Chapter 1786: Listening to Snow Peak

"Fellow Daoist, do you have any last words?" Yang Ling asked, subtly channeling his spiritual spiritual power. He understood that the young man before him had likely been drenched in the Blood Rain after arriving in this world.

However, one thing puzzled him: the red light from the recent scan was exceptionally bright. While they had previously used this method to ascertain if new cultivators were tainted by the Sacred Blood of the Blood Tribe, none had ever shone as brightly as this one.

It seemed he hadn't just been sprinkled by the Blood Rain; he had practically bathed in it.

A profound regret filled his heart. After finally gaining another natural companion, they were now forced to confront each other in battle.

This was not the first time they had faced such a situation!

"Is there no room for compromise?" Lu Ye asked. Even in this predicament, he wanted to make an effort.

Hu Dequan, who had led him there, sighed. "Young man, let me tell you a story."

"I'm all ears!" Lu Ye nodded.

Hu Dequan began, "The Red Talisman Society's initial standards for recruiting members weren't so strict. We accepted anyone dispatched from Fangcun Mountain or those who shared our ideals. We were powerful for a time, but as time passed, various internal changes occurred. Many of those tainted by the Sacred Blood became traitors, even some sent by Fangcun Mountain. Do you know why?"

Without waiting for Lu Ye's reply, Hu Dequan answered himself, "The resources brought in from outside are limited. When one's own resources are depleted, and the expended power cannot be replenished, the agony of a steadily weakening cultivation base is something few can endure. Amidst such torment, even previously firm convictions begin to waver, and taking refuge with Sacred Blood Peak becomes the only option."

Meng Xu, who had remained silent until now, spoke with pain in his voice, "We have been betrayed before. Once bitten by a snake, one fears even a coiled rope for ten years. Brother Lu, this is not your fault. Ultimately, we simply haven't done enough!"

Yang Ling stepped forward. "So, even if you harbor resentment, we cannot let you leave. Because once you depart, you will inevitably seek refuge with Sacred Blood Peak and become our enemy!"

Lu Ye nodded, understanding their thoughts.

He made no further attempts to explain, as his current situation was simply unexplainable, especially given Yang Ling and the others' preconceived notions.

In their view, any cultivator tainted by Sacred Blood was not one of them; this was an unbreakable rule.

Since such individuals were not their own and would eventually become enemies, it was only natural to strike first. They hadn't attacked Xiang Yin and the others because Xiang Yin's group was not weak; deliberately seeking them out would only force others to align with Sacred Blood Peak sooner.

Lu Ye, on the other hand, had presented himself willingly, so he absolutely could not be let go.

"Speak your last words!" Yang Ling shouted. "If we ever escape this place, we will faithfully report everything that happened today to Peak Master Su, without a single false word."

Lu Ye glanced at him, then smiled faintly. "I trust you all."

As he spoke, he slipped a storage ring from his finger and tossed it to Yang Ling.

Yang Ling did not catch it; instead, he dodged, clearly fearing some trick within the ring.

Lu Ye remained unconcerned, simply stating, "Time will prove everything. I hope there will be a day when I can fight alongside you all!"

Yang Ling frowned, clearly finding Lu Ye stubborn. Just as he was about to speak again, Lu Ye's spiritual power suddenly surged, and a spiritual pattern swiftly materialized beneath his feet.

"Act!" Meng Xu, realizing the danger, immediately cried out.

The next instant, all three launched a lethal attack, unleashing a torrent of violent power towards Lu Ye's location.

However, before their attacks landed, Lu Ye's figure suddenly vanished into thin air.

As the turbulent spiritual power subsided, Yang Ling looked confused, then turned to Meng Xu. "What kind of technique was that?"

Meng Xu frowned. "It seems to be a spatial array! Did he set something up here beforehand?" As he spoke, he looked at Hu Dequan, who had brought Lu Ye.

Hu Dequan looked bewildered. "I didn't see him do anything!"

While waiting for Yang Ling and Meng Xu, he had seemed to be chatting casually with Lu Ye, but in reality, he had been subtly monitoring him the entire time. If Lu Ye had set up something in advance, Hu Dequan couldn't have missed it.

As he spoke, Hu Dequan suddenly recalled something. "Before I met him, he had walked into a trap I laid. I remotely activated the array within that trap, fully expecting to eliminate him, but to my surprise, he appeared before me unharmed!"

Meng Xu immediately understood. "He possesses spatial displacement!"

There was no other explanation, yet even the three of them couldn't discern the profundities of that spatial displacement technique.

"Can we ascertain his direction?" Yang Ling asked.

"It's too late," Hu Dequan shook his head. "He couldn't possibly have remained in the same spot. He's likely already made his escape by now."

Yang Ling couldn't help but sigh. Today's task was incomplete, and it seemed they would likely gain another enemy in the future.

Meng Xu turned his head to the side, extended his hand, and seized the storage ring Lu Ye had left behind. After a brief inspection, he was astonished. "He left so many spirit jades!"

This was undoubtedly Lu Ye's deliberate gesture after learning of their resource scarcity.

Hu Dequan was silent for a moment before speaking. "That young man is actually quite decent."

