Translator: Truth
Editor: Dhael Ligerkeys
Lu Ye activated Insight and located the nodes on Sanguine Vale’s grand ward. Then, he cooperated with the ward cultivators of the Heavenly Derivative Sect to bring it down just like before.
While this was going on, Zhao Li and Song Ying were arranging their forces into formations as well.
Although the Legate holding the Control Gem had already heard of Lu Ye’s ward breaching skills, it was one thing to hear about it and another thing to witness it with his own two eyes.
His despair was almost palpable. No matter how he manipulated the grand ward with the Control Gem, he could barely slow Lu Ye from breaching the ward. Just as the rumors had claimed, the flow of Spiritual Power on one section of the grand ward came to a complete halt in just dozens of breaths, and it shattered like glass after it was attacked by the two sects.
As if on cue, the swearings immediately transformed into an exchange of spells and flying weapons. Colorful light instantly filled the air.
Bloodcurdling screams filled the air, but the Legate of Sanguine Vale commanding the battle from the backlines quickly realized that something was amiss. His body tempering cultivators were dying much faster than they should be.
The body tempering cultivators were the one thing that was keeping his people alive. If too many of them were dead, then their defense line would collapse for sure.
He realized the problem after observing the battle for a moment. Lu Yi Ye of the Crimson Blood Sect was the one killing his body tempering cultivators. In fact, nearly half of them had died by his hands!
His four flying weapons sailed through the air like birds. Any body tempering cultivator he set his mind to killing were simply incapable of withstanding his attacks. Sanguine Vale had spent much energy and resources to raise these body-tempering cultivators, and yet the man’s flying weapons had pierced through them as if they were made of paper!
It had only been ten breaths since the battle began, and they had already lost half of their body tempering cultivators. As a result, casualties on their side were skyrocketing like crazy, and the situation only grew worse as time went on.
While the Heavenly Derivative Sect and Deep Sea Mountain were losing body tempering cultivators as well, their defense line remained tight knit from the start until the end. This was especially true for the body tempering cultivator standing at the center of the formation. The Legate thought they had gotten the body tempering cultivator when the defensive Spirit Artifact he was holding had exploded into a million pieces, but he didn’t so much as flinch when a dozen attacks struck him all over. Whoever the huge man was, his vitality was ridiculously powerful, and his body was tougher than the average defensive Spirit Artifact.
The Legate of Sanguine Vale realized then that the situation was bad, and that he had underestimated his opponents. They could not escape though. If they did, they would only be opening themselves up for the enemy to kill them all.
Not all hope was lost, however. The Legate hurriedly sent a message through his Battlefield Imprint. The next moment, five figures abruptly appeared in the Sanctum of Providence and rushed toward the battlefield without pause.
The group of five was made of men, women, the young and the old. They were clearly not Spirit Creek Realm cultivators either. They were either Cloud River Realm and Real Lake Realm cultivators.
Shui Yuan had entered the Spirit Creek Battlefield twice to take revenge for Lu Ye. Naturally, Sanguine Vale did not lack people who carried the same courage and determination. The only reason this didn’t happen more often was because the price they had to pay was massive, and the risk to their lives was very real. However, their Outpost was tethering on the brink of collapse right now. The time to be pussyfooting around was over.
All five cultivators only appeared to be Heaven Grade Eighth-Order Spirit Creek Realm cultivators because that was the cultivation level they were at before ascending to the Cloud River Realm. The same went for the exact amount of Spiritual Power they could wield.
In this regard, they were inferior to Shui Yuan because the woman had ascended to Cloud River Realm as a Heaven Grade Ninth-Order cultivator. That was why her Spiritual Power was capped to Heaven Grade Ninth-Order when she entered the Spirit Creek Battlefield.
The question was, why Sanguine Vale hadn’t dispatched a group of cultivators who had ascended to the Cloud River Realm at Heaven Grade Ninth-Order instead to save their Outpost? The answer was simple. They didn’t have anyone like that.
It was no easy feat to unlock three hundred and sixty Spiritual Points. Not even the disciples of Tier-one sects dared to claim that they could definitely unlock that many Spiritual Points.
Less than one percent of all cultivators at the Spirit Creek Realm level could ascend to Cloud River Realm as a Heaven Grade Ninth-Order, and Sanguine Vale was just a Tier-five sect. This group of five was already the best they could afford to send.
Lu Ye noticed the five powerful auras faster than anyone else. When he looked up and saw the five auras flying their way, he immediately barked out a warning, “Watch out!”
Perhaps his shout had been too loud, but the senior of the five immediately shot him a look of cold murder.
What was looking to be another crushing victory instantly turned into a stalemate the moment the five cultivators joined the battlefield. In fact, Grand Sky Coalition’s attack rhythm was disrupted to the point where their casualty rate skyrocketed in an instant.
They were five Heaven-Grade Eighth-Order cultivators after all. Their combined power was enough to turn the entire situation on its head.
Sanguine Vale’s Legate let out a sigh of relief, and Zhao Li and Song Ying grew incredibly worried.
A while later, tendrils of purple lightning began slithering across the five cultivators’ bodies. Their expressions turned pained, and the middle-aged woman among them was even trembling slightly. She was so affected that even her attacks were much weaker than before.
They all knew what the consequences of killing someone in the Spirit Creek Battlefield was, they were all ready to bear it. That said, knowing wasn’t the same as experiencing it for themselves.
