Chapter 274: Red Dress Woman's Punishment

Lu Ye hadn't been constantly fleeing; while on the run, he had also made attempts, such as contemplating killing Chu Qing. The results proved that the red-dressed woman's cultivation was indeed profound; she hadn't seemed to do anything to him directly. However, since he had joined the search for the cat, they were all considered "colleagues," making it impossible for him to attack Chu Qing and the others.

He couldn't make a move, but Yiyi could!

This might be because Yiyi was hidden inside Amber, or perhaps because Yiyi herself was a spirit body.

If Yiyi could, then the wraith spirits naturally could too.

Therefore, while the situation just now appeared to be Lu Ye and Ju Jia surrounded, Lu Ye was actually preparing to counterattack; otherwise, he wouldn't have stopped there.

Chu Qing could enlist others to kill Lu Ye, but Lu Ye didn't need to; he already had a group of helpers by his side, concealed within Amber.

A previous major battle had significantly reduced the number of wraith spirits, but those who remained were all elites. Liu Sanbao and the Pipa Girl were special wraith spirits, and the others were all at the squad leader level.

This attack indeed yielded remarkable results.

The Myriad Devil Ridge cultivators, under attack, instinctively began to counterattack. The remaining dozen or so wraith spirits, even if they were elites, could not withstand an assault from so many cultivators. It would probably only take one round of encirclement to annihilate all of them, including Yiyi.

Just as the Myriad Devil Ridge cultivators attacked, Amber suddenly inhaled sharply in the direction of the wraith spirits. All of them transformed into specks of light and were absorbed into its belly.

At the same time, Lu Ye leaped high, proactively meeting an incoming spell. It was a golden arc slash, cast by a ninth-level spell cultivator, and its power was considerable.

He was going to make an attempt.

However, as soon as he jumped, he realized his actions were somewhat redundant. Ju Jia had suddenly hugged Amber, then hunched his body, exposing his back, causing the spells and artifact attacks originally aimed at Amber and the wraith spirits to slam into him instead.

"No!" Chu Qing seemed to realize something and screamed in terror.

Some quick-witted cultivators quickly controlled their spells and artifacts, making them fly past Ju Jia without hitting him. Those who reacted slower, however, lacked this ability.

At least a dozen spells and artifacts struck Ju Jia, making thudding sounds against his back.

Simultaneously, the golden arc slash also struck Lu Ye's chest but was blocked by a defensive spirit pattern.

Lu Ye was knocked down, landing on his feet, and slid back several yards before steadying his stance.

He straightened himself, patted his chest, and looked toward the ninth-level spell cultivator who had attacked.

The other party's expression gradually turned to terror...

The expressions of the dozen or so cultivators who had attacked Ju Jia also began to show terror.

Their spiritual power suddenly became chaotic, then violent, accompanied by hissing sounds as if balloons were being punctured and deflating.

"Senior Sister Qing, save me!"

The ninth-level spell cultivator Lu Ye was staring at tremblingly reached out to Chu Qing.

"Ah!" Screams erupted, one after another. Every single one of those dozen or so people emitted hissing sounds of air bursting from their bodies.

Lu Ye's expression was solemn; his conjecture had been confirmed. However, as fellow cat-finders, the consequences of attacking a "colleague" proved more severe than he had anticipated.

Even if he hadn't heard that unique sound of a deflating balloon before, he knew what it was.

This was the sound of a spirit aperture being shattered!

Judging by their painful expressions, it was clearly not just one spirit aperture being shattered, but one after another, continuously.

This was a punishment from the red-dressed woman.

Everyone felt a chill run through their bodies, watching helplessly as those people's cultivation levels continuously plummeted with the shattering of their spirit apertures: from the ninth level to the eighth, then to the seventh, and then they died violently.

Amber, held in Ju Jia's embrace, leaped out. Without Lu Ye needing to command it, it opened its mouth and released all the wraith spirits.

Chu Qing's eyes trembled violently, and she sharply shouted, "Run!"

The whimpering cries resumed. Although the Myriad Devil Ridge cultivators were better prepared this time, reducing the effectiveness, it still slightly affected them. Binding spirit chains flew out, followed immediately by Liu Sanbao's dice and Yiyi's spell.

The situation rapidly deteriorated. The dozens of people who had originally surrounded Lu Ye and Ju Jia fled for their lives, as if monstrous creatures were chasing them.

Chu Qing, leading the escape, was practically grinding her molars into dust.

The current situation was extremely unfavorable for them. Due to the red-dressed woman's restrictions, they couldn't attack Lu Ye and Ju Jia, yet Lu Ye could command the Immortal Prime Guards to mercilessly attack them. This feeling of being beaten without being able to retaliate was utterly terrible.

If that were the only issue, it would be tolerable. A mere dozen or so spirit bodies could easily be eliminated by dozens of Myriad Devil Ridge cultivators. However, those spirit bodies could be swallowed by Lu Ye's beast companion, and even accidentally injuring Lu Ye or Ju Jia during an attack would still result in the red-dressed woman's punishment.

The consequences were too tragic, and no one dared to easily try.

They couldn't fight; if they stayed, they would continue to be attacked. So all they could do was flee.

