Chapter 615: Bustling Voices

The Wind Rises Across Kyushu

Amber’s awakening and the improved strength of both the spirit (Yiyi) and the tiger (Amber) were undoubtedly the only good news recently.

Yiyi controls the Nine Formations Diagram; the stronger she becomes, the greater the power the diagram can unleash. For instance, during the last battle against the fox demon within the Nine Formations Diagram, if Yiyi had been able to exert more of its power, Lu Ye might not have had to work so hard.

Amber and Lu Ye are bound by the Life Essence Technique and the Beast Seal Method. In combat, Lu Ye can draw strength from Amber. Furthermore, once the Beast Transformation Secret Art is activated, the stronger Amber becomes, the higher Lu Ye’s ultimate potential reaches.

Therefore, Amber’s increase in power directly translates to an increase in Lu Ye’s own strength.

These two companions are invaluable assets to Lu Ye; they are truly unique in the entire cultivation world of Kyushu.

Recently, there have been clear signs of cultivators outside the Heaven-Returning Spiritual Land. These were evidently cultivators from the Myriad Demon Ridge who received the news and arrived early. However, as it was still soon after the news broke, not many had gathered yet.

It was foreseeable that as time passed, the number of cultivators arriving would only increase.

Though these cultivators had received information about Lu Ye, they dared not make any rash moves without confirmation. They merely investigated discreetly around the spiritual land. Unfortunately, the land was shrouded by a concealment formation, making it impossible for them to discern anything, no matter how thoroughly they probed.

Several days later, a cultivator finally lost patience and flew directly above Heaven-Returning Valley, casting a spell downwards.

As spiritual power surged, the concealment formation lost its effect. In an instant, the entire spiritual land was revealed.

Several wooden houses stood scattered, and a spiritual spring gurgled. In front of one of the houses, a person sat casually on the ground, a long blade resting by their leg, their gaze calmly fixed on the figure in the sky.

Their eyes met. The spell cultivator who had attacked watched intently, his face lighting up with joy. “Lu Yiye!”

Although they had arrived based on previous reports, no one could confirm if this was truly Lu Ye’s hiding place until they saw him with their own eyes.

At that very moment, as the concealment formation dissipated and Lu Ye’s figure was fully revealed, all the Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators, both those in the open and those in hiding, were roused with excitement.

The news was true; this was indeed Lu Yiye’s hiding place!

As the spell cultivator rejoiced, over a dozen figures, previously hidden in the shadows, swiftly flew towards them from nearby.

With Lu Ye’s whereabouts confirmed, it was naturally time to strike first! There was only one Lu Yiye, and whoever killed him would claim the bounty!

However, not everyone charged forward; many chose to observe instead.

Inside the spiritual land, Lu Ye raised a hand, his palm pointing remotely at the spell cultivator suspended in mid-air.

The spell cultivator was still engrossed in the joy of discovering Lu Ye’s whereabouts. When he suddenly saw Lu Ye’s action, he had no idea what was happening. Just as he pondered, Lu Ye suddenly clenched his hand, as if invisibly gripping the entire spell cultivator in his palm.

Then, he swung his hand downwards and lightly commanded, “Get down!”

The moment his words fell, the spell cultivator, suspended in mid-air, felt as if a great mountain had descended from thin air. He plummeted straight down in utter astonishment, like a bird with broken wings.

The sudden turn of events left him flustered and panicking. He cried out, frantically channeling spiritual power to regain his balance.

However, at that very moment, a clear sword hum rang out. Several flying swords shot out from another wooden house, enveloped in a cold aura of death, striking with extreme precision at the flailing spell cultivator.

Thudding sounds incessantly echoed. The spell cultivator’s protective spiritual energy shattered in less than a breath. Flying swords pierced through him, blood spurted, and his agonizing screams resonated endlessly through Heaven-Returning Valley.

Thump...

The spell cultivator crashed to the ground, not yet dead, but his mouth and nose were full of blood. He had countless broken bones and over a dozen wounds from flying swords piercing his body.

Before he could even recover, a shadow fell over him. He opened his blurred eyes to see Lu Yiye, who had been sitting by the house, now standing over him, looking down.

The spell cultivator was terrified. He instinctively tried to channel spiritual power, but Lu Ye stomped on his chest. The heavy blow made him cough up blood, and the spiritual energy he had painstakingly gathered instantly dispersed.

Lu Ye raised his long blade, the dark Panshan Blade’s edge gleaming with a sharp luster.

“Wait…” the spell cultivator whispered, but before he could finish, the long blade plunged down.

The blade pierced through his chest and out his back, instantly taking his life. The spell cultivator’s body twitched slightly a few times before falling completely silent.

Lu Ye bent down to retrieve the storage bag from the fallen cultivator. He then kicked the corpse out of the spiritual land, shook the blood from his Panshan Blade, and cast a cold gaze at the dozen or so figures hovering in the distance.

Meeting his gaze, all dozen or so cultivators felt a chill run down their spines.

