Chapter 240: Nine Realms Map

Before cultivators become truly powerful, even those at the eighth or ninth level won't engage in aerial combat. The risk is simply too great, and fighting while piloting a flying spirit artifact makes it difficult to unleash one's full strength. If their flying artifact is accidentally destroyed, they might fall from a great height and die. This isn't a joke; it has genuinely happened, and on more than one occasion. This situation only improves after cultivators switch to Heaven-grade cultivation techniques. At that point, their control over their spiritual power significantly increases, allowing them to both pilot an artifact and fight simultaneously.

The person flying overhead was a ninth-level cultivator, evident from their spiritual aura. Although Hao Ren and Hao Qing were both eighth-level cultivators, they preferred not to provoke such an opponent. They concealed themselves as best they could. Fortunately, the person's flight path indicated they weren't specifically targeting this location, but rather passing by coincidentally.

This eased their minds. Given the wild, densely forested terrain, as long as Lu Ye remained careful, they should avoid exposure. Since the individual dared to fly so boldly over Qingtian Sect's outpost, they were most likely a cultivator from Myriad Demon Ridge. Even if not directly from Qingtian Sect, they undoubtedly had some connection to it. If exposed, a major battle would certainly ensue.

*Zheng...*

The sound wasn't very loud, but a piercing, light clang echoed, like a long saber being instantly drawn from its sheath. Hao Ren and Hao Qing exchanged glances, a bad feeling rising in both of them. Looking towards the streak of light that had just passed nearby, they saw that the person had indeed heard the sound and was now descending rapidly.

As the light descended, the figure standing on the flying spirit artifact gradually became visible. Hao Ren took a quick, solemn glance, recognizing the individual as a Qingtian Sect cultivator named Yuan Guang. He knew Yuan Guang because Yuan Guang had been the previous deputy guardian of Qingtian Sect's outpost. However, Myriad Demon Ridge seemed to have suffered significant losses in the last Spirit Creek Guardian Battle, leading to many guardians and deputy guardians from Myriad Demon Ridge factions being held accountable and removed from their positions.

Most guardians from fifth or sixth-rank factions were ninth-level cultivators, as that cultivation was sufficient. Only fourth-rank sects, whose outposts were closer to the inner core, had guardians who had switched to Heaven-grade cultivation techniques. Yuan Guang was not to be trifled with. He must have already acquired a Heaven-grade cultivation technique, but hadn't fully converted to it yet due to an insufficient number of open acupoints. However, the number of acupoints he had opened definitely exceeded two hundred.

Hao Ren couldn't fathom where Lu Ye got the confidence to provoke such a powerful figure. The sound of the saber being drawn just now must have been intentionally made by him.

At this moment, beside the Purple Cloud Flower, Lu Ye sat calmly, watching Yuan Guang descend. He didn't attack immediately because he wasn't sure of the opponent's affiliation. However, Lu Ye soon confirmed it.

Because when Yuan Guang saw the four corpses lying in pools of blood, his face turned extremely grim, even twitching slightly. He asked in a low voice, "You killed these people?"

*Boom...*

The moment Yuan Guang finished speaking, Lu Ye lunged in front of him, bringing his saber down. As expected of a ninth-level cultivator, his reaction was incredibly fast. He held a long sword horizontally in front of him, blocking Lu Ye's strike. At close quarters, their eyes met. Yuan Guang roared in anger, "You're seeking death!" At the same time, he was secretly astonished. This seventh-level cultivator had incredible speed and strength. Even though Yuan Guang was two levels higher, blocking that strike left his hand slightly numb. "Is he a weapon cultivator or a body cultivator? Even a ninth-level body cultivator shouldn't have this much raw strength, should they?" He scrutinized his opponent, seemingly trying to get a clear look at Lu Ye's face.

"Yiyi!"

As Lu Ye roared, the Pan Mountain Saber suddenly emitted a dazzling light. For a moment, it was as if a sun had risen on the blade. Yuan Guang had no idea such a change was possible. In that instant, his vision turned completely white, rendering him temporarily blind! Maintaining his composure, he quickly retreated, but an invisible force suddenly descended from above, like a colossal mountain pressing down, causing him to involuntarily crouch. The rapid shift between the 'Sunlight' and 'Heavy Pressure' spirit runes truly caught him off guard.

Battle rune masters' combat styles are precisely this unpredictable and ever-changing. Though Lu Ye currently controls a limited number of spirit runes, he can already achieve remarkable effects by switching between them. One can only imagine how troublesome seasoned battle rune masters must be; many of their tactics are simply impossible to defend against, and often, opponents die without even knowing how.

This sudden turn of events startled Yuan Guang. He slapped his storage bag, and as a streak of light flew out, his spiritual power surged. Disregarding his own consumption, he unleashed wave after wave of sword strikes with his long sword. A dizzying sensation arose. When his vision returned, Yuan Guang was horrified to find his location had changed. What was originally a wild, verdant mountain wilderness was now a forest of chaotic rocks.

"This is...""A formation diagram?" Yuan Guang blurted out.

Meanwhile, Hao Ren and Hao Qing, who had rushed to provide support upon sensing the commotion, also stared wide-eyed at the spirit artifact floating before Yiyi.

"A formation diagram?"

