Chapter 64: Release Them!

Lu Ye speculated this was related to his recent power increase. The stronger he became, the more potent the spirit patterns he activated would be. Ultimately, spirit patterns existed by drawing on his spiritual power.

Furthermore, the long saber in his hand was now barely considered a spirit artifact, unlike his previous ordinary iron sword. The same spirit pattern, when applied to a spirit artifact versus an ordinary iron sword, yielded different levels of power.

A Fire Serpent Talisman, combined with a sharp, enhanced slash, allowed Lu Ye, despite being at the second level of the Spirit Creek Realm, to cut down a third-level body cultivator.

Without almost any pause, he moved past the body cultivator and charged directly towards the brightly dressed young master.

The young master was clearly dumbfounded, mainly because the series of events unfolded too quickly. He had just been contemplating how to study the spirit trapped by the Profound Spirit Bell when, after Senior Brother Zhang's punch, a large white tiger sprang out, followed closely by a fierce cultivator.

Before he could even grasp the situation, the body cultivator who had been blocking him collapsed, clutching his neck.

In a moment of life-or-death crisis, the young master instinctively pushed the woman in his arms, sending her, unprepared, towards Lu Ye's blade.

The woman's expression was one of terror and helplessness. She watched as a gleaming saber light flashed before her eyes. She only managed to activate her spiritual power for defense before her vision blurred, and she rapidly lost consciousness.

Seizing the brief moment gained by the woman, the young master frantically fumbled in his storage bag for a spirit talisman, immediately poured spiritual power into it, and threw it forward.

Lu Ye's ferocity truly terrified him. He rarely engaged in direct combat; usually, his two senior brothers would capture or half-kill people before letting him finish them off. He had never experienced such a dangerous and thrilling situation.

He even temporarily forgot to retrieve his Profound Spirit Bell for self-defense.

In contrast, Lu Ye remained utterly calm and focused from beginning to end. Despite his second-level Spirit Creek Realm cultivation, he exuded the aura of a ninth-level expert!

Character is shaped by one's past experiences. A young master, accustomed to a life of luxury since childhood, naturally couldn't compare to a mine slave who had fought for survival in dire circumstances.

In an instant, a streaking slash appeared before Lu Ye. He was not surprised by this.

The stout man had a Golden Body Talisman for protection, so this young master certainly would too.

Spiritual power surged and roared throughout his body, and both his major and minor circulation systems operated at their peak. Lu Ye's eyes, overflowing with spiritual power, clearly saw the point of impact of the slash.

A triangular, shield-like object with intricate, flowing patterns appeared on Lu Ye's chest; it was a Guardian Spirit Pattern.

Almost at the exact moment the spirit pattern formed, the talisman's slash arrived. Lu Ye felt a powerful force smash into his chest, instantly causing him to feel tightness and shortness of breath.

He didn't know how much impact that slash had on him, but he had no time to focus on it now. He had already lunged in front of the young master, and under the latter's bewildered gaze, he thrust his saber forward.

The protective spiritual power the young master hastily activated was like paper, easily pierced by the long saber. The sharp blade passed through his shoulder blade, sending blood splattering.

A scream erupted. Lu Ye pulled out his saber, spun around, and appeared behind the young master, holding the blade horizontally against his neck!

The young master's scream abruptly ceased. Feeling the cold touch against his neck, his entire body froze in place.

From the moment the large tiger revealed its presence until now, only about five breaths had passed. Lu Ye broke through the stout body cultivator's obstruction, cut down the second-level female cultivator, and then captured the young master. During this time, he activated three Sharpness Spirit Patterns and one Guardian Spirit Pattern consecutively.

Throughout the entire process, he didn't even have time to think. Drawing his saber and killing was a seamless, swift motion, as fast as a rabbit jumping and a manta ray diving.

