Chapter 506: Victory of the Brave

In the ruined cave, the spell cultivator saw the enemy, who had appeared suddenly, buried under a large amount of rubble, seemingly unconscious. Beneath the tattered mask was a handsome, youthful face, and a golden glow emanated from their chest.

Upon closer inspection, his expression shifted; it was actually a golden spirit scroll!

Overjoyed, he thought it was his destiny to get rich. Although he didn't know why this Haotian Alliance member had appeared so suddenly or why there was an explosive formation here, with a golden spirit scroll right before him, how could he not be tempted?

He instinctively took a few steps forward but quickly stopped.

While the explosive formation's power wasn't insignificant, it would be difficult to kill a Cloud River Realm cultivator with it. In other words, the opponent should still be alive!

Moreover, judging by the opponent's attire, they were likely a warrior cultivator.

This fellow was probably feigning unconsciousness, trying to lure him closer!

The spell cultivator was no fool and immediately guessed this. In such a confined environment where movement was restricted, if he were to be engaged in close combat by a warrior cultivator, he would certainly not fare well.

Having made his assessment, the spell cultivator's spiritual power surged around him, and a spell began to form in his hand.

Regardless of whether the opponent was feigning unconsciousness, he decided to blast them with a few rounds of spells first. If they were truly unconscious, they would surely be blasted to death. If they were faking it, they would still not escape harm. Either way, he would be in an unbeatable position. As for the golden spirit scroll in the opponent's embrace, once he killed them, everything would be his.

Having made up his mind, just as he was about to act, a surge of spiritual power suddenly came from behind him, followed by a whooshing sound that reached his ears.

Startled, the spell cultivator abruptly turned, his vision filled with several bright golden arcs. At the mouth of the cave, a small figure stood, having appeared unnoticed.

Spiritual power surged around the small figure. Closely following the golden arcs, a ball of fiercely burning flames shot through the air.

When did…?

The spell cultivator's face changed drastically. He was, after all, a sixth-level Cloud River Realm cultivator, so his perception was naturally not weak. Unless a ghost cultivator of comparable or higher cultivation approached, there was no way he could be approached so closely by an enemy without noticing.

Yet, he genuinely hadn't noticed. If the opponent hadn't attacked, he wouldn't even have known someone was behind him.

It was Yiyi who had attacked. During the chaos when the explosive formation was activated and the rocks tumbled down, she quietly emerged from Amber, traveled underground, and positioned herself behind the spell cultivator.

This series of attacks prioritized speed over power, launching spells one after another in rapid succession.

In the narrow cave, the spell cultivator had no way to evade such an assault. He could only furiously activate his spiritual power barrier, blocking the incoming spells.

A continuous series of thudding sounds echoed. The spell cultivator's body trembled repeatedly as he was forced to retreat step by step, appearing disheveled. In reality, he was not seriously harmed; if it weren't for the confined environment restricting his movement, his situation would not have been so awkward.

A first-level cultivator!

How dare they be so presumptuous in front of me!

Just as the spell cultivator was about to retaliate, a crashing sound came from behind him.

Damn it!

Hearing that sound, the spell cultivator's scalp tingled instantly. The sudden turn of events had made him forget there was still a warrior cultivator behind him!

A sharp killing intent assailed him. The spell cultivator instinctively activated his spiritual power, and in the next instant, a powerful repulsive force surged outwards from him in all directions.

Beneath the tattered fox mask, Lu Ye's face was half-exposed, with a crimson bloodstain streaking down his cheek from where he had been hit by a large rock earlier. The crimson blood, combined with the torn mask, made his calm expression appear somewhat ferocious.

His fiercely thrusting blade missed its mark as the immense repulsive force swept over him, destabilizing his stance.

Lu Ye quickly changed from a thrust to a chop, bringing his blade down.

The powerful chop landed on the spell cultivator's back but was blocked by the spiritual power barrier, failing to inflict any injury. However, the immense impact made the spell cultivator stumble, wincing in pain.

“A third-level cultivator!” the spell cultivator growled, accurately assessing Lu Ye's cultivation level.

He had initially thought his chances were slim this time, as a spell cultivator trapped in such a confined space would find it difficult to perform.

But once the fight began, he realized that his two opponents, one at the first level and the other at the third, were simply…

“You're seeking death!” the spell cultivator roared, raising his hand and grasping towards Lu Ye. Potent spiritual power surged and condensed, transforming into a large handprint that lunged directly at Lu Ye.

The first-level spell cultivator wasn't much of a threat to him. It was crucial to deal with the third-level warrior cultivator first. Even though his cultivation was three levels higher than Lu Ye's, it would be troublesome if Lu Ye got close in such an environment.

As long as he could eliminate Lu Ye, he could easily deal with a first-level spell cultivator.

Yiyi's spells continuously bombarded him, striking the spiritual power barrier on the spell cultivator's body, causing spiritual light to flash wildly.

As the large handprint closed in, Lu Ye raised his hand, countering with a Fire Phoenix spell. The two spells collided, unleashing intense spiritual energy fluctuations.

Seizing this opportunity, Lu Ye dashed forward, lunging directly at the spell cultivator.

