Chapter 619: Lu Ye's Plan

Song Zhui was somewhat aware of Ying Wuji’s capabilities; he was a ghost cultivator capable of killing True Lake cultivators across cultivation boundaries. It was inconceivable that such a powerful ghost cultivator would fail when dealing with a Cloud River fifth-level cultivator. Yet, due to a sudden turn of events, Ying Wuji was severely injured and fled, instantly shattering Song Zhui’s meticulously planned scheme.

How did Ying Wuji get exposed? Song Zhui couldn't quite figure it out. But there was no point dwelling on it now. With Ying Wuji gone, he couldn't be relied upon. To kill Lu Ye... only a direct assault would suffice!

Song Zhui was actually reluctant to proceed this way, because even if Lu Ye were killed, he wouldn't gain much benefit; at most, it would boost his reputation and prestige. In the future, cultivators of the Ten-Thousand Demon Ridge would remember that Lu Yiye died in an operation led by Song Zhui. What good were reputation and prestige to him? Only tangible resources were true benefits.

The smile vanished from Song Zhui's face, replaced by a solemn expression. Only then did he realize he might have underestimated Lu Yiye. He let out a soft breath and said, "Fellow Daoist Lu, you haven't responded to my proposal yet."

"I refuse!"

The decisive answer reached his ears, and Song Zhui nodded slightly. It was expected. If Lu Ye had actually agreed to such a thing, he would have been foolish. As Song Zhui had said earlier, even ants cling to life, let alone cultivators.

"Then what is this 'transaction' you mentioned, Fellow Daoist Lu?"

Lu Ye's lips curled into a rare smile for a stranger, then he lightly waved his hand. A ripple passed through the space in front of him, and an object suddenly appeared in everyone's sight. Song Zhui's pupils contracted sharply, and the numerous Ten-Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators stared in astonishment at the sudden appearance of an object that was familiar to every cultivator, something they had all interacted with countless times. A gasp escaped the crowd: "A Heavenly Secret Pillar!"

A Heavenly Secret Pillar was actually present in a small spirit land, and it seemed it had been there for a long time, merely concealed by a formation and unnoticed by others. Only now, through Lu Ye's deliberate action, was it revealed to everyone. What's the point of fighting now?

With a Heavenly Secret Pillar present, Lu Yiye and his companions could return to Kyushu at any time. It didn't matter if there were a few hundred or even tens of thousands of them. Unless they could stop them before they touched the Heavenly Secret Pillar, but at that moment, the numerous Ten-Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators were still outside the range of the spirit land's formation, making such an action impossible. In other words, Lu Ye and his companions could withdraw at any time.

Song Zhui finally understood. No wonder Li Baxian and the others had stood quietly behind Lu Ye, seemingly unperturbed even under immense pressure; they had this reliance. Recalling his proposals and words from earlier, Song Zhui found them utterly ridiculous.

He felt a surge of indignation. He had previously heard that Lu Yiye had summoned a Heavenly Secret Pillar in the hunting grounds to escape a heavy encirclement, and now he had actually summoned another one in this spirit land. This was an item worth a hundred thousand merit points... While most cultivators were still struggling for a few thousand or tens of thousands of merit points, Lu Yiye could repeatedly summon Heavenly Secret Pillars. He couldn't help but feel the same indignation as Xia Liang and Tan Sheng had felt back then. What an incredibly wealthy person!

What further infuriated Song Zhui was that the person who had secretly provided the intelligence had not mentioned this. If he had known earlier that Lu Ye's spirit land contained a Heavenly Secret Pillar, he would have acted with far greater caution, ensuring a fatal blow before making any move, rather than openly bringing hundreds of people to pressure him.

In this, Song Zhui was mistaken. The source of the information regarding Lu Ye's hiding place this time was Tu Guanxiong from the Holy Imperial Spirit Land. Tu Guanxiong was also unaware that there was a Heavenly Secret Pillar here. Back then, Xia Liang had secretly mentioned this to Huo Liaoyuan, but Huo Liaoyuan, confident in his own duel platform, paid no heed. As a result, Huo Liaoyuan died on the duel platform, and the matter remained unknown. The only ones who knew about it were Xia Liang and Tan Sheng, but they had already decided to let the Ten-Thousand Demon Ridge force Lu Ye to abandon the spirit land, so they naturally wouldn't publicize it.

The Ten-Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators, who had initially been confident of victory, lost much of their fighting spirit upon seeing the Heavenly Secret Pillar, each feeling that their trip was pointless. They were too far away to intercept Lu Ye and his companions before they could touch the Heavenly Secret Pillar. The ghost cultivators who had been operating in secret might have had a chance, but given past lessons, how could those ghost cultivators dare to infiltrate the spirit land so casually now?

After the Heavenly Secret Pillar was revealed, no one spoke for more than ten breaths. Finally, Song Zhui broke the silence: "Is the transaction you mentioned, Fellow Daoist Lu, related to this object?"

Lu Ye did not answer directly but said, "All of you gathered here simply want my life. Perhaps... I can give you an opportunity?"

