Chapter 268: I Can Cut People

The mustached cultivator occasionally scurried to the door in the room, peering through the crack to gauge the situation outside, presumably checking if the mist had cleared.

Lu Ye paid him no mind, instead focusing on his recovery. According to the jade slip he had purchased from the Heavenly Mystery Alliance, the mist's duration was inconsistent, sometimes lasting an hour, sometimes a day or two, with no fixed pattern.

Half a day later, after another thorough check, the mustached cultivator suddenly called out, "Jujia!"

Jujia, a broad-shouldered figure with a tattered hemp robe half-exposing his chest, emerged from within.

The mustached cultivator cupped his hands at Lu Ye and said, "Fellow Daoist, we'll be departing now. Until we meet again."

He had held himself back time and again, ultimately not daring to make a move on Lu Ye.

With his words spoken, he and Jujia exited the room, their two figures, one tall and one short, quickly vanishing from sight.

Only after they had left did Lu Ye stand up, walk to the door, and peer outside. Once he confirmed the mist had dissipated, he too departed.

His goals were to replenish the wraiths under Amber's command and, concurrently, search for Chu Qing and the others.

Lu Ye also had another idea: whether he could replace all his wraiths with those of a squad leader level or special wraiths like Liu Sanbao. Ordinary Immortal Essence Guard wraiths fought too rigidly, making it hard for them to utilize their full power. Squad leader wraiths were significantly better, and Liu Sanbao was even more adaptable.

Although a wraith like Liu Sanbao had no independent thoughts after transformation, he could flawlessly execute Amber's commands, proving much more useful than ordinary Immortal Essence Guards.

However, special wraiths like Liu Sanbao were rare, so the priority remained on acquiring squad leader level wraiths.

With the mist gone, both the Immortal Essence Guards and the hidden cultivators became active. As Lu Ye journeyed, he easily detected the fluctuations of skirmishes nearby.

It wasn't long before he encountered a squad of Immortal Essence Guards. Before they could react, Lu Ye initiated a preemptive strike. Moments later, the entire squad was subdued, adding several more wraiths to his collection.

While he had decided to replace all his wraiths with squad leaders or special ones like Liu Sanbao, this was a gradual process. For now, ensuring a sufficient number of wraiths was the priority.

Along his path, he occasionally spotted buildings adorned with lanterns. Lu Ye eagerly searched them, hoping to find an entity similar to Liu Sanbao, but regrettably, he found nothing.

It appeared that special spiritual entities like Liu Sanbao were not common within Immortal Essence City.

An hour later, with his wraiths replenished, Lu Ye instructed Amber to release one to follow him. He intended to test something.

Soon after they began walking, a squad of Immortal Essence Guards approached. The wraith accompanying Lu Ye immediately activated its Spirit-Binding Chains, securing Lu Ye, and continued onward.

Their distance steadily closed until they passed each other. The approaching Immortal Essence Guards didn't even spare him a glance.

It actually worked!

Lu Ye raised an eyebrow in surprise.

The main reason for this test was that once Lu Ye's overall plan was complete, he wouldn't need to engage in unnecessary conflicts with Immortal Essence Guards. Killing them offered no advantage and merely wasted energy.

Now, by using his own wraiths to create the illusion of capture, he could deceive the Immortal Essence Guards and often avoid combat.

However, this strategy couldn't be fully implemented yet, as he first needed to replace all his wraiths with squad leaders.

Just as he was contemplating this, several cultivators suddenly burst out from a nearby building. The leader, a male cultivator in his early twenties, sized Lu Ye up and down before speaking: "Fellow Daoist, please reveal your mark."

Lu Ye glanced at them, then activated the battlefield mark on the back of his hand, causing it to immediately glow blue.

"Kill him!" The cultivator gestured, and his companions instantly assumed offensive stances.

To their astonishment, the Spirit-Binding Chains restraining Lu Ye retracted. Then, one ghostly spiritual entity after another floated out from Amber, who was perched on Lu Ye's shoulder. Before they could even comprehend what was happening, they were securely bound by a multitude of Spirit-Binding Chains.

Lu Ye stretched his neck, then approached the male cultivator, slowly drawing the Mountain-Solid Blade from his waist.

The man was stunned, staring at Lu Ye in disbelief. "How can you control Immortal Essence Guards?" he stammered.

They had intercepted him precisely because they had seen him captured by the Immortal Essence Guards. If he were an ally, they would naturally have rescued him to bolster their strength, but if an enemy, then no quarter would be given.

They had never conceived that anyone in this world could actually control Immortal Essence Guards!

"Do you know where Chu Qing of the Wind Blossom Pavilion is?"

"I don't know."

"Then you're useless." The long blade descended, and blood splattered.

Lu Ye moved to the second person and repeated the question.

"I know."

"Swear an oath to the Heavenly Mystery!"

"I... I don't know."

Moments later, several corpses lay on the ground. Lu Ye collected their storage bags.

These individuals were likely not from the Wind Blossom Pavilion, as there wasn't a single woman among them. They were either rogue cultivators from Myriad Demon Ridge or members of Sun-Gazing Mountain, and thus naturally unaware of Chu Qing's whereabouts.

On that note, the tactic of feigning capture by Immortal Essence Guards proved surprisingly effective. It not only deceived other Immortal Essence Guards but also served as an excellent way to lure enemies. Lu Ye was even tempted to continue using it indefinitely.

