Chapter 424: Lu Yiye Has Arrived

Although Lu Ye had advanced to Heaven-Nine several days prior, he hadn't publicly demonstrated his cultivation since his breakthrough. Consequently, his entry on the Spirit Creek List still indicated Heaven-Eight. Across the entire Spirit Creek battlefield, no one knew he had reached Heaven-Nine cultivation, with the sole exception of Hua Ci.

On his two previous departures from the Myriad Poison Forest, his whereabouts were quickly exposed, leading to a massive and chaotic chase by numerous cultivators from the Myriad Devil Ridge. This time, however, it was much quieter. He piloted his Spirit Boat for hundreds of miles before remotely spotting three rapid streaks of light.

Within the core region, many cultivators traveled high in the sky for convenience. Generally, this carried little risk; as long as they remained vigilant, they could usually escape even if confronted by an enemy they couldn't defeat, unless there was an extreme disparity in speed.

Upon seeing the three streaks of light, Lu Ye flew directly towards them. The three on the other side evidently saw Lu Ye too and halted, waiting in place. These three were of unknown origin and destination. Lu Ye was unaware of their faction, and they were likewise unaware of his. Their willingness to stop was undoubtedly due to their numerical superiority. If they belonged to the same faction, there would naturally be no conflict. If they were from an opposing faction, three against one would give them a distinct advantage.

The distance between them rapidly diminished. When they were about a hundred zhang apart, one of the three suddenly felt a jolt. He strained his eyes to look at Lu Ye, asking, "Senior Brother Li, doesn't that guy look like Lu Yiye?"

The other two were startled. The cultivator addressed as Senior Brother Li replied, "Don't try to scare me." He suddenly recalled that this location wasn't far from the Myriad Poison Forest, making an encounter with Lu Yiye entirely possible. He quickly focused his vision, seeing a young man rapidly closing in on them, with a snow-white spirit beast perched on his shoulder. Who else could it be but Lu Yiye?

"Run!" the cultivator surnamed Li yelled. The three immediately panicked, conjuring their escape lights to flee the area. It was too late. As a whooshing sound cut through the air, nine streaks of light, split into three groups, assailed the trio. The three cultivators' cultivation levels were not particularly high—two Heaven-Eight and one Heaven-Seven. How could they possibly withstand the might of Lu Ye's spirit artifacts?

Brief screams pierced the air as blood splattered from the sky. By the time Lu Ye reached their original position, all three were dead.

After his Heaven-Nine breakthrough, Lu Ye's strength had vastly increased, allowing him to dispatch these Myriad Devil Ridge cultivators with greater ease and composure. Yiyi materialized, casually cleared the battlefield, retrieved the spoils, and Lu Ye resumed his journey. Throughout his journey, whenever Lu Ye encountered other cultivators, he would approach to confirm their faction allegiance. Over several days, every Myriad Devil Ridge cultivator he encountered met their demise, slain on the spot.

Three days later, Lu Ye appeared outside the defensive formation of a Myriad Devil Ridge outpost named Xuanqing Palace. With the Insight Spirit Mark augmenting his eyes, he scrutinized the great formation for its nodal points.

A cultivator in flowing robes arrived upon hearing the commotion and, from behind the formation's shimmering barrier, challenged Lu Ye: "Who are you?" After asking, he scrutinized Lu Ye, then his face paled dramatically, and he gasped in horror: "Lu Yiye?"

The cultivator's face drained of color. He had never imagined that the notorious Lu Yiye would suddenly appear outside their stronghold, and Lu Ye's posture clearly indicated hostile intent. He hastily activated his spiritual power, shouting, "Lu Yiye is here!" A single roar instantly brought the stronghold to a frenzy, as streaks of light soared into the sky, converging on their position.

Outside the grand formation's barrier, Lu Ye had already raised his hand and cast several formation flags. With his technique, the spiritual energy within the barrier in the area encompassed by the flags ceased to flow. With a lift of his hand, he peeled back a corner of the grand formation as if it were a curtain, then calmly stepped inside.

Several swift cultivators had already arrived, with many more en route. Seeing Lu Ye breach their stronghold, the cultivators who had arrived dispensed with courtesy. They swiftly activated their techniques and attacked him. The instant the Pan Shan Saber was unsheathed, augmented by the Wind Spirit Mark, Lu Ye's form shifted and swayed, deftly evading all attacks. He charged directly at a cultivator, striking him down with a swift slash. Blood splattered! He didn't pause, charging towards the next opponent. In mere moments, five bodies lay on the ground, and blood dripped from the Pan Shan Saber.

More cultivators converged, and a Heaven-Nine cultivator roared, "Lu Yiye, you have a death wish!" A solo intrusion into one's stronghold for murder was an intolerable affront. Witnessing their comrades lying in pools of blood, the eyes of the Xuanqing Palace cultivators turned crimson with rage. As the Heaven-Nine cultivator finished speaking, spells and the force of spirit artifacts rained down on Lu Ye. With a whoosh, as fiery red spiritual energy surged, Lu Ye unfurled wings from his back and shot skyward, causing all incoming attacks to miss.

