Chapter 70: Declaration of War

At the Spirit Creek Realm level, each advancement to a higher layer adds a minor microcosmic circulation system within the body.

Lu Ye was currently at the third layer of the Spirit Creek Realm, having opened 27 apertures. With nine apertures forming one circulation, he now had three minor microcosmic circulation systems within his body, through which spiritual power flowed like an unending stream.

To Lu Ye's surprise, after reaching the third layer of the Spirit Creek Realm, he distinctly felt a resonance among these three spiritual power circulation systems—something that had not occurred when he was at the first or second layers.

This resonance caused the spiritual power within his body to flow even faster.

He had now cultivated the Golden Cicada Freedom Art, obtained from Steward Yang, to its perfected state. When the 27 opened apertures within his body were connected in a specific sequence, the resulting pattern resembled a toad crouching on the ground.

The name "Golden Cicada Freedom Art" likely originated from this resemblance.

Each cycle of spiritual power flow resembled the toad's breathing. Though the three spiritual power circulation systems appeared independent, they could, in fact, influence one another.

Ordinarily, advancing one layer in cultivation would increase Lu Ye's strength by more than 30%. However, he felt his strength had increased by closer to 50%. He realized that this significant boost was a benefit of cultivating a complete set of techniques to its perfected state.

If Lu Ye had possessed his current cultivation level when fighting Zhang Wu, he surely wouldn't have paid such a high price, and might even have defeated him without injury.

In terms of attack power, he possessed the Sharp Spirit Rune; even Zhang Wu, a fourth-layer Spirit Creek cultivator, couldn't block it when Lu Ye was at the second layer.

For defense, he had the Guard Spirit Rune, which Zhang Wu couldn't break.

Both his offense and defense surpassed his current realm. What he lacked was merely experience and skill in combat, but experience could only be slowly accumulated through personal battles.

As for skill... throughout his journey, he had spent at least two hours daily practicing his saber techniques. While the time was still short, he couldn't claim to have master-level saber skills, but at the very least, his grip was steadier than before, and his strikes were faster.

After all, he had killed a few people and gradually familiarized himself with the feeling of his saber piercing through enemies' protective spiritual power and striking their physical bodies. By embedding this sensation in his memory and turning it into an instinct, he could naturally develop superior techniques.

His cultivation could not continue; he had only a few spiritual pills left, and no suitable cultivation methods.

His injuries had healed completely. Lu Ye pondered for a moment, then stood up.

A moment later, he gathered Yiyi and Dahū and emerged from the tunnel where they had been hiding for several days.

According to information relayed by Yiyi, the Profound Gate and the Nine Stars Sect had been fiercely battling within Sky-Splitting Gorge for the past few days. Small-scale skirmishes broke out intermittently, with both sides sustaining casualties.

Lu Ye silently applauded the Profound Gate.

This was precisely the situation he had hoped for, and it was also why he had been able to hide for so long.

He had previously thought that the Profound Gate and the Nine Stars Sect could not coexist peacefully; any significant move by the Nine Stars Sect would inevitably provoke a response from the Profound Gate. Now, it seemed he had underestimated the deep-seated animosity between sects caused by their factional opposition.

The whole incident originated when Lu Ye killed four disciples, led by the Nine Stars Sect's Young Master, which subsequently triggered a large-scale search by the Nine Stars Sect for Lu Ye. However, while the main culprit was quietly recuperating, the matter had already escalated into a full-blown melee between the Spirit Creek Realm cultivators of the two major sects.

He had originally planned to stir up trouble, but now it seemed completely unnecessary.

The situation was favorable to him, but it was unrealistic for Lu Ye to simply walk away. He didn't know how many people the two sects had deployed in Sky-Splitting Gorge. Now entangled within, he needed to leverage external power to escape—specifically, the power of the Profound Gate.

With a plan in mind, he had Yiyi scout ahead and clear the path, while he and Dahū stealthily moved 30 zhang behind her.

In a ten-zhang-wide canyon passage, seven cultivators were locked in chaotic battle—three on one side and four on the other. From the looks of it, the numerically smaller group held the advantage, primarily because their average cultivation level was higher: one was at the fourth layer of the Spirit Creek Realm, and two were at the third.

In contrast, the group of four consisted of two at the third layer and two at the second, with one of the third-layer cultivators already wounded, his arm bleeding profusely.

Conflicts among lower-level cultivators primarily involved close-quarters combat, with very few resorting to spiritual arts. Their cultivation was not high enough for spiritual arts to be powerful, and casting spells required time, making them easily interrupted. Even if a spell was successfully cast, accuracy remained an issue.

In such a fighting style, the side with higher cultivation and stronger weapons naturally held the advantage.

Among the group of four, the leader was a burly man who wielded a great saber, blocking others in front of him. As he retreated, he shouted, "You go!"

He clearly intended to stay behind and cover their retreat.

The other three showed expressions of sorrow but did not abandon him to flee. Instead, they fought alongside the burly man, retreating as they battled.

But this was merely a temporary solution; once the burly man fell, all four of them would perish there.

The fourth-layer cultivator on the opposing side clearly understood this. Thus, even when presented with an opportunity to kill the burly man, he refrained, instead continuously inflicting wounds upon him, making him appear increasingly desperate.

Lu Ye and Dahū concealed themselves among a pile of scattered rocks not far behind the four, observing the scene through the gaps between the stones.

He had originally been vexed by how to distinguish between the cultivators of the Profound Gate and the Nine Stars Sect, as he couldn't simply walk up and ask their identities.

But upon witnessing the conflict between the two sides, he realized his worries were unfounded. The cultivators of the Profound Gate and the Nine Stars Sect were easy to distinguish, as the backs of their hands glowed with different colors.

Lu Ye was greatly surprised, wondering why this was happening.

When he had fought others previously, his battle imprint hadn't shown any activity.

Unbeknownst to him, this was all Wang Yang's doing. The Profound Gate and the Nine Stars Sect had been battling over this territory for many years, with the Profound Gate consistently holding the advantage due to having more and stronger Spirit Creek Realm cultivators. This had led to the Nine Stars Sect's Spirit Creek cultivators maintaining a low profile in this area, making it difficult for the Profound Gate to hunt down opponents previously.

This time, with the Nine Stars Sect's Young Master slain, their Spirit Creek Realm cultivators had almost entirely mobilized, presenting an opportunity for the Profound Gate.

An opportunity to extensively hunt down Nine Stars Sect disciples.

Thus, Wang Yang cared not for the cause of the incident; he only saw a golden opportunity to severely cripple the Nine Stars Sect. To that end, he even paid a price, using his sect's Heavenly Secret Pillar to declare war on the Nine Stars Sect from their own stronghold.

The Nine Stars Sect had the right to refuse such a declaration of war, but how could they refuse this time, given their need to pursue the perpetrator who had killed their Young Master?

Dong Shuye could only grit his teeth and accept, while silently 'greeting' Wang Yang's ancestors for eighteen generations in his heart.

During such a declared war, once cultivators from both sides engaged in combat, the backs of their hands would glow with different colors, clearly indicating their allegiance.

It should be noted that both sides had many rogue cultivators whose faces were largely unknown to many cultivators within the two sects. With the battle imprints, accidental injuries could be avoided, and it would be quick to determine who was an enemy and who was a trustworthy ally.