Chapter 648: The Wonderful Use of the Divine Pattern

The Wind Rises in Kyushu

Injuries to the spirit body cannot be healed by ordinary means. They will likely require a long period of recuperation, though the exact duration is uncertain.

While it was certainly safe to hide here, Lu Ye knew he couldn't truly stay for too long.

After some thought, he retrieved a jade bottle from his storage space.

The bottle contained the last half-bottle of Soul Cleansing Water he possessed, fewer than ten drops in total. He had originally saved it for emergencies, but in his current predicament, he couldn't afford to hold back.

He opened the bottle, and the unique fragrance of the Soul Cleansing Water wafted out. As he inhaled its scent, Lu Ye felt a surge of clarity, as if the fatigue that had plagued him had significantly diminished.

This only confirmed his belief that Soul Cleansing Water was the perfect remedy for his current condition.

Not daring to consume too much, he took only a single drop. A gentle sensation instantly enveloped his entire being. The exhaustion of both body and mind dissipated at a visible pace, and even his physical injuries rapidly healed.

As expected, Soul Cleansing Water proved remarkably effective in healing injuries to the spirit body.

He sat peacefully for another hour until he had fully recovered, then Lu Ye finally stood up.

Walking to the doorway, he peered outside through the crack in the door.

Most of the insectoids that had been chasing him earlier had vanished. Only a few roamed aimlessly on the street, posing little threat to him now.

Since he needed to reach the City Lord's Mansion, the most pressing task was to pinpoint his current location.

However, before that, Lu Ye wanted to confirm a few things.

Earlier, during his battle with the insectoids, he had sensed something unusual, but he had been too busy escaping to verify it then.

Now, with this special building as a refuge, he could retreat here even if he encountered danger. Therefore, Lu Ye was keen to ascertain if the anomalies he had sensed earlier were indeed what he thought them to be.

If so, he might be able to utilize abilities he normally couldn't.

Taking a moment to check his battlefield mark, he found that his battle merit had unexpectedly accumulated to over three thousand points…

While this was a decent amount, it wasn't particularly high, especially considering he had killed many insectoids, including several True Lake Realm ones.

It seemed that his battle merit was being calculated based on his current True Lake Realm strength, meaning he wouldn't gain much even for killing True Lake Realm insectoids.

This left Lu Ye slightly disappointed. If the battle merit had been calculated based on his Cloud River Fifth-Stage cultivation, the points he gained from his previous fight would have been several times higher.

But on second thought, gaining battle merit in this place was already an unexpected bonus. What more could he be dissatisfied with?

While over three thousand battle merit points weren't a vast sum, they were enough to exchange for two blue spirit talismans. And this was just the beginning. If his plan could be executed, he would surely accumulate more battle merit in the future. Perhaps after this venture, he could exchange for many golden spirit talismans and elevate his cultivation further.

Pushing open the main door, Lu Ye immediately wove concealment and breath-concealing spirit patterns, masking his presence.

The slight movement startled the few insectoids, but after they turned their heads and found nothing, they lost interest and continued to wander around.

The insectoids had bizarre and varied appearances. Some resembled demonic beasts and at first glance seemed no different, but in reality, they were not demonic beasts at all.

Others had unique forms that completely defied conventional understanding.

But without exception, all insectoids shared one common characteristic: their bodies were covered with thick carapaces, and their blood was emerald green.

The stronger the insectoid, the more robust its carapace protection. Therefore, killing insectoids was a technical skill, requiring one to target areas not protected by the carapace as much as possible to inflict effective damage.

Having honed his skills multiple times in the Mirage, Lu Ye was intimately familiar with the weak points of all types of insectoids.

His target this time was an insectoid resembling a centipede, its back covered with tightly interlocking white carapaces that looked like exposed white bones. Over a hundred pairs of legs scuttled along, producing a dense, rustling sound.

What Lu Ye wanted to verify wasn't complicated, but to ensure accurate results, he didn't immediately attack. Instead, he quietly lay in wait.

After a good while, the centipede-like insectoid settled down, coiling silently and motionless in the ruins of a building.

Lu Ye approached silently, stopping only when he was within three zhang (approx. 10 meters) of the insectoid.

The tranquil atmosphere was suddenly broken. The moment Lu Ye's power surged, the centipede-like insectoid sensed danger. But before it could react, the space in front of Lu Ye suddenly distorted. A faint, arrow-like object flashed and vanished, slamming violently into the centipede's head and disappearing instantly.

In that instant, the centipede-like insectoid was severely wounded. Its ten-zhang (approx. 33 meters) long body violently thrashed and twisted, emitting a high-pitched shriek.

Lu Ye's figure emerged, his Panshan Saber already unsheathed. Taking advantage of the insectoid's struggle, he brought the saber down in a single chop.

