Chapter 402: Mindset Is Falling Apart

The spell cultivator's confidence stemmed from the fact that Lu Ye was completely outmatched in the direct confrontation of spells. Pitting his amateur skill against the other's professional prowess, Lu Ye naturally couldn't gain any advantage.

At this moment, dense mist filled the space between them, concealing numerous water orbs. As soon as Lu Ye's Fire Phoenix spell was cast, its power immediately decreased by thirty percent. Passing through the thick mist, its power diminished further, and it wouldn't travel far before being intercepted and dispersed by the spell cultivator's magic. Overwhelming spells gradually pressed towards Lu Ye. Even with his full power channeled into the Fire Phoenix spell, he couldn't reverse the deteriorating situation.

"Friend, there's no need to feel frustrated," the spell cultivator said. "This time, I'm simply using the terrain to my advantage. If we were to meet in the wilderness, you would surely be able to reach me, and then I wouldn't be your opponent."

Although the spell cultivator held a complete advantage, his words were humble, and he even sounded as if he were advising Lu Ye. However, it was clearly abnormal for someone from the Myriad Devil Ridge to be advising a member of the Vast Heaven Alliance. The opponent seemed to be offering kind advice, but in reality, he was fanning the flames, subtly provoking Lu Ye to find a way to get close to him, as if reaching him would leave the spell cultivator utterly defenseless. It must be said, this person deeply understood human nature; with just a few simple words, he could ignite anger in his enemy's heart.

Currently, they were on two isolated islands, about ninety zhang apart. If Lu Ye wanted to get close to him, he would have to fly over using his spiritual artifact. Facing a spell cultivator who acted like a cannon turret, flying over wouldn't be easy; one misstep could lead to him being shot down. However, the current situation was very unfavorable for Lu Ye. If he didn't fly over, he would lose this battle.

Summoning his flying spiritual artifact, Lu Ye leaped onto it. With spiritual power channeled, he transformed into a streak of light and darted towards the opposite side, plunging headfirst into the thick mist. Enveloped by the mist, only the faint outline of his body was visible.

Seeing Lu Ye act this way, the spell cultivator's lips curled into a smirk, wearing a cunning expression that seemed to say, "Kid, you've fallen into my trap." His hand seals changed rapidly. As more than ten water orbs shot towards Lu Ye, he clasped his hands together and softly intoned, "Condense!"

The dense mist between them instantly became viscous. Lu Ye, who had charged into the mist, immediately felt a sense of retardation, and his forward momentum sharply dropped. So this is where he was waiting for me! Lu Ye suddenly understood.

He had fought against Bai Lan before. Bai Lan had also practiced water-attribute spells, but her water spells had a strong corrosive effect on spiritual artifacts, causing their spiritual essence to diminish greatly. Lu Ye had originally thought that this opponent's methods would be similar to Bai Lan's: by severely damaging his flying spiritual artifact's essence, his situation in mid-air would become precarious. Unexpectedly, this person's spell had no corrosive effect on spiritual artifacts; instead, it had the power to slow movement.

Trapped in the viscous mist, Lu Ye, despite channeling all his strength into the spiritual artifact beneath his feet, was still moving as slowly as a snail. At this speed, there was no way he could evade the enemy's attacks.

The spell cultivator's killing blow arrived. Water orbs suddenly appeared around Lu Ye's body, surrounding him completely. Immediately after, the water orbs burst open, transforming into intricate spells that instantly turned Lu Ye's location into a death zone.

"Surrender or die, what's your choice?" The spell cultivator watched the figure's outline in the mist, feeling smug. In truth, based on his real strength, he couldn't have secured the sixth position on the Spirit Stream Ranking. Yu Lianzhou of the Northern Profound Sword Sect, ranked below him, was clearly more powerful. But Yu Lianzhou had challenged him, and his situation had become just like Lu Ye's current predicament, forcing him to surrender.

It could be said that he was able to secure the sixth position on the Spirit Stream Ranking precisely by relying on this unique terrain. Furthermore, this 'Condensing Mist' spell was one he had painstakingly cultivated specifically to be used in conjunction with this terrain, proving remarkably effective against body cultivators, weapon cultivators, and even ghost cultivators who needed to engage in close combat.

Lu Ye naturally wouldn't surrender. As the spell cultivator watched, a sudden, intensely dazzling flash of lightning appeared in the thick mist. The spell cultivator's expression froze. He hadn't heard that Lu Yiye practiced lightning spells. Where did this lightning come from?

As he was thinking this, a crack of thunder echoed, and a bolt of lightning descended from the sky, striking directly into the thick mist.

"A Lightning Attracting Talisman?" The spell cultivator was greatly alarmed. His hair stood on end, and an immense sense of crisis welled up in his heart. In a panic, he quickly retreated all the way to the edge of the small island. He then dispersed the mist in front of him and conjured a spiritual power barrier around himself, only then feeling a slight sense of security. The presence of the thick mist greatly enhanced the power of lightning, and he dared not come into contact with it.

As for his mistaken belief that Lu Ye had activated some Lightning Attracting Talisman, Lu Ye actually didn't have one. Such talismans were expensive, costing at least a hundred spirit stones each; they were extremely costly. What he had used was merely a Lightning Guiding Spirit Pattern. He had learned this move from Bai Lan. During his previous fight with Bai Lan, she had suddenly unleashed such an attack, catching him off guard.

