Chapter 329: Popular Choice

Wind Rises in the Nine Provinces.

Crimson Blood Valley was a fifth-rank sect, with no Divine Sea Realm grand cultivators. Their strongest members were in the True Lake Realm, and this Third Elder's strength was among the top ranks of all True Lake Realm cultivators in Crimson Blood Valley.

Yet at this very moment, his tattered corpse was thrown down from the sky like trash.

This undoubtedly had a huge impact on Crimson Blood Valley's morale, especially since they were already at a disadvantage.

Since Lu Ye could kill the Third Elder, he naturally also had the ability to kill the remaining four.

A tremendous crisis enveloped the four individuals. Without further hesitation, a woman sharply cried, "Run!"

At her command, the Crimson Blood Valley cultivators fought and retreated, fleeing all the way towards the Heavenly Mystery Hall.

The cultivators from Heavenly Dao Sect and Azure Ocean Mountain pursued relentlessly, unleashing layers of spells and artifact powers.

Corpses continuously littered the path.

By the time the Crimson Blood Valley members retreated into the Heavenly Mystery Hall, dozens more had died.

The Crimson Blood Valley cultivators defending the Heavenly Mystery Hall retreated to their main sect in the Nine Provinces via the Heavenly Mystery Pillar. As their numbers dwindled, their defensive strength continuously weakened, until at one point, the cultivators from the two sects surged into the Heavenly Mystery Hall like a torrent.

The Crimson Blood Valley cultivators who failed to escape had no way out. Even the woman who had given the orders earlier was forcibly left behind because she was covering the rear. She fought with all her might, slaying several people, but purple lightning surged around her, causing her to scream in agony.

The cultivators from the two sects swarmed her...

A moment later, the battle ceased.

There were no cheers, no jubilation. This was already the second Myriad Demon Ridge outpost captured by the combined forces of the two sects, and compared to the last time, the casualties were undoubtedly much higher.

The process was the same: clean up the battlefield and collect the spoils of war.

On the Heavenly Mystery Hall plaza, Lu Ye sat cross-legged while an accompanying medical cultivator healed him.

The injury was left by the old man from Crimson Blood Valley. Although Lu Ye had hastily bandaged it, it hadn't done much good. Now, under the medical cultivator's treatment, the wound felt pleasantly itchy.

Although his physique was not as strong as Ju Jia's, it was by no means inferior to, and perhaps even stronger than, body cultivators at the same level. This was naturally attributed to the scales he obtained from Dragon Spring.

The advantage of a strong physique was quick recovery from injuries, especially when treated by a medical cultivator.

Zhao Li and Song Yin arrived together, checked Lu Ye's injuries, and only after confirming there was no serious harm did they relax.

While the cultivators from the two sects were busy, news of Crimson Blood Valley's outpost being captured once again spread rapidly.

After the Clear Wind Sect outpost was previously captured, the attention of the entire Spirit Stream Battlefield and even cultivators from the Nine Provinces converged on the two sects led by Lu Ye, constantly monitoring their movements and battle situation.

Therefore, less than a quarter of an hour after the Crimson Blood Valley outpost was captured, the matter was already abuzz and almost everyone knew about it.

What shocked everyone was that in this battle, Crimson Blood Valley not only lost its outpost but also lost two True Lake Realm powerhouses.

It was said that to protect its outpost, five powerhouses above the Spirit Stream Realm forcibly entered the Spirit Stream Battlefield, attempting to imitate the actions of the Blood Sect's Hand Seal Envoy.

As a result, two of these five died, and the remaining three fled back to the Nine Provinces in disarray, now suffering unbearable torment from the Soul Extinguishing Divine Thunder.

That's right, even if those three had already left the Spirit Stream Battlefield, the punishment of the Soul Extinguishing Divine Thunder did not disappear; it continued, with its duration varying based on how many people they killed in the Spirit Stream Battlefield.

It can be imagined that within the next month or two, these three would probably live a life worse than death.

