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Translator: Truth
Editor: Dhael Ligerkeys
Outside the Myriad Poison Forest, the Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators were waiting solemnly for Lu Ye to arrive.
They were receiving messages constantly from their fellow cultivators. They knew exactly where Lu Ye was and what he was doing right now.
“Senior Brother Wu, Lu Yi Ye is just fifty kilometers away from our location. He’ll be arriving very soon,” reported Qin Zheng of the Thousand Feather Sect as he walked up to a man.
The man he called Senior Brother Wu was the thirty-third ranker on the Scroll of Supremacy. He belonged to a Tier-One sect and was much stronger than Qin Zheng.
Qin Zheng had led the hunt for Lu Ye at the Misty Mountains, but it had ended poorly to say the least. He had brought great shame upon himself and the Thousand Feather Sect.
The Thousand Demon Ridge had mobilized many more elites this time, and at least a dozen Scroll of Supremacy elites were present for this mission. Naturally, the days where he was the commander of the operation were behind him.
“How many people does he have right now?” Wu Beihan asked while looking in the direction Lu Ye was coming from. Fifty kilometers was a very short distance for a Core Circle cultivator. He expected Lu Ye to show up in less than an incense stick.
“Three to four hundred.”
“That’s it?” Wu Beihan humphed. “It is nowhere enough to threaten us.”
It was true. The Thousand Demon Ridge had gathered at least three to four thousand cultivators. Although they had to spread out their manpower to surround the entire Myriad Poison Forest, over seven hundred people were standing by in the direction Lu Ye was expected to show up.
If the Grand Sky Coalition thought they could break through when they were outnumbered two to one at the very least, he was more than happy to oblige them.
Qin Zheng was going to warn Wu Beihan about the folly of underestimating Lu Ye, but they did outnumber the enemy two to one. Lu Ye could be the greatest strategist in the world, and he would still be hardpressed to overcome such a massive disadvantage. That was why he ultimately chose to keep his silence.
Moreover, he had been criticized to the face and behind his back by countless people because of his failures at the Misty Mountains. They all blamed him for the massive loss of life and dignity. If he were to speak up now, they would only call him a coward and distrust him even more.
In reality, Qin Zheng did not deserve his criticism. From the start, the Misty Mountains was a terrible place to hunt down someone due to its foggy terrain and unknown dangers. Second, he had stepped up not because he wanted to, but because the situation demanded him to. Of course he wasn’t able to perform to expectations. In fact, the ward cultivator had been led by the nose almost the entire time.
Thankfully, Wu Beihan was a careful man. Although his side outnumbered the Grand Sky Coalition two to one, and although he claimed that the enemy had nowhere near the numbers to threaten them, he still ordered his men to double check their traps and their surroundings.
They had set up a lot of wards in this area. Some of them had even forked out the Contribution Points to purchase a kind of Spirit Artifact that was specifically used for capturing difficult prey.
The Spirit Artifact was a massive net that required several people to use properly. It was normally used to capture large Spirit Beast that was difficult to handle at closer quarters. Despite its expensive price, they had purchased at least a dozen of them. If Lu Ye showed up, then he would be hard pressed to escape even if he grew wings!
Wu Beihan then shot a look at someone behind the defense line. He was a small, unassuming man who was born with a perfectly ordinary appearance. He was the type of person you wouldn’t look at twice in a crowd. Even his aura marked him as just a Heaven Eight cultivator.
It was one of the reasons why few people knew that he was the ninth ranker on the Scroll of Supremacy, the ghost cultivator known as Gui Yingzi.
It was no longer a secret that Lu Ye could kill a Heaven Nine cultivator as a Heaven Seven cultivator. Against such a formidable foe, a ghost cultivator stood a better chance at dealing a killing blow than anyone else. As Gui Yingzi was the strongest ghost cultivator in the Spirit Creek Battlefield, his presence was deeply assuring to Wu Beihan.
