Chapter 303: 赴约

Novel

The Hundred Array Pagoda is not only incomplete but also split into three parts. One part is located in the main Heavenly Origin Sect, within Kyushu. Another is in the Cloud River Battlefield, a region accessible only to those in the Cloud River Realm. Unlike the Spirit Stream Battlefield, the various sects have no permanent outposts there. The whereabouts of the third part remain unknown.

This situation is a deep regret for all array cultivators in Kyushu, as the benefits of challenging the Hundred Array Pagoda are immense. All the top array cultivators in Kyushu have gained significantly from it.

No one knows why the pagoda was separated into three parts. Some have speculated that it was forcefully severed by an immensely powerful individual.

Currently, even the strongest Divine Sea Realm cultivators in Kyushu wouldn't dare claim they could destroy the Hundred Array Pagoda. It's considered a unique treasure, one that transcends the level of Spirit Treasures.

“Brother Yiye, if you intend to cultivate the Way of Arrays, I highly recommend visiting our main sect and challenging the Hundred Array Pagoda. It would undoubtedly bring you immense benefits.”

As Gu Canyang had surmised, Zhao Li's return was an attempt to recruit Lu Ye. He couldn't believe Lu Ye wouldn't be tempted by the Heavenly Origin Sect's deep foundation in array cultivation.

After his conversation with Lu Ye, however, he genuinely believed Lu Ye should experience the Hundred Array Pagoda. It's an extraordinary place where those with greater talent in array cultivation receive even more significant benefits.

Naturally, if Lu Ye agreed to go to the Hundred Array Pagoda, Zhao Li's objective would be fulfilled.

In fact, Lu Ye found such a temptation hard to resist. His experiences at Feng Hua Academy and Zhaori Mountain had already made him aware of his own deficiencies.

Given the current circumstances, his mastery of the Way of Arrays was still insufficient. Using his unique infiltration technique to bypass enemy defensive arrays was no longer a viable option. The incident at Feng Hua Academy had taught a clear lesson, and the major Myriad Devil Ridge outposts would undoubtedly tighten their defenses, leaving him no exploitable openings.

Furthermore, creating a breach in an enemy's grand array presented numerous disadvantages. His previous success had relied heavily on luck, and such breaches were quickly repaired, preventing a large number of people from rushing in simultaneously. Otherwise, Lu Ye wouldn't have brought only ten body cultivators.

To effectively dismantle arrays, he had only two options. First, he could swiftly improve his cultivation. He possessed the Insight Spirit Pattern, an advantage few other array cultivators could claim. Empowered by it, he could effortlessly pinpoint an array's weaknesses. With sufficient cultivation, a single strike would be enough to dismantle any array without needing much effort.

This aligns with the principle that overwhelming force can overcome any skill. There is nothing in this world that absolute power cannot break. If one strike isn't enough, then two!

Of course, this ambition was premature. He had attempted it before, but his strength proved inadequate. Thus, to successfully dismantle arrays, he had no choice but to enhance his proficiency in the Way of Arrays.

While his self-study progress was commendable, he was still far from reaching his ultimate goal. Even consulting Madam Yun back at the Crimson Blood Sect might not yield the results he sought.

Madam Yun was indeed an exceptional Spirit Pattern Master, but a person's energy is finite, and her mastery of the Way of Arrays might not be particularly advanced.

If the Hundred Array Pagoda was truly as extraordinary as Zhao Li described, then he absolutely had to challenge it.

Lu Ye retrieved his ten-part map to locate the Heavenly Origin Sect's outpost. He noted it was still quite a distance away; even traveling by spirit artifact would take several days.

“Brother Zhao, I am incredibly grateful for your generous invitation. However, I still have some matters to attend to. Perhaps you could return to your outpost first, and I will visit once my affairs are settled?”

Zhao Li was delighted. He stood up and replied, “That would be excellent. I'll return and await word from Brother Yiye then.”

Lu Ye personally escorted him to the door.

A short while later, Zhao Li found Wei Li, who was on duty, said his goodbyes, and departed.

His objective accomplished, there was no need for him to linger.

Inside the pavilion, Yiyi materialized, puzzled. “Lu Ye,” she asked, “do we still have something to attend to?”

She hadn't noticed Lu Ye having any urgent business recently.

“Nothing at all,” Lu Ye replied, shaking his head.

“Then why did you tell him that... Oh, I understand. You found it difficult to refuse him, so that was just an excuse.”

“Not exactly,” Lu Ye smiled. “It's just that I've drawn so much attention recently. I'm concerned we might encounter trouble when we leave this place, and if Brother Zhao accompanied us, he would inevitably be dragged in. It's better for him to go ahead first.”

“I see, you think of everything,” Yiyi understood. “So, will we really face trouble when we leave here?”

“Who knows?”

He couldn't be certain, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Several days quickly passed. Lu Ye found Gu Canyang to bid him farewell.

Gu Canyang briefly tried to persuade him to stay, but seeing Lu Ye's firm resolve, he said no more. Though somewhat regretful, he had long realized that Lu Ye was merely passing through and had no intention of cultivating here.

In truth, he somewhat envied Lu Ye's lifestyle of not being confined to one place, constantly traveling. While this might invite more dangers, it also broadened one's horizons and experience. Yet, despite his envy, he knew he couldn't truly live that way himself.

