Chapter 633: Is there a helper?

In the emerald-green poisonous mist, Wei Zhong lowered his gaze to his chest, where a subtle yet fatal wound had appeared. His heart had been pierced. In his final moments, Wei Zhong felt the weak, desperate throbbing of his shattered heart, and as his strength ebbed away, he collapsed to the ground. He hadn't expected Lu Ye to possess something capable of taking his life. Even with his strength diminished, he was a robust body cultivator; how could he be so vulnerable?

Unbeknownst to him, the unique treasure Lu Ye unleashed could instantly pierce even Ju Jia’s defenses. This very treasure was the broken arrow Wei Que had once used. Although Ju Jia currently had only a fifth-stage cultivation, his physique and defenses were no less formidable than those of a ninth-stage cultivator like Wei Zhong. If the broken arrow could penetrate Ju Jia’s defenses, it could naturally penetrate Wei Zhong's as well. Combined with Lu Ye's surprise attack, such an outcome was only natural.

Despite its powerful efficacy, the broken arrow had a major drawback: its immense spiritual energy consumption. Fortunately, Lu Ye possessed a Spirit Accumulation Ring, and after all this time, its stored spiritual energy was already full. However, upon activating the broken arrow, Lu Ye distinctly felt over half of the ring's spiritual energy vanish instantly. In other words, even utilizing the energy stored in the Spirit Accumulation Ring, he could only unleash the broken arrow’s power once in quick succession. To activate it a second time would require completely depleting the ring's remaining energy, in addition to expending some of his own spiritual energy.

Beyond its high consumption, the broken arrow’s biggest issue was its limited number of uses. The functions of unique treasures varied wildly, but without exception, they all had usage restrictions, and most were single-use consumables. The Tracking Disk, the Golden Body Talisman, and the Death Arena were all examples. While the broken arrow wasn't a single-use item, its total number of activations wouldn't be many. When Lu Ye first acquired it, it already had a crack; now, after one use, the crack had noticeably widened. If Lu Ye had time to inspect it, he would surely realize that the broken arrow could be used at most one more time.

However, at that moment, he had no time to examine the broken arrow. After killing Wei Zhong, he willed it back to his hand. Although he held a commanding advantage in the current situation, with many lower-cultivation cultivators being mere lambs to the slaughter, there were still some who could resist. Decisively striking down a ninth-stage body cultivator would be enough to significantly deter a few stronger individuals, thereby facilitating his subsequent actions. Therefore, he would not easily use the broken arrow again unless absolutely necessary.

Indeed, the deterrent worked. The moment Wei Zhong made his move, Song Zhui, Ning Zizai, and other ninth-stage cultivators immediately sensed it and swiftly moved to offer support. Yet, in the next instant, Wei Zhong collapsed to the ground, his life force extinguished. Shrouded by the poisonous mist, they couldn't clearly see what had transpired, but their senses detected the fading of Wei Zhong's aura. This undeniably caused great shock among the ninth-stage cultivators.

All of them changed their expressions and halted their movements. Song Zhui tentatively called out, "Brother Wei?" There was no response. Song Zhui swallowed hard, the situation was becoming increasingly dire.

He hadn't expected Lu Ye to be able to kill even Wei Zhong! Even if Wei Zhong's full strength was affected by the poisonous mist, he was still a strong, robust body cultivator! Prior to this, Song Zhui had remained relatively calm. Despite the dire circumstances and Lu Ye's continuous hunting, the sheer number of Wanmo Ridge cultivators, combined with the presence of several ninth-stage experts like themselves, made him confident that Lu Ye could not possibly escape alive unless he killed every single person. But when Wei Zhong died, that conviction wavered. If even Wei Zhong couldn't withstand Lu Ye's attack, could they?

"Run!" Song Zhui roared, leading his companions towards the direction they had come from. The low-cultivation Wanmo Ridge cultivators were useless; they had to clear the collapsed tunnel themselves and escape the area quickly. A scream suddenly erupted from behind them, sounding like Junior Brother Yan. Song Zhui dared not turn back, knowing that even if he did, he wouldn't be able to see anything. Upon reaching the tunnel entrance, Song Zhui discovered that many others shared his thoughts. Many cultivators were already scrambling in the collapsed section of the tunnel, desperately trying to clear the rubble. However, the crowd was chaotic, with everyone trying to escape. There was no effective organization; little progress was made in clearing the tunnel, and instead, many Wanmo Ridge cultivators were attacking each other in their desperate rush into the tunnel.

Within the poisonous mist, Lu Ye continued to move and hunt. His blood-soaked clothes, which had previously dried, became sticky and wet once more. The cries and screams of Wanmo Ridge cultivators echoed from all directions, a significant portion of them dying from friendly fire.

