Chapter 610: Pyroclastic Burial

A rising wind across Kyushu.

This is the dilemma of a Spirit Cultivator: even with a significant cultivation gap, spells are meaningless if they can't hit the target.

Moreover, judging by Lu Ye's speed and reactions, Huo Liaoyuan couldn't help but feel a strange illusion, as if he wasn't fighting a fifth-level Weapon Cultivator.

In the Sacred Universe Spirit Land, cultivators from both sects often sought him out for guidance and sparring. One eighth-level Weapon Cultivator named Mingzhe, in particular, frequently challenged him.

However, comparing the two, Huo Liaoyuan was surprised to find that Lu Yiye's performance against him was even better than that of his junior brother Mingzhe.

At the very least, Junior Brother Mingzhe had never managed to hold out for so long without defeat under his hands.

What kind of monster is this? A fifth-level cultivator with strength comparable to an eighth-level one?

And is what I'm seeing everything?

Even though he had never underestimated Lu Ye from the start, Huo Liaoyuan was now somewhat horrified. With a thought, the fiery red spiritual energy disk he had been holding in front of him slowly dissipated.

The Falling Star Fire Rain attack was dense and violent, suitable for fighting multiple opponents, but its consumption was too great. From everything seen so far, it was unrealistic to rely on this spell to kill Lu Yiye.

Huo Liaoyuan could only think of another way.

At the same time, sensing that the opponent's attack was receding, Lu Ye immediately pushed off the ground with both feet, turning his body to charge towards Huo Liaoyuan.

"Wishful thinking!" Huo Liaoyuan knew Lu Ye's plan. The opponent clearly intended to take this opportunity to close in on him. Accompanied by an angry roar, spiritual energy surged around him, and the fiery red spiritual energy in front of him gathered and writhed, as if something was about to burst forth from it.

Lu Ye stared intently at the writhing spiritual energy. The weapon box at his waist hummed, and nine controlled artifacts were ready to be unleashed.

The distance between them rapidly closed, but before Lu Ye could activate the power of his controlled artifacts, a hissing sound came from within the writhing spiritual energy ahead. Immediately afterward, a fire snake, several feet long and as thick as a bowl, darted out.

Ignoring the flames burning around its body, this thing looked exactly like a real giant snake, with fluid body curves, dense scales, and even lifelike snake eyes and fangs. The fire snake darted out, hissing from its mouth, and in the blink of an eye, it was upon Lu Ye, opening its mouth to bite.

Lu Ye twisted his body, evading it instantly, and continued to charge towards Huo Liaoyuan.

Unexpectedly, the fire snake suddenly twisted its body, and its flame-wrapped tail, carrying immense force, whipped down towards Lu Ye's back.

A strong gust of wind swept past, and Lu Ye narrowly dodged it, his movement delayed. He turned and looked sideways, and the fire snake, as if sentient, pursued him.

Another hiss sounded, and a second fire snake slithered over to attack, moving so fast that it was difficult to react.

Ignoring much else, Lu Ye performed a side roll. However, the two fire snakes, like living creatures, attacked from left and right again, tangling him tightly.

The Mountain Cleaving Blade swung down, its sharp blade sweeping. The long blade struck the fire snake with a dull thud. This blow was like striking steel; this spell, clearly condensed from spiritual energy, seemed to have been imbued with a powerful body and life.

Lu Ye sighed inwardly. He truly was a professional Spirit Cultivator. Although he could also cast similar Fire Dragon spells, at most he could only control them slightly, never to the extent of Huo Liaoyuan, who could make the spell persist for a long time.

Conjuring these two fire snakes undoubtedly consumed a lot of Huo Liaoyuan's spiritual energy. He did not conjure a third one but stood in place, his mind surging, controlling the two fire snakes to entangle Lu Ye.

Large-scale spells like Falling Star Fire Rain were ineffective against Lu Yiye, so he would crush him in his own擅长的领域. These two fire snakes, in a strict sense, were also engaging in close combat with Lu Ye.

The figures of one person and two snakes darted and spun, creating a perilous scene for a time. As Lu Ye's Mountain Cleaving Blade continuously swung, sparks flew.

Huo Liaoyuan's expression gradually grew serious because he realized that although Lu Ye wasn't entirely at ease dealing with this situation, relying solely on two fire snakes would never be enough to kill him.

While these two fire snakes could persist for a period, their power would inevitably diminish over time.

He couldn't drag this out any longer! Huo Liaoyuan already felt something was amiss.

He had to use the fiercest means to kill Lu Yiye with one blow!

When he activated the deathmatch arena, he had never imagined that Lu Yiye, a fifth-level Weapon Cultivator, could withstand his attacks for so long.

But at this moment, no matter how much he hated Lu Ye, he had to admit that this guy was indeed a formidable opponent.

With this thought, he suddenly spread his arms, and his whole body trembled. In an instant, countless sparks flew outwards. At first glance, these sparks looked like fireflies, their faint light unremarkable, as if they could be extinguished with a single breath. Yet, the moment these sparks appeared, Lu Ye felt a huge sense of crisis.

