Chapter 600: Besieging the City

Wei Que, a cultivator of the Ninth Level Cloud River Realm, had far greater spiritual power reserves than Feng Yuechan. He wouldn't have used this broken arrow if he hadn't been forced to.

Firstly, each use of this exotic treasure brought it closer to complete destruction, so Wei Que was usually reluctant to use it. Secondly, its consumption was immense; once activated, it was a fight to the death.

Yet, he never imagined that even after being forced to use this exotic treasure, he would still die.

Lu Ye's cultivation was one level lower than Feng Yuechan's, so he normally couldn't activate this exotic treasure. However, he wore a spirit storage ring, which he had specifically bought for the Fire Phoenix Spirit Mark. After many days, the spiritual power stored in the ring had become quite substantial, enough to activate the broken arrow's power once.

It was precisely for this reason that Feng Yuechan entrusted the broken arrow to Lu Ye.

Refining the broken arrow was not difficult. Classified by spirit artifact quality, it was merely a top-grade spirit artifact. Lu Ye spent less than half a day refining it.

Strictly speaking, this item was akin to a flying artifact, just with slightly greater power. With the spirit land potentially facing enemy attacks at any time, having an additional method like this would provide an extra layer of defense.

Several leisurely days passed in a flash, calm and uneventful.

Lu Ye almost thought that Yan Gui, whom he had killed earlier, had truly just passed by coincidentally.

Then, one day, a huge shadow covered the sky outside the spirit land, followed by several probing attacks that pounded against the grand formation.

In the seemingly empty valley, layers of ripples suddenly appeared, revealing the grand formation's location.

Lu Ye immediately flashed out of the house and looked up. Not far away, a huge spirit boat floated in mid-air, with figures looking down from its deck. On the front of the spirit boat, a blazing flame emblem was highly conspicuous.

"They're here after all!" Li Baxian's sigh came from nearby; their worst fears had been realized.

Lu Ye stared at the blazing flame emblem, instantly recognizing them as members of the Sacred Flame Sect.

Cultivators of the Sacred Flame Sect bore such emblems on their foreheads, making them easily distinguishable.

If it were just the four of them in the spirit land, their only option would be to use the Heavenly Secret Pillar to return to Kyushu. But with the wolf pack's assistance, they might not be powerless against the Sacred Flame Sect's assault.

This Class A spirit land was a reward for being first on the hunt list. While Lu Ye didn't heavily rely on specific cultivation environments, this particular spirit land could greatly facilitate cultivation for Li Baxian and the others. As they might not acquire such a spirit land again, they had to try and keep it at all costs.

"Senior Brother, there's a formation covering the area below. Judging by its scale, it's very likely a spirit land," a cultivator reported to Huo Liaoyuan on the spirit boat, his expression slightly invigorated.

Huo Liaoyuan calmly gazed down, remaining silent.

It must be said that the concealing grand formation set up here was extremely ingenious. Had he not received accurate information beforehand, he might not have even noticed this valley, even if he had passed by.

However, after a few probing attacks, the grand formation was exposed, confirming the accuracy of his intelligence: Lu Yiye was indeed hiding inside.

He stepped out from the spirit boat, standing in mid-air, fully displaying his imposing presence. He slowly spoke, "Lu Yiye, will you come out on your own, or shall I drag you out?"

His voice was not loud, but amplified by spiritual power, it echoed throughout the entire Huixian Valley.

An immediate stir rippled across the spirit boat.

Lu Yiye?

Although they had followed Huo Liaoyuan all the way here, they truly didn't know the purpose of their trip. Huo Liaoyuan had never explained it to any of them. Seeing the grand formation covering the area, they suspected it concealed a spirit land, and many cultivators assumed Huo Liaoyuan had come to plunder its spring spirits.

They had often engaged in such activities over the years; otherwise, the Sacred Universe Spirit Land couldn't have expanded into a large-scale Class A spirit land.

But when the name "Lu Yiye" reached their ears, everyone awoke as if from a dream.

Not only might a spirit land be hidden here, but the renowned Lu Yiye was also concealed within!

Instantly, the cultivators of the Sacred Universe Spirit Land became agitated. For cultivators from Myriad Demons Ridge, the name "Lu Yiye" signified unimaginable wealth.

Looking towards the spirit land again, everyone's gaze was filled with fervent excitement. Especially the cultivators of the Sacred Flame Sect, whose eyes burned like flames.

For the Sacred Flame Sect, Lu Ye was not only a bounty target with immense wealth but also a disciple of the Azureblood Sect, the very group responsible for their sect's decline in rank. Even without a bounty, they would surely kill him if they encountered him in the wild.

Huo Liaoyuan's voice echoed in the valley, but he received no response. Even the grand formation below showed no change.

"Stubborn fools!" Huo Liaoyuan snorted coldly, subtly raising and then lowering his hand, lightly uttering, "Surround them!"

From the spirit boat, figures shot out, instantly encircling the spirit land.

Inside the spirit land, Li Baxian looked at the many figures above, his expression instantly turning solemn.

The number of approaching enemies was far greater than he had imagined—around one hundred fifty to sixty people!

