Chapter 982: From Never Holding Grudges

"Captain, he's coming!" the spirit boat operator suddenly exclaimed. The masked figure, who had been flying alongside them, had abruptly turned and was now soaring straight towards them.

His aura was aggressive, and his spiritual power surged. This was clearly hostile.

Zhou Kui roared, "Lu Ye, you've got some nerve!"

He couldn't comprehend what Lu Ye was up to, daring to openly attack them, and alone at that.

They had clashed previously at Hundred Fragrance Pavilion, an encounter where Zhou Kui had suffered some losses. That incident made him realize that while Lu Ye's cultivation might be lower, his physical strength was in no way inferior.

However, their previous fight had been restrained; neither had used their full power. With a four-minor-realm cultivation gap, Zhou Kui was confident that if he went all out, Lu Ye would be no match for him.

Losing face at the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion's private courtyard had festered in his mind. That's why he had uttered threats when he saw Lu Ye at the Hunting Pavilion just now. He never imagined that before he could seek Lu Ye out, Lu Ye would come to him instead.

Despite his anger, Zhou Kui felt a surge of delight.

Since Lu Ye was initiating the attack, any counter-attack would be justified. Even if the matter escalated to the Chief Administrator, he would still be in the right.

Today, he would teach him a severe lesson and vent his pent-up frustration.

As these thoughts raced through his mind, Zhou Kui let out a furious shout, stepped out of the spirit boat, and shot straight towards Lu Ye to meet him head-on.

His spiritual power and vital essence surged, forming a thick, sturdy protective layer around his body. His entire aura reached its peak in an instant.

He threw a punch. *Zheng!* A long saber was drawn, and a flash of blade light struck towards his surging spiritual power. The Panshan Saber was with Lu Ye's clone; the weapon he was currently using was a backup saber. Though not as high quality as the Panshan Saber, it was still quite handy. The saber met his fist in a momentary standoff, as Lu Ye's spiritual power surged and clashed with his. Zhou Kui's expression changed. He immediately felt the blade's sharpness; the defense formed by his vital essence and spiritual power was showing signs of breaking. He dared not continue the standoff; if his defense shattered, his bare physical body might not withstand the blade. He immediately threw another punch, powerful and heavy.

Body cultivators, when their cultivation is not very high, often use defensive gear like shields. This is because their vital essence isn't strong enough, and their physique isn't robust enough at lower levels. Such gear can effectively mitigate damage and better protect themselves and their companions. However, once their cultivation reaches Zhou Kui's level, the defense formed by their vital essence and spiritual power is superior to even high-grade defensive artifacts. For a body cultivator, their strong physique *is* the best defense. Therefore, high-level body cultivators rarely use defensive treasures. If their own powerful physique cannot be relied upon, then no defensive artifact would be of any use.

Facing Zhou Kui's second incoming punch, Lu Ye ignored it. He pressed his long saber downwards, and his already ferocious spiritual power surged even more violently. A spiritual light flashed across the saber. This was the Double-Edge Spirit Mark activated! Zhou Kui's face drastically changed. In that instant, he clearly felt his defense being torn apart. The long saber carved a bloody, bone-deep wound across his fist. It was fortunate that Zhou Kui's physique was immensely strong; otherwise, another cultivator would likely have had their arm split in two by that blade. Intense pain washed over him, yet Zhou Kui's expression remained exceptionally calm. He deflected Lu Ye's saber, and his second punch continued its trajectory, its momentum undiminished. The punch struck Lu Ye's chest, but had little effect. A Guardian Spirit Mark shielded him from the brunt of the blow. Although the Guardian Mark shattered, it ultimately weakened the majority of the punch's force.

Lu Ye retracted his saber and assumed an offensive stance. Zhou Kui instantly felt a chilling dread, as if he were lost in an endless starry sky. Then, countless points of light surged towards him, overwhelming him. There were so many lights that for a moment, he didn't know how to react. Fortunately, his combat experience was vast. Facing such a crisis, he quickly curled into a ball, crossing his arms to protect his vital areas around his chest. *Chichichi* sounds erupted, and droplets of blood sprayed outwards. Zhou Kui's body rapidly plummeted downwards, riddled with countless small punctures.

"Captain!" cries of alarm rang out, as several figures burst from the spirit boat. They were members of Team Alpha-7. They hadn't intended to intervene, given their captain's True Lake Fourth-level cultivation. In Bing Province, who could possibly challenge him, unless it was Ni Guangjie herself? But they never imagined that in just a brief exchange, their captain would suffer such a significant disadvantage. Unable to hold back any longer, they all flashed out.

In mid-air, Lu Ye closely pursued Zhou Kui's falling figure, his long saber continuously hacking down. Although Zhou Kui desperately activated his power to defend himself, the long saber, enhanced by the Double-Edge Spirit Mark, was incredibly sharp. Coupled with Lu Ye's current True Lake Seventh-level cultivation, there was no defense he couldn't cleave through. Each strike inflicted a new wound, and blood constantly splattered. However, Zhou Kui was, after all, a body cultivator with profound foundations. While Lu Ye could breach his defenses, killing him would require considerable effort, unless he used his divine sense. Furthermore, Lu Ye had no intention of killing him.