Meanwhile, outside the mine entrance, more Wanmo Ridge cultivators who had heard the news gathered. They had received the information somewhat late, arriving later and in smaller numbers. By the time they reached the mine, most of the Wanmo Ridge cultivators had already entered the tunnel, and the tunnel had collapsed for two miles due to Yi Yi's actions. These newly arrived cultivators now stood at the tunnel entrance, listening intently, their expressions shifting. Cloud River Realm cultivators possessed keen hearing, especially in environments like a mine, where subtle sounds could be amplified. Thus, even from several miles away, they could faintly hear unusual commotions.

"Why are there so many screams coming from inside?" one cultivator wondered, suspecting he might have misheard. "Did you hear that?" Two thousand Wanmo Ridge cultivators had poured in to eliminate Lu Yi Ye; the battle should have ended quickly. Why then were there continuous screams emanating from within? Judging solely by the sounds, it seemed an intense battle was raging inside. "There are indeed screams," someone affirmed, nodding. They speculated, "Could it be that Lu Yi Ye ambushed them with some reinforcements?" If that were the case, those screams would be from Lu Yi Ye and his allies, who were now surely being encircled and annihilated by the Wanmo Ridge cultivators.

Qin Senior Brother's group was also at the cave entrance, listening to the commotion. They exchanged glances, their expressions grave. They didn't know if Lu Yi Ye had allies inside, but they did know that this situation was completely different from what they had anticipated. Coupled with Ghost Shadow's earlier warning, their hearts felt heavy, as if something extremely unpleasant was unfolding. Unthinkable notions arose in their minds, only to be quickly suppressed; they instinctively felt such things couldn't possibly be happening. But what if it truly was happening? That would undeniably align with Ghost Shadow's warning, and their choice not to rush in with the others would mean they had saved their lives.

Just then, two streaks of light rapidly approached from a distance, radiating the powerful aura only achievable by ninth-stage cultivators. They landed directly at the cave entrance, revealing two men. Had Lu Ye been there, he would have recognized them as Xia Liang and Tan Sheng. After the Heavenly Fire event in Saint Realm Spirit Land where their people were killed, these two had left Huibi Valley early. Xia Liang had deduced that Lu Ye and his companions, upon encountering an insurmountable crisis, would surely use the Heavenly Mystery Pillar to retreat to the Nine Provinces, so they hadn't wasted time waiting.

They had originally planned to wait a month before trying to ascertain Lu Ye’s whereabouts when he re-entered the Cloud River battlefield. However, events unfolded completely differently from Xia Liang’s earlier prediction. Lu Ye did not retreat to the Nine Provinces; instead, he struck a deal with the Wanmo Ridge cultivators besieging Huibi Valley, then went into hiding, ambushing invading enemies in Mount Taimang. Finally, his whereabouts were exposed here, leading to him being cornered in the mine by Wanmo Ridge cultivators. Xia Liang and Tan Sheng had originally been far from this area but rushed back upon receiving the news, finally arriving at the scene.

Scanning the surroundings, Xia Liang asked, "Is Lu Yi Ye inside?" A cultivator nodded. "I heard he is." "What's the situation now?" The cultivator shook his head. "We just arrived; we're not very clear." "Does anyone know clearly?" Tan Sheng asked from beside him. Qin Senior Brother pondered for a moment, then stepped forward and explained, "Less than half a day ago, nearly two thousand fellow cultivators, led by Senior Brother Song Zhui of Yuanhong Hall, charged inside. But somehow, the tunnel suddenly collapsed. Now, those inside are trapped, and outsiders can't enter. Moreover... there seems to be a very intense battle raging inside, and many people have died."

As Qin Senior Brother spoke, Xia Liang and Tan Sheng also heard the faint screams emanating from deep within the mine. They couldn't help but feel strange. Xia Liang frowned, "How many people does Lu Yi Ye have?" Qin Senior Brother replied, "Reportedly, it's just him, but I'm not certain." With no concrete information to be gleaned from this side, Xia Liang and Tan Sheng exchanged glances before flashing into the mine tunnel. Others, seeing this, quickly followed. Only Qin Senior Brother’s group remained outside, unmoving.

They hadn't followed the crowd earlier, and now it was too late to go in. Moreover, given Ghost Shadow's prior warning and these strange developments, they dared not venture rashly into the depths. The reason they still remained was primarily to see what the final outcome of this matter would be. However, in Qin Senior Brother's and his group’s view, no matter the result, Lu Ye was undoubtedly dead; in such a situation, it was impossible for him to survive.

Inside the mine, Xia Liang and Tan Sheng hurried for less than two miles before their path was indeed blocked. At this point, the wails and screams became even clearer. Something was wrong! Judging solely from the sounds, the battle raging inside was clearly very intense. If Lu Yi Ye were truly alone, it would be impossible for him to cause such a commotion. Had that guy perhaps ambushed them with a large number of people, and they were now fiercely battling the Wanmo Ridge forces?