Chapter 143: You May Not Believe It If I Tell You

In a dangerous area within the inner circle of the battlefield, a fierce battle had just concluded. A man, covered in blood from the fighting, was meditating to recover his strength, while a young girl with twin buns stood guard nearby. Though her expression showed fatigue, her eyes were exceptionally bright.

Her young master was resting, and no matter how tired she was, she would not allow anyone to disturb him.

This master-and-servant pair was Wang Yang and Xiao Zhu from the Xuan Sect. After conquering the Nine Star Sect's stronghold, Wang Yang led Xiao Zhu out of the outer circle of the battlefield and into the inner circle. For cultivators of their level, only by tempering themselves in the inner circle could they gain sufficient benefits.

While one could reign supreme in the outer circle, that would only hinder their cultivation progress. Cultivators with any ambition, once their strength reached a certain level, would gravitate towards the inner and core circles. Most importantly, it was in these areas that they could earn ample battle merits.

During his meditation, Wang Yang suddenly opened his eyes and checked his battlefield mark.

“Hmm?” His expression immediately turned very peculiar.

Xiao Zhu heard the movement and turned to look. “What’s wrong, Young Master?”

Wang Yang looked at her. “You might not believe it, but that guy Dong Shuye sent me a message.”

“Dong Shuye?” Xiao Zhu was surprised.

After the Nine Star Sect's stronghold was captured, Dong Shuye had rushed back, only to have three of his spirit apertures shattered by Wang Yang. Since then, he had vanished without a trace. Later, news from the Nine Star Sect reported that Dong Shuye had betrayed the sect, and a bounty was placed on him, but to this day, the Nine Star Sect had been unable to apprehend him.

The Spirit Creek Battlefield was too vast. Unless the Nine Star Sect specifically dispatched several high-level cultivators to search for Dong Shuye’s whereabouts, it would be difficult to find him.

As for why Dong Shuye could send a message to Wang Yang, it was naturally because the two had added each other as “friends.” It wasn't because they had any particular friendship. Rather, as the garrison commanders of their respective sect strongholds, and with their sects being hostile towards each other, their junior disciples often clashed. As commanders, they frequently had to engage in negotiations. Leaving each other's marks on their battlefield imprints allowed them to communicate remotely in many situations, saving a lot of trouble.

Initially, it was Dong Shuye who added Wang Yang. However, he deeply regretted this decision, because ever since they could communicate via their battlefield marks, Wang Yang would occasionally send greetings like “I’ll slice off your dog head” or “Come out and die.” This annoyed Dong Shuye endlessly, and he had considered erasing Wang Yang’s mark several times.

After Dong Shuye's three spirit apertures were shattered, Wang Yang stopped bothering him. With his spirit apertures broken and his future prospects ruined, Dong Shuye no longer posed a threat to Wang Yang. Furthermore, he was wanted by the Nine Star Sect. Wang Yang had no interest in paying much attention to such a defeated individual.

Unexpectedly, he had initiated contact today.

“What did he say?” Xiao Zhu asked, curious.

“You might not believe this either, but the message he sent was about that Overlord Tiger.”

“Overlord Tiger Yi Ye?”

Xiao Zhu remembered this person clearly. Although he wasn't a Xuan Sect disciple, he had played a significant role in the Xuan Sect's successful capture of the Nine Star Sect’s stronghold. At the time, she had even followed her young master’s orders to sell him a Earth-tier cultivation technique. Nearly three months had passed in a blink, and Xiao Zhu hadn't expected to hear about this person again, let alone from Dong Shuye.

This whole situation felt bizarre, which explained her young master’s peculiar expression.

“See for yourself,” Wang Yang said, transferring the message to Xiao Zhu.

Xiao Zhu looked at it, her brows furrowing tightly.

“Lu Yi Ye, riding a snow-white tiger, disciple of the Azureblood Sect in Bing Province, peerless genius. Cultivation progressed from Spirit Creek third-layer to fifth-layer in two and a half months. Currently located at Fengyun Mountain, presumably on his way back to his sect.”

It was a rather disjointed message.

If Lu Ye had seen this message, he would likely have been dumbfounded. He certainly couldn't live up to the “peerless genius” evaluation; back in Evil Moon Valley, when his talent was tested, he only registered as "One Leaf" and was teased by a man named Le Shan with a small mustache.

“Azureblood Sect in Bing Province?” Xiao Zhu laughed in surprise. “Young Master, we guessed wrong. It seems that Overlord Tiger isn't a disciple of a major sect.”

“Yes, we guessed wrong,” Wang Yang said, a smile playing on his lips. “But his background is no less significant than those disciples from top major sects.”

“Azureblood Sect in Bing Province…” Xiao Zhu murmured. She hadn't paid much attention to the sect's name earlier, merely feeling she'd vaguely heard of it. Now, hearing her young master's words, she suddenly realized, “Is this *that* sect?”

“Indeed, it is *that* sect!”

Xiao Zhu was startled, vaguely realizing something was amiss. “Why would Dong Shuye send this message to Young Master?”

“He wasn't just sending it to me; he sent it to every single mark in his imprint when he was close to death.”

“He was dying?”

“He's already dead!” Wang Yang had tried to contact Dong Shuye upon receiving the message, but Dong Shuye's mark in his battlefield imprint was slowly dissipating, a clear sign that the individual had perished.

In an instant, Wang Yang understood Dong Shuye's intention. This simple message was highly likely to unleash a massive wave across the Spirit Creek Battlefield, and even the entire Nine Provinces.

