Chapter 872: You Won't Fool Me

At that time, the situation was urgent, with a shroud of death energy enveloping them. This guy vented all the frustration he had bottled up, cursing with immense satisfaction, as if he wouldn't get another chance to express the bitterness in his heart if he didn't.

However, at a crucial moment, a large contingent of troops from Kyushu arrived, rescuing the eight-person squad from danger. Afterward, those afflicted by the primal corpse poison went to Hua Ci for treatment, while Lu Ye took Ju Jia and Lan Ziyi to hunt the Golden Corpse Lord.

But Lu Ye remembered this matter very clearly.

He had originally thought that once they returned to Kyushu and left the Cloud River Battlefield, and everyone had advanced to the True Lake Realm, opportunities to meet again would be rare. Who would have thought, fate works in mysterious ways, that they would reunite so quickly.

Indeed, it was a case of adversaries crossing paths.

Upon closer thought, it wasn't surprising. Both were cultivators from Bing Province, and both were destined to join the Provincial Guard on the front lines, so their paths were bound to cross.

Lu Ye raised a hand and pressed it against the hilt of the Mountain-Shattering Blade at his waist.

Above the volcano, Ying Wuji arrived swiftly.

Although both had only recently advanced to the True Lake Realm, he had joined the Provincial Guard much earlier than Lu Ye. He had already joined the Bing Province Guard of the Myriad Devil Ridge faction when he had just advanced to the Cloud River Realm.

Regarding the situation on the front lines of the conflict between the two major factions, he naturally knew more than Lu Ye.

Previously, his cultivation had limited him from taking on major responsibilities, but now that he had advanced to the True Lake Realm, he had made a name for himself. This time, he received a mission to lead a team here to collect some ground fire.

The mission wasn't difficult; it merely required time. Thus, he was the only True Lake Realm cultivator in the group; the others were all newly recruited Cloud River Realm cultivators with varying levels of cultivation.

Recently, with the Cloud River Battlefield closed, Cloud River Realm cultivators had nowhere else to go and had all flocked to the front lines of the two major factions' conflict. This led to a significant increase in the number of cultivators at various passes and a frequent eruption of conflicts.

Having experienced cooperation with Lu Ye and others on the Peerless Continent, Ying Wuji had developed a different perspective on the millennia-long conflict between the two major factions.

Before, he would have believed that every cultivator from the Grand Heaven Alliance deserved to die and be killed. This wasn't about personal grievances but about differing factional stances, and he had acted accordingly.

But now, he no longer thought that way.

His long-held beliefs were challenged, leaving Ying Wuji somewhat bewildered, because from his observations, the lofty and mysterious Heavenly Dao often encouraged cooperation between cultivators of the two major factions.

During the journey to the Peerless Continent, all nine members of the Kyushu advance team received guidance from the Heavenly Dao. It was only then that they could gather, proceed to the Peerless Continent, and rescue that shattered realm. This was clearly the Heavenly Dao's encouragement and arrangement.

Moreover, in many secret realms within the Cloud River Battlefield, cultivators from both major factions often had to join forces when they entered. But if this was truly the case, what was the purpose of the millennia-long conflict between the two major factions?

He couldn't understand it. For this reason, he specifically sought out his master for guidance. He had hoped his master could enlighten him, but his master said little, only telling him to find the answer himself.

Ying Wuji became even more confused, and this confusion nearly delayed his advancement to the True Lake Realm.

His reason for entering Lone Mountain Pass was not due to an assignment from the Myriad Devil Ridge's Bing Province Guard, but his own choice. As far as he knew, this was the calmest section of the front lines in Bing Province where the two major factions clashed.

He needed some time to sort out his tangled thoughts. He wanted to use the tranquility here to figure out the questions that plagued him.

On the opposite side, at Azure Flame Mountain Pass, resided a legendary woman who single-handedly guarded the pass. Aside from her, there were no other cultivators from the Grand Heaven Alliance.

Therefore, there was no need for combat here; he wouldn't be killed, nor would he need to kill anyone. Although that legendary woman occasionally visited Lone Mountain Pass, throwing Lone Mountain City into chaos, and with her abilities, she could undoubtedly inflict heavy casualties on the Myriad Devil Ridge faction, to date, she had never abused her power against lesser cultivators.

Each time she went to Lone Mountain Pass, she only targeted Wan Zhanggang for assassination, and despite repeatedly failing, she persisted. Ying Wuji didn't know what vendetta existed between these two Divine Sea Realm grand cultivators that made the extraordinary woman so persistent, but that was ultimately a matter for Divine Sea Realm grand cultivators, not something he needed to consider.

He merely needed some time to think and seek answers.

Activating his spiritual power to protect himself and resist the sweeping heat waves, Ying Wuji drifted down and immediately spotted a figure sitting cross-legged on the rock wall at the very bottom of the volcano.

Someone was there! Ying Wuji immediately became vigilant.

Although the probability of encountering a Grand Heaven Alliance cultivator in this location was low, there were always exceptions. He had always been a cautious person, or he wouldn't have survived until today. The moment he saw the person, Ying Wuji's gaze darted to his waist.

No blade at the waist!

Ying Wuji's heart settled.

The journey to the Peerless Continent had left him with some psychological trauma. Now, what he disliked most were blade-wielding soldier cultivators, especially those who used long blades.

He looked up again, and his recently settled mind instantly became chaotic, because the person was wearing a mask, obscuring their true face. Judging only by the figure, it appeared to be a man.

