Chapter 627: Many People

Wind Rises in Kyushu

Such is the way of the world; often, many Fourth-Rank sects strive for over a dozen generations and still may not have the chance to be promoted to Third Rank.

For cultivators below the True Lake Realm, cultivation primarily involves a continuous increase in their own cultivation level. As long as one has sufficient aptitude and resources, this is not too difficult. However, advancing from True Lake to Divine Sea is a significant hurdle, as it involves the metamorphosis of the soul.

While there are quite a number of Divine Sea Realm cultivators in Kyushu, these numbers are built up over generations. For sects below Third Rank, producing a Divine Sea Realm cultivator is often incredibly difficult, almost impossible.

There are exceptions, of course. Kyushu has countless sects. With sect rank assessments held every three years, every few decades, a Fourth-Rank sect will be promoted to Third Rank. Whenever this occurs, it signifies the birth of a Divine Sea Realm cultivator within that Fourth-Rank sect.

Yunlang Sect has been the most promising sect for promotion to Third Rank in recent years, thanks to a genius named Si Nan emerging from within its ranks.

He is a spell cultivator who also practices array formations, and his talent in the latter is exceptionally high. Cultivators from Ten Thousand Demon Ridge once compared him to Lu Ye, unanimously agreeing that among this generation, he was the only one who could contend with Lu Ye in array formations.

Such evaluations naturally reached Si Nan's ears, but he scoffed at them.

By evaluating him this way, the cultivators of Ten Thousand Demon Ridge had already placed him in a disadvantaged position. What he sought was not to contend, but to surpass.

He was not originally nearby; instead, he had traveled from a very distant location.

He had already set off when news of Lu Ye's spirit ground was leaked, but the journey was too far, and he hadn't arrived yet.

Now, the timing was perfect. Lu Ye was trapped in the mine shaft, and a powerful array master was needed to break the formations he had laid. It could be said that he now carried all the hopes of Ten Thousand Demon Ridge.

This was one of the reasons why many cultivators from Ten Thousand Demon Ridge were willing to wait patiently here.

Upon hearing that Si Nan was on his way, Song Zhui felt relieved. He then asked, "Who was the first to discover what happened here?"

Ning Zizai pointed a hand. "Those few people over there," he said, "but they don't know much."

Song Zhui looked in that direction and saw a few cultivators with low cultivation levels. The one leading them seemed to have suffered a minor injury. He nodded, then flashed and drifted towards them.

Brother Qin was quite helpless. Ever since more and more cultivators from Ten Thousand Demon Ridge had arrived, people had continuously come to ask him for details, such as how they discovered this mine shaft and how they confirmed that Lu Ye was hiding inside.

He dealt with one wave only for another to arrive; it was endless.

However, his cultivation level was not high, and he didn't dare offend others, so he could only patiently relay the information he possessed, one by one.

Meanwhile, deep within the mine shaft, Lu Ye was refining array flags while keeping a wary eye on the movements of the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators outside.

He was wearing blood-stained clothes... At first glance, he indeed appeared to be severely injured.

But this was merely a facade. His severe injury was just a trick he used to deceive the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators. The blood on his clothes was indeed his, but it was from the battle with Huo Liaoyuan.

So far, the plan was proceeding smoothly.

He was severely injured and unable to hide. His whereabouts were inadvertently discovered by a team of Ten Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators, forcing him to hide in this mine shaft to recuperate and heal. Then, someone accidentally discovered traces of array formations here, confirming his location. Many Ten Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators surrounded the area, leaving him cornered with no choice but to await his death.

"Lu Ye, there are so many people outside," Iyi reported to him, having secretly scouted for information. "And there are more and more of them."

"The more people, the better," Lu Ye casually responded, his hands continuously refining array flags. To carry out his plan, a sufficient number of array flags were essential.

He then asked, "How many Ninth-Layer cultivators are there?"

"Five have arrived," she said. "I saw that guy named Song Zhui."

"That's about enough," Lu Ye nodded slightly.

Iyi, sitting beside him, asked puzzledly, "Lu Ye, if you want to lure them in, why are you setting up so many formations in the mine shaft? Aren't you afraid of scaring them away?"

"How could that scare them away?" Lu Ye chuckled. "I'm like a ball of fragrant honey right now. The Ten Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators are like ants drawn by the scent. No matter how many formations are set up in the mine shaft, they won't be scared away; they'll only try every possible way to rush in."

"I still think fewer formations should be set up," she insisted. "Look, they don't dare to come in now."

Lu Ye said, "Ten Thousand Demon Ridge may not know the exact depth of my array formation skills, but they likely have an assessment. If I appear too weak, it will surely arouse their suspicion. The current situation is just right."

A severely injured person, relying on geographical advantage and fighting a desperate battle – this was the perception Lu Ye needed to instill in Ten Thousand Demon Ridge. Only in this way could he dispel the doubts of some clever individuals.

"Besides," he grumbled to himself, "I've already held back; who knew they'd be so ineffective." This wasn't self-praise; Lu Ye had indeed held back when setting up the formations. Mainly, he was afraid the array's power would erupt too fiercely and collapse the mine shaft.

