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At Li Baxian’s residence, Lu Ye and Li Baxian were drinking by the candlelight. As Lu Ye explained everything to him, Li Baxian gradually understood the various plans for the upcoming events in Fox Immortal Valley.
“So they’re planning to ambush that elite-level Spirit Beast,” Li Baxian exclaimed in realization. “No wonder I’ve been feeling a strange atmosphere in the valley lately. Even Cultivator Yu seemed troubled.”
The Cultivator Yu that he mentioned was Yu Daiwei, who had been frequently visiting him to spar in swordsmanship.
It was evident that Yu Daiwei had developed some feelings for Li Baxian, but his Fourth Senior Brother seemed oblivious and treated her merely as a like-minded cultivation companion.
“Little Junior Brother, remember not to discuss such confidential matters with others until the mistress announces it officially,” Li Baxian reminded Lu Ye.
“I understand. I will only mention it to you, Senior Brother. When the actual mission begins, please be careful,” Lu Ye assured him.
Li Baxian nodded. “I will take care… By the way, does Junior Brother know when the mission will begin?”
“It should be in the next few days,” Lu Ye said solemnly, “I have received word that we will head out to set up the Wards tomorrow. When the Wards are ready may be when the mission may commence.”
“In that case, Junior Brother must also be careful. An elite-level Spirit Beast monster… Well, I never thought the day would come where I might fight one.” Li Baxian seemed untroubled. Instead, he even seemed to be looking forward to it.
The next morning, Lu Ye walked out of his residence and headed straight for the entrance of Fox Immortal Valley.
In the distance, he saw a group of more than ten figures waiting, with Zhou Yuntian leading at the forefront.
Lu Ye approached them and greeted everyone. Zhou Yuntian nodded in response. “Let’s depart.”
With that, Zhou Yuntian took the lead, and the others followed closely behind.
Apart from Zhou Yuntian, Xie Yunhan was also among the group of over a dozen cultivators. The remaining individuals were all formidable, each one in the Seventh Order, and their main responsibility was to protect both Lu Ye and Xie Yunhan.
After all, just based on their cultivation levels alone, Lu Ye in the Fourth Order and Xie Yunhan in the Seventh Order were not particularly strong. If they were to encounter a powerful Spirit Beast on the way, they might not be able to fight back. Whether they could set up powerful enough Wards was crucial for this operation. While they set up the wards, Zhou Yuntian and the others had to stay nearby.
As they walked on, they encountered the occasional Spirit Beast along the way. No matter how careful they were, it was inevitable that they would get into a few fights.
However, with more than ten people, several of whom were above the Ninth Order, their journey was a relatively safe one despite the eventfulness.
After traveling for a day, Zhou Yuntian finally stopped and took out a 10-point map to confirm their location. “This is it. Cultivator Lu, Cultivator Xie, please quickly set up various Grand Wards centered here as soon as possible. As for the specific arrangements and types of Wards, you can discuss it among yourselves. The rest of you will split into pairs and spread out to keep watch in all directions. If we find anything unusual, we must inform each other in a timely manner!”
“Yes!” The group acknowledged the order, and dispersed.
Only Lu Ye, Xie Yunhan, and Zhou Yuntian remained in this place.
Xie Yunhan looked at Lu Ye.
In terms of proficiency in the Way of Ward’s, he was inferior to Lu Ye, so Lu Ye took the lead in the setup while he assisted.
Lu Ye did not immediately start working on the Wards but instead turned to Zhou Yuntian. “Cultivator Zhou, I have a question.”
“What is it?”
Lu Ye asked, “How far is the Berserk Giant Ape from here?”
“Its location is not fixed, but generally, it only moves within its territory, which is about 25 kilometers away from here.”
“In other words, the mistress intends to lure the Berserk Giant Ape out of its territory and ambush it here?”
“That’s right.”
“The Berserk Giant Ape is an elite-level Spirit Beast, so its Spiritual Intelligence should not be too low. How can we ensure that it will be lured here? The cultivators in the valley have already fought it more than once. Wouldn’t it realize what’s happening?”
“If Cultivator Lu is worried about that, then please rest assured. Indeed, that beast has high Spiritual Intelligence and understands the nature of Humans, but it is still an elite-level Spirit Beast. It reigns supreme in the Cloud River Battlefield, so even if it senses something, it wouldn’t pay it too much attention. We have done it the same way in the previous two attempts, and though we met with some difficulties along the way, we were able to lure it into the designated area each time.”
Lu Ye nodded, “Then there’s no problem.”
He speculated that if that was the case, the intelligence of the Berserk Giant Ape really may not be that high.
He suddenly remembered the elite-level Spirit Beast he encountered on the Spirit Creek Battlefield. Even though it had already taken on a Human form, it was still easily deceived, which seemed to be an inevitable flaw of the Spirit Beasts.
After having his doubts cleared, Lu Ye rose into the air and surveyed the terrain below. After a while, he had a specific plan formed in his mind.
Among the many Glyphs he had mastery in, many were suitable for laying as Wards.
However, for use against an elite-level Spirit Beast, some of the auxiliary Wards with little effect could be skipped.
In order to successfully kill their opponent, they should still focus on the Killing Wards.