All areas filled with thick mist instantly became filled with flickering lightning, with electric serpents dancing wildly, appearing utterly terrifying. Even though the spell cultivator had tried his best to avoid it, he was still inevitably affected slightly. For a moment, his body trembled like chaff, and his hair stood on end.

In his vision, the figure shrouded in mist plummeted straight down. Soon, a splash was heard from the sea surface. The giant beasts swimming beneath the sea stirred, and a massive, blood-red maw suddenly opened, swallowing the falling object whole!

Dead? The spell cultivator stared fixedly at the scene, almost unable to believe that Lu Yiye had died just like that! Not from a spell, but from his own Lightning Attracting Talisman... This...

No, that's not right. The spell cultivator suddenly realized a problem: if Lu Yiye had truly died, then he should have won by now. But the Heavenly Secret didn't give any feedback, which meant Lu Yiye wasn't dead!

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than he saw a bright fiery light rapidly streaking across the surface of the sea. The fiery light looked like a pair of wings! He wanted to activate the 'Condensing Mist' spell again to hinder Lu Ye, but at this moment, lightning was still flickering through the thick mist. How could he activate it?

A stinging pain came from his brow. The alarm in his heart urged him to leave immediately, otherwise, it would be too late once the opponent got close.

"I surrender!" The spell cultivator was pragmatic and immediately shouted loudly.

The moment the words fell, Lu Ye, with a pair of fiery wings blazing behind him, appeared before him like a divine soldier descending from the sky. He struck a blade across the spell cultivator's neck. The immense force sent him flying, but while still in mid-air, the spell cultivator vanished. His wide eyes showed a look of lingering fear. Luckily, he had shouted in time; otherwise, he would truly be dead!

Standing on the opponent's small island, Lu Ye's eyes were downcast, and a surge of anger flared in his heart! It was one thing for the ninth-ranked "Ghost Shadow" to waste two days of his time; that opponent was a ghost cultivator who wouldn't easily make a move without full certainty, which was why he had hidden for two days without appearing. But what in the world was this spell cultivator? He chose such a bizarre terrain, paraded around relying on the geographical advantage, and then, when Lu Ye finally reached him, he actually surrendered immediately!

What was this? Lu Ye felt as if he had punched a wad of cotton. This fellow was truly disgusting. And he had sacrificed a flying spiritual artifact! What had fallen into the water just now was indeed his damaged flying spiritual artifact. The reason he let it fall into the water was hoping that its descent would make the enemy lower their guard, but it ultimately didn't work. Although he now had a large number of flying spiritual artifacts, they weren't meant to be wasted like this. He had originally intended to use this battle to vent his suppressed killing intent. Now, not only was there no sign of relief, but it had worsened!

Leaving the combat arena and returning to his wooden house, Lu Ye rummaged through his storage bag, found a suitable flying spiritual artifact, and silently began refining it. He didn't know what strange opponent or bizarre terrain he might encounter in the next battle. He couldn't afford to be without a flying spiritual artifact. Although he now possessed the Winged Spirit Pattern and could activate it at any time, this spirit pattern consumed far more energy than flying with an artifact. He tried to avoid using it when possible.

On the Spirit Stream Ranking, the name of Lu Yiye of the Blood Sect was now prominently displayed at sixth place! All sides of Myriad Devil Ridge were silent. Even the top ten cultivators on the Spirit Stream Ranking couldn't stop this fellow's momentum up the ranks. In a ranking almost entirely composed of Heavenly Nine cultivators, a Heavenly Eight cultivator occupying such a high position made many cultivators from Myriad Devil Ridge feel overwhelmingly ashamed.

Shi Guang of the Dao Profound Sect had already returned to his own encampment, recuperating. He knew that he would soon have a battle with Lu Ye, and before that, he needed to adjust his condition to its peak. He was the final gatekeeper. If even he were to be defeated, the entire Myriad Devil Ridge would lose face. Even Li Baxian back then, with his Heavenly Eight cultivation, hadn't managed to secure the first position on the Spirit Stream Ranking! How long had Lu Yiye been cultivating? By what right or ability could he achieve such a feat?

In an instant, the entire Spirit Stream battlefield quieted down considerably. Everyone was paying attention to the changes on the Spirit Stream Ranking. From the current ranking, Lu Yiye only needed to defeat the third-ranked cultivator on the Spirit Stream Ranking to challenge Shi Guang! And the third-ranked on the Spirit Stream Ranking was surprisingly a female cultivator from a first-rank sect in Tianzhou.

In the wooden house, Lu Ye was refining the flying spiritual artifact while replying to messages from many friends. For no other reason, they all knew Lu Ye was about to challenge the third-ranked cultivator on the Spirit Stream Ranking, so these friends kindly passed on various intelligence about that opponent. After reading through this intelligence, Lu Ye's brows furrowed.

Strictly speaking, the third-ranked individual was a weapon cultivator, and even more so, belonged to a very unique minor faction, rarely seen across the entire Nine Provinces, even rarer than mech-masters. Was this another annoying opponent? Lu Ye's state of mind was starting to crumble.

The true strength of the third-ranked on the Spirit Stream Ranking could be seen from Li Baxian's previous performance; he had once held the third position on the Spirit Stream Ranking. Of course, ever since the three 'malignant tumors' were removed, the prestige of the Spirit Stream Ranking had undoubtedly declined significantly. The current third-ranked could not be compared to the former Li Baxian. However, Lu Ye would never underestimate her, nor would he show mercy just because she was a woman. In his climb up the ranks these past days, quite a few female cultivators had died by his hand. Practically none he encountered survived; only Bai Lan had managed to escape.