Chapter 604: Accidental Passing

In Lu Ye's estimation, since Tan Sheng and Xia Liang were lurking in the shadows, they certainly wouldn't be too far from Return Valley, anywhere from ten to thirty li was possible.

Moreover, to avoid the cultivators from the two sects in the Holy Jade spiritual land, they definitely wouldn't be located near the entrance of Return Valley.

Return Valley was surrounded by mountains on three sides, especially the back, which featured a stretch of rugged cliffs towering thousands of feet high, making it unsuitable for hiding.

This left only the two side areas as possible hiding spots for Xia Liang and Tan Sheng.

This greatly simplified Lu Ye's search.

However, while concealed, Lu Ye's movements were slow, so even with a general idea of their location, finding the two was not an easy task.

Fortunately, Lu Ye's luck had always been good.

In less than two hours, Lu Ye sensed signs of life nearby. The location was just over ten li from Return Valley, well within his estimated range.

He stealthily approached and, under the moonlight, soon spotted two figures meditating beneath a tree.

Upon closer inspection, they were none other than Xia Liang and Tan Sheng.

Lu Ye did not approach further. Both individuals were at the ninth level of the Cloud River Realm, and Xia Liang, in particular, had acute senses. Getting too close would likely lead to detection.

Having confirmed their position, Lu Ye quietly departed.

While meditating, Xia Liang suddenly opened his eyes, glanced around, and frowned slightly. For a brief moment, he inexplicably felt as if he was being watched. However, a thorough check revealed no one nearby, so he dismissed it as his imagination and paid it no mind.

At the entrance of Return Valley, bonfires flickered. Cultivators from the two sects gathered in small groups, and the atmosphere was heavy. Many female cultivators were silently weeping.

The day's events had been a nightmare for all of them.

Led by Huo Liaoyuan, they had arrived strong and formidable, full of momentum. Yet, in just the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, over sixty of them had fallen in Return Valley. The lingering horror left their bodies and minds cold; only the flickering bonfires provided a negligible warmth.

Some were also filled with rage, gnashing their teeth and vowing to kill Lu Yiye to avenge their fallen comrades.

It was now the deepest darkness before dawn.

A brief, tragic cry pierced the night sky, instantly startling everyone.

"What happened!" Huo Liaoyuan instantly appeared. A single glance made his eyes nearly pop out.

Amidst the blood-soaked ground, two figures lay in pools of blood. Another person was still alive, but it was clear they wouldn't last much longer.

"Lu Yiye…" The person clutched their throat, blood spurting through their fingers. They reached out towards Huo Liaoyuan, eyes full of yearning: "Brother Huo, save… ngh…"

Huo Liaoyuan suddenly looked up and immediately saw a fiery red streak of light rapidly moving away in the night sky.

Enraged, he shot into the sky and pursued in that direction, quickly closing the distance.

Fury and killing intent filled his mind, completely oblivious to the fact that Lu Ye's direction was not towards Return Valley.

Logically, after Lu Ye infiltrated and killed someone, the safest course of action would be to escape back into Return Valley. Once inside, the two sects' cultivators, no matter how capable, would be powerless against him. Yet, he chose to fly in a different direction instead of heading back to Return Valley.

That direction was precisely where Tan Sheng and Xia Liang were hiding.

Sensing movement behind him, Lu Ye looked back and frowned. The ninth level of the realm was indeed incredibly fast.

Although his cultivation had recently advanced by two minor levels, his flight speed was much faster than when he was in the hunting grounds and quicker than an average fifth-level cultivator. However, it was still far from a ninth-level cultivator's speed.

Fortunately, he also had the Windwalk ability.

With the Windwalk spiritual pattern activated, spiritual power rapidly flowed through the spiritual power river within him, and his speed surged.

Despite this, the distance between them continued to close.

A single Windwalk spiritual pattern was not enough to shake off a ninth-level pursuer. However, with the addition of the Flying Wings, his speed could increase further, which should allow him to match Huo Liaoyuan.

But he wasn't trying to escape Huo Liaoyuan, so he didn't activate his Flying Wings.

Tan Sheng and Xia Liang were still meditating when a whistling sound rapidly approached from a distance. Both were startled and looked up simultaneously.

They saw two streaks of light in mid-air, one following the other, rapidly approaching them. Both streaks glowed as if burning.

"What's this…" Tan Sheng couldn't immediately grasp what was happening, only vaguely feeling that the figure in the leading streak of light looked familiar.

In the blink of an eye, the streak of light was close by.

"Lu Yiye!" Xia Liang exclaimed softly, momentarily stunned.

Why was this Lu Yiye fellow out here instead of hiding in the spiritual land? And by the looks of it, he seemed to be getting chased?

Just as Xia Liang instinctively moved to intercept, Lu Ye, who was flying overhead, suddenly raised a hand and unleashed a Fire Phoenix technique, sending it towards their location. At the same time, he shouted, "They're all yours!"

With that, he sped past!

Xia Liang and Tan Sheng were both bewildered, yet they couldn't miss such a heaven-sent opportunity. Easily blocking the Fire Phoenix technique, both rose into the air simultaneously.