Even when they turned hostile and intended to kill him, Lu Ye hadn't shown any strong reaction. Hu Dequan hadn't even perceived any resentment from him.

Yang Ling said coldly, "Human hearts change. You might think he's decent now, but just wait until his resources are depleted and his cultivation weakens. See what choice he makes then!"

Hu Dequan fell silent. They had indeed experienced such things, and had even wavered because of them.

"Let's go. There's been a disturbance here; it's not good to linger," Yang Ling said, stepping outwards.

Three thousand li away from that spot, Lu Ye's figure moved swiftly.

His encounter with Hu Dequan and the others made him realize his previous plan had failed. Given his current condition, there was no way the Red Talisman Society would accept him.

He understood Hu Dequan and the others' caution, and he agreed with their decisive actions, for if he were in their position, he would do the same.

However, he simply couldn't prove that he was different from other first-generation Blood Tribe members. Some things couldn't be proven by words alone; they required actions.

Currently, his understanding of this world's information was not comprehensive enough, so he still needed to find someone to learn more from.

Moreover, he had another puzzle he wanted to solve.

Listening Snow Peak, a spiritual peak with an elegant name, yet it had no white snow, making its name somewhat misleading.

The primary reason for its name was that two women of the Snow Tribe resided there. The spiritual peak where they had lived in their Snow Tribe homeland was called Listening Snow Peak, so after arriving here, they named their current residence the same.

The previous Blood Rain had brought some gains to both Xiang Yin and Xuan Yu. Therefore, after parting ways with Lu Ye, the two women returned to Listening Snow Peak to enter secluded cultivation and refine the Sacred Blood that had entered their bodies.

Hu Dequan and the others went to great lengths to avoid being tainted by the Blood Rain, viewing it as a monstrous flood. However, for Xiang Yin and her companions, the Blood Rain could provide a boost to their cultivation.

Suddenly, a Lunar Reflection realm aura descended from the sky!

Both women were startled. Sensing the somewhat familiar aura, they quickly emerged from their secluded cultivation.

Looking up, they indeed saw Lu Ye.

"Greetings, Brother Dao!" Xiang Yin quickly bowed, her expression somewhat reserved. Clearly, the impression Lu Ye had left on her days earlier was still very strong.

Xuan Yu also bowed, her demeanor still cool as ice.

Lu Ye gazed deeply at Xiang Yin and said, "I'm new here with nowhere to go. I plan to stay with you two for a while. Do you mind?"

Xiang Yin offered a forced smile. "Not at all. Brother Dao is welcome to stay here as long as he wishes."

She inwardly grumbled, 'Since he's already here, even if my sister and I minded, would we dare to say so?'

Lu Ye nodded. "Arrange a place for me to stay."

Xiang Yin looked around and said, "Brother Dao can stay in my building. My sister and I will share a residence."

"Alright!" Lu Ye had few demands regarding lodging. Hearing this, he strode towards a wooden house not far away.

Xiang Yin pursed her red lips, then suddenly asked, "Brother Dao, what gains did you make on this trip?"

Lu Ye stopped, tilted his head, and looked at her. "No gains."

Xiang Yin nodded. "Then perhaps I was mistaken."

About ten days after arriving in the Core World, Lu Ye settled down at Listening Snow Peak. Xiang Yin and Xuan Yu had initially worried that Lu Ye might make rude or excessive demands. If that were the case, given the strength of the Sacred Blood he had previously demonstrated, the sisters would have no choice but to submit obediently and become his playthings.

However, to their relief, after Lu Ye arrived, he showed no intention of even appearing outside, spending his entire days in the house, doing who knows what. This put their minds considerably at ease.

Another ten days passed in a flash.

One day, Xiang Yin suddenly arrived at Lu Ye's house and softly called out, "Brother Dao!"

Lu Ye's voice quickly came from inside the house. "Come in!"

Xiang Yin pushed the door open and entered. She immediately saw Lu Ye sitting cross-legged on what was originally her incense bed, seemingly in cultivation.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you, Brother Dao?" Xiang Yin offered a sweet, docile smile, and her soft voice perfectly displayed a woman's gentle charm.

"Speak," Lu Ye said, glancing at her indifferently.

Xiang Yin said, "Brother Dao, my sister and I might need to leave for a few days."

Lu Ye nodded. "Understood."

Xiang Yin was somewhat surprised. "Brother Dao, aren't you going to ask where we're going?" Lu Ye's reaction was quite different from what she expected.

Only then did Lu Ye ask, "Where are you going?"

Xiang Yin explained, "Since Brother Dao entered from the outside, you must have experienced the blinking of the Demonic Eye. In another day or two, the Demonic Eye should blink again."

At her words, Lu Ye, who had originally been uninterested, immediately became alert. "The blinking of the Demonic Eye?"

Lu Ye had been very interested in the Blood Eye spiritual pattern that manifested above his Divine Sea during the blinking of the Demonic Eye. Unfortunately, he hadn't had enough time in the marvel to glimpse only a small part of the pattern, which was undoubtedly a regret.

He had originally planned to wait until he had a chance to leave and then find an opportunity to observe the entire spiritual pattern. He never expected Xiang Yin to bring up the matter.