Chapter 385: Killing Through the Encirclement

As his consciousness faded, the Myriad Demon Ridge cultivator realized Lu Ye was already at Heaven Realm Level Eight. Despite being a fellow Heaven Realm Level Eight cultivator, he couldn't even block one of Lu Ye's saber strikes. How could his saber be so sharp? Its power was so immense that even a mid-grade Golden Body Talisman couldn't withstand it... He couldn't understand!

Blood gushed from his neck, his head flew off, and his headless body swayed before plummeting. From Lu Ye's waist, a streak of light shot out from his weapon pouch, swiftly circling the Myriad Demon Ridge cultivator's waist. When it returned, it brought back a storage bag. Killing and plundering, all in one seamless motion.

More figures rushed in from all directions, accompanied by shouts. "Lu Yiye is out!" "Lu Yiye is here!"

Hovering in mid-air, Lu Ye's gaze slightly lowered. Holding his Immovable Mountain Saber with its tip angled towards the ground, he watched the Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators rapidly approaching him. With a slight push of his foot, he channeled his spiritual power, transforming into a streak of light and charging forward. When he previously fought his way into the Myriad Poison Forest, he was at Heaven Realm Level Seven. Now, with his cultivation having advanced and his strength greatly increased, he was eager to see if he could break through the encirclement alone. Having been cornered by so many Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators for over two months, Lu Ye naturally felt compelled to return the favor. It wouldn't matter if he couldn't break out; the Myriad Poison Forest was right below him. If he simply hid in the forest, no matter how many Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators there were, they wouldn't be able to do anything to him.

Only five cultivators blocked his path ahead. Seeing Lu Ye approach, they all summoned their artifacts, unleashing a barrage of attacks towards him. The streams of light from these artifacts weaved and darted, incredibly agile. Lu Ye, standing on his spirit boat, deftly dodged the incoming attacks. Those he couldn't avoid, he blocked with his Immovable Mountain Saber. The distance between them rapidly closed. The expressions of the five cultivators ahead gradually became serious. Before Lu Ye could get truly close, they quickly scattered. However, just as they moved, nine streaks of light shot out from Lu Ye's weapon pouch, striking the five cultivators with extreme precision. The speed and destructive power of these nine streaks far surpassed anything the five could unleash. The moment the air ripped with "chi chi" sounds, blood splattered, accompanied by screams. Three of the five scattered cultivators plummeted into the poisonous forest below, while the remaining two were wounded.

Lu Ye had already lunged in front of one of them. That person appeared to be a body cultivator, brimming with vitality, and an enormous shield artifact was strapped to his arm. He swung it down at Lu Ye. Lu Ye's Immovable Mountain Saber slashed down. The moment the saber and shield connected, the body cultivator's eyes widened in shock. He felt an overwhelming force sweep over him, and his body was instantly sent flying. Deeply horrified, he thought, "Is this guy a Saber Cultivator? His strength is even greater than mine!" Before he could recover, a scorching energy washed over him, and a magnificent Vermillion Bird figure appeared in his vision. It was Lu Ye's Fire Phoenix technique. This technique was derived from the Crimson Lotus Sky-Soaring Art. After Lu Ye acquired the Fire Phoenix spirit pattern, the power of this technique significantly increased. The Vermillion Bird figure he now manifested with the Fire Phoenix technique had clearly discernible feather patterns, appearing like a miniature version of the world-destroying Fire Phoenix spirit pattern. The Fire Phoenix technique struck the body cultivator, enveloping him in scorching flames that burned through his vitality and protective spiritual energy. The body cultivator shrieked and screamed, meeting the same fate as his three companions.

Lu Ye turned his head again. The last Myriad Demon Ridge cultivator, clutching his abdomen and leaving a trail of blood, had already fled far away. He didn't pursue him. The cultivator was already severely wounded, and whether he would survive was uncertain; chasing him would merely be a waste of time. The spirit boat once again transformed into a streak of light, soaring into the distance. The nine artifacts, controlled by Lu Ye, flew back and re-entered his weapon pouch.

"Lu Yiye has appeared!" This news spread rapidly in all directions. In Lu Ye's direction of travel, Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators continuously ascended on their artifacts, coming to meet him. After waiting for two months, they had finally drawn him out. The Myriad Demon Ridge's current objective was to use all their strength to kill him and eliminate future troubles! Instantly, vast streams of light surged forth, gathering towards Lu Ye's direction of travel.

Above the Myriad Poison Forest, Lu Ye moved like the wind, his figure almost never pausing. He engaged in battles with wave after wave of Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators who were patrolling the skies above the forest. As he passed, bodies continually fell downwards, blood staining the sky.

A moment later, a vast expanse of streaks of light filled his vision: the main force of the Myriad Demon Ridge had arrived. A rough estimate put their numbers at nearly a thousand, densely packed and dominating the view. Even though Lu Ye had now advanced to Heaven Realm Level Eight and his strength had greatly increased, it was impossible for him to fight so many Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators alone, unless he manifested the Fire Phoenix spirit pattern again. However, the Myriad Demon Ridge had suffered a major defeat two months prior. How could they not be prepared for this?

The distance between them rapidly closed, and shouts from the Myriad Demon Ridge side reached his ears, mostly boasting of their numbers and demanding Lu Ye to come and face death. When they were two hundred zhang apart, Lu Ye's figure suddenly shot diagonally upwards! From his posture, it seemed he intended to bypass the main Myriad Demon Ridge force and escape from a higher, less defended area. Realizing this, the Myriad Demon Ridge swiftly reacted, immediately changing direction and intercepting him by also heading diagonally upwards.