The Sacred Universe Spirit Land had dispatched seventy people, and Huo Liaoyuan had previously messaged nearby Sacred Flame Sect disciples to gather on the outskirts of Mount Taimang. This was how so many people were assembled; if not for the time constraint, even more would have arrived.

Such a force was simply beyond what the spirit land's current defenses could withstand. Although the wolf pack was numerous, they couldn't fly, which would significantly reduce their effectiveness in combat against cultivators.

With the spirit land's power, defending against an attack of a hundred people was already its limit. One hundred fifty to sixty people... they simply couldn't be stopped.

It appeared the Sacred Flame Sect was already well aware of the spirit land's situation; otherwise, there would be no reason to deploy so many people.

Xia Liang, Tan Sheng... those two truly caused a lot of trouble.

He was about to persuade Lu Ye to retreat to Kyushu first, but turning his head, he saw Lu Ye's calm expression, devoid of any worry. He swallowed the words on his lips and asked suspiciously, "Little Junior Brother, do you seem to have a counter-strategy?"

Lu Ye shook his head and said, "We'll simply adapt to the circumstances."

Li Baxian pondered for a moment. "Don't push too hard," he said. "If things go wrong, retreat to Kyushu immediately."

"I understand."

Meanwhile, in another direction, Xia Liang and Tan Sheng were also quietly observing. However, when the Sacred Universe Spirit Land fully deployed its formation, far from being pleased, their expressions darkened.

"This is bad," Tan Sheng frowned. "That useless Huo Liaoyuan brought so many people here, but instead of immediately breaking the grand formation, he's showing off. Lu Yiye has probably already fled!"

Xia Liang was utterly puzzled. "Where did the Sacred Universe Spirit Land get so many people?"

The reason he had chosen to send the message to the Sacred Universe Spirit Land earlier was primarily to use them to eliminate his enemy. In his estimation, upon receiving news of Lu Ye, the Sacred Universe Spirit Land would at most dispatch seventy or eighty percent of their forces. They would then engage in a fierce battle with Lu Ye's side, allowing him and Xia Liang to profit from the aftermath.

But the situation was clearly developing incorrectly. With so many people from the Sacred Universe Spirit Land arriving, Lu Yiye, unless he was utterly foolish, would surely flee immediately. Why would he stay there to await death?

There was a Heavenly Secret Pillar in Lu Ye's spirit land—he had noticed it when he, Tan Sheng, and Wei Que raided the place last time. Each Heavenly Secret Pillar cost 100,000 contribution points. He had summoned one in the hunting grounds previously and now another in the spirit land. This fellow's wealth was truly a source of both envy and resentment.

Only a battle with evenly matched forces would give Lu Yiye hope and prevent him from immediately using the Heavenly Secret Pillar to escape. Now that the Sacred Universe Spirit Land had deployed such a formidable lineup, Lu Yiye would surely be long gone from the spirit land; it was likely empty inside...

He secretly regretted it. If only he had known earlier, he would have also informed the Sacred Universe Spirit Land about the Heavenly Secret Pillar here. That way, their opponents would have acted more cautiously.

Just as he was secretly regretting, Huo Liaoyuan slightly raised a hand, then slowly brought it down, coldly uttering the word: "Kill!"

Instantly, numerous flying artifacts and spells flashed, bombarding the grand formation's location with immense power.

Ripples spread out, and the grand formation's light barrier fully appeared in everyone's sight. Under such an assault, the concealing grand formation Lu Ye had set up lost its efficacy.

The concealing grand formation itself possessed no defensive or offensive capabilities; its sole purpose was to act as a disguise, hiding the entire spirit land's existence so that even those passing nearby might not detect anything without careful inspection.

The Sacred Universe Spirit Land's few probing attacks earlier had been insufficient to break the concealing grand formation. But now, under a concerted attack, the formation could no longer hold.

The protective light barrier enveloping the entire spirit land now appeared in everyone's sight, revealing the full extent of the spirit land's situation through its shimmering surface.

The presence of numerous demon wolves immediately captivated the attention of the Sacred Universe Spirit Land cultivators.

Many were startled, unable to comprehend how so many demon wolves could be here. On a few of them, they even sensed demon power fluctuations comparable to cultivators of the Eighth or Ninth Level Cloud River Realm.

At this moment, all the demon wolves looked up at the sky. Despite being demon beasts, there was no chaotic noise, not even a single howl. They were like a well-trained army, quietly dormant, retracting their fangs and claws.

While others from the Sacred Universe Spirit Land were unaware of the situation inside, Huo Liaoyuan knew it well. Yet, even after personally verifying the accuracy of the intelligence, he couldn't help but be moved.

Could Lu Yiye truly control so many demon beasts? He had heard that a small white beast always accompanied him, but for a Cloud River Realm cultivator to command such a large number of demon beasts seemed far-fetched.

He secretly rejoiced that he hadn't underestimated his opponent and had instead brought overwhelming force; otherwise, this encounter would have been truly difficult.

After experiencing the initial panic, the cultivators of the Sacred Universe Spirit Land slowly calmed down. The strength of their own lineup gave them the confidence to deal with these demon wolves. Furthermore, these demon wolves didn't appear to be able to fly, so as long as they were cautious enough, the threat wasn't actually that significant.