Chapter 1053, Coming Across an Old Friend

Translator: Jon

Translation Checker: Silavin

 

All of these cultivators who were running for their lives were in the Real Lake Realm. The fluctuations of Spiritual Power coming from the person at the head showed that he was a Sixth-Order Real Lake Realm Master.

 

It was a team of four fairly powerful members. Still, they were almost pushed over the edge as the insectoid running after them was in the Divine Ocean Realm.

 

This team of four members were there to kill some insectoids. Such teams were everywhere across Jiu Zhou. Everything went smoothly in the beginning, so they went further away from the city. They didn’t expect to bump into an opponent they couldn’t defeat.

 

Of these four people, one was badly injured and covered in blood. The person was held in a companion’s arms.

 

The other two people were using their moves to fend off the insectoid’s attacks. One was a Spell Cultivator whose spells were quite powerful. The other was a Ghost Cultivator, so what he could do in such a situation was limited.

 

Ghost Cultivators were adept at stealthily approaching and assassinating opponents. If they had to deal with enemies head-on, they couldn’t fully activate their powers. If cultivators like them couldn’t kill the enemies with one strike, they had to run away at once.

 

In such a situation, if the Ghost Cultivator ditched his companions and ran away, he would stand a chance of surviving. After all, he could run the fastest among them. He didn’t have to outrun the insectoid in the Divine Ocean Realm. He just had to be swifter than his three companions.

 

But he had no intention of running away on his own. He collaborated with the Spell Cultivator and warded off the insectoid’s attacks with difficulty.

 

A Body-tempering Cultivator was supposed to do that. There was one in the team initially, but he was already killed. Left with no choice, this Ghost Cultivator could only replace him.

 

Lu Ye suddenly found the Ghost Cultivator familiar. As he looked intently, he was surprised.

 

[Why is this guy here? Isn’t he supposed to be in Lone Cloud City Pass?]

 

Lone Cloud City was several ten thousand kilometres away from this place, which could be considered the Dark Moon Forest Pass’ territory.

 

Unbeknownst to him, this person asked to be transferred away from Lone Cloud City Pass to get rid of him. It didn’t matter where he would go as long as it wasn’t Lone Cloud City Pass.

 

Around two years ago, a war broke out between Dark Moon Forest Pass and Surging Waves Lake Pass. Since Dark Moon Forest Pass needed to replenish its manpower, this Ghost Cultivator was transferred to this place.

 

He spent the next two years with peace of mind as he no longer had to be worried all the time like he was while in Lone Cloud City Pass.

 

Thanks to the insectoid plague, he had gained a lot of benefits in the past two years. He was now a Sixth-Order Real Lake Realm Master.

 

Moreover, he came from a prestigious Sect and had an excellent aptitude. Although it couldn’t be said that he could do whatever he wanted in Dark Moon Forest Pass, he had gained some fame at the very least. He had finally risen to prominence in this place. This person was none other than Ying Wuji.

 

Since Ying Wuji was an old friend and Lu Ye already had the intention of saving them, he hesitated no more. He charged forward while standing on the Sword Light.

 

Ying Wuji wielded his Spirit Artifact and fended off the mantis’ storm of attacks with difficulty. Although it was an insectoid with little sentience, fighting and killing enemies were its instincts. The insectoid was like a saber user who was born with an amazing mastery of the Way of Blades. Its blades would come at Ying Wuji from some surprising angles, making it difficult for him to deal with the insectoid. What was more, every attack from the insectoid was forceful.

 

He could only give up his tactics as a Ghost Cultivator and deal with the opponent head-on.

 

If not for the Spell Cultivator’s help and the fact that this insectoid didn’t know how to use Soul Power, all of them would’ve lost their lives.

 

After all, there was a huge gap between the Real Lake Realm and the Divine Ocean Realm. Ying Wuji hated anyone who used a saber, even if the other party was an insectoid. He believed all saber users were terrible beings.

 

He had asked the Pass Leader for help, but it would take the latter some time to arrive. He wasn’t even sure if the Pass Leader would come. That was because the Pass Leader was the only Divine Ocean Realm Master in Dark Moon Forest Pass now, so his hands were probably tied.

 

If the Pass Leader wasn’t coming, all of them would be doomed. But even if the Pass Leader was coming, they might not be able to hold on until that time.

 

As these thoughts turned over in Ying Wuji’s mind, he suddenly felt an immense force coming at him. His arms turned numb and were lifted involuntarily, exposing his torso to the enemy.

 

He could see a cold glint radiating from the mantis’ blade as it came right at him. The speed was so rapid that the blade left behind an afterimage.

 

Ying Wuji felt cold all over his body, knowing that his end was near. As a Ghost Cultivator, he had showcased an impressive heritage to have dealt with an insectoid in the Divine Ocean Realm for such a long time. Unfortunately, he couldn’t hold on any longer.

 

Before his imminent death, he realised he wasn’t afraid at all. He didn’t even have the intention of avoiding the attack. Cultivators of Jiu Zhou had been involved in the war between the two sides ever since they were Spirit Creek Realm Masters. Throughout their lives, they would experience countless fights of different scales. No one was afraid of death. It could be said that most cultivators could frankly face their deaths.

 

Even if Ying Wuji was about to die, he had to make sure his death was of some value. After making up his mind, he dashed forward and shouted, “Run!”

 

He had to create a chance for his companions to flee even if he could only hold up the opponent for one breath of time.

 

Suddenly, he saw a light descending from the sky. He couldn’t make out what it was, nor did he have the time to do so. He jabbed his dagger into the mantis’ hideous, squirming mouth. He activated his Spiritual Power and caused the mouth to explode.

