Chapter 338: No Regrets in the Heart

Li Baxian was even intentionally provoking them. If Golden Cloud Pavilion truly couldn't resist acting there, the consequences would be dire.

Unless they were absolutely certain they could kill Lu Ye!

If they succeeded, they would be heroes of the Myriad Demon Ridge.

But imagine how difficult it would be to kill the "Sect Annihilator" Lu Ye while under Li Baxian's protection.

The man in black had no such confidence, so he dared not make any move. He secretly regretted it, thinking, "If only I had known, I would have just withdrawn my disciples to Kyushu. Greed for those extra couple of days has now put Golden Cloud Pavilion in an awkward position."

The short sword hummed softly, and a sword light slashed diagonally downwards, shattering the jade pendant hanging from the man in black's waist.

With the destruction of the jade pendant, the grand formation ceased its operation. Although a layer of light barrier still covered the area, the formation had lost all its power.

"Jujia, clear the way!" Lu Ye commanded.

Jujia immediately advanced, not dodging or avoiding any Golden Cloud Pavilion cultivators who blocked his path, but instead charging straight through them. Muffled groans could be heard periodically, and even the sound of breaking bones. With Jujia's formidable physique, not only was there no one in the inner circle who could match him in physical strength, but even among the body cultivators in the core circle, very few could. How could those Golden Cloud Pavilion cultivators blocking his path stop him?

Following closely behind Jujia, Lu Ye walked with his hand on his blade. Hundreds of Golden Cloud Pavilion cultivators watched through gritted teeth, their eyes filled with humiliation and rage. However, since their Garrison Master had not given the order, no matter how unwilling they were, they dared not make the first move.

Everyone knew the consequences of taking action. The Divine Sea Realm cultivators from both factions had already agreed on terms. Golden Cloud Pavilion was Lu Ye's last stop, and the priority was to quickly send this plague god away. As for losing some face or some blessings from the Heavenly Secret Pillars, these were not issues, as Myriad Demon Ridge would properly compensate Golden Cloud Pavilion later. This was also why Li Baxian did not go on a killing spree here. If anyone initiated an attack here today, it would disrupt the peace talks among the Divine Sea Realm cultivators, and the resulting consequences would be more than a few Spirit Stream Realm cultivators could bear.

Jujia forcefully cleared a path through the crowd, leading directly to the Heavenly Secret Hall. Lu Ye entered the Heavenly Secret Hall and, using his authority as the Blood Sect Garrison Master, began to plunder the blessings from Golden Cloud Pavilion's Heavenly Secret Pillars.

In the plaza, the Golden Cloud Pavilion cultivators painfully closed their eyes. The cracking sounds emanating from the Heavenly Secret Hall were like their own backbone being snapped. As the various blessings were plundered, the spiritual energy in the garrison rapidly thinned, the territory the garrison could influence steadily shrunk, and even the protective formation, barely holding on, shattered with a crash.

A moment later, he stepped out and gave a slight nod to Li Baxian, who was guarding the hall entrance. Li Baxian once again summoned his broad flying sword. The group jumped onto it one by one. With a hearty laugh, Li Baxian controlled the sword, and in an instant, they transformed into a streak of light. For all these years, he had never felt so exhilarated. With his skill, on the Spirit Stream Battlefield, he could kill almost anyone he wished, save for a few top experts on the Spirit Stream Rankings. But he had never before experienced the feeling of a mere handful of people openly plundering Heavenly Secret Pillar blessings from another sect's garrison, surrounded by hundreds of enemy cultivators. The frustrated expressions of the Golden Cloud Pavilion cultivators, who dared not speak out despite their anger, were truly satisfying.

Almost simultaneously with Li Baxian's departure with Lu Ye and the others, a group of Divine Sea Realm cultivators on Wolong Mountain's Spirit Peak all received news. In that brief moment, these Divine Sea Realm cultivators had their hearts in their throats because they had received news that sent shivers down everyone's spines: the "Sect Annihilator" Lu Ye had gone to Golden Cloud Pavilion's garrison with only a few people, and it turned out the Golden Cloud Pavilion cultivators hadn't withdrawn to Kyushu yet, leading to a confrontation at the garrison! No one knew what would happen next. If the Golden Cloud Pavilion cultivators had momentarily lost control and attacked, not only would the Spirit Stream Battlefield descend into complete chaos, but even these Divine Sea Realm cultivators would have to fight a major battle right there.

Fortunately, Golden Cloud Pavilion showed good judgment. Golden Cloud Pavilion's losses would certainly need to be compensated well, but that was a matter for Myriad Demon Ridge to consider.

The elder from Myriad Demon Ridge looked at the Sect Master and said, "Brother Tang, the matter has been resolved satisfactorily, but let's not have a second instance of something similar."

The Sect Master nodded repeatedly, "I'll confine him once he's back!"

Several Divine Sea Realm cultivators from Myriad Demon Ridge cast cold glances at the Sect Master, fully understanding the old fox's intentions. Ostensibly, it was to confine Lu Ye, but in reality, it was a covert form of protection, letting the young man lie low. This incident had caused an immense commotion. Matters on the Spirit Stream Battlefield rarely affected Kyushu, as the Spirit Stream Realm level was still quite low. However, this time, the events on the Spirit Stream Battlefield had forced Divine Sea Realm cultivators from both sides to gather and discuss a solution. This had never happened before.

It could be said that the "Sect Annihilator" Lu Ye had accomplished many things that Spirit Stream Realm cultivators simply couldn't. A perfectly orderly Spirit Stream Battlefield had been thrown into utter chaos because of him. If he dared to show his face on the Spirit Stream Battlefield now, he would surely be targeted in every conceivable way.

