong to the same realm. With hostages in hand, the enemy would be hesitant to act, giving him the upper hand.

Indeed, just as he thought, after his maneuver, the eight Star Constellation cultivators from Kyushu ceased their attacks. They formed pairs and completely surrounded him. He began sending messages to his companions, but to his shock, none of them replied. Just as he was wondering if something had happened to his companions, Lu Ye and Nian Yuexian arrived, bringing the woman with them.

Upon seeing the woman's miserable state, the late-stage Star Constellation cultivator's expression darkened slightly. He realized that his other two companions had likely met a grim fate. This was because the body cultivator they had been pursuing was now present. His gaze swept over the Kyushu cultivators, and the late-stage Star Constellation cultivator calmly asked, "Who's in charge?"

Ten early-stage Star Constellation cultivators—such a lineup was rare. Generally, a realm's Star Constellation cultivators wouldn't solely consist of early-stage practitioners; there would always be some mid- or late-stage ones. Such a unique situation would only arise in a large realm that had recently been promoted, or if stronger individuals were hidden. However, in this situation, he didn't believe the enemy had a reason to hide. Thus, he boldly speculated that the realm these individuals belonged to was likely a newly promoted large realm that had only recently connected with the starry sky, which would explain a lineup consisting solely of early-stage Star Constellation cultivators. With this thought, he felt a sense of calm.

For a newly promoted large realm, the cultivators born within it wouldn't possess extensive knowledge, and their strength would be limited. Therefore, although he appeared to be at a disadvantage on the surface, he was confident he could resolve the situation. At worst, he still possessed the ability to escape alone. A mere group of early-stage Star Constellation cultivators was truly beneath his notice. First, he needed to ascertain who was in charge.

Amidst the silence, Lu Ye calmly spoke, "How should I address you?"The late-stage Star Constellation cultivator's gaze had been lingering on Jian Guhong and Meng Jie. Based on his experience, he could tell these two were the oldest among those present, and it was normal for the elder to be in charge, assuming equal cultivation levels. However, it was the youngest-looking one who spoke. He scrutinized Lu Ye, finding nothing particularly special about him, and spoke with arrogance, "Zhao Tianmu!" Lu Ye nodded slightly, "Li Taibai!" Having learned from his encounter with the Little People, Lu Ye was unwilling to reveal his real name when facing cultivators from other realms. Heaven knew if these individuals would connect him to Lu Yiye of the Nine Heavens Realm.

The Kyushu cultivators remained unfazed."Fellow Daoist Li!"Lu Ye raised a hand to stop him, "Our paths diverge; you are not worthy of being called a fellow Daoist!"Zhao Tianmu's brows furrowed slightly, but he didn't press the matter. He calmly said, "Since that's the case, I won't insist. Given the current situation, what are your intentions?"

Lu Ye glanced at the dozen-plus Kyushu cultivators beside Zhao Tianmu, then turned to look at the delicate woman beside him. He said, "You have hostages, and I have one. So, you release your people, and I'll release mine. That's fair!"Zhao Tianmu replied, "Very well, I thought so too. However, you only have one person, while I have over ten. There's a significant difference in numbers..."

"The one I have is a Star Constellation cultivator, while yours are Spirit Sea and True Lake cultivators. There's a disparity in cultivation levels too. So, both sides release their captives, and no one loses out."Zhao Tianmu shook his head, "With all of you glaring like hungry tigers, may I assume that once I release my people, you will all rush forward?"

"You're a late-stage cultivator, and we're all early-stage. Even if we swarm you, what can we do to you?"Zhao Tianmu chuckled, "That's a fair point. If I wanted to leave, you couldn't stop me. But while that's true in theory, it can't be handled that way in practice."

"Then what do you propose? You can share it, and we can discuss it."Zhao Tianmu's expression became serious, clearly indicating he had a plan. He said, "I'll release half of the people first, in exchange for my junior sister. Then, before my junior sister and I leave this realm, I'll release the other half."