This was also why powerful cultivators in the Nine Provinces were unwilling to easily enter the Spirit Stream Battlefield; Heavenly Mystery's punishment was simply too severe.

Among the two who died from Crimson Blood Valley, one was even a Third Elder at the eighth-level True Lake Realm.

When the news spread, the Nine Provinces erupted in an uproar.

Compared to Crimson Blood Valley losing its outpost, the deaths of two True Lake Realm powerhouses in the Spirit Stream Battlefield were what truly shocked people.

It had been many years since a cultivator above the Spirit Stream Realm had died in the Spirit Stream Battlefield, let alone two True Lake Realm cultivators.

Messages streamed towards Crimson Blood Valley, and even a Divine Sea Realm grand cultivator from Myriad Demon Ridge personally visited to inquire about the situation.

It was finally learned that the Third Elder had intended to kill Lu Yiye of the Blood Sect, but somehow, he was killed by Lu Yiye instead. Not only did he lose his own life, but he also caused Crimson Blood Valley to lose a great deal of face.

As for Lu Yiye, he was currently only at the ninth-layer cultivation level.

An ordinary ninth-layer cultivator slaying a Heaven Eighth across realms was impossible, even for Lu Yiye, who had shone brightly at Golden Light Peak. What’s more, this Heaven Eighth also possessed the foundation of a True Lake Realm cultivator.

Something must have happened that Crimson Blood Valley's side didn't notice, and that was the real reason a True Lake Realm powerhouse was killed.

But what exactly happened, no one knew.

At that time, Yi Yi activated the Nine Realms Map, taking Lu Ye and the Third Elder into it, and then carried the Nine Realms Map away from the battlefield. This resulted in Crimson Blood Valley's side not seeing the specific situation.

The Clear Wind Sect outpost was gone, the Crimson Blood Valley outpost was gone, so it was inevitably the turn of Thunder Light Sect next.

For a time, all eyes converged on Thunder Light Sect.

However, upon a little inquiry, it was learned that Thunder Light Sect's cultivators had already withdrawn from their outpost and returned to their main sect in the Nine Provinces.

They had no choice but to withdraw. Over three hundred Thunder Light Sect cultivators were killed by Heavenly Dao Sect on their way to support Crimson Blood Valley, leaving only a little over a hundred to guard the entire outpost. How could they possibly resist?

So when Lu Ye led the cultivators from the two sects to Thunder Light Sect's outpost, the place was already deserted. Even the formation foundations of the sect-protecting grand array had been dug up and taken away by Thunder Light Sect members.

Though the people had left, the Heavenly Mystery Pillar couldn't escape, nor could the various enchantments on it.

Zhao Li and Song Yin gleefully went to divide the various enchantments on the Heavenly Mystery Pillar, while Lu Ye continued to heal.

Since Lu Ye reappeared, a group of several hundred cultivators, in just three or four days, had successively broken through three Myriad Demon Ridge sect outposts. Such a terrifying record was unprecedented.

Even when Lu Ye last acted with Divine Concealment Palace and Soaring Cloud Hall, he only broke through two.

Before departing from Heavenly Dao Sect, Lu Ye fulfilled his promise to Bai Qian. Heavenly Dao Sect took 70% of the enchantments on the Heavenly Mystery Pillars of these three Myriad Demon Ridge forces. Even with some losses during the plunder, it was enough to compensate for the losses from Heavenly Dao Sect's outpost being breached, with even some surplus.

In this region of the Spirit Stream Battlefield, neither Heavenly Dao Sect nor Azure Ocean Mountain had an easy time. Heavenly Dao Sect, in particular, was sandwiched in a triangular formation by three Myriad Demon Ridge forces. Its disciples felt very insecure when venturing out and were often subjected to enemy sneak attacks.

But now, all three Myriad Demon Ridge forces were crippled, and each had suffered heavy casualties. It would take at least eight to ten years for them to fully recover.