He flew over the crowd, his gaze fixed on the shouting Heaven-Nine cultivator. The fiery red wings on his back flapped just twice, propelling him directly in front of his target. An indescribable oppressive feeling washed over him, accompanied by a chilling killing intent. The Heaven-Nine cultivator's face, once filled with anger and humiliation, was now replaced by utter shock and terror. Seeing Lu Ye charging at him, he rapidly plummeted downwards. Although he also possessed Heaven-Nine cultivation, he lacked even the qualification to enter the Spirit Creek List. Being targeted by Lu Ye, who ranked first, left him utterly devoid of any sense of security. Now, their only hope of killing Lu Ye lay in their numerical superiority.

As his body began to move, Lu Ye had already closed the distance. 'How is he so fast?' a thought flashed through the Heaven-Nine cultivator's mind. The Flying Wing Spirit Mark was inherently far more agile than flight by spirit artifact. Furthermore, to accelerate his advance, Lu Ye had also augmented himself with the Wind Travel Spirit Mark. With both major spirit marks active simultaneously, it was no exaggeration to describe his speed as like lightning and thunder.

The Pan Shan Saber, wreathed in fire, cleaved down towards the Heaven-Nine cultivator. The opponent raised his spirit artifact to block, but the moment their artifacts met, an overwhelming force surged through him. The spirit artifact flew from his grasp, his hand's web split open, and his arm ached. Under the crushing force, his entire body plummeted uncontrollably towards the ground. Seeing Lu Ye's second strike about to descend, he paled with alarm, hastily reaching into his storage bag to retrieve a Golden Body Talisman. Before he could even apply the Golden Body Talisman, Lu Ye's long saber had already descended. Blood sprayed, and his head separated from his body.

Below, gasps of alarm mingled with mournful roars of fury. The reason was simple: Lu Ye had just slain Xuanqing Palace's Garrison Commander! Within Xuanqing Palace, this Garrison Commander had been highly capable and looked after his junior disciples well. Witnessing his demise, the Xuanqing Palace cultivators were naturally heartbroken. Lu Ye, however, didn't know he had killed their Garrison Commander, though he had suspected as much. After all, even core region sects possessed a limited number of Heaven-Nine cultivators, each a valuable asset. Forcefully eliminating one early would both reduce his subsequent pressure and serve as a deterrent to the enemy. However, it now seemed the deterrent effect was minimal; instead, it had only fueled the Xuanqing Palace cultivators' shared resolve to fight. Every eye was bloodshot, their overflowing wrath fixated on him.

Having killed the Heaven-Nine cultivator, Lu Ye descended. Just before reaching the ground, he abruptly changed direction, skimming along the surface as he lunged into the most crowded area. His weapon scabbard hummed at his waist as nine spirit artifacts shot out, intertwining and spinning like a top, crashing directly into the crowd. Lu Ye followed closely behind the spinning artifacts, his Pan Shan Saber continuously swinging and cleaving. Screams and roars erupted in rapid succession. Amber's roars also echoed. Each roar fiercely assailed the minds of the cultivators before him, disorienting them, as Lu Ye seized the chance to strike lethal blows. After one charge, over a dozen bodies lay on the ground. Lu Ye was drenched in blood, a mix of his own and his enemies'. Fighting against multiple opponents, it was impossible for him to remain completely unscathed. Fortunately, he could employ the Defense Spirit Mark to protect his vital areas.

Lu Ye returned to the great formation's barrier, his long saber angled towards the ground, his gaze slightly lowered. The Xuanqing Palace cultivators facing him had lost their earlier fury; each one stared at Lu Ye in disbelief, and the usually clamorous scene had fallen into an uncanny silence. Before this moment, if anyone had told them that a single person could breach a sect's stronghold and cause such devastation, especially within a core region sect's base, no one would have believed it. They understood that human power has its limits; no matter how mighty an individual's strength, there is always a boundary. Even Feng Yuechan and Li Baxian, two of the "Three Great Blights," couldn't have accomplished such a feat in their time. For them, simply breaching a defensive formation to infiltrate a stronghold would have been a significant challenge. Yet now, this very scene unfolded before their eyes, directly beneath their noses! Turbulent thoughts churned within them. Staring at the blood-soaked figure before them, the Xuanqing Palace cultivators desperately wanted to ask, "Are you even human?"

Lu Ye wasted no time. As his nine spirit artifacts hummed, he charged into the enemy ranks once more. Mindful of the previous display, the Xuanqing Palace cultivators immediately scattered and retreated. Lu Ye pursued relentlessly, charging through, leaving a trail of fallen bodies. He continued his slaughter until he reached the plaza in front of their Heavenly Mystery Hall, where nearly seventy cultivators stood in formation, poised for battle.

Core region strongholds typically didn't house many cultivators; on average, each had just over a hundred, and even the larger ones rarely exceeded two hundred. Xuanqing Palace was no exception; its total count, including its own cultivators and those from affiliated sects, was only about 120. Yet, in that brief span, less than a quarter of an hour, nearly thirty percent of their 120 members had already been slain! The remaining members had all converged on the Heavenly Mystery Hall plaza. Body cultivators stood at the front, followed by weapon cultivators, and then spell cultivators. The ghost cultivators, meanwhile, had all concealed their presence, seeking an opportune moment to launch a surprise assault.