A curse nearly escaped his lips, because as far as he knew, that scoundrel Lu Yiye had once worn a mask to conceal his identity while moving around.

In such a remote volcanic crater, encountering someone wearing a mask, looking as if they dared not show their true face... this was highly suspicious!

Upon closer inspection, Ying Wuji's heart grew cold.

Because this person's figure... was almost identical to that scoundrel Lu Yiye's. Even though he was sitting cross-legged, Ying Wuji had spent so much time operating with Lu Ye on the Peerless Continent that he naturally knew him well.

As for the fact that the small beast named Amber wasn't perched on this person's shoulder, that wasn't the main point. Currently, spirit beast pouches were sold in the Heavenly Dao Treasury, and any cultivator of the beast-taming lineage would buy one to store their spirit pets.

The environment inside the volcano was scorching hot, but Ying Wuji felt chillingly cold, both physically and mentally.

He roared internally, "Isn't this scoundrel Lu Yiye?"

How could he be here?

The sweat seeping from his forehead rapidly evaporated. Ying Wuji clutched his scimitar in his hand, tightening and loosening his grip repeatedly. His heart was a jumble of emotions, but he lacked the courage to engage in battle.

Because if the person before him was indeed Lu Yiye, he would be no match at all. Everyone who had come with him on this trip would die! He wouldn't even have a chance to send a message!

“Is something the matter, fellow cultivator?”

Just as Ying Wuji felt that he might be doomed this time, Lu Ye spoke.

The voice was naturally not his own. At his level of cultivation, even without specialized training, it was easy to use spiritual power to alter his voice.

The reason he didn't draw his blade immediately upon meeting, and had even deliberately put away his Mountain-Shattering Blade and put on a mask before Ying Wuji arrived, was primarily because Lu Ye was reluctant to give up such a valuable location.

Aside from other considerations, if his identity were exposed here, regardless of whether he could exterminate this group of Myriad Devil Ridge cultivators, he could forget about ever returning to this place again.

Moreover, through his journey to the Peerless Continent, he had noticed some things. While his mindset wasn't as chaotic as Ying Wuji's at the moment, he also wouldn't draw his blade against Myriad Devil Ridge cultivators upon encounter, as he once did.

His strength had increased, his horizons had broadened, and he could now see many things he couldn't before. “Nothing... is wrong!” Ying Wuji replied with difficulty, his expression unreadable, somewhat unsure if the person before him was truly Lu Yiye.

If it were really him, he shouldn't be asking such a question.

In the Primordial Heavenly Temple on the Peerless Continent, he had thoroughly cursed him out. Given that scoundrel Lu Yiye's vengeful nature, where he repays grievances a hundredfold, he would undoubtedly have attacked with a blade the moment he saw him, instead of politely asking if something was wrong.

One blade strike would turn peace into conflict.

But if it wasn't him... Ying Wuji trusted his eyes; he couldn't be mistaken. This figure was undeniably Lu Ye; the time they spent together and his servitude hadn't been in vain. “Are you from Lone Mountain City, friend? No need to be nervous, I'm also from Myriad Devil Ridge,” Lu Ye spoke again.

Ying Wuji let out a dry chuckle.

He roared internally, "I don't believe it! You won't trick me!"

His mind was now entirely focused on how to discreetly send a message out, or notify the Cloud River Realm cultivators waiting outside to quickly scatter and escape.

Lu Ye, the Destroyer of Sects, was here. If they didn't flee quickly, they would surely be slaughtered.

Just as he was thinking this, Lu Ye suddenly slowly raised a hand, turning the back of his hand toward Ying Wuji and activating the battlefield mark on it, saying, “Look!”

The sight of the red light made Ying Wuji so agitated he almost cried. Never before had he felt such a sense of familiarity and warmth from this red light.

Almost collapsing from relief, Ying Wuji put away his scimitar. “My friend,” he exclaimed, “you scared me to death!”

A long blade could be sheathed, a spirit pet could be put away, and a face could be covered with a mask, but the battlefield mark could not be faked!

This was a gift from the Heavenly Dao. Those emitting red light belonged to the Myriad Devil Ridge faction, those with blue light belonged to the Grand Heaven Alliance faction, and those with yellow light were from the Heavenly Dao Merchant Alliance. Any cultivator knew these basic facts clearly from the moment they embarked on the path of cultivation.

So this person... was indeed from Myriad Devil Ridge!

“Oh?” Lu Ye feigned surprise. “I’m just cultivating here. What is there to be afraid of?”

“I mistook you for someone else, fellow cultivator,” Ying Wuji explained, sizing Lu Ye up. “The resemblance is truly striking!”

“Someone else...” Beneath the mask, a glint flashed in Lu Ye's eyes. “It seems that person left you with quite a few unpleasant memories, fellow cultivator.”

Ying Wuji sighed. “It’s a long story, fellow cultivator, you wouldn't know. That person is utterly heinous, a murderous fiend, and extremely vengeful, a complete scoundrel. Yet, that person is incredibly strong; I am no match for him. What a shame, what a shame!”

As he spoke, Ying Wuji suddenly shivered, meeting Lu Ye's eyes beneath the mask.

Whether it was an illusion or not, Ying Wuji suddenly had a feeling that this person wanted to cut him down!

“Where did you offend him?” Lu Ye lowered his gaze.

Ying Wuji said, “It's not really a matter of offense or not. That person is from the Grand Heaven Alliance, naturally opposed to us Myriad Devil Ridge cultivators.”