Chapter 429: Battle of the Overlord

On Tianjian Peak, Lu Ye sat cross-legged. His Pan Mountain Saber rested on his knees, hands gripping the hilt, palms facing upwards. With each breath, his mind and body resonated with his treasured saber.

He had been here for three days, and the conditions he proposed to the major forces of the Myriad Devil Ridge had been released for five days. Yet, to this day, no cultivator from any Myriad Devil Ridge force had appeared.

However, Lu Ye's powerful perception detected the presence of numerous hidden Ghost Cultivators lurking in the shadows nearby.

Lu Ye initially thought these Ghost Cultivators were there to assassinate him, but now it seemed unlikely. If they truly intended to kill him, they would have acted by now, given the numerous vulnerabilities he had displayed over the past few days.

Did the Myriad Devil Ridge not want to kill him? Of course they did.

But none of those Ghost Cultivators dared to make a rash move. Lu Ye had already presented conditions to the major sects in the core region of the Myriad Devil Ridge: they could avert disaster by paying a certain price. At such a sensitive time, which Ghost Cultivator would dare to strike without caution?

While killing Lu Yiye would certainly be desirable, failure would have unimaginable consequences.

Thus, Lu Ye had probably deduced the Ghost Cultivators' intentions. Some of those hidden in the shadows were likely dispatched by the various Myriad Devil Ridge sects to monitor his movements. Others might have been carrying wealth, prepared to pay the price to avoid calamity, but since the deadline hadn't arrived, they weren't in a hurry to hand over the funds.

Furthermore, it was probable that none of these Ghost Cultivators wanted to be the first to hand over their wealth; they were all waiting for others to act.

After all, it wasn't exactly something to be proud of.

There were still five days until Lu Ye's deadline, so there was no rush.

As time passed, the number of Ghost Cultivators who had rushed to Tianjian Peak and concealed themselves, observing Lu Ye from the shadows, grew steadily.

Meanwhile, the Heavenly Secret Alliance released an interesting piece of news.

In the core region, at some unknown point, another Overlord-level demon beast had appeared. This one was a female demon capable of transforming into human form, unlike the other documented Overlord-level demon beasts. She had no fixed territory; instead, she roamed throughout the core region, seemingly searching for something.

In fact, the Heavenly Secret Alliance had observed this female demon as early as two months prior, though her appearances had been infrequent at first. However, recently, her appearances had become increasingly frequent, drawing considerable attention and caution from many.

As for what exactly she was searching for, no one knew.

The only fortunate aspect was that this female demon appeared to harbor no great malice toward cultivators. As long as they didn't provoke her, she wouldn't inflict harm upon them.

According to observations by the Heavenly Secret Alliance's experts, this female demon had transformed from a fire-attributed demon beast. Her true form was likely a Firefang, and her origin most probably the Land of Blazing Fire, a forbidden zone for cultivators and ideal for fire-attributed demon beasts.

However, for unknown reasons, several months ago, the Land of Blazing Fire had slowly vanished.

Therefore, the Heavenly Secret Alliance speculated that this female demon had originally lived in the Land of Blazing Fire. With the Land of Blazing Fire now gone for unknown reasons, she had lost her territory and was searching for a place to reside.

When this news spread, all the major sects were intrigued.

A female demon capable of transforming into human form could certainly be recruited into a sect. If successful, it would undoubtedly be a tremendous asset. For instance, with such an Overlord-level female demon guarding their stronghold, who would dare to cause trouble?

Why had the Blood Sect's stronghold been impregnable all these years, daring no one to attack it? Was it not precisely because an Overlord-level demon beast guarded it?

Several sects had already sent cultivators to attempt contact with the female demon, but without exception, all attempts had ended in failure.

It wasn't until the female demon flew past Tianjian Peak that she suddenly seemed to discover something. She landed directly in front of Lu Ye, her fiery red eyes fixed on him, uttering a few indistinct words: "Found it!"

Seeing who it was, Lu Ye, who had been cultivating and reading, felt a headache coming on. "Why are you here?"

He hadn't expected to encounter this Overlord-level female demon again, and from her words, it seemed she was looking for him...

The Ghost Cultivators hidden in the shadows were all shocked. No one understood how Lu Yiye had become involved with an Overlord-level female demon, and judging by their interaction, their relationship seemed... complicated?

"I'm looking for you!" the female demon said.

"Something the matter?"

"I can't find that fire."

"Then it's gone."

It would be strange if she could find it; the True Phoenix Fire had long since been devoured by his Talent Tree, becoming his own Fire Phoenix spirit pattern.

However, the female demon's persistence was admirable. How long had it been, and she was still searching for that fire?

The female demon shook her head. "It's impossible for it to be gone. Take me to it." As she spoke, she reached out to grab Lu Ye, disregarding his willingness.

Naturally, Lu Ye was unwilling. Not only was the True Phoenix Fire already gone, but even if it weren't, he didn't want any association with such an Overlord-level demon beast; it felt far too insecure.

He flickered, dodging her grasp. Lu Ye said, "Why don't you go search more thoroughly?"

"I can't find it," the female demon shook her head, holding firm. "You take me."

She reached out to grab Lu Ye again.

