Chapter 1914: Bounty Hall

Empowered by the Thousand Faces Spirit Pattern, Lu Ye's appearance changed significantly; even his stature shortened by a good bit, transforming him into a stocky, bearded man. With the Mimic Might Spirit Pattern activated, his spiritual power fluctuations were masked to the level of a Mid-phase Moon Brilliance cultivator.

After sheathing his Crag-Breaking Blade, a standard-issue Body Cultivator was freshly minted.

Only then did he take out his Asura Command Token, and with a thought, he arrived at the Bounty Hall.

It was his first time in this place. Looking up, he saw a colossal dome suspended overhead. Surveying his surroundings, the entire Bounty Hall stretched as far as the eye could see. It was clearly an enormous enclosed space, its exact location within the Heavenly Asura Realm unknown.

There were many cultivators, constantly moving about, making the place quite bustling.

Lu Ye observed that the entire Bounty Hall was divided into sections. Each section was sequentially numbered, and within these sections, numerous concealed small rooms were partitioned off, each also bearing a number on its exterior.

Cultivators were constantly entering and exiting many of these small rooms.

Gui Yi had previously informed Lu Ye about this, so Lu Ye naturally knew that these small rooms were for cultivators to discuss mission details. Those posting missions, and those accepting them, would arrange to meet in a specific room to thoroughly discuss the terms.

He looked around, found a spot near a corner to stand, and then immersed his mind in examining his Asura Command Token.

The Asura Command Token had comprehensive functions within the Asura Arena. Cultivators relied on this special token for various aspects of their activities. While in the Bounty Hall, cultivators could use the Asura Command Token to view various bounty missions.

As his spiritual power surged and his mind delved in, a translucent light screen immediately appeared in Lu Ye's vision. It seemed to float directly before his eyes, displaying a list of information.

These were undoubtedly the bounty missions.

Lu Ye took a closer look and found that the very first mission listed was surprisingly about the Asura Arena itself.

"Provide any concrete information regarding the Asura Arena's specific location. Reward: 80 million Asura Seals."

Lu Ye's eyebrows rose in surprise as he read.

Without a doubt, this bounty must have been posted by a Sunlit Realm cultivator. After all, 80 million Asura Seals was not an amount just anyone could offer; only a Sunlit Realm cultivator would have such capital.

He knew even before arriving that many powerful individuals were interested in the Asura Arena. Throughout history, countless people had sought this celestial treasure, yet no definitive clues had ever emerged. Everyone knew the Asura Arena was hidden within the Asura Star Domain, but the problem was finding it.

This was because anyone who entered the Asura Arena's coverage area would directly appear in the Heavenly Asura Realm. And once outside a certain radius of the Heavenly Asura Realm, they would enter a trial scenario.

No one knew what the true Asura Star Domain looked like.

This mission had likely been posted for a long time, and while 80 million Asura Seals was a vast sum, no one had been able to claim it.

Lu Ye scrolled down further.

"Eliminate Zhao Kong: accumulated bounty of 58.56 million Asura Seals.""Eliminate Hu Yingying: accumulated bounty of 57.42 million Asura Seals.""Eliminate Ma Bin: accumulated bounty of 56.90 million Asura Seals."

As Lu Ye continued to scan the list, he noticed that bounties exceeding 10 million Asura Seals almost always involved eliminating a specific cultivator.

He even saw the names Abuluo and Gusheng among them. The accumulated bounties for these two were also nearing 10 million Asura Seals. He wondered what outrageous deeds they had committed to incite such widespread anger.

This wasn't a bounty list; it was a hit list!

However... Lu Ye's gaze lingered on the third name on the list: Ma Bin. Was this the Ma Bin he knew, or merely a namesake?

The name Ma Bin was not uncommon, and there were many humans. However, to be ranked so highly, this individual had to be a Sunlit Realm cultivator without a doubt, and a very powerful one at that.

Lu Ye had a faint feeling that this Ma Bin might very well be the senior from the former Nine Provinces with whom he once had a brief encounter.

Even if that were the case, he couldn't offer any help. Conflicts at the Sunlit Realm level were beyond his current involvement.

It seemed then that after Ma Bin killed a Sunlit Realm cultivator in the Myriad Phenomena Sea back then, he must have fled to the Asura Arena. Otherwise, why would there be a bounty on him here?

He now had some understanding of the matters concerning the former Nine Provinces. Back then, he didn't know why Ma Bin would kill a Sunlit Realm cultivator from the Myriad Phenomena Sea; now, he had a vague insight.

Collecting his thoughts, Lu Ye continued to scroll down.

After the 10-million-Asura-Seal mark, there was a significant drop-off in bounties. This was because the subsequent missions no longer involved hunting down specific cultivators; they were just regular bounty tasks, and thus had no accumulated rewards.

The mission types were varied: some requested alchemy services, others sought companions to explore trial scenarios, and some were for finding lost friends or family.

Lu Ye was filled with doubt. Why did Nan Lian tell him to come to the Bounty Hall? None of these missions seemed to have anything to do with him.

However, as he continued to browse, he suddenly spotted a mission that made his eyes light up.

