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Lu Ye wasted no more time gawking at the billowing pennant in mid-air. He needed to get out of the peripheral areas of the Colosseum grounds as soon as possible. But, he did not want to venture too deep into the central areas either, so the buffer zone between them would be his best bet for staying safe. At the same time, somewhere thirty thousand miles away from Lu Ye’s position, was another contestant of the Carnage Colosseum who was staring at the newly-appeared Roster of Carnage. Wei Que was just miffed at the fact that he could not locate Lu Ye when he saw the first name at the top of the Roster. He burst into a triumphant peal of laughter.
He had been combing the area for signs of Lu Ye and was disappointed at the lack of promising results. In fact, he had been blaming himself for losing that one last chance of finding Lu Ye. If Lu Ye intended to stay away from him, then Wei Que might never see him ever again, given the vast size of the Cloud River Battlefield.
Never did he expect that when Fate had just shut the door in his face, it had left a window open for him.
A Cloud River Realm Ninth-Order like him would face no problem operating in the Carnage Colosseum. Few other Cloud River Realm Cultivators could ever dare to defy him and still survive.
He might not be the strongest of all Cloud River Realm Cultivators, but Wei Que was confident that getting within the first ten places of the Roster of Carnage was a piece of cake. Even with the relatively wider scale of this Carnage Colosseum, he was certain of winning at least three Golden Amulets.
That was why he was pleased to see that his guess was right; getting placed in the first ten positions of the Roster would ensure that he would walk away from this tournament with at least three Golden Amulets. But what left him absolutely overjoyed was seeing Lu Yi Ye’s name emblazoned in gold at the top of the Roster!
[All good things come to those who wait! My patience is rewarded!]
[What a stroke of Fate that he’s here in the Colosseum too!]
[No one gets out of the Carnage Colosseum before the hour of its disappearance. That means he’s trapped in here with me! I can still hunt him down!]
Wei Que immersed himself in the fantasy of winning both the prize of being within the first ten spots of this tournament and the bounty of claiming Lu Yi Ye’s head, musing about the riches and the glory that he would be showered with.
But he was hardly the only one who had set their sights on Lu Ye’s name. Several thousands of miles away, Jiang Liuzi and his brother were gazing at the Roster of Carnage overhead.
“The Carnage Colosseum has only just begun and Lu Yi Ye has already got himself a hundred and twenty Carnage Points. That must be a Fifth-Order that he killed.”
Jiang Liuzi only needed to do a quick calculation to accurately divine what Lu Ye had done.
Slaying a Fifth-Order was something that he could do too, but Jiang Liuzi could barely confess to being able to replicate such speed.
It had not even been minutes since the start of this Carnage Colosseum.
The notion of how deadly Lu Yi Ye could be invoked an involuntary shudder. But Jiang Liuzi could still remember the last time he went toe-to-toe with Lu Yi Ye; he had lost back then and would have been dead too if not for the intervention of Wei Que.
“He’s in the Colosseum! Call Brother Lu Shu and the others! We cannot let Wei Que get to him first!”
Jiang Liuzi barked to his brother Jiang Chengzi; the latter nodded vigorously.
The pair of brothers might have an agreement with Wei Que and he was the one who had supplied them with information about Lu Ye, but if Wei Que wished to claim the credit for slaying the famous Lu Yi Ye himself, then the brothers saw no reason to be coy and pretend that any partnership between them still existed. At any rate, they would rather trust the fellow members of their own order.
In the meantime, the acrid tang of blood pervaded the atmosphere that clung to the terrain of a narrow gorge. The bloody sight of bodies sprawled everywhere indicated the aftermath of a freshly-decided battle.
Xia Liang, clad in a set of tight garb for the convenience of his movement, was looking up, observing the Roster of Carnage that had just materialized in the sky overhead seconds ago. When he saw where his name was, he frowned.
[What?! I’m only placed second?!]
He had just finished killing a few brazen buffoons who had the self-destructive foolishness to challenge him. He expected to see his name at the top of the Roster after making short work of his challenges.
Xia Liang peered at the names that trailed below his. Most he recognized, even if he had not met some of them before. At the very least, Xia Liang knew from reputation that the lion’s share of the names on the Roster was made up of Cloud River Realm Eighth- or Ninth-Orders. Some he had even dueled against before since most of them had entered the Cloud River Battlefield at roughly the same time.
Xia Liang gazed at the name above his once more. [Lu Yi Ye]
[Just who the hell is this fellow?]
[If this stranger could score a hundred and twenty Carnage Points so quickly, then why, the blazes, have l not heard this name before!]
[No. Wait. Lu Yi Ye. I’ve heard that name somewhere.]
Xia Liang paused. Then he knew where. A junior of his who had just ascended to the Cloud River Realm entered the Cloud River Battlefield bearing instructions from their order.
According to the missive, it mentioned the name of a certain member of the Crimson Blood Sect, Lu Yi Ye, and Xia Liang was given specific orders to eliminate this Lu Yi Ye as reprisal for the humiliation that he had caused to their order.
Back when he was still in the Spirit Creek Battlefield, Lu Yi Ye had extorted supplies and treasure that were worth three hundred thousand Contribution Points, plus twenty journals of saber combat. Never before had the Raving Bladesmen endured such humiliation!
[That’s the name! Lu Yi Ye of the Crimson Blood Sect!]
There might be people who shared the same name, but Lu Yi Ye wasn’t a very common name. Hence Xia Liang was sure that this was the enemy he was instructed to hunt down. Even if he was mistaken, he couldn’t care less.
He had no qualms in butchering the one who snatched the first spot from right under his nose.
