Chapter 540: Next Family

Compared to the New Moon Sect's rage, other sects in the Myriad Demon Ridge were more concerned about Lu Ye's current condition.

Forcibly entering the Spirit Creek Battlefield with a Cloud River Realm cultivation, and wreaking havoc, might sound impressive and mighty, but the Heavenly Secret's punishment was no laughing matter. Especially since Lu Ye had killed over fifty people this time. It was heard that by the end of his rampage, purple lightning had almost solidified on his body, with lightning snakes writhing all over his skin...

The Soul Annihilation Divine Lightning was terrifyingly powerful; would Lu Ye simply die from it? If that were true, the New Moon Sect would have rendered a great service, and any losses would be acceptable. This menace had caused chaos in the Spirit Creek Battlefield during his time in the Spirit Creek Realm, leaving the Myriad Demon Ridge helpless. Even after entering the Cloud River Battlefield, despite his weak cultivation and being heavily surrounded by numerous powerful cultivators, he still managed to escape. Such a prodigy, if allowed to fully mature, would undoubtedly be a disaster for the Myriad Demon Ridge. However, if he died under the Soul Annihilation Divine Lightning, that would be cause for celebration.

Instantly, countless messages were sent to the New Moon Sect, urging them to send someone into the Spirit Creek Battlefield to ascertain Lu Ye's fate. The New Moon Sect naturally and vehemently rejected such absurd demands! They were a bunch of busybodies who enjoyed watching drama unfold. It wasn't their strongholds that were destroyed, nor their disciples who were killed. The New Moon Sect was suffering the losses now, and if that "Sect-Destroying Leaf" wasn't dead, sending people into the battlefield now would be like leading sheep into a tiger's den. Furthermore, Tan Sheng wasn't the only one who troubled Lu Ye in the hunting grounds that day. Although the incident's origin could indeed be traced back to Tan Sheng, with their stronghold destroyed and disciples killed, the New Moon Sect had to accept it. However, given Lu Ye's furious momentum, his retaliation would certainly extend beyond just the New Moon Sect. In time, every sect whose cultivators had participated in the siege against him that day would likely not escape retribution.

This news spread, causing many sects in the Myriad Demon Ridge to panic. They quickly dispatched people to the Cloud River Battlefield to investigate who had besieged Lu Ye that day and if any of their own cultivators were involved... However, communication between the Cloud River Battlefield and the Nine Provinces was not as convenient as with the Spirit Creek Battlefield, so many details remained unclear. It was uncertain how long it would take for confirmed information to return. Moreover, Lu Ye was surely entangled with the Soul Annihilation Divine Lightning at that moment. Even if he survived, he probably wouldn't have the energy to cause trouble for other sects. Thinking this way, the situation might not be as dire as the New Moon Sect claimed. Nevertheless, Lu Ye's condition still needed to be confirmed. Such a matter couldn't be taken lightly. Immediately, Myriad Demon Ridge forces closer to the New Moon Sect's stronghold dispatched personnel to investigate the situation there.

Somewhere in the Cloud River Battlefield, Tan Sheng, clad in green robes, had bloodshot eyes, with two streaks of tears running down his cheeks. He had just received news from his sect in the Nine Provinces and learned about the events in the Spirit Creek Battlefield. Clenching his fists, Tan Sheng secretly vowed that if he didn't kill Lu Ye in this life, he wouldn't consider himself human! From his perspective, targeting Lu Ye in the hunting grounds was not wrong. His only mistake was failing to utterly destroy him, allowing Lu Ye to escape. Even more unfathomable was that this fellow had actually stormed into the Spirit Creek Battlefield to retaliate, leading to the tragic deaths of his junior disciples, and even his own brother was killed by Lu Ye. If their previous conflict was merely a clash of factions, then now it was a true blood feud. How could such hatred not be avenged? He was at the ninth level of the Cloud River Realm and had gained many benefits in the hunting grounds. He had originally planned to advance to the True Lake Realm within a month, but given the current situation, advancement was no longer a consideration. With such a deep-seated blood feud, he would exhaust all his efforts to slay Lu Ye and avenge his deceased junior disciples.

On the steps in front of the Heavenly Secret Hall at the New Moon Sect's stronghold in the Spirit Creek Battlefield, Lu Ye sat casually, the purple lightning on his body having mostly dissipated. He was currently sending messages to some friends. It was unclear where the news leaked, but many in the Spirit Creek Battlefield knew he had returned and had even breached the New Moon Sect's stronghold. The various garrison masters and deputy masters were instantly invigorated, sending messages to ask if he needed help. He recalled how he had once led a joint army of the Vast Heaven Alliance to conquer all directions within the battlefield's inner circle, allowing many sects to profit immensely. However, after entering the core circle, such convenience was no longer available. Now, with his return, it was clear that many were becoming restless... Others inquired about his condition, clearly worried that he had killed too many people and would be consumed by the Soul Annihilation Divine Lightning.

Lu Ye replied to each message. It took him quite a while to finish. While some in the Vast Heaven Alliance were concerned about his condition, the Myriad Demon Ridge would likely be even more so. He wondered what their reaction would be once they confirmed he was safe and sound. On a personal note, breaching the New Moon Sect's stronghold today had been a significant loss, costing him nearly twenty thousand contribution points in total. From the sect's perspective, however, it was clearly a gain. Apart from other things, the benefits gained from Tao Zhengyu's plunder alone amounted to more than twenty thousand contribution points. Of course, the most important thing was venting his pent-up anger.