Half an hour ago, he had no intention of troubling Zhou Kui. He knew Zhou Kui held a grudge against him because of Zhou Wang, and the conflict at Hundred Fragrance Pavilion was likely directed at him. But he hadn't suffered any loss in that encounter, so he had let it go. As a Divine Sea realm cultivator, he was always magnanimous and never held grudges. Yet, Zhou Kui had made threats, vowing to make him suffer sooner or later. If someone wanted to make him suffer, he would certainly make them suffer first. His purpose in coming this time was precisely to teach Zhou Kui a lesson.

He didn't know how many slashes he had delivered. During this time, Zhou Kui tried to resist, but under Lu Ye's relentless, storm-like assault, he had no strength left to fight back and could only desperately defend himself. *Boom!* Zhou Kui landed heavily on the ground, his feet embedding deeply into the earth. The massive impact left his legs numb, and he inwardly cursed his misfortune. As he looked up, he saw Lu Ye, who had flown down after him, delivering a kick.

He hastily raised his hands to defend himself, but it was too late. Lu Ye's kick, full of accumulated power, struck him squarely in the face, sending him flying dozens of feet high and leaving a remarkably clear shoe print on his cheek.

Only then did the members of Team Alpha-7 catch up, launching attacks towards Lu Ye. Lu Ye was already prepared; after delivering the kick, he shot into the sky and soared away into the distance, leaving behind a trail of unrestrained, wild laughter.

The members of Team Alpha-7 split into two groups: one stayed to tend to Zhou Kui, while the other three chased after Lu Ye. However, in just a few moments, Lu Ye's figure vanished, and they could only return dejectedly.

At that moment, Zhou Kui was leaning against a large tree trunk, his clothes drenched in blood. His body was covered in countless stab and slash wounds, with flesh gaping open, looking hideous and terrifying. And on his face, there was that remarkably clear shoe print... he looked both pathetic and comical.

Compared to his physical injuries, Zhou Kui felt even more wounded mentally. He, a True Lake Fourth-level body cultivator, had actually been beaten by a Divine Sea realm cultivator! And he had been beaten so miserably that his face quickly turned as dark as the bottom of a pot.

The Alpha-7 team members looked at Zhou Kui's miserable state, each filled with righteous indignation. "That Divine Sea realm bastard is simply too much, Captain! We can't just let this go!" "That's right, Captain! Attacking a fellow cultivator is a serious crime. We absolutely cannot let him off so lightly." Several of them chattered indignantly, sounding as if they wanted to immediately bring Lu Ye to justice.

"That person was wearing a mask... you didn't even see his face. Who can confirm he was from the Divine Sea realm?" a voice suddenly interjected. It was the spell cultivator of the team. In Team Alpha-7, he usually played the role of a strategist, often providing advice during missions and earning Zhou Kui's deep trust.

"His build matched, his cultivation matched, that's enough! Besides, I heard that Divine Sea realm uses a saber, and that person just now used a saber too!" The spell cultivator slowly shook his head. "That's not enough! There are many people with similar builds, and cultivation might not always be what it seems; there are always ways to conceal it. If that person truly was from the Divine Sea realm, then his strength would be terrifyingly immense." Crossing seven minor realms to beat their captain like a grandson... could a True Lake Seventh-level really do that? Hearing the spell cultivator's words, the others fell silent. They had initially been certain the attacker was Lu Ye, but now they weren't so sure. Primarily, effortlessly defeating someone of higher cultivation across seven minor realms was simply too inconceivable. But if it wasn't Lu Ye, then who could it be?

"It *was* the Divine Sea realm!" Zhou Kui, who had been silent, suddenly gritted his teeth and spoke. Although he hadn't clearly seen the attacker's face, the close-quarters combat was enough for him to ascertain the attacker's identity. The spell cultivator frowned slightly, unable to fully agree. But since the captain had already made such a definitive statement, he found it difficult to say more, merely asking, "Captain, do you mean...?"

"This matter absolutely cannot be left unresolved." Zhou Kui stood up and looked towards Vast Sky City. "Come, follow me back to Vast Sky City. I'm going to report him to the Chief Administrator!" He had indeed suffered greatly this time, beaten so badly he couldn't retaliate, and his recently recovered body was severely re-injured, requiring several more days of recuperation. But if that Divine Sea realm cultivator dared to act like this, he wouldn't hesitate to retaliate. As one of the team members had said earlier, attacking a fellow cultivator was a grave offense. If it was proven that Lu Ye had done it, he would at least lose a layer of skin, even if he didn't die. Although that Divine Sea realm bastard always wore a mask, he believed the Chief Administrator would certainly be able to verify the truth of the matter. Before such a high authority, the Divine Sea realm cultivator's crimes would surely be exposed.

"Captain," the spell cultivator spoke with a grave voice, "Please reconsider this matter. Ultimately, you were the one who suffered today. If this escalates to the Chief Administrator, it may affect your reputation."