Chapter 372: Divine Bird Emerges

Outside the Myriad Poison Forest, the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators wore solemn expressions, standing ready for battle. Constant messages arrived from various sources, ensuring the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge side was fully aware of Lu Ye's every move.

"Brother Wu, that Lu Yiye is already a hundred li away and will be here soon," Qin Zheng of the Thousand Feather Sect said as he approached a man. The man he called Brother Wu was Wu Beihan, ranked thirty-third on the Spirit Stream Ranking. He hailed from a first-grade sect, significantly stronger than Qin Zheng. The pursuit of Lu Ye in Misty Cloud Mountain had been led by Qin Zheng, resulting in heavy losses and bringing shame to both him and his Thousand Feather Sect. Now, a considerable number of powerful cultivators from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge had been mobilized; there were over a dozen Spirit Stream Ranking experts present, so it was natural that Qin Zheng was no longer in command.

"How many people are with him?" Wu Beihan asked, looking in the direction Lu Ye was approaching. A hundred li was already a short distance for cultivators in the core circle; they would likely arrive within the time it takes an incense stick to burn.

"Around three or four hundred."

"Only three or four hundred..." Wu Beihan scoffed lightly, "Nothing to fear." Ten Thousand Demons Ridge had gathered three to four thousand people here. Although many were dispersed to encircle the Myriad Poison Forest, over seven hundred cultivators were stationed in this particular direction. The Heavenly Alliance coming with only three or four hundred people was undoubtedly a death wish.

Qin Zheng intended to warn Wu Beihan not to underestimate the enemy, but then he reconsidered. With the enemy outnumbered almost two to one, Ten Thousand Demons Ridge couldn't possibly lose this engagement. He decided to remain silent, lest he be mocked again for being timid. Due to the previous defeat in Misty Cloud Mountain, many had openly and subtly blamed him, claiming his poor decisions led to heavy losses and great humiliation for Ten Thousand Demons Ridge. In reality, under those circumstances, he had been appointed in an emergency; how could he have made good decisions? The entire pursuit in Misty Cloud Mountain was almost as if Lu Ye had led them by the nose.

Wu Beihan was undoubtedly a prudent person. Even with his side holding a clear numerical advantage and claiming there was nothing to fear, he still cautiously ordered his subordinates to check the surrounding arrangements. This area was fortified with numerous formations, and some had even purchased spirit artifacts designed to capture and restrain people from the Heavenly Secret Treasury. These were large, net-like spirit artifacts, requiring several people to operate in unison. They were typically used to capture large and troublesome demonic beasts. Each spirit net was valuable, but for this operation against Lu Ye, Ten Thousand Demons Ridge had bought over a dozen of them. If Lu Yiye didn't show himself, so be it, but if he dared, he wouldn't be able to escape even with wings!

Wu Beihan then looked towards a certain spot in the crowd. There stood an unassuming, short cultivator, so ordinary-looking that he would blend into any crowd unnoticed. The spiritual aura emanating from him was only at the eighth Heaven tier. However, few of the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators gathered here knew that this man was Ghost Shadow, the ninth-ranked ghost cultivator on the Spirit Stream Ranking. It was no longer a secret that Lu Ye, with his seventh Heaven tier cultivation, could kill ninth Heaven tier cultivators. Therefore, to truly deal with Lu Ye, a ghost cultivator's ambush was undoubtedly a formidable weapon. As the most powerful ghost cultivator in the Spirit Stream battlefield, Ghost Shadow's presence filled Wu Beihan with confidence for this operation.

With all preparations complete, hundreds of cultivators held their breath, waiting for the Heavenly Alliance members to appear. Time passed until, at a certain moment, someone exclaimed, "They're here!"

At the edge of their vision, a large streak of light rushed towards them. It was clearly the Heavenly Alliance cultivators escorting Lu Ye, led by more than a dozen sword cultivators from the North Profound Sword Sect. The Ten Thousand Demons Ridge side immediately erupted in an uproar. The Heavenly Alliance's blatant charge with only a few hundred people made them feel underestimated and simultaneously puzzled. What trick was the Heavenly Alliance playing? These were core-circle cultivators; they shouldn't be so foolish.

In the distance, within the Heavenly Alliance's formation, Yu Lianzhou looked towards the Myriad Poison Forest and said in a deep voice, "Fellow Daoist Lu, twenty li left!"

"Understood."

Lu Ye, who had been sitting cross-legged behind Yu Lianzhou, slowly stood up and declared loudly, "Fellow Daoists, I am immensely grateful for your escort. The rest is up to me. Please act according to the situation."

A ninth Heaven tier cultivator laughed heartily, "Brother Yiye, I don't know what method you intend to use, but the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge is powerful now, and it might be difficult for you to succeed alone. Since we've come, we're not afraid to accompany you. However, let me say this upfront: if things truly become impossible, we must run. Where there's life, there's hope, Brother Yiye."

"Exactly, exactly!"

"Ten li!" Yu Lianzhou roared. At this range, they could already feel the spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from the opposing Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators.

Lu Ye summoned his spirit boat, leaped from Yu Lianzhou's flying sword, and simultaneously raised a hand to drink a bottle of prepared Spirit Fruit Wine. His spirit boat swayed slightly before surging to the very front. The next instant, under the gaze of a thousand eyes from both sides, Lu Ye's figure was suddenly enveloped by a sheet of deep red spiritual energy. Dense spiritual energy flowed, gushed, and converged, forming an egg-shaped shell that completely encased Lu Ye. Turbulent spiritual energy fluctuations spread in all directions. On the surface of the egg, intricate patterns rapidly evolved, dazzling the onlookers.