Emerald green blood spurted out as the enormous head flew off. An insectoid comparable to the True Lake Realm was thus slain.

Lu Ye's expression was calm, but joy shimmered in his eyes, for he had discovered that what he had sensed earlier was not an illusion—it was real!

Earlier, during his escape and battle with the insectoids, he had empowered his Panshan Saber with a Sharpness Spirit Pattern. At that time, he had a strange feeling because the Sharpness Spirit Pattern seemed different from usual.

Previously, Sharpness needed to be applied to a spirit artifact to make it sharper.

Of course, it could also be applied elsewhere, but either way, it always required a medium to function.

However, the Sharpness he used in Xianyuan City seemed to require no medium…

At that moment, Lu Ye realized something: if this spirit pattern was activated and constructed by spiritual power, then it was a mere spirit pattern. But the power he was currently activating was not only spiritual power but also soul power…

And a spirit pattern activated and constructed by soul power—that was a divine pattern!

That's why Sharpness didn't need a medium; a divine pattern constructed with soul power was inherently a means of attacking enemies.

This was precisely what Lu Ye wanted to verify.

The facts proved his feeling was correct: in this environment, what he constructed with soul power was indeed a divine pattern capable of directly harming enemies.

The arrow-like object that flashed and vanished moments ago was the manifestation of the Sharpness Divine Pattern.

Furthermore, compared to the Panshan Saber's strikes, this soul-based damage was exceptionally potent against insectoids. Fundamentally, this was a soul attack, and the insectoids' greatest weakness was their low intelligence, leaving them with very little defensive power against such assaults.

When the arrow formed by the Sharpness Divine Pattern struck its mind, it inflicted immense damage to its already weak intelligence. That sudden blow felt as if its very soul was being torn apart.

The thick carapace covering its body offered no protection whatsoever against such an invisible attack.

Under normal circumstances, even if Lu Ye could kill this insectoid, it would require some effort. But with the aid of the Sharpness Divine Pattern, he slew it with just one saber strike.

Having confirmed his thoughts, Lu Ye felt a surge of excitement.

In this environment, divine pattern attacks would definitely yield unexpected results. If he had known this earlier, perhaps he wouldn't have been chased so miserably.

But before verifying such a thing, how could he dare to act rashly? At that time, he was busy fleeing for his life, and any carelessness could lead to eternal damnation.

After all, he was merely a Cloud River Fifth-Stage cultivator. Even with his current True Lake Realm strength, it was still far too early for him to wield soul power, a method typically exclusive to Grand Cultivators of the Divine Sea Realm.

Yet in this specific environment, Lu Ye had prematurely grasped capabilities typically exclusive to Divine Sea Realm cultivators.

He couldn't help but recall something Madam Yun had once said.

The existence of War Pattern Masters, while formidable before the Divine Sea Realm, primarily showcased their prowess through their versatile combat style. During battle, a War Pattern Master could activate spirit patterns of various properties, making opponents experience the harshness of the world.

However, after reaching the Divine Sea Realm, War Pattern Masters became more than just formidable; often, their opponents wouldn't even realize how they died.

In short, after reaching the Divine Sea Realm, an excellent War Pattern Master could display far greater strength and pose a greater threat than ordinary Divine Sea Realm cultivators.

The reason was that after the Divine Sea Realm, War Pattern Masters could utilize divine patterns, transforming them into various soul attacks.

While other Divine Sea Realm cultivators also possessed such methods, how could they compare to the enigmatic versatility of a War Pattern Master?

The Sharpness Divine Pattern, activated by soul power, displayed formidable killing power. This anomaly also alerted other insectoids wandering nearby, who all converged towards this area.

Lu Ye, holding his Panshan Saber, advanced towards the nearest insectoid. As he rushed forward, the Sharpness Divine Pattern was activated again. Amidst spatial distortion, the arrow-like manifestation flashed and disappeared once more. The insectoid suddenly collapsed to the ground before even reaching Lu Ye, shrieking incessantly.

By the time Lu Ye reached it, the insectoid was oblivious to the impending danger. The Panshan Saber swept forth, and another insectoid was slain.

Not all spirit patterns were suitable for activation with soul power, but Sharpness and Defense were. One could transform into a soul attack, and the other into a soul barrier to defend against others' soul attacks.

However, spirit patterns like Sunlight, Blood Stain, and Windwalk had no special effects, even if activated with soul power.

However, spirit patterns like Pressure, Spikes, and Mirage could all be transformed into divine patterns, producing vastly different effects.

The Pressure Divine Pattern could make insectoids feel as if their consciousness was overwhelmed, while Spikes, similar to Sharpness, could inflict massive damage to their souls.

The Mirage Divine Pattern had no direct offensive power, but it could make insectoids fall into illusions for a short period.

On the street, Lu Ye continuously activated various divine patterns, experimenting with their effects, as one insectoid after another fell.