Especially with the prospect of meeting Li Baxian again. If this really was the real Lu Yi Ye of the Crimson Blood Sect, Li Baxian would be sure to come to his junior brother’s aid!
That would be very interesting!
Xia Liang’s face contorted with icy malice at the notion of Li Baxian.
It was Li Baxian who had slain his senior Yan Xing. Since the day he was notified of Yan Xing’s demise, Xia Liang had vowed that he would not rest until he avenged his senior by killing Li Baxian himself. Yan Xing was the one who had taught him everything he knew. They were not only as inseparable as brothers; they were like father and son. Back in the Spirit Creek Battlefield, Xia Liang needed to fear Li Baxian. But here in the Cloud River Battlefield, he had long outstripped Li Baxian. But owing to the size of this dimension, he had not been able to locate the latter.
This would be a chance.
After a few seconds of quick thinking, Xia Liang sent some communications.
It did not take long for news that Lu Yi Ye of the Crimson Blood Sect was caught up inside the Carnage Colosseum to become public knowledge.
Almost an hour later at the banks of Streamview, one of the largest rivers in the Cloud River Battlefield that stretched for tens of thousands of miles.
A stranger stood by the river. Looking up into the sky, he hissed coldly, “I know you’re hiding somewhere nearby, Li Baxian. What is this? Cowardice? And I thought all Sword Cultivators were reckless fools who would never shy from a fight!”
He had been pursuing Li Baxian when the latter suddenly vanished. He was sure that Li Baxian must be somewhere in the river, but exactly where, he did not know.
Even with one more person, Li Baxian was still very much faster than he was—which was one of the many strengths of Sword Cultivators.
Nevertheless, the stranger did not dare to venture into the river to hunt Li Baxian down. The latter could be hidden anywhere, waiting to ambush him where the hunted could become the hunter instead
Just when he was at a loss of what to do, the stranger sensed an incoming message on his Battlefield Imprint. He read the new missive. Suddenly, he erupted into peals of laughter. “Lu Yi Ye! Recognize that name? That’s your junior, isn’t it, Li Baxian?!”
Deep underwater, Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan were clinging to each other, gripping firmly to the handle of an umbrella-like Spirit Artifact for dear life. Fatigue and stress hazed their gazes. Understandably so, they had been on the run since the first minute they stepped into the Cloud River Battlefield, pursued by enemies and nemeses alike. Fortunately, Feng Yuechan had enough magical instruments to rely on or they would have both been killed a long time ago.
Li Baxian’s face turned to stone when he heard Lu Ye’s name. Feng Yuechan seized his arm, gingerly shaking her head at him. She was afraid that he would recklessly charge out into the open and get himself killed.
Even with both their strengths together, the stranger was just too powerful for them. Otherwise, they would not have had to hide here like a couple of mice. Feng Yuechan was not going to let their efforts go for naught.
“How’s this, Li Baxian?” the stranger’s voice boomed again, “Your junior is now caught in the Carnage Colosseum too! Word has it that many people are now hunting him. So will I. I’ll deal with him before coming back around to look for you!”
The stranger took into the air and left.
There was no longer any point in staying. He could do nothing but sit on his own hands if Li Baxian refused to show. Besides, with the emergence of the Carnage Colosseum, this would be a chance for him to win some prizes. With his power, it was a virtual certainty. Beneath the depths of Streamview, Li Baxian was aghast. [Lu Ye! Are you really caught inside Carnage Colosseum?!]
Being an experienced Cultivator who entered the Cloud River Battlefield just a few months before Lu Ye did, Li Baxian knew perfectly what the Colosseum was all about.
A massive battle royale-like meat grinder where there was no exit until the Colosseum ended. To make things worse, every Thousand Demon Ridge Cultivator inside would now be out for Lu Ye’s blood.
[Poor thing… He’s only been inside the Battlefield for barely two months! For all we know, he might not even be a Second-Order yet! How was he going to survive this!?]
He immediately sent a message to Lu Ye.
Lu Ye responded quickly, confirming that he really was inside the Carnage Colosseum.
“Baxian!” Feng Yuechan cried softly.
“No. I must go! He’s inside there and I cannot leave him there all by himself!”
Li Baxian uttered with a renewed conviction.
He would not have cared if he didn’t know. But now that the matter has been brought to his attention, Li Baxian’s conscience could not let his own junior brother face all the dangers alone.
“I was only trying to say that I’m coming with you,” said Feng Yuechan.
Li Baxian gazed at her. Long and hard. Knowing fully well that she would not be taking “no” for an answer, he nodded at once, “Very well then.”
He would have preferred her to keep herself safe. But he knew her—they grew up together and they knew each other best—if he left her here, she would still come after him into the Colosseum anyway and that would be more dangerous.
Despite her delicate and frail appearance, Li Baxian knew that she was a strong woman.
The Devoted Ones, as a Tier-two sect, has elite members operating in the Cloud River Battlefield, in addition to two Arcane Glades of their own for the use of their members. Li Baxian had tried urging Feng Yuechan to go to one of the two Arcane Glades for her own safety. But she got angry instead and Li Baxian had to spend several days coaxing her before she finally forgave him.
In the end, it was by having her with him that he managed to survive up until now.
Which spoke volumes about how Li Baxian was the pariah amongst the Devoted Ones. Having a mother who commands just as much authority within the order as the Deputy Grand Master, in addition to having the respect and adoration of everyone in the order ensured that she was supplied with the prerequisite tools and means to survive in the Battlefield—a stark contrast to Li Baxian who entered the Battlefield with barely two coins to rub together.
The umbrella-like Spirit Artifact not only had incredible defensive capabilities, but it could also mask the Spiritual Power signatures of those under it, making it a potent instrument of salvation.
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