Chapter 356: Three Saints Academy

The core zone erupted into complete chaos the moment Lu Ye entered. This area was never peaceful, and his arrival undeniably intensified the conflict between the two major factions. As cultivators from Myriad Demon Ridge pursued and ambushed him, many from the Haotian Alliance, unable to stand idly by, also took action, striking down isolated Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators. This inadvertently eased some of the pressure on Lu Ye.

At the Three Saint Academy outpost, a sense of gloom and sorrow hung heavy in the air. The reason was simple: Lu Yiye of the Bloodfiend Sect was coming! Intelligence reports from various sources indicated that Lu Yiye would arrive at the Three Saint Academy outpost within an hour.

Just two days prior, the Three Saint Academy had eagerly anticipated Lu Ye's arrival. Their situation at the outpost had not been favorable for years, lacking any formidable cultivators in the Spirit Stream Realm. This left their disciples vulnerable to suppression outside the outpost. If Lu Ye could come, he might change the Three Saint Academy's predicament.

However, when news arrived that Li Baxian had repaired his spirit aperture, advanced to the Cloud River Realm, and left the Spirit Stream Battlefield, the Three Saint Academy was dumbfounded. With Li Baxian no longer on the Spirit Stream Battlefield, and Feng Yuechan having also departed with him, Lu Ye's presence at the Three Saint Academy outpost would bring no benefit, only disaster. Originally, the Three Saint Academy only had to contend with pressure from nearby forces; now, it would be far more.

"Senior Brother, what has the main sect said?" asked Shi Lei, the Deputy Guardian of Three Saint Academy.

Across from him, a young man in black combat attire replied, "There are no clear instructions yet." This young man was Situ Han, the Guardian of Three Saint Academy.

"Then what should we do?" Shi Lei frowned.

"We invited him here; how can we turn him away?" Situ Han understood perfectly that "no clear instructions" from the sect was, in fact, an instruction.

Shi Lei wanted to speak but stopped, eventually sighing. The outpost's situation was already precarious; accepting Lu Yiye would only exacerbate their troubles, potentially leading to the loss of the outpost itself. Yet, as Situ Han pointed out, Three Saint Academy had invited him, making it impossible to refuse him. They had no choice but to endure the hardship.

Both of them had unspoken thoughts: the Sect Master had undoubtedly made a grave error this time. They had originally believed that bringing Lu Yiye to the outpost would allow them to simultaneously win over the two powerful cultivators from the Danxin Sect, thereby alleviating the outpost's pressure. But who could have foreseen that Lu Yiye would spend heavily to acquire Aperture-Mending Pills for Li Baxian, resulting in both Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan advancing to the Cloud River Realm and leaving the Spirit Stream Battlefield?

"Issue orders. Prepare for battle," Situ Han said, rising to his feet. Matters had come to this; there was no other option. At worst, the outpost would fall, and generations of accumulated effort would be destroyed. Compared to such losses, preserving the sect's reputation was paramount. If they truly turned Lu Ye away, Three Saint Academy would lose its standing in the Haotian Alliance.

"Yes!"

A moment later, the Three Saint Academy cultivators stood ready for battle. They numbered less than two hundred, with only a handful of Sky Nine-level cultivators among them.

After waiting for about half an hour, Shi Lei suddenly let out a low cry, "They're here!"

From afar, a streak of light sped rapidly towards them from the horizon. Focusing their vision behind it, they could faintly discern more streaks of light in pursuit. In mere moments, the light arrived just outside the great formation's energy barrier. The cultivators of Three Saint Academy looked up to see a flying spiritual artifact resembling a spirit boat. Three figures stood on it: a boy who looked only seventeen or eighteen at the front, a pale-faced woman in the middle, and a burly man at the back with a large white cat perched on his head.

Situ Han stepped forward. "Are you Junior Brother Lu Yiye of the Bloodfiend Sect?"

From the spirit boat, Lu Ye replied, "Indeed!"

Situ Han waved his hand, signaling permission to enter, and called out, "Come in quickly!"

As Shi Lei manipulated the formation, a gap opened. Lu Ye guided his artifact inside, dissipated his flight, and lightly disembarked. Ju Jia also jumped down, but Feng Yue remained slumped motionlessly on the spirit boat.

Lu Ye turned to look at her. Feng Yue forced a smile and said, "My legs are weak..." Her two days of fleeing had been unforgettable. Feng Yue was merely an ordinary eighth-level cultivator; she had never experienced such a thrilling situation. Along the way, the Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators pursuing them numbered at least eight hundred, if not a thousand. One group would be shaken off, only for another to appear, continuously and endlessly, as if each had a deep grudge. Several times, Feng Yue had been certain she would die. Having finally persevered, Feng Yue was utterly drained.

Lu Ye exchanged a glance with Ju Jia. Ju Jia reached out with a large hand, grabbed Feng Yue by the clothes at her waist, lifted her down, and held her like a little chick.

"Ying..." Feng Yue let out a strange sound, her pale face flushing crimson. Being carried like that was incredibly undignified.

Lu Ye stored his spirit boat, then turned to the two men who had approached, cupping his fists. "How should I address you two Senior Brothers?"

