Chapter 522: Golden Body Order

After three days of recuperation, Lu Ye had finally recovered, and Li Baxian was also almost fully recovered.

Roughly ten days had passed since the hunting ground opened, and they didn't know when it would close.

Generally, the hunting ground remains open for half a month to a month. There's no precise duration, as no one knows when it might suddenly close. The moment it closes, the Hunting Ranking is finalized, and Heaven's Secret (Tianji) will distribute the various rewards.

According to Yi Yi, who was keeping watch outside, Lu Ye's ranking on the Hunting Ranking had dropped to fourth place. This was to be expected; although he had previously gained a significant lead, three days of inactivity meant the formidable cultivators behind him weren't idle. They naturally caught up and surpassed him.

Earlier, being surpassed wouldn't have mattered much, but Lu Ye, Li Baxian, and Feng Yuechan had worked so hard for so long. It would be a great shame to be overtaken now and lose the first-place reward.

With their recovery complete, it was time to reclaim the number one spot on the Hunting Ranking.

However, before that, some preparations were necessary. For one, they still needed to set up more teleportation arrays.

The teleportation array at their current hiding spot didn't connect to other points. If they were cornered here, they would be trapped without an escape, just as before.

Lu Ye felt helpless about this. The locations he chose for setting up teleportation arrays were typically secluded, either inside caves or underground caverns. However, if he could find these spots, others might also stumble upon them. Should anyone trigger an explosive array he'd left behind, all his preparations would be completely destroyed.

He could only set up as many as possible. This way, even if some teleportation arrays were destroyed, there would still be backup options.

With preparations complete, Lu Ye quietly exited the underground cavern.

It should have been daytime, but under the shroud of the blood-red sky, the entire hunting ground exuded an eerie and sinister atmosphere.

Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan remained underground and did not follow.

Lu Ye was going to set up teleportation arrays, and it was naturally more convenient for him to work alone. Besides, he possessed methods to conceal himself. As long as he was careful enough, even powerful cultivators at the eighth or ninth layers wouldn't discover him if they passed by, a skill Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan lacked.

He walked straight for two hundred li, following his memory, and arrived at a cave.

This was originally where he had set up a teleportation array, but the cave was now filled with rubble and traces of spiritual energy explosions. There were even dried bloodstains on the ground, clearly indicating that the explosive array had been triggered.

Someone had been injured here, which suggested the intruder who triggered the array wasn't particularly powerful. If an eighth or ninth-layer cultivator had entered, they likely wouldn't have sustained injuries.

He inspected the cave, finding it sturdy enough. Lu Ye then began clearing away the rubble from the bottom of the cave before re-establishing the array.

Although this spot had been discovered, since the intruder gained nothing and was even ambushed by Lu Ye's array, it was unlikely they would return to investigate.

In a little less than half an hour, everything was set up. Lu Ye stood on the teleportation array to calibrate it, ensuring it connected not only to Li Baxian and the others' location but also to another spot. Only then did he consider his work complete.

He had initially set up a total of twelve arrays, but after so many days, he didn't know how many were still operational.

Because many arrays were progressively linked, using one teleportation array allowed him to check the status of only two or three other locations at most, not all of them.

After setting up one teleportation array, Lu Ye exited the cave again, concealed himself, and traveled two hundred li in another direction.

Together with Yi Yi, he found a suitable location to set up another teleportation array. This new array could connect to both Li Baxian's location and the array he had just established.

This way, no matter which teleportation array they used, they would have two escape routes, ensuring they wouldn't be completely cornered even if one was destroyed.

Having learned from previous setbacks, Lu Ye naturally proceeded with greater caution. He certainly didn't want to engage in combat with cultivators above the seventh layer again.

Although they ultimately won the battle against He Bing, it was incredibly arduous. Furthermore, even killing He Bing wasted three full days of their time, making it hardly worthwhile.

For him, the most efficient strategy was to eliminate enemies at the fourth and fifth layers; they were easy to defeat and provided a decent number of hunting points.

After setting up two teleportation arrays consecutively, Lu Ye sent a message to Li Baxian to check on his situation.

A moment later, Lu Ye stood on the teleportation array, activated the formation, and his figure quickly vanished.

Returning to the previous underground cavern, he met with Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan, and the three of them set out.

After traveling more than ten li, Lu Ye, as usual, began setting up arrays to conceal Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan's figures and auras. He then found a suitable location to set up a containment array, preventing encounters with unmatchable powerful cultivators.

With all preparations complete, Lu Ye concealed himself and quietly lay in wait.

While waiting, Lu Ye looked up at the Hunting Ranking.

His rank had fallen again, now at seventh place. The reward for seventh was only three golden spirit talismans, a significant difference from the first-place prize.