Everything was ready. Hundreds of cultivators focused their minds and readied themselves for battle. Now, they were just waiting for the Grand Sky Coalition group to show up.
Time passed bit by bit until finally, someone cried, “Here they come!”
A massive amount of auras appeared from the horizon. They were none other than the Grand Sky Coalition cultivators escorting Lu Ye. Leading the group were none other than the sword cultivators of the Northern Profound Sword Clan.
The Thousand Demon Ridge was stunned by this. They weren’t expecting the enemy to charge them so openly. It was like they didn’t think they were worth using any tactics at all! For a time, they felt both slighted and puzzled. What on earth were they thinking? Their fellow Core Circle cultivators could not be this dumb or conceited, could they?
Meanwhile, a stern-faced Yu Lianzhou reported while staring at the Myriad Poison Forest and the army of Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators waiting for them, “We are ten kilometers away, Fellow Cultivator Lu!”
“Got it.”
Lu Ye slowly rose to his feet before declaring, “I am most grateful for your aid, my friends. You may leave the rest to me now. If you wish to leave, then please do not hesitate to do so.”
A Heaven Nine cultivator laughed loudly. “I may not know what technique you’re preparing, Brother Yi Ye, but I’m pretty sure you’ll have a hard time challenging several hundred enemies without backup. Since we have come this far, we might as well see you through the last stretch. That said, if it looks like a breakthrough is impossible, then do not hesitate to run for the hills, okay brother? It’s never too late so long as you are still alive to make things right!”
“Oh, I completely agree!”
“Five kilometers!” Yu Lianzhou growled. At this range, they were close enough to sense the enemy channeling their Spiritual Power.
Lu Ye summoned his Spirit Boat and leaped off Yu Lianzhou’s flying sword. He then zoomed to the forefront while drinking a Mystic Fruit cider he had held in his hand for a while now.
An enormous amount of Spiritual Power flowed, gushed out, and merged together to form what looked like an egg. It covered Lu Ye completely from view.
Shockwaves were spreading in every direction. Complex patterns could be seen evolving rapidly on the surface of the egg.
The Grand Sky Coalition group had known that Lu Ye was preparing some sort of super technique for a while, so of course they, more than anyone else, wanted to know exactly what it was. However, the strange egg Lu Ye manifested had only left them even more puzzled. It was because they had never seen such a technique before.
The Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators were equally confused. From their perspective, Lu Yi Ye had suddenly rushed to the open before wrapping himself in what looked like an egg. Was it a defensive skill? Was he planning to weather their attacks and force his way through or something?
If that was true, then it was suicide. Even a Real Lake Realm cultivator might want to avoid a concentrated bombardment by seven hundred Core Circle cultivators.
Lu Ye’s Spiritual Power continued to fluctuate wildly as the patterns on the egg grew clearer and clearer. At the same time, it started shining brighter and brighter.
The Spiritual Power he stored in the Spirit Storage on his chest had been drained to the last in less than three breaths. It was the same for his second, third, fourth and fifth Spiritual Power reserves as well. Even then, it still wasn’t enough. The technique was now draining the Spiritual Power in his Spiritual Points.
Suffice to say, Lu Ye had never used so much Spiritual Power in one go in his life.
From an outside perspective, it looked like the patterns had only appeared on the surface of the egg. In reality, there were even more patterns on the inside. It was a Glyph so complex that it required over a hundred leaves to host after all, and now Lu Ye—or rather, the Tree of Glyphs—was constructing it all in just a short time.
It drained not just his Spiritual Power, but his mental strength as well.
The Grand Sky Coalition cultivators following closely behind Lu Ye were the first ones to notice that something was wrong. It was because the Spiritual Power emanating from Lu Ye had grown so dangerous they felt like they were being stabbed by a million needles.
