Chapter 427: Purple Gold Gate

Within a mere ten days, over twenty sect strongholds belonging to the Myriad Demon Ridge in the core region were breached, averaging about two per day.

To minimize casualties, some sects fully retreated to Kyushu upon Lu Ye's arrival, taking everything they could. However, the various enhancements from their Heavenly Secret Pillars could not be moved and were plundered by Lu Ye.

Other sects resisted stubbornly, but after Lu Ye repeatedly broke through their defenses and inflicted heavy losses, they, too, recognized the reality of the situation.

At this point, no one in the Spirit Creek Battlefield could truly stop Lu Yiye!

All Myriad Demon Ridge sects in the Spirit Creek Battlefield, regardless of their rank (first, second, or third), seemed to be laid bare before him, like a maiden stripped of her clothes, left to his ravaging and taking.

Only now did the strong cultivators of the Myriad Demon Ridge realize with horror that when a person becomes powerful enough, they truly can do whatever they please!

Fueled by the momentum Lu Ye had created, many Haotian Alliance sects also became restless. For a time, strong undercurrents surged within the battlefield's core region, hinting at an impending, earth-shattering conflict.

In the sky, Lu Ye ended his communication with his Second Senior Sister, his brows deeply furrowed.

His ten days of relentless activity had yielded immense rewards. Not only did he plunder numerous enhancements from every Myriad Demon Ridge stronghold he breached, but he also seized a massive amount of spoils by eliminating cultivators in the core region.

However, he had a subtle feeling that continuing this path would lead to trouble. The most likely outcome was complete chaos in the core region, making life difficult for both Myriad Demon Ridge and Haotian Alliance members.

Therefore, he specifically messaged his Second Senior Sister, expressing his concerns.

Shui Yuan didn't say much, only advising him to follow his conscience and act without regret.

Ahead, a stronghold was enveloped by a large array's light curtain. According to the map, it belonged to a second-rank sect named Purple Gold Gate.

The streaking light changed course, landing with a thud just outside the array's light curtain.

At that moment, an elderly man with white hair and beard and a rosy complexion stood quietly outside the light curtain. He had a kindly, gentle demeanor.

Watching the young figure descend from the sky and land before him, the old man smiled slightly. "Is that young friend Yiye of the Blood Sect?"

Lu Ye's hand rested on his saber hilt as he looked up at the old man.

He could tell at a glance that the old man was not a Spirit Creek Realm cultivator; at his age, he was at least at the True Lake Realm!

Over the past ten days of killing, the Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators he had eliminated were not just from the Spirit Creek Realm. Several sects had even deployed powerful cultivators from the Cloud River and True Lake Realms because their original Spirit Creek Realm cultivators were completely incapable of defending their strongholds, forcing them to send out stronger members from within their sects.

Of course, whether Cloud River or True Lake, once they entered the Spirit Creek Battlefield, their strength was suppressed by Heavenly Secrets, limiting their maximum power to that of a Heaven-rank ninth level.

It had to be said that these powerful Cloud River and True Lake Realm cultivators indeed caused Lu Ye significant trouble. Three days prior, during a fierce battle, Lu Ye had to fight his way in and out of a sect's stronghold five times before finally breaking their will to fight.

Thus, seeing an old man with white hair and beard here no longer surprised Lu Ye.

His keen gaze swept over the old man's vital points, and he inwardly pondered how many saber strikes it would take to kill him if he suddenly attacked.

The old man's expression clearly stiffened. He quickly said, "Young friend Yiye, please calm down. I am waiting here today not to cause you trouble, but to discuss a matter of business with you."

Lu Ye remained silent, subtly lifting his gaze to look behind the old man, at the more than a hundred figures within the great array's light curtain.

The old man chuckled. "The young ones are just worried about my safety, which is why they are watching so intently. Please don't worry, young friend. They won't do anything to you until I give the order. This is not the place to talk. If you trust me, please follow me."

With that, the old man summoned his flying spiritual artifact and flew into the distance.

Lu Ye looked at the old man, then at the more than one hundred people inside the array's light curtain. His hand, which had been rubbing the saber hilt, relaxed slightly, and he controlled his artifact to follow the old man.

In a short while, on a mountain peak several miles away from the stronghold, the old man and Lu Ye landed in succession.

Lu Ye's eyes, enhanced by an insight spirit-pattern, scanned the surroundings. There were no ambushes, nor any traces of an array.

The old man stood on the peak with one hand behind his back, gazing down at the Myriad Demon Ridge sect's stronghold, which was fully visible. Suddenly, he said softly, "The scenery here is quite pleasant. Would you like to take a look, young friend?"

Lu Ye stepped forward, standing not far from him, and looked down.

"What you see, young friend, is likely a great deal of merit and wealth. But what I see is the result of generations, even dozens of generations, of Purple Gold Gate's hard work, and the future of my sect," the old man slowly began. "Of course, we belong to different factions and stand on different sides, so naturally, we see things differently."