 

This was the last all-out attack in his life, so he had used all his power. But death didn’t come as he had expected. He felt a cold sensation on his scalp and some sticky liquid streaming down his face. He could also smell the stench of blood.

 

The mantis’ blade had slightly jabbed into his forehead. If it had been pushed down a little further, he would’ve lost his life.

 

The sharp pain was felt coming from his forehead. He panted heavily, not knowing what was going on.

 

[Have I not only survived, but I’ve also killed an insectoid in the Divine Ocean Realm?]

 

At that moment, his eyes were moist with tears as he believed he was even powerful enough to deal with a Divine Ocean Realm Master.

 

But the next moment, a small incision appeared on the mantis’ forehead. The incision soon spread across the entire torso.

 

The mantis split into half with a neat incision. With a splash, Ying Wuji’s face was covered in emerald blood.

 

He batted his eyes. Only then did he see the figure who hovered not far away from him. The person was blocked by the mantis earlier.

 

His first impression of the man was that he was handsome. Given his good-looking appearance, many women would throw themselves at him even if he wasn’t powerful.

 

Following that, a sense of horror rose within Ying Wujing. He had no idea where the sense of horror came from, but he felt his chest tightening the moment he saw this stranger. He was anxious for some reason.

 

Subconsciously, he felt he was still reeling from the shock since he had just escaped from death’s door. He quickly stepped backwards and examined this person vigilantly.

 

This person was clad in all-white clothes, looking dapper and charming. There was a Sword Gourd at his waist. Although he had no idea who this person was, the fluctuations of his Spiritual Power showed that this person was a Divine Ocean Realm Master.

 

Ying Wuji finally realised he had survived not because he was powerful, but because someone had saved him.

 

The light he had seen flashing across his eyes was from this person. It was supposed to be a Sword Light.

 

Only a powerful cultivator like him could easily kill an insectoid in the Divine Ocean Realm with just one move.

 

Ying Wuji pulled himself together and cupped his fists. “I’m Ying Wuji from Dark Moon Forest Pass. Thanks for saving my life, Sir. May I know your name?”

 

For some reason, even though he wanted to thank the person with sincerity, he felt something was off. Also, the way this Divine Ocean Realm Master looked at him was strange. He seemed to be squinting his eyes.

 

Anyway, it wasn’t like Ying Wuji could look him in the eye. It was mannerless to do that to a Divine Ocean Realm Master, and this person had just saved his life.

 

“Are you… Li Taibai?” Behind him, the Spell Cultivator was shocked as though he was looking at a ghost.

 

Back then, Lu Ye disguised himself as Li Taibai and contended with cultivators from Surging Waves Lake Pass, which belonged to the Grand Sky Coalition. He won all six matches. In the last match, he even killed Tan Shu, who was several Minor Realms above him. Many cultivators from Dark Moon Forest Pass had seen it at that time, and they were surprised by how powerful he was.

 

Then, it was said that the Deputy Pass Leader, Lin Yue, had remarked that Li Taibai was the one from Thousand Demon Ridge who could rival the Annihilator of Sects.

 

Everyone knew how savage the Annihilator of Sects was. When he was a Spirit Creek Realm Master, he made the major Sects of Thousand Demon Ridge suffer huge setbacks. When he was a Cloud River Realm Master, he had destroyed 2,000 cultivators from Thousand Demon Ridge at once. He was also ranked first in the Fight for Supremacy. He was so intimidating that even the person in second place, Lan Zi Yi, had no intention of challenging him. His fame was unrivalled at that time.

 

In the same generation and Realm, no one in Jiu Zhou was a match for him. Those from Thousand Demon Ridge regarded him as a tumour, eager to get rid of him.

 

Since they finally had someone like Li Taibai on their side, they naturally had to make it known to everyone.

 

But it was a shame that the death of Tan Shu caused the war between the two Passes. The Pass Leader of Surging Waves Lake Pass, Liu Yuemei, even personally dealt with Li Taibai, suppressing a much weaker cultivator despite being a Divine Ocean Realm Master. Unfortunately, Li Taibai was killed in that battle.

 

The legend was gone just like that. At that time, many cultivators from Dark Moon Forest Pass were furious, but it was pointless since Li Taibai was dead.

 

This Spell Cultivator had witnessed how Li Taibai destroyed Tan Shu at that time, so he admired him very much.

 

Much to his surprise, a supposedly dead person showed up in front of him. Moreover, it only took Li Taibai two years to ascend to the Divine Ocean Realm. This Spell Cultivator even thought he was dreaming.

 

“What!? You’re Li Taibai?” Ying Wuji was astounded as well.

 

It had been two years since he arrived in Dark Moon Forest Pass, so he had naturally heard about this legendary person. Many people had told him about Li Taibai, and he felt it was such a shame. If the descriptions of these cultivators from Dark Moon Forest Pass were true, Li Taibai was indeed someone who could rival Lu Ye. Unfortunately, he only arrived after Li Taibai’s death, so he couldn’t see how powerful the latter was.

 

Much to his surprise, he came across Li Taibai by chance. He found it inconceivable.

 

As far as he was concerned, Li Taibai was only a Third-Order Real Lake Realm Master two years ago, so the latter was only slightly stronger than he was. Two years later, he became a Sixth-Order Real Lake Realm Master, so it could be said that his cultivation had improved rapidly. But surprisingly, Li Taibai was already a Divine Ocean Realm Master. [Did he consume a powerful potion or something?]

 

Lu Ye wasn’t surprised that someone could recognise him. He only nodded and replied, “It’s me.”

 

When he activated Thousand Faces, he had considered using a different appearance. However, since many people had seen his Sword Gourd before, he decided to change his appearance to Li Taibai again.

 

This place was the Dark Moon Forest Pass’ territory, so it was only natural that someone from here could recognise him.