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Bearing the brunt of countless attacks from various flying weapons and Spell Techniques, the Wolf Mutants charged toward the Sacred Universe Arcane Glade cultivators with crimson blood dripping in their wake. They approached the cultivators and leapt into the air, baring their sharp fangs and claws that gleamed with a wicked light.
The Sacred Universe Arcane Glade cultivators were prepared and quickly took countermeasures. The Body-tempering Cultivators and the Combat Cultivators stood at the forefront, defending against the Wolf Mutants charging toward them. Meanwhile, the Spell Cultivators and the Ghost Cultivators took advantage of the situation to counterattack.
The howling of the wolves and the furious roars of the cultivators mingled together in a cacophony.
The number of Wolf Mutants more than doubled the Sacred Universe Arcane Glade cultivators, but the methods of attack available to them were not as varied as the cultivators even though they were Champion-class Spirit Beasts. Therefore, the situation quickly reached a stalemate. The Wolf Mutants could not break through the defense formed by the cultivators, and the cultivators could not progress toward the Arcane Glade.
Standing in the Arcane Glade, Lu Ye activated various flying weapons and simultaneously monitored the situation on the battlefield.
Ju Jia released a furious howl which attracted the attention of many cultivators. Following that, numerous attacks landed on his body with loud explosions. The Spiritual Light enveloping the surface of his body flashed wildly in response, and many of the Sacred Universe Arcane Glade cultivators exclaimed in astonishment at the sight. It was probably very startling to see a person with such a tough and sturdy physique.
Mixed among the crowd of Sacred Universe Arcane Glade cultivators were Xia Liang and Tan Sheng, who kept up a steady barrage of attacks. With their strength alone, they ensured that the area around them was invincible and impenetrable. Nevertheless, it was obvious that they were holding back their strength. If two Ninth Order Cloud River Realm Masters were to fight with their full strength, they would be strong enough to create great trouble for the Wolf Mutants in front of them. Be that as it may, the Wolf Mutants in front of them would quickly rush forward once more even though they were constantly being repelled.
It was understandable. The Sacred Universe Arcane Glade had dispatched such an impressive force for this mission after all. How could they take advantage of the situation if they did not conserve their strength? Judging from this point of view, the cooperation between them and the Sacred Universe Arcane Glade was only superficial.
Everything seemed normal on the surface, but the truth was that everything was twisted and bizarre under the surface.
The battle had erupted too hastily. If Huo Liaoyuan truly intended to invade the Arcane Glade by force, then he would have the best opportunity for success if he took action yesterday instead of waiting until today.
The Sacred Universe Arcane Glade had lost so many people yesterday. Although the loss of their companions would cause great panic and fear among the cultivators, the pain would also arouse their hatred and anger to the greatest extent. Having said that, the Arcane Glade would have fallen if Huo Liaoyuan had stormed the Arcane Glade yesterday. After all, a night’s rest would not allow the Sacred Universe Arcane Glade cultivators to regain much strength. On the contrary, they would only have more time to worry about their gains and losses in the battle.
The battle was extremely intense, but the casualties were very low. That was true for both the Sacred Universe Arcane Glade cultivators and the Wolf Mutants. That was because the Sacred Universe Arcane Glade cultivators were implementing a defensive stance even though they had taken the initiative to attack. Hence, it was only natural for their casualties to remain low.
The current situation was clearly the result of the orders that Huo Liaoyuan issued in advance. Just by looking at the current situation, one would think that the Sacred Universe Arcane Glade cultivators would obtain victory in battle as long as they could resist the counterattack of the Wolf Mutants! However, that seemed completely contrary to their purpose of invading the Arcane Glade in the first place…
If Huo Liaoyuan actually wanted to invade the Arcane Glade, then he should have charged into the Arcane Glade without regard for the possible losses. It should have been a complete massacre that slaughtered everything within the Arcane Glade instead of creating such an impenetrable defense for his own forces.
Besides, Lu Ye could feel a trace of aura that had firmly locked onto him since the very beginning of the battle. It was Huo Liaoyuan’s aura!
They stared at each other from across the distance. The fury in Huo Liaoyuan’s eyes seemed to be burning like the blazing flames of a fire. He gave an angry roar. “Lu Yi Ye, come here and receive your death!”
