Chapter 622: Hunting Time

The Wind Rises in Kyushu

Night fell, a black curtain enveloped the sky, a new moon rose, and stars twinkled in the heavens.

In a wilderness area approximately five hundred *li* from Reincarnation Valley, several cultivators were besieging a green-eyed wild boar.

While Mount Tai Mang was fraught with danger, it also held numerous opportunities: rare demonic beasts, precious medicinal herbs, and many minerals difficult to find elsewhere. All these opportunities held immense appeal for cultivators.

Cultivators were a group that naturally gravitated towards profit, as cultivation required vast resources. The monthly stipends provided by sects to their disciples were insufficient to meet their cultivation needs, a truth that applied equally to major and minor sects.

This wasn't due to the sects' stinginess, but rather a method to encourage disciples to acquire more cultivation resources through their own efforts, and simultaneously to temper them.

Otherwise, cultivators who only knew how to cultivate but lacked combat skills would merely be empty shells, no matter how high their cultivation level.

Only Lu Ye could take cultivation resources from his sect’s treasury without any restrictions. The vast amount of resources piled in the treasury were plunder he had taken from the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge, rightfully belonging to him. Although Shui Yuan nominally managed the distribution of sect resources, how could she make things difficult for him over such a minor matter?

Before Lu Ye, while the Jade Blood Sect wasn't exactly impoverished, it didn't possess abundant resources. Shui Yuan’s cultivation had even been affected; otherwise, with her talent, she could have advanced to the Divine Sea Realm much earlier. Why would she have delayed her breakthrough until just last year?

Now, thanks to Lu Ye’s various actions, the resources accumulated in the Jade Blood Sect's treasury were immeasurable.

In Mount Tai Mang, the green-eyed wild boar was a common demonic beast, found everywhere. Despite its commonality, it was a highly valuable creature. Its flesh was incredibly tender and also had a certain effect on body tempering; long-term consumption could enhance vitality.

Not to mention, demonic beasts at the Demonic General level possessed demonic cores.

The stronger the green-eyed wild boar, the greater its value.

Judging by its demonic energy fluctuations, the green-eyed wild boar that the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators were dealing with was clearly a Demonic General comparable to a Cloud River Eighth-Layer cultivator.

The cultivators, all at the sixth or seventh layer of cultivation, coordinated with each other. The robust Body Cultivator drew the wild boar's attention, while the remaining Weapon Cultivator, Spell Cultivator, and Ghost Cultivator waited for an opportunity to ambush and kill. The situation was completely under control.

The battle had been going on for a while. The green-eyed wild boar was covered in wounds, its body stained with blood, and it continuously let out low roars from its throat. Yet, it fought like a cornered beast; each time it tried to break through and escape, it was driven back by fierce attacks.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it wouldn't be long before the group subdued the demonic beast.

Having searched for Lu Ye without success, they decided to take down a valuable demonic beast they encountered along the way. This wasn't unique to these Ten Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators; similar scenes were commonplace throughout Mount Tai Mang at that time.

As the group focused on dealing with the demonic beast before them, none of them suspected that a figure was stealthily approaching them from the darkness.

It wasn't until an unusual sound, accompanied by a brief scream, reached their ears that the cultivators were startled.

They turned their heads to see the Weapon Cultivator in their team kneeling on the ground, clutching his chest. Behind him, a figure, whose arrival they hadn't noticed, was withdrawing a long blade from the Weapon Cultivator's body.

As the others turned, that figure swiftly dashed towards the Spell Cultivator nearby, moving with incredible speed.

The Spell Cultivator was in the middle of casting a spell. Seeing this, he panicked, immediately interrupted his incantation, and rapidly retreated while frantically channeling protective spiritual power around himself.

In the blink of an eye, a figure appeared before the Spell Cultivator. The immense pressure made him almost unable to breathe. Instinctively, he surged his spiritual power, causing a burst of energy to erupt around him, sweeping a powerful repulsive force in all directions. However, the figure that had suddenly appeared before him vanished. Simultaneously, his peripheral vision caught a fleeting glimpse of a blade light sweeping down from the side.

His protective spiritual power shattered completely in less than two breaths. The Spell Cultivator's last sensation was a faint, insignificant pain spreading within his body, but it quickly intensified and became agonizingly clear, making him scream.

As the bright blade light flashed, the scream abruptly ceased.

“Lu Yiye!” a startled cry escaped the Ghost Cultivator, his heart filled with dread. In just two breaths, two members of their four-person team were dead. Amidst his sorrow, bewilderment was even stronger.

Wasn't Lu Yiye a Weapon Cultivator? But his ghostly appearance just now was clearly a technique only a Ghost Cultivator could employ. Had he also cultivated the Ghost Cultivator faction?

Such a thing had never been heard of before...

Despite his surprise and horror, he instinctively lunged towards Lu Ye.

He had no other choice. He was at the seventh layer of cultivation, while Lu Ye was only at the fifth. The opponent had managed to kill his companions through sneak attacks and surprise. Now that Lu Ye’s presence was revealed, there was no reason for him to miss this opportunity.