"Get straight to the point!" Lu Ye said.

The old man nodded. "Since you're a straightforward person, young friend, I won't beat around the bush. From the Xuanqing Palace stronghold until today, in these ten days, twenty-three Myriad Demon Ridge forces have been breached by you. Several hundred Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators have also died by your hand. Indeed, with the strength and foundation you've displayed, the sects in the core region, even if we old folks were deployed, might not be able to withstand your rampage. If you wish, you could attack stronghold after stronghold, breaching every Myriad Demon Ridge force's stronghold in the core region!"

This was the reality the Myriad Demon Ridge now faced: if Lu Ye truly intended to, no Myriad Demon Ridge force could protect its stronghold!

"But?" Lu Ye prompted.

The old man looked a little helpless at Lu Ye's prompt and could only continue, "But young friend, have you considered what would happen if that were truly the case?"

Without waiting for Lu Ye to speak, the old man continued, "If that were truly the case, there would be countless Heaven-rank cultivators in the core region with nothing left to lose. They wouldn't need to guard their already-destroyed strongholds. They could unite and launch attacks on other Haotian Alliance strongholds. If one hundred couldn't take it, then two hundred; if two hundred couldn't take it, then three hundred... Eventually, they would succeed. I observe that young friend's actions are not those of a reckless person; you should be able to foresee this outcome. Of course, if you were to kill all the enemies within a stronghold while breaching it, then this hidden danger would naturally be eliminated."

The old man spoke methodically, while Lu Ye listened expressionlessly.

It had to be admitted that what the old man said was precisely what Lu Ye had been worrying about recently.

Since entering the core region, he had been a constant target of the Myriad Demon Ridge. Before reaching Heaven-rank ninth level, he had secretly vowed that once he did, he would reclaim all the damages, with interest.

However, after achieving Heaven-rank ninth level and actually putting his plan into action, he realized he had thought things too simply.

The old man was right: every Myriad Demon Ridge stronghold he breached added another hidden danger to the core region, unless he killed every enemy within the stronghold upon breaching it.

But that was impossible. Given Lu Ye's terrifying record, the cultivators of the Myriad Demon Ridge dared not hold their strongholds or engage him in direct conflict. The most likely scenario was that whenever Lu Ye arrived, Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators would abandon their strongholds, retreat to Kyushu, and preserve their strength.

Consequently, every additional Myriad Demon Ridge stronghold he captured increased this hidden danger.

Once this hidden danger accumulated to its limit, it would undoubtedly erupt, plunging the entire core region into war. Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators, with nothing left to lose, would surely band together to attack Haotian Alliance strongholds.

It was precisely because of this concern that he had previously messaged his Second Senior Sister, Shui Yuan, to ask what he should do next. Unfortunately, Shui Yuan had not given him clear guidance.

"Of course, if young friend merely seeks personal satisfaction and disregards the potential severe consequences for the Haotian Alliance, then consider my words unsaid. My Purple Gold Gate cannot stop you. Although I am a True Lake cultivator, I am no match for you in this Spirit Creek Battlefield. You could kill me and then seize the Purple Gold Gate stronghold. This old bag of bones should be worth a few hundred merit points."

Could Lu Ye really ignore the potential dire consequences the Haotian Alliance might face in the future?

Naturally, no.

He recalled how, when his identity as a Blood Sect disciple was exposed, numerous Haotian Alliance sects had relayed his escort, ensuring his safety. Earlier, on his way to the Myriad Poison Forest, many Haotian Alliance cultivators had also protected him, giving him enough time and energy to activate the Fire Phoenix spirit-pattern, allowing him to break through the Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators' blockade and enter the Myriad Poison Forest.

Since he was a member of the Haotian Alliance, he had to consider what was good or bad from the Alliance's perspective, no matter what. If people within the same faction were not united, how could they contend with another faction?

If an action benefited him but plunged his entire faction into dire straits, it was absolutely not to be done. Otherwise, it would be very difficult for Blood Sect disciples to establish themselves in Kyushu in the future.

He was currently the Blood Sect cultivators' nominal Fifth Senior Brother and de facto First Senior Brother. His actions, naturally, had to prioritize his junior brothers and sisters.

"If young friend is not going to kill me, then I will continue," the old man said, observing Lu Ye's reaction. His heart settled, knowing Lu Ye had listened. The anxiety that had lingered finally eased.

Honestly, though he appeared calm, his heart had been pounding. After all, standing next to "Sect Annihilator Lu" required immense courage, especially given the young man's formidable strength and fiery temperament. Any wrong word could displease him and result in a saber strike.

It was not surprising for a hot-blooded young man to do something unconventional.

It seemed Lu Yiye was quite reasonable after all.

"Regarding the current situation, young friend's strength makes him paramount. The cultivation world has only one rule: whoever has the bigger fist is in the right. The destruction of twenty-three sect strongholds has already established your invincible status in the Spirit Creek Battlefield. No one, including the Myriad Demon Ridge, would dispute this."