Behind him, Li Baxian frowned, suddenly feeling that something was amiss. Feng Yuechan also noticed, turning to glance at Li Baxian. Both felt that Lu Ye was acting strangely today, but out of trust, they hadn't interfered. However, they had no idea what Lu Ye was planning. Only Ju Jia stood firm, unmoving, with an air of indifference. His thoughts were simple: if there was a fight, he would charge to the front; if not, he would guard this place.

"What do you mean by that?" Song Zhui asked, puzzled.

"It's simple!" Lu Ye looked at him. "I will leave this place, but none of you from the Ten-Thousand Demon Ridge are to destroy my spirit land!"

"Junior Brother!" Li Baxian immediately low-growled. Only now did he finally understand what Lu Ye was planning. He couldn't quite grasp Lu Ye's actions; after all, retreating to Kyushu was the safest option. Why would his junior brother say such a thing?

Lu Ye turned his back to him and whispered, "Senior Brother, since I'm being targeted by the Ten-Thousand Demon Ridge, hiding isn't a solution. Unless I stay in Kyushu indefinitely and don't enter the Cloud River Battlefield, as long as I enter, there will always be various people trying to kill me. Last time, Xia Liang and his group somehow found this place; what about next time? No matter how well I hide, others will still come looking for me. Instead of hiding in one place like this, it's better to wander around. That way, others won't be able to easily pinpoint my location. As for safety, Senior Brother, you don't need to worry too much. While there are indeed many people stronger than me in the Cloud River Battlefield, there should be few who are faster than me. Besides, I'm more than familiar with being hunted. All those who pursued me throughout the Spirit Stream Battlefield generally met with bad ends."

The last sentence filled Li Baxian with profound sadness... Recalling his junior brother's experiences in the Spirit Stream Battlefield, he indeed had been frequently in situations where he was hunted. "I understand what you're saying, but you can't act this way, Junior Brother. According to the plan, we should first retreat to Kyushu, and deal with future matters later."

"Senior Brother, simply avoiding problems won't solve anything. Only a strong counterattack will make them wary. Since they dare to target me like this, I will make sure they pay! If I avoid it this time, there will be a next time, and a time after that. You wouldn't want to see me always hiding when trouble arises, would you?"

"Then I'll go with you!"

Lu Ye shook his head, "Senior Brother, you should stay here and cultivate well, and while you're at it, help me keep an eye on Ju Jia. With his personality, if no one restrains him, he might do anything. Besides, it's more convenient for me to act alone."

Li Baxian was about to say more, but Feng Yuechan gently tugged his sleeve and said, "Junior Brother Lu, if you truly do this, you'll be in constant danger. Are you sure you can handle it?"

"It's up to human effort!"

In mid-air, Song Zhui stared blankly for a long moment before finally reacting, asking in surprise, "Is this the transaction you spoke of, Fellow Daoist Lu?"

"Precisely!"

Song Zhui frowned, unable to figure out what Lu Ye was trying to do. In the current situation, using the Heavenly Secret Pillar to return to Kyushu was the safest and most correct choice. Yet, he proposed such a transaction, which undoubtedly involved significant risk, and at most would only preserve a spirit land, while giving the Ten-Thousand Demon Ridge an opportunity. However, the Ten-Thousand Demon Ridge had no reason to refuse such a transaction; in fact, they would welcome it. So, after a brief pause, Song Zhui nodded, "Agreed!"

Regardless of what the other party intended, agreeing wouldn't be wrong. "Do we need to swear a Heavenly Secret Oath?" Song Zhui asked again. This transaction was too favorable to the Ten-Thousand Demon Ridge, so favorable that Song Zhui felt uneasy without a Heavenly Secret Oath.

"No need!" Lu Ye said indifferently, and as he spoke, he stepped aside.

"Junior Brother!" Li Baxian still wanted to stop Lu Ye and grabbed his arm.

Lu Ye smiled at him, "Senior Brother, don't worry too much. Experiencing more hardships isn't a bad thing." Their eyes met, and Li Baxian saw the determination in Lu Ye's gaze. He knew perfectly well that Lu Ye was right: if they avoided it this time, there would be a next time, and a time after that. They couldn't always evade so miserably. But ultimately, he still wasn't at ease. Even though Lu Ye could now handle things independently, in his eyes, he was still the junior brother who had needed him and Wei Yang's protection on Golden Light Peak.

After a long pause, Li Baxian finally said in a deep voice, "Be careful in everything!" He also wanted to go with Lu Ye, but if he went, Feng Yuechan would certainly follow, and Ju Jia couldn't be left behind either. Four people acting together would be far less free and convenient than Lu Ye alone.

"I know!" Lu Ye replied with a smile. Li Baxian released his arm.

Lu Ye walked to the side and stood still. As he activated his spiritual power, the patterns of a large formation quickly appeared and glowed beneath his feet. Song Zhui and the group of Ten-Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators stared in confusion, wondering what this suddenly appearing formation was. From within the formation, Lu Ye looked up at Song Zhui and said softly, "Remember our agreement. Anyone who dares to destroy my spirit land, I will return to the Spirit Stream Battlefield and destroy their sect's stronghold!"

Song Zhui finally understood why Lu Ye didn't need him to swear a Heavenly Secret Oath. While a Heavenly Secret Oath indeed had absolute binding power, Lu Ye's current threat was no less effective. With that declaration made, it was unlikely anyone would dare to covet this spirit land before Lu Ye's death.