Chapter 890: Harvest

Almost as soon as Lu Ye's divine sense probed her, Nian Yuexian turned her gaze. She calmly said, "Extending your divine sense from your body carries immense risk. If I were an enemy, I could sever your divine sense right now, causing damage to your soul. That's why even cultivators in the Divine Sea Realm rarely project their divine sense out of their bodies. You must be careful when doing so in the future."

After speaking, she looked away and gazed at the moon. Lu Ye silently took note, then extended his divine sense past her, continuing his exploration forward.

However, the further he went, the more difficult it became. Moreover, Lu Ye could clearly feel his soul power rapidly depleting. Within moments, he felt a sense of exhaustion.

He dared not continue his attempt and quickly retracted his divine sense.

When he opened his eyes again, his head felt somewhat groggy. He knew this was due to the excessive consumption of his soul power.

His Spirit Pool was ultimately still too small. Although he had already nurtured a soul body and given birth to divine sense, he still couldn't maintain it for long periods. However, through his recent attempt, he did confirm one thing.

His divine sense could explore an area of about one *li* in radius. This was much larger than the range his ordinary perception could cover, and the information gathered was also clearer and more comprehensive.

Feeling slightly fatigued, Lu Ye didn't hesitate and immediately consumed a drop of Soul Cleansing Water.

For others, Soul Cleansing Water was a rarity, but for him, it could be exchanged for military merits. In the Merit Pavilion, one drop of Soul Cleansing Water was worth thirteen thousand military merits, and even if he ran out, he could acquire more at any time.

What's more, he still had a considerable reserve, so there was no need for him to be stingy.

Speaking of which, it was precisely this open-minded attitude of his that allowed his soul to become strong enough, giving him the opportunity to turn danger into safety and gain from misfortune this time.

There was no rush to familiarize himself with divine sense. This matter itself wasn't difficult. For Lu Ye, it was just another means of scouting enemies and engaging in combat.

With time, he would gradually grow accustomed to it. It was time to examine his gains from this trip.

This time, he had gone to Balei Mountain to activate a Spirit Mark he had been anticipating for two or three months, but unexpectedly, due to a series of coincidences, so much had happened.

Not only did he acquire seven new Spirit Marks, but his Talent Tree also showed signs of undergoing a transformation, and he obtained a large quantity of Fire Spirit Stones.

Aside from putting himself in danger at the last moment to rescue Nian Yuexian, he could say he had gained a great deal.

But in that situation, he truly couldn't stand by and do nothing. Nian Yuexian's exposure and subsequent encirclement by several Divine Sea Realm cultivators from the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge was also because of him.

In this back-and-forth, they could consider themselves even. Among the seven newly acquired Spirit Marks, Lu Ye was not entirely sure about the effect of "Mimic Might." When Yiyi and Amber returned, he had already fallen into a coma.

He immediately sought out Yiyi to ask about the situation at the time. Upon learning that their combined strength could simulate the might of a Divine Sea Realm cultivator, he realized he had underestimated this Spirit Mark.

It certainly couldn't bring him any direct increase in strength, but at critical moments, this Spirit Mark could produce remarkable effects.

Taking this instance as an example, if Yiyi and Amber hadn't arrived at the last moment, braving the aura of a Divine Sea Realm cultivator, Wan Zhanggang wouldn't have retreated so easily. He might have truly fought Nian Yuexian to the death.

As for "Moon Reversal," there's even less need to say. This was the core Spirit Mark for counteracting large formations. Although Lu Ye's activation of it to block Wan Zhanggang's attack seemed to have little effect, it had actually produced miraculous results.

If he hadn't had Moon Reversal at that time, relying solely on Imperial Guard, he couldn't have withstood a single blow from a Divine Sea Realm cultivator, even if it was just a hurried, casual strike.

"Twin Phoenixes" was even more crucial to Nian Yuexian's rescue this time. Lu Ye hadn't yet tried "One Point of Understanding," which corresponded to it, but this Spirit Mark was not something to be tried casually, unless he used Yiyi as the test subject.

Besides these four Spirit Marks, the remaining three were "Thousand Faces," "Divided Shadow," and "Twin Lotus."

"Thousand Faces" was a disguise-type Spirit Mark. By activating this Spirit Mark, Lu Ye could change his appearance.

Long ago, he had wanted to buy a treasure that could change one's appearance from the Heavenly Secret Treasure Vault. Because he was well-known, many Ten Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators had seen his image, and there were many times he needed to hide his identity.

But he had never found anything suitable, and could only use masks as a substitute.

However, masks were ultimately too conspicuous. Although many cultivators did like to wear masks to conceal their true identities when acting, there were always times when wearing a mask was inconvenient.

For instance, when he had previously gone to Lone Mountain Pass with Ying Wuji, the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge powerhouses were busy dealing with the Fire Spirit Race's army attack and had no time to bother with him. Furthermore, since he was with Ying Wuji, the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge naturally assumed he was one of their own.

But in ordinary times, wearing a mask would draw more attention. If Lone Mountain City truly checked his identity, he would certainly not pass.

Now that he had the "Thousand Faces" Spirit Mark, he could completely discard his masks. With this Spirit Mark, he could freely conjure any face he could imagine!

However, compared to wearing a mask, the "Thousand Faces" Spirit Mark required the activation of spiritual power to maintain it. This was one of its drawbacks, unlike masks, which simply needed to be worn to take effect.

