Chapter 882: Being Targeted

As the volcano erupted and the Fire Spirit clan poured forth with such immense momentum, Nian Yuexian, a Divine Sea Realm cultivator, couldn't possibly fail to notice. She pursued them all the way here and infiltrated Gushan City to quietly observe the situation.

She knew clearly that Wanzhang Gang was aware of her presence, which was why he deliberately put on such a vulnerable display to provoke her intent to kill. Over the years, she had infiltrated this place numerous times, attempting to assassinate Wanzhang Gang, but never succeeded. The closest she came to success was merely inflicting severe injury on him.

The decades-long hatred between them was irreconcilable. In the past, she would act decisively even without a significant opportunity, but today, despite this God-given chance, she dared not act recklessly. This was because she could sense the hidden danger.

A qualified Ghost Cultivator must not only be proficient in concealment and array formations but also possess an exceptionally keen sense for danger. The former two allow Ghost Cultivators to better and more conveniently ambush their targets, but without the latter, a Ghost Cultivator, no matter how strong, wouldn't survive for long. Her sense for danger was undoubtedly extremely sharp. Although she wasn't sure where that subtle sense of danger originated, she understood one thing: if she were to act now, it would certainly not end well for her.

Wanzhang Gang ordered the withdrawal of the protective array at the narrow pass. Firstly, this was to preserve the array's integrity and minimize losses. Secondly, it was an opportunity for him to lure the enemy with himself. Compared to the Fire Spirit clan, who were overt enemies, it was someone like her, lurking in the shadows and ready to strike at any moment, whom Wanzhang Gang was most wary of.

Wanzhang Gang, capable of leveraging circumstances, was indeed cunning and astute, but she was not foolish either. After waiting quietly for a moment and sensing no killing intent, Wanzhang Gang sighed, knowing his plan had failed. That woman's vigilance was simply beyond imagination. He was confident he hadn't revealed any flaws, yet the opponent simply wouldn't show herself, only lurking in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity. Wanzhang Gang had no good solution for this.

Slowly rising, he looked up at the battlefield in the sky, seeing that Tan Yaoniang was locked in intense combat with the Divine Sea Realm Fire Spirit. He slightly crouched, shot into the sky as the ground beneath him cracked, and instantly joined the fray.

With two Divine Sea Realm cultivators joining forces, the strongest Fire Spirit naturally fell into a disadvantage immediately. Yet, even so, it wasn't easy for Wanzhang Gang and Tan Yaoniang to kill him. Spiritual energy surged and soul power overflowed as three figures crisscrossed in the air. The mere aftershocks were terrifying in their momentum.

Divine Sea Realm cultivators had their own battlefield, and others had theirs. When the protective array at Gushan City's narrow pass dissipated, large numbers of Fire Spirits poured into the pass. The cultivators from Myriad Demon Ridge did not defend against the invading enemies on the city walls, because doing so would undoubtedly lead to greater casualties for their side. They chose to open up various gaps, allowing the Fire Spirits to rush into the city. This simultaneously weakened the pressure of resistance and allowed the cultivators within the city to utilize their geographical advantage. The entire Gushan City Pass instantly plunged into chaos.

Lu Ye was also killing enemies, coordinating with Ying Wuji and nearby Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators as their blades flashed continuously. But as they kept fighting, the two of them realized something was wrong. The number of Fire Spirits gathered around them showed no signs of decreasing; instead, it kept increasing. The Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators cooperating with them were all under immense pressure and perished one by one. In less than a quarter of an hour, there was no one else around them, only the two of them, relying on each other.

"Brother Niu, what's going on?" Ying Wuji wondered, stealing a glance elsewhere amidst the fighting. Other locations weren't enduring such fierce attacks at all. It was as if the Fire Spirits had singled out just the two of them.

Lu Ye wasn't sure what the problem was, but it was definitely related to their entry into the underground lava cave. Otherwise, there was no reason for something like this to happen. But when they entered the underground lava cave, they only collected some Fire Spirit Stones and gathered some things that had been carved multiple times; they encountered nothing special. Or perhaps... it was related to the stone platform beneath the solidified volcano? The stone platform had the function of testing innate talent. However, its most important use should have been to open the portal to the underground lava river. At that time, everyone tried to use the stone platform to test their talent; if it hadn't been for that, Lu Ye wouldn't have accidentally opened the portal at the end.

He couldn't figure it out at the moment, but being targeted by the Fire Spirits was an undeniable fact.

"Split up!" Lu Ye didn't know if the problem was with himself, Ying Wuji, or both. But if the problem was with Ying Wuji, then he naturally had no need to stick around with Ying Wuji and suffer. As he spoke, he bravely charged forward, cutting a path through the numerous Fire Spirits.

"Bastard!" Ying Wuji cursed angrily, never expecting Lu Ye to do such a thing. This was practically using himself as bait. Fortunately, his foundation was solid and his reaction was quick. Seeing Lu Ye charge out, he immediately burst out in another direction. During this, he didn't know how many attacks he endured, which left his spiritual power chaotic and his vital energy unstable.