The strength of the mind brought about powerful perception, allowing one to detect many crises and opportunities that were difficult for the naked eye to discern.

Lu Ye, while still entangled with the two fire snakes, stole a glance at Huo Liaoyuan. He immediately saw the sky full of fireflies drifting towards him. The fireflies weren't slow, but they covered an extremely large area.

No matter what kind of spell this was, it was definitely not something he could contend with at his current level.

A strong sense of alarm rose in his heart, and Lu Ye was about to charge towards Huo Liaoyuan. However, the two fire snakes, one on the left and one on the right, fiercely blocked his path, continuously entangling him.

In just a moment, the sky full of fireflies covered half the deathmatch arena. Some even landed on Lu Ye's body, but he didn't feel much.

Huo Liaoyuan slowly raised a hand, spiritual energy surging violently around him, and shouted: "Lu Yiye, it is your honor to die by this move of mine!"

His response was Lu Ye's Flash!

The furious attack finally broke one fire snake in half. With Wind Walk imbued in his legs, he was about to run at full speed, but a burning sensation coiled around him.

Looking back, he saw that the fire snake, which should have been shattered by his blade, did not disintegrate after being split in two. Instead, like a living creature, it coiled around his legs.

Before Lu Ye could break free from the entanglement, the other fire snake already coiled around him, left and right, binding Lu Ye tightly and dragging him directly to the ground.

Lu Ye was alarmed but not flustered. This brief struggle had greatly reduced the strength of the two fire snakes, so he simply vigorously channeled his spiritual energy, used force in his arms, and shattered the fire snakes binding him into several pieces.

But ultimately, it was still a step too late.

Huo Liaoyuan aimed his raised hand at Lu Ye, then fiercely clenched it, as if crushing an invisible bug. A cold, low voice came from his mouth: "Liaoyuan Burial Blast!"

A faint glow, in an instant, brightened a thousand, a hundred thousand times. As the light flared, a heart-pounding spiritual energy fluctuation emanated from within the glow.

If it were just a single flicker of light, Lu Ye naturally wouldn't pay it any mind. But at this moment, the glowing lights floating around him were not just one; they were thousands, tens of thousands... countless.

Like a prairie fire, they rapidly spread outwards. All the glowing lights erupted, and in an instant, where Lu Ye stood, it was as if countless miniature suns exploded.

And at this moment, he had just broken free from the fire snakes' entanglement. No matter how fast he was, it was impossible to escape this area.

Boom...

A sound, accompanying the explosion of the glowing lights, followed by a continuous, massive hum.

Blinding firelight enveloped half the deathmatch arena. The intense heat warped the space, and the towering light was blocked by the restrictive barrier. The surging airwaves swept back and forth within the vast arena, making Huo Liaoyuan's black hair and clothes rustle.

Even the caster of this spell was momentarily dazzled by the magnificent sight before him.

Huo Liaoyuan burst out laughing.

Finally...finally, Lu Yiye was dead!

Such a spell, let alone Lu Ye being only at the fifth level, even a ninth-level cultivator couldn't withstand it. This was one of his trump cards. In terms of power, it ranked first among all the spells he mastered. Its only drawback was that its casting speed was too slow, and it had significant limitations, only effective when the enemy was already restrained.

The small space of the deathmatch arena, coupled with Lu Ye being entangled by the fire snakes, provided the perfect opportunity for this spell to unleash its brilliance.

Would Lu Yiye be completely annihilated? If so, there would be no corpse to prove it. Would the major sects of the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge still honor the bounties they had issued?

Even if he wasn't utterly destroyed, he would certainly be burned beyond recognition...

Right, Xia Liang and Tan Sheng witnessed him activating the deathmatch arena. As long as those two were willing to testify, surely those major sects wouldn't go back on their word.

Stepping back, even if no one testified for him, he could swear a Heavenly Secret Oath to prove that Lu Yiye was killed by him...

As his mind relaxed, various thoughts suddenly popped into his head.

Huo Liaoyuan's face turned slightly pale, and he sat down on the ground with a thump.

Although this battle did not last long, his consumption was simply too great. Just maintaining the Falling Star Fire Rain for the time it took for an incense stick to burn had depleted nearly half of his spiritual energy. The subsequent Fire Snake spell consumed less, but the Liaoyuan Burial Blast was another highly consumptive spell. At this moment, his spiritual energy was only about 20% of his usual capacity.

Moreover, his mental energy was severely depleted, and he already felt somewhat drowsy.

Casting spells not only consumed spiritual energy but also imposed a mental burden. The more powerful the spell, the higher the mental burden.

This was also a drawback for Spirit Cultivators that could not be avoided.

However, thinking that he had killed Lu Yiye and would receive an unimaginably huge bounty, Huo Liaoyuan's mood brightened again.

Yet, just as the smile appeared on his face, it suddenly froze...

No, the deathmatch arena had its own rules. Once inside, both parties fought to the death, and only one person could leave alive. And once one party died, the arena's binding would instantly release, returning them to their original location before entering. But why... was he still in the deathmatch arena?