Lu Ye frowned. The Pan Mountain Saber erupted from its sheath with a clang. A flash of blade light, and the female demon sharply retracted her hand, her crimson eyes narrowing slightly, her expression turning unfriendly.

"Don't get physical," Lu Ye said, holding his long saber upright before him, his voice firm. "When someone is speaking to you civilly, you should listen carefully."

"I want that fire!" the female demon snapped impatiently, her fingers rapidly sharpening into claws, fire-red demon energy surging around her.

The Ghost Cultivators hidden in the shadows stared, dumbfounded.

They had initially thought Lu Yiye's relationship with this Overlord-level demon beast was extraordinary, otherwise, she wouldn't have sought him out so directly. But now, it seemed the relationship was indeed unusual, just perhaps... hostile?

Now there was a show to watch.

Lu Ye's thumb rubbed the saber hilt, his eyelids slightly lowered. He spoke, "Don't be unreasonable. I have a hundred-eighty brothers behind me. If you dare to act presumptuously, be careful you won't be able to leave here today."

The female demon's sharp gaze immediately swept across the surroundings. Under her scrutiny, the Ghost Cultivators hidden in the shadows felt as if they had been stripped bare, each one turning pale with alarm, realizing that Lu Yiye had long since detected their presence.

Swish, swish, swish...

A series of dense whooshing sounds erupted as the hidden Ghost Cultivators revealed themselves one after another, manifesting their spirit artifacts and scattering in all directions.

The female demon turned to look at Lu Ye.

Lu Ye had already unleashed a saber strike at her.

Having dealt with this female demon twice before, Lu Ye knew that while she was powerful, her intelligence was a significant weakness. Such less-than-bright individuals were usually very persistent. Since she had been searching for him, wanting him to lead her to the True Phoenix Fire, she wouldn't give up easily.

Therefore, if he wanted her to retreat, he would have to fight her.

When Lu Ye first encountered her in the Land of Blazing Fire, he was only at Heavenly Seventh-level cultivation. In that brief exchange, Lu Ye had been injured.

However, times had changed. Now, Lu Ye possessed Heavenly Ninth-level cultivation and had undergone three Heavenly Secret blessings. With his individual power, he had nearly stifled the entire Myriad Devil Ridge faction.

He didn't know if he could defeat this female demon, but only through sufficient power could he gain the right to an equal dialogue.

This was an eternal truth in the world of demon beasts.

Facing the descending saber strike, the female demon's body was as light as if it had no weight; she simply drifted backward and evaded it.

However, what she faced next was a storm of saber light.

Lu Yiye was fighting the Overlord-level female demon on Tianjian Peak!

The news spread like wildfire, reaching every corner of the Spirit Creek Battlefield in less than a quarter of an hour, then spreading throughout Kyushu.

The powerhouses of the Myriad Devil Ridge's major forces were all invigorated, almost bursting into uproarious laughter.

This was truly a case of 'he who does much injustice will perish by it.' Though they didn't know why Lu Yiye was fighting that Overlord-level female demon, she was an Overlord-level entity. No matter how strong Lu Yiye was, could he truly be her match?

The Myriad Devil Ridge cultivators, who loathed Lu Ye to the bone, seemed to envision his gruesome death at the female demon's hands, eagerly awaiting a celebration.

According to the intelligence transmitted by the Ghost Cultivators present at the scene, the Overlord-level female demon had come directly for Lu Ye, even saying "Found you" upon her appearance. Subsequent conversations with Lu Ye reportedly involved "some fire" or something similar...

In any case, the man and the demon were now locked in an intense battle, and various Ghost Cultivators were observing from a distance, continuously relaying the latest updates.

The powerhouses across the Myriad Devil Ridge secretly prayed for the female demon to display her might and kill Lu Yiye. If he died, the Spirit Creek Battlefield would be peaceful thereafter, and the wealth prepared by the Myriad Devil Ridge forces would not need to be handed over.

However, as the news continued to spread, the fervent hopes of the Myriad Devil Ridge were thoroughly doused with cold water...

Lu Yiye's strength surpassed all imagination; he was actually able to contend spiritedly with an Overlord-level entity, trading blows back and forth...

Near Tianjian Peak, two figures continuously crisscrossed and maneuvered: one was Lu Ye, who had activated his Soaring Wing spirit pattern, and the other was the female demon, who had grown a pair of wings.

Both figures were incredibly agile, colliding intermittently. The clash of spiritual and demon energies painted the sky a vibrant crimson.

In terms of speed, Lu Ye was in no way inferior to the female demon. In terms of strength, he could even contend equally, and in terms of tactics, Lu Ye was superior to her.

The news of the great battle continued to be relayed outwards by the hidden Ghost Cultivators. The once fervent and lively Myriad Devil Ridge faction fell into a deathly silence.

The Myriad Devil Ridge faction realized a terrifying truth: Lu Yiye, capable of such a fierce battle with an Overlord-level entity, undoubtedly possessed Overlord-level strength himself!

This was the first time in history that a cultivator had attained Overlord-level status!

The battle raged from day into night, and from night back into day...

The battlefield between the man and the demon shifted from underground to the sky, and from the sky back underground...

Only after a full day and night did the battle finally cease.