Chapter 1662: This is Human Work? (With Notice)

As Lu Ye drew closer, he surprisingly detected a familiar aura. Li Shang was here too! He hadn't seen any trace of her since entering the Lotus Pond, so he hadn't expected to encounter her at this moment.

Upon closer inspection, there were four Soul Race members engaged in conflict, including Li Shang. All of them were at the late-stage Astral Realm, with strength comparable to hers. In a chaotic free-for-all, it would be hard to say how long it would take for four Soul Race members to determine a victor. However, the situation was very unfavorable for Li Shang at this moment, as the three other Soul Race members were dishonorably ganging up on her. They clearly intended to eliminate Li Shang first, then compete among themselves. This was a common practice for the Soul Race when encountering high-quality divine lotuses, though it was unclear whether these three had formed a temporary alliance or had been allied for a while.

By the time Lu Ye arrived, Li Shang was already considering retreating. After all, fighting three opponents when everyone knew each other's strengths was impossible; forcing herself to stay would only lead to suffering. Just as she made up her mind, she unexpectedly sensed a familiar aura approaching. Amidst the chaos, she turned her head and saw Lu Ye. Her heart settled.

Others might not know of Lu Ye's strength, but she did. After all, she had repeatedly possessed Lu Ye's soul to contend with Moon Realm cultivators; several Moon Realm cultivators had died by Lu Ye's hand, and even one Sun Realm cultivator. However, Soul Race conflicts were ultimately different from normal battles. Although Lu Ye was strong, she wasn't sure if he could gain an advantage in this type of conflict.

While she was pondering, Lu Ye had already made his move. As soul power surged, complex patterns unfolded and outlined, and in an instant, a sharp edge resembling a hiltless dagger appeared, shooting straight towards one of the Soul Race members. It was Divine Edge! When Saint Guard was activated with soul power, its outward manifestation was not much different from when activated with spiritual power, both forming a defensive barrier around oneself. But Divine Edge was different; if constructed with spiritual power, it attached to a blade, greatly enhancing the weapon's sharpness. If constructed with soul power, however, its outward manifestation was a sharp edge like this. Of course, if there was a suitable soul artifact, it could also be imbued onto it, but Lu Ye did not possess an offensive soul artifact.

At first glance, the sharp edge looked like a hiltless dagger. It sliced through the pond water and instantly appeared before one of the Soul Race members. This Soul Race member sensed danger and immediately activated his soul power to protect himself. However, he soon showed a look of horror, because despite his late-stage Astral Realm foundation, the protection he conjured was incredibly fragile and shattered upon impact with the sharp edge. Immediately after, the dazzling edge pierced through his body! The Soul Race cultivator exclaimed in shock and hastily retreated.

If a flesh-and-blood body had suffered such a blow, blood would surely have splattered everywhere, but since the Soul Race were ultimately soul forms, no such bloody scene occurred. Such an injury was moderate for a Soul Race member; it wouldn't be difficult to recover from it normally, not to mention that being in the Lotus Pond now, with the surrounding water as a reliance, recovery would be even simpler. However, this Soul Race cultivator showed a look of horror. Although it was only one strike, he had truly experienced the terror of Lu Ye's attack, which was definitely not something he could block. Fortunately, he still had two temporary allies!

The moment this thought crossed his mind, his expression became blank. At the same time, his two temporary allies beside him also froze, not daring to move. Under the gaze of three pairs of eyes, Lu Ye stood quietly not far away, his body surging with soul power. On both sides of him, one sharp edge after another, just like the previous one, rapidly took shape. In the blink of an eye, dozens, even hundreds, of dazzling Divine Edge runic marks appeared around Lu Ye, firmly locking onto the three Soul Race cultivators.

The three Soul Race members clearly realized that if they dared to make any move, they would be met with a storm of attacks from Lu Ye. Having personally witnessed the ferocity of this offensive, how could they not know the terror of these Divine Edges? If so many Divine Edges were to strike at once, it wouldn't be as simple as just getting injured. Fortunately, the opponent showed no intention of initiating an attack; it was likely just a deterrent. As their gazes met, the three Soul Race members were sensible. They all slowly shook their heads and quietly withdrew, as they were no match, and forcing themselves to stay would be useless. Moreover, conflicts among the Soul Race were generally non-fatal, with decisive battles rarely occurring.

"What kind of soul art is this?" Elder Xu Yuan rubbed his eyes vigorously, asking in surprise from above the Lotus Pond. The other Sun Realm Elders also looked incredulous, eager to know what this truly was. They all knew Lu Ye was human, but for a human to cultivate such exquisite soul arts was simply too incredible. Although Lu Ye had previously demonstrated the Saint Guard technique, this was his first time showcasing Divine Edge, and it instantly moved even the Sun Realm cultivators of the Soul Race. This was because the speed at which these Divine Edges were activated was too fast; it was simply not a capability an Astral Realm cultivator should possess. Furthermore, its destructive power was terrifying; Soul Race members of the same realm couldn't block it at all.

Soul Que's expression turned solemn as he slowly spoke, "This shouldn't be a soul art!" "Not a soul art?" Several Sun Realm Elders looked puzzled and surprised. Soul Que explained, "Among other races, there are those called Spirit Pattern Masters, and a branch of them are Battle Pattern Masters. They excel at using various spirit patterns to enhance their combat strength in battle. Their fighting style is unpredictable and very difficult to deal with. What this young man is displaying should be a Battle Pattern Master's technique, and those should be divine patterns!"