Leaning on his long blade, he stood up and called to Tao Zhengyu, who was waiting nearby: "Let's go, next one!"

He had no idea which sects most of the numerous powerful cultivators who had besieged him in the hunting grounds that day came from. He only knew that Tan Sheng was from the New Moon Sect, and Wei Que was from the Cloud Sun Sect. Tan Sheng was the source of the trouble, so Lu Ye targeted the New Moon Sect first. Wei Que had been the most exuberant and aggressive during the incident, so he would be the second target. However, Lu Ye couldn't kill as many people this time, as he no longer had salable spoils of war, and his Talent Tree's fuel reserves were low. However, with the New Moon Sect as a precedent, he believed the Cloud Sun Sect would make a wise choice.

As for the sects of the others... Regardless of which sect they belonged to, every single sect in the Myriad Demon Ridge's core circle wouldn't escape. Of course, Lu Ye wouldn't use the same methods against those sects. As for "peace money," if he collected it once, he could certainly collect it a second time. He was confident that the Myriad Demon Ridge would get used to it. Anyone who dared to refuse would find the New Moon Sect serving as a clear warning! As for destroying all the Myriad Demon Ridge strongholds... Lu Ye hadn't done such a thing even when he was at the Heavenly Nine Realm, and he certainly couldn't do it now. Once their strongholds were breached, those cultivators would become homeless. If only one or two sects' cultivators faced this, it wouldn't affect the overall situation. But if all the Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators in the core circle became homeless, things would quickly spiral out of control. Without any lingering concerns, who knew what they might do? The most likely outcome was that they would gather and systematically attack and breach the strongholds of the Vast Heaven Alliance sects. So, while Lu Ye possessed the means to do such a thing, he absolutely could not, as it would only sow endless trouble for the Vast Heaven Alliance. Everything involved trade-offs. The pattern of the Spirit Creek Battlefield had been maintained for so many years; rashly breaking it might not only bring benefits. Rather than just experiencing a moment of satisfaction, Lu Ye preferred to gain tangible benefits.

He took out his ten-part map to check and was surprised to find that the Cloud Sun Sect's stronghold wasn't too far from the New Moon Sect's. At his speed, he could reach it in less than half a day.

He ascended on his artifact. Not long after setting off, several streaks of light suddenly approached from ahead. He couldn't tell which faction these cultivators belonged to. The other party had clearly spotted him but continued flying towards him, evidently confident in their numbers and not putting Lu Ye in their sight. Over ten li away, the cultivators conversed as they flew.

One of them asked, "Senior Brother Miao, that person isn't Lu Ye, is he? He seems to be coming from the direction of the New Moon Sect's stronghold."

Senior Brother Miao, a Heavenly Nine Realm cultivator, replied, "Don't overthink it. Lu Ye forcibly entered the Spirit Creek Battlefield and killed so many people. Even if he survived, he'd be entangled with purple lightning. This person is clearly unburdened by any signs of purple lightning. How could he be Lu Ye? He must just be passing by."

"You're right," the other person nodded.

Senior Brother Miao then solemnly instructed, "We're nearing the New Moon Sect's stronghold. Everyone be vigilant. That Lu Ye is a ruthless killer and a great enemy of our Myriad Demon Ridge. Whatever you do, don't let him discover your presence. Remember, our mission is merely to investigate his condition, not to engage him. If you encounter danger, flee immediately; there's no shame in it!"

"Yes!" the others responded in unison.

These few had received orders from their sect to come to the New Moon Sect's area to investigate Lu Ye's situation. Unexpectedly, Lu Ye was flying directly towards them. At this distance, they couldn't clearly see his face. It wasn't until they were less than three li apart that Senior Brother Miao frowned and scrutinized Lu Ye. Confident in their numbers, they hadn't changed direction, and it was odd that the lone individual also showed no intention of altering course. When cultivators encountered each other like this in the wilderness, no one knew which faction the other belonged to. A direct confrontation could easily spark trouble. Generally, the weaker side or the side with fewer numbers would change direction to avoid direct contact with cultivators of unknown origin. Therefore, Senior Brother Miao was puzzled as to why the approaching person was so fearless.

He raised his gaze, exerting his full vision to observe. Senior Brother Miao's body immediately stiffened. He almost thought he was seeing things, but upon closer inspection, he realized he wasn't mistaken: the person flying directly towards them was indeed the very target they had come to investigate. He gasped inwardly: "Impossible!" Just as he had previously said, Lu Ye had killed so many people that even if he survived, he would surely be entangled with purple lightning. Thus, he had never imagined that the person flying directly towards them would actually be Lu Ye. Yet, looking now, there was no purple lightning entwining Lu Ye's body. It seemed the Heavenly Secret had not imposed any punishment upon him at all. If it were merely a coincidental resemblance, that would be one thing. But the crucial detail was the small, snow-white beast perched on his shoulder. Who else could it be but Lu Ye? Furthermore, the other party was clearly coming from the direction of the New Moon Sect's stronghold.

They were now only two li apart!