The spell cultivator's expression was grim. Staring at Lu Ye, he waited until Lu Ye was within a certain distance, then repeated his previous tactic: a burst of violent spiritual power unleashed a powerful repulsive force that swept in all directions. This force was so strong that even Yiyi's incoming spells couldn't get close.

However, Lu Ye seemed unaffected. He paused for a moment just as the repulsive force reached him, then continued to charge forward.

He had killed many spell cultivators and was well-acquainted with their methods. This technique, which repelled nearby enemies, was a life-saving spell for them. Countering it was simple: just maintain the right distance.

Quickly closing in on his opponent, his right arm, holding the blade, suddenly bulged.

A heavy, powerful strike crashed down.

Flash!

A look of surprise flashed in the spell cultivator's eyes, but he remained unfazed. He had been struck by Lu Ye's blade before, and it had proven that a third-level warrior cultivator's strike wasn't a significant threat to him. His spiritual power barrier was sufficient to block the opponent's slashes. His only frustration was that the sheer brute force couldn't be fully negated, so while these slashes weren't life-threatening, they were quite painful.

As expected, when the blade struck, the spiritual power barrier remained intact, merely weakening slightly. However, this was inconsequential; he simply needed to channel more spiritual power to fully restore it.

The pain from the immense impact distorted his face, and his body was uncontrollably sent flying backward. Just as he was about to channel spiritual power to repair his barrier, Lu Ye clung to him like a maggot on bone, delivering another chop.

The spiritual power barrier became even weaker...

The third strike fell!

The sound of bones cracking echoed, and the spell cultivator's face turned to horror. He frantically channeled spiritual power to replenish his spiritual power barrier, but even with his speed, it still required a process.

Just as the dim spiritual power barrier showed a slight recovery, Lu Ye's fourth strike came down.

Consecutive Slashes!

With a crashing sound, the barrier shattered. The spell cultivator, sent flying backward, was defenseless. Blood spurted as the blade directly severed his right arm.

A scream instantly erupted.

Lu Ye landed, breathing heavily. Regardless of how much his cultivation had increased, each time he used "Consecutive Slashes" in his "Flash" state, it placed an immense burden on him, as every strike was an explosion of his full power.

The flesh on his right arm rapidly writhed. The concentrated vital energy couldn't dissipate quickly, and his entire right arm emanated astonishing heat, but this was no longer important.

Inside the cave, Yiyi's spells continued to be released without interruption, causing the spell cultivator to stumble and wail incessantly.

With his right arm severed and his Grand Cycle disrupted, the spell cultivator's strength was greatly diminished. He clutched the wound on his right arm, but couldn't stop the gushing blood, and his terrified eyes were filled with horror.

He never imagined he would suffer such a massive loss at the hands of a mere third-level warrior cultivator. The opponent's continuous, storm-like blade technique was truly unlike anything he had ever seen.

He quickly turned and lunged towards Yiyi's direction, unleashing a spell as he ran.

Yiyi swiftly phased and vanished underground.

Even as the spell cultivator was fleeing, this bizarre sight stunned him.

Before he could fully comprehend what was happening, a heavy slash landed on his back. Intense pain surged through him, and the powerful impact sent him sprawling to the ground.

In such an environment, for a spell cultivator to expose his back to a warrior cultivator was undoubtedly extremely unwise.

Even with his right arm severed, if he had fought back desperately, he might not have been without a fighting chance, given his sixth-level cultivation foundation.

However, the pain of his severed arm and the life-or-death crisis made him lose his composure and make an incorrect judgment.

It wasn't that his resolve was insufficient, but rather that in the face of death, few could remain calm and composed. In a crisis, most people act on instinct.

He lay sprawled on the ground, a massive gash on his back, revealing almost visible, writhing internal organs through the wound.

Before he could even get up, Lu Ye had rushed over, stepping on his back. With a reverse grip on his blade, its edge glinted with light, empowered by two Sharpness Spirit Runes. Following the gash on the spell cultivator's back, he thrust the blade straight down!

The blade pierced through his back and emerged from his chest, piercing his heart.

This wasn't all. Empowered by the Impaler Spirit Rune, sharp spiritual energy spikes exploded within the spell cultivator's body.

The spell cultivator's upper body suddenly jolted upward. Unspeakable pain twisted his face as his remaining spiritual power surged violently.

Lu Ye was directly thrown back, crashing into the nearby rock wall, his blade pulling out a spray of hot blood as it dislodged.

By the time he got back on his feet, the spell cultivator lying on the ground was motionless, crimson blood pooling beneath him.

Yiyi's figure emerged from nearby. She swiftly approached the spell cultivator's corpse, unfastened his storage bag, tossed it to Lu Ye, and then dove into Amber's body. Her actions were swift and seamless.

Lu Ye, without pausing, dashed out and quickly vanished into the night.

Soon after, cultivators drawn by the sounds of the struggle arrived to investigate. They found only a mutilated corpse. Judging by the wounds on the body, the battle had been intense, and the victor was a warrior cultivator who used a blade. As for further details, they were difficult to ascertain.