They had heard of Shui Yuan’s two rampages in the Spirit Creek Battlefield, and none of them thought that they were inferior to her in terms of guts. It wasn’t until they killed their first Spirit Creek Realm cultivator that they realized that they had overestimated themselves.
The Judgment of the Heavens was a deadly punishment. The reason Shui Yuan could kill dozens of Spirit Creek Realm cultivators and still appear completely unaffected was because her Divine Soul was special.
These five had the guts to do what was necessary, but to perform on the same level as Shui Yuan? That was a completely different story. They were already at their limits despite having killed only twenty or so enemies combined. Right now, they were only defending against the enemy’s attacks.
“Hold the line while I go kill that Lu Yi Ye!” The senior uttered through gritted teeth before charging straight toward Lu Ye. His face was warped from the sheer amount of pain that was affecting his Divine Soul.
Lu Ye was the true reason they had entered the Spirit Creek Battlefield. If they could kill the young man, Thousand Demon Ridge would reward them handsomely even if they lost the Outpost in the end. It would be enough to rebuild their Outpost and some more.
The old man was a combat cultivator judging from the fact that he wielded a sword. He fired several Sword Lights at Lu Ye when he descended from the sky.
Lu Ye hurriedly unsheathed the Inviolable and tried to cut through the Sword Lights. He was successful, but there was still enough force behind the attack to send him flying.
As if on cue, the old man’s sword sailed toward Lu Ye’s solar plexus like a snake strike.
The attack was so quick that Lu Ye nearly failed to react in time. He barely blocked the sword thrust with a Protection, but the old man immediately followed up with a number of blossoming attacks.
One of the benefits of a powerful Divine Soul showed itself at this moment. Lu Ye’s eyes were unable to keep up with his enemy’s skills, but several parts of his body—all of them vital spots—abruptly hurt as if they were pierced by needles. He instinctively summoned several Protections to shield those areas.
His Glyphs shattered, and blood burst out of his flesh. He was in no danger of dying though. This time, the force of the attack sent him flying toward the ground.
The old man blinked in surprise. His cultivation level was Heaven-Grade Eight-Order right now. It should’ve been child’s play for him to slay a Ninth-Order cultivator. He was unable to accept this outcome to put it mildly.
While dodging the enemy’s attacks, the old man dashed toward Lu Ye once more and thrust his sword at him. Light burst out of both his body and his weapon as if he had become one with the sword.
His power might be capped to that of a Heaven-Grade Eighth-Order cultivator on the Spirit Creek Battlefield, but he was really a Real Lake Realm cultivator. Even the champions on the Scroll of Supremacy would’ve found it difficult to defend against the attack, to say nothing of a Ninth-Order cultivator like Lu Ye.
In fact, Lu Ye had failed to block the attack because it actually moved faster than he could react. Although he had conjured a Protection large enough to cover more than half of his body when he fell toward the ground, the unknown skill still managed to shatter the Glyph and skewer him right below the solar plexus.
The blade was half a finger away from his heart. The only reason he survived wasn’t because the old man had misaimed, but because he had taken a deep breath at the last moment.
“Brother Yi Ye!” Zhao Li cried out in shock as he had been keeping an eye on Lu Ye. Song Ying was also running to his rescue without a word. Unfortunately, neither of them would reach Lu Ye before in time.
The old man did not celebrate even though he had scored a near fatal blow. He would not relax until his target was well and truly dead. Without pause, he injected Spiritual Power into his sword in an attempt to turn Lu Ye’s internal organs to goo.
It was the same principle as Lu Ye’s Burster. Even at the Spirit Creek Realm level, a puncture wound usually wasn’t enough to kill a foe unless it struck a vital spot. However, it was an opportunity for the attacker to dish out some extra damage. ｂ𝚍𝚘𝚟ｌ.ｎｔ
Terrible pain assaulted Lu Ye’s brain as the flesh around the wound wriggled. Without hesitation, he filled the Inviolable with fiery red Spiritual Power and swung it straight at the old man. There was so much energy that it looked as if the saber had burst into flames, and a red halo could be seen from a certain angle.
Realizing that he would not be able to execute Lu Ye without dying himself, the old man frowned and gave up his original plan. He pulled his sword out of the young man’s body—drawing a shower of blood in the process—and crossed his sword in front of himself.
There was a metallic clang and a shower of sparks as the blades clashed. The Inviolable flashed once, and the double Glyph: Gravity Well he had engraved to the weapon came alive.
The old man’s confident expression abruptly turned into shock. He felt the young man’s blade to be impossibly heavy! It was as if he wasn’t blocking a saber, but a small hill!
Caught off guard, the old man nearly lost his grip over his sword. Still, he was able to hang onto it not just because he was stronger, but also because he was a combat cultivator. He was able to channel his Spiritual Power into the weapon and steady his grip.
Both the old man and Lu Ye were still falling toward the ground as he endured the tremendous pressure. Their faces were just inches away from each other as they held their swords locked together.
The old man remained calm as he watched Lu Ye coldly. He had to admit that the young man’s decision-making and performance were almost flawless even from a Real Lake Realm champion’s point of view. Unfortunately, a power gap was a power gap. He could struggle all he wanted, but he was still going to die when all was said and done.
Then, what felt like a sun turned his world into pure white…