His appearance indicated that his mind was completely distorted by his hatred.
Lu Ye ignored Huo Liaoyuan. Controlling the nine flying weapons with one hand, he raised his other hand and summoned an item. A Ward Flag appeared in the palm of his hand. If not for the fact that he needed to control the Wards in the Arcane Glade, he would have charged forward with his blade in hand. Why else would he remain frozen on the spot?
Both the Grand Defensive Ward and the Trap Ward in the Arcane Glade had been destroyed previously. He had not bothered to recreate these Grand Wards because his efforts would have been meaningless. Nonetheless, that did not mean there were no other Wards within the Arcane Glade.
As soon as Huo Liaoyuan noticed the Ward Flag in Lu Ye’s hand, his expression immediately changed. He shouted, “Be careful!”
At the same time, Lu Ye abruptly swung the Ward Flag. A loud explosion erupted, accompanied by towering flames that soared into the sky. The sudden explosion was followed by various screams of agony.
Huo Liaoyuan immediately turned to look in that direction only to see a gap appearing in the defense line formed by his subordinates. The seven or eight cultivators standing in the gap were covered in blood after the explosion earlier. Although they survived the blast, their ears were ringing and their vision danced with spots. Not to mention, they were extremely battered by the explosion.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, the Wolf Mutants occupying that position immediately lunged forward and slaughtered several people in an instant.
Another explosion rang out in the next moment. The cause was another Ward that had been activated in a different direction. Several people were caught in the range of the blast and suffered tragic consequences.
“Stop them! Don’t let them charge forward!”
“Junior Brother Yun!”
“Save me, Senior Brother!”
…
The situation fell into chaos. Two Explosive Wards had been activated without any warning, causing all the Sacred Universe Arcane Glade cultivators to tremble in fear. Even though they had known that they would have to pay a price for invading the Arcane Glade, they could not accept the reality when the consequences appeared in front of them.
Sharp claws pierced through bones, and sharp teeth tore through flesh. As a result, screams of agony rang out unceasingly.
Fortunately, the Sacred Universe Arcane Glade cultivators had been maintaining a defensive position all this while. That was why the gaps in the front line were quickly filled by the nearby cultivators after a brief moment of panic. The front line quickly became stable once more. Unfortunately, the dead cultivators would never return to life again.
Furthermore, the two explosions caused by the Explosive Wards had left a lingering fear in their hearts. They couldn’t help wondering if the next Explosive Ward would erupt around them. What put them at ease slightly was that no other explosions occurred.
Lu Ye might have prepared a large number of Wards that could be activated automatically, but they were scattered across the Arcane Glade. Seeing as there were not many Wards around the area where the Sacred Universe Arcane Glade cultivators were located, he decided not to activate all the Wards at once and left a few intact Wards in place. In this way, he could create greater turmoil when the time was right.
“Lu Yi Ye, I’m going to kill you! Ahhhhh!” Huo Liaoyuan yelled as though he had gone insane.
At the same time, Lu Ye sensed that the aura around his body had gotten much stronger than before.
“Brother Xia, something is wrong with Huo Liaoyuan.” Tan Sheng murmured softly to Xia Liang while repelling the Wolf Mutants in front of him.
Huo Liaoyuan was not only a Ninth Order Cloud River Realm Master but also the leader of this entire operation. There was no reason for him to behave in such an unrefined manner…
In fact, he should have known that launching an invasion by force would result in enormous losses. There had indeed been losses among the Sacred Universe Arcane Glade cultivators, but their losses were not very significant. Hence, his reaction was obviously a little exaggerated.
“I see!” Xia Liang abruptly responded without actually answering the question. A look of great realization appeared on his face at the same time.
Tan Sheng was puzzled.
Xia Liang explained in a soft voice, “It looks like I’ve underestimated Huo Liaoyuan. Lu Yi Ye is doomed to die today. What a pity…”
He was not upset that Lu Ye was going to die but that he and Tan Sheng would only receive twenty per cent of the bounty after Lu Ye’s death. [After splitting the reward, we will only receive 10 per cent each…
It was no wonder that Huo Liaoyuan claimed their support was simply the icing on the cake. If Huo Liaoyuan had that item in his possession, then they were indeed nothing more than icing on the cake.
