Chapter 226: Feng Yue

The Feng family's stronghold was in chaos. The defensive formation had been pushed to its absolute limit.

More and more insectoids swarmed, crawling onto the energy barrier and gnawing at the spiritual energy flowing within it.

From within the stronghold, the insectoids seemed to cover the entire field of vision, pressed against the energy barrier. Many had even climbed into the air. The Feng family had invested a huge amount of spirit stones and unleashed all their stored spiritual energy, yet they could only barely maintain the formation's power.

However, the insectoid tide was growing larger and larger. At this rate, the formation would undoubtedly be breached within a few hours.

Feng Yue's face was pale. Only then did she suddenly realize a problem: the moment Wuji Xuan had blocked their own wormhole entrance, their stronghold was attacked by the insectoid tide, leaving hundreds of cultivators stranded outside, unable to reinforce. Was this a coincidence? Or had someone orchestrated it all?

If it was a coincidence, then so be it. But if someone had secretly plotted all of this, it would be terrifying.

Meanwhile, in the Feng family's insectoid nest, Feng Lianju, who had received the message, also panicked. Without the presence of Wuji Xuan, they could still return to reinforce the stronghold. But with Wuji Xuan's people blocking the entrance, how could they dare to show themselves?

Furthermore, their own insectoid tide hadn't been dealt with yet. For a moment, he was consumed by anxiety but had no strategy.

Time ticked by.

Three hours later, the energy barrier of the Feng family stronghold's defensive formation had grown extremely dim, on the verge of collapsing at any moment. Once the formation was breached, the insectoid tide would be able to surge straight in. Given the current scale of the insectoid tide, the mere hundred-plus cultivators remaining in the Feng family would be utterly unable to resist.

Feng Yue felt a chill run through her. She had never imagined her stronghold would be breached in such a way. Fortunately, it was only being overwhelmed by the insectoid tide, not by cultivators. If it were cultivators, the Feng family's losses this time would be immense.

Just as she was thinking this, a rumbling sound suddenly came from the rear of the stronghold, followed by extremely chaotic spiritual energy fluctuations.

The many cultivators of the Feng family were already terrified, waiting for Feng Yue to give the order to withdraw to Kyushu. This sudden turn of events startled them all.

No one knew what was happening over there, but soon, Feng family cultivators rushed over from that direction, shouting, "Hundreds of cultivators are attacking the formation!"

Feng Yue's vision swam, and she almost collapsed to the ground.

At such a critical moment, hundreds of cultivators were actually attacking the stronghold? Which force was it?

It was over, completely over! Just moments ago, she had been relieved that the stronghold was only being breached by the insectoid tide, but now it seemed things were not as simple as she had thought.

With a deafening boom, the great formation shattered. The insectoids that had been pressing against the defensive formation's energy barrier in front of the stronghold tumbled to the ground, and more insectoids surged into the stronghold, their rustling movements filling the air.

"Quick, retreat to Kyushu!" Feng Yue practically gritted her teeth as she gave the order, then immediately ran towards the Heavenly Secret Hall.

By then, many Feng family cultivators, realizing the dire situation, had already rushed towards the Heavenly Secret Hall. Figures streamed into the hall, using the Heavenly Secret Pillar to withdraw to Kyushu. However, those quick enough to react were ultimately a minority; most cultivators hadn't had time to respond.

By the time they reached the plaza in front of the Heavenly Secret Hall, hundreds of cultivators, exuding overwhelming killing intent, surged forward. The leader rode a large, snow-white tiger, brandishing a long saber, and a Feng family cultivator's head flew high into the air.

A fiery red streak of light danced beside him, clearly the light of a spirit artifact.

It was a young man Feng Yue had never seen before. The spiritual light emanating from him indicated his Seventh-Level cultivation, but its purity was something Feng Yue had never witnessed in her life, not even among the Cloud River Realm cultivators within her sect.

She watched with her own eyes as the young man wreaked havoc. A Sixth-Level cultivator of the Feng family couldn't even block a single one of his saber strikes.

The young man also noticed her. Their eyes met, and his lit up as if he had spotted something exciting. He leaped directly from the tiger's back, and a gleaming saber flashed before Feng Yue.

The strike didn't kill Feng Yue, not because she was capable of blocking it, but because as Lu Ye lunged at her, the woman suddenly crouched low, bent her knees, and swiftly dropped to her knees on the ground, simultaneously retracting her neck like a turtle.

Lu Ye had anticipated countless scenarios, but he never expected such a reaction from his opponent.

The Mountain-Shattering Saber sliced past her head, cutting a few strands of hair.

Since entering the Spirit Creek battlefield, many cultivators had fallen to Lu Ye's saber. Some lost their lives before they could even react, others fought to the death without retreating, and a few begged for mercy before dying, though they were few in number. Generally, when two opposing factions clashed, if one side was clearly outmatched, there was usually no escape, as begging for mercy was futile.

However, this was the first time someone had knelt so decisively, just like this woman!

This woman was also a Seventh-Level cultivator, which was why Lu Ye's eyes had lit up upon seeing her. A Seventh-Level cultivator meant she was either the Feng family's Guardian or Vice-Guardian. Since she was left guarding the stronghold, all the good stuff must be on her. As long as he killed her, everything would be his!

But the woman's reaction had completely flummoxed Lu Ye; he had even forgotten to change his attack mid-strike.

Landing, Lu Ye looked down at the woman kneeling before him. Her face was as pale as paper, her head bowed to the ground, and her hands outstretched. This posture made her form-fitting dress accentuate her enchanting figure, captivating to the eye.

