Chapter 312: All of You Cry

As expected, Tang Yifeng entered Leizhou. Although forced to retreat by the powerful cultivators of Myriad Demon Ridge, he clearly had no intention of giving up and continued to linger at the border between Leizhou and Wuzhou, looking for an opportune moment.

This caused Myriad Demon Ridge a massive headache. It's impossible to guard against a persistent threat indefinitely.

Especially for a powerful cultivator like Tang Yifeng, once he disregarded his reputation and resorted to underhanded tactics, Myriad Demon Ridge truly had no effective countermeasures, unless they could somehow corner and eliminate him in one fell swoop.

But who was Tang Yifeng? Calling him "cunning and treacherous" would be an understatement; attempting to trap him was utterly foolish.

While the Sect Master of the Blood Sect was stirring up trouble alone in Leizhou, the core region of the Spirit Stream Battlefield also became lively.

Li Baxian had emerged to cause trouble.

The Spirit Stream Battlefield featured a fair and authoritative ranking system: the Spirit Stream Ranking. This was the most reliable ranking because it was devoid of human interference. It was automatically generated and ordered by the Heavenly Secret based on the power cultivators displayed during battles against their enemies.

This ranking changed frequently because cultivators, upon reaching the peak of the Spirit Stream Realm, were unlikely to remain in this realm for long. At most, they would accumulate power for a period before choosing to advance to the Cloud River Realm when the time was right.

Li Baxian was previously ranked tenth and was the only person on the entire Spirit Stream Ranking to be listed at the eighth-level Heavenly Realm; everyone else was at the ninth-level.

But now he was third on the Spirit Stream Ranking. This wasn't solely due to others advancing to the Cloud River Realm; more importantly, he had never previously revealed his true strength to outsiders.

After a major battle with Yan Xing, who was second on the Spirit Stream Ranking, his true power could no longer be concealed.

Looking at the top three on the Spirit Stream Ranking now, the geniuses from the major sects in the Spirit Stream Battlefield had something to say: they were suffering.

This was because these three "scoundrels" were all seasoned veterans who had been immersed in this realm for over a decade. How could the rising stars compete with their deep foundations?

It was said that those on the Spirit Stream Ranking received benefits, real advantages bestowed by the Heavenly Secret. The exact nature of these benefits was unclear, as they varied for many individuals, but it was certain that the higher the ranking, the greater the rewards received.

However, after these three had been on the ranking for three years, they no longer received any benefits, no matter how high their rank.

These three had dominated the top three spots on the Spirit Stream Ranking for years, and it seemed even the Heavenly Secret had lost patience, treating them as if they didn't exist and completely ignoring them when bestowing benefits.

Besides the fair and authoritative Spirit Stream Ranking by the Heavenly Secret, cultivators also had their own unofficial rankings, such as the Hidden Dragon Ranking, the Spirit Stream Beauty Ranking, and so on.

Among these was the "Leisurely Cloud and Wild Crane" Ranking, which assessed powerful cultivators. The criteria for inclusion were the number of enemies killed, the frequency of battles, and the degree of threat posed to other cultivators in recent times.

Before the Battle of Golden Light Peak, Li Baxian had held the top spot on the "Leisurely Cloud and Wild Crane" Ranking for many years, his position unshakeable.

This was because he was quite passive, spending his days guarding the Crimson Heart Sect's station like a shy maiden, rarely venturing out. Although he was nominally the deputy guardian of the Crimson Heart Sect, even its disciples rarely saw him.

However, after the Battle of Golden Light Peak, this person, who had consistently held the top position, saw his rank plummet on the list, at one point falling to the very bottom.

This time, the "Leisurely Cloud and Wild Crane" Ranking brazenly removed him.

This was because he had thrown the core region into chaos. Li Baxian now acted like a robust man who hadn't seen a woman in decades, full of vigor, constantly ambushing lone Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators. With his strength as the third-ranked on the Spirit Stream Ranking, who in the core region could possibly be his opponent? Several major battles had already been sparked by his actions.

Such a belligerent individual was naturally no longer qualified to be included in the "Leisurely Cloud and Wild Crane" Ranking.

Nevertheless, it must be said that during the years Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan guarded the Crimson Heart Sect's station, it became impregnable, and no one dared to challenge it.

Li Baxian's drastic change was, of course, due to Lu Yiye being poisoned to death, a fact everyone clearly understood.

At the Blood Sect's station, the door to the practice room opened. Hua Ci, who had been in seclusion for several days, walked out and stretched.

Ruan Lingyu was waiting for her outside.

Seeing Lingyu, Hua Ci asked curiously, "Why are you here?"

Lingyu took a few steps forward, grasped Hua Ci's hand, and said seriously, "Sister Hua Ci, I have something to tell you. Please don't get agitated."

Hua Ci tilted her head.

Ruan Lingyu glanced left and right, then whispered into Hua Ci's ear, "Lu Ye was poisoned to death."

Hua Ci's body stiffened abruptly. Ruan Lingyu suddenly felt Hua Ci's hands turn cold, realizing something was wrong, and quickly added, "It's a feigned death. Lu Ye is actually fine. I've asked our second senior sister, and she said Myriad Demon Ridge is currently targeting Lu Ye, so he used this method to temporarily escape their notice. And our second senior sister also said that our station is currently full of people and prying eyes, so you must not expose this."

