Chapter 946: Bi Xue Sect’s Lu Yiye, Returns!

At Darkmoon Forest Pass, Lin Yue was only a minor pass master; Zhang Kun was the major one. Although Zhang Kun's reproaches weren't entirely reasonable—the two factions had been fighting for years, always killing each other—if the matter were truly investigated, the root cause would indeed lie with Li Taibai.

As these thoughts ran through his mind, his decision was made, but the time wasn't right yet, so he put the plan on hold.

Two days later, Elder You examined Lu Ye and said, "Young friend, your physique is strong, and your physical injuries are no longer a concern. However, I am powerless regarding your soul wounds. You should rest and recover in peace; perhaps one day you will heal."

This was, of course, a comforting remark; Elder You himself didn't believe that Li Taibai's wounded soul would ever recover.

"Thank you, Elder You," Lu Ye said, bowing his thanks. He watched Elder You leave and only withdrew his gaze after a long moment.

It was time to proceed with the next step of his plan!

After all, he was Lu Yiye of the Haotian Alliance, not Li Taibai of the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge. He had come to Darkmoon Forest Pass by chance, but he couldn't stay here indefinitely.

He had already intended to find an opportunity to leave, but the timing hadn't been right.

The attack on Jinglan Lake Pass and Liu Yuemei's actions had presented him with the perfect opportunity.

A True Lake Realm third-level cultivator with severe soul wounds, who had no future to speak of... surely Lin Yue wouldn't try to keep him.

With his mind made up, Lu Ye left his room and went to Lin Yue's living quarters, where he was soon summoned.

After a few pleasantries, Lin Yue asked about Lu Ye's current injuries. Lu Ye answered truthfully, but he found Lin Yue's attitude somewhat strange, though he couldn't pinpoint why.

"My lady, I have come to request my resignation," Lu Ye stated his purpose.

"Resignation?" Lin Yue was somewhat surprised.

Lu Ye nodded. "Elder You said my soul wounds are difficult to heal, and only a great fortuitous encounter could possibly fix them. I wish to leave here and travel around; perhaps I can find such an opportunity."

Lin Yue nodded slightly, understanding Lu Ye's intention.

There was no reason to stop him. She had already intended to transfer Lu Ye away from Darkmoon Forest Pass, so that her niece wouldn't be saddened upon seeing his condition once she recovered.

She also wouldn't allow a Li Taibai with no future to hinder her niece's prospects.

She hadn't expected Lu Ye to resign before she even brought up the matter, which suited her perfectly.

"Have you decided?" Lin Yue asked.

Lu Ye didn't respond, instead staring blankly at a spot. Lin Yue followed his gaze but saw nothing. She sighed inwardly, realizing this was the dazed symptom Elder You had mentioned, a result of soul injury.

In such a state, he couldn't concentrate, making it naturally difficult to continue cultivation.

After a while, Lu Ye seemed to snap back to reality, rubbing his forehead. "My lady, forgive me for being momentarily distracted. What did you just ask?"

Lin Yue helplessly repeated, "Have you decided to leave?"

"Yes, I humbly ask for your approval."

"Since you've made your decision, I won't stop you. However, there's one thing I need your help with."

"Please tell me, my lady."

"You probably understand Yao'er's feelings for you, and I can see you don't reciprocate them. So, after you leave, I will tell Yao'er that you died in battle. You won't need to contact her again in the future... Have you two exchanged battlefield imprint marks?"

"No," Lu Ye shook his head. Of course, he wouldn't have actively exchanged imprints with Tong Shuyao, and she had probably been too shy to bring it up earlier. Thus, they had no way of contacting each other, and Tong Shuyao couldn't determine his fate via an imprint.

"That's good then. I hope you can agree to this."

"I certainly won't mislead Senior Sister Tong; please rest assured, My Lady."

"You are a clever one," Lin Yue said, looking at Lu Ye with satisfaction. "When do you plan to leave?"

"If you approve, My Lady, I'll leave now."

"Very well," Lin Yue nodded, taking out a storage bag. "Take these; they should be useful later. If you ever recover from your injuries, you can come find me again."

"Thank you, My Lady!" Lu Ye took the storage bag. "Then I shall take my leave!"

Stepping out of Lin Yue's quarters, Lu Ye didn't linger. He channeled his spiritual power, soaring into the sky and out of Darkmoon Forest Pass.

By the window, Lin Yue watched the direction Lu Ye had left, her expression slightly complicated. Finally, she sighed.

Having left Darkmoon Forest Pass, Lu Ye sped along.

He hadn't expected his resignation to be granted so easily. Connecting this to the storage bag Lin Yue had given him, a thought popped into his mind.

Lin Yue probably also wanted him to leave Darkmoon Forest Pass but hadn't had the chance to tell him. Otherwise, why would she have prepared a storage bag in advance?

He opened the storage bag and briefly checked its contents. It held some cultivation resources, not particularly valuable, but better than nothing.

Indeed, Lin Yue had certainly wanted him to leave Darkmoon Forest Pass.

Putting himself in her shoes, a True Lake Realm third-level cultivator with no future naturally wasn't worth much attention. Moreover, the fact that this person was a concern for one of her juniors made him even less desirable.

This suited Lu Ye perfectly.

As he traveled, he occasionally displayed a bewildered expression or acted as if he had a splitting headache, all symptoms of severe soul injury.

