Chapter 162: Killed Out of Fear

The time it takes for an incense stick to burn quickly passed. Lu Ye stood up and walked towards his designated battlefield.

From the Myriad Demons Ridge side, a tall man immediately stepped forward to meet him. This man had a bare chest covered in thick hair, and what was even more striking were the pair of ox horns on his head.

This was a monster cultivator!

A sturdy build and vigorous qi-blood are characteristics of many monster cultivators. Therefore, they are well-suited for the path of body cultivation. Major sects also like to recruit such monster cultivators; with a little refinement and training, they become good disciples.

This monster cultivator held a round shield the size of a basin in one hand. Judging by its spiritual glow, it was clearly a good spiritual artifact.

The Myriad Demons Ridge's strategy was clear. Since Lu Ye, a fifth-level cultivator, possessed strength and speed surpassing that of a sixth-level cultivator, they would not send out weapon cultivators. Because, even if they were weapon cultivators, being unable to match Lu Ye in strength and speed, merely having one level higher cultivation was meaningless. The weapon cultivators who had fought earlier were the best examples of this.

Since weapon cultivators were ineffective, and ghost cultivators were few in number and unsuitable for direct combat, the only options left were body cultivators and spell cultivators.

Lu Ye's offensive capabilities were indeed very strong. Given this, they decided to counter with strong defense. Having witnessed Lu Ye's previous battles, the Myriad Demons Ridge side didn't expect to defeat him within a few fights. But he would eventually run out of steam, and at that point, it would be the Myriad Demons Ridge's turn to claim victory.

"Jade Blood Sect, Lu Ye!" Lu Ye announced politely as usual.

The monster cultivator mumbled something, not really wanting to respond. But not responding would make it seem as if he feared Lu Ye, so he rumbled, "Hundred Barbarian Mountain, Niu Meng!"

As his voice fell, he raised the spiritual artifact shield on his arm, channeling spiritual power into it. The shield's protective aura expanded, forming a barrier in front of him that covered an area of ten feet.

His qi-blood energy began to surge, gathering spiritual power to form a second layer of defense around his body, and he adopted a defensive stance.

This was the plan his senior disciple brother had formulated when he was preparing to go on stage. He was adept at defending against attacks, but not at offense; his inferior speed was a fatal flaw. So, his senior disciple brother had instructed him: "As soon as you're up there, immediately assume a defensive posture. You don't need to do much; just defend well against that Jade Blood Sect guy's attacks, and try your best to stall for time and exhaust his physical and mental energy."

He did as instructed!

However, the anticipated attack did not come. He looked up, peering through his spiritual artifact towards the front, only to see that Lu Ye was not charging forward as he had in previous battles, but was standing quietly in place, calmly looking at him.

Niu Meng scratched his head and looked back at his senior disciple brothers and sisters. He clearly wanted to ask how to deal with this situation.

Those senior disciple brothers and sisters were also a bit stunned, not expecting Lu Ye, who had been so aggressive and offensive before, to change his usual approach this time.

An eighth-level cultivator, who also exhibited monster cultivator characteristics, said, "If he doesn't come over, you charge at him and force him to engage!"

Stalling for time was clearly to Lu Ye's advantage. The Heavenly Mystery Pact had a three-day time limit clause, so the Myriad Demons Ridge side was unwilling to prolong the fight under any circumstances. They wished they could keep fighting Lu Ye continuously. If not for Li Baxian's strenuous efforts, Lu Ye would not even have been granted the incense-stick-length rest period after each battle.

"Oh!" Niu Meng responded, and charged towards Lu Ye with his spiritual artifact raised. Although his speed wasn't fast, his momentum was incredibly imposing, giving the impression of a wall crashing forward.

After being in the Spirit Stream Battlefield for so long, this was the first time Lu Ye had encountered an opponent who was so thoroughly protected even before the fight began. He didn't charge forward immediately; he was merely looking for a weakness in his opponent. But after observing, there seemed to be no exploitable flaws.

Seeing his opponent charging, Lu Ye had no choice but to act. The distance between them rapidly closed. When they were close enough, Niu Meng slightly pulled his arm back, then thrust it out powerfully.

At that instant, the spiritual energy barrier that expanded from the spiritual artifact shield on his arm actually swelled outwards, as if a real wall were crashing into Lu Ye!

If this blow had landed solidly, Lu Ye, though perhaps not breaking his bones, would at least have been disoriented for a while.

Fortunately, Lu Ye sensed danger and leaped up, soaring over Niu Meng's head. While in mid-air, he brought his blade down towards Niu Meng's head.

Niu Meng raised his arm, using the shield's protective power to block the blow. Before he could turn around, the sound of a long blade cutting through the air came from behind him again.

As the blade light flashed, Niu Meng felt his protective spiritual power and qi-blood energy being directly sliced through. Pain shot through his back. He hastily turned around and threw a punch.

However, Lu Ye had already flashed away, causing the punch to miss its target.

The instantaneous clash ended with a blade wound on the back of the monster cultivator named Niu Meng.

"So painful!" Niu Meng exhaled hot air from his nostrils, his eyes turning somewhat red. The intense pain filled his already not-so-bright mind with rage, making him want only to smash his opponent flat!

This was a drawback of monster cultivators: when their cultivation wasn't high, their intelligence wasn't very developed either. They were easily influenced by their animalistic instincts. This situation typically only improved once they reached the Cloud River Realm.

Thinking this, he reached out to grab Lu Ye. His large, fan-like hand opened, almost completely blocking Lu Ye's vision.

