Chapter 605: Strong Attack on Return Heaven Valley

"I wouldn't dare!" Huo Liaoyuan replied, almost gritting his teeth.

Just then, a spiritual energy fluctuation suddenly came from afar. Huo Liaoyuan whipped his head around, discovering the source of the disturbance: the encampment of the cultivators from the Sacred Universe Spiritual Land.

"Oh no!" Huo Liaoyuan exclaimed in a low voice, instantly realizing what had happened.

Lu Yiye, that fellow, had actually circled back and returned while he was being entangled by Xia Liang and Tan Sheng!

He didn't have time to say more to Xia Liang and Tan Sheng; he turned and darted towards the entrance of Revival Valley.

Xia Liang and Tan Sheng exchanged glances. Xia Liang said, "Let's go take a look."

They were already exposed, so there was no need to hide anymore.

At the entrance of Revival Valley, Huo Liaoyuan rushed back to find two more disciples had met a tragic end, lying in pools of blood.

"Where is he?" Huo Liaoyuan asked.

A Sacred Fire Cult disciple replied, "He escaped!"

Huo Liaoyuan's chest heaved with surging anger, a fury with no outlet. At the same time, he was utterly bewildered. Lu Yiye was a Weapon Cultivator; how could he employ the methods of a Ghost Cultivator? Even with the help of spirit talismans, he shouldn't be able to appear and disappear so mysteriously.

The opponent had attacked twice, resulting in five deceased cultivators. While this loss was negligible compared to their daytime casualties, an enemy hidden in the shadows was the most terrifying.

He had originally planned to block the area and wait until he had amassed enough manpower to launch a full assault on the spiritual land, but that would undoubtedly take time.

Continuing to wait like this would only lead to greater losses; by then, they might even lose more people than they managed to gather!

While retreating from here was a good option, where could they go? Furthermore, if they withdrew, who knew if Lu Yiye would simply escape?

Missing this opportunity might mean not getting such a good chance again. Sensing the widespread anxiety around him, Huo Liaoyuan knew that to capture Lu Yiye, they had to act decisively and quickly.

He turned to look at Xia Liang and Tan Sheng, who had followed him, and said with a solemn expression, "Fellow Daoists, how about we join forces?"

Although he utterly detested these two, the current situation demanded their assistance. Two Cloud River Realm Ninth-Level cultivators could wield considerable power, and with their help, he might still have a chance at success.

Xia Liang pondered for a moment, then spoke, "Joining forces is fine, but if the opponent hides within the spiritual land, what good would our combined efforts do? Unless, Fellow Daoist Huo, you are willing to launch a full assault. But I imagine you wouldn't want to take such a step, would you?"

While the Sacred Universe Spiritual Land had suffered heavy losses, it wasn't without the means to launch a full assault. However, doing so would inevitably lead to significant casualties, even if they managed to capture Lu Ye. Xia Liang didn't believe Huo Liaoyuan would be so foolish.

Huo Liaoyuan said indifferently, "And how can Fellow Daoist Xia be so certain that I won't launch a full assault?"

Xia Liang's expression subtly changed, and he looked at Huo Liaoyuan with some surprise, unable to discern his true intentions.

Huo Liaoyuan looked towards the spiritual land and said calmly, "After dawn, we will launch a full assault on Revival Valley. I will need both your assistance then. After the deed is done, I will give you two 20% of the bounty on Lu Yiye's head!"

This surprised not only Xia Liang but also confused Tan Sheng.

Judging by Huo Liaoyuan's demeanor, he clearly seemed very confident in capturing Lu Yiye. But a full assault would surely result in heavy losses for both sides. Was Huo Liaoyuan truly willing to do this?

"Forty percent!" Xia Liang couldn't understand it, but that didn't stop him from bargaining.

Huo Liaoyuan shook his head and said, "Fellow Daoist Xia, you jest. While your strength is indeed impressive, for me, it would merely be icing on the cake. Even without your assistance, Lu Yiye is doomed. I am willing to give you two 20% of the bounty simply to minimize losses for the Sacred Universe Spiritual Land. If you are unwilling to join forces, I won't insist."

His confident posture, as if Lu Ye's fate was sealed, truly baffled Xia Liang and Tan Sheng.

After a moment of silence, Xia Liang said, "Fellow Daoist Huo, there's something you might not know: there's actually a Heavenly Secret Pillar within Lu Yiye's spiritual land."

He hadn't revealed this information before, and during the daytime battle, the location of the Heavenly Secret Pillar had also been concealed, going unnoticed by the cultivators from both sects.

Huo Liaoyuan was surprised. "Are you certain?"

"I saw it with my own eyes," Xia Liang nodded. "So, no matter what your plans are, Brother Huo, if you truly want to kill him, you must seize control of the Heavenly Secret Pillar's location immediately and absolutely prevent Lu Yiye from getting close to it."

"I understand. I'll make arrangements for that later," Huo Liaoyuan nodded.

Xia Liang gave him another deep look and said, "As long as Fellow Daoist Huo knows what he's doing."

With a few simple words, the alliance was confirmed. Xia Liang and Tan Sheng found a secluded spot and began to meditate and recuperate.

Huo Liaoyuan also issued the order for a full assault on Revival Valley after dawn. Though the cultivators from both sects had not yet emerged from the shadow of the previous battle, they began sharpening their weapons and secretly preparing.

Where Xia Liang and Tan Sheng were, after holding back for a long time, Tan Sheng couldn't resist asking softly, "Brother Xia, do you really think Huo Liaoyuan will launch a full assault on Lu Yiye's spiritual land?"

"Since he said so, it must be true."

