Chapter 299: One Word Becomes Prophecy

After nearly nine months, Lu Yiye of the Blood Sect is once again at the center of attention. Unlike the previous Battle of Golden Peak, this time, the situation is far more serious.

The Battle of Golden Peak began because the sect's rank evaluation was approaching, and the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge wanted to completely remove the Blood Sect from the rankings. Consequently, many powerful cultivators from the inner and even core circles disregarded rules and reputation to forcibly intervene, invading the outer circle with the intent to eliminate Lu Yiye.

However, with relay escort from various sects of the Haotian Alliance, Lu Yiye repeatedly escaped danger. Eventually, both sides confronted each other at Golden Peak. At Lu Yiye's suggestion, and witnessed by numerous strong cultivators on the Spirit Stream Ranking, a Heavenly Secret Pact was signed, leading to a series of arena battles.

In that battle, Lu Yiye, despite being only a fifth-level Spirit Stream cultivator, fought forty-three consecutive matches. He remained undefeated, thoroughly humiliating the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge.

Nevertheless, at that time, Lu Yiye was still only a fifth-level Spirit Stream cultivator. Even though he could defeat cultivators above his rank and displayed immense potential, it was merely his individual strength.

Individual strength, after all, has its limits. While the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge might have felt some apprehension towards him because of this, true powerhouses wouldn't have cared about him yet, unless Lu Yiye could safely grow to a level where he threatened them.

The world never lacks geniuses, and countless prodigies die young.

This time, however, it's different. The events he has orchestrated now have nothing to do with individual strength or weakness. The capabilities he has demonstrated are sufficient to pose a significant threat to any faction.

First, news spread from the Wind-Blossom Pavilion: Lu Yiye of the Blood Sect, using unknown methods, silently infiltrated a stronghold protected by a grand defense array. He then seized the array control jade from the Wind-Blossom Pavilion's garrison commander and broke open the grand array, leading to the fall of the Wind-Blossom Pavilion's stronghold and severe losses.

When the news broke, it caused an uproar across the Nine Provinces and the Spirit Stream Battlefield.

All cultivators who heard this news, regardless of their cultivation level or status, were dumbfounded.

How could a minor cultivator at the Spirit Stream realm possess the ability to infiltrate a sect's grand defense array?

Indeed, some have accomplished such feats, but they were always grand cultivators highly proficient in array formations, achieving this through exceptionally profound mastery of array arts.

How could a mere Spirit Stream realm cultivator possibly do this?

Initially, many believed the Wind-Blossom Pavilion was exaggerating, or that the garrison commander who lost the stronghold was shifting blame.

But soon, a second piece of news emerged. This time, it came from Zhaori Mountain, located not far from the Wind-Blossom Pavilion's stronghold.

Zhaori Mountain's stronghold had also been breached!

This happened less than a day after the Wind-Blossom Pavilion's stronghold fell.

According to surviving cultivators from Zhaori Mountain, Lu Yiye possessed a miraculous method that allowed him to forcibly tear a hole in a perfectly functioning grand defense array and infiltrate it.

Zhaori Mountain's stronghold was breached precisely because Lu Yiye used this method, then led ten body cultivators in an assault, resulting in their garrison commander being killed and the array control jade being stolen.

One account stated Lu Yiye could infiltrate an array silently, while another claimed he could forcibly tear a hole in it. Although the descriptions differed, they all pointed to one conclusion: Lu Yiye, despite being only an eighth-level Spirit Stream cultivator, truly possessed profound mastery in array arts, or more specifically, in breaking arrays.

With two Ten Thousand Demons Ridge sect strongholds breached, the root cause was clearly Lu Yiye. As for the accompanying cultivators from the Divine Shadow Palace and Lingyun Hall, hardly anyone mentioned them.

Initially, these reports spread within a small circle, but in just half a day, they became common knowledge across the Nine Provinces and the entire Spirit Stream Battlefield.

Because if this were true, it would be terrifying.

All major sects' strongholds on the Spirit Stream Battlefield have their own grand defense arrays. With these arrays in place, cultivators feel secure, much like mortals lock their doors at night.

But now? Someone can quietly open this "door," or forcibly tear a hole in it, then burst into your home, kill your people, and seize your resources...

This naturally caused panic.

If the Battle of Golden Peak merely showed the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge Lu Yiye's immense growth potential, then the successive breaches of the Wind-Blossom Pavilion and Zhaori Mountain strongholds instilled deep apprehension in the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge towards him.

This apprehension was something even Spirit Sea realm cultivators could not ignore.

Looking across the Nine Provinces, which ranked faction doesn't have a stronghold on the Spirit Stream Battlefield? These strongholds are populated by Spirit Stream realm cultivators. For Lu Yiye to casually infiltrate their grand arrays or tear holes in them, he was practically the bane of grand defense arrays.

If even grand defense arrays couldn't provide a sense of security, then all cultivators of the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge would likely live in perpetual fear from now on.

Once a grand defense array was breached, the capture of the stronghold was only a matter of time.

As this matter continued to escalate, another incident was revealed.

That was several months prior, when the insect tide arrived. The strongholds of the Heavenly Fiend Hall and the Feng clan, neighboring the Blood Sect's stronghold, had also been captured. Among them, the Feng clan suffered heavy casualties, with almost all their Spirit Stream realm disciples annihilated.

Although the capture of these two strongholds was primarily attributed to the insect tide, anyone could discern Lu Yiye's involvement behind the scenes.

Because for so many years, the Heavenly Fiend Hall and the Feng clan had remained intact. Yet, precisely when Lu Yiye arrived at the Blood Sect's stronghold, these two strongholds fell? This simply didn't make sense.

First, there were the Heavenly Fiend Hall and the Feng clan in the outer circle. Later, the Wind-Blossom Pavilion and Zhaori Mountain in the inner circle. In just a few months, Lu Yiye had effectively dismantled the strongholds of four Ten Thousand Demons Ridge factions.