Chapter 609: Battle at the Ninth Layer Realm

"Excellent!" Huoliaoyuan retorted with a laugh born of extreme anger. Lu Ye's reaction was precisely as he had anticipated; had Lu Ye truly surrendered without a fight, Huoliaoyuan would have utterly scorned him. As he spoke, he clapped his hand in the empty space before him. Spiritual energy surged around his body, and from his palm, a fiery red spiritual energy disk, several yards in diameter, rapidly unfolded. Intricate patterns, interlocked and intertwined, shimmered with light within the disk.

The spiritual energy disk appeared embedded in Huoliaoyuan's palm. As he channeled his energy, fireballs of varying sizes spontaneously materialized from the disk, trailing bright flames, and hurtled towards Lu Ye like a meteor shower.

As a Law Cultivator at the Ninth-Level Cloud River Realm, whose years of dedicated study had naturally led to profound mastery of spells, Huoliaoyuan's Meteor Fire Rain immediately demonstrated its extraordinary power. Countless fireballs, trailing crimson light, transformed into arcs under his precise control, surging wildly towards Lu Ye's location. The very space they traversed became distorted by the intense heat.

Lu Ye deftly maneuvered, avoiding the initial fireballs that targeted him. He threaded his way through the overwhelming Meteor Fire Rain, rapidly advancing.

His movements were incredibly swift, and his reactions remarkably quick, far surpassing the typical abilities of a Fifth-Level cultivator.

Boom, boom, boom... Fireballs repeatedly struck empty ground, impacting the dueling platform and slamming into the surrounding energy barrier. Each impact erupted in dazzling flames, unleashing astonishing waves of heat.

A look of surprise flickered across the composed Huoliaoyuan's face.

As a Ninth-Level cultivator personally confronting a Fifth-Level one, he hadn't initially exerted much effort. In his estimation, the vast disparity in cultivation meant a casual spell from him would likely be enough to end his opponent's life. Employing a high-cost spell like Meteor Fire Rain was already an exceedingly cautious strategy. Yet, Lu Ye's performance genuinely astonished him.

His opponent could actually weave through his Meteor Fire Rain... Could a Fifth-Level cultivator truly possess such reflexes?

Huoliaoyuan's expression instantly became serious. He had witnessed cultivators "capsizing in a ditch"—succumbing to unexpected failures—and had always warned himself to be vigilant. His mental energy began to surge, and the number of fireballs emerging from the spiritual energy disk before him swelled, their trajectories becoming increasingly erratic.

Lu Ye moved like a fish, swimming upstream against the overwhelming tide of fireballs. The moment Huoliaoyuan's approach shifted, Lu Ye immediately felt the increased pressure, and his forward momentum abruptly slowed.

Law Cultivators possess a degree of control over the spells they unleash, an ability that typically manifests once a cultivator reaches the Seventh-Level Realm.

For instance, when Lu Ye first began practicing the Fire Phoenix spell, he was only at the Third-Level Realm. At that time, once a spell was cast, it followed a predetermined trajectory, and he had no means of controlling it, resulting in exceptionally poor accuracy.

However, upon reaching the Seventh-Level Realm, cultivators gain the ability to control spiritual energy that has left their bodies. This is also the fundamental reason why cultivators at this level can manipulate spiritual artifacts.

The ability to control spiritual energy infused into artifacts naturally extends to controlling spells themselves.

A Law Cultivator's true mastery is determined not merely by the number or power of the spells they command, but more significantly by their exquisite control over those very spells.

Huoliaoyuan was, without doubt, a proficient Law Cultivator. While he couldn't control every single one of the overwhelming fireballs, he was certainly capable of controlling a significant portion.

The trajectories of these controlled fireballs were exceptionally difficult to predict.

For instance, even when Lu Ye clearly evaded some of the fireballs, they would turn and return, flanking him from behind.

His hand, which had been resting on the saber hilt, finally moved. A flash of fiery red light, and the Pan Mountain Saber burst from its sheath. With a fierce, cold gleam, the saber cleaved through incoming fireballs, each strike accompanied by a resounding boom.

Protective spiritual energy enveloped his body. As scattered sparks rained down, Lu Ye's spiritual energy was rapidly consumed.

He refrained from activating the power of his Talent Tree, a crucial asset for his confrontation with Huoliaoyuan, which he intended to keep hidden until absolutely necessary.

Furthermore, to defeat a Ninth-Level Cloud River Realm cultivator, the Talent Tree's power alone would be insufficient. He needed to force Huoliaoyuan to expend as much of his own energy as possible; only then could he deliver a fatal blow when his opponent was weakened.

In terms of cultivation, he was indeed significantly outmatched by Huoliaoyuan.

However, apart from this single aspect, Huoliaoyuan held no other discernible advantage.

"Die!" Huoliaoyuan suddenly roared, his face contorted into a ferocious grimace.

Lu Ye's extended saber abruptly halted. His gaze shifted, revealing a massive fireball hurtling directly towards him. This particular fireball was clearly different from the others, harboring an extraordinarily violent spiritual energy within.

The moment he focused on this fireball, chaotic and violent energy fluctuations erupted simultaneously. The massive fireball suddenly expanded within his vision, accompanied by an intense hum and blinding, searing light.