Wang Yang didn't know how many people Dong Shuye had sent the message to. However, judging by his indiscriminate method of dissemination, he must have been close to death before sending it, leaving him no time to discern who the marks in his imprint belonged to.

Did that Overlord Tiger kill Dong Shuye? It was highly possible. The message stated that Lu Yi Ye was already at the Spirit Creek fifth-layer. Dong Shuye, with three spirit apertures shattered by Wang Yang, had fallen to the sixth-layer. For monstrous talents, it was not difficult to kill someone of a higher cultivation level.

What terrifying cultivation speed! If Dong Shuye's message was accurate, then Wang Yang had truly underestimated that Overlord Tiger. While the opponent wasn't from a top major power, even disciples from such powers might not be as formidable as him.

For some reason, a surge of passion welled up in Wang Yang's chest, and he abruptly stood up.

“Young Master?” Xiao Zhu was bewildered by her young master's sudden display of battle intent.

“A grand gathering is approaching. Let's go meet the heroes of the world!” Wang Yang declared, striding outwards, and simultaneously instructed, “Spread the news!”

“Oh,” Xiao Zhu responded, following behind Wang Yang and raising her hand to tap her own battlefield mark.

At this very moment, in various parts of the Spirit Creek Battlefield, many people received Dong Shuye's message. Some remained indifferent, having no idea what purpose Dong Shuye had in sending it, while others wore grave expressions and promptly reported the news.

The news spread like wildfire, from one to ten, from ten to a hundred. In less than half a day, it had permeated the entire Spirit Creek Battlefield. Everyone who cared knew that the Azureblood Sect in Bing Province had produced a genius disciple whose cultivation speed was astonishingly fast, advancing from the Spirit Creek third-layer to the fifth-layer in just over two months.

The world was not short of cultivation geniuses. Advancing two layers in just over two months seemed like a significant improvement, but in the early stages of a cultivator's journey, such a rate of progress was achievable if resources and cultivation environment were sufficiently good, especially for disciples from top major sects. Or perhaps they had encountered some fortuitous events in the battlefield.

No one had yet fully understood what kind of space the Spirit Creek Battlefield was or where it was located within the Nine Provinces. Some had speculated that the Spirit Creek Battlefield was entirely unrelated to the Nine Provinces, being a world beyond them, while others hypothesized that it was a space isolated by ancient mighty individuals with immense power. Both theories had their reasons, as the battlefield had revealed numerous ruins that bore no resemblance to the Nine Provinces' style, as well as some extremely ancient sites. These ruins and sites were usually undetected and deeply hidden, but there were always individuals with extraordinary luck who could stumble upon fortuitous encounters in these places and rise to prominence overnight.

If that Azureblood Sect disciple had gained some fortuitous encounters in the battlefield, then advancing two layers in cultivation in just over two months would be explainable.

However, news regarding Lu Yi Ye soon arrived from the Nine Provinces.

Less than half a year ago, the Vast Sky Alliance in Bing Province attacked Evil Moon Valley. After Evil Moon Valley was conquered, ten sects recruited disciples, and at that time, Lu Yi Ye was accepted by the Azureblood Sect. His real name was Lu Ye; 'Yi Ye' was merely a nickname given to him because his talent test at the time registered as 'One Leaf'.

At that time, he had only opened one spirit aperture!

In other words, in less than half a year, Lu Yi Ye had grown from a cultivator with one spirit aperture to the fifth-layer. On average, he advanced one layer in just over a month. Compared to a two-and-a-half-month two-layer increase, achieving fifth-layer cultivation from just one spirit aperture in less than half a year was undoubtedly more astonishing!

A 'One Leaf' talent could hardly be called a genius, so such rapid growth could only be explained by fortuitous encounters.

Moreover, he didn't have a particularly good cultivation environment, as the Azureblood Sect's sect master, Tang Yifeng, had been ambushed while bringing him back to the sect. Information later emerged that although Tang Yifeng had managed to kill his assailants, he was severely wounded and had been recuperating on Ao Mountain for the past six months, staying indoors. As for Lu Ye, he was reported to have tragically died in the aftermath of the battle. The Azureblood Sect, having just recruited a new disciple, had once again lost its lineage.

Pang Zhen, the Vice Alliance Leader of the Vast Sky Alliance, confirmed this news and was enraged, ordering a thorough investigation. Several influential figures secretly colluding with the Myriad Demon Ridge faction were indeed apprehended. This incident caused a huge uproar throughout the cultivation world of Bing Province at the time.

However, it now appeared that Pang Zhen's words were utter nonsense.

Lu Ye hadn't died at all; instead, Tang Yifeng had sent him into the Spirit Creek Battlefield. Furthermore, whether Tang Yifeng himself was severely wounded remained to be confirmed. After all, that old Tang Yifeng, despite appearing like a venerable immortal and highly respected, was actually full of schemes. The cultivators of the Myriad Demon Ridge faction in the Nine Provinces back then had suffered greatly from him.

News traveled quickly in the cultivation world. In just one day, Lu Ye's origins, his background, and even the ambush he and the sect master encountered on their way back to the sect were all unearthed, with every detail exposed. Some things simply couldn't be hidden. Once a clue was found, those who paid attention could connect all the dots.

Suddenly, many sects began to take the matter seriously. Decades ago, the Azureblood Sect in Bing Province was a renowned sect across the Nine Provinces, and a nightmare for many hostile forces. During that era, cultivators of the Myriad Demon Ridge faction had endured harsh suppression under the Azureblood Sect, struggling to survive while resisting.