Situ Han and Shi Lei each stated their names. Lu Ye offered his respects.

"You've had a long journey, Junior Brother. Please rest first; leave the rest to us," Situ Han said, gesturing.

It was only yesterday that Lu Ye had finally understood the meaning of his Fourth Senior Brother's words: "I wonder if they'll still dare to take you in then." The reason the Three Saint Academy's Sect Master wanted him at the Spirit Stream Battlefield outpost was not because of his own prowess, but because of his close connection with Li Baxian. If he were in trouble at the Three Saint Academy outpost, Li Baxian would certainly not ignore it, and once Li Baxian intervened, Feng Yuechan would not remain idle either. In other words, gaining his allegiance meant gaining Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan as well. This was the ultimate goal of the Three Saint Academy's Sect Master when proposing that condition to their Sect Leader.

However, the Three Saint Academy's Sect Master had not anticipated that Lu Ye would purchase Aperture-Mending Pills for Li Baxian, allowing Li Baxian to advance to the Cloud River Realm. As a result, the previously proposed condition now seemed rather foolish. Without Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan, Lu Ye's presence at the Three Saint Academy outpost would only bring endless trouble and disaster. How could they still dare to accept him? Yet, it seemed Three Saint Academy was still quite responsible. Looking nearby, many Three Saint Academy cultivators were filled with killing intent, standing solemnly.

Lu Ye waved his hand. "I appreciate your good intentions, Senior Brothers. I'll just use your valuable place to rest for a moment, then we'll leave." Things had turned out differently from his initial expectations. He naturally wouldn't stay and cause trouble for Three Saint Academy. Given his current situation, going to any Haotian Alliance outpost would bring endless problems. Three Saint Academy was only a second-grade sect, and there weren't many strong cultivators at its outpost. If he truly stayed, the Three Saint Academy outpost would likely be breached within a day or two.

Situ Han and Shi Lei clearly had not expected Lu Ye to make such a decision.

Situ Han said, "Junior Brother Lu, do you know your current situation? Without an outpost's protection, with your cultivation, you might be in great danger."

"If I stay, even with an outpost's protection, how long could it protect me? Don't worry, Senior Brother, although my strength isn't high, Myriad Demon Ridge won't find it easy to kill me. However, there is one thing I'd like to ask for your help with."

"Please speak, Junior Brother."

Lu Ye turned and pointed at Feng Yue, held by Ju Jia. "This is a disciple of my Bloodfiend Sect. Could she stay here at Three Saint Academy to cultivate? Although her cultivation isn't high, she's a medical cultivator. You don't need to give her special care; just treat her like your own disciple, and just give her a meal."

Feng Yue, whose face was already flushed, lowered her head even further, feeling like a child from a poor family being sent away.

"That's certainly no problem," Situ Han agreed immediately. It didn't matter if Feng Yue was a medical cultivator or not. Lu Ye actively offering not to stay at the Three Saint Academy outpost already made the Three Saint Academy feel quite ashamed.

"Please, Senior Brother, could you form an alliance pact with me? I need to use your sect's Providence Pillar."

A moment later, in the Providence Hall, Lu Ye connected his mind to the Providence Pillar and entered the Providence Vault. Previously, at the Bloodfiend Sect, he had only about two thousand merit points remaining. In the past two days, he had killed several people, gaining some merit points, and also seized many spoils of war. He kept materials for cultivation and exchanged all the rest for merit points in the Providence Vault, pushing his total beyond four thousand. However, as he continuously made exchanges, the four thousand merit points rapidly dwindled, eventually leaving only five. It had been a long, long time since he was this poor. Lu Ye sighed again, lamenting that merit points truly couldn't withstand spending.

Walking out of the Providence Hall, Situ Han was waiting outside. Lu Ye said, "Senior Brother Situ, can you arrange some food?" In the past two days of fleeing, they hadn't been able to stop, let alone eat or sleep. Both he and Ju Jia were greatly depleted. Spiritual energy could barely be maintained; Lu Ye could take spiritual pills to replenish himself, and Ju Jia had his "demon core"-like object. But the expended physical strength was difficult to recover.

"Please wait," Situ Han replied, and quickly made arrangements.

A moment later, a large amount of food was placed before Lu Ye and Ju Jia. The two immediately devoured it, as if reborn as starving ghosts.

While eating, Lu Ye checked his Ten-Point Map. He couldn't stay long at the Three Saint Academy outpost; otherwise, it would not only bring trouble to the academy but also cause him to lose the initiative. If he stayed too long, Myriad Demon Ridge could continuously gather forces. If they surrounded the Three Saint Academy outpost, he would be trapped. The current situation was manageable; not too many Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators had arrived yet, and they were gathering a few miles away from the outpost. However, as news spread, more and more people would converge. He had to leave before Myriad Demon Ridge amassed a significant force.

But continuously fleeing like this was not a sustainable solution. Human strength is limited, and no one could be sure what unexpected changes lay ahead. Therefore, it would be best to launch a counterattack while fleeing, to make Myriad Demon Ridge understand the cost of pursuing him. Lu Ye already had some plans in mind, but to implement them, he would need some geographical advantages. He was currently checking the Ten-Point Map, specifically looking for exploitable terrain.