The reason Huo Liaoyuan had willingly offered them a twenty per cent share of the bounty was not that he needed their help but that he could not afford to offend the Raving Bladesmen. He could not take the entire bounty on Lu Ye’s head for himself without looking bad, so he had offered them a twenty per cent share as a show of his goodwill.
In this case, it could be said that either the exposure of Xia Liang and Tan Sheng’s presence had given Huo Liaoyuan a sense of crisis or Lu Ye’s ambush last night had been the trigger which pushed Huo Liaoyuan to invade the Arcane Glade today.
“Brother Xia, what are you talking about?” Tan Sheng was confused. [Why is Lu Yi Ye doomed to die today?]
“Just wait and see. You’ll understand soon.” Xia Liang did not bother to explain too much. It would not take long before the truth was presented to them, so explaining would only be a waste of his energy. Nevertheless, he did not forget to warn Tan Sheng. “Don’t forget to escape in time.”
Tan Sheng’s confusion grew, but he suppressed the doubts in his heart and silently resumed his attacks.
The battle raged on. The Sacred Universe Arcane Glade cultivators might have lost more than a dozen men to the two Explosive Wards earlier, but the remaining cultivators stood firm and maintained the front line to prevent the wolf pack from breaking through.
Meanwhile, Huo Liaoyuan’s expression was becoming increasingly distorted with rage. His entire body was enveloped in a fierce scarlet light that made him seem as though he was on fire.
An ominous feeling of unease suddenly emerged in Lu Ye’s heart… [The aura that Huo Liaoyuan placed on me… is ridiculously strong!]
The trace of aura had locked onto his body from the start of the battle, but he had not paid attention to the aura at the time. After all, Huo Liaoyuan not only suffered a humiliating defeat in Lu Ye’s hands but also lost many subordinates during the previous battle. It was not strange for him to target Lu Ye during the current battle.
Afterwards, the aura had gradually grown stronger and stronger over time. It was just that Lu Ye had simply assumed that the changes were caused by Huo Liaoyuan’s rage. But, now… How could the aura of a Ninth Order Cloud River Realm Master be so strong? It felt as though there was an invisible force binding him tightly. Moreover, the feeling was growing more and more distinct with every passing moment.
He glanced at Huo Liaoyuan and saw that the other party was staring fixedly at him. When their gazes met, Huo Liaoyuan yelled a threat at the top of his voice. “Lu Yi Ye, I’m going to kill you!”
Despite Huo Liaoyuan’s seemingly crazy attitude, the look in his eyes was startlingly clear. Not to mention, he was only making empty threats. He showed no intention to approach whatsoever!
Huo Liaoyuan abruptly stopped his continuous yelling at this moment.
At the same time, Lu Ye was horrified to discover that he could no longer move! There was an invisible force restraining him firmly in place.
Huo Liaoyuan smiled with a triumphant expression that revealed his successful trickery. Then, he glanced over calmly. “Lu Yi Ye, come and face your death!”
When the words left his mouth, the item in his hand slowly rose into the air and shone with a brilliant light.
Everybody on the battlefield was instantly drawn toward the item. It was a square item about the size of a child’s palm. There was a large word engraved on the front: ‘Death!’ Likewise, there was also a large word engraved on the back: ‘Battle!’
As soon as the item appeared, two rays of light shot out from the item. One of the rays landed on Lu Ye, and the other ray landed on Huo Liaoyuan. Like two ropes, the two rays of light bound them tightly.
The expression of Li Baxian, who was fighting in the sky at the time, immediately changed drastically. He exclaimed, “A Deathmatch Platform!”
Then, hundreds of flying swords soared into the sky and shot toward the palm-sized Deathmatch Platform.
Feng Yuechan’s expression also changed drastically, and she quickly reached out to help at the same time.
Nevertheless, neither Li Baxian’s flying swords nor Feng Yuechan’s Spell Techniques could cause any damage to the Deathmatch Platform. Forget causing damage to the Deathmatch Platform, even Lu Ye and Huo Liaoyuan who were being restrained by the Deathmatch Platform were not harmed by the external forces.
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