Dozens of people ran ahead, with the wraith spirits in pursuit, periodically unleashing binding spirit chains. Lu Ye and Ju Jia, meanwhile, strolled leisurely further behind.

Along the way, unfortunate Myriad Devil Ridge cultivators were continuously bound by the spirit chains and then killed.

The group of seventy or eighty people continuously dwindled; in just half a day, more than half were gone. If this continued, given enough time, Chu Qing's entire group would likely face death.

Ju Jia, by Lu Ye's side, clearly looked bewildered, unable to comprehend how the situation had developed, but it was something he was happy to see.

Ding-a-ling...

Suddenly, a crisp bell sound came from nearby, making one feel as if a clear stream was flowing through their heart, and their mind became much clearer.

Lu Ye looked towards the source of the sound and saw a small, agile figure running swiftly on the roof of a nearby building.

It was clearly a white cat with soft, shiny fur and a small bell around its neck, from which the sound came.

There really was a cat?

The red-dressed woman had previously told him to find a cat, which he had dismissed as her mere obsession, so he hadn't paid it much mind. Now, however, it seemed there truly was a white cat named Tangyuan in the city.

It seemed to be attracted by the commotion, running along on a nearby rooftop, watching the excitement as it went.

Lu Ye didn't know what he would gain by bringing the cat back to the red-dressed woman, as neither Liu Sanbao nor the Pipa Girl had ever had their obsessions fulfilled.

But this was worth a try; perhaps there would be some unexpected benefits.

With this thought, Lu Ye activated wind spirit patterns on his legs, stomped on the ground, and lunged towards the running white cat. As he got closer, he reached out to grab it.

However, his grab missed. The white cat's movements were incredibly agile; just as Lu Ye was about to catch it, its speed suddenly increased significantly, and it darted a considerable distance forward.

Lu Ye landed on the rooftop and continued to chase after the white cat without stopping.

The white cat evaded. Its speed didn't seem very fast, but in reality, it was extremely nimble; every time Lu Ye attacked, it narrowly dodged.

This gave Lu Ye the feeling that it was toying with him.

Lu Ye frowned, slapped his storage bag, and two artifacts flew out, intertwining and circulating as they struck towards the white cat.

The white cat's movements suddenly became much more agile, dodging and leaping with small movements, actually evading all the artifact attacks.

"Ju Jia!" Lu Ye shouted downwards.

Hearing the call, Ju Jia leaped up. He had already seen the white cat earlier and had been waiting for an opportunity. Now, hearing Lu Ye's call, he lunged and leaped onto the rooftop, blocking the white cat's path. He spread his broad chest in a "come here, little cutie" posture.

The white cat charged towards him. Ju Jia extended his large, fan-like hand to grab, but missed. The white cat even stepped on his large hand, and with an agile leap, landed on Ju Jia's head.

Lu Ye and Ju Jia simultaneously froze, as if immobilized by a binding spell, stiffly rooted to the spot.

On top of Ju Jia's head, the white cat meowed and licked its paw. Ju Jia rolled his eyes upward, then looked at Lu Ye, and his two large hands spread open, slowly moving towards his head.

Lu Ye shook his head, signaling him not to act rashly, then immediately nodded.

The next instant, Ju Jia suddenly exerted force and clapped his two large hands together.

Boom...

An air explosion sounded, and a visible wave of air swept outwards. If that clap had landed, even if the white cat were a spirit body, it would likely be obliterated. However, the white cat had already landed lightly nearby, and a very vivid look of disdain shone in its cat eyes.

Ju Jia lunged at it like a fierce dog. With a crashing sound, a large hole was smashed into the rooftop, and he fell through. The white cat, having landed nearby, even had the leisure to peek down at the situation below.

Seizing this opportunity, Lu Ye sprinted forward rapidly and reached out to grab.

However, just as he was about to succeed, the white cat darted to the side again, and the look of disdain in its cat eyes became even more pronounced.

Lu Ye looked up at it, thought for a moment, and then jumped down from the rooftop.

It was confirmed: this little creature was simply toying with him and Ju Jia. Its speed was too great; he couldn't catch it with his current strength.

Having confirmed this, Lu Ye didn't want to waste any more time; pursuing Chu Qing and the others was the urgent matter now.

Ju Jia emerged from the room with the hole in the roof. Seeing Lu Ye, he showed a questioning look, and Lu Ye shook his head.

While the two were chasing the white cat, Amber had not been idle. It was leading the wraith spirits in a continuous pursuit ahead. Lu Ye and Ju Jia set off again, occasionally seeing one or two corpses killed by the wraith spirits.

The ding-a-ling sounds kept coming; it was the white cat continuously following on nearby rooftops, openly provoking them.

Lu Ye ignored it, pretending not to see it.

Not long after, chaotic and fierce spiritual power fluctuations suddenly came from ahead, as if many people were fighting there.

Yiyi returned with Amber. Lu Ye went forward to ask and learned that indeed many cultivators were fighting there. Judging by the scale, it seemed to be both the Divine Hidden Palace and Glorious Sun Mountain factions.

And Chu Qing and the others, whom they had been chasing, had already joined up with the people from Glorious Sun Mountain.

Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, Yiyi then retreated with Amber.