"Thousand Faces" was practical. "Divided Shadow" was also a very useful Spirit Mark. When activated, it could create a duplicate figure identical to himself, based on his own vitality and spiritual power. At critical moments, it could be used for escape or to confuse enemies.

This time, if he hadn't been carrying Nian Yuexian, when facing Wan Zhanggang's attack, he could have fully activated this Spirit Mark... As for how much effect this Spirit Mark could have in front of a powerful Divine Sea Realm cultivator, that remained unknown.

As for "Twin Lotus"...

This Spirit Mark was somewhat peculiar, somewhat similar to a combination of "Twin Phoenixes" and "One Point of Understanding," yet not entirely so.

Lu Ye was temporarily unsure of what situation to use this Spirit Mark in.

But having experienced the "Mimic Might" Spirit Mark, Lu Ye was still very much looking forward to this one. Spirit Marks that required dozens of leaves to manifest were no ordinary items. Even if he couldn't find the correct way to use it now, he should be able to discover something in the future.

Obtaining seven new Spirit Marks at once had already broken his previous record. This was mainly because the Talent Tree had absorbed too much energy from the Flaming Mountains volcano. Not only did it activate seven Spirit Marks, but the Talent Tree itself also showed signs of transforming.

The Talent Tree's transformation would certainly require absorbing a large amount of energy. Fortunately, he had acquired many Fire Spirit Stones on this trip.

The Fire Spirit Stones mined by Ying Wuji's team were all in his possession. These were only a portion; the real bulk was what he and Yiyi had found in the underground city.

Such a vast quantity should be enough for the Talent Tree's transformation.

Speaking of which, he and Yiyi had only searched a small area and already had such a harvest. If they had thoroughly searched the entire underground city, their gains would surely have been even greater.

There was also a hidden fire-attributed Earth Vein there. If he could obtain it, there was no telling what changes would occur to the Talent Tree.

Unfortunately, it would likely all benefit the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge now. The Fire Spirit Race army had failed to conquer Lone Mountain Pass and instead suffered heavy casualties. The Ten Thousand Demon Ridge would definitely resolve this hidden danger completely.

Once the Fire Spirit Race was eradicated, everything within the volcano would belong to the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge.

He felt a slight regret, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Here at Flaming Mountain Pass, it was just him and Nian Yuexian. Having just undergone a dangerous experience, they naturally needed to recuperate for a while.

Dismissing these thoughts, Lu Ye took out his Panshan Saber again. He drew the saber and examined it; his eye twitched slightly.

This time, while the gains were immense, there were also losses.

The biggest loss was the Panshan Saber. This artifact-grade long saber had taken a direct punch from Wan Zhanggang, and several cracks had appeared on its blade, clearly rendering it unfit for serious use.

Lu Ye couldn't just casually switch sabers unless the Panshan Saber was completely shattered.

Since he wouldn't switch sabers, he could only repair it.

He raised his hand and tapped his battlefield insignia, sending out a message.

He quickly received a response. He wondered why Master Yu was so free.

He flashed out and arrived beneath the large tree where Nian Yuexian was. Lu Ye looked up and called out, "Your Excellency, is there a Heavenly Secret Hall nearby?"

Logically, there should be one, but Lu Ye wasn't sure of its exact location.

"The center of the city. Go find it yourself," Nian Yuexian replied casually.

Lu Ye cupped his fists, withdrew, and swept towards the dilapidated city.

In no time, he reached the center of the city and found a relatively intact grand hall.

Upon entering, he indeed saw a Heavenly Secret Pillar standing tall there.

He stepped forward, placed his hand on the Heavenly Secret Pillar, and silently chanted in his mind: "Artifact promotion, Master Yu!"

The next moment, the world spun. When he regained his senses, he had already appeared in a room resembling a secret chamber.

In the center was a stone platform. Across from it, a woman in her thirties, with fair skin and a close-fitting floral dress, was already waiting.

Their eyes met. The woman spoke, her voice still ancient: "Young friend, has your strength improved again?"

The last time Lu Ye had entrusted her with an artifact promotion was during the Spirit Stream Hegemony Battle; his Xinyue Saber had also been promoted from a Spirit Artifact to an Artifact.

Logically speaking, he shouldn't have needed to seek her out so soon.

Yet, she unexpectedly received Lu Ye's message today, arranging to meet at their usual spot.

"No," Lu Ye didn't waste words. He directly handed over his Panshan Saber.

The woman took it, drew the saber to look, and her beautiful eyes couldn't help but narrow. It was an artifact she had personally crafted, and she knew how incredibly sturdy the Panshan Saber was, given its emphasis on being heavy and robust.

But now, several clear cracks were visible on the long saber, and judging by their patterns, they had clearly been caused by brute force.

"Were you beaten by a Divine Sea Realm cultivator?" The woman was extremely surprised.

Lu Ye was somewhat speechless. He hadn't said anything yet, yet this woman had deduced such information just by looking at the saber's blade. Clearly, she was a quick-witted individual.

"Interesting. You're actually still alive!" The woman chuckled softly.

The Panshan Saber had suffered such severe damage; there was no reason for the person wielding it to still be alive. Yet, Lu Ye stood right before her.

From this perspective, this young man before her must come from a top sect and possess some life-saving treasure. Otherwise, there was no way he could have survived.

"Name your price."

Having interacted several times, Lu Ye also roughly knew the woman's temperament, so he didn't bother to waste words with her.

Soon, both parties agreed upon the price and delivery time. They sealed a Heavenly Secret Contract, each leaving their mark on it.