Lu Ye raised his saber, ready to strike. Although he had been momentarily confused, since the opponent was a Seventh-Level cultivator of the Feng family, he naturally wouldn't show mercy. Her defenseless posture would only make it easier for him to sever her head.

"I am a medical cultivator! Please spare my life, fellow Daoist!"

Lu Ye's raised saber paused, and he frowned.

There was an unwritten rule in the Spirit Creek battlefield: if possible, warring factions would try to spare the lives of each other's medical cultivators.

Lu Ye hadn't known about this before, but now that he was, at the very least, the Guardian of the Crimson Blood Sect's stronghold, he had frequent contact with Shui Yuan and others, learning much common battlefield knowledge. Shui Yuan had even specifically instructed him on this point, likely sensing that her junior brother had a rather heavy killing intent.

The reasons for this rule were threefold: first, medical cultivators were rare; second, most medical cultivators were not skilled in offensive techniques, even if they also cultivated spellcasting or other factions, it was often for self-preservation, as medical cultivators were primarily focused on saving lives and healing injuries, and among cultivators of the same level, medical cultivators always ranked last in combat power; and third, sparing the lives of enemy medical cultivators meant they could be used to heal one's own injured cultivators.

Back in the Evil Moon Valley, when Pang Dahai was explaining the different factions to Lu Ye and Yu Xiaodie, he had also told Yu Xiaodie that as a medical cultivator, even if she were captured by people from the Myriad Demons Ridge, she wouldn't have to worry about being killed.

Although the two major factions had been clashing for so many years and wished they could grind each other into the dirt, this unspoken rule had always been maintained. This was also an attempt to prevent the reduction in the number of medical cultivators on both sides.

Medical cultivators were hard to come by; if too many died, it would be troublesome to find someone to heal injuries in the future.

Lu Ye finally understood why this woman had knelt down without a word: she had the identity of a medical cultivator.

His long saber slashed down. Accompanied by Feng Yue's surprised cry, a gash reaching the bone appeared on her arm. Blood flowed out, staining her clothes red.

"Prove it to me!"

Feng Yue quickly straightened her upper body, enduring the agonizing pain. She raised her other hand and covered the wound on her arm. A soft, water-like spiritual energy began to surge.

Lu Ye couldn't help but click his tongue. This truly was a medical cultivator.

"Chen Yu!"

Chen Yu, who was leading a large group of Crimson Blood Sect disciples to resist the insectoid tide ahead, heard the call and leaped back. "Here!"

"Watch this woman. If there's anything unusual, kill her!"

Chen Yu glanced down at Feng Yue, then acknowledged the order. "Understood!"

Lu Ye charged forward, but after two steps, he turned back. "Oh, and confiscate her storage bag. Also, ask her if there's anything valuable here."

"Got it."

After Lu Ye left, Chen Yu looked at Feng Yue, still kneeling on the ground. "Get up. You heard what was said just now, give me your storage bag!"

Resigned, Feng Yue unfastened her storage bag and handed it to Chen Yu, but she didn't get up. Instead, she looked up at Chen Yu piteously. "My body feels a bit weak. Could you help me up?" As she spoke, she extended a hand towards Chen Yu.

The feeling of narrowly escaping death was truly terrifying. Her usual effective methods for dealing with men had absolutely no effect on that young man. The way he looked at her lacked any of the gaze a man would typically have for a woman.

Looking at her soft, boneless, fair hand, Chen Yu's heart stirred momentarily. However, after glancing up at Lu Ye, who was currently slaughtering insectoids nearby, he firmly shook his head. "No, get up yourself."

Feng Yue's expression was resentful as she slowly rose.

Chen Yu said sternly, "I warn you, don't try any tricks. Lead me to your valuables, quickly!"

As he spoke, he gave the dawdling Feng Yue a push. Feng Yue let out a soft moan, which made Chen Yu's bones go soft...

The stronghold had been captured, she had been taken prisoner, and now she had to lead them to their valuables. Feng Yue felt bitter, but at least her life was spared.

Inside the Heavenly Secret Hall, Hua Ci withdrew her hand and said to Cao Huahong, who was waiting nearby, "Senior Brother Cao, please."

Cao Huahong laughed heartily. "Then I won't be polite!" With that, he placed his hand on the Heavenly Secret Pillar and eagerly absorbed the remaining blessings, his face lighting up with excitement.

He was Wuji Xuan's Vice-Guardian. Previously, Lu Ye had arranged with Ding Yushu to block the Feng family's wormhole with his people, preventing hundreds of Feng family members from returning to reinforce their stronghold. They had agreed to equally divide the Heavenly Secret Pillar's blessings after capturing the Feng family's stronghold.

Since they had contributed together, the Crimson Blood Sect naturally wouldn't monopolize the gains.

While the cultivators of the Crimson Blood Sect were waiting, Cao Huahong arrived to rendezvous with Lu Ye and the others.

Now, he had merely made a trip and reaped immense benefits, something almost impossible to find. He thought to himself that it was no wonder Senior Brother Ding held these two from the Crimson Blood Sect in such high regard. He had also heard about what happened in the Chess Sea; the reason the Vast Heaven Alliance was able to turn the tide and win was entirely due to the early advantages accumulated by the two from the Crimson Blood Sect. And now, having gained so many benefits from this side, it seemed he should forge closer ties with the Crimson Blood Sect in the future.