Chapter 617: All Are Guests

**Winds of Kyushu**

If a ranking of the most famous cultivators in the Cloud River Battlefield were made, Lu Ye would undoubtedly be at the forefront, occupying the top spot. As early as the Spirit Stream Battlefield period, his actions even attracted the attention of many Grand Cultivators of the Divine Sea Realm. The immense bounties issued by the various Myriad Demons Ridge sects further ensured that most cultivators across Kyushu had heard of Lu Ye's name.

Below Lu Ye were figures like Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan. Perhaps their renown wasn't exceptional across the entire Kyushu cultivation world, but within the Cloud River Battlefield, they were widely celebrated. After all, which of the current Cloud River Realm cultivators hadn't ascended from the Spirit Stream Realm? And who among them hadn't looked up to those two notorious figures from the Spirit Stream Ranking in the Spirit Stream Battlefield?

Further down the list were cultivators like Song Zhui, who came from respectable backgrounds, possessed impressive cultivation, and enjoyed a certain degree of renown. Ying Wuji could also be placed in this tier. Although few had seen his true face, his name was widely known, particularly among cultivators of the Myriad Demons Ridge faction, and even more so among ghost cultivators. This was because, just two months prior, Ying Wuji, with his Cloud River Ninth-Stage cultivation, had ambushed and killed a True Lake Realm cultivator in the Chaotic Heaven Plains of Bing Province!

For a Cloud River cultivator to kill a True Lake cultivator was an astonishing feat. Though the True Lake Realm cultivator had been injured, the news still spread, leaving everyone utterly dumbfounded. This was more than just defeating an opponent at a higher cultivation level; it was defeating an opponent from an entirely higher realm. Throughout the history of the Kyushu cultivation world, countless cultivators had overcome opponents of a higher level, but only a handful had ever managed to defeat someone from a completely different realm.

The primary reason Ying Wuji could achieve this was that he was a ghost cultivator, specifically, a ghost cultivator from the Senluo Hall. Bing Province boasted ten top-tier sects, structured as one palace, two halls, three gates, and four major sects. Among these, the two halls were Yuanhong Hall, Song Zhui's sect, and Senluo Hall, from which Ying Wuji came.

Senluo Hall was a very peculiar sect; seventy to eighty percent of its cultivators were ghost cultivators, making it one of the most formidable and difficult-to-deal-with sects in all of Kyushu. Sects like the Beixuan Sword Sect and the Mad Blade Gate had, over generations, cultivated and perfected a single field, reaching its pinnacle. While these two great sects were undoubtedly powerful, their strength was always openly displayed. Senluo Hall was different. No one truly knew the extent of its hidden power, as ghost cultivators always operated in the shadows. There was a saying in the cultivation world: if a cultivator provoked another top-tier sect, there might still be a chance of survival, but if they were targeted by Senluo Hall, they would surely find no escape.

As cultivators from Bing Province, both belonging to the Myriad Demons Ridge faction, and being of similar age and cultivation level, Song Zhui and Ying Wuji naturally maintained private contact. He spoke with such fervor and conviction, appearing righteous and selfless on the surface, but in reality, it was merely to rally the Myriad Demons Ridge cultivators present. After all, according to the intelligence he had received, Lu Ye's spiritual land possessed strong defenses. Only by first organizing the Myriad Demons Ridge forces would they have a chance to breach its protections. At that point, he would lead the Myriad Demons Ridge cultivators in a frontal assault, openly drawing Lu Ye's attention, while Ying Wuji would lie hidden, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Once Lu Ye was killed, he and Ying Wuji would equally split the bounty. The entire plan was designed to be executed without anyone knowing, making its success rate extremely high.

"I'll make the move, you can rest assured!" Ying Wuji's ethereal voice drifted over. "But I want six-tenths!"

Song Zhui calmly asked, "Why?"

"The infamy will be mine to bear."

If he were to truly snatch the kill under the noses of so many Myriad Demons Ridge cultivators, it would certainly incur public wrath. Furthermore, such a matter couldn't be concealed; when they went to the various sects to claim the bounty, it would be obvious who had killed Lu Ye. The Myriad Demons Ridge cultivators whose kills were snatched might not dare to offend Ying Wuji directly, but privately cursing him would be acceptable, and it was certainly going to happen.

"You're a secretive ghost cultivator; are you afraid of people cursing you?"

"Words are like knives that pierce the heart. If too many people curse me, I'll be very sad. I don't care, I want six-tenths."

"Greedy!" Song Zhui snapped. "As you wish."

The difference between five-tenths and six-tenths was not significant, so Song Zhui couldn't be bothered to argue further.

"Then let's act quickly; I can't wait any longer!" Ying Wuji urged.

A moment later, under Song Zhui's command, the Myriad Demons Ridge cultivators moved swiftly and efficiently. Hundreds of cultivators advanced in their respective factions: the strong and sturdy Body Cultivators at the very front, followed by the battle-ready Weapon Cultivators, and finally, the Ghost Cultivators and Spell Cultivators. Following Song Zhui's arrangement, the cultivators were divided into nine teams, forming an arrow-shaped formation as they majestically advanced towards the Reversal Heaven Spiritual Land.

Inside the Reversal Heaven Spiritual Land, Li Baxian, Feng Yuechan, and Ju Jia stood beside Lu Ye, gazing towards the valley entrance with grim expressions. The Myriad Demons Ridge's formation was utterly overwhelming; their side couldn't possibly resist it. Even if the wolf pack hadn't already been driven away and had remained, they wouldn't stand a chance against the enemy. Ultimately, they would still have to retreat to Kyushu!