The most powerful Ward he could lay at the moment was the Explosive Ward. A single Explosive Ward may not pose much threat to an elite-level Spirit Beast, but if a sufficient number of them were laid, they could still be quite significant.
There were also Glyphs like Invoke Lightning, Fire, and Earth Protrusion. They could be used individually as spells, but if used as the core of a Ward, they would form a Lightning Invocation Ward, Fire Ward, and Earth Protrusion Ward, which could be quite effective when combined with Explosive Wards.
At once, Lu Ye and Xie Yunhan began setting up the Wards together.
One by one, the Ward Flags were consumed and Wards were formed. In order to raise their power, Lu Ye placed Spirit Stones in many of the Wards, allowing them to run in advance and accumulate energy.
Considering that the cultivators in the valley had to fight the Berserk Giant Ape, most of the Wards set up this time required manual control. There were only a few trigger-type Wards.
For three days, Lu Ye and Xie Yunhan hardly rested as they set up over a hundred Wards within a radius of five kilometers, filling the area with hidden traps.
While setting up these Wards, Lu Ye poured all his knowledge into it without any reservation.
Although it would be beneficial for him if Fox Immortal Valley’s strength were to be weakened, and he had even planned to have the wolf pack attack the Fox Mutant after this battle, the premise was that they first had to win the battle against the Berserk Giant Ape.
If they lost this battle, his and Li Baxian’s safety would not be guaranteed either, so regardless, Lu Ye didn’t dare to mess with the Wards while setting them up.
He had no idea how strong a Cloud River Realm elite-level Spirit Beast was, but judging from the current situation in Fox Immortal Valley, the power of the Berserk Giant Ape would undoubtedly exceed his expectations.
On the second day, after all the Wards were properly set up, the Fox Mutant led the cultivators of Fox Immortal Valley here.
All the cultivators in Fox Immortal Valley were mobilized without a single person left behind, which meant that over eighty cultivators were gathered together. Zhou Yuntian stepped forward to report the situation on this side.
After hearing the report, the Fox Mutant looked approvingly at Lu Ye and Xie Yunhan. “You two have worked hard. If we succeed this time, you shall be the main contributors!”
Lu Ye and Xie Yunhan both looked delighted and excited, expressing that it was only their duty to serve their mistress as her subordinates. Their humble demeanor undoubtedly pleased the Fox Mutant very much.
“Mistress,” Lu Ye spoke again, “Before we begin, I would like to familiarize everyone with the Wards in the area. This way, everyone will know where to seek refuge and block the enemy during the battle, which may reduce some casualties.”
The Fox Mutant nodded. “That is very thoughtful of you. In that case, let’s proceed as you suggested!”
“Yes. Please follow me, fellow cultivators.” While saying so, Lu Ye took off into the air, the large group of cultivators following behind him.
“Placed here is a trapping Ward. If any of you are having trouble shaking off the enemy, you can come here for help.” Lu Ye pointed to a certain spot below, which everyone silently took note of.
“This entire area is filled with Explosive Wards, controlled by Xie Yunhan and myself. Do not linger here while passing through, especially if you are being pursued by the enemy. Xie Yunhan and I will activate the Wards at the right time to help you kill the enemy.”
“This is a Lightning Invocation Ward…”
“Over here is an Illusion Ward…”
As Lu Ye continued his explanations, the arrangement of the Wards in the entire area could be envisioned in the minds of the cultivators. Their memories were powerful, and combined with what they saw before them, they quickly formed a mental map of the Ward layout.
Zhou Yuntian’s eyes lit up as he listened on the side. He had participated in two previous attacks against the Berserk Giant Ape, but the Wards set up by Xie Yunhan were not as intricate, and the support it provided to Fox Immortal Valley was not that significant either.
But though he dared not call Lu Ye’s Wards the most profound, their intricacies undoubtedly increased his confidence in this mission.
Moreover, that Lu Ye tried to familiarize them with the Ward arrangements before the mission showed that he was concerned for their safety. It was possible that their lives would really depend on it when the time came.
After two hours, everyone returned. Zhou Yuntian stepped forward and cupped his fist. “Mistress, we are ready.”
A chilling killing intent flashed in the Fox Mutant’s enchanting eyes. “Let us begin. This time, no matter the cost, we must kill it!”
“We will not disappoint you, Mistress!” The cultivators answered, their fighting spirit rising.
Lu Ye sighed inwardly. Regardless of whether they succeeded or not, these cultivators would surely suffer heavy casualties. As their minds were manipulated by the Fox Mutant, her commands were their unquestionable mission. Even if she ordered them to die at this moment, they would not frown.
Over a dozen figures emerged from the crowd led by Zhou Yuntian, and they took off into the air, heading straight towards a particular direction. It was evident that they were going to lure the beast out of its lair.
This area was the outskirts of an elite-level Spirit Beast’s territory, so there were no traces of other Spirit Beasts being active here, and so there was no worry about being attacked by them as they flew through this area.
Time kept on passing by.
Until a certain moment, when Yu Daiwei, who had been standing by the Fox Mutant’s side, relayed the information she obtained from checking the marks on the battlefield. She said, “Mistress, Cultivator Zhou and the others have lured it out!”
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