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Enveloped within the column of light that tunneled straight up into the skies, the mighty currents of air surged around Lu Ye, the folds of his robes and the locks of his hair floundering in violent fits in the tumultuous winds.
Salvos of flying steel and streaking lights came swooping down on Lu Ye, only to be thwarted by the resplendent pillar of light.
[Rumble!]
Something ponderous and large plummeted from the heavens, landing squarely before Lu Ye.
As soon as the object slammed into the ground, a tempestuous shockwave erupted from the point of impact, sweeping outwards in all directions and throwing all Thousand Demon Ridge Cultivators around into disarray as all of them tumbled like leaves in the wind.
By the time any of them had just regained their footing, their gazes panned up just in time to see Lu Ye’s outstretched hand placed on the stone of the Divine Opportunity Column before him.
“Until we meet again!”
Lu Ye’s voice echoed, his figure swiftly fading into ethereal wisps before vanishing altogether.
The Thousand Demon Ridge elites all gazed with awe and silence, their hearts seething with frustration.
Lu Yi Ye was gone.
More than eight hundred, if not a thousand, Thousand Demon Ridge Cultivators had joined in this hunt. From this number alone, there were over twenty Ninth-Orders, making this a host of sufficient strength to give even a True Lake Realm Cultivator a run for his money, never mind a mere Third-Order.
Still, despite the odds, they had failed. He had once again eluded their grasp and triumphed. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
The rarely-seen and hugely-coveted Golden Body Token, the invoking of a phoenix—even if it was just a mere image of the mystical Vermilion Phoenix—capable of rending the heavens and sundering the earth, plus the summoning of the enigmatic Divine Opportunity Column—all of these marvels had manifested within one singular being and just one alone: Lu Yi Ye.
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It was precisely due to these inexplicable and yet fortuitous circumstances that a Third-Order like Lu Ye managed to slip through their grasp in the end.
The expressions of the enemy Ninth-Orders contorted with dismay as they gazed at the Divine Opportunity Column that had been the instrument of Lu Yi Ye’s escape.
There was no longer any point in blaming either Luck or themselves. The Carnage Colosseum had ended and Lu Yi Ye was gone. That was all that mattered.
One after another, the Thousand Demon Ridge elites left. All that was left in their wake was the solitary Divine Opportunity Column. The lonesome obelisk of divine magic that was the testament and relic to Lu Yi Ye’s unbelievable struggles today.
No other Third-Other could have lived through such tribulations and boast of the feats that Lu Yi Ye had accomplished—facing down nearly a thousand enemy Cultivators where most of them were elites who were way beyond his league and yet escaped from them. Hardly anyone would doubt that Lu Yi Ye’s name would spread far and wide after this today.
In the future, should he return to the Cloud River Battlefield, he would undoubtedly attract the attention of many ambitious individuals.
Needless to say, eyes would be trained on him the next time he stepped into the Cloud River Battlefield.
Lu Ye’s blood-drench figure materialized in the Sanctum of Providence at the top of the Summit of Fortitude of the Crimson Blood Sect main stronghold sitting atop the lofty Mount Ao highlands of Bing Zhou Province. With wobbling footsteps, he quickly reached out a hand to steady himself against the Divine Opportunity Column beside him to prevent himself from collapsing.
Cultivators entering the Cloud River Battlefield from the stronghold of their sects or orders could choose to appear anywhere in the Cloud River Battlefield, as long as that location had a Divine Opportunity Column.
But due to the information inscribed within the Battlefield Imprint, Cultivators would be sent back to the Sanctum of Providence of their main stronghold if and when they were to leave the Battlefield.
“Get Sister Shui Yuan, Yi Yi. Quick!” Lu Ye croaked weakly.
Yi Yi emerged from inside Amber and darted outside.
She came back seconds later with Shui Yuan beside her. The latter frowned when she saw Lu Ye’s pathetic appearance, “What on earth happened?”
“It’s a long story, sister…” Lu Ye managed a weak smile at her, struggling to maintain his clarity. “Help!”
With that, he went limp and collapsed to the ground.
Even at the Third-Order of the Cloud River Realm, using Glyph: Fire Phoenix still inflicted a crippling drawback on him whenever he used it. But he could not afford to lose consciousness before he was away from the dangers in the Cloud River Battlefield; coming back to the main stronghold of the Crimson Blood Sect had assured him that he was finally safe and that caused him to faint at last.
