Chapter 895: You Survive First, Then Talk

Lu Ye had no liking for such clandestine activities. His instincts told him not to get involved with this organization, as it would lead to significant trouble. As for the mysterious woman's life-saving grace, it was a non-issue; even without her intervention, Lu Ye was confident he could have escaped. In fact, her appearance only complicated matters.

With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Lu Ye immediately averted his gaze, preparing to fly over them while secretly maintaining caution. Since they dared to appear so openly here, they were likely members of the Grand Heavens Alliance, so there was no need to worry about being investigated.

"Is that Lu Yiye of the Crimson Blood Sect, Fellow Daoist Lu?" the person below called out loudly.

"No!" Lu Ye responded decisively.

Then, under the person's stunned gaze, he swiftly departed.

The other party showed no signs of pursuit, merely watching him leave.

Lu Ye frowned. The situation was somewhat different from what he had expected. But never mind. Since they weren't pursuing him, it saved him some trouble. It was more important to quickly reach Grand Heavens City and get his military rank promoted.

After flying for another moment, Lu Ye suddenly realized something was off. The surrounding scenery was too familiar, as if he had seen it just moments ago.

Looking up again, he saw an even more familiar spiritual peak come into view ahead. On top of the peak stood a figure wearing a white mask.

Lu Ye's expression grew serious. Something was indeed wrong.

Before he even got close, the person in the distance shouted, "Is that Lu Yiye of the Crimson Blood Sect, Fellow Daoist Lu?"

It was as if time had rewound, and he was experiencing the same event again.

This time, Lu Ye couldn't even be bothered to respond. He simply changed direction and flew off in another way.

A moment later, he encountered the spiritual peak again, and once more saw the cultivator on it, who tirelessly asked, "Is that Lu Yiye of the Crimson Blood Sect, Fellow Daoist Lu?"

Lu Ye gave him a long, hard look. Meeting the mischievous gaze beneath the mask, he knew without a doubt that he had fallen into their trap.

He ignored the person, turned in another direction, activated his Insight Spiritual Mark to enhance his vision, and flew while observing his surroundings. He continuously experienced the same scene, encountered the same spiritual peak and the same person, and heard the same question.

Lu Ye initially thought he had stumbled into a grand formation, but after observing carefully for a long time, he confirmed it wasn't. Even the most intricate formation would reveal some clues to his current level of formation mastery, especially with his Insight Spiritual Mark. Yet, he hadn't found any traces of a formation.

If it wasn't a grand formation, then it had to be a treasure! A treasure capable of forming its own space, like the Nine Formations Diagram!

Lu Ye grew inwardly wary. Although he was only in the first level of the True Lake Realm, he had already developed divine sense, making his perception extremely keen. For someone to trap him here without him noticing, the perpetrator had to be a formidable cultivator in the Divine Sea Realm!

The person who had called out to him earlier was not in the Divine Sea Realm; they were merely in the True Lake Realm. In other words, there was a greater power behind this person. "Is that Lu Yiye of the Crimson Blood Sect, Fellow Daoist Lu?" the voice called out again.

Lu Ye landed in front of him, sized him up, and gave a slight nod. "Indeed, it is I!" The other party had already made their move and identified him; denying it was pointless.

"I've long admired your reputation," the person said, cupping a fist in greeting. "What is it?"

"My superior wishes to meet with you, Fellow Daoist."

"Your superior?" Lu Ye narrowed his eyes slightly. "If they wish to see me, why the need for such secrecy? Why not come openly?"

"There are some reasons that are difficult to explain. Please forgive us, Fellow Daoist," the masked cultivator said, lowering his head slightly as if apologizing.

"Lead the way then."

The masked cultivator replied, "However, before that, I must test your abilities, to see if you are qualified to meet my superior."

Although his words were polite, Lu Ye couldn't help but be amused. "Your superior wants to see me, but first, I must prove my worth?"

"Please forgive me, Fellow Daoist!"

"Forgive me or not..." Lu Ye scoffed, "You'd better survive first!" Did they really think he was made of clay, to be manipulated at will?

As his words fell, a dazzling blade light swept down. The masked cultivator clearly hadn't expected Lu Ye to strike so suddenly and hastily conjured his spirit artifact to block in front of him.

The very next moment, his expression changed dramatically. He had initially not paid much attention to Lu Ye, seeing him as merely a first-level True Lake Realm cultivator. Even though he had gathered intelligence about Lu Ye's various exploits, knowing he was skilled at fighting opponents of higher realms, he had still underestimated him. Only after truly engaging in combat did he realize that Lu Ye's foundation was far deeper than he had anticipated.

An irresistible force, imbued with incredibly violent spiritual power, enveloped Lu Ye. Wielding his long saber, he embodied the saber intent of the Overlord Saber Art. A powerful sense of oppression and aggression swept over the masked cultivator, making him feel a sudden tightness in his chest. One must know that his cultivation was several minor levels higher than Lu Ye's. Such monstrous strength and profound foundation were simply terrifying; he couldn't help but feel shocked.