Although the spell cultivator who had just attacked only unleashed a single spell, the spiritual energy fluctuations around him clearly indicated he was a ninth-level spell cultivator!

The ninth level was the highest cultivation realm the Cloud River Battlefield could accommodate, making him a powerful expert by any standard.

Yet, such a powerful expert had died so bafflingly here!

From start to finish, apart from the assistance of flying swords, Lu Yiye had only made one strike!

They naturally did not believe the ninth-level spell cultivator died solely by Lu Ye’s hand; his tragic demise was entirely due to his own grave carelessness.

Recalling the spell cultivator’s fate, someone frowned and whispered, “A no-fly formation!”

There was no other explanation for a ninth-level spell cultivator suddenly plummeting than a no-fly formation.

They had long heard of Lu Yiye’s profound mastery of formations, but they had not anticipated it to be so advanced that he could even deploy a no-fly formation.

Moreover, the information they had received did not mention the existence of a no-fly formation. When Tu Guanxiong disseminated the news, it was unclear whether intentionally or unintentionally, he had omitted this crucial detail.

The dozen or so Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators who had eagerly charged forward were now filled with profound relief...

Fortunately, they had not been quick enough, otherwise, if they had entered the no-fly formation’s range, they would likely have met the same tragic end as the spell cultivator.

As for why Lu Yiye did not wait for them to enter the no-fly formation’s range before activating its power, it was understandable. It was not that he did not want to, but that he dared not.

Using the opportunity presented by the no-fly formation, killing one ninth-level spell cultivator was effortless. However, if all dozen or so had charged in, even if he could eliminate a few, the remaining ones would still pose a significant threat.

The current approach was the best response.

Killing one person deterred many more. The demise of a ninth-level spell cultivator made the rest hesitant to make any rash moves.

Lu Ye cast an indifferent glance at the dozen or so figures, then raised a hand and waved. The concealment formation reactivated, and ripples spread, causing the entire spiritual land to vanish from their sight.

The dozen or so cultivators exchanged glances for a moment, then silently retreated.

Although a ninth-level spell cultivator had died inexplicably, the news of Lu Yiye’s hiding place was confirmed. Furthermore, some had seen Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan; the flying swords that had assailed the spell cultivator earlier were wielded by Li Baxian.

The news continued to spread, and the area outside Heaven-Returning Valley gradually grew lively. This place, usually desolate, was suddenly teeming with people, and cultivators could be seen everywhere.

Familiar cultivators gathered in groups of three to five, discussing how to safely and effectively eliminate Lu Yiye and claim the immense bounty.

Some powerful experts remained aloof and solitary, observing their surroundings with cold detachment.

The cultivators from the Saintly Cosmos Spiritual Land had also returned under Ming Zhe’s leadership. However, they did not gather as one group but split into several teams, dispersing themselves throughout the area.

Ming Zhe gazed at the bustling entrance of Heaven-Returning Valley, sighing, then letting out a long breath.

He grieved over the Saintly Cosmos Spiritual Land’s previous heavy losses, particularly the death of Senior Brother Huo Liaoyuan at Lu Yiye’s hands. However, now over three hundred cultivators from various factions of the Myriad Demon Ridge had gathered, and all those who dared venture this far were at least at the sixth level.

Such a force, even if it simply swept forward, would surely be irresistible to Lu Yiye.

He was doomed to die!

With this, Senior Brother Huo could finally rest in peace. Gazing in the direction of Heaven-Returning Valley, Ming Zhe’s eyes gleamed with the satisfaction of an approaching vengeance.

However, events unfolded somewhat differently from his expectations.

More and more Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators gathered, including many ninth-level experts from first or second-rank sects. Yet, no one launched a direct assault on Heaven-Returning Valley. It seemed everyone had reached a silent understanding, choosing to observe...

Ming Zhe gradually understood.

The Saintly Cosmos Spiritual Land no longer harbored hopes of claiming the bounty on Lu Yiye; they merely wished to use others to exact revenge for their fallen brethren. However, the cultivators who had rushed here, driven by greed, were different; each of them had their eyes on the enormous bounty.

After learning that Heaven-Returning Valley was protected by a no-fly formation, no one dared to act rashly.

If Lu Yiye could even set up a no-fly formation, who knew what other strange and dangerous formations he might have in his spiritual land?

At this point, whoever played the vanguard would suffer greatly!

In short, they were not united in purpose. Everyone hoped that others would make the first move to test the defenses of Heaven-Returning Valley, allowing them to secretly seize an advantage.

Ming Zhe first felt anger. It was truly disappointing that they possessed the power to crush everything yet were engaged in internal machinations.

However, on second thought, he could understand the mentality of these powerful figures; after all, they did not harbor such profound hatred for Lu Yiye.

Furthermore, the bounty on Lu Yiye was so immense that they had to proceed with extreme caution to maximize their chances of success.

But if this continued, how would they ever kill Lu Yiye?

Ming Zhe’s concerns were clearly unfounded; what he could conceive, others surely could too. Just as he was fretting, a figure suddenly stepped forward, flying into mid-air and immediately drawing everyone’s attention.