Chapter 578: All in One

After leaving Xie Yunhan, Zhou Yuntian hurried along, intending to report Lu Ye's situation.

He hadn't gone far, however, when he detected the sounds of an intense fight. Frowning, he headed towards the commotion. Cultivators in Fox Immortal Valley were permitted to spar; it benefited their strength, and positive exchanges could also foster stronger bonds. However, such fierce combat was uncommon. As the head steward of Fox Immortal Valley, Zhou Yuntian naturally paid close attention.

Upon closer inspection, he was alarmed to see that the combatants were Lu Ye and Xia Liang, both newcomers. Their attacks were incredibly vicious, every blade strike sharp and lethal. However, due to the significant disparity in their cultivation levels, Lu Ye appeared quite disheveled. What made Zhou Yuntian's eye twitch was the clear sight of several noticeable injuries on Lu Ye, his clothes stained with blood.

"Stop! Stop at once!" Zhou Yuntian quickly stepped forward, reprimanding them.

In the midst of the fight, Lu Ye's blood and qi surged as he stood his ground, gripping his Panshan Blade. Xia Liang, in contrast, appeared calm and composed.

Seeing Zhou Yuntian's sudden arrival, both quickly ceased fighting and bowed in unison, "Fellow Daoist Zhou."

Zhou Yuntian's expression was grim. He first shot a resentful glare at Xia Liang, who looked utterly bewildered, before turning to Lu Ye and asking with deep concern, "Fellow Daoist Lu, how are your injuries? Are they serious?"

His enthusiasm surprised Lu Ye, but considering Zhou Yuntian's position as the head steward of Fox Immortal Valley, he didn't dwell on it. He simply replied, "They're not serious, just superficial wounds. I'll recover with a little rest."

Zhou Yuntian let out a long breath. "That's good, that's good." He then turned and scolded Xia Liang, "Fellow Daoist Xia, Fellow Daoist Lu's cultivation is far inferior to yours. How could you strike so heavily?"

Xia Liang stammered, "No, Fellow Daoist Zhou, it was Lu Yiye who came to me and asked to spar in blade arts..."

"Sparring is one thing, but how could you injure him?" Zhou Yuntian's face darkened. "Everyone in our Fox Immortal Valley is united and like brothers and sisters. If Fellow Daoist Lu came to you for sparring, you should have guided and instructed him, not harmed him!"

Xia Liang was at a loss for words. Most cultivators' sparring could indeed stop short of injury, but for two weapon cultivators using blades, merely tapping a point wouldn't achieve anything. Only fighting with full strength could yield the desired effect. Moreover, when sparring with Lu Ye, he had already tried his best to control his strength; otherwise, Lu Ye would have suffered far more than just superficial injuries.

Zhou Yuntian's indiscriminate scolding truly frustrated him, and he couldn't retort, so he could only look at Lu Ye.

Lu Ye said, "Fellow Daoist Zhou, please calm your anger. It was indeed my idea to spar, and Fellow Daoist Xia has already held back as much as possible. It is my own lack of strength..." Regardless, this sparring session with Xia Liang had greatly benefited him. He absolutely couldn't let Zhou Yuntian's interference make Xia Liang unwilling to spar with him again; that would be a significant loss.

"If you know your strength is lacking, you should be even more careful!" Zhou Yuntian said with a cold face.

Lu Ye truly couldn't understand what was going on with Zhou Yuntian. Aside from their initial contact when he first arrived at Fox Immortal Valley, he hadn't seen him at all in recent days. This blatant favoritism truly baffled Lu Ye. Little did he know, Zhou Yuntian had just come from Xie Yunhan, who had given Lu Ye an extremely high evaluation, making Zhou Yuntian realize Lu Ye's value in the path of array formations.

Xia Liang sighed. "I understand, I won't do it again. Please rest assured, Fellow Daoist Zhou."

Zhou Yuntian's expression softened slightly, and he nodded. "Remember, everyone in our Fox Immortal Valley is your brother and sister. Let any past grievances or feuds be swept away by the wind!" He paused, then continued, "You both use blades. Fellow Daoist Lu came to you for sparring simply to improve his blade arts. In that case, you should directly guide and teach him. If you must spar, be sure to hold back and never injure him again!"

"Understood," Xia Liang replied.

"Alright, that's enough for today. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving now. I don't want to see a similar scene again, or the Honored One will certainly be displeased," Zhou Yuntian warned lightly.

Hearing him mention the Honored One, Xia Liang's expression changed instantly, and he quickly said, "Please rest assured, Fellow Daoist Zhou. If Lu Yiye wishes to practice blade arts, I will teach him everything I know, holding nothing back!"

"That's excellent."

"Safe travels, Fellow Daoist Zhou."

Zhou Yuntian nodded slightly, then looked at Lu Ye and instructed, "If you ever need anything, contact me anytime."

Lu Ye, still confused, replied, "Alright."

