Chapter 512: Hunting

In the cave, Lu Ye had refined enough formation flags, and all preparations were complete. Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan had also fully recovered.

The three stood up. Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan each took out an item and applied it to their faces. Lu Ye looked closely, seeing Li Baxian wearing a mask of a red-lipped, white-toothed, smiling boy. Feng Yuechan's mask was that of a pouting, tear-streaked girl.

Li Baxian then took out another mask and handed it to Lu Ye, saying, "Little Junior Brother, wear this. It'll be convenient for our actions."

Lu Ye silently retrieved a fierce, green-faced, fanged ghost mask from his storage space and placed it on his face.

Li Baxian was momentarily stunned, then chuckled, "So Junior Brother was already prepared."

As they were all easy targets for cultivators from Myriad Demon Ridge, they shared a tacit understanding, each having masks prepared.

Exiting the cave, they each suppressed their aura, chose a random direction, and proceeded forward.

Although they aimed for the Hunter's List, their primary goal was self-preservation. Thus, they couldn't stray too far from the cave, or they wouldn't have enough time to escape back if danger arose. As long as they weren't too far, even if they encountered an unbeatable strong opponent, they could use the teleportation formation in the cave to escape to safety.

Ten to twenty miles was the absolute limit. With this distance restriction, it was naturally not ideal to actively seek out enemies; instead, they would have to wait for opportunities.

As they walked, Lu Ye shared his thoughts. Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan both agreed. While the rewards on the Hunter's List were tempting, it was useless to gain them if they couldn't live to spend them. It was always better to be cautious. While proactive engagement offered more opportunities, it also came with greater risks.

With their operational strategy decided, things became simpler.

A short while later, less than twenty miles from the cave, Lu Ye stopped. After observing his surroundings for a moment, he nodded slightly to Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan.

Without needing further words, the two quickly split off in different directions to stand guard. At the same time, Yi Yi also flashed out from within Amber and darted off in another direction.

Lu Ye was left alone, taking out formation flags one by one and beginning to set up formations. The formations he was setting up this time were not primarily for killing enemies but for trapping them. This way, if they encountered an unbeatable foe, they could use the formations to delay their pursuit. They were not trigger-activated formations but required active control, ensuring they could be deployed at crucial moments.

During this time, powerful cultivators occasionally passed conspicuously overhead. Lu Ye, having been warned in advance, quickly hid himself, so there was no fear of exposure.

An hour later, several large formations were properly set up. With everything ready, the group quietly lay in wait.

The hunting ground had been open for over three days. Most cultivators currently active within it moved in groups of three to five. While the benefits gained would be shared, the risks were also reduced. Those who still acted alone were at least at the seventh-level cultivation realm. Only cultivators at or above the seventh level, with sufficient confidence in their strength, would operate as lone wolves.

Time passed, and silence prevailed.

On the Hunter's List, suspended high in the sky, the rankings of the powerful cultivators constantly changed. Xia Liang, ranked second, was steadily closing in, with the gap in hunting points between him and Lu Ye narrowing, seemingly about to surpass Lu Ye's rank and reclaim the top spot.

One hour, two hours... This kind of simple waiting strategy indeed made it difficult to encounter enemies. Although there were many cultivators in the hunting ground, its scope was vast, and everyone acted cautiously, no one easily exposing themselves, especially the ghost cultivators, who were all traceless.

Suddenly, a faint glimmer caught Lu Ye's eye. He looked up and saw a bright white light appear under a large tree not far from him. He was certain that the white light hadn't been there just moments before; it had appeared abruptly. Lu Ye understood: this was an opportunity bestowed by the Heavenly Secret. He had encountered similar instances before, once obtaining a white spiritual token from one.

So this is how such opportunities arose... Lu Ye gained a deeper understanding of the Heavenly Secret's cruelty. In the hunting ground, the Heavenly Secret selected one person each day to bestow a golden spiritual token. Daily, there were auspicious clouds indicating the descent of spiritual tokens, and various opportunities like this would appear intermittently. Furthermore, there was the Hunter's List, visible to everyone, suspended high in the sky. All these benefits and opportunities inevitably sparked fierce conflicts among cultivators. The Heavenly Secret was like an invisible hand, pushing cultivators into battle from behind the scenes, causing their blood to spill across the hunting ground.

"Little Junior Brother..." Li Baxian messaged him.

Lu Ye replied, "I see it."

He had previously thought that merely waiting would make it difficult to encounter enemies, but now with this opportunity here, he figured people would arrive soon enough.

It proved true; just a few minutes later, four furtive figures appeared in Lu Ye's sight. These four acted extremely cautiously, moving in pairs, sneaking in from different directions. However, they lacked the methods of ghost cultivators, so they couldn't conceal their tracks; at most, they could try to suppress their aura to reduce the chance of exposure.

