Chapter 601: Difficult Beginning

"Lu Yiye didn't run!" Tan Sheng's expression brightened slightly from a short distance away.

He had expected Lu Yiye to immediately use the Heavenly Secret Pillar to escape back to Kyushu once the Sacred Universe Spirit Land revealed an overwhelmingly superior lineup. To his surprise, Lu Yiye hadn't left; he was standing right there in the spirit land, gazing up at the sky, without even a hint of panic on his face.

This was certainly odd!

However, this was precisely what Tan Sheng wanted. If Lu Yiye didn't run, there was a chance to kill him.

"It seems he's unwilling to abandon this spirit land unless absolutely necessary," Xia Liang said calmly.

A Class A spirit land was immensely valuable. Even a small one was beyond what most people could possess, and no one would give it up easily.

"Now this is going to be interesting," Tan Sheng grinned.

"He's hidden the Heavenly Secret Pillar," Xia Liang observed, looking towards a certain spot in the spirit land. The last time he and Tan Sheng were there, the Heavenly Secret Pillar had been in that exact location, but now, it was empty, clearly concealed by a formation.

Hiding the Heavenly Secret Pillar obviously meant he didn't want its presence revealed. What was Lu Yiye planning?

As if something had just occurred to him, Xia Liang's expression subtly changed.

If things were truly as he suspected, then Lu Yiye's audacity was simply astounding.

In mid-air, as the concealing formation lost its effect, Lu Yiye's figure was reflected in Huo Liaoyuan's eyes. Though it was their first encounter, Huo Liaoyuan recognized him instantly. His eyes, burning like flames, stared coldly at the figure below, as if looking at a dead man.

Boom, boom, boom... Continuous sounds erupted as the cultivators of the Sacred Universe Spirit Land unleashed their attacks one after another, bombarding the spirit land's protective formation amidst a surge of spiritual energy.

The sight of over 150 cultivators attacking simultaneously was magnificent. Despite their varying cultivation levels, their combined assault unleashed vibrant, multi-colored light and immense power. The protective formation's barrier visibly dimmed, then began to waver precariously.

Xia Liang, who had been observing from the shadows, frowned.

Something didn't seem right.

This protective formation... it felt too weak.

Last time, when he, Xia Liang, and Wei Que attacked this very formation, it had been far more robust than it was now.

Was it because it had been re-arranged?

Before he could fully process this thought, the protective formation shattered with a crash, scattering luminous fragments everywhere. The entire spirit land was now completely exposed to the cultivators of the Sacred Universe Spirit Land.

A large number of cultivators, like cats smelling fish, immediately surged forward, pouring into the spirit land.

Their killing intent erupted as their auras remotely locked onto Lu Yiye and his companions.

Just then, Lu Yiye, who had been standing still, moved. He pulled out a formation jade token from his robes, channeling spiritual energy into it.

The next instant, a barrier of light, even more dazzling than the previous formation, suddenly appeared out of thin air, swiftly enveloping the entire spirit land.

After the first layer, a second appeared...

The second layer of light seemed subtly different from the first, but the sudden turn of events left the Sacred Universe Spirit Land cultivators no time to discern it. Cultivators who hadn't yet rushed into the spirit land crashed into the barrier, halting abruptly with expressions of astonishment.

Generally, only one protective formation would be set up in a single location because a formation's defensive strength directly correlates with the spiritual energy stored within it. Even if a second one were established, it wouldn't be very effective without significant energy storage and would instead dilute the formation's overall power.

Furthermore, if an invading force had the ability to break through the first formation, they would certainly be able to break through the second. Therefore, instead of splitting resources and needlessly increasing risk, it was better to concentrate power in one place.

Yet, Lu Yiye's spirit land had two protective formations, and the second one's power was significantly greater than the first.

Xia Liang's previous suspicions came true, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "This fellow... what a venomous mind!"

Tan Sheng frowned. "Brother Xia, what have you realized?"

Xia Liang explained, "The first protective formation was merely a decoy, meant to feign weakness. The second formation is the real protective one!"

No wonder the previous protective formation had felt so fragile; it was Lu Yiye's deliberate ploy.

The Sacred Universe Spirit Land... was likely in for trouble!

The over 150 cultivators were now divided into two groups by the protective formation: roughly seventy were inside the formation, and just under eighty were trapped outside.

This sudden turn of events startled many cultivators, but they quickly regained their composure. After all, under Huo Liaoyuan's leadership, they were attacking with overwhelming power, and anything the enemy did was just a death struggle.

Only Huo Liaoyuan frowned, an inexplicable sense of unease rising within him, as if something terrible was about to happen.

Without his command, the cultivators outside the formation attacked again, bombarding the barrier.

They had the ability to break through the first protective formation, so they naturally assumed they could break through the second. Even with nearly half their forces gone, it would just take a little more time.

Inside the formation, the seventy-plus cultivators ignored the swarms of demon wolves below. Their gazes fixed on Lu Yiye and his companions, they flew forward in unison. Once they reached a suitable distance, they activated their spiritual energy, ready to attack.