What surprised Li Baxian, however, was that his junior brother seemed to have no intention of immediately retreating to Kyushu, but instead stood quietly in place. He didn't know Lu Ye's plan, but he understood that his junior brother was no longer the one who needed his protection as he did when they first met. After years of growth, his junior brother was now fully capable of standing on his own.

The Myriad Demons Ridge cultivators gradually pressed towards the spiritual land's perimeter. Song Zhui's shout echoed all around: "All fellow daoists, be careful! Do not step into the area covered by their spiritual land. I repeat, there is a sky-forbidden array within its boundaries! Later, we will all strike together to break through their defensive array, and then follow my command."

Song Zhui's previous efforts had been quite effective. Aside from a few subtly hidden ghost cultivators, the openly present cultivators were all cooperative. After all, killing Lu Ye meant they couldn't monopolize the bounty, so there was no need to rush in recklessly; it was safer to act with the group.

Of the nine teams, Song Zhui personally led one, flying at the very front. When they reached a suitable distance, Song Zhui raised a hand, and all the cultivators simultaneously halted. He then sent a spiritual artifact flying forward. Its luminous trail seemed to pierce an invisible barrier, and as ripples spread, the concealment array's effect was broken. The situation within the spiritual land then came into everyone's view.

Several wooden houses were scattered about, and a spiritual spring was particularly conspicuous. In front of one of the wooden houses, four figures stood. Although the figure at the very back was exceptionally robust and tall, Song Zhui's gaze was immediately drawn to Lu Ye, who stood at the front. He frowned slightly, a hint of surprise flashing across his face. The situation... was somewhat different from what he had expected.

At the same time, the Myriad Demons Ridge cultivators also realized that the spiritual land before them had no defensive array... or rather, its defensive array was not activated! The entire spiritual land lay defenseless before their eyes. Moreover, there was no trace of the rumored hundreds of demonic wolves. What did this mean?

Song Zhui's gaze swept across the spiritual land. He saw no signs of demonic wolves, but that didn't mean there weren't any. Lu Ye could set up a concealment array to hide the entire spiritual land, so hiding some demonic wolves would naturally be no issue. He saw through such a petty trick at a glance; it was utterly futile.

Although the situation was unexpected, it conveniently allowed Ying Wuji to act in secret. Originally, his and Ying Wuji's plan was for him to lead the assault to break through the spiritual land's defensive array, and then Ying Wuji would seize the opportunity to sneak in and assassinate Lu Ye. Now that their opponent hadn't even activated the defensive array, Ying Wuji would be like walking into an unguarded territory!

As many thoughts flashed through his mind, Song Zhui's face revealed his characteristic genial smile. Looking at Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan behind Lu Ye, he slowly spoke: "Fellow Daoist Li, Fellow Daoist Feng, after so many years apart, your demeanor remains as impressive as ever!"

When Song Zhui was in the Spirit Stream Battlefield, he was ranked third on the Spirit Stream Ranking! This was the highest ranking a cultivator could achieve during the period when the three notorious figures dominated the Spirit Stream Ranking. Feng Yuechan was first, and Yan Xing was second; neither could be contended with by later cultivators. As powerful figures on the Spirit Stream Ranking, Song Zhui naturally knew Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan.

Li Baxian ignored him; being in different factions, there was no need to be polite. He merely whispered to Lu Ye: "Song Zhui of Yuanhong Hall is very strong, at least on par with Xia Liang. Don't let his outwardly sunny demeanor fool you; he's very cunning." Lu Ye nodded slightly. He had some idea of Xia Liang's strength, so if this person was on the same level, he was clearly formidable. Yuanhong Hall... Lu Ye suddenly recalled, wasn't that a top-tier sect of the Myriad Demons Ridge in Bing Province?

As for Li Baxian's comment on Song Zhui, it undoubtedly meant this person was somewhat two-faced. But it didn't matter; Lu Ye didn't need to employ any schemes or tricks against them. Today's confrontation was an open strategy, a straightforward challenge!

Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan ignored him, but Song Zhui didn't mind. He then looked at Lu Ye and spoke: "Fellow Daoist Lu of the Bloodsect, I have long admired your reputation. Song Zhui offers his respects!" With these words, he politely bowed to Lu Ye.

Lu Ye casually cupped a hand in salute. "Fellow Daoist Song, you've come a long way; why not step inside for a chat? If word gets out that you stood outside to talk to me, people might think cultivators of my Bloodsect don't know how to treat guests!"

Song Zhui laughed heartily. "Fellow Daoist Lu, you jest. There's no need to go inside for a chat just yet. I've long heard that Fellow Daoist Lu has extremely high attainments in array formations, and I would not want to fall into any of them." Smiling on the surface, he inwardly snorted. He became even more certain that Lu Ye's spiritual land concealed some earth-shattering grand array, waiting to activate and catch them off guard as soon as they stepped inside.

"How could that be?" Lu Ye's expression was as calm as still water. "All who come are guests; I welcome them wholeheartedly. How could I possibly set up a Sky Net Earth Fiend Array, or a Startling Feather Flying Heaven Array, or a Sumeru Reversal Formless Sword Array to deal with you!"

Sky Net Earth Fiend Array...

Startling Feather Flying Heaven Array...

Sumeru Reversal Formless Sword Array...

What kind of arrays were these? The Myriad Demons Ridge cultivators' eyelids twitched wildly as they listened. Looking at the spiritual land again, they only felt that it was fraught with hidden dangers and concealed murderous intent.