Chapter 628: At the End of the Road?

After hearing Song Zhui, the Ninth-level cultivators all understood his point.

Ning Zizai nodded. "Brother Song is right," he said. "The number of fellow cultivators who have arrived this time is simply too high. Whether Si Nan takes 40% or 20% won't significantly impact us. Since that's the case, let's proceed as he suggested. What are your thoughts?"

This time, none of them had any objections. They hadn't considered this before, but now that Song Zhui had clarified the situation with a single remark, they suddenly felt a sense of anticlimax.

Killing Lu Yiye was originally an opportunity to gain both fame and profit. However, given the current circumstances, even if they were the ones who ultimately killed Lu Yiye, cultivators from Ten Thousand Demon Ridge would likely only remember Si Nan's renowned ability to break formations.

All the benefits would go to that one person.

They cursed inwardly, "That Lu Yiye, knowing he has no chance of survival, why did he set up so many formations in that mine tunnel?!"

"If none of you have objections, I'll send someone to inform Si Nan," Song Zhui said, gesturing to a junior disciple beside him. The disciple understood immediately and darted towards the mine tunnel.

Upon entering, he found Si Nan waiting quietly, not continuing to break formations. He then informed him of the Ninth-level cultivators' decision.

Si Nan smiled. "I understand," he said. "Please tell the fellow cultivators that within a day, I will break all the formations here, leaving Lu Yiye with no place to hide."

Encouraged by the promise from the Ninth-level cultivators, Si Nan was invigorated and continued to break formations.

In just half an hour, Si Nan had ventured alone dozens of yards deep into the mine tunnel, having broken more than ten formations.

This was a depth that no Ten Thousand Demon Ridge cultivator had ever reached before.

Inside the mine tunnel, Si Nan continued to break formations relentlessly. Outside, numerous Ten Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators watched with eager anticipation. Some of the more impatient ones followed closely behind Si Nan, but dared not get too close, observing from about ten yards away.

They might not have understood much, but as they continuously relayed messages outside, the progress of the formation breaking became known to the cultivators waiting, periodically eliciting cheers and exclamations of awe.

Song Zhui and the others remained gathered together. The occasional exclamations and cheers from around them left a bitter taste in their mouths, as these sounds should originally have belonged to them, but Si Nan had stolen their thunder. Their resentment towards Lu Yiye grew even stronger.

"At this speed, he can indeed break all the formations within a day. Remarkable," Song Zhui couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

The other Ninth-level cultivators offered no comment.

Song Zhui smiled. "All right, everyone," he said. "It's rare for our Ten Thousand Demon Ridge to produce such a talent, one who can contend with Lu Yiye. We should be happy about this. After tomorrow, the menace of Lu Yiye will no longer exist in this world. We can then safely advance to the True Lake realm, and the Cloud River Battlefield can return to its original state, no longer being thrown into turmoil by a single person."

Ning Zizai smiled. "Brother Song always thinks things through more thoroughly," he remarked.

"Some things we are powerless to change, so we can only accept them, can't we?" Song Zhui said.

Inside the mine tunnel, Si Nan was breaking formations, while in the mine cavern, Lu Yiye was setting them up. He periodically checked the messages transmitted by Yiyi, constantly monitoring the progress of the newly arrived formation master.

It had to be admitted that this newly appeared formation master's skill in the Way of Formations was indeed considerable, almost reaching 70-80% of Lu Yiye's own level.

A large part of Lu Yiye's skill in the Way of Formations came from the Hundred Formations Pagoda's gifts, and additionally, as a spirit-pattern master, he possessed a natural advantage in the Way of Formations.

The other person, however, had painstakingly cultivated his skill, so it wasn't really fair to compare.

Time passed. As the formations inside the mine tunnel were continuously broken, Si Nan ventured deeper and deeper, and the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators waiting outside began to rub their hands in anticipation.

Up until now, although they could ascertain that Lu Yiye was hiding within the mine cavern, no one had actually seen him. Whether he was truly inside could only be verified after Si Nan had broken all the formations.

Until a certain moment, a muffled sound suddenly echoed from deep within the mine tunnel. The intense sound, accompanied by strong vibrations, caused the faces of the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators waiting outside to change.

"What's happening?" Song Zhui and the other Ninth-level cultivators immediately turned to look in the direction of the mine tunnel, their expressions grave.

This was clearly a sign that a detonation formation had been triggered!

Had Si Nan made a mistake? This thought immediately popped into their minds.

If a formation was broken, it wouldn't be triggered. Since it had been triggered, it must have been Si Nan's error.

There was no need to worry about him being blown to death; Si Nan, after all, had cultivation at the eighth level. Even as a spell cultivator, a single detonation formation wouldn't claim his life, but injury was inevitable. Consequently, the progress of breaking the formations would certainly be delayed.

Just as they were thinking this, a message suddenly came from inside the mine tunnel.

It wasn't Si Nan's mistake, but that the detonation formation had been deliberately triggered.

Clearly, it was the work of the formation setter.