The problem wasn't with Ying Wuji, or rather, not entirely with Ying Wuji. Even after separating from Ying Wuji, a large number of Fire Spirits still relentlessly pursued him. Thus, it could be confirmed that anyone who entered that lava cave was targeted, himself included, as was Ying Wuji.

But merely mining some Fire Spirit Stones shouldn't have caused the Fire Spirits to bear such a grudge. But on second thought, these Fire Spirits seemed to have lost their rationality. How they thought or acted couldn't be judged by normal reasoning. Just like in this battle, if the Divine Sea Realm Fire Spirit had retained even a shred of rationality, it would have been impossible for it to remain. It would have issued a retreat order long ago. Lu Ye wasn't sure what normal Fire Spirits were like, but this group of Fire Spirits before him was definitely abnormal.

The city was in chaos, with many cultivators clashing with Fire Spirits. Lu Ye darted back and forth, never staying in one place for too long to avoid being surrounded. By constantly moving and killing enemies, he was able to hold on with difficulty. In such a battlefield, True Lake Realm cultivators undoubtedly had a greater ability to survive. The highest casualties were still among Cloud River Realm cultivators. As for those Spirit Stream Realm cultivators who came here to earn battle merits and gain experience for future plans, the role they could play was truly limited. They could only huddle together and defend, and it was good enough if they didn't cause trouble for others.

Flames coiled around the Pan Mountain Blade, and with the dual Sharpness Spirit Mark active, the heavy, jet-black long saber became incomparably sharp, slicing through the bodies of one Fire Spirit after another. Suddenly, a great sense of alarm rose in his heart, as if a tremendous threat was approaching.

When Lu Ye looked up, he saw an imposing Fire Spirit charging towards him, its eyes burning like torches, its face frenzied. Its aura was violent, clearly that of a True Lake Realm Fire Spirit. Judging from the intensity of its aura, it seemed to be a True Lake Realm Seventh Layer Fire Spirit. Facing such a formidable enemy, Lu Ye naturally had no intention of engaging it in combat.

It hadn't been long since he advanced to the True Lake Realm, and he hadn't yet fought with other True Lake Realm cultivators. He still didn't know his own limits, but a True Lake Realm Seventh Layer Fire Spirit was certainly beyond his ability to handle. It wasn't that he hadn't encountered strong Fire Spirits before, but he had always led them to the True Lake Realm cultivators of Myriad Demon Ridge. Those True Lake Realm cultivators from Myriad Demon Ridge were quite decent. After realizing he was a True Lake Realm First Layer cultivator, they didn't need him to cry for help and actively intercepted his pursuers. This saved him a lot of trouble.

By the time Lu Ye noticed this strong Fire Spirit, the opponent was already close and delivered a fierce punch towards him. Flames burned on that fist, scorching the void. Lu Ye held his saber horizontally in front of him, intending to block the attack. However, just as the opponent's assault was about to land, it suddenly became exceptionally fierce. Even its already formidable aura surged significantly in that instant.

Lu Ye's pupils contracted. Not Seventh Layer, this guy was a Ninth Layer! These Fire Spirits had indeed lost their rationality, but their deeply ingrained combat experience remained. Feigning weakness then suddenly erupting — this was a common trick in combat. By the time Lu Ye realized this, it was already too late.

The Pan Mountain Blade, held horizontally in front of him, let out a harsh clang. Its heavy blade was bent from the impact, showing the immense power of that punch. In front of Lu Ye's chest, a newly formed Defense Spirit Mark shattered instantly. A violent force passed through the bent blade and slammed into his chest. In an instant, his vital energy surged. Lu Ye felt his heart stop for a moment, and he flew high into the air like a kite with a broken string.

While still in mid-air, several Fire Spirits nearby, with ferocious expressions, lunged at him. Lu Ye quickly stabilized himself, and with his Pan Mountain Blade, he unleashed several fierce saber lights, instantly killing the Fire Spirits trying to take advantage of him. He landed awkwardly, a mouthful of rebellious blood surged within him, and he ultimately couldn't hold it back, spitting out a mist of blood. Just one punch nearly inflicted severe injury on him. If he hadn't activated part of the power of his Defense Spirit Mark at the last moment, his life or death would have been uncertain under that punch.

But the crisis had only just begun. As he landed, Lu Ye already saw the strong Fire Spirit charging towards him again. Facing such a powerful enemy, turning to flee was no longer the best option. Presenting his back to the enemy would only lead to a quicker death. Yet, facing such a powerful enemy head-on, how much chance of victory could he have?

Although it was somewhat underhanded, Lu Ye's only hope now was for the True Lake Realm cultivators of Myriad Demon Ridge to quickly discover his situation and come to his rescue. Yet, under his spiritual perception, his location was completely surrounded by Fire Spirits. There was no sign of Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators anywhere.

This time... he was doomed! He might have to use that treasure to save his life. Compared to the pain of his injuries, Lu Ye's heart bled with distress. That treasure was a special reward from the Heavenly Secret after he returned from the Peerless Continent, worth a full 200,000 battle merits! To use it in a place like this would truly be a waste. Moreover, once that treasure was truly used, it would inevitably draw widespread attention, and then his identity might even be exposed. Therefore, unless it was a matter of life or death, he absolutely could not use it lightly.