Tan Sheng shook his head slightly. "Although this is our first interaction, Huo Liaoyuan is a rather shrewd individual. The Sacred Universe Spiritual Land has already suffered significant losses. A full assault, even if it secures Lu Yiye, would be a net loss. Would such a person really make a decision like that? And he's willing to share 20% of the benefits with us... Brother Xia, we should still be careful. Huo Liaoyuan isn't exactly friendly towards us."

Xia Liang nodded. "I know. We'll adapt as the situation unfolds tomorrow. However, there's something else that concerns me..."

"What is it?"

"Huo Liaoyuan actually didn't ask me about the location of Lu Yiye's Heavenly Secret Pillar," Xia Liang said, a puzzled look on his face.

His decision to reveal the information about the Heavenly Secret Pillar to Huo Liaoyuan was naturally not out of kindness. He feared that if Huo Liaoyuan pressed too hard, Lu Ye might be forced to flee, leaving them with nothing.

However, although Huo Liaoyuan showed surprise upon hearing this news, he didn't ask any further questions. This was clearly unusual, as if the Heavenly Secret Pillar's existence had no bearing on his plans, making detailed inquiry unnecessary.

Recalling their previous conversation, Tan Sheng quickly noticed this detail as well and frowned, "What exactly is he planning?"

"No matter what he's planning, we'll find out after dawn."

Dawn was not far off.

An hour later, the sky began to lighten. Under Huo Liaoyuan's command, the cultivators from both sects, who had already made full preparations, brazenly launched an assault on the Revival Spiritual Land. In an instant, the concealing array lost its effect, and the scenery within the spiritual land came into view.

There was no defensive array to obstruct them, as Lu Ye hadn't set one up.

Within the spiritual land, Lu Ye flashed out, frowning as he watched nearly a hundred cultivators approach the edge of the spiritual land.

Was this... a full assault? No matter how enraged Huo Liaoyuan was, he wouldn't make such a foolish decision, would he? Did he have no regard for the lives of his cultivators?

Or had his two sneak attacks yesterday driven Huo Liaoyuan to the point of losing his mind? But observing their orderly formation, it didn't seem quite like that.

Li Baxian, Feng Yuechan, and Ju Jia all appeared, standing beside Lu Ye.

"Junior Brother!"

"The situation isn't good this time," Lu Ye said with a solemn expression. He had spotted Xia Liang and Tan Sheng among the enemy's ranks.

This was within his expectations; he had forced Xia Liang and Tan Sheng out of hiding, and their best option was naturally to join forces with the Sacred Universe Spiritual Land.

While it seemed to strengthen the enemy's forces, a venomous snake hidden in the shadows was actually the most terrifying. Now that they were in the open, the threat they posed was considerably reduced.

Lu Ye turned to Ju Jia. "If you can't hold them off, use the Heavenly Secret Pillar to escape back to Kyushu, understand?"

He wasn't worried about Li Baxian or Feng Yuechan; they would surely flee if things went wrong. He was only concerned about Ju Jia.

Yesterday, a few demon wolves had died, and Ju Jia had been immersed in sadness all day. Asking this simple-minded fellow to abandon the wolf pack and escape might not be something he'd be willing to do.

Ju Jia glanced at the nearby demon wolves and remained silent.

Lu Ye couldn't help but sigh, no longer trying to persuade him.

"Kill!" Outside the spiritual land, accompanied by Huo Liaoyuan's furious roar, the cultivators from the Sacred Universe Spiritual Land collectively stepped into the range covered by the anti-flight array. Having learned their lesson from yesterday, they naturally wouldn't attempt to fly through the air again.

Revival Spiritual Land was a small spiritual land, not covering a large area.

However, to accommodate the wolf pack, Lu Ye had set up the arrays over a considerable area. Whether it was the concealing array, the defensive array, or the anti-flight array, their range far exceeded the spiritual land itself, covering several hundred zhang in circumference.

As the cultivators from the Sacred Universe Spiritual Land stepped into the array's edge, they were still several hundred zhang away from Lu Ye and his companions, a distance naturally outside their attack range.

The numerous cultivators advanced with synchronized steps, pressing uniformly towards the spiritual land. Spiritual energy surged around each of them, poised for action.

The wolf pack also stirred, baring their fangs, with demonic energy surging around their bodies.

A great battle was on the verge of breaking out!

It wasn't until they were less than a hundred zhang apart that the cultivators from the Sacred Universe Spiritual Land, under Huo Liaoyuan's command, simultaneously unleashed their attacks. Instantly, the light of their artifacts and spells began to erupt, surging overwhelmingly towards the wolf pack.

At the same time, the wolf pack retaliated with gusts of wind blades, though their numbers were far fewer than those of the cultivators. After all, not many demon wolves could cast such demonic arts.

Such a long-range engagement was undoubtedly disadvantageous to the wolf pack. The alpha wolf clearly understood this, letting out a howl directed at the sky.

In the next instant, the wolf pack surged forward, their howls echoing each other, as their snow-white forms rushed forth, rapidly closing the hundred-zhang distance.

Some demon wolves were struck by spells or artifacts mid-charge, stumbling, but demon wolves were inherently strong and protected by demonic essence. As long as their protective demonic essence wasn't broken, their lives were generally not in danger.

Ju Jia's burly figure was interspersed among the wolf pack, charging alongside them. Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan followed closely behind the pack, their hundred flying swords soaring and spells humming, showcasing their powerful foundations.

Only Lu Ye remained in place, merely activating the nine artifacts from the weapon box at his waist to alleviate the pressure on the wolf pack.

The battle erupted, and the scene instantly became chaotic.