After watching Lu Ye depart with Ju Jia, Gu Canyang returned to the outpost.

In mid-air, a spirit artifact, a streak of light, soared. Lu Ye sat cross-legged upon it, with Ju Jia positioned before him.

This particular flying spirit artifact was not the small boat he had acquired from Yuan Guang. He had previously attempted to fly with a spirit artifact at his eighth-level cultivation, but it proved somewhat strenuous due to insufficient spiritual energy reserves. Hence, he usually rode Amber when traveling.

This approach not only conserved spiritual energy but also allowed him to cultivate simultaneously.

This spirit artifact belonged to Ju Jia. Earlier, to help Ju Jia accumulate enough merit points, Lu Ye had given him numerous spirit artifacts, including several flying ones. Ju Jia had selected one he particularly liked and kept it.

This demonstrated the advantage of traveling with Ju Jia; with him propelling the spirit artifact, they saved considerable travel time. Riding Amber to the Heavenly Origin Sect's outpost would have taken at least half a month.

However, with Ju Jia flying the artifact, they could arrive in merely three or four days.

Furthermore, since Ju Jia possessed an internal structure similar to a “demon core” that stored vast amounts of spiritual energy, he could, if necessary, continuously fly the artifact without needing to rest.

However, considering the significant strain this would place on Ju Jia and the inevitable depletion of his stamina, it was prudent to rest for a period after half a day of flight before resuming their journey.

As Lu Ye and Ju Jia departed on the spirit artifact, five li from the Divine Concealment Palace's outpost, a pair of eyes, straining with full power from a hidden vantage point, observed their departure. Upon recognizing Lu Ye, a message was immediately dispatched.

The message was confirmed by its recipient and then disseminated further, quickly spreading from person to person. Soon, many with vested interests learned that Lu Yiye of the Crimson Blood Sect had departed the Divine Concealment Palace's outpost, his destination unknown.

Zhao Li's earlier concerns were indeed valid. After the destruction of the Feng Hua Academy and Zhaori Mountain outposts, despite understanding the specifics, the various Myriad Devil Ridge factions dared not allow Lu Ye to continue growing unchecked.

Just eight or nine months prior, Lu Ye was merely a fifth-level cultivator; yet now he had reached the eighth level! This rate of growth was simply too rapid.

If left unchecked, he would become even more difficult to deal with as his cultivation increased. More than his cultivation growth, the Myriad Devil Ridge factions were concerned about his advancing mastery in the Way of Arrays.

Lu Ye already possessed unique array-breaking techniques. Who knew how far his mastery of arrays would progress? If he were allowed to continue unchecked, even Myriad Devil Ridge members sheltering within their outposts would lose their sense of security.

Consequently, in recent days, all Myriad Devil Ridge factions had reached a consensus: eliminate Lu Yiye of the Crimson Blood Sect as soon as possible to prevent future complications. To this end, images of Lu Ye had already been circulated for all relevant personnel to memorize his appearance.

The entire Myriad Devil Ridge was silently coordinating its efforts.

This time, they intended to operate discreetly, having learned a lesson from the Battle of Golden Light Peak.

Thus, while Lu Ye remained at the Divine Concealment Palace, Myriad Devil Ridge refrained from action. Attacking the palace was pointless, as they couldn't guarantee Lu Yiye's death. Even if they seized the outpost, Lu Yiye could simply use its Heavenly Mechanism Pillar to escape back to Kyushu.

The wilderness was their only opportunity to kill him!

Their numerous scouts, dispersed across various locations, proved effective. Myriad Devil Ridge cultivators reported Lu Ye's movements at regular intervals. With so many personnel mobilized, Lu Ye found it virtually impossible to evade Myriad Devil Ridge's surveillance, no matter where he traveled. Even if his trace was briefly lost, it was inconsequential, as someone would soon spot their figures flying on a spirit artifact again.

However, what left the Myriad Devil Ridge factions slightly perplexed was Lu Ye's erratic movements. He would head east for a while, then west, and occasionally even circle around.

This was clearly his attempt to evade tracking, but it was futile. This time, nearly all Myriad Devil Ridge forces within the inner circle had reached a consensus: as soon as he appeared, his whereabouts would be exposed, rendering any evasive maneuvers meaningless.

Aboard Ju Jia's flying spirit artifact, Lu Ye's eyelids were slightly lowered.

Although he was unaware of Myriad Devil Ridge's full deployment, he had a subtle feeling of being watched ever since leaving the Divine Concealment Palace's outpost.

That was why he had instructed Ju Jia to constantly change direction, but it now seemed to be in vain.

Previously, he would never have detected this, but the advantage of a powerful divine soul was precisely this: he could subtly perceive anomalies.

Unable to shake off the enemy's surveillance, there were only two possibilities: either someone was constantly following them nearby, or many individuals were monitoring their movements.

It seemed the situation was more complex than he had anticipated.

Checking his spirit apertures, he now had 165, just fifteen short of the 180 required for the ninth level.

With an adequately supportive cultivation environment, Lu Ye could activate those fifteen apertures in under a month. Then, he could proceed to open subsequent spirit apertures following the guidance of the Great Sun Glazed Art, which he had acquired for over five thousand merit points. He greatly anticipated practicing this Heaven-grade cultivation method.

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