Boom... The fire exploded, engulfing Lu Ye's figure. Huoliaoyuan did not cease his assault; instead, he pressed the attack. Under his precise control, even more fireballs surged relentlessly into the fiery maelstrom, stirring the very aura of death.

The flames suddenly churned, and Lu Ye's disheveled figure stumbled out. Leaning slightly forward, he extended one hand, summoning a massive Guardian spiritual pattern that acted as a shield before him, appearing as if he held an actual physical shield. His other hand, though burnt and bloody from the flames, still gripped his Pan Mountain Saber tightly.

He stood firmly on the dueling platform, yet the immense impact sent him sliding backward for over thirty yards before he managed to stabilize his stance.

With a shattering sound, the Guardian Shield held before him disintegrated, revealing Lu Ye's form. His clothing was tattered, his body covered in burn marks, and even a section of his hair was curled and charred.

He had painstakingly exerted himself to gradually close the distance between himself and Huoliaoyuan, only for his opponent to effortlessly negate all his previous efforts, resetting their positions to square one.

"Indeed... I hate Law Cultivators," Lu Ye muttered, turning his head to spit out a mouthful of blood and calm the turbulent qi and blood in his chest.

These individuals, relying on their long-range attacks, acted with impunity, rendering his extensive skills utterly useless.

"Hmm?" Huoliaoyuan paused, staring at Lu Ye, who had escaped the attack. His expression suddenly shifted to one of excitement. "Incredible, truly incredible!"

He appeared as if he had discovered something novel and entertaining, his eyes brimming with excitement and delight. "A mere Fifth-Level cultivator, yet you can withstand my spells, Lu Yiye. You truly are a monster, no wonder you cause such immense headaches for the various powers in the Ten Thousand Devil Ridge. I was initially thinking that simply killing you like this would be too uneconomical, especially since I've deployed a rare treasure like the Dueling Platform! Since you're so formidable..." His expression abruptly turned frigid, and the words that tumbled from his lips were like icy breaths from the netherworld. "Then struggle well. Regardless, I've invested so much; you owe me a good show!"

Spiritual light flashed once more. On the spiritual energy disk, countless fireballs reappeared. Each one, after materializing, paused only for a fleeting moment before surging relentlessly towards Lu Ye.

Having learned from his previous setback, Lu Ye realized that with his current strength, attempting to close the distance and reach his opponent in such circumstances was utterly futile.

While Law Cultivators indeed possess fragile physiques and typically fare poorly in close quarters against weapon cultivators, their extended range is their undeniable advantage. In the face of such an absolute power disparity, it was simply unrealistic for a weapon cultivator to hope to breach their defenses.

As expected, he needed to continuously deplete his opponent's energy.

Such a spell, with such a concentrated and relentless offense, would surely consume an immense amount of energy, even for a Ninth-Level cultivator like Huoliaoyuan!

With his decision made, Lu Ye immediately darted sideways. Clusters of fireballs followed relentlessly, narrowly missing his body as they slammed into the dueling platform and crashed against the energy barrier with thunderous roars. The explosive airwaves from the detonating fireballs raged in every direction. Lu Ye felt as though he were a lone canoe adrift on a tempestuous sea, tossed and turned amidst fierce winds and tumultuous waves.

Huoliaoyuan was indeed verging on madness, his expression contorted. This could be attributed to the heavy casualties suffered by his subordinates the previous day, with over sixty lives lost. The immense psychological pressure he had been enduring was finally unleashed now that he had the opportunity.

He laughed maniacally, unleashing a furious barrage of spells while periodically shouting, "Run, run! Look at you, scuttling like a rat, what a pathetic sight! You want to kill me? Come closer if you dare! You'll never get a chance to kill me by just running away!"

Beyond his taunts, he continued to provoke, demonstrating Huoliaoyuan's meticulous nature. Even with complete control of the situation, he instinctively used words to try and disturb Lu Ye's composure.

Lu Ye paid him no mind. Having resolved to first deplete his opponent's power, he knew the longer he could prolong the fight, the better.

The booming sounds were incessant. Lu Ye continuously darted across the dueling platform, occasionally feigning a charge to mislead Huoliaoyuan. As expected, whenever he made such a move, Huoliaoyuan's attacks would intensify, successfully blocking his advance.

The Pan Mountain Saber he clutched became almost ornamental, as he had no opportunity to wield it. Instead, he continuously activated the Guardian spiritual pattern to block unavoidable attacks.

While no single fireball inflicted direct damage, the repeated impacts from the explosions still caused widespread pain throughout his body and left his qi and blood in turmoil.

This was also why he did not immediately activate the power of his Talent Tree. While doing so could indeed shield him from fire-elemental damage, the accompanying impacts and vibrations would remain unavoidable.

Moreover, activating the Talent Tree in such a way was extremely taxing on his mental power. Even though Lu Ye's mental faculties far exceeded those of other cultivators at his level, he could not sustain it for an extended period.

This trump card had to be reserved for the opportune moment to achieve a truly surprising effect.

Time passed—the duration of a cup of tea, then an incense stick... Lu Ye grew increasingly disheveled, while Huoliaoyuan's expression lost its earlier ease.

The Meteor Fire Rain spell was incredibly energy-intensive. He had never sustained it for such an extended period. In just the short time it took for an incense stick to burn, nearly half of his spiritual energy had been depleted. Yet, to his profound exasperation, Lu Yiye was still moving around, alive and well!