Fortunately for him, Shui Yuan was quick enough to catch him before he crumbled to the ground.
His awareness drifted in and out of consciousness like a piece of flotsam in the swirling currents as an overwhelming weariness incessantly stung at every fiber of his being. Many times, in that semi-conscious state, Lu Ye thought he had heard the gentle voice of his mentor Tang Yifeng…
His sense of time blurred for a long, long time—until he suddenly jolted awake.
The gentle sound of water lapping against something solid reached his ears. Lu Ye blinked his eyes open, momentarily disoriented before gradually regaining his senses.
He found himself sitting inside a giant tub filled with a soothing emerald-green broth. Amber was waddling about inside with a contented expression on its face.
Sensing Lu Ye’s gaze, Amber looked up and purred cheerfully at him.
Yi Yi noticed and hurried in. Lighting up with surprise, she exclaimed, “You’re awake, Lu Ye?”
Lu Ye acknowledged with a wordless grunt and assessed himself.
He was doing quite well. His injuries had completely healed; even those underlying issues that he had been accumulating from his previous other battles were no more. His body still felt weak and his Spiritual Power was still depleted, but evidently, Shui Yuan had worked her magic on him.
A day or two of rest and recovery should see him back into full health.
“How long have I been asleep?” he asked.
“Two days,” Yi Yi replied.
Lu Ye nodded. Sister Shui Yuan had certainly delivered her proverbial goods once again with her healing skills that far surpassed that of Hua Ci. He recalled the first time he unleashed Glyph: Fire Phoenix on his foes; Hua Ci had taken several days to nurse him back to health.
Shui Yuan only took two days.
He lowered his head to inspect his Battlefield Imprint.
Name: Lu Yi Ye
Affiliation: Acolyte of the Crimson Blood Sect
Cultivation: Third-Order of the Cloud River Realm.
Location: Mount Ao Range of Bing Zhou Province.
Contribution Points: Six thousand one hundred and twenty
Achievements: Fifty-six
His tally of over a hundred thousand Contribution Points had dwindled down to a mere fraction, a consequence of the immense cost of calling upon the Divine Opportunity Column. Since the last time he had bought the two Point Restoration Pills for Li Baxian, this was his first time spending such a vast amount of Points.
The Point Restoration Pills at least had the practical use of repairing Li Baxian’s Spiritual Points, but the Divine Opportunity Column that he had summoned had no further utility beyond enabling his return to the real world of Jiu Zhou a few days ago.
And it would be there indefinitely. There was no way to move it elsewhere at all.
If only he was not forced into using so many Contribution Points just to gain access to one Divine Opportunity Column. The sheer amount would have been enough for him to go on a spending spree in the Vault of Providence.
While he was reflecting upon his losses, Shui Yuan walked in. She casually inquired, “How are you feeling now?”
“I’m feeling better now,” he replied.
“Good. Now that you’re back here, stay indoors for now and focus on your recuperation. Don’t get into trouble.”
“Yes.”
After hearing of Lu Ye’s exploits in the Cloud River Battlefield from Yi Yi, Shui Yuan was indignant at the arrogance of Thousand Demon Ridge Cultivators while feeling distressed about her junior brother’s plight.
Being at the Divine Sea Realm, there was only just so much she could do for Lu Ye. Back then in the Spirit Creek Battlefield, she could forcefully intervene on his behalf, but there was no way she could enter the Cloud River Battlefield.
She came over and examined him, ensuring that he truly was improving before she finally relaxed.
“Um, Sister Shui Yuan?”
“Yes?”
“I need to get dressed.”
“I was the one who stripped you! There’s nothing in that tub that will surprise me!” Shui Yuan scowled, rolling her eyes at him before she turned to walk out of the room.
Lu Ye did not even know how to respond to that.
Lu Ye emerged from his chambers after he was finished dressing. The glaring sunlight blinded him for one fleeting moment as soon as he stepped out of the threshold as the gentle melodies of birdsong and insect chirping filled his ears. Lu Ye stretched lazily as he took in the sweet scent of flowers lingering in the air, appreciating the tranquility of the peace after the chaos a few days before.
He called for Yi Yi, but instead, he went and found his mentor Tang Yifeng. He paid his respects and sat for a lecture.
After leaving his mentor’s presence, he was immediately greeted by an irresistible aroma of food wafting through the air. Following his nose, he arrived at the dining hall, where, as expected, Shui Yuan had prepared a table full of delectable dishes.
