Chapter 525: Exposed Whereabouts

A short while later, Tan Sheng, dressed in a blue robe, appeared on Spirit Peak. He had hurried all the way, afraid of arriving late.

The Hunting Ground had been open for half a month and could close at any time. Once it closed, even if he obtained the item, it might not be very useful.

Furthermore, once the Hunting Ground closed, the rankings on the Kill List would be finalized, and various rewards would be distributed.

Standing in mid-air, he took out a map to confirm the agreed-upon location, then immediately sent out a message.

After waiting for a moment, a reply message arrived. He checked it briefly, then murmured, "Sun and moon in the sky, twin rivers flow side by side."

He muttered to himself, "What kind of cryptic password is this..."

As he spoke, he saw two figures emerge from their hiding place below.

He flickered, streaking towards them, and instantly landed in front of the two individuals.

Jiang Liuzi stepped forward, cupping his hands, and asked, "Are you Senior Brother Tan Sheng?" They had never met Tan Sheng before and didn't know what he looked like, but the passphrase was correct, and their cultivation levels matched, so it was likely him.

Tan Sheng nodded. "It's me. Where is it?"

Jiang Liuzi took out a compass-like object from his storage bag. The compass looked ancient and rustic, with no spiritual energy fluctuations whatsoever. If someone encountered such an object in the wilderness, they probably wouldn't give it a second glance.

Yet, this very compass was key to precisely locating Lu Ye's whereabouts, and it was a fortuitous discovery the Jiang brothers had made earlier.

"Give it to me," Tan Sheng said, extending his hand. The item looked exactly as described in rumors, but he still needed to verify its authenticity.

Jiang Liuzi shook his head. "Senior Brother Tan, my brother and I have low cultivation, and we've recently provoked a powerful individual from the Haotian Alliance. Our lives are precarious, so we must ask Senior Brother Tan to protect us both."

He certainly couldn't hand the item over to Tan Sheng. If he did, Tan Sheng would have no reason to bring them along. Holding onto the item was their only guarantee of safety.

As for asking Tan Sheng to avenge Senior Brother Lu Shu, that was unrealistic. While Tan Sheng was indeed at the Ninth Level, the person who killed Senior Brother Lu Shu was also at the Ninth Level. Since their cultivation levels were the same, Tan Sheng wouldn't have the ability to help, even if he agreed. So, Jiang Liuzi simply didn't mention it.

They would handle the revenge themselves. Both of them were talented individuals and were confident they could surpass their enemy, who killed Senior Brother Lu Shu, in cultivation, and then they would make him pay.

"Furthermore, if we successfully kill Lu Yiye, my brother and I want 40% of the bounty," Jiang Liuzi added another demand.

A cold glint flashed in Tan Sheng's eyes. "Your appetite is quite large. Aren't you afraid of choking?"

Jiang Liuzi spoke calmly, "Senior Brother Tan must have heard about the exact amount of the bounties offered by the various Ten Thousand Demon Ridge sects. Such an enormous sum of resources, even if my brother and I take 40%, would still be enough for Senior Brother Tan to enjoy for a lifetime."

Almost every first, second, and third-rank sect had issued a bounty for Lu Ye. The reward from any single sect was significant; the combined total would be unimaginable.

Hearing this, Tan Sheng remained expressionless. After a moment, he said, "Give me the item, and I'll give you 40%."

Jiang Liuzi shook his head. "I need to use the item myself." The most important thing now was to stay with Tan Sheng. Only by leveraging his influence could they prevent the powerful Haotian Alliance cultivator from acting recklessly. Otherwise, if Tan Sheng took the item and left them behind, and their enemy appeared, they would be defenseless.

If they died, everything would be lost.

Therefore, even though he sensed Tan Sheng's impatience, Jiang Liuzi couldn't back down. As for whether Tan Sheng would try to seize it directly... that was unlikely. They were all from the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge; there was no reason for Tan Sheng to act so dishonorably. Even if he did attempt to snatch it, Jiang Liuzi could render the compass useless beforehand, and then both sides would lose out.

Seeing Tan Sheng still hesitating, Jiang Liuzi spoke, "Senior Brother Tan, the Hunting Ground has been open for half a month and could close at any time. If that happens, you won't be able to rely on the reward for first place on the Kill List. Furthermore, once the Hunting Ground closes, even with this item, it might be impossible to kill Lu Yiye."

Not to mention, what if that guy hides in the Heavenly Mystery Merchant Alliance and doesn't show his face, or returns to the Nine Provinces? Where would they kill him then?

Tan Sheng finally conceded. "20%. You use the item, and I'll take you with me!"

Jiang Liuzi frowned, but it was difficult to haggle further at this point. 20% of the bounty would be enough for both brothers. He immediately nodded. "Alright."

"Let's begin," Tan Sheng urged.

Jiang Liuzi immediately raised his hand, bit his fingertip, and then, using his own blood, wrote the three characters "Lu Yiye" on one side of the compass.

The crimson blood was quickly absorbed by the compass. The ancient, worn compass immediately emitted a faint light, and the needle in its center spun wildly. In just a few moments, the needle suddenly stopped, pointing in a specific direction. At the same time, a crimson beam of light shot out from the compass, rapidly darting in that direction and disappearing.