If he killed Lu Yiye, the bounty would far surpass the value of a mere green-eyed wild boar. It would be worth countless green-eyed wild boars!

He seemed to already envision himself skyrocketing to prosperity thanks to that enormous bounty.

However, three breaths later, his elation and excitement were entirely replaced by profound terror.

Sparks flew as their spiritual artifacts clashed. The seventh-layer Ghost Cultivator staggered backward, an expression of disbelief on his face. In a direct confrontation, he had been completely suppressed by a Weapon Cultivator who was only at the fifth layer...

It wasn't just suppression; it was an overwhelming dominance.

The power of his opponent's blade, his speed, and his reactive prowess far surpassed his own.

Five breaths later, the Ghost Cultivator's arms were completely numb, and his spiritual power became extremely dissipated from the shockwaves of their clash.

Two more breaths, and a head flew into the air, the headless corpse collapsing to the ground.

Lu Ye immediately turned and lunged towards the Body Cultivator.

The Body Cultivator's eyes were bloodshot, his heart aching over the death of his companions, and even more so, he was horrified by the formidable strength Lu Ye displayed. A fifth-layer cultivator had killed three of his companions in such a short time; if it hadn't happened right before his eyes, he would never have believed it.

When Lu Ye killed the second Spell Cultivator, he had wanted to provide assistance, but the injured, pain-crazed green-eyed wild boar charged and slammed into him repeatedly, preventing him from disengaging.

A Demonic General comparable to an Eighth-Layer Cloud River cultivator could be easily managed by four people working together, but with only him left, he could barely contend.

If he ignored it, the Body Cultivator was certain the wild boar's tusks would tear several holes in his body.

Watching his third companion, the Ghost Cultivator, die by Lu Ye’s blade, the Body Cultivator realized they were in deep trouble...

Once Lu Ye joined the attack, the death of the seventh-layer Body Cultivator was sealed. The green-eyed wild boar seemed to know that Lu Ye wasn't an enemy, its scarlet eyes focused solely on the Body Cultivator, completely ignoring Lu Ye.

The moment his protective spiritual power disintegrated, the Body Cultivator allowed the green-eyed wild boar to pierce two holes in his waist and abdomen. His spiritual artifact, a large shield, blocked Lu Ye's long blade. Immediately after, he channeled his spiritual power and let out a long howl!

Song Zhui had previously said that if Lu Yiye's whereabouts were found, they should use a long howl as a warning. At this final moment of his life, he finally remembered.

Though he knew his own end would be grim, he was determined not to let Lu Ye off easy.

The howl ceased as the light of the Mountain Breaker Blade fell. Lu Ye didn't even have time to collect the spoils of war before plunging into the darkness and quickly disappearing.

The blood-soaked green-eyed wild boar also bolted in another direction, making its escape.

A short while later, a team that had heard the howl arrived at the scene, only to find four corpses sprawled on the ground. The battlefield bore chaotic traces, and the strong scent of blood assailed their noses.

Elsewhere, three cultivators had just finished a demonic beast hunt and were meditating to recover.

Among the three, one Spell Cultivator also cultivated the art of formations. Before meditating, he had set up some simple warning formations nearby. If any demonic beasts approached, the formations would provide an alert.

This was why the three dared to meditate together in peace.

However, when Lu Ye stealthily approached their location, those simple warning formations failed to function at all.

He was a Formation Cultivator himself, and his mastery of formations was far superior to that Spell Cultivator's. Even without activating his 'Discernment Spirit-Pattern,' he could discern traces of formations with just his naked eye.

From his perspective, the opponent's formation-laying skills were utterly crude.

Approaching the target, launching a sudden attack, the battle erupted abruptly and ended swiftly...

About ten breaths later, when Lu Ye finished collecting the spoils and left the area, only three unseeing corpses remained on the ground.

A strange floral scent wafted through the air. A cultivator, following the fragrance, found the spot and immediately saw a purple flower growing in a rock crevice. The flower had five petals, each adorned with peculiar patterns that, at first glance, resembled an open eye.

Although the attracted cultivator wasn't proficient in pharmacology, as a competent cultivator, he possessed the ability to identify some rare spiritual treasures.

He instantly recognized the purple flower as a rare medicinal herb. He exchanged a word with his companion, then excitedly took out his herb-gathering tools, preparing to collect the flower.

However, the moment he reached out, a pitch-black long blade suddenly struck from the side. The cultivator had no time to react as the blade pierced his ribs and entered his heart.

The long blade was withdrawn, pulling out a gush of hot blood.

His companion instinctively launched a counterattack amidst a scream, but what greeted him was a torrential storm of blade light.

A figure streaked through the air, the spiritual energy fluctuations around him revealing that he was an Eighth-Layer cultivator.

Even though it was late, he hadn't given up searching for Lu Ye, knowing that the longer time dragged on, the harder it would be to find Lu Ye’s traces. He also had to prevent other Ten Thousand Demon Ridge powerhouses from getting to him first.

His formidable Eighth-Layer cultivation was the basis of his confidence in acting alone. Others had invited him to journey together, but he had refused them all.

Sharing benefits with others couldn't compare to monopolizing the bounty, could it? (To be continued)

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