Chapter 532: Self-Destruct?

Lu Ye continuously swallowed Spirit Pills, refining them into his own spiritual power. He then channeled this spiritual power into the Spirit Mark on his back, and his aura gradually became wild.

Even the cultivators at the Ninth-Level Cloud River Realm surrounding him sensed a hint of danger. At this moment, Lu Ye felt like a volcano poised to erupt.

“Is he going to self-destruct?” someone asked in surprise. Surrounded by so many Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators, Lu Ye, a Third-Level Cloud River Realm cultivator, couldn't escape even if he were a Ninth-Level one. It seemed better to end himself than to be killed. Ordinary cultivators naturally didn't have self-destruction techniques, but Lu Yiye was a Spirit Mark Master; who knew what strange abilities he possessed?

Indeed, many shared this suspicion, primarily because Lu Ye's current state was highly abnormal. However, if he truly intended to self-destruct, he could have done so earlier. Why would he hold back?

“He’s building momentum!” someone exclaimed. “He wants to take people down with him!” These words jolted everyone present. The expressions of the Ninth-Level cultivators hardened, while the Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators gathered outside showed fear and retreated in unison.

The more dangerous Lu Ye’s aura became, the greater the power of his self-destruction would be. His continued build-up without action clearly indicated his intent to maximize the self-destruction’s might, ensuring he could drag some Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators present down with him.

“Pipe dream!” Wei Que exclaimed, then rushed forward a few steps and kicked Lu Ye, sending him flying. He then shouted, “Knock him up!” As soon as he finished speaking, the eyes of many Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators lit up; they all thought it was an excellent idea.

If Lu Yiye wanted to take people down with him via self-destruction, they just needed to knock him into the air. Once airborne, even if he self-destructed, he would pose little threat to others. Another person kicked Lu Ye, sending him soaring towards the sky. Immediately after, streaks of light from launched artifacts flew up, continuously striking Lu Ye.

Lu Ye’s figure, enveloped in golden light, spun erratically in mid-air, ascending higher and higher until he was tens of zhang above the ground. Whenever his body was about to fall, an artifact would precisely strike him, sending him flying upwards again. Looking up, Lu Ye’s figure bobbed up and down in the air like a leaf swaying in the wind.

He felt dizzy for a moment, but protected by the Golden Body Token, he had no fear of injury. He simply closed his eyes and continued to swallow Spirit Pills to restore his spiritual power.

Twenty li away, Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan lay hidden. The commotion reached their ears, and Li Baxian, focusing his vision, immediately saw Lu Ye’s grim situation. He clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and his eyes turned bloodshot. Witnessing his junior brother endure such humiliation, yet being powerless to help, filled his heart with profound grief and indignation.

He and Feng Yuechan had already contacted some allies, who were now hidden nearby. However, their numbers were still insufficient. If they acted rashly now, not only would they fail to rescue Lu Ye, but they would also get into trouble themselves. Therefore, until they amassed enough strength, no one dared to make a move. Despite their anger and unwillingness, they could only continue to endure and seek more assistance.

Suddenly, a figure flitted past them. The person was stealthy, and their spiritual power fluctuations indicated they were only at the Second-Level Cloud River Realm. Such a cultivation level was rare in the current hunting ground because, after so many days, most First and Second-Level cultivators had been killed, making it difficult to survive without the protection of stronger individuals. The fact that this person, a Second-Level Cloud River Realm cultivator, could survive alone undoubtedly meant they were a Ghost Cultivator. Only Ghost Cultivators possessed such an ability.

As the Ghost Shadow passed Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan, he concealed his form and continued for over ten li. Looking up, he saw the disheveled figure bobbing up and down in mid-air. Staring blankly for a moment, the Ghost Shadow sighed inwardly, confirming it must be Lu Yiye. Although the other party wore a ghost mask, obscuring their face, their physique was identical to what he remembered, making the identification almost certain. Furthermore, with so many Myriad Demon Ridge powerhouses gathered here, it was unlikely they would mistake Lu Yiye’s identity.

What a pity, he thought. A dignified Spirit Stream Overlord, who once commanded great influence in the Spirit Stream Battlefield, single-handedly suppressing numerous Myriad Demon Ridge sects to the point where they couldn't raise their heads. Wherever he passed, Myriad Demon Ridge sects trembled. Now, he was suffering such humiliation. Even as an enemy, the Ghost Shadow couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. Therefore, one shouldn't be too prominent; otherwise, they might meet an early demise. This was also why he chose the Ghost Cultivation path; Ghost Cultivators excelled at concealment, always having a chance to preserve themselves no matter how dangerous the environment.

What if he was a Spirit Stream Overlord, or the top of the Spirit Stream Ranking? In the end, he was alive, and the other was about to die.

