Chapter 641: The Foundation of the Heaven Machine Trading Alliance

As night fell, Lu Ye, wearing his ghost-faced mask, left his guest room and came downstairs, heading directly towards the Heavenly Mystery Hall where the Heavenly Mystery Pillar was located.

Every Heavenly Mystery Commercial Alliance has its own Heavenly Mystery Pillar. The primary function of these pillars is spatial positioning.

Cultivators can use these Heavenly Mystery Pillars to travel to and from the Cloud River Battlefield. When cultivators from Kyushu enter the Cloud River Battlefield, they can choose to arrive at this Heavenly Mystery Commercial Alliance via these pillars. Similarly, cultivators from the Cloud River Battlefield can use these pillars to depart and return to Kyushu.

Consequently, the Heavenly Mystery Commercial Alliances in the Cloud River Battlefield are almost always bustling with activity, with people constantly coming and going.

The Heavenly Mystery Pillar has four sides, corresponding to four directions. In one direction, space occasionally twists, and whenever it does, cultivators from various parts of Kyushu appear out of thin air.

Another direction has a relatively short queue of cultivators preparing to leave the Cloud River Battlefield. They approach the Heavenly Mystery Pillar, place a hand on it, and instantly vanish. The number of people in this queue is small, as the process for leaving the Cloud River Battlefield is not complicated and can even be described as swift. Most of the time, this direction is empty, and no queuing is required.

The remaining two directions have a larger number of people queued. These individuals are all here to use the Heavenly Mystery Pillar to enter the Heavenly Mystery Treasury for transactions.

After Lu Ye arrived, he found a spot and waited patiently.

There weren't many people in front of him, only about a dozen. Moreover, cultivators who come here have generally already decided what they need to buy or sell, so the process is highly efficient. It's rare for any single cultivator to occupy the pillar for an extended period.

Cultivators in front steadily departed, and Lu Ye slowly advanced with the flow of people.

Suddenly, a figure approached him, staring intently.

Lu Ye turned his head, seeing a male cultivator who appeared to be young. With a scrutinizing gaze, the cultivator slowly spoke, "Friend, you remind me of someone."

Lu Ye's voice was coarse and hoarse: "Like whom?"

Although he hadn't formally learned how to alter his voice, as a Cloud River Realm cultivator, he could easily employ such a minor trick.

"Friend, why pretend you don't know?" The young man shook his head. "If you don't mind..."

"I do mind!"

The young man was immediately choked into silence. He finally just shook his head: "You can't escape it, unless you leave the Cloud River Battlefield!"

After saying this, the young man left directly.

Although he believed this mask-wearing cultivator was Lu Yiye, he didn't dare to act within the Heavenly Mystery Commercial Alliance. He could only give him a warning.

After the young man left, several more groups of cultivators passed by, seemingly casually. Lu Ye clearly felt that these people were discreetly observing him.

He pretended not to notice. Anyway, he wouldn't be leaving the Heavenly Mystery Commercial Alliance anytime soon. If these people were capable, they could just keep him blocked outside.

When the day came that he wished to leave, those people might not be able to stop him.

The cultivators in front departed one by one. It wasn't long before it was Lu Ye's turn.

Lu Ye raised his hand and placed it on the Heavenly Mystery Pillar in front of him. He closed his eyes and focused his mind, but he didn't immerse his consciousness immediately.

Three breaths later, a low shout suddenly rang out: "Now!"

The moment the words fell, powerful spiritual energy erupted abruptly. Three fierce murderous intentions enveloped Lu Ye from three different directions. In a flash of cold light, three figures had already lunged to within five zhang of Lu Ye.

The sudden turn of events caused all the cultivators in the Heavenly Mystery Hall to change their expressions dramatically.

Many cultivators had entered and exited the Heavenly Mystery Commercial Alliance countless times, but never had they encountered a situation like this. This was because, in the perception of almost all cultivators, the Heavenly Mystery Commercial Alliance was an absolutely safe place.

Within Kyushu, there were also terrifying rumors circulating about conflicts occurring inside the Heavenly Mystery Commercial Alliance, but rumors were just rumors. No one truly knew what fate awaited those who dared to fight within the Heavenly Mystery Commercial Alliance.

It was said the last time something like this happened was more than a decade ago.

The passage of time had undoubtedly eroded the deterrent power of the Heavenly Mystery Commercial Alliance. Coupled with the enormous bounty on Lu Ye's head, some cultivators from the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge finally couldn't resist the temptation.

The attackers were three Cloud River Ninth-Realm cultivators from unknown sects. Before acting, they had already gathered intelligence: although this Heavenly Mystery Commercial Alliance also had a Ninth-Realm powerful cultivator guarding it, they were confident they could escape as long as they were fast enough to kill Lu Ye and not be trapped.

Compared to the potential gains, what was a little risk?

Spiritual energy surged, and numerous cultivators in the Heavenly Mystery Hall hastily dodged. For a moment, the scene was chaotic.

Lu Ye, with his hand on the Heavenly Mystery Pillar, instantly felt an immense sense of danger. With his current strength, facing even one Ninth-Realm cultivator was difficult, let alone three attacking simultaneously.

He was only grateful that he had held back, not immersing his consciousness into the Heavenly Mystery Treasury immediately. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to react to such an ambush.

In a hurry, he activated his spiritual energy. Solidified protective spirit patterns appeared before him, wrapping him almost without blind spots. At the same time, his body flickered as he rushed directly towards the densest part of the crowd.

