Chapter 272: What the Heck Is Tangyuan?

When retreating earlier, the main reason Lu Ye specifically went to inform Ju Jia was that he didn't want to stand by and watch him be surrounded and killed by the Fenghua Courtyard. As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, so he helped where he could.

Unlike Sima Yang, Lu Ye had a very favorable impression of Ju Jia.

"The dead cannot be brought back to life," Lu Ye said, trying to comfort him. "I have a vendetta against those people, so we can work together."

Ju Jia kept his head down, offering no response. It was hard to tell if he had even heard.

After only a brief moment to catch their breath, a surge of spiritual energy emanated from nearby. Lu Ye looked up to see a cultivator from the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge peering at them from a nearby rooftop. Their eyes met, and the cultivator immediately yelled, "Lu Yiye is over here!"

No sooner had the words left his lips than a Fire Dragon spell shot toward him, its scorching power distorting the surrounding air.

The cultivator's expression changed, and he swiftly dodged. But the Fire Dragon spell, still under Lu Ye's control, abruptly shifted direction, slamming into the cultivator with full force. With a shriek, the person was knocked off the roof.

"Let's go!"

Lu Ye sprinted away, with Ju Jia close behind. Not far behind them, surges of spiritual energy indicated that the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators were in pursuit.

They continued to flee, but couldn't shake off their pursuers. The commotion behind them suggested that the number of enemies giving chase was steadily increasing.

If Lu Ye had been alone, he could have easily outrun his pursuers; with the aid of Wind Travel, catching him would have been an impossible feat.

However, Ju Jia's presence complicated matters. While not slow, Ju Jia was certainly not fast, and his injuries were severe. Ideally, they needed to find a safe place for him to recover.

Yet, with so many pursuers hot on their heels, there was no safe haven unless they could first lose them.

After much consideration, only one destination came to mind.

Moments later, Lu Ye led Ju Jia through several winding streets before they arrived at a courtyard. No sooner had they reached the entrance than the pursuing cultivators from Ten Thousand Demon Ridge appeared, with Chu Qing and Ruo Yan prominent among them, moving at an astonishing speed.

Enemies meeting face-to-face always leads to intense animosity.

Then they watched as Lu Ye straightened his clothes, gently pushed open the courtyard gate, and calmly walked inside.

"Surround them!" Chu Qing commanded loudly. In that short span, she had amassed seventy to eighty cultivators, comprising almost all the remaining Fenghua Courtyard disciples, along with a small contingent of rogue cultivators from the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge.

With such a large force, even if Lu Yiye genuinely could command the Immortal Essence Guards, they would still stand a chance. Besides, she hadn't seen any trace of Immortal Essence Guards just moments ago.

*Swish, swish, swish.* A group of cultivators nimbly leaped onto the high walls, encircling the entire courtyard so tightly that not even a breath could pass through.

Chu Qing and Ruo Yan, leading twenty cultivators, entered through the main gate, emanating potent killing intent.

Looking inside, they saw a swing set in the courtyard. A woman in a red dress sat on it, her back to them. The previously arrogant and defiant Lu Yiye was now standing respectfully a short distance from the red-dressed woman, apparently speaking to her.

The Fenghua Courtyard was well aware of the special spiritual entities that inhabited Immortal Essence City. They had encountered several in the past, but had always managed to corner and eliminate them. This was primarily because these entities often made extremely bizarre demands that were impossible to satisfy.

Unable to fulfill these demands, they had no choice but to engage in combat.

Therefore, upon seeing the woman in red, Chu Qing immediately recognized her as a special spiritual entity. She initially gave her only a fleeting glance, but quickly sensed something was amiss: she couldn't perceive the woman's spiritual aura at all.

Ruo Yan, standing beside Chu Qing, lacked such keen observation skills. Her eyes blazing with fury, she gritted her teeth and spat at Lu Ye, "Lu Yiye, your time has come!"

Lu Ye, who was whispering to the red-dressed woman, looked up at the sound. He raised a hand and pointed at Ruo Yan and her group. "It's them," he complained. "They keep chasing me and won't let me go find Tangyuan."

The gently swaying swing abruptly stilled. In that instant, every hair on Lu Ye's body stood on end, and Ju Jia let out a low growl, pulling Lu Ye behind his massive frame.

Lu Ye stared at the broad back before him, a look of astonishment on his face.

"Quickly, retreat!" Chu Qing also sensed the impending danger and cried out sharply.

*BOOM...*

The courtyard gate slammed shut.

Simultaneously, screams filled the air as the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators who had scaled the walls plummeted to the ground like dumplings, one after another.

A fall from a few yards wouldn't be fatal, but it certainly was disorienting and humiliating.

The small courtyard was now crammed with dozens of people.

Chu Qing's face became so grim it seemed to be dripping with anxiety. She was now experiencing the same sensation Lu Ye had earlier: her spiritual energy was completely confined within her body, rendering her immobile. What deepened her despair was the horrifying realization that Lu Yiye and this eerie woman in red seemed to be in league.

She looked up and saw Lu Ye looking directly at her. Their eyes met, and a clear look of triumph was on his face as he winked playfully.

Chu Qing's mood plummeted even further.

Throughout her cultivation, she had faced numerous perilous situations, but none had filled her with such utter despair. The moment the strange phenomenon enveloped the small courtyard, she knew she had provoked an immensely powerful entity that should never have been disturbed.

The woman in red possessed a depth of power that surpassed all imagination, far beyond anything cultivators of their Spirit Stream Realm could hope to contend with.

Was it because of her that Lu Yiye was able to command the Immortal Essence Guards?

No wonder that fellow ran straight here...

It must be said, Chu Qing's assumption was entirely wrong.