The Ghost Shadow had deliberately come to watch the spectacle. Had it been any other spectacle, he wouldn't have bothered; his personality wasn't one to seek out crowds. But this matter concerned Lu Yiye, and he simply couldn't curb his curiosity. In the Spirit Stream Ranking of his world, only Lu Yiye had ever genuinely impressed him. He had fought against Lu Ye before. Not only had they had a patience-testing confrontation when Lu Ye was climbing the rankings, but the Ghost Shadow had also nearly died at Lu Ye's hands when Lu Ye charged into the Myriad Venom Forest. Moreover, he had entered the Cloud River Battlefield earlier than Lu Yiye, yet he was only at the Second-Level Cloud River Realm, while Lu Yiye had already reached the Third Level! It made no sense!

Trapped in this hunting ground, he, a Second-Level Ghost Cultivator, had no connections to leverage. These days, he had been constantly hiding, and fortunately, he had survived until now. To witness the end of such a young hero now was not a wasted trip. After today, there would be no more Lu Yiye in this world!

On another note, that Golden Body Token was truly remarkable. Even with so many Myriad Demon Ridge powerhouses attacking, they could only keep Lu Yiye airborne but couldn't harm him in the slightest.

Lost in thought, he continued walking. Abruptly, the Ghost Shadow froze. For some unknown reason, a profound sense of trepidation welled up from the depths of his soul. That feeling relentlessly warned him of immense danger ahead, urging him not to proceed any further. This could be considered an innate talent of the Ghost Shadow; he possessed an extremely strong premonition for potential dangers. This had nothing to do with cultivation level or mental fortitude; it was purely an instinctual feeling. Throughout his cultivation, he had used this feeling to avoid many fatal threats.

The Ghost Shadow couldn't understand why he felt such an intense sense of crisis in a place teeming with Myriad Demon Ridge powerhouses. He stood still, fine beads of sweat slowly forming on his forehead. After a long moment, he finally lifted his foot and took a step forward. However, that single step caused his pupils to constrict sharply, and the warning in his heart became more intense than ever before. Never before had his premonition of danger been so profound. The feeling seemed to whisper a deathly melody in his ear, warning him that if he went any further, he would surely die!

Fine sweat gathered into beads and dripped down his cheeks. The Ghost Shadow immediately turned around, no longer bothering to conceal his form. He exerted all his strength and fled at top speed towards the distance.

A moment later, Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan, hidden in the shadows, saw the figure that had passed them earlier fleeing in a panic. Both were bewildered, unsure why this Myriad Demon Ridge Ghost Cultivator appeared so panicked.

Just then, a powerful spiritual power fluctuation suddenly emanated from afar. Li Baxian looked up and saw Lu Ye, who had been floating erratically in mid-air, suddenly enveloped in dazzling crimson flames. The fiery glow obscured even the golden light of the Golden Body Token, making him look as if he were ablaze. As the flames surged, intricate and complex patterns gathered and spread around Lu Ye’s entire body.

“This is…” Feng Yuechan stared at the scene in astonishment, unsure what Lu Ye was doing.

At this moment, the Myriad Demon Ridge powerhouses also realized something was amiss. The spiritual power fluctuations surging from Lu Ye were indescribably violent, leading them to mistakenly believe he was about to self-destruct. And judging by the spectacle before the supposed self-destruction, its power would undoubtedly be immense.

Immediately, everyone’s attacks became fiercer. Lu Ye, who was originally only tens of zhang above the ground, ascended further and further once more. He was blasted nearly two hundred zhang high before reaching a limit, which was also the maximum range for the Ninth-Level cultivators’ artifacts. Any further, and they would struggle to control their own artifacts. At such a distance, even if Lu Ye truly self-destructed, he would pose little threat to them.

However, Lu Ye had no intention of self-destructing from the very beginning. He merely wanted to unleash his strongest trump card. The brilliance that once shone in the Spirit Stream Battlefield was finally going to reappear in the Cloud River Battlefield today.

Spiritual power surged around him, and the yin and yang elements continuously spread and intertwined in all directions, enveloping Lu Ye’s figure. Furthermore, protected by the Golden Body Token, even the fiercest attacks from the Myriad Demon Ridge powerhouses below could not hinder Lu Ye’s actions. The most they could do was prevent him from falling. The spiritual power accumulated in the Gathering Spirit Mark on his back was quickly drained. Moments later, the spiritual power gathered in the Gathering Spirit Mark on his chest was also depleted. The river of spiritual power within Lu Ye surged endlessly, his entire spiritual power flowing outwards like a released flood. As his own spiritual power was consumed, the patterns covering his body became increasingly dense and profound. He realized he had been mistaken before. When he used this move with his Heavenly Seventh-Level cultivation, he had also constructed two Gathering Spirit Marks to store spiritual power, just as he did today. At that time, he thought that once his cultivation reached the Cloud River Realm—not even too high, just the Fifth or Sixth Level—he should be able to freely unleash this trump card. But now, it seemed that was not the case at all. Now, at the Third-Level Cloud River Realm, he still depleted the spiritual power accumulated in two Gathering Spirit Marks, and it was far from enough. This showed that the higher the cultivation, the greater the consumption required to unleash this trump card, but correspondingly, the greater its power!