She had been waiting there precisely to tell Hua Ci the news immediately, lest Hua Ci learn it from someone else, be unable to accept it at first, and potentially reveal a flaw.

Upon hearing Ruan Lingyu's words, Hua Ci instinctively felt a drastic surge of emotion. She raised her hand and touched her battlefield mark. Sure enough, Lu Ye's imprint had not disappeared. Still uneasy, she sent a message and only felt reassured after receiving a reply.

On the surface, she remained calm, but then her body went limp, and she sank to the ground, her eyes instantly reddening as tears streamed from them.

"Sister Hua Ci!" Ruan Lingyu was startled. She had already said Lu Ye was only feigning death, so why was her reaction still so strong?

If Lu Ye had been there, he would surely have praised Hua Ci's excellent acting skills.

Half a day later, in a secluded spot at the Blood Sect's station, Hua Ci gathered some of the sect's key members.

Burning paper money...

As fierce flames blazed, Hua Ci silently shed tears while throwing paper money into the fire.

Chen Yu, Kong Niu, Gu Yang, He Xiyin, Zhu Wenbo, Yin Haoran, Luo Qisheng—every single one of them had been brought here, and their expressions were very odd.

They had all been informed beforehand that Lu Ye was not actually dead. Yet, Hua Ci's eyes were now swollen from crying, making them unsure whether Lu Ye was truly dead or not.

"All of you, cry!" Hua Ci, still burning paper money, softly instructed.

The few individuals exchanged glances. Chen Yu was the first to burst into tears, exclaiming, "Fifth Senior Brother, you died so tragically!"

Cries and sobs rose one after another. Gu Yang, that fellow, cried while burning paper money, muttering, "Return, soul, return..."

He Xiyin really wanted to laugh, but then Hua Ci glared at her.

"Waaah..." He Xiyin immediately cowered, rubbing her eyes with both hands, tears streaming down her face.

From a distance, Feng Yue watched this scene and couldn't help but almost cheer. "The Heavenly Dao truly revolves; good and evil will eventually receive their retribution!"

After being abducted by Lu Ye and then swindled out of several thousand contribution points, Feng Yue had remained at the Blood Sect. She couldn't return to the Feng family; the Feng family's station had been lost under her watch, and as a guardian, she bore significant responsibility. Returning to the Feng family, even if not executed, her ultimate fate would be to be a pawn in a marriage alliance, marrying into another cultivation family, with no future prospects whatsoever.

This was an outcome she absolutely could not accept. She had, after all, served as a guardian; how could she simply resign herself to such a fate?

Staying with the Blood Sect, although without official status, she was treated quite well by the sect members due to her identity as a medical cultivator. The resources distributed within the sect were never withheld from her, and her strength had improved over these days.

The only thing that troubled her somewhat was the contribution points. She was now at the eighth-level cultivation realm and nearing the ninth. Without sufficient contribution points, she wouldn't be able to purchase Heavenly-level cultivation techniques.

Remembering the four thousand contribution points she had "donated," Feng Yue felt very wronged; those had originally been saved to buy cultivation techniques...

Fortunately, that hateful Lu Yiye had been poisoned to death. From now on, Hua Ci would be in charge of the Blood Sect, and Feng Yue's mood immediately brightened considerably.

In Wuzhou, at the main sect of the Heavenly Evolution Sect, a heavy gloom hung over the atmosphere.

The occupation of their station had caused the Heavenly Evolution Sect immense losses. Although the Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators had retreated after Shui Yuan caused a disturbance there, rebuilding the station was no simple task. At the very least, they needed to accumulate enough contribution points and set up defensive formations before considering anything else.

Furthermore, to guard against any ambushes from Myriad Demon Ridge, the Heavenly Evolution Sect currently prohibited its disciples from entering the Spirit Stream Battlefield.

Even the main sect's grand formation had been activated, isolating it from the outside. The Heavenly Evolution Sect was now completely sealed off; outsiders couldn't enter, and insiders couldn't leave, not even messages could be transmitted.

This was clearly related to the havoc caused by the Blood Sect's Hand Seal Envoy, leading to considerable criticism of the Blood Sect throughout the Heavenly Evolution Sect.

Lu Yiye's poisoning wasn't something they wished to see, and the Blood Sect's Hand Seal Envoy causing such a commotion in their main sect was indeed rather unreasonable.

It was said that the battle had even injured Grand Elder Bai Qian, who was now recuperating quietly.

Lu Ye, Ju Jia, and Zhao Li were all housed at Bai Qian's residence.

After Shui Yuan's treatment, Ju Jia and Zhao Li had both awakened. Ju Jia was largely fine, but Zhao Li was extremely weak. However, waking up meant he was out of danger. The female medical cultivator from the True Lake Realm had thoroughly examined Zhao Li's condition and confirmed there were no residual poisons in his body. His current weakness was merely a side effect of Shui Yuan's healing methods, and he would be perfectly fine after some rest.

This put Yu Xiao and the others at ease.

In the library, Lu Ye ended his communication with his second senior sister, his thoughts wandering.

The situation's development was completely different from what he had originally envisioned.

He had previously told his second senior sister that she and the sect master should put on a show, only expecting them to display sorrow. However, to his surprise, his second senior sister had actually attacked Yu Xiao. Judging by Yu Xiao's reaction at the time, he was clearly confused, and somehow ended up fighting his second senior sister in a muddle.