The Heavenly Alliance group had long sensed that Lu Ye was preparing some powerful technique on the way. At this moment, they naturally widened their eyes, eager to see clearly, but they were utterly bewildered, because no one could discern what kind of technique Lu Ye was employing. Equally puzzled were the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators. Lu Ye had suddenly charged out, forming an egg-shaped shell of spiritual energy around himself. From the looks of it, he seemed intent on forcibly breaking through their formation? But what good would such dense self-protection do? A concentrated attack from over seven hundred core-circle cultivators would make even a True Lake Realm cultivator think twice.

Spiritual energy surged like a tide. The patterns on the spiritual energy egg encasing Lu Ye became increasingly clear, gleaming with dazzling light. The spiritual energy stored in the Spirit Storage Runes on his chest was completely depleted in less than three breaths. This was immediately followed by the spiritual energy from the second Spirit Storage Rune, then from other Spirit Storage Runes, and finally, the spiritual energy flowing within Lu Ye's spiritual apertures. Never before had Lu Ye's spiritual energy been depleted so severely.

Outsiders only saw the various changes on the surface of the spiritual energy egg, but in fact, more profound changes were happening inside. Fragmented spiritual runes, carried on one or two hundred leaves of the talent tree, were constructed by Lu Ye with immense spiritual energy in an extremely short time, then pieced together and merged. What was consumed was not only spiritual energy but also mental power.

The Heavenly Alliance cultivators following closely behind Lu Ye were the first to sense that something was wrong. A highly dangerous aura emanated from the spiritual energy egg encasing Lu Ye, causing a tingling sensation on their skin. The Heavenly Alliance cultivators, who had initially intended to charge with Lu Ye and enter the Myriad Poison Forest, collectively halted their advance under Yu Lianzhou's lead, their eyes twitching as they watched the spiritual energy egg rapidly approach the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge formation. They dared not follow any further. Although they couldn't discern what technique Lu Ye was employing, it was clearly an extremely powerful and dangerous one. Once unleashed, it was highly likely to cause collateral damage to them. Recalling Lu Ye's earlier words, the Heavenly Alliance cultivators finally understood the source of his confidence.

At this moment, everyone was only three li away from the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators. Even this three-li distance was rapidly closing. The Ten Thousand Demons Ridge side finally realized something was amiss. The approaching spiritual energy egg glowed scorching red on its surface, as if it were about to explode. The heart-pounding aura, even from a few li away, sent shivers down their spines.

Wu Beihan's gaze was fixed on the spiritual energy egg. The surging warning in his heart told him to flee immediately, yet his cultivator's pride prevented him from moving. Hundreds of people facing one — what kind of dignity would that be if they fled like this? He didn't notice that Ghost Shadow, who had been among the crowd, had already concealed himself at the first opportunity, disappearing to an unknown location. A powerful ghost cultivator like Ghost Shadow had an extremely keen perception of danger. The terrifying premonition of impending disaster made him dare not linger there any longer!

Two li, one li...

Wu Beihan's furious roar echoed: "Kill!"

The moment he spoke, numerous formations were activated. Overwhelming spells and spirit artifacts rained down on the approaching spiritual energy egg. Furthermore, cultivators soared into the sky with their artifacts, and spirit nets were deployed to ensnare the spiritual energy egg.

Crackling...

Cracks spread across the surface of the scorching red spiritual energy egg. The moment it shattered with a roar, a clear, resonant cry suddenly echoed through the heavens and earth. Orange-red flames spread and swept in all directions, as a colossal fire bird appeared out of thin air. The fire bird alone was over ten zhang in length, with long tail feathers trailing behind it and a wingspan of nearly twenty zhang. Its posture was graceful, its expression vivid and lifelike, and the feather patterns covering its body were clearly visible, as if it were a living creature. Its wings vibrated, causing the space it passed through to twist from the scorching heat. The many incoming spells struck it as if falling into the ocean, while numerous spirit artifacts instantly lost their spiritual essence, their enchantments completely destroyed, melting and plummeting to the ground. The dozen or so spirit nets that had been cast to ensnare it were utterly incapable of impeding its graceful forward movement.

On this day, a divine bird appeared, shaking the world!

All cultivators who witnessed this scene stared at the colossal fire bird, their eyes dull and trembling.

"One of the Four Divine Beasts, the Vermilion Bird!" Yu Lianzhou murmured. Even though he was an exceptional sword cultivator, his sword heart trembled and his scalp tingled at this moment. The Four Divine Beasts — he had only ever seen them described in sect records, never witnessed them with his own eyes. Yet, here and now, he saw one.

A wave of belated fear washed over him. Had they not reacted quickly just now and continued to follow Lu Ye, their side would likely have suffered heavy losses the moment the Vermilion Bird manifested. It wasn't just him; every single Heavenly Alliance cultivator present felt a profound shock. They had all guessed Lu Ye was about to unleash a powerful technique, but only now did they realize just how excessively powerful it was. And what kind of technique was this anyway, to actually conjure one of the Four Divine Beasts? Everyone naturally knew this wasn't a real Divine Beast. A true Divine Beast could probably shatter the entire Spirit Stream battlefield with a mere flap of its wings. This was merely something Lu Ye condensed from his own spiritual energy. The crucial question was: could a Spirit Stream Realm cultivator really activate such a technique?