The elder then looked at Pang Zhen, "The agreed-upon compensation will be ready within a month."

Pang Zhen nodded slightly. On this point, he wasn't worried that Myriad Demon Ridge would default on the payment; rather, Myriad Demon Ridge wouldn't dare to. If they tried, they would only be inviting trouble.

A moment later, the Divine Sea Realm cultivators of Myriad Demon Ridge flew off into the sky, led by the elder. Pang Zhen let out a long sigh, a tense string in his heart finally relaxing. For the sake of the Spirit Stream Battlefield, these Divine Sea Realm cultivators had stayed here for several days, constantly monitoring its movements and experiencing anxiety – a rare experience indeed.

"Let's go," Pang Zhen called out. Everyone rose into the air and quickly dispersed, as they came from different prefectures and their return directions were naturally different.

Midway, Pang Zhen said, "Elder Tang, that young man is now at the ninth level. After he cultivates a Heaven-tier cultivation technique, he should be heading to the core circle, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"If he's willing, he can cultivate at the Righteous Qi Sect's garrison."

The Sect Master nodded, "I'll speak to him later and see what he wants." The Sect Master understood that this wasn't Pang Zhen trying to win over his disciple or the Blood Sect, but rather offering protection. Lu Ye had caused such a massive stir on the Spirit Stream Battlefield this time that all Myriad Demon Ridge forces viewed him as a thorn in their side. With his ninth-level Spirit Stream Realm cultivation, he was considered excellent in the inner circle, but after cultivating a Heaven-tier technique and entering the core circle, he would not be as prominent. At that point, he would certainly be targeted in various ways by Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators. It was foreseeable that once he entered the core circle, assassination attempts from Myriad Demon Ridge would begin. The situation in the core circle was different from the inner circle; there were many powerful cultivators there, and responses were quicker. Even if Lu Ye had means to break formations, it would be difficult for him to act as unrestrainedly in the core circle as he did in the inner circle. The Righteous Qi Sect, after all, was a first-rank sect. If Lu Ye were to cultivate at their garrison, he would be safer. As cultivators from the same Bingzhou, they should naturally help each other. However, the Sect Master couldn't immediately agree, only stating that he would need to ask Lu Ye first.

Seven or eight days later, a streak of sword light descended from the sky and landed within the Blood Sect's garrison. The reason it took so long was primarily that even with Li Baxian's cultivation, carrying several people on a spirit artifact was somewhat strenuous. On the way back, everyone took turns controlling the artifact, which naturally slowed their speed considerably. However, the journey back was very peaceful; they didn't even encounter a single Myriad Demon Ridge cultivator. Recently, Myriad Demon Ridge had truly been beaten into submission, with one sect garrison after another being breached, and their protective formations, once their reliance, proving utterly ineffective. Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators were still steeped in that terrifying atmosphere of subjugation. Even with news circulating that the "Sect Annihilator" had ceased his actions, they dared not relax in the slightest. All cultivators remained in their garrisons around the clock, ready for any unforeseen circumstances.

In the plaza of the Blood Sect's garrison, hundreds of cultivators who had already received the news were waiting. Seeing the sword light descend, led by Chen Yu, Gu Yang, and others, everyone bowed in greeting: "Welcome back to the sect, Fifth Senior Brother!" As Hua Ci had mentioned before, when the Blood Sect cultivators heard that Lu Ye was leading the Grand Heaven Alliance army to conquer the inner circle, they had clamored to go help. However, due to the long distance and their relatively low cultivation levels, they eventually gave up the idea. It was only when they learned Lu Ye had assembled a second allied army that Hua Ci went to assist as their representative. Now that Lu Ye had returned successfully, the Blood Sect naturally welcomed him warmly. Their own Garrison Master had accomplished so many great deeds outside that even though these disciples hadn't participated, they couldn't help but feel a sense of honor.

Depending on one's standpoint, one's identity could differ. To Myriad Demon Ridge, the "Sect Annihilator" was a harbinger of disaster, an unforgivable devil whom everyone wanted to destroy. But to the Grand Heaven Alliance and the Blood Sect, Lu Ye was a lucky general and a hero.

The group was lively, and many were particularly curious about Jujia, whom Lu Ye had brought back. They had always heard that Lu Ye had an extremely powerful body cultivator by his side, but hearing about it was one thing; only upon seeing him firsthand did they realize how incredibly vigorous Jujia's vital energy was. He Xiyin, also a body cultivator, even couldn't resist stepping forward and punching Jujia's solid chest twice. Jujia was completely unfazed, while her hands hurt from the impact. The difference in cultivation was one factor, but the difference in physical strength was the primary reason.

Watching the lively crowd, Li Baxian felt a deep sense of satisfaction. He perceived boundless vitality from these younger disciples. He had once yearned for the Blood Sect's garrison to be as bustling as those of other sects. Yet, in the end, what awaited him was the Blood Sect's impending delisting. Only today had he witnessed the scene he had longed for.

After quite some time, the crowd gradually dispersed.

"Junior Brother, I'm going back," Li Baxian suddenly said. He had once resented having to join the Danxin Sect despite being from the Blood Sect. But now, his heart's knot was untied. As long as the Blood Sect still had Lu Ye, it would never decline. He could even foresee the Blood Sect's rapid rise under the leadership of his junior brother. His Junior Brother had accomplished what he had wished to do but couldn't. What regrets could he possibly have left in his heart?