Looking up from the ground, one could see numerous streaks of light, trailing long colored ribbons, soaring straight into the sky, flying higher and higher. Soon, the leading streaks of light had pierced through the clouds, disappearing from view. No one could say for certain how high the sky was in the Spirit Creek Battlefield or the Nine Provinces, because to date, no one had flown out of it. Even grand cultivators of the Divine Sea Realm had a limit to their aerial flight. This limit wasn't their own physical boundary, but rather the suppression of the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder in the air. Once a certain altitude was reached, the thunder would be triggered. The higher one flew, the greater the power of the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder, to the point where even Divine Sea Realm grand cultivators couldn't withstand it. There were rumors that if one could break through the suppression of the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder, the Divine Sea Realm could advance further. Therefore, throughout history, many Divine Sea Realm grand cultivators, upon reaching the limits of their cultivation, would challenge the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder. However, none had succeeded to date. Cultivators at the Spirit Creek Realm level, of course, couldn't fly as high as those in the Divine Sea Realm.

At this moment, Lu Ye had a very clear sensation: the higher he ascended, the more an invisible pressure weighed down his body, causing his artifact's speed to slow until he could no longer fly higher. Subtly, there was even a faint sense of danger at that greater height. If his guess was correct, it was the legendary Nine Heavens Divine Thunder causing this sense of peril. Turning his head, he saw dozens of streaks of light rapidly closing in on him, moving with unimaginable speed. Moreover, clear sword cries emanated from within these streaks, and Lu Ye's keen senses gave him the sensation of being targeted by sharp blades, his skin tingling with pain. These dozens of streaks of light were all Sword Cultivators! In the Nine Provinces, regarding destructive power and artifact speed, no other lineage could compare to these "sword fanatics." Sword Cultivators and Ghost Cultivators were both lineages naturally capable of fighting above their cultivation level. Compared to Ghost Cultivators, who were elusive masters of stealth and assassination, Sword Cultivators could fight above their level because they focused all their cultivation on the path of slaughter. Because their minds were undivided, they could conquer the Nine Provinces with their swords. Precisely for this reason, Sword Cultivators were the fewest in number among all lineages, even fewer than Medical Cultivators. For instance, the Northern Profound Sword Sect, a first-rank sect in Bingzhou, had a total of no more than a thousand members, from top to bottom. Such a situation would be impossible for any other first-rank sect in the Nine Provinces. However, "Eight Hundred Sword Cultivators Descending from Heavenly Mountain" was an event capable of shaking the entire Nine Provinces, representing the Northern Profound Sword Sect launching an all-out assault! The Haotian Alliance had Sword Cultivators, and naturally, so did the Myriad Demon Ridge. These dozens of Sword Cultivators, gathered from various forces, were now the main force and reliance in pursuing Lu Ye. Earlier, when Lu Ye first entered the core region, Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators had already experienced his artifact speed during their pursuit. Therefore, to keep up with his artifact speed, only Sword Cultivators would suffice; cultivators from other lineages simply couldn't compare. These dozens of Sword Cultivators lived up to expectations; their artifact speed was indeed significantly faster than others, even faster than Lu Ye's.

Although Lu Ye was tempted to test the Sword Cultivators' abilities, he wasn't foolish. It was impossible for him to single-handedly fight dozens of Sword Cultivators renowned for their lethality. Getting entangled with them would undoubtedly lead to a grim outcome. Thus, upon reaching his highest point, Lu Ye quickly descended. Under the astonished gaze of the dozens of Sword Cultivators preparing to close in, Lu Ye flew downwards even faster than before. Under normal artifact flight, Lu Ye certainly couldn't outpace these Sword Cultivators, but he possessed the Windwalk spirit pattern, which he could activate at any time...

Seeing Lu Ye act this way, the numerous Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators immediately sensed trouble! At this moment, due to their pursuit of Lu Ye, the Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators, whose formation was originally quite dense, had become clearly stratified. The strongest group was at the highest altitude, those of moderate strength were in the middle, and the slower ones on their artifacts below were the weakest group.

In less than ten breaths, Lu Ye descended like a meteor from the sky, now only thirty zhang from the poisonous mist below. A flash of light appeared on the spirit boat beneath his feet as the Windwalk spirit pattern continuously propelled him, transforming him into a streak of light that suddenly changed direction and shot forward. The Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators at this altitude were mostly at Heaven Realm Level Seven, with very few at the eighth level. Seeing Lu Ye approach, the cultivators all made their moves. Instantly, an overwhelming barrage of light streaks and techniques blasted towards Lu Ye.

When cultivators battled in the air on their artifacts, it was a completely different matter from fighting on the ground. Aside from the mental exertion and restrictions of flying on an artifact, aerial combat offered greater and more flexible maneuvering space. Those with strong minds undoubtedly held a significant advantage in sky battles. Like a swift darting through a storm, Lu Ye's figure was erratic and unpredictable. He avoided the most densely attacked areas, dodged incoming techniques and artifacts, and continuously swung his Immovable Mountain Saber to deflect scattered attacks, ultimately crashing into the enemy formation. His weapon pouch buzzed, and nine artifacts flew out, splitting into nine streaks of light. They enveloped a storm of death, bringing with them an aura of destruction.