"Strange poison that devours vital essence, source unknown. Victim's vital essence is decaying; can only prolong life by consuming high-grade Vital Essence Pills. Reward: 300,000 Asura Seals."

This mission... was undoubtedly perfect for him.

With the powerful purifying flames of his innate talent tree, any strange poison could surely be resolved. 300,000 Asura Seals was already a considerable sum. He had only earned a little over 100,000 from his previous trial. Completing this mission would be equivalent to two trials.

Coming here was indeed the right choice. This was an unexpected bonus.

However, upon second thought, Lu Ye felt something was amiss. Nan Lian had told him to come here and specifically instructed him to change his appearance. She surely didn't intend for him to take *this* mission. She couldn't possibly know he possessed the innate talent tree, which allowed him to cure poisons.

So this was just an unexpected gain. Nan Lian's guidance must have had another reason.

It was worth noting, however, that there were several such missions requiring poison cures. Strange poisons that baffled cultivators were clearly not easily resolved. Perhaps some Sunlit Realm cultivators possessed this ability, but would a Sunlit Realm cultivator with such capabilities truly care for the rewards of these bounties?

Lu Ye secretly noted down these missions, planning to accept them later.

After browsing for another while, Lu Ye finally understood Nan Lian's intention in directing him here.

Because on this bounty list, there was a long series of missions that were almost identical.

The mission description read: "Injured by a blade during the Moon Brilliance Rankings contest, injuries strange and difficult to heal, suspected poisoning. Reward: 30,000 Asura Seals."

Lu Ye knew at a glance what this was about. Injured by a blade during the Moon Brilliance Rankings contest? Wasn't that his handiwork?

The individuals he had wounded had Tusk Power lingering in their wounds. Their injuries were naturally hard to heal. It was normal for them to mistake it for poisoning, as Tusk Power was extremely bizarre. Had Lu Ye not been the master of the Tusk Blade, he likely wouldn't have imagined such a repulsive power existed in the world.

In truth, Tusk Power was not without a solution. If one's cultivation was high enough, it could be forcibly suppressed and removed. For instance, Tian Yan had previously sought help from a Sunlit Realm cultivator in his clan. However, even for a Sunlit Realm cultivator, achieving this was difficult, requiring significant time and effort.

The simplest method, however, was to ignore it!

Because Tusk Power had a limited duration. Lu Ye didn't know how long this duration was, but it certainly wouldn't be too long. Once the time was up, it would naturally fade away.

But who would dare ignore it?

Anyone with such an injury, bleeding incessantly, would likely be terrified. Naturally, resolving it sooner would bring peace of mind sooner.

Nan Lian must have either stumbled upon these missions herself or heard someone mention them, which was why she directed Lu Ye to the Bounty Hall.

She probably thought that since Lu Ye was responsible for inflicting these injuries, he would surely have the corresponding antidote or cure. As for changing his appearance...

That was a given. Who would poison someone, then deliberately accept a bounty mission to cure them? If he really did that, he'd invite resentment.

But... a reward of 30,000 Asura Seals? Was that supposed to be an insult? Lu Ye felt a surge of indignation, but he also knew that the amount of the bounty wasn't determined by the cultivators' will. It was a sum set by the Asura Arena itself.

Thirty thousand it is, then. Fortunately, there were many such missions.

Lu Ye roughly calculated that he had fought over 200 battles in the arena, which meant over 200 cultivators had been wounded by him.

Yet there were only a little over a hundred of these missions here. Clearly, not everyone had come to post a mission.

No matter. As long as news of him being able to complete this type of mission spread, more missions would likely appear. 30,000 per mission wasn't much, but what about a hundred, or two hundred?

This was a recipe for immense wealth!

Lu Ye's mind raced. He hadn't even been in the Asura Arena for a full month, yet he had already gained three to four million Asura Seals from Nut, and now he could earn several million Asura Seals himself...

If this could be repeated, wouldn't he quickly become incredibly wealthy? Perhaps he could even accumulate enough Asura Seals to exchange for an Asura Arena artifact.

But he also knew this was just wishful thinking. Because even if he left the Asura Arena and returned later, he wouldn't start the ranking climb from scratch.

The Asura Arena would record his rank on the Moon Brilliance Rankings and his previous performances. When he next entered, he would be assigned an appropriate rank.

So starting the ranking climb from the beginning was a one-time opportunity, unless he advanced to the Sunlit Realm.

With a thought, Lu Ye used his Asura Command Token to accept a bounty mission.

Soon, his Asura Command Token vibrated. Lu Ye checked it, and found that a cultivator he had never contacted or interacted with was trying to reach him.

This was undoubtedly the Asura Arena's rules in action. After accepting a mission, Lu Ye could have a brief exchange with the mission poster, without needing to have exchanged marks previously.

The other party was clearly in a hurry, as his injury had been unhealing. In this condition, he obviously couldn't participate in trials. He didn't even know if he might one day bleed to death.

Lu Ye glanced left and right, gave the other party a room number, then put away his Asura Command Token, and strode towards that direction.

There was a concealed, partitioned small room there. Its door was wide open, indicating it was unoccupied, perfect for their use.