Clanging sounds of spirit artifacts clashing continuously echoed as the masked cultivator steadily retreated, finding himself suppressed for a time, until, with a loud crack, the long saber in Lu Ye's hand shattered. His Pan Shan Saber was still undergoing refinement. The saber he had just used was merely a long saber of a similar style, a trophy obtained from who knew where. Being only a high-grade spirit artifact, how could it withstand such fierce strikes from Lu Ye?

The offensive suddenly slowed. Although Lu Ye immediately drew another long saber, the masked cultivator, being a True Lake Realm cultivator himself, wouldn't miss such a good opportunity. Just as he was about to counterattack, his body paused, and the next moment, he rapidly retreated, shouting, "Fellow Daoist Lu, there will be other opportunities. Let us part ways here."

It seemed he had received some instruction and had withdrawn. Lu Ye wanted to pursue, but a formidable power swept over him from the front. He quickly halted his steps, and the impact sent him reeling back several dozen feet before he could stabilize himself.

Looking up again, the masked cultivator was nowhere to be seen; he had already fled. The surrounding scenery seemed to twist and shift, and Lu Ye knew that the hidden master's technique had been rendered ineffective.

Standing there, Lu Ye frowned, muttering about bad luck. He didn't know who the Divine Sea Realm master behind the scenes was, but it was clear that person had intervened to stop him. However, the opponent didn't seem to have any intention of killing him; otherwise, they would have directly appeared and attacked. Yet, the other party had said they wanted to meet him, only to rush off. He wondered what had happened. Unable to figure it out, he stopped thinking about it. He knew he would surely cross paths with this mysterious organization again; sooner or later, everything would become clear.

Orienting himself, he once again flew towards Grand Heavens City. This time, the journey was extremely smooth, with no recurrence of the time-reversing phenomena.

A hundred miles away, two figures stood. One was the masked cultivator, and the other was a spirited old man.

Recalling his brief exchange with Lu Ye, the masked cultivator still looked shocked. Despite being several minor levels higher in cultivation than Lu Ye, he hadn't gained the slightest advantage. This meant that in a life-or-death battle, he might not even be a match for Lu Ye. This was truly exaggerated. For someone's foundation to be this strong... one must remember that he himself was an elite disciple capable of fighting above his cultivation level.

"My Lord, has Nianyue Xian arrived?" he asked, dispelling the distracting thoughts in his mind.

"No."

"If not, then why the hasty retreat? Didn't you wish to meet him, My Lord?"

"There's no need anymore," the old man slowly shook his head. The reason for wanting to meet Lu Ye was twofold: first, to assess his foundation, which had just been verified as remarkably exceptional, fully meeting the organization's recruitment requirements. Second, to examine Lu Ye's temperament, on which the old man had also formed a judgment. With the objectives met, there was naturally no need for a further meeting. Meeting him would only increase Lu Ye's aversion, making it counterproductive.

"This time, I was indeed mistaken," the old man said, stroking his beard. Though a powerful Divine Sea Realm cultivator, he made no attempt to hide his error. "I thought he was just a young True Lake Realm cultivator who had recently advanced, someone easily impressed with a little display of skill. I didn't expect to overdo it. It's fine that we didn't meet. This young man is proud and a bit rebellious. If you interact with him in the future, do not harbor any ulterior motives; you must treat him with sincerity."

"Understood," the masked cultivator responded respectfully. "Then, regarding his recruitment..."

"The time is not yet right," the old man interrupted. "Someone like him will eventually see the problem for himself. When that happens, he will naturally develop ideals consistent with ours. If so, even if we don't formally recruit him, he will still be one of us!"

The masked cultivator mused over this.

"You may go," the old man waved his hand.

The masked cultivator clasped his fists in a bow and respectfully withdrew. The old man then looked up in the direction of the Crimson Blood Sect, pondered for a moment, then flew off, heading straight towards it. He hadn't seen that old fellow Tang Yifeng in many years and wondered how he was doing.

The sudden encounter had delayed him somewhat, but the rest of his journey was uneventful. By evening, the vast Grand Heavens City came into view.

After flying for another moment, he finally arrived at Grand Heavens City. Having learned from his previous visit, Lu Ye didn't bother looking for the city gates but instead went straight inside. Compared to his last visit, Grand Heavens City was undoubtedly much quieter. The flow of cultivators was not as frequent or dense as before. His last visit was due to a special circumstance: the rare occurrence of a realm convergence, a phenomenon encountered by this generation's Cloud River Realm cultivators. With countless Cloud River Realm cultivators having nowhere else to go, they had all flocked to Grand Heavens City and were subsequently dispatched to various passes. The number of Cloud River Realm cultivators in the major passes was now far greater than before, with only the Azure Flame Mountain Pass being unique, having only four members, including Amber.

Entering Grand Heavens City, he followed his memory from his last visit and headed directly towards the Bureau of Personnel Affairs. Before reaching the Bureau of Personnel Affairs, a familiar figure suddenly flew towards him from ahead. It was none other than Qian Wudang, the head of the Bureau of Law Enforcement, and also the one who had thrown him into prison last time. Seeing him from afar, Lu Ye instinctively recoiled, shrinking his neck, and prepared to change direction to avoid the man.