A "formation diagram" is an artifact jointly refined by extremely skilled formation masters and artifact crafters. The formation master sets up the formation, and the artifact crafter refines the diagram. It might also require the assistance of powerful spirit rune masters. The refinement process is complex, and the materials used are very precious. In the past, Hao Ren had only heard of formation diagrams but had never seen one, as they were simply beyond the reach of Spirit Creek Realm cultivators. Not to mention them, even the entirety of Silverlight Island didn't possess a single formation diagram. Yet today, he witnessed such a legendary item in the hands of a sixth-level Spirit Creek Realm cultivator. It was truly an eye-opener.

He was inwardly stunned, thinking, "As expected of the Azure Blood Sect; even a dying camel is bigger than a horse. They even have something like a formation diagram, and they entrust it to a Spirit Creek Realm cultivator without fear of losing it."

In truth, he was mistaken; this formation diagram didn't belong to the Azure Blood Sect. The Azure Blood Sect didn't have one either. This was Lady Yun's possession. Upon learning that Lu Ye was entering the inner region, Lady Yun became very concerned about his safety. After all, Lu Ye had caused such a stir at Golden Light Peak, making him highly likely to become a target for Myriad Demon Ridge. She had already designated Lu Ye as her successor, and as a top-tier spirit rune master, how could she not prepare something good for him? So, she gave Lu Ye this precious Nine Worlds Diagram. Its value surpassed that of a spirit artifact; it could already be classified as a spirit treasure. Besides the Nine Worlds Diagram, there was another item, but it was useless for combat.

Considering Lu Ye's insufficient cultivation, Lady Yun sealed ninety percent of this spirit treasure's power, leaving only ten percent. Otherwise, with Lu Ye and Yiyi's cultivation, they wouldn't even dream of activating the Nine Worlds Diagram. But even with only ten percent of its power unsealed, Yiyi couldn't fully unleash it. However, it was more than enough for self-preservation. Yiyi wasn't skilled in formations, and Lu Ye currently only had a slight understanding. But it didn't matter; the Nine Worlds Diagram was a formation diagram, but also a spirit treasure. Yiyi didn't need to understand any formations; she only needed to channel her power into it to activate some of the Nine Worlds Diagram's abilities.

It was called the Nine Worlds Diagram because it contained nine small spaces with different terrains. When activated, it could draw people into the diagram. Eight of these nine spaces were sealed, leaving only one small space with a chaotic rock forest terrain usable. This was a genuinely existing terrain. When refining the Nine Worlds Diagram, Lady Yun had found such a terrain in the Nine Provinces, peeled it away using her powerful spirit rune techniques, and then refined it into the Nine Worlds Diagram. The other eight small terrain spaces were formed in the same way.

Currently, the Nine Worlds Diagram floated before Yiyi, her spiritual power surging as she continuously channeled it into the artifact. From an outsider's perspective, the Nine Worlds Diagram looked like an ink wash landscape painting. The painting depicted a chaotic rock forest, with stone pillars of varying heights standing amidst ground covered in yellow sand, exuding a desolate atmosphere. And within the painting, at a certain spot, two small figures stood confronting each other. One of them clearly bore the likeness and stature of Lu Ye. The other figure strongly resembled Yuan Guang.

"An internal formation diagram!" Hao Ren swallowed hard.

Formation diagrams were divided into two types: external and internal. An external diagram, once deployed, would activate layers of formations within its covered area. If an enemy stepped inside, the formation's power would be unleashed, harming the intruder. It was an excellent choice for ambushing and killing enemies. An internal diagram, like this Nine Worlds Diagram, would pull enemies into the diagram itself, then activate the formations within to eliminate them. The two types of diagrams served different purposes. As for which was more valuable, it was hard to say. Regardless, across all of the Nine Provinces, formation diagrams were scarce due to the immense difficulty in refining them.

The most famous was a formation diagram called the Mountains and Rivers Diagram, a prized treasure of a first-rank sect in Sky Continent. It had sealed within it mountain ranges and rivers, all refined by Divine Sea Realm grand cultivators. Each of these mountains and rivers could be summoned to attack enemies, wielding terrifying power. This diagram had been painstakingly accumulated and perfected by that sect over a thousand years, not the achievement of a single generation. The Nine Worlds Diagram was refined by Lady Yun alone, so naturally, its power couldn't compare to the legendary Mountains and Rivers Diagram. However, even if it could only unleash a fraction of its power, it was still more than sufficient for Lu Ye and Yiyi's current needs.

Within the formation diagram, the figures representing Lu Ye and Yuan Guang had already begun to clash. Faint spiritual power fluctuations emanated from within the diagram. Observing the scene on the painting, it looked comical, like two ink figures fighting, yet the struggle inside the diagram was extremely perilous.

"Our siblings can help," Hao Ren quickly offered, gathering his thoughts. He finally understood why Lu Ye would deliberately provoke a passing ninth-level cultivator—he had this hidden trump card. If the two of them entered the diagram, it would be three against one, and Yuan Guang would surely die! He had assumed this was Lu Ye's plan, but Yiyi shook her head. "Lu Ye hasn't asked for help. We don't need it for now. Thank you both." Hao Ren said no more, leaning forward to peer into the formation diagram.