"Divine patterns..." The Sun Realm Elders all looked thoughtful. They had naturally heard of divine patterns; in fact, many Soul Race soul arts bore traces of them. But this was the first time they had seen such exaggerated divine patterns. It wasn't about the power; no matter how strong the techniques displayed by an Astral Realm cultivator, they were merely commonplace to the Elders. It was simply the speed at which the divine patterns were activated... it was too incredible. A hundred divine patterns in an instant—was this something a human could achieve?

"Darn it!" The female elder sighed. Given this, it seemed the first five-colored divine lotus in the pond would also fall into the hands of that human boy. Three-colored and four-colored were one thing, but this was five-colored! Soul Race members capable of refining a five-colored divine lotus all possessed the potential for the Sun Realm. Although they might not necessarily achieve the Sun Realm, they had more hope than other clansmen. The ancestral land hadn't seen the birth of a new Sun Realm cultivator for too long, relying solely on their older generation for support, making the future concerning.

"Congratulations, fellow cultivator!" Only after the three Soul Race members departed did Li Shang turn to Lu Ye, her expression slightly complex. Although she had long known Lu Ye was strong, she hadn't expected that in such a conflict, he would still possess the ability to overwhelmingly defeat cultivators of the same realm. This was a method she had never seen before. "Congratulations to *you*!" Lu Ye said, looking at Li Shang. "Hmm?" Li Shang was puzzled. "I've already refined a divine lotus," Lu Ye said with a smile.

Li Shang froze for a moment, then showed delight: "Really?" "How could I lie to you?" As Lu Ye spoke, he raised a hand, and immediately, a shimmering aura spread, revealing a five-colored divine lotus. A divine lotus normally resided in one's spiritual sea, but it could also be summoned. However, it was ultimately just an object for nourishing the soul, with no offensive or defensive capabilities, so summoning it didn't serve much purpose. Seeing the five-colored divine lotus, Li Shang immediately believed Lu Ye and said with pleasant surprise, "Then I'll go refine it."

"I'll guard you!" Lu Ye said. If Li Shang hadn't been there, he would never have let this five-colored divine lotus go. After all, refining a five-colored divine lotus was equivalent to half a day of his effort, and it would definitely allow his already existing divine lotus to evolve into a six-colored one. But since Li Shang was here, there was no harm in letting her try. Over the past few years, Li Shang had helped him a great deal; without Li Shang possessing his soul, Lu Ye estimated he wouldn't have been able to kill Moon Realm cultivators with his own strength. Furthermore, the ancestors of Immortal Essence City would need Li Shang's care in the future, and Yiyi and Hu Po would also stay here. Li Shang becoming stronger would not harm him. Of course, Lu Ye couldn't judge whether Li Shang would successfully refine it, but if she couldn't, it wouldn't be too late for him to act.

Li Shang, her expression excited, came before the five-colored divine lotus, feeling a sense of unreality. Although she also wanted to refine a five-colored divine lotus, she knew it was very difficult. Throughout history, not many clan members had been able to refine one. While five-colored divine lotuses appeared every time the Lotus Pond opened, it didn't mean someone could necessarily refine one. She merely wanted to try. If it didn't work, she would try a four-colored one; if that didn't work, only a three-colored one; and if that still didn't work, then two-colored or single-colored ones.

Lu Ye had truly never seen a Soul Race member refine a divine lotus. As he watched, soul power surged around Li Shang, who stood before the five-colored divine lotus, enveloping it. Soon, the five-colored divine lotus reacted, its petals gently unfurling like fluttering butterfly wings. Li Shang's expression was slightly excited, and her soul power surged even more intensely. The next instant, the five-colored divine lotus transformed into a stream of five-colored light, imprinted itself into her body, and vanished.

Li Shang, who hadn't even begun to exert herself, froze, a look of bewilderment on her face! "Congratulations, fellow cultivator!" Lu Ye congratulated her. Li Shang still hadn't fully processed it. It was only after repeatedly confirming that the five-colored divine lotus had truly been refined into her body that she broke into an excited smile.

But... refining a divine lotus shouldn't be this simple, right? Although Li Shang was participating in the Lotus Pond competition for the first time, she knew the difficulty of refining a five-colored divine lotus. Logically, even if she were qualified to refine it, it should take at least half an hour. How did it succeed so quickly just now? And also... "Why do I feel like our two divine lotuses are a bit different?" Li Shang asked. The five-colored divine lotus Lu Ye had just shown seemed brighter and more vibrant in color than the one she had refined. Although she hadn't compared them closely, Li Shang just felt there was a significant difference between the two lotuses. "No, they're not," Lu Ye said casually, "Maybe the colors are just different."

Li Shang didn't press further; having just refined a five-colored divine lotus, her mood was still very excited. She said, "Although I've refined the divine lotus, there's still some time until the Lotus Pond closes. The cultivation environment here in the Lotus Pond is rare and valuable, so please don't waste it, fellow cultivator. Why don't we cultivate here together?"

Today, I'm taking my child back to that hospital. Since it's out of town, we need to go early. If all goes well, they'll be admitted tomorrow and have surgery the day after. Please forgive me if updates are slow these next few days. May everything go smoothly. (End of this chapter)