He didn't need to engage with the three Ninth-Realm cultivators. No matter what, this was the Heavenly Mystery Commercial Alliance. He only needed to stall for a moment, and the strong cultivators of the Heavenly Mystery Commercial Alliance would surely intervene.

However, both he and the three attacking Ninth-Realm cultivators severely underestimated the reaction speed of the Heavenly Mystery Commercial Alliance.

Or rather, from the moment Lu Ye left his guest room and came downstairs, the Heavenly Mystery Commercial Alliance had already been closely monitoring him.

"How dare you!"

An angry roar rang out. From somewhere in the crowd, another cultivator rushed out. When this cultivator first emerged, the spiritual energy fluctuations from his body were those of a Cloud River Ninth-Realm cultivator.

But in the blink of an eye, his aura broke through the limits of the Cloud River Realm, reaching an unfathomable level.

"True Lake Realm!" Someone gasped in shock, and more people's eyes trembled.

So... the rumors were true.

People from the Heavenly Mystery Commercial Alliance had a way to temporarily break through the Heavenly Mystery's restrictions in the Cloud River Battlefield, reaching a height that ordinary cultivators could not even fathom.

Many had heard this rumor, but no one knew whether it was true or false, as it had never been verified.

Until now, they had witnessed it with their own eyes.

The Heavenly Mystery Commercial Alliance was a very intriguing organization, as its name alone suggested.

In the cultivation world of Kyushu, anything involving the words "Heavenly Mystery" could not be taken lightly. For a long time, cultivators in Kyushu had suspected that the Heavenly Mystery Commercial Alliance had some special connection with the supreme and unfathomable Heavenly Mystery itself.

This was because goods within the Heavenly Mystery Commercial Alliance could often be interchanged with items found in the Heavenly Mystery Treasury.

Someone once sold an item to the Heavenly Mystery Commercial Alliance, only to find that very item later in the Heavenly Mystery Treasury.

Furthermore, the Heavenly Mystery Commercial Alliance never interfered in the conflict between the two major factions. Its public image was that of a neutral business organization.

Yet, no one ever underestimated it, and no one truly knew the full extent of its powerful foundation.

The True Lake Realm aura continued to rise steadily, reaching a peak. At that moment, all cultivators in the Heavenly Mystery Hall felt their bodies grow heavy and their breathing constricted under the terrifying pressure of that aura.

As if a binding spell had been cast, the three attacking Cloud River Ninth-Realm cultivators, Lu Ye who was attempting to escape, and even the numerous cultivators caught in the surrounding chaos, all froze in place.

Immediately afterwards, soft thudding sounds were heard. A thick scent of blood diffused, and lives were rapidly fading...

As if it were merely an illusion, the oppressive aura that had made movement impossible suddenly vanished. As the many cultivators looked around, each one felt their blood run cold.

This was because three corpses now lay in the Heavenly Mystery Hall, belonging to the three Cloud River Ninth-Realm cultivators who had just ambushed Lu Ye.

No one knew how they had died. By the time they regained their senses, they were utterly lifeless.

Before the three corpses, the middle-aged cultivator stood silently, his expression dignified and imposing without showing anger. The aura emanating from him was still at the Cloud River Ninth-Realm level.

But at this moment, who would still believe he was merely a Cloud River Ninth-Realm cultivator?

This person was clearly a True Lake Realm powerhouse, and not just an ordinary one. He was definitely a peak True Lake Realm expert.

In the Spirit Stream Battlefield, cultivators above the Spirit Stream Realm could forcefully enter by spending merit.

However, in the Cloud River Battlefield, this was not possible. Only Cloud River Realm cultivators could ever enter the Cloud River Battlefield. This was a rule set by the Heavenly Mystery, which no one could break.

Yet, it now seemed this was not entirely true.

At the very least, people from the Heavenly Mystery Commercial Alliance could break this rule. They could even temporarily overcome the Cloud River Battlefield's restrictions on cultivation...

What shocked everyone was not just this. More importantly, three Cloud River Ninth-Realm cultivators had been killed, like three ants, without anyone clearly seeing how. They were killed by someone from the supposedly neutral Heavenly Mystery Commercial Alliance!

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the middle-aged cultivator slowly spoke: "Duan Hua of Heartless Pavilion, Xue Feihan, and Luo Huai'an of Divine Will Sect, these three attacked someone within our Alliance, violating our rules. They have been executed on the spot as a warning to others! Furthermore, for the next three years, our Alliance will not conduct any transactions with cultivators from Heartless Pavilion and Divine Will Sect."

The killing of three Cloud River Ninth-Realm cultivators was one thing; it was common for cultivators to live and die. Not long ago, twenty million Demon Ridge cultivators died in a mine.

What truly astonished many cultivators was that the person from the Heavenly Mystery Commercial Alliance had, in a single sentence, revealed the sects of the attackers and even knew their names.

This was not just about exceptional intelligence. It was clearly a pre-emptive measure. Perhaps when these three were preparing to act, the Heavenly Mystery Commercial Alliance had already detected them. They merely waited for the three to strike before delivering a swift, decisive blow. Otherwise, even if this person could unleash their true power, their reaction wouldn't have been so swift.

The attitude demonstrated by the Heavenly Mystery Commercial Alliance this time was undoubtedly extremely resolute. They showed no mercy, and declared that for the next three years, they would not conduct any transactions with cultivators from these two sects.

Compared to the death of three Cloud River Ninth-Realm cultivators, this decision would undoubtedly cause much greater losses to the two sects.