Chapter 328: Killing Zhen Lake

Lu Ye rarely activated the Sunfire Spirit Mark. When he first acquired it, he found it quite peculiar; he felt it had some utility, but it wasn't exceptionally powerful. This Spirit Mark was only suitable for activation under specific circumstances.

Such as the current situation.

Under the influence of the Gravity Spirit Mark, the elder's long sword clashed with Lu Ye's Mountain-Rock Blade, their faces close as they stared at each other.

What does it feel like when a sun erupts right before your eyes? Lu Ye didn't know, because he had already closed his eyes the moment he activated the Spirit Mark. He was afraid of being blinded.

The elder from Crimson Blood Valley wasn't as fortunate. Although he quickly closed his eyes when he sensed something was amiss, it was ultimately too late. At that moment, his vision was filled with shifting, dazzling colors—yellow, blue, purple, and red—and his eyes stung so intensely that tears streamed down his face. It felt as if someone had violently jabbed him in the eye.

Battles involving Spirit Masters are always unpredictable and diverse. No one can ever guess what unusual Spirit Mark a Spirit Master will use next. Recently, Lu Ye's prowess in breaking formations had caused everyone to subconsciously overlook the fact that he had inherited the legacy of a Spirit Master. However, even remembering wouldn't have helped. When fighting a Spirit Master, the only strategy is to react to each move, making reaction speed the most crucial factor.

Lu Ye seized the opportunity to attack, aiming his blade at vital points. However, the True Lake Realm cultivator lived up to his reputation; even with his eyes closed, his perception was incredibly sharp. He swung his long sword repeatedly, blocking every one of Lu Ye's attacks without missing a single one.

The last time Lu Ye had activated the Sunfire Spirit Mark in combat was when he first entered the inner circle, encountering a Ninth-Layer cultivator named Yuan Guang from Qingtian Sect in the wilderness. At that time, he was a Seventh-Layer cultivator. After he activated Sunfire, Yiyi, who was already prepared, conjured the Nine Realms Map, drawing both him and Yuan Guang into it for a fight to the death.

The current situation bore a striking resemblance to that previous encounter. Yiyi always stayed close to Lu Ye, never straying beyond a ten-meter radius. As a spell cultivator, her attack range was extensive, allowing her to eliminate enemies even while standing by his side. When Lu Ye was targeted by the Crimson Blood Valley elder, Yiyi wanted to intervene, but she knew her direct involvement might not be very effective. Thus, she had been waiting for the right moment. It wasn't until the Sunfire Spirit Mark burst forth that she understood Lu Ye's intention.

At that moment, she leaped into the air, flying towards the descending figures of Lu Ye and the elder. She unfolded the Nine Realms Map and powerfully swept it upwards. The elder instinctively sensed something was wrong, but with his vision obscured, he had no idea what was happening. He was drawn into the Nine Realms Map by Yiyi almost entirely unprepared.

Yiyi leaped away, distancing herself from the chaotic battlefield, with Amber faithfully guarding her. She then held the Nine Realms Map before her, observing the two figures within, and channeled her spiritual energy into the spiritual treasure.

Within the rocky forest terrain, which spanned only a few square miles, yellow sand swirled. Lu Ye's figure, aided by the Windwalk Spirit Mark, moved like a graceful butterfly, launching swift and fierce attacks on the Crimson Blood Valley elder from all directions. If an attack failed, he immediately retreated to seek another opportunity. Clanging sounds continuously echoed.

The elder's vision had not yet recovered. He stood slightly hunched, his long sword pointing diagonally towards the ground. Occasionally, he would parry with a thrust, and each move was enough to neutralize Lu Ye's attacks. An Eighth-Layer Heavenly Realm cultivator alone wouldn't possess such formidable abilities, but the elder's True Lake Realm foundation granted him this exceptional skill.

What made the elder slightly uneasy, however, was that the surrounding clamor had abruptly disappeared. It felt as if the entire world contained only him and Lu Ye.

As Lu Ye launched another rapid assault, the elder slightly tilted his head, pushing his perception to its limit. His long sword once again rose, pointing in a specific direction. However, this time, the space around him suddenly tightened, as if the very void had solidified, slowing his sword-raising motion by a fraction.

The elder's expression changed dramatically. His blurred vision then registered Lu Ye rushing towards him and bringing a blade down. The elder's body was sent flying, a massive wound stretching diagonally from his shoulder to his lower abdomen. Blood surged from the injury. Before he could even land, Lu Ye raised his hand and launched four streaks of light towards him. These four streaks spun and darted, resembling a whirlwind, and violently struck the elder.

In this life-or-death crisis, the elder rapidly parried with his long sword. Clanging sounds filled the air as the four streaks of light were deflected. Before he could even catch his breath, Lu Ye's figure was already upon him.

Outside the Nine Realms Map, Yiyi's face was slightly pale as she frantically channeled her spiritual energy into the treasure. When Lu Ye first entered the inner circle, Yiyi could only manage to keep the Nine Realms Map operational, even with Madam Yun having sealed ninety percent of its power. Beyond maintaining the treasure's function, Yiyi could do nothing else. Now, however, things were different; Yiyi could activate some of the treasure's power. The sudden solidification of the space around the elder, which caused a momentary flaw in his defense, was Yiyi's doing.

In essence, while the elder seemingly fought Lu Ye in a solo battle, Lu Ye actually had Yiyi as a hidden accomplice. The assistance provided by this hidden ally proved to be the most deadly. The elder could anticipate and defend against Lu Ye's techniques, but Yiyi's manipulations were entirely unseen and intangible.