It truly was the fabled item. Tan Sheng's eyes lit up. With this item, Lu Yiye would have no escape.

"Let's go!"

Tan Sheng exclaimed, soaring first in that direction, with the Jiang brothers close behind him.

Elsewhere on the ground, a figure watched silently. It was the powerful Haotian Alliance cultivator who had previously killed Lu Shu. He had been searching for the Jiang brothers' whereabouts nearby, but unfortunately, they had hidden themselves too well for him to find.

Only now did the brothers reveal themselves, but the presence of a Ninth Level cultivator by their side left him feeling quite helpless.

"Tan Sheng?" the man murmured softly. "When did the New Moon Sect and the Long Sky Sect start collaborating?"

Tan Sheng was from the New Moon Sect, while the Jiang brothers were from the Long Sky Sect, both major sects of the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge.

He couldn't figure it out. "Never mind," he thought, "they're just two Fifth Level cultivators. If I can't kill them, then so be it."

Meanwhile, in another part of the Hunting Ground, Lu Ye, who was hidden in the shadows, suddenly frowned. In that instant, he felt an inexplicable tremor in his heart, as if someone was secretly observing him.

This sent a shiver down his spine.

He used a Concealment Spirit Mark to hide his presence, which bore similarities to a Ghost Cultivator's stealth. While he couldn't claim perfect concealment, anyone attempting to see through it would need at least a Seventh Level cultivation and also be sufficiently close to him.

Had someone infiltrated his vicinity?

Lu Ye was secretly alarmed. He quickly activated the Insight Spirit Mark to empower his eyes and scanned his surroundings.

However, he found nothing. There were no traces of anyone having snuck up on him.

After a thought, he turned and spoke softly. Yiyi immediately emerged from within Amber, burrowed into the ground, and began searching around.

An incense stick's time later, Yiyi returned and slowly shook her head at Lu Ye. She had meticulously searched a five-hundred-zhang radius but found nothing.

By this point, the inexplicable feeling of being watched had suddenly vanished, leaving Lu Ye puzzled.

Was it merely his imagination earlier?

He calmly sensed for a while longer, confirming there was nothing unusual.

However, his luck hadn't been great since acquiring the golden spirit token. He had been ambushing in this spot for half a day with no success.

He looked up at the Kill List. For some reason, Tan Sheng's kill points hadn't moved for most of the day, which was quite odd. This allowed the third-ranked person to steadily close the gap, and now that individual was less than a hundred kill points behind Tan Sheng.

Time passed. Over an hour later, Lu Ye suddenly felt the sensation of being watched again, and this feeling was much stronger than before.

His expression grew serious.

Something wasn't right.

If it had only happened once, he could attribute it to imagination, but now it had happened again. What did that mean?

He quickly constructed an Insight Spirit Mark to scan his surroundings, but still found nothing. However, instinctively, he felt a sense of foreboding, as if remaining there would lead to a great crisis.

With this thought, Lu Ye quickly sent a message to Li Baxian, telling him to prepare for withdrawal.

Whether he was truly being watched or not, caution was always wise.

Just as he was messaging Li Baxian, about ten miles away, three figures were hurrying towards his location, guided by the compass. As their distance narrowed, the light on the compass gradually turned crimson and deepened in color.

"He's nearby!" A joyful glint flashed in Jiang Liuzi's eyes. The Hunting Ground was vast, and he had expected it would take considerable effort to find Lu Yiye, even with the compass's guidance. He hadn't anticipated they were so close, reaching the general vicinity in just over an hour.

This was truly a pleasant surprise.

On the ground, after finishing his message to Li Baxian, Lu Ye was about to gather his formation flags and leave the area when suddenly, three streaks of light shot directly towards him.

The spiritual energy fluctuations of the leading figure were extremely powerful; it was clearly a Ninth Level cultivator.

Were Ninth Level cultivators starting to team up? Lu Ye was secretly startled, but upon sensing the spiritual energy of the other two, he realized they were only at the Fifth Level.

He surmised that the three probably belonged to the same sect, otherwise, there would be no reason for a Ninth Level cultivator to bring two Fifth Level cultivators along.

Just as Lu Ye watched the three streaks of light fly overhead, and before he could even exhale in relief, they suddenly stopped.

In the air, Jiang Liuzi held the compass, staring at its suddenly changing needle, and exclaimed, "He's right below us!"

Tan Sheng's eyes lit up. He immediately descended, with the Jiang brothers following closely.

The moment they landed, Jiang Chengzi vanished. As a Ghost Cultivator, he possessed his own methods of concealment.

At this very moment, Lu Ye was staring at Jiang Chengzi.

He never expected to encounter not only Wei Que but also these two brothers in the Hunting Ground. They truly were persistent.

What made Lu Ye even more wary was the compass in Jiang Liuzi's hand. As they drew closer, the warning signs in Lu Ye's heart grew stronger. Subconsciously, the compass seemed to have an inexplicable connection to him.

For some reason, Lu Ye had a strong feeling that these three were looking for him. Otherwise, it made no sense for them to have flown past and then descended again, especially with Jiang Liuzi clearly using the compass to search for something at that moment.