The four did not immediately approach the location of the white light. Instead, they began to investigate and search from the outside in. With such caution, ordinary methods wouldn't have been enough to conceal anything. Fortunately, Lu Ye had previously set up concealment formations at Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan's positions. As long as the opponents' perception wasn't ridiculously strong, they likely wouldn't discover their traces. As for Lu Ye himself, with the concealment spirit pattern, he was effectively a ghost cultivator at that moment.

Two of the four walked past about ten meters in front of Lu Ye, completely oblivious. The other two headed straight for Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan's positions.

"Little Junior Brother, I'm ready to act," Li Baxian messaged again.

Lu Ye didn't reply; there was no need. He wasn't particularly wary of cultivators moving in groups, as long as there weren't too many of them, because only those with lower strength tended to group up. Lone wolves were the ones to be most cautious of.

A cold gleam suddenly burst forth, accompanied by the clang of swords. Li Baxian's concealed figure was revealed, and over ten flying swords surged around him, instantly shooting out towards one of the cultivators.

The sudden turn of events startled the four newcomers. Especially the two heading towards Li Baxian, their expressions drastically changed. Feeling the biting killing intent, their hairs stood on end. One of them immediately shouted, "An ambush!" He immediately summoned his spiritual artifact to meet the sword light.

When Li Baxian made his move, he didn't know the opponents' faction affiliation, but it didn't matter. As a sword cultivator, and one who had cultivated in the Spirit Stream Realm for over ten years, he had complete control over his flying swords. The moment he acted, his figure was exposed, and their respective factions could be determined. If the opponents were also from the Haotian Alliance, Li Baxian could naturally ensure he wouldn't harm them. But if they were from Myriad Demon Ridge, the dozen flying swords launched in the sneak attack could secure an early advantage.

Almost simultaneously with his shout, blue and red lights erupted from the battle marks on their respective hand backs. Li Baxian was not only observing their battle marks but also their cultivation levels. Attacked so abruptly, no one would dare to be careless; they would surely unleash their full strength to fight, thus revealing their cultivation levels.

The two's individual attacks put Li Baxian at ease. A fifth-level cultivator and a fourth-level cultivator were nothing in his eyes.

The other two, not far from Lu Ye, also reacted immediately. One had a burly physique and surging vital energy, likely a body cultivator, and immediately lunged towards Li Baxian's location. The other had spiritual power surging around him, with a faint spell forming in front of him; this person was a spell cultivator.

The body cultivator had only taken a few steps when he witnessed a terrifying sight. The more than ten suddenly incoming sword lights were jointly blocked by his two companions, yet even more sword lights arrived. Before confirming the opponents' faction, Li Baxian naturally wouldn't use his full strength; the ten-plus flying swords were merely a test. Once he confirmed they were from Myriad Demon Ridge, he renewed his attack, and this was still far from his limit. In the Spirit Stream Realm, he could control a hundred swords. Now, at the fourth level of the Cloud River Realm, the number of flying swords he could command would only be greater.

Sword cultivators were known for their lethality. Under such a sneak attack, unless one's cultivation was two levels higher than his, resistance was futile. Sword light ravaged, piercing through the two cultivators' protective spiritual energy and passing through their bodies, sending blood spurting. The Cloud River Realm was inherently a realm with vast disparities in strength. Although these two barely possessed the foundations of normal fourth- and fifth-level cultivators, Li Baxian's foundation was undoubtedly unparalleled.

In just a single exchange, the fourth-level and fifth-level cultivators were almost slain on the spot. Had it not been to leave them for Lu Ye, they would likely already be dead.

The body cultivator rushing towards Li Baxian felt his blood instantly run cold. Staring at the smiling boy's mask, he gasped inwardly, wondering where this monster had come from. He instinctively stopped, but then a bolt of lightning, like a spiritual serpent, struck from the side, making him tremble all over. Turning his head, he saw a female figure had appeared there at some point. The woman's face was adorned with a pouting, tear-streaked girl's mask, forming a stark contrast with the boy's mask.

There wasn't just one person ambushing them here, not even just two! The body cultivator was greatly alarmed.

At the same time, the last spell cultivator's shout echoed: "Run!" This spell cultivator had just finished forming a spell. Seeing his companions crumble so easily, how could he dare to stay put? He hastily launched the spell towards Feng Yuechan, and with spiritual power surging around him, prepared to fly into the sky.

However, he ultimately failed to take flight. His body had barely left the ground by less than a foot when a tremendous force descended from above, accompanied by a sharp slash. A fiery red saber light sliced through the spiritual energy barrier enveloping the spell cultivator's body, creating a massive wound on his back. The spell cultivator crashed heavily to the ground, utterly terrified.

There was actually someone behind him too!