Originally, the plan was to attack the Thousand Demon Ridge’s defensive line under Yu Lianzhou’s leadership and force their way into the Myriad Poison Forest. But now? Everyone had stopped in their tracks at almost the exact same time. Their eyes twitched as they watched the egg still hurtling toward the Thousand Demon Ridge defensive line at high speed.
Every cell in their body was screaming to stay away from Lu Ye. They still didn’t know what technique Lu Ye was executing, but it was obvious that it was extremely powerful and dangerous. Friendly fire was a real risk if they got too close to Lu Ye.
The Grand Sky Coalition group recalled Lu Ye’s words. They finally understood why the young man had said what he said, and why he was fairly confident that he would be able to tear a hole in the Thousand Demon Ridge’s defensive line.
Speaking of which, the group was now only 1.5 kilometers away from the defensive line, and the distance was still shrinking by the second.
The Thousand Demon Ridge had finally realized that they might be in trouble as well as the surface of the egg was so hot that it looked like it might explode at any moment. Its aura was so powerful that their hearts were shaking even though Lu Ye was still a good distance away.
Wu Beihan’s gaze was completely glued to the egg. The alarm bells in his head were telling him to get the hell away while he still could, but his pride ultimately kept him rooted to the ground.
Lu Ye was just one man, and they were hundreds. What would people say if they retreated now?
He did not notice that Gui Yingzi had already concealed himself and ran off.
Powerful ghost cultivators like Gui Yingzi were especially sensitive toward danger, and right now he felt like the Heavens themselves were about to smite him with their judgment. Naturally, he dared not stay here for even a second longer!
One kilometer, five hundred meters…
Wu Beihan roared, “Attack!”
The moment he gave the order, countless wards were activated, and hundreds of spells and telekinetic weapons were launched at the egg. Not only that, some brave cultivators even flew toward the egg and tossed their Spirit Webs over it.
Creak creak creak…
Cracks appeared all over the fiery red egg. The moment it shattered, a clear and melodious cry abruptly resounded throughout the area. Orange flames spread in every direction as a massive, flame-shrouded bird abruptly appeared in mid-air. It had a body length of thirty meters and a wingspan of fifty meters. It possessed a long tail and an elegant appearance. It was a technique of some sort, and yet it looked almost lifelike. Even the patterns on its feathers could be clearly seen.
It flapped its wings and continued flying toward the Thousand Demon Ridge’s defensive line. It gave off so much heat that the space behind it was distorting. The spells sank harmlessly into its body. The flying weapons lost their Spiritual Power and all of their enhancements in an instant, half-melted and crashing toward the floor. Even the Spirit Webs just barely slowed its elegant yet deadly advance.
Today was the day a mythical creature manifested and shocked the world!
Cultivators from both cultivation factions could only stare blankly and shakily at the giant bird. This time, they did recognize the creature.
“That’s the Vermillion Bird of the Four Sacred Beasts!” Yu Lianzhou murmured in a daze. Even for a sword cultivator like him, he wasn’t quite able to stay calm and keep his scalp from shivering.
He had read of the Four Sacred Beasts in the scriptures before but never seen one with his own eyes. Today, he did.
At the same time, he was infinitely glad that he was wise enough to heed his senses and stop following Lu Ye. Otherwise, they would’ve suffered massive damage during the manifestation of the Vermillion Bird.
It wasn’t just him. Every Grand Sky Coalition cultivator in the group was hiding a huge sigh of relief.
They knew that Lu Ye was planning to cast a powerful technique, but he still managed to exceed their expectations.
Just what on earth was this technique? To think that he would manifest the Vermillion Bird itself into existence.
Of course, they were aware that the Vermillion Bird before them was just a facsimile of the real thing. The real Vermillion Bird could probably shatter the entire Spirit Creek Battlefield just by flapping its wings once. No, this was something Lu Ye had manifested with his own Spiritual Power.
The real question was, how was it possible for a Spirit Creek Realm cultivator to execute such a powerful technique?