Watching Zhou Yuntian's figure disappear, Lu Ye's expression was strange. Zhou Yuntian spoke of everyone in Fox Immortal Valley being brothers and sisters today, yet he clearly showed him various forms of favoritism. Lu Ye felt it, of course, but... why? In terms of cultivation, he was the weakest in the entire Fox Immortal Valley. Besides him, only Li Baxian was at the fifth-layer realm. Above that, the lowest-ranked cultivators were at the sixth-layer realm. Was it his recent performance in array formations? Judging by the direction Zhou Yuntian came from, he must have been with Xie Yunhan. This suggested that Xie Yunhan had said something to him, leading to Zhou Yuntian's blatant favoritism towards him, even invoking the Honored One's name at the end. It seemed... that not hiding his abilities in array formations was the correct choice.

"Lu Yiye!" Xia Liang's voice rang out beside his ear.

Lu Ye turned around and said, "Fellow Daoist Xia, don't take what Fellow Daoist Zhou just said to heart. Let's go again; you don't need to hold back."

"No need!" Xia Liang's expression was calm, betraying no emotion. "Since Fellow Daoist Zhou has given instructions, let's call off the sparring. However, regarding blade arts, I can diligently teach you. You can ask me anything you don't understand. Although your blade arts are domineering and wild, I can tell your foundation is very poor, likely because no one systematically guided you. It makes sense, as before you, there were only a few people in the Azure Blood Sect, and none of them were blade cultivators, so probably no one could teach you."

Lu Ye's eyes lit up. "I can ask you about anything?"

"Anything related to blade arts, yes. And I won't hold anything back!"

"Then I thank you in advance, Fellow Daoist Xia!"

Before entering Fox Immortal Valley, Lu Ye never imagined that he would one day be able to practice blade arts under Xia Liang's guidance. This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Xia Liang hailed from the Mad Blade Sect and possessed extraordinary talent. The blade arts he practiced were undoubtedly the essence accumulated by the Mad Blade Sect over many years. Receiving his guidance would certainly help Lu Ye avoid many detours.

So, under his guidance, Lu Ye began practicing, starting with the most basic slashes and chops. Although the entire process was dry and tedious, Lu Ye was full of enthusiasm.

While one diligently taught and the other earnestly learned, in the fox demon's chambers, Zhou Yuntian had already reported Lu Ye's matter. Upon hearing this, the enchanting and charming fox demon also showed surprise, then smiled softly: "So, we've truly found a treasure this time? If Xie Yunhan says so, then there must be a good reason. In that case, let Lu Ye be responsible for the array formations here in Fox Immortal Valley from now on, with Xie Yunhan assisting him."

That soft laugh made Zhou Yuntian's bones turn to jelly. Even the several women serving by the fox demon's side couldn't help but reveal intoxicated expressions in their eyes.

Zhou Yuntian maintained his clarity of mind, not daring to show disrespect, and acknowledged the order, "Your subordinate understands. However, Honored One, we haven't found any new cultivators these past few days."

The fox demon said, "This place is deep within the Tai Mang Mountains, and cultivators rarely pass through on normal days, so it's normal not to find any."

Zhou Yuntian probed, "Then, should we send out messages to lure some people here?" Once these individuals entered Fox Immortal Valley, they severed all contact with the outside world. Outside cultivators could only determine their life or death through the existence of their battlefield marks, but couldn't ascertain their current status or location. However, if they actively sent messages outwards, they would surely attract a group of people. Then, as long as the fox demon acted, they could continue to strengthen Fox Immortal Valley's power.

"Absolutely not!" the fox demon firmly rejected. Her body, which had been reclining on the soft couch, slowly sat up, her expression solemn. "Remember one thing: once you enter Fox Immortal Valley, you must never send messages to the outside. Anyone who dares to send a message will die!"

Zhou Yuntian's face turned pale, and he bowed his head, "Yes, your subordinate understands!"

"You may leave!"

"Yes."

Zhou Yuntian respectfully withdrew.

After he left, the fox demon's beautiful eyes shimmered with shifting emotions. Indeed, if they followed the method Zhou Yuntian suggested, Fox Immortal Valley would undoubtedly grow in power rapidly. Not to mention a hundred people, even two hundred or more could be gathered in a very short period.

However... Fox Immortal Valley had existed for so many years, and she had enslaved too many human cultivators using this method. She could already sense an inexplicable crisis. It was a crisis like a sharp blade hanging over her neck, ready to fall at any moment! When she first felt this crisis, she thought it was an illusion. But as time passed, this sense of crisis became increasingly clear. She then understood that it was no illusion, but the Heavenly Dao's attention focused on her. A power that should not exist had appeared on the Cloud River Battlefield, and this power was being used to enslave Cloud River Realm cultivators. This undoubtedly angered the Heavenly Dao, thus causing her to experience a profound sense of crisis.

She knew that one day, the Heavenly Dao would send down punishment for her actions. But before that, she had something that absolutely had to be done, and she couldn't accomplish it with her own power alone. Only by enslaving more cultivators could she complete it. Gathering new recruits by searching was already the limit. If she truly used that method to lure people in, it would only intensify the Heavenly Dao's attention on her and the crisis hanging over her head, leading to more harm than good.

"It's getting late. Let's resume cultivation tomorrow," Xia Liang said, taking out a jade slip from his storage pouch and handing it to Lu Ye. "These are blade art cultivation insights compiled by my sect elders. You may read them, but you must not lose them."

Lu Ye took the jade slip. "Thank you, Brother Xia."

"Fox Immortal Valley, what a truly good place!"