Only after entering Liyuan did Lu Ye find a hidden spot to land.

Next, he needed to figure out how to return to Cangyan Mountain Pass.

He should have returned immediately after leaving the Sword Artifact Sect's secret realm, but unforeseen circumstances had delayed him for several days.

Nian Yuexian had sent him messages several times, asking about his situation, but Lu Ye had always found excuses to put her off.

If he didn't return to Cangyan Mountain soon, Nian Yuexian might come looking for him herself.

When he came, Shadow Wuji had served as a guide, and they had traveled swiftly. Returning, however, wouldn't be as smooth.

After a moment's thought, Lu Ye tapped his battlefield imprint and sent a message: "Little Shadow, still alive?"

Nian Yuexian had taken Shadow Wuji with her earlier, so Lu Ye wasn't entirely sure what had happened afterward. However, Shadow Wuji's battlefield imprint mark was still active, indicating he was alive.

At Solitary Mountain City Pass, Shadow Wuji, who was recuperating in his dwelling, checked the message, his eye twitching uncontrollably...

Little Shadow...

Now Lu Yiye was even calling him that!

If anyone unaware of the situation found out, they might suspect he had some unspeakable relationship with Lu Yiye.

He immediately replied: "Severely injured, do not disturb!"

He absolutely couldn't get involved with Lu Yiye any further; it would only entangle him more deeply. Besides, he truly couldn't stay at Solitary Mountain City Pass any longer; he needed to find a way to be transferred quickly.

"How did you get injured?" Lu Ye asked, startled.

"You know perfectly well! Ask your Junior Sister Narcissus!" Shadow Wuji was seething as he recalled that day's encounter.

After leaving the Sword Artifact Sect's secret realm, Nian Yuexian had simply taken him and left. Naturally, they had encountered many Spirit Sea Realm cultivators from the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge who chased and intercepted them. How could Shadow Wuji possibly participate in battles of that caliber? He had silently endured the aftershocks of one battle after another; it was a miracle he hadn't died.

His injuries were no less severe than Lu Ye's had been previously.

Fortunately, Nian Yuexian hadn't actually intended to kill him; she had simply abandoned him when she realized his injuries were severe, which allowed him to survive.

"Then rest and recover. We'll meet again if there's a chance."

"...Get lost!"

Ending his communication with Shadow Wuji, Lu Ye fell silent for a moment.

He had originally thought of having Shadow Wuji guide him once more, but now Shadow Wuji was severely injured, making it impossible to rely on him.

He couldn't openly travel towards Cangyan Mountain Pass under the identity of Li Taibai.

Given this, he could only sneak back to Cangyan Mountain Pass himself. It wasn't particularly difficult, just time-consuming.

Maintaining Li Taibai's appearance, Lu Ye activated his Concealment Spirit Rune to enhance himself and headed towards Cangyan Mountain Pass. This way, even if he were accidentally discovered, he could bluff his way through using Li Taibai's identity.

Traveling by night and resting by day, his journey was surprisingly uneventful.

After all, not every area was as bustling as Liyuan had been. The front lines of the two factions' confrontation covered a vast territory, and even if every pass had patrols, they couldn't cover everything.

It took him nearly two days to reach the vicinity of Cangyan Mountain Pass. Only then did Lu Ye reveal himself, putting away his sword gourd and the sword at his waist. He also changed the color of his Crimson Dragon Battle Robe to black and dispelled the Thousand Faces Spirit Rune he had maintained for days.

Lu Yiye of the Haotian Alliance, returned!

He took Amber out of his Spirit Beast Pouch. Yi Yi immediately popped out to get some air, pouting, "Lu Ye, where did you go this time? You didn't let us out for so long."

Lu Ye then recounted his recent experiences in detail, which made Amber's tiger eyes widen and left Yi Yi speechless with awe.

The spirit and the tiger were secretly worried, yet they yearned to fight alongside Lu Ye.

However, many people knew that Amber was Lu Yiye's spirit beast from the Jadeblood Sect, making it a highly recognizable mark. Thus, Amber absolutely could not appear while he was disguised as Li Taibai of the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge.

"That Liu Yuemei is utterly rotten! We must get revenge if we ever get the chance!" Yi Yi fumed indignantly.

Lu Ye remained quite calm. "From her perspective, wanting to kill me is normal. However, using public resources for personal gain is a major taboo for those in power. I wonder if Haotian City knows about this."

"Is Third Senior Brother's situation difficult there?"

"It's certainly not good. If we get the chance, we should go and see him together."

"Okay, okay!" Yi Yi nodded enthusiastically. She had a good impression of this Third Senior Brother whom she had never met. After all, she knew that he had compiled all his insights on saber techniques and given them to Lu Ye without holding anything back.

As they were talking, Lu Ye suddenly felt something and turned his head to look in a certain direction.

He saw a streak of light rapidly approaching, followed by several figures in hot pursuit.

Lu Ye strained his eyes to look at the leading streak of light and was astonished. He realized the person approaching was an acquaintance, someone he had met only recently.

The other person clearly noticed him too and was overjoyed, about to call for help. However, their face instantly blanched.

This was because Lu Ye had drawn the long saber from his waist and, moving like lightning, charged towards her, bringing his saber down in a strike!