Chapter 228: Counterattack

A moment later, Lu Ye nodded to Ding Yushu and suddenly stopped.

The hundreds of cultivators from Wuji Pavilion rumbled away under Ding Yushu's lead, while the seven hundred cultivators from the Crimson Blood Sect remained.

On the tiger's back, Feng Yue quickly stopped her communication with Feng Lianju and looked around in astonishment. A large hand reached out, gripped her neck, dragged her from the tiger's back, and threw her to the ground.

Covered in dust, Feng Yue looked up in terror at Lu Ye, who was looking down at her.

"Thank you!"

"Huh?" Feng Yue was stunned. "What are you thanking me for?"

Lu Ye popped a spirit pill into his mouth and slowly chewed it.

"Did you tip off your Feng family members?"

"I didn't!" Feng Yue naturally wouldn't admit such a thing, but as she met Lu Ye's playful gaze, she finally realized, "You used me?"

Although her earlier act of tipping them off was subtle, anyone observing carefully would have noticed. It was then that she understood: Lu Ye throwing her onto the tiger's back earlier wasn't an act of kindness, but a deliberate opportunity for her to send a message. It was laughable that she thought her submission had lulled him into a false sense of security.

If that was the case, then the message she had just sent to Feng Lianju was absolutely disastrous.

And everything that had just happened was merely a play, a scheme to lure the snake out of its hole...

"The Wuji Pavilion's stronghold wasn't attacked?" Feng Yue felt dizzy, recalling the expressions of Ding Yushu and Cao Huahong just now, which didn't seem feigned.

"The Wuji Pavilion's stronghold was indeed attacked, but compared to the Ten Forms Mountain, I'm more interested in the Feng clan."

Ding Yushu had already led his people back to reinforce. A sect's stronghold wasn't easily taken. As long as the Ten Forms Mountain cultivators weren't completely insane, they would certainly choose to retreat upon seeing Ding Yushu.

Therefore, it made no difference whether the Crimson Blood Sect went to help or not. Even with their assistance, at most, they would just kill a few more cultivators from Ten Forms Mountain. As long as they couldn't breach the stronghold, they wouldn't be able to inflict significant damage.

The Feng clan, however, was different. Their stronghold had already been breached. If the cultivators trapped in the wormhole suffered heavy casualties, their vitality would certainly be severely diminished.

When Lu Ye first heard Ding Yushu say that the Wuji Pavilion's stronghold was under attack, he indeed intended to lead the Crimson Blood Sect to help. But he quickly realized this might be an opportunity, which was why he decisively threw Feng Yue onto Amber's back.

If the woman had been honest enough not to tip off the Feng clan, the Crimson Blood Sect would have had no choice but to follow Ding Yushu to reinforce the Wuji Pavilion's stronghold.

But if she wasn't honest, then the Feng clan's vulnerability would appear.

Either way, the Crimson Blood Sect wouldn't suffer any loss.

Feng Yue had indeed sent a message to the Feng clan's cultivators. Lu Ye had confirmation from Yi Yi, whom he had left behind. At that moment, several Feng clan cultivators were climbing out, preparing to scout the surroundings, unaware that a pair of eyes in the shadows was watching them, relaying their movements to Lu Ye.

*Clang...*

The Pan Mountain Saber was drawn and plunged straight down, pinning Feng Yue's hand to the ground. A miserable cry escaped her, and blood streamed out.

Feng Yue looked at Lu Ye through tear-filled eyes. She had just tried to send another message...

"This is your only chance. If there's a next time, you die!"

Lu Ye pulled out the saber, making Feng Yue gasp again.

"Chen Yu, keep an eye on her. If she dares to make any move, kill her directly."

"Yes, sir!"

"Everyone, follow me!"

Lu Ye changed direction, leading the seven hundred cultivators back in a grand procession.

At the wormhole exit, several Feng clan cultivators cautiously climbed out. After surveying their surroundings and confirming that the Heaven Alliance cultivators who had gathered there earlier had withdrawn, they finally relaxed. One of them went to the wormhole entrance and shouted down, "No one here! Everyone, come up quickly!"

The Feng clan cultivators, who had been trapped for half a day, eagerly climbed up, one by one emerging from the wormhole. Within moments, over a hundred people had gathered outside the wormhole.

Feng Lianju also climbed out and tried to contact Feng Yue, but his messages vanished like stones sinking into the sea, receiving no response.

This made him uneasy; he wondered what had happened to Feng Yue.

However, escaping their predicament was the most crucial task at hand. They also needed to rush back and reclaim their stronghold; without it, they would be like rootless trees, a spring without water.

Suddenly, a strong spiritual energy fluctuation emanated. Feng Lianju looked up and saw a fiery red streak of light rapidly approaching from not far away.

He only had time to discern that the streak of light was a human figure before the attacker was already upon him.

The light of a controlled artifact flared, striking directly at his chest. Feng Lianju used his long spear to parry the streak of light, sending it flying. The immense force made his hand ache, and he was pushed back two steps.

Just as he steadied himself, Lu Ye's figure swooped down from above. The Pan Mountain Saber was drawn and slashed towards Feng Lianju.

Feng Lianju raised his spear in front of him, blocking the sharp saber. The spiritual artifacts of the two men, now at close quarters, were locked in a stalemate. Their eyes met, and Feng Lianju felt an immense oppressive force assailing him from the front.

"Who are you?" he gritted out, his voice low. Both were at the seventh-level cultivation, yet the disparity in strength between them was so vast that he found it hard to accept.

The reply was a flash of brilliance from the Pan Mountain Saber.