The one currently in first place was still Tan Sheng. What incredible luck he must have had, as his hunting points were now almost three hundred more than the second-place holder.

It was important to note that previously, the differences among these top contenders were not significant. A gap of three hundred hunting points was typically very difficult to close.

Had Lu Ye not recuperated for three days, his previous lead of over a thousand hunting points on the second-place holder would have been enough to make those behind him utterly despair.

Three hours later, a group of cultivators passed by. Judging by their cautious expressions, their cultivation wasn't particularly high. Although they were flying on artifacts, they stayed less than ten zhang from the ground. This allowed them to quickly descend and hide if any danger arose.

As usual, Li Baxian initiated a sneak attack to determine the opponent's faction and cultivation level, followed immediately by Feng Yuechan's spell bombardment, while Lu Ye ambushed and killed.

The entire battle concluded in less than thirty breaths.

After quickly cleaning up the battlefield, Lu Ye retrieved the array flags and foundations, and they retreated the same way they came.

Despite the smooth battle, maintaining sufficient vigilance was crucial. In the hunting ground, no one knew when they might provoke powerful cultivators at the eighth or ninth layers. Thus, the three of them adhered to their established principle of never striking twice in the same location.

Returning to the underground cavern, Lu Ye took charge of opening the restrictions from the storage bags, and the three of them equally divided the spoils. Then, at Lu Ye's activation, they teleported to the location of another array.

After a brief rest, they continued their activities.

As before, Lu Ye's team continued to gain several hundred hunting points each day. By the thirteenth day of the hunting ground's opening, his hunting points had reached 5,440.

His ranking had risen one spot, reaching sixth place.

However, at this pace, claiming first place on the Hunting Ranking was out of reach. There was a considerable gap between him and Tan Sheng, who held the top spot. Tan Sheng, a ninth-layer cultivator, acted with complete disregard in the hunting ground. As long as he didn't encounter other ninth-layer cultivators from the Vast Heaven Alliance, he was practically unrivaled. This was unlike Lu Ye and his two companions, who had to move stealthily, constantly fearing discovery by stronger cultivators.

However, there was nothing to be done; their cultivation levels were simply too low, an undeniable weakness.

In fact, the reward for sixth place wasn't bad either. While only one rank higher than seventh, it awarded a full five golden spirit talismans.

At the bottom of their hiding cave, on the teleportation array, Lu Ye removed the restrictions from the storage bags. He then divided the numerous bags into three portions, with each of them taking one.

The distribution of spoils had always been done this way; finding anything valuable in their respective storage bags was entirely up to luck.

Most of them contained nothing particularly valuable. Some storage bags had spirit talismans, but their quality was generally low.

These spirit talismans were likely acquired within the hunting ground and hadn't been used, thus benefiting Lu Ye and his companions.

One by one, the storage bags were opened, and useful items were sorted and put away.

Shortly after, Lu Ye pulled a palm-sized token from the last storage bag.

Carved on the token was a bell-shaped pattern. A few sparse strokes on either side of the pattern indicated the bell was emitting light, a sight that almost made one chuckle.

Lu Ye had never seen such a token and didn't know its purpose. He initially thought it was an identity token from the deceased's sect and was about to casually discard it when Li Baxian suddenly looked up.

"Junior Brother, let me see that token."

Hearing this, Lu Ye handed the token to Li Baxian.

Li Baxian took it, examining it from all angles and even pinching it. Then, with a hint of uncertainty, he handed the token to Feng Yuechan, saying, "You take a look."

Feng Yuechan carefully examined it. As if something clicked, her expression became surprised and doubtful.

"It's that thing, isn't it?" Li Baxian asked.

"It certainly looks like it. I saw some records in an ancient text before; the pattern and size are identical."

"So this can appear in the hunting ground too. It seems to be a scattered opportunity."

"It should be."

"I wonder whose luck was so good."

"Even with good luck, they're already dead."

Their exchange sparked Lu Ye's curiosity.

After they finished talking, Lu Ye asked, "Senior Brother, what is this token?"

Judging by Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan's tone, this object didn't seem to be an identity token but something he had never heard of before.

"This is a good item," Li Baxian said, returning the token to Lu Ye. "It should be a Golden Body Token."

"Golden Body Token?"

"Yes, you know about Golden Body Talismans, right, Junior Brother? The Golden Body Token functions similarly to a Golden Body Talisman; both can completely protect a person. However, a Golden Body Talisman's power depends on its quality, whereas this Golden Body Token is a gift from Heaven's Secret. In other words, using this Golden Body Token grants a layer of protection bestowed by Heaven's Secret that is impenetrable and extremely durable. Furthermore, its duration is far beyond what a Golden Body Talisman can offer, lasting for at least several hours."