As for Si Nan, he was unharmed, because the formation had exploded directly as Si Nan approached it.

This turn of events bewildered everyone; they couldn't understand what was happening. It sounded as if the formation setter intended to ambush Si Nan but failed to time it correctly, triggering the formation too early...

"Boom..." Another sound came from inside the mine tunnel.

What now?

The Ten Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators, who had just calmed down, became anxious again.

Things had already progressed to this point, and no one wished for unexpected changes, but the sudden explosions undoubtedly caused them concern.

"Boom..." A third sound.

"Boom..." A fourth sound.

This was followed by a fifth...

While the first few sounds had at least some time between them, the subsequent sounds were continuous, showing no sign of stopping.

Even though they had just heard that Si Nan was unharmed, the group of Ten Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators grew worried. Such a commotion was clearly due to detonation formations being triggered one after another, and these continuous sounds caused the outer rock walls to vibrate violently.

Soon, a message came from inside the mine tunnel: Si Nan was still unharmed, and all the formations were being triggered by the formation setter. At this moment, Si Nan was striding forward, and as he advanced, the numerous formations ahead of him exploded one after another.

This was the source of the commotion.

At this moment, in the mine tunnel, Si Nan strolled casually, a disdainful smile playing on his lips. Legend said Lu Yiye's skill in the Way of Formations was extraordinary, but now, it seemed nothing special!

He had already broken many formations along the way; given enough time, he could break all of them completely.

The opponent had clearly noticed this, and simply triggered the formations' power directly.

So, at this moment, the scene inside the mine tunnel was Si Nan continuously walking forward. Ahead of him, the power of detonation formations was constantly being triggered, erupting in bursts of fire, and causing rubble to fall from the surrounding rock walls.

"Is this the end of his rope?" Si Nan murmured, inwardly guessing that the opponent's actions were clearly not intended to blow him up, because he knew it wasn't possible.

Since the intent wasn't to blow him up, then the only possibility was to collapse the mine tunnel, thereby gaining more time to cling to life.

Coupled with the rumor that Lu Yiye was severely injured, Si Nan became even more certain of this conjecture.

But how could he give Lu Yiye such an opportunity? Song Zhui and the others had already promised him 40% of the reward for killing Lu Yiye this time. Although it was only an oral promise from a few Ninth-level cultivators, it was unlikely anyone else would have the authority to object.

Such a huge reward held significant meaning for the sect he represented.

He continued to stride forward. The Ten Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators who followed to watch were dazzled and filled with admiration. From their perspective, it was as if Si Nan, alone, was imbued with infinite power, clearing away all obstacles in his path.

News from inside the mine tunnel spread.

Song Zhui and the others paused for a moment, then all darted towards the mine tunnel.

They had originally thought it would take Si Nan at least a day or two to break the formations, but now it seemed it wouldn't be long before they could enter the mine cavern where Lu Yiye was hiding. Although no one was still hoping for the reward, everything ultimately came to an end. These people had expended immense energy and time pursuing Lu Yiye, and at this final juncture, naturally, no one wanted to miss it.

Several Ninth-level cultivators led a group of people and quickly rushed into the mine tunnel. The other Ten Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators then reacted, streaming in one after another. For a time, the mine tunnel was bustling with people.

The mine tunnel, after all, wasn't spacious; at most, it could only accommodate three to five people walking abreast. With the situation becoming chaotic, disputes were inevitable. For a while, the scene was exceptionally lively, punctuated by the frantic cries of some female cultivators who had clearly been inadvertently taken advantage of.

Outside the mine tunnel, Senior Brother Qin and Senior Sister Hu hastily stood up. However, before they could move, Ghostly Shadow suddenly raised his hand, grabbing Senior Brother Qin's arm and pressing his other hand to his chest, his face suddenly turning incredibly pale.

"Junior Brother?" Senior Brother Qin turned to look at Ghostly Shadow, wondering why he had suddenly become like this.

Ghostly Shadow looked up, his eyes bloodshot, his face filled with extreme terror, as if he had seen something incredibly frightening. He clenched his teeth and said, "Senior Brother, don't go!"

While waiting here earlier, Ghostly Shadow had repeatedly urged them not to get involved in this matter, because he always had a feeling of unease.

Moreover, this matter involved Lu Yiye... The few indirect encounters he'd had with Lu Yiye had all been accompanied by immense risk, which further convinced Ghostly Shadow that something was amiss with this situation.

But how could Senior Brother Qin and Senior Sister Hu willingly not participate in such a grand event?

Furthermore, it was their team that had discovered Lu Yiye's whereabouts. In any case, they should be entitled to a share of the reward after killing Lu Yiye.

If they backed down now, they would get nothing.

So, even though Ghostly Shadow had advised against it earlier, Senior Brother Qin and Senior Sister Hu didn't take it to heart. In their view, with over two thousand Ten Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators gathered, Lu Yiye was undoubtedly doomed. They might not be able to do much, but joining in the excitement was certainly no problem.

Until this moment!