Chapter 900: If You Have the Skill, Try to Stop Me

Winds Stir Kyushu

Lu Ye hadn't expected his earlier precaution to be validated so swiftly.

A golden lock, a gift from Nian Yuexian, hung around his neck. Outside his Divine Sea, two dragon shadows offered protection, while inside, the soul artifact, Soul Suppressing Pagoda, stood guard.

Not to mention a mere Divine Sea Realm second layer cultivator, even if he were to face Wanzhang Gang again, his soul would remain unscathed.

As Ning Hu's divine sense assault erupted, Lu Ye distinctly felt the golden lock on his neck bloom into an invisible barrier, attempting to intercept the attack.

While it had some minor effect, it wasn't significant. The invisible, formless assault hurtled directly towards Lu Ye's mind, yet before it could reach his Divine Sea, it was intercepted by the Twin Dragons Protecting the Sea technique unleashed by the two dragons.

Lu Ye's Divine Sea, guarded by the Soul Suppressing Pagoda, remained perfectly undisturbed.

Taking the opportunity, his long saber also slashed down!

Ning Hu clearly hadn't anticipated this turn of events. When the Law Enforcement Department's enforcement squad arrived, he offered no resistance—not because he wished to die or was willing to surrender, but because he had an ace up his sleeve.

If he were truly a True Lake Realm cultivator, under the dual restraints of the Six-Element Spirit Sealing Lock and Dragon Binding Ropes, he would naturally have been forced to comply.

But as early as eight years prior, he had quietly ascended to the Divine Sea Realm, and now possessed the cultivation of a Divine Sea Realm second layer cultivator!

The Six-Element Spirit Sealing Lock could seal spiritual power, but it was powerless against divine sense. He could break free from his restraints at any moment!

He merely wished to speak a few words with An Mofeng before completely shedding his disguise, which explains his cooperative demeanor.

Everyone had underestimated him, and in turn, he had underestimated Lu Ye. But then again, who could have imagined that a mere True Lake Realm first layer cultivator would be completely unaffected by a divine sense assault?

It's worth noting that even True Lake Realm ninth layer cultivators like An Mofeng and Geng Wuwang were momentarily disoriented by his divine sense assault.

Underestimating an opponent naturally comes at a price.

His hastily condensed protective spiritual power failed to fully block Lu Ye's sharp saber. Where the blade struck, it forcefully carved a wound across Ning Hu's chest.

Blood splattered. Ning Hu, wincing in pain, swiftly broke free from the two Dragon Binding Ropes. Violent spiritual power surged as he unleashed a punch.

The punch was impossibly fast. In that instant, the gaunt old man unleashed power that would make any True Lake Realm cultivator despair.

Within Lu Ye's vision, the fist shadow rapidly expanded, overwhelming everything. An aura of death swept over him.

Lu Ye's mind was clearer than ever before. The long saber in his hand slowly danced, evolving into a profound saber stance. On the blade, fire light surged, and the twisting flames, as if alive, swiftly outlined and transformed into an intricate and complex pattern.

Moon Reversal!

This spirit pattern, which had achieved a miraculous feat in the battle against Wanzhang Gang, reappeared.

Moon Reversal shattered, and with it, several defensive barriers Lu Ye had hastily conjured also broke apart. The fist shadow crashed into the saber's blade, then slammed heavily into Lu Ye's body.

A muffled groan merged with the sound of fracturing bones. Lu Ye was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, landing awkwardly in the lake.

"Hmm?" Ning Hu's expression again registered confusion.

Frankly, the shock Lu Ye had delivered in such a short time was immense. It was one thing to be unaffected by his divine sense assault, but to survive his direct punch was truly astonishing!

He distinctly felt the might of Moon Reversal. Under the influence of that profound spirit pattern, a portion of the force he unleashed was unexpectedly repelled, further weakening his attack.

It appeared his opponent had then employed additional defensive techniques, which explained how he was injured but not killed.

"Which sect does this disciple belong to? As expected of someone from a major sect. Xianxia Mountain will likely never cultivate such a talent."

The exchange between Lu Ye and Ning Hu lasted only a fleeting moment, but this brief delay was precisely what saved the lives of the others.

Otherwise, given the situation just moments ago, Ning Hu could have easily killed everyone.

As Lu Ye plunged into the water, An Mofeng and Geng Wuwang simultaneously regained their composure.

An Mofeng's face contorted in utter despair. "You're a Divine Sea Realm cultivator?!"

If he had harbored even a faint glimmer of hope before, that illusion was utterly shattered the moment Ning Hu revealed his true cultivation.

If he weren't a hidden agent of Ten Thousand Demon Ridge, why would he conceal his cultivation for so long? Moreover, Ning Hu himself had already admitted to it.

"Gate Master An, move!" Geng Wuwang roared, his body visibly swelling as qi, blood, and spiritual power surged across his surface. He fearlessly charged towards Ning Hu.

He hadn't expected his mission target to be a Divine Sea Realm cultivator; this was beyond the capabilities of Squad Alpha-3.

A Divine Sea Realm target was simply beyond the capabilities of their group of True Lake Realm cultivators.

This mission was likely to end in peril!

Yet he naturally wouldn't abandon his comrades and flee. Moreover, attempting to escape from a Divine Sea Realm cultivator was unrealistic.

All they could do now was combine his strength with An Mofeng's and attempt to slay Ning Hu!

"Hoping for my useless senior brother? You've mistaken your man!" Ning Hu shed his previous decrepit appearance, his gaze turning as sharp as an eagle's. "If Xianxia Mountain had been entrusted to me back then, it would have long ascended to the Upper Third Rank; how could it have stagnated until now?!"