However, the thought of being restrained by Spirit-Binding Chains made it inconvenient to respond to sudden crises, so he dismissed the idea.

Continuing his journey, he would subdue the squad leaders of any Immortal Essence Guards he encountered, replacing his ordinary wraiths. Occasionally, he also ran into other groups of cultivators, which inevitably led to skirmishes. However, with over thirty wraiths at his command, these cultivators were no match. Their initial surprise at facing one enemy quickly turned into terror when over thirty suddenly appeared.

Consequently, he accumulated an increasing number of storage bags.

He also encountered members of the Vast Sky Alliance, from whom he learned that cultivators from Sun-Gazing Mountain and Wind Blossom Pavilion were gathering. It was clear they intended to use this opportunity to completely eliminate all Vast Sky Alliance cultivators who had entered the area.

Among the cultivators who had entered Immortal Essence City this time, the Myriad Demon Ridge outnumbered the Vast Sky Alliance by over a hundred individuals, with most of the surplus coming from Sun-Gazing Mountain.

Consequently, the Divine Concealment Palace was facing considerable pressure, and rogue cultivators from the Vast Sky Alliance were converging there as well.

It was foreseeable that a confrontation between the two factions would occur soon. The outcome of this clash would determine the fate of cultivators from both sides. Should the two Myriad Demon Ridge forces gain an advantage, they would undoubtedly exterminate the Vast Sky Alliance members.

The Vast Sky Alliance was originally supposed to have two factions enter this area, but unfortunately, the Infinite Mirage Realm had opened while the cultivators from the Lingyun Palace were still en route, preventing their entry.

Upon seeing Lu Ye alone, the Vast Sky Alliance cultivators naturally urged him to join their group.

Lu Ye declined. While joining other Vast Sky Alliance members would offer safety, it would be too late by the time Myriad Demon Ridge was fully prepared. Although he appeared to be alone, he commanded over thirty wraiths and could manage most situations as long as he didn't encounter an overwhelming number of enemies.

Traveling alone afforded him more freedom and allowed him to seek opportunities to weaken Myriad Demon Ridge's forces. Indeed, he had killed a considerable number of Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators during his journey.

Moreover, his plan to replace all his wraiths with squad leaders was still incomplete.

Lu Ye paused before a three-story building. Not just one lantern, but a whole row hung before it, making its purpose unclear. Above the main entrance hung a dilapidated plaque, its original characters long since illegible, save for the faint trace of the last character, "lóu," meaning "tower" or "building."

Lu Ye pushed the door open, and a decaying scent immediately assailed him.

The room's original arrangement was indistinguishable, now appearing cluttered with an old staircase leading to the second floor.

After searching the first floor and finding nothing, Lu Ye proceeded to the second.

As he entered the second floor, Lu Ye's eyes lit up at the sight of a spiritual entity.

Of all the special spiritual entities hidden within Immortal Essence City, Liu Sanbao was the only one Lu Ye had encountered thus far. His combat performance was undeniable, proving several times more effective than even the squad leaders.

The spiritual entity before him was a woman with a beautiful face and a delicate, frail expression. Her attire was somewhat scandalous, and she clutched a pipa.

Lu Ye didn't assume her delicate appearance meant she was easily bullied. Near the female spiritual entity lay three corpses. He couldn't tell who these unfortunate souls were, but their condition before death clearly indicated they had endured immense torment, with blood oozing from all seven orifices and expressions of agonizing pain frozen on their faces.

Sensing movement, the delicate woman shyly glanced up at Lu Ye, her eyes holding a captivating, misty allure. She gently parted her lips and, in a voice as soft as water, asked, "Does the guest recite poetry?"

Each of these special spiritual entities concealed within Immortal Essence City possessed a unique obsession or preference from their former lives. Liu Sanbao, for instance, was a gambler; thus, when Lu Ye entered his dwelling, he was compelled to gamble with Lu Ye until one's life was on the line, and typically, Liu Sanbao would emerge victorious.

This female spiritual entity's obsession, however, was peculiar: she immediately asked Lu Ye if he could recite poetry.

"No."

"Then can you compose couplets?"

"Not that either."

"Then what *can* the guest do?"

"I can chop people down!"

Lu Ye raised his hand and drew the Mountain-Solid Blade.

The spiritual aura emanating from her body was even denser than Liu Sanbao's. This suggested she was likely an eighth or even ninth-level Heaven-grade spiritual entity. Immortal Essence City truly was a place teeming with hidden masters.

The female spiritual entity glanced at the Mountain-Solid Blade. She didn't appear angered by Lu Ye's rudeness; she merely smiled gently.

Her smile, however, quickly vanished as Immortal Essence Guards, one after another, floated out from Amber's body, instantly filling the room.

"Ying ying ying..." The female spiritual entity initiated the attack, her smile twisting into a sorrowful cry, tears streaming from her eyes, making her appear heartbroken.

An invisible force swept across the second floor, causing the Immortal Essence Guards' spiritual lights to flicker wildly. Even Lu Ye felt his head grow heavy.

Lu Ye's heart tightened. This was a sound attack, an assault delivered through sound. He had only heard tales of such a thing, never witnessed it. He tried to raise his blade, but amidst the female spiritual entity's wails, he found his arm becoming unresponsive.