Lu Ye slowly shook his head, "Absolutely not! If that's the case, who can guarantee you won't kill the other half before you leave?"Zhao Tianmu replied, "I am a late-stage Star Constellation cultivator; what pleasure would I derive from killing these True Lake and Spirit Sea cultivators? Besides... you don't seem to have much of a choice!"

As he spoke, he raised a hand and, with a grab, pulled a Spirit Sea cultivator in front of him. With one hand clamped around the individual's neck, Zhao Tianmu smiled faintly, "I have so many people in my hands; killing a few probably doesn't make much difference. Either you agree to my proposal, or I'll start killing them until you do!"Lu Ye watched him silently, not uttering a word.

Zhao Tianmu's grip tightened, and the Spirit Sea cultivator, whose neck was being squeezed, began to show signs of distress. Seeing Lu Ye hesitate, Zhao Tianmu seemed somewhat pleased and urged, "You need to make a decision quickly. I can't guarantee I won't make a mistake; killing a Spirit Sea cultivator is as simple as crushing an ant!"Lu Ye's gaze shifted to the restrained Spirit Sea cultivator. "Which sect are you from?"The Spirit Sea cultivator replied with difficulty, "Ding Province, Chaotian Sect!""Any last words?"The Spirit Sea cultivator's expression was strained, but he grimaced with a sneer, "Make them bury me!"Lu Ye nodded, remaining still. He gripped his saber hilt with a backhand, swung it out diagonally, and in a flash of blade light, the long saber was already sheathed!

Zhao Tianmu's smile instantly froze. He stared at Lu Ye with an incredulous expression, then slowly shifted his gaze to the delicate woman beside Lu Ye. The woman clearly hadn't registered what had happened until a sensation of pain spread from her arm. Only then did she belatedly look down. Blood inexplicably seeped through the sleeve of her upper arm, quickly staining the fabric red. The pain intensified sharply, followed by her arm, along with the severed sleeve, falling to the ground. Blood gushed out!

"Ah!" After a moment of stunned silence, the woman let out a piercing, shrill shriek that echoed to the heavens, filled with pain and terror."Silence!" Nian Yuexian, standing on her other side, snapped coldly.The woman's screams abruptly ceased. Tears streamed down her face, and her entire body trembled violently, whether from pain or fright, it was unclear.

Lu Ye's calm voice rang out, "With so many limbs, it seems breaking a few won't matter! If you want to make a decision, you'd better do it quickly. I can't guarantee I won't make a mistake; perhaps the next strike will sever her head!"Zhao Tianmu's facial muscles twitched violently. He looked at Lu Ye as if he were staring at a madman!

Zhao Tianmu had merely been making a show. Before ensuring his junior sister's safety, he wouldn't genuinely kill anyone, lest he provoke these Star Constellation cultivators from an unknown realm and make the situation irreparable. The life of a Star Constellation cultivator was incomparable to a group of True Lake and Spirit Sea cultivators. However, while he harbored reservations, his opponent showed no such concerns whatsoever. With one strike, an arm was severed, utterly decisive.

Before even drawing his saber, he had asked if the person had any last words, clearly preparing for Zhao Tianmu to retaliate furiously and kill. Yet, the Spirit Sea cultivator had actually answered seriously, showing no intention of begging for mercy or help. Looking at the other Star Constellation cultivators, not one had spoken a word since the young man began to speak. They had merely observed coldly throughout the entire process, not interfering. Even now, their expressions hadn't changed in the slightest, their vital energies locked firmly onto him. The numerous Spirit Sea and True Lake cultivators he had captured were the same; even when he had just threatened to kill a few, he hadn't felt much fear in their hearts.

This wasn't just one madman; these were a group of madmen! A group of lunatics who simply didn't care about life or death! Zhao Tianmu's mind reeled. He truly didn't understand which realm he and his companions had provoked this time, for it to produce so many cultivators with such resolute minds. If such a realm were to grow powerful, it would undoubtedly be terrifying!