But before they could pursue Lu Ye, Huo Liaoyuan, who followed closely behind, unleashed powerful techniques towards them.

Huo Liaoyuan had been pursuing Lu Ye all the way, filled with rage and only wanting to kill him to vent his hatred. However, the sudden appearance of two ninth-level cultivators doused him like a bucket of cold water, chilling him to the core.

Combined with Lu Ye's earlier words, his anger instantly vanished, replaced only by panic. He secretly cursed, realizing he had likely fallen into Lu Yiye's trap!

This scoundrel had somehow found two powerful allies to ambush him here and lured him into a trap…

Now, without any backup, he feared the worst. Driven by this worry, he dared not hold back and attacked with full force.

Xia Liang and Tan Sheng, who were about to pursue Lu Ye, were immediately caught off guard and could only retaliate and defend. For a moment, the three figures engaged in a fierce battle in mid-air.

In just a moment, Xia Liang faintly realized what was happening…

The feeling of being watched earlier was not a delusion; Lu Yiye had indeed been there. Otherwise, he couldn't have known Xia Liang and Tan Sheng's hiding place, nor could he have lured Huo Liaoyuan here.

Was he trying to use them to kill Huo Liaoyuan? Or was he simply trying to prevent Xia Liang and Tan Sheng from lurking in the shadows?

It was very likely the latter.

"Stop!" Xia Liang roared as he unleashed a blade light, simultaneously pulling back and retreating to show sincerity.

Tan Sheng immediately joined him.

Dozens of zhang away, Huo Liaoyuan appeared calm, but his heart was filled with shock. The two ninth-level cultivators he was fighting were both incredibly powerful, and together, they were simply not something he could contend with.

In that short time, he had almost believed he would die, yet unexpectedly, his opponents stopped first.

And the blade cultivator…

"From the Mad Blade Sect?" Huo Liaoyuan recalled the Mad Blade Sect's cultivators who had reached the ninth level in this generation, and a name slipped out: "Are you Xia Liang?"

Xia Liang remained silent, his face cold. Anyone being manipulated like this wouldn't be in a good mood.

Moreover, he and Tan Sheng had originally intended to remain hidden. Now, thanks to Lu Yiye's meddling, their presence was exposed.

Silence was consent.

Huo Liaoyuan's heart relaxed. "Good, good, Xia Liang is from the Mad Blade Sect, which belongs to the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge. As long as they're not enemies, it's fine."

"And this fellow cultivator is…" Huo Liaoyuan then looked at Tan Sheng.

Tan Sheng reluctantly cupped his fists: "Tan Sheng of New Moon Sect!"

Huo Liaoyuan returned the gesture: "Huo Liaoyuan of the Sacred Fire Sect!" He then asked, "Why are you two fellow cultivators here?"

As the words left his mouth, he suddenly realized something. His originally cordial expression subtly shifted, and his eyes narrowed.

There was no reason for two ninth-level cultivators to be hiding here without cause, especially since a major battle had erupted nearby during the day.

Furthermore, it was rumored that these two had spearheaded the operation against Lu Yiye in the hunting grounds. In the end, Lu Yiye had stormed into the Spiritual Stream Battlefield, destroyed the New Moon Sect's stronghold, and extorted substantial benefits from the Mad Blade Sect.

These two already harbored deep grievances against Lu Yiye!

Tan Sheng turned to look at Xia Liang, who calmly stated, "We were just passing by. Fellow Cultivator Huo, whom were you chasing earlier?"

Tan Sheng was thoroughly impressed; he could never have uttered such words without batting an eyelid.

"Just passing by, huh…" Huo Liaoyuan clenched his fists, and the muscles in his face twitched, clearly suppressing immense anger.

Having vaguely discerned the truth, he now understood perfectly. While his own carelessness contributed to the severe losses suffered by the two sects' disciples this time, the fundamental reason was that these two had withheld crucial information!

If he had known earlier about the anti-air array in Lu Yiye's spiritual land, how could he have allowed the two sects' disciples to charge in so recklessly?

He had always wondered who had provided him with information about this area. Now, he finally understood.

They must have been secretly observing here during the day, and now they were pretending ignorance!

Huo Liaoyuan wished he could hurl a massive fireball at Xia Liang's face to see how thick his skin was, but he could only suppress his anger.

Not to mention that the Sacred Fire Sect, being a fourth-grade sect, could not afford to offend the Mad Blade Sect, even now was not the time to fall out with these two…

If he couldn't defeat them, what good would turning hostile do?

"I was just chasing Lu Yiye!" Huo Liaoyuan said, his expression completely calm.

"Oh? Lu Yiye!" Xia Liang raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise. "That Lu Yiye from the Blood Sect?"

What kind of foolish question is that?! The anger Huo Liaoyuan had barely suppressed nearly flared up again.

"Exactly!"

"What a coincidence then. My brother Tan and I were also searching for his whereabouts. Who would have thought he'd be right under our noses? This truly is a case of finding what you seek effortlessly after a fruitless search!"

"Heheheh…" Huo Liaoyuan let out a dry, mirthless laugh.

Tan Sheng spoke up: "Fellow Cultivator Huo, we were just used by Lu Yiye, allowing him to narrowly escape. Please don't blame us."