Feng Lianju's expression changed drastically. He suddenly felt his body become incredibly heavy, as if a mountain were pressing down on his shoulders. Already at a disadvantage in strength, this sudden impact directly forced him to his knees.

It was a 'Heavy Pressure' spirit pattern. This pattern could generate a peculiar force field, making everything within it incredibly weighty.

The streak of light from the controlled artifact flew from behind Feng Lianju's head. Feng Lianju was currently suppressed and, despite sensing the danger, was powerless to react. The streak of light broke through his protective spiritual energy, pierced the back of his head, and flew out of his mouth.

As Lu Ye soared into the air, several spells struck his previous position, and a few spiritual artifacts also slashed down.

In just a single encounter, Feng Lianju, also a seventh-level cultivator, died a tragic death on the spot. This scene sent shivers down the spines of the numerous Feng clan cultivators, leaving them utterly shocked.

Hovering high in the air, Lu Ye looked down. He slightly raised his hand, and streaks of light from his controlled artifact darted about as he unleashed a Fire Dragon spell.

At the same time, from the direction he had come, the seven hundred cultivators of the Crimson Blood Sect also charged out.

In their terror, the Feng clan cultivators who had just climbed out immediately began jumping back into the wormhole. However, fire dragons were roaring and burning within the tunnels, making it highly unlikely they would survive jumping down.

The Feng clan cultivators still below, who hadn't climbed out yet, had no idea what was happening. They were gathered together, preparing to leave the area. Some retreated, others advanced, and the scene instantly devolved into chaos.

Suddenly, spiritual energy fluctuations from a spell surged from behind. Screams erupted, and several Feng clan cultivators died on the spot. It was Yi Yi, who had infiltrated the area, killing the enemies.

The intricate, four-way underground passage environment was incredibly advantageous for her. After killing a few people, she could simply burrow into the tunnel walls, making it impossible for enemies to find her. Moreover, Yi Yi's current strength was not low; ordinary cultivators couldn't withstand even a single one of her spells.

With such turmoil being created, the situation near the wormhole entrance became even more chaotic.

By the time the seven hundred cultivators of the Crimson Blood Sect arrived, there were over thirty bodies near the entrance, and many more had died below the entrance because Lu Ye had just thrown several Fire Dragon spells inside the tunnel.

With Feng Lianju dead and Feng Yue captured, the Feng clan now had no one to lead them. Only a few of their remaining sixth-level cultivators were left alive, fleeing deeper into the wormhole passages.

Once his sect's cultivators arrived, Lu Ye was the first to jump into the wormhole, leading his people down a random passage in hot pursuit.

The seven hundred cultivators entered the wormhole, splitting up to pursue the fleeing enemies.

At the wormhole entrance, only two people remained: Hua Ci and Feng Yue.

Feng Yue stared blankly at the surrounding corpses, her eyes vacant, her heart as cold as ash. She could never have imagined that merely sending a single message would lead to such a devastating outcome.

Hua Ci stood not far from her, gentle and serene like jade.

Although there was a one-level difference in their cultivation, Hua Ci wasn't afraid of Feng Yue doing anything to her. Why would a medical cultivator trouble another medical cultivator? And even if Feng Yue truly intended to act, Hua Ci could show her what "planting mushrooms" meant.

This was also why Lu Ye was confident in letting Hua Ci watch over Feng Yue.

However, to Hua Ci's surprise, perhaps due to the overwhelming shock, Feng Yue simply stood there blankly the entire time, neither attempting to escape nor attacking her.

It wasn't until the first group of Crimson Blood Sect cultivators returned from their pursuit that everyone else gradually came back.

Some were injured, and a few had died. Casualties were inevitable when fighting in such an environment, but compared to the enemy's losses, these casualties were negligible.

Every single Feng clan cultivator who fled into the wormhole was wiped out.

Lu Ye sent a message to Ding Yushu, asking if they needed help. He quickly received a reply: Ten Forms Mountain had already withdrawn.

This was an inevitable outcome. Unless Ten Forms Mountain genuinely intended to fight a decisive battle with Wuji Pavilion, they would certainly retreat after Ding Yushu brought reinforcements.

If such a battle truly broke out, neither side would benefit. As the guardian of a sect's stronghold, Ding Yushu possessed that level of decisive judgment.

"Fifth Senior Brother, who are we attacking next?" Gu Yang asked excitedly. He was one of the few sixth-level cultivators remaining in the sect.

The entire group looked on with anticipation. Although the continuous battles had been exhausting and fraught with danger, the results achieved were incredibly brilliant. Since ancient times in the Spirit Creek Battlefield, no force had ever managed to consecutively breach two enemy sect strongholds in such a short period, especially considering this happened in the outer ring, which presented higher difficulty compared to the inner ring.

Every surviving cultivator from the Crimson Blood Sect, without exception, had profited immensely, each gaining a significant amount of merit and spoils of war.

"Return to the Sect!"

What was there left to fight for?

Their success in taking down the Heaven Fiend Hall was due to the insect tide annihilating hundreds of their people. Their success in taking down the Feng clan was achieved by leveraging the strength of Wuji Pavilion.

Currently, most sects had already dealt with their insect tides. It was no longer possible to trap many cultivators of a certain sect within wormholes. If they couldn't trap the enemy cultivators, forcefully attacking another sect's stronghold, even with the help of the insect tide again, would be a thankless and difficult task.

Furthermore, the powerful cultivators from Heaven Fiend Hall and the Feng clan were definitely already rushing back! If they didn't return to their sect now, and were caught by those eighth or ninth-level cultivators, or even those who practiced Heaven-grade cultivation techniques, the Crimson Blood Sect would face dire consequences.

Therefore, returning to the sect quickly was paramount; only by returning to their stronghold would they be safe.