If Heavenly Dao Sect and Azure Ocean Mountain were to cooperate and suppress them further, this period would be even longer.

After dividing the enchantments on the Heavenly Mystery Pillar, Zhao Li and Song Yin jointly sought out Lu Ye, who was recuperating. After consulting him, they decided to first retreat to Azure Ocean Mountain's outpost.

A moment later, two large ships ascended into the sky and headed towards Azure Ocean Mountain's outpost.

Upon arriving at Azure Ocean Mountain's outpost, they naturally received a warm welcome from the cultivators who remained there. Song Yin had already given instructions on the way back, and Azure Ocean Mountain had prepared a victory banquet.

That night, nearly a thousand cultivators gathered at Azure Ocean Mountain's outpost. The victory banquet was held on the Heavenly Mystery Hall plaza, where tables were laden with food, cups were passed around, and the atmosphere was extremely lively.

If Lu Ye hadn't used his injury as an excuse to decline, he would surely have been plied with drinks by the enthusiastic cultivators from both sects.

The next day, Lu Ye was still washing up when Zhao Li and Song Yin arrived together.

He asked them to sit for a moment, and Yi Yi served tea. Lu Ye came to meet them after getting ready.

After sitting down, Zhao Li asked a thought-provoking question: "Brother Yiye, what are your plans next?"

Song Yin also looked at him with anticipation, completely shedding his previous calm and collected demeanor.

Lu Ye took a sip of tea and asked in return, "Brother Zhao, what are *your* plans?"

Zhao Li chuckled, "What plans could I have? If Brother Yiye has any plans, my Heavenly Dao Sect would naturally be honored to assist. Anyway, rebuilding our outpost isn't urgent."

There was a hidden meaning in his words; he had clearly acquired a taste for it.

For so many years in the Spirit Stream Battlefield, no one had effective means to break through protective grand arrays. Capturing a sect's outpost completely relied on overwhelming numerical superiority. Therefore, for a long time, both the Vast Sky Alliance and Myriad Demon Ridge, though they desperately wanted to capture all their neighbors' outposts, simply lacked the ability.

Now, it was different. A Lu Ye had appeared in the Spirit Stream Battlefield, and breaking through others' protective grand arrays was as simple as eating and drinking. With his various array-breaking methods, protective grand arrays became as brittle as paper.

Zhao Li saw an opportunity and had tasted the benefits, so naturally, he wished for more such occurrences.

What was breaking three Myriad Demon Ridge outposts? It would be best to break thirty, three hundred...

Although Song Yin said nothing, his presence with Zhao Li made it clear he thought the same.

"Many people have contacted you, haven't they?"

Zhao Li and Song Yin exchanged glances, not hiding anything. Song Yin said, "Since last night, people have been continuously contacting me. Learning that Brother Yiye is temporarily staying here, they all wish to come and pay their respects."

Paying respects was a pretext; inviting Lu Ye for assistance was the true motive. As long as Lu Ye could be persuaded, any sect could capture their neighbor's outpost.

Not only were Zhao Li and Song Yin contacted by many, but many people were also contacting Lu Ye himself, and some even contacted Hua Ci.

For the Myriad Demon Ridge faction, the destruction of the Clear Wind Sect, Crimson Blood Valley, and Thunder Light Sect outposts was a tragedy, but for the Vast Sky Alliance faction, it was a greatly inspiring good thing.

Over the past night, the messages exchanged between the two factions were innumerable, like snowflakes falling in winter.

Currently, some garrison envoys from Vast Sky Alliance forces were already hurrying towards Azure Ocean Mountain's outpost; they would likely arrive in less than half a day.

Overnight, Lu Yiye of the Blood Sect became the darling of the entire Vast Sky Alliance; everyone wanted to get close to him.

"Before getting Brother Yiye's consent, I dared not reply to others casually, so I wanted to come and ask for Brother Yiye's opinion."

"Let them all come."

Upon receiving this reply, Zhao Li and Song Yin were both overjoyed.