Lu Yiye raised his hand, gripped a formation flag, and, looking up at the sky, gave it a gentle wave.

**Anti-flight!**

The space within the entire spirit land seemed to twist for a moment. In the next instant, the uninvited intruders, with expressions of shock and dismay, cried out as they plummeted from mid-air.

At that very moment, everyone felt as if a massive mountain had crashed down on them, an oppressive weight that stole their breath.

When the sudden change occurred, Xia Liang and Tan Sheng, hidden in the shadows, felt their eyelids twitch simultaneously. They had suffered from the anti-flight formation last time, and recalling it now sent a shiver down their spines.

Huo Liaoyuan's eyes, however, widened in fury and terror. "Anti-flight?!" he exclaimed.

How could it be an anti-flight formation?

How could there be an anti-flight formation!

Although he had long heard that Lu Yiye of the Blood Sect possessed exceptional mastery in array formations, he was, at best, merely a Cloud River Realm cultivator. How could he possibly deploy an anti-flight formation?

Such a formation, he knew, was something even ordinary True Lake Realm formation masters might not be able to set up.

Moreover... the intelligence he had received contained no information whatsoever about an anti-flight formation. Had the informant deliberately concealed this?

As countless thoughts raced through his mind, Huo Liaoyuan lost his earlier composure. His body transformed into a streak of fire as he surged forward, shouting, "Break the formation quickly!"

Nearly half their forces were trapped inside the formation, and under the anti-flight formation's influence, everyone was plummeting downwards. The situation was unprecedentedly dire; he had never imagined such an incredible turn of events before leading his people here.

His words were followed by shrill, agonizing screams.

Dazzling sword light weaved and darted through the spirit land, and the power of mighty spells began to erupt, as Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan attacked simultaneously.

Wherever the sword light and spells swept, blood spurted, life force dissipated, and cultivators of the Sacred Universe Spirit Land lost their lives before even hitting the ground.

In but an instant, five or six people were killed on the spot.

Ju Jia, meanwhile, charged directly into the fray, leaping several yards high from his spot. He slammed his fist into the head of an unstable Sacred Flame Sect cultivator, who didn't even utter a sound as his head exploded like a watermelon. Ju Jia emerged from the blood mist, already eyeing his second target, causing that cultivator's heart to instantly pound in terror.

The wolf pack, which had remained still, sprang into action at that very moment. Their agile bodies surged forward, white fur fluttering in the wind. Some demon wolves opened their mouths as they ran, unleashing crescent-shaped green wind blades that sliced crimson streaks across the invading enemies.

However, the number of demon wolves capable of conjuring wind blades was limited. Most of them simply lunged, tackling the unstable cultivators to the ground, tearing and clawing at them.

The screams grew more frequent and piercing.

Outside the formation, led by Huo Liaoyuan, the cultivators of the Sacred Universe Spirit Land felt as if they had fallen into an ice cavern, chills running through their bodies.

What they had believed would be a battle of overwhelming superiority, easily crushing their enemies, had unfolded in such an unbearable manner. Watching familiar faces perish and be torn to shreds before their eyes, everyone's anger and grief erupted like a volcanic eruption.

"Run!" someone roared.

The cultivators who had miraculously survived awoke as if from a dream and fled outwards. Some managed to reach the edge of the formation, only to discover in despair that they couldn't get out; a thick barrier of light stood before them, blocking their hope of escape.

The formation had two layers: one for defense from the outside, the protective formation, and the second for confinement from the inside, the trapping formation!

From the moment these cultivators stepped into the spirit land, their grim fate was sealed.

"Don't come near!" a cultivator who had fled to the edge of the formation shrieked in terror. He barely had time to swing his spirit artifact before being engulfed by the figures of over a dozen pouncing demon wolves. The sound of flesh being torn sent shivers down one's spine.

Xia Liang and Tan Sheng's eyelids twitched wildly. Not only had the people of the Sacred Universe Spirit Land failed to anticipate such a turn of events, but even they themselves hadn't expected it.

They had initially believed that Lu Yiye, upon seeing the Sacred Universe Spirit Land's attack, would immediately use the Heavenly Secret Pillar to flee back to Kyushu. Instead, the Sacred Universe Spirit Land suffered heavy losses, while Lu Yiye merely activated a formation jade token and waved a formation flag from start to finish.

The role a powerful formation master could play in such a situation was truly terrifying.

Boom, boom, boom...

Suddenly, loud explosions echoed from various parts of the spirit land. The fleeing cultivators had inadvertently triggered the explosive formations Lu Yiye had set up.

Flames surged, spiritual energy ran wild, and screams were swallowed by the chaos.

In a mere dozen breaths, more than half of the cultivators within the spirit land were dead or wounded, and the rest were enveloped by an aura of despair.

Li Baxian, Feng Yuechan, and Ju Jia charged from three directions, cutting through the enemy as if no one were there, inflicting even greater casualties upon the Sacred Universe Spirit Land.

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