Lu Ye crouched low, slipped under his armpit, and reappeared behind him. In the same spot, the same blade struck down!

Niu Meng staggered, blood gushing from his back, staining the ground crimson.

He turned again, still wanting to fight, but then a muffled thunder-like voice called out, "Concede!" It was his eighth-level senior disciple brother, who couldn't bear to watch any longer. Knowing that Niu Meng would surely die if the fight continued, he rushed out as he shouted, grabbing Niu Meng by his ox horns and dragging him back into the crowd.

Niu Meng looked utterly bewildered...

Lu Ye did not pursue. He felt that this opponent was a bit simple-minded. However, monster cultivators were indeed formidable; he had taken two such blade strikes and hadn't died. It was important to note that each of those strikes was imbued with a Sharpness spiritual pattern. An ordinary sixth-level cultivator would likely have been cleaved in half. But although Niu Meng's injuries were not light, his life was definitely not in danger.

This made him realize that if he ever faced monster cultivators again, he would need to land a few more strikes.

"Little Junior Brother, do you need a rest?" Li Baxian asked with concern.

"No need!" Lu Ye shook his head and looked towards the Myriad Demons Ridge camp.

Another sturdy body cultivator stepped forward, his expression solemn and tragic.

Twenty breaths later, this body cultivator lay in a pool of blood, blood gushing from a massive wound on his neck, his body twitching...

Although this person was also a body cultivator, he did not possess Niu Meng's naturally robust physique, and thus could not escape death.

Battle after battle followed ceaselessly. Unless Lu Ye needed to rest, whenever a battle concluded, a new challenger from the Myriad Demons Ridge side would step onto the stage.

The Myriad Demons Ridge side had originally intended to use body cultivators to exhaust Lu Ye's physical and mental energy. However, after a few battles, they reluctantly discovered that while the idea was good, it was utterly unfeasible, because even body cultivators could not withstand Lu Ye's slashes!

The spiritual artifact in the hands of this Jade Blood Sect disciple was excessively sharp!

The protection and physique that body cultivators relied on for survival seemed utterly fragile before his long blade. It was almost unbelievable how vulnerable they were. This was confirmed when Lu Ye shattered a body cultivator's defensive spiritual artifact in just three strikes!

That was a defensive spiritual artifact. Even if it was a low-grade one, it was still a defensive spiritual artifact. To have it forcibly shattered in three strikes was something no one would have believed if they hadn't witnessed it themselves.

The Myriad Demons Ridge side then tentatively sent out several spell cultivators. The result was even worse, because the arena had restrictions: spell cultivators could only keep a maximum distance of twenty zhang from Lu Ye.

A distance of twenty zhang—at Lu Ye's current full-burst speed, he could cover it in just three breaths. It was easy to imagine the fate of a spell cultivator once a weapon cultivator closed in.

As night fell, the cultivators of the Haotian Alliance side engaged in lively discussions, some even brewed wine and played the zither, creating a tremendously festive atmosphere.

In contrast, on the Myriad Demons Ridge side, a stifling atmosphere, like a misty, overcast day, enveloped them. Each Myriad Demons Ridge cultivator wore a grim expression, as if their parents had died.

For no other reason than this: Lu Ye had been waiting on the arena stage for half an hour, yet no one dared to come forward and fight!

Throughout the entire day, more than a dozen people had been killed by Lu Ye. Even the best performing among the sixth-level cultivators could not last more than thirty breaths against Lu Ye. Most were struck down in a few blows, either dying or sustaining severe injuries. Those who yelled "concede" quickly enough might save their lives, while those who were too slow could only fall dead on the spot.

In short, the people of Myriad Demons Ridge were terrified of being killed!

No one dared to easily step up to fight anymore, even though the person standing there was a living treasure trove.

Furthermore, with each successive victory, Lu Ye himself underwent some miraculous changes. His qi-blood and killing intent gathered around him, forming an indescribable aura. It seemed to be a manifestation of his own conviction: to advance without hesitation, sweeping away all obstacles!

"Brother Li, if your little junior brother survives this ordeal, his future will undoubtedly be limitless," a Spirit Stream Ranking expert from the Haotian Alliance said to Li Baxian.

Li Baxian's grin stretched almost to his ears. He laughed heartily, "My little junior brother, that goes without saying."

"Brother Li, you know what I'm referring to."

Li Baxian's eyes flickered. He did not respond, as the comment was difficult to answer.

"An invincible bearing, a blessing from the Heavenly Mystery!" While Li Baxian didn't respond, someone else spoke up nearby. It was another Spirit Stream Ranking expert, who evidently also understood what was happening.

Li Baxian smiled faintly. "It's too early to say that now."

"The signs are already there," the person slowly shook his head.

Heavenly Mystery Blessing, this was a legendary phenomenon. In Kyushu and on the Spirit Stream Battlefield, the Heavenly Mystery was omnipresent. Legend had it that those with an invincible bearing could receive a Heavenly Mystery Blessing, undergoing a complete transformation.

An invincible bearing was a concept, a kind of aura, and more importantly, a belief. To form this belief, one needed to accumulate it through battle after battle. When accumulated to an extreme, it could attract the Heavenly Mystery and receive its blessing.

However, throughout history, while there had been countless cultivators in Kyushu, only a handful had received the Heavenly Mystery Blessing. The last time a Heavenly Mystery Blessing appeared was several decades ago.

And the person who received that Heavenly Mystery Blessing was named Feng Wujiang!

Coincidentally, this person was also a disciple of the Jade Blood Sect back then.