As he finished speaking, he met Geng Wuwang's attack with a fist-to-fist collision.

Geng Wuwang's body reeled from the powerful blow, causing him to spurt blood. But that wasn't all. Taking the opportunity, Ning Hu seized his wrist, yanking Geng Wuwang closer, and delivered another punch directly to his heart. His movements were incredibly swift and precise, clearly those of a seasoned combatant.

A loud boom echoed.

Behind Geng Wuwang, his back visibly bulged for an instant. As a visible wave of qi exploded outwards, blood gushed from his mouth.

The immense disparity in their cultivation realms meant Ning Hu could easily overwhelm Geng Wuwang, a True Lake Realm ninth layer cultivator, even without resorting to his divine sense.

Releasing his grip, Ning Hu watched as the weakened Geng Wuwang slid down and fell into the lake.

Ning Hu turned and cast a cold gaze at An Mofeng. "Senior Brother, if you had attacked with him just now, though you couldn't have defeated me, you could have at least held me for a moment. What are you hesitating for? Are you going to continue being so naive? You truly are a disappointment! Xianxia Mountain is destined for ruin in your hands. Since that's the case, perhaps I should destroy it first!"

With that, he ascended into the air and swept directly towards the inner reaches of the sect.

An Mofeng, a man of broad compassion, recalled Ning Hu's earlier words and his temperament from younger days, and quickly pursued him. "Stop! Even if you truly are a spy from Ten Thousand Demon Ridge, the sect has nurtured and taught you for years. You cannot do this!"

"You are still so stubbornly misguided! When will you ever wake up? I'm going to destroy the sect right now! If you're so capable of lecturing me on grand principles, then stop me!"

The two figures swiftly receded into the distance, one pursuing the other. The tranquility that typically pervaded this place was shattered. Only after they were gone did a series of disheveled figures scramble out—they were the members of Squad Alpha-3.

Under the divine sense assault, everyone except Geng Wuwang, the strongest, and Lu Ye, who had an unexpected advantage, had fallen into the water, and only now were they regaining their senses.

They scrambled out of the water, landing on the lakeside, each of them coughing uncontrollably and looking utterly disheveled.

Mu Zheng, the most observant among them, turned her head and gasped. "Where are the Captain and Lu Ye?"

They were nowhere to be seen. However, while they were submerged, they had distinctly felt the commotion of a powerful exchange. Looking towards the small boat floating on the water, they saw a pool of blood clearly spreading across the surface.

"The Captain... he couldn't have..." Mu Zheng's eyes reddened. Kang Yuanqiao immediately rose, intending to re-enter the water to search.

Just then, with a splash, Amber, having reverted to his true form, emerged from the lake, carrying Lu Ye on his back and gently holding Geng Wuwang in his mouth.

"Captain!" several exclaimed, rushing forward to check on their condition.

A quick examination revealed that Geng Wuwang's injuries were severe; he had already slipped into a coma.

Although Lu Ye was conscious, he too appeared injured.

"What do we do?" Mu Zheng was momentarily at a loss. They had expected an easy mission, but who could have foreseen such a sudden turn of events? Four out of their six-member squad had been incapacitated the instant the enemy turned hostile—it was utterly humiliating.

"First, send word back," Kang Yuanqiao stated, pulling out his guard token. Such a sudden turn of events was no longer their responsibility; it was a failure on the part of the intelligence department, resulting in flawed mission information.

In this situation, their only course of action was to send an urgent message. Hao Tian City would then dispatch nearby Divine Sea Realm cultivators to deal with the matter.

But that would take time...

Shrill screams and shouts erupted from not far away, accompanied by the aftershocks of intense combat. Clearly, Ning Hu was on a ruthless killing spree.

With his identity fully exposed, he could no longer remain in Bingzhou. However, before departing, he evidently intended to do something more.

He hadn't wiped out all six members of the enforcement squad, not out of benevolence, but out of apprehension for the Law Enforcement Department.

If he were to truly eliminate the entire enforcement squad here, even if he managed to flee back to Ten Thousand Demon Ridge, he would perpetually have to guard against retaliation from the Law Enforcement Department. Once marked by them in such a way, a good night's sleep would become a luxury.

"This is a dangerous place; we shouldn't linger. Let's leave quickly," Xiao Ruyun said, his face grim.

Kang Yuanqiao slowly shook his head. "If we simply leave like this, we cannot fulfill our duty."

"What duty can't be fulfilled? There were errors in the mission intelligence; the fault isn't ours! Are we meant to stay here and await death?"

"If we go now and join forces with the people from Xianxia Mountain, we might yet be able to take down Ning Hu!"

While Divine Sea Realm cultivators are indeed formidable, Ning Hu is only at the second layer of that realm. If their True Lake Realm cultivators, combined with the True Lake Realm cultivators still stationed at Xianxia Mountain, truly worked together, even if they couldn't defeat him, they could at least pin him down. However, they would undoubtedly need to be prepared to die.

"It's likely too late to go now. Since Ning Hu has already made his move, he will surely prioritize targeting Xianxia Mountain's True Lake Realm cultivators. He didn't kill us before only because he feared the Law Enforcement Department. If we were to truly approach him, do you think he would show mercy? He's willing to kill his own sect members—what wouldn't such a person do?"

"But our Law Enforcement Department is inherently responsible for maintaining internal stability and eliminating external threats. How can we stand by and do nothing when faced with such a situation?"

The two immediately became embroiled in a fierce argument.

If Geng Wuwang were still conscious, everything would naturally follow his command. But since he had fallen into a coma, the squad was suddenly left leaderless.