The appearance of food Shui Yuan prepared looked so much more delicious and remarkably awesome than Hua Ci’s, even though the food cooked by Hua Ci was just as nourishing. So long as one could ignore how hideous and unappetizing her cooking was, one could still find her food enjoyable all the same.
After indulging in a hearty meal and exchanging a few words with Shui Yuan, he headed straight for the Summit of Bamboo.
Shui Yuan had assigned the Summit to Lu Ye some time ago, making him the master of the Summit of Bamboo.
That was in conjunction with his ascension into the Cloud River Realm. She had allowed him to choose one of the few foothills within the Crimson Blood Sect domain and Yi Yi suggested the Summit of Bamboo.
It was quite close to the Summit of Fortitude, and many of his juniors had assisted in the construction of its amenities back then.
However, not long after entering the Cloud River Realm, Lu Ye entered the Cloud River Battlefield, which left him with little time to spend at the Summit of Bamboo.
Now, as he arrived, he could see pavilions and spires standing out amidst the sea of clouds rolling around them, an almost celestial ambiance as if he had stepped into paradise.
He entered one of the buildings and casually picked a room, settling down for some time of meditation and cultivation.
The main stronghold of the Crimson Blood Sect was just a quiet and empty place devoid of much human activity. With most of the Sect’s membership being low-tier Cultivators aside from Lu Ye and Ju Jia, everyone else was still inside the Spirit Creek Battlefield to focus on their training and seldom returned to the main stronghold.
But once the rest of the Sect’s acolytes progressed further, the stronghold would become livelier once again.
Hua Ci should also be on the cusp of reaching the Cloud River Realm by now, realized Lu Ye.
He stuffed another Spirit Pill into his mouth as he continued his meditation and practice, restoring his Spiritual Power.
The next day, Lu Ye left the Summit of Bamboo in a hurry. He first went to Lunarmere to catch some fish before heading back to the Summit of Fortitude.
He looked for Shui Yuan and told her, “I wish to reenter the Spirit Creek Battlefield, Sister Shui Yuan.”
Shui Yuan looked puzzled. “What for?”
For Cloud River Realm Cultivators like Lu Ye, reentering the Spirit Creek Battlefield required paying a certain amount of Contribution Points. The higher one’s cultivation rank, the more Contribution Points were needed. Shui Yuan, for example, would need to pay several thousands of Contribution Points each time she reentered the Battlefield.
“Payback,” Lu Ye replied curtly.
He had made a promise to the Thousand Demon Ridge elites before he was transported away from the Cloud River Battlefield. He had vowed to repay them for their actions a hundredfold in the future.
To the Thousand Demon Ridge elites, those words might be dismissed as mere bravado. But for someone who had just endured such an ordeal and narrowly escaped death, there was no way Lu Ye would let the offense he had taken slide. If anything, he was determined to follow through on his words and cause havoc in the Spirit Creek Battlefield.
If he couldn’t defeat those enemy Eighth- and Ninth-Orders from the Cloud River Realm, then he might as well inflict his wrath on their juniors—those who were still in the Spirit Creek Battlefield.
If others could take advantage of their strength to bully him, why can’t he turn the tables on them and play the same game with the same rules too in the Spirit Creek Battlefield? As once the most-feared person in the Battlefield, no one there could possibly be his match.
After all, he needed to reclaim what he had lost—one hundred thousand Contribution Points and that Golden Body Token which he was forced to use—from the Spirit Creek Battlefield, no matter what it took.
Shui Yuan immediately grasped Lu Ye’s intentions. Her eyebrows furrowed as she attempted to dissuade him. “Forcibly reentering the Spirit Creek Battlefield doesn’t grant you free rein, Lu Ye. For a Cloud River Realm Cultivator like you, it’s quite the opposite. Even if you’re more powerful, the Heavens will penalize you for any lives you take. It’s a form of protection that the Heavens provides for lower-level Cultivators.”
“I know. That’s why I want to ask your help on how you managed to withstand the Judgment of the Heavens.”
The first time he met Shui Yuan was still vividly embedded in his mind. She was wielding an absurdly wicked-looking battle scythe back then, striking down any adversaries that attempted to come near him. Even as the terrifying Judgment of the Heavens never stopped tormenting her, she remained unfazed.
A warm fuzzy feeling welled up within his heart whenever he recalled that fleeting smile, no matter how much time had passed.
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