Moments later, inside the Nine Realms Map, the elder was gasping for air. He had only three injuries on his body. However, all three wounds were exceedingly severe. The most critical was a penetrating wound through his right lung. While the wound itself wasn't the sole cause of its severity, the destructive power generated by the Spiked Thorn Spirit Mark the instant Lu Ye's blade pierced him was truly terrifying. The elder's labored breathing at that moment sounded like an old, worn-out bellows being pumped.

He staggered to his feet, his blurred vision tracking the silhouette of the young man approaching him step by step, stopping roughly three meters in front of him. Even at this critical juncture, the elder had no intention of passively awaiting death. He mustered every last ounce of his strength, his spiritual energy surging around him, and thrust his sword forward.

Simultaneously, Lu Ye charged forward, his Mountain-Rock Blade wreathed in fiery red spiritual energy. The two figures passed each other. Lu Ye flicked the blood from his blade and slowly returned it to its sheath. Behind him, a thud signaled a body collapsing to the ground.

Most cultivators in Kyushu, whether from the Ten Thousand Devil Ridge or the Vast Sky Alliance, shared a common trait: they were ruthless and spoke little. This characteristic became more pronounced with higher cultivation, a direct result of the prolonged conflict between the two factions. This was because, regardless of which side's cultivators were defeated by the other, survival was almost impossible without an opportunity to escape; pleading for mercy was futile.

The ground beneath the elder was stained red with blood. His eyes were wide open, filled with confusion and an unwillingness to accept his fate. To think that a cultivator of his formidable True Lake Realm cultivation had forcibly entered the Spirit Stream Battlefield specifically to eradicate Lu Ye, a major concern for his sect and the Ten Thousand Devil Ridge, only to perish at Lu Ye's own hands. His death was certainly not one of peace.

A dark red, almost black, glow drifted from the elder's corpse and settled on the back of Lu Ye's hand. This was the first time Lu Ye had seen light of this color. Previously, when he defeated enemies, the light was always red, with little variation in its shade or intensity. The change in the light's color was clearly due to the elder's True Lake Realm cultivation. Even though he could only exhibit the strength of an Eighth-Layer Heavenly Realm cultivator within the Spirit Stream Battlefield, it did not alter his true cultivation realm. It was unclear how many cultivation tiers above his own he had defeated this enemy.

Lu Ye checked his merit points and saw that his score had increased by approximately seven to eight hundred. High-level cultivators who forcefully entered the Spirit Stream Battlefield could not act without restraint. The Heavenly Mechanism's balance and suppression restricted them to only displaying their peak combat power achievable in the Spirit Stream Realm. Furthermore, each kill incurred the penalty of soul-destroying divine thunder, with the punishment escalating in severity with more kills. Under normal circumstances, high-level cultivators would not readily enter the Spirit Stream Battlefield due to the exorbitant cost.

This time, Crimson Blood Valley was clearly desperate. With their stronghold on the verge of being captured and no external reinforcements able to arrive, only high-level cultivators from within the sect could intervene. Yet, even the strongest elder was ultimately killed by Lu Ye and Yiyi, who collaborated and utilized the Nine Realms Map. If news of this spread, Crimson Blood Valley would undoubtedly become a laughingstock.

Inside the Nine Realms Map, Lu Ye hastily bandaged his wounds and retrieved the elder's long sword. He found no storage bag, uncertain if the elder hadn't carried one or simply didn't require one. It was likely the latter; for instance, the Sect Master and Senior Sister Shui Yuan didn't use storage bags, as they possessed their own methods for storing items. Lifting his hand, he grasped the elder's mangled corpse. The scene before his eyes rapidly shifted, and the clamor of the battlefield once again filled his ears.

Lu Ye looked up to see the battle raging fiercely nearby. Originally, Crimson Blood Valley had suffered heavy casualties and was on the verge of losing their stronghold. However, the arrival of several Crimson Blood Valley powerhouses had allowed them to barely stabilize the situation. While Lu Ye was locked in combat with the elder, the situation for Crimson Blood Valley had once again deteriorated. This was primarily because the four powerhouses no longer dared to kill indiscriminately; all they could do now was passively defend against the attacks from the two sects' cultivators. The cultivators from the two sects clearly recognized this, intensifying their attacks with even greater abandon, which infuriated the four powerhouses. They were waiting for the elder to kill Lu Ye, believing that even if they lost the stronghold, it wouldn't matter. However, they were destined to wait in vain.

Lu Ye unfurled the wings on his back, soaring skyward. He flew to the heart of the clash and hurled the corpse he held downwards. The elder's mangled corpse slammed onto the ground, splattering a wide area with blood. The noisy battlefield suddenly fell silent for a moment, followed by a chorus of incredulous gasps.

"Third Elder!" exclaimed one of the Crimson Blood Valley powerhouses, his eyes trembling violently as he stared at the corpse that had crashed before him. He then looked up to see Lu Yiye of the Jade Blood Sect suspended in mid-air, a pair of fiery red wings gently flapping on his back. Blood seeped through the bandages on his bare torso, and his gaze, as he looked down from above, was chillingly cold.

The Third Elder was dead! No one knew exactly how he had died. Too much was happening on the chaotic battlefield, and everyone was focused on their immediate enemies. They only knew that the Third Elder had gone out to confront Lu Yiye, and moments later, the Third Elder's corpse had been thrown back by him.