"Roar!" As the large tiger's low growl echoed, its muscular form was sent flying, crashing against the nearby rock wall before sliding down. It was no match for the fourth-level cultivator at all, completely falling into a disadvantage in just a brief moment.

Yet, the victor showed no joy. He turned his head, gazing at the chaotic battlefield with eyes full of disbelief...

Junior Brother Sun lay on the ground clutching his throat, his eyes wide, his body convulsing. Although not immediately dead, his injuries were beyond saving.

Junior Sister Yuan's headless corpse lay nearby, blood gushing from her neck with a hissing sound. Her beautiful head had rolled to the side, still bearing an expression of terror and fear.

Blood flowed profusely from the young master's shoulder, and a long saber was pressed against his neck. Behind the young master, a figure was concealed, revealing only one eye, staring at him like a lone wolf—fierce and resolute!

What's going on?!

Senior Brother Zhang's scalp tingled. He had only exchanged blows with the large white tiger for a moment, yet how had his three fellow disciples ended up with two dead, one injured, and one captured?

Who was this newcomer?

The large tiger, having been knocked away, slowly got back up and walked over. However, it didn't rashly attack Senior Brother Zhang again, as it sensed it was no match. Moreover, since Lu Ye had already captured one of the opponents, there was no need for it to act so eagerly.

"Release him!" Lu Ye stared at Senior Brother Zhang, his voice low.

"Who are you?" Senior Brother Zhang gritted his teeth and asked. Among all the notable opponents he could recall, none matched Lu Ye.

Lu Ye pulled back his saber and then brutally stabbed it into the young master's thigh. A scream erupted, and the young master almost collapsed to his knees; it was only Lu Ye propping him up that kept him steady.

He pulled out the saber, blood sprayed, and Lu Ye once again placed the blade against the young master's neck, looking at Senior Brother Zhang and repeating his earlier demand: "Release him!"

"You..." Senior Brother Zhang's eyes nearly burst from their sockets. He had underestimated Lu Ye's decisiveness and ferocity. He had merely uttered a single unnecessary word, and the young master had taken another stab. The opponent's meaning was clear: one more word of nonsense, and it would be another stab! The next one, he didn't know where it would land.

With the young master held hostage, he, despite his fourth-level cultivation, dared not advance rashly, which was truly infuriating.

Ensuring the young master's safety was paramount now, otherwise, he wouldn't be able to report back. His face clouded over, he said, "This Profound Spirit Bell is a spirit artifact bestowed by a senior from my sect. Once activated, it cannot be easily undone; it requires a bit of time!"

*Whoosh...*

The saber light flashed, and an arm flew off. The young master, held captive before Lu Ye, paused in shock, then his body began to tremble violently. He screamed loudly but dared not make any sudden movements, as the sharp weapon at his neck could sever it at any moment.

He roared, "Zhang Wu, are you trying to kill me, your young master? Damn your entire family!"

"Release him!" Lu Ye's voice was low, clearly having lost patience.

"Release! Release! Release!" The young master's face was streaked with snot and tears. The pain was driving him to near madness, and he only hadn't fainted because he was, after all, a third-level cultivator. He managed to lift his remaining arm and form a hand seal. The Profound Spirit Bell, which had been inverted on the ground, immediately flew up, spinning rapidly, shrinking, and returning to the young master's hand.

Lu Ye was taken aback, realizing only then that the spirit artifact was controlled by the young master himself...

The trapped Yi Yi broke free and immediately rushed towards the large tiger, plunging into its body and disappearing.

Although Senior Brother Zhang was tempted to try something, he dared not make any rash moves. He looked at Lu Ye, who was concealed behind the young master, and slowly said, "Release the young master, and let's put today's matter behind us. I can swear a Heavenly Dao oath."

"Alright!" Lu Ye responded, reaching out and pushing the young master from behind.

The young master stumbled forward a few steps. Before he could even feel the joy of surviving, a hot geyser of blood erupted from his neck.

"How dare you!" Senior Brother Zhang roared furiously.