Currently, the numerous explosive formations he had left in the mine shaft, though powerful in their eruption, were not enough to cause the mine shaft to collapse. Of course, the surrounding rock walls would undoubtedly loosen as a result... This was also part of the plan, to facilitate the 'net-closing' later.

"I'll go keep an eye on them," Iyi said. With that, she burrowed into the ground and darted outwards.

The convenience of a spirit body was beyond imagination, and Iyi rarely appeared before outsiders. The world only knew that Lu Ye had a small, snow-white beast with him, but few knew that besides Amber, there was also Iyi.

Time passed, and about half a day later, Iyi suddenly sent a message: a very powerful array master seemed to have arrived from Ten Thousand Demon Ridge. Even Song Zhui and the other Ninth-Layer cultivators were very enthusiastic towards this array master, who had now entered the mine shaft and begun to dismantle the formations Lu Ye had left.

Previously, it wasn't that no array masters had tried to dismantle the formations Lu Ye had laid. However, those array masters were not highly skilled in array formations. They failed to break through and even suffered some casualties, which led to no other array masters daring to act rashly.

Now, an array master had suddenly arrived who made Song Zhui and the others extremely enthusiastic. Clearly, he was of extraordinary origin and held high hopes from Song Zhui and the rest.

As expected, this array master's skill in array formations was far superior to that of the previous ones. He easily dismantled an explosive formation.

When this news reached him, Lu Ye couldn't help but be surprised.

Although he had held back when setting up the formations, he hadn't expected that at the Cloud River Realm level, an array master could actually dismantle his formations.

He had originally thought that Ten Thousand Demon Ridge would eventually be forced to resort to a direct assault to enter the mine shaft.

As long as some cultivators from the Eighth and Ninth Layers went ahead with sufficient protection, they could gradually advance, completely destroy his formations, and finally break into the mine.

He hadn't expected such an individual to emerge from Ten Thousand Demon Ridge.

Indeed, plans often can't keep up with changes.

However, the impact was minor.

After the news spread that Si Nan had dismantled an explosive formation in just over ten breaths of time, the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators waiting outside the mine shaft erupted in cries of surprise and admiration.

Song Zhui and the other Ninth-Layer cultivators finally felt relieved.

Indeed, a great reputation is rarely unfounded. Although Si Nan came from a Fourth-Rank sect, precisely because of his Fourth-Rank origin, his fame on the Cloud River Battlefield surpassed that of many cultivators from First or Second-Rank sects. Previously, they had worried if Si Nan's array formation skills were sufficient, but now that there was a successful precedent, their worries were greatly relieved.

"At this rate, it shouldn't take more than two days for us to break into the mine shaft," Song Zhui said, surrounded by several Ninth-Layer cultivators, including Ning Zizai and Wei Zhong. "Gentlemen, what do you think of Brother Si Nan's previous proposal?"

When Si Nan arrived, he chatted with them for a bit. It wasn't just about getting acquainted; he also made a demand.

He would be responsible for dismantling the formations, but he demanded a full forty percent of the bounty obtained from killing Lu Ye!

He hadn't asked Song Zhui and the others for an immediate answer, because it was unrealistic to expect it before he displayed his capabilities.

Now that his abilities had been demonstrated, Song Zhui and the others had no choice but to consider his earlier proposal.

Ning Zizai said, "I have no objections. He's putting in the most effort, so it's only natural for him to take the largest share."

Even without Si Nan, Ten Thousand Demon Ridge could still forcefully enter, but it would undoubtedly incur significant losses. Moreover, personnel deployment would be a major issue. Who would charge in first? Even a Ninth-Layer body cultivator like Wei Zhong would get injured if they led the charge.

The mine shaft stretched for several miles. Who knew how many explosive formations Lu Ye had left inside?

"What about the rest of you?"

Wei Zhong frowned. "Forty percent is a bit too much..."

Another person nodded and said, "Forty percent is indeed too much; twenty percent would be acceptable."

Song Zhui sighed, "It seems none of you are grasping the main point. Si Nan asking for forty percent is indeed a bit much, but do you think it makes a difference to us whether he takes forty percent or twenty percent if this succeeds?"

"What do you mean, Brother Song?" Ning Zizai asked, looking at him.

Song Zhui said, "There are nearly two thousand Ten Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators gathered here. If Lu Ye is killed, how will the remaining bounty be distributed, apart from what Si Nan takes? Are the few of us going to split it equally? That would surely incur the wrath of the masses. By then, all cultivators involved will surely share the remaining bounty, so the amount we each receive will actually be very little. Given that, what difference does it make if we give Si Nan forty percent when he asks for it? I reiterate: compared to the bounty on Lu Ye's head, the most important thing is the person's life itself!"

Outside the Heaven Return Valley, Song Zhui had once incited many Ten Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators to share the bounty with everyone, solely to eliminate Lu Ye, that menace. However, at that time, he had other plans: to cooperate with Ying Wuji to capture Lu Ye.

Now that Ying Wuji was gone, there was no one to cooperate with him. The bounty was no longer something to dwell on. Given this, he could only take a step back and prioritize killing Lu Ye. As for everything else, it was unimportant.