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The phantom of the Deathmatch Platform materialized inside the Ameliorate Arcane Glade, and a figure appeared before their eyes. However, what shocked and horrified the Sacred Universe Arcane Glade cultivators was that the person who returned was not Huo Liaoyuan, whom they had expected, but Lu Ye!
That was not entirely correct. Huo Liaoyuan had returned as well. It was just that he was currently dangling from Lu Ye’s grasp like the corpse of a dog. A large gaping hole could clearly be seen on his chest, and fresh blood dripped out of the wound with pattering sounds.
There was no longer any life or vitality in his body. He was just a corpse at this point.
Many of the Sacred Universe Arcane Glade cultivators felt their scalps going numb, and a chill washed over their bodies.
Despite their reluctance to believe the sight before their eyes, the harsh reality was right in front of them. They were forced to accept the truth.
On the other hand, Li Baxian finally breathed a long sigh of relief when Lu Ye appeared. He had the feeling that Lu Ye might not lose, but the feeling was both a desperate hope and prayer. It was not until Lu Ye appeared before him unharmed that he finally relaxed.
Nevertheless, he immediately became suspicious again…
In his mind, he had assumed that Lu Ye gained the capital to fight Huo Liaoyuan by arousing the sleeping Amber and joining forces with the Spirit Beast. Be that as it may, there was no sign of Amber anywhere. It was evident that the tiger remained deep in slumber inside the Spirit Beast Bag.
Generally speaking, most people only managed to defeat an opponent who was one or two Minor Realms stronger than them. It was very rare to overcome the difference of three Minor Realms, much less four Minor Realms.
Just as various thoughts raced through Li Baxian’s mind, Lu Ye suddenly raised his hand and tossed the corpse in his hand to the ground.
Several Sacred Universe Arcane Glade cultivators hastily caught the corpse
“Retreat!” A horrified voice rang out from among the Sacred Universe Arcane Glade cultivators. Then, they seemed to return to their senses and quickly began to retreat.
Xia Liang and Tan Sheng were mixed among the crowd. Even after they retreated from the range of the Arcane Glade, their expressions remained filled with utter disbelief.
Meanwhile, the wolf pack did not give chase because their efforts would have been futile.
When the Sacred Universe Arcane Glade cultivators withdrew from the Ameliorate Valley, Lu Ye finally activated the power of the Concealment Ward. A ripple passed overhead as the Concealment Ward covered the entire Arcane Glade. Then, he involuntarily staggered on his feet. Blood leaked out from the corner of his mouth.
“Little Junior Brother!” Li Baxian hurried forward to support Lu Ye.
On the other hand, Feng Yuechan hastily brought out some Healing Pills and stuffed them into Lu Ye’s mouth.
After swallowing the Spirit Pills, Lu Ye waved them away. “I’m fine, but I need to recuperate for a while. The other party will not dare to act rashly for the time being. As for the Arcane Glade… Senior Brother, Senior Sister Feng… please take care of the Arcane Glade.” ȑÂŊO͍𝖇ƐＳ
Li Baxian nodded. “Don’t worry, I will inform you at the first sign of trouble.”
Afterwards, Lu Ye turned around and entered his little hut. Sitting down cross-legged, he quietly meditated and focused on his recovery. The wounds he received during his battle with Huo Liaoyuan could not be considered serious, but they were not insignificant either. He mainly suffered internal injuries. Fortunately, his physique was strong. It should not be difficult for him to recover.
Watching Lu Ye walking into the building, Li Baxian couldn’t help looking rather conflicted for some reason.
Feng Yuechan seemed to notice his emotional state and asked, “What are you thinking about, Senior Brother?”
He smiled faintly. “I was thinking about the first time I met Little Junior Brother…”
At the time, Lu Ye had been trapped at the top of the Goldentip. Wei Yang was the first to arrive on the scene, followed closely by Li Baxian. The two of them had protected Lu Ye with all their might. Even if they had never met Lu Ye before, they already regarded him as a family member just because he was a disciple of the Crimson Blood Sect.
That battle was the reason Lu Ye’s name became so famous. The name ‘Lu Yi Ye of the Crimson Blood Sect’ became extremely well-known after that battle, and he gained an impressive reputation on the Spirit Creek Battlefield.
Only two or three years had passed since then, but the young disciple who needed the protection of his Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters had already grown to such an extent.
Li Baxian couldn’t help feeling a subtle sense of amazement, as though his own child had grown into an adult.
At the entrance of the Ameliorate Valley, the Sacred Universe Arcane Glade cultivators looked extremely depressed. The atmosphere around them was gloomy. Even now, they could barely recover from the horror of learning that Huo Liaoyuan was dead.
There were many ups and downs in the journey of a cultivator, so death was very common. It was not that they had never experienced death before. On the contrary, every one of them had experienced death to a certain degree in the past.
It would not have been strange if Huo Liaoyuan had been killed by another Ninth Order Realm Master. Despite being in the Ninth Order Realm, there were differences in their individual strengths. If he was killed by others, then he could only blame himself for being inferior. However, he died at Lu Ye’s hands!
Even now, they could not understand. How did the powerful Huo Liaoyuan perish in the hands of Lu Ye? Just what happened in the Deathmatch Platform? Unfortunately, they no longer had any means to learn the hidden truth. Lu Ye and Huo Liaoyuan were the only two people in the Deathmatch Platform after all. So, the truth of the battle was only known to the two participants.
Huo Liaoyuan was the only Ninth Order Realm Master among the cultivators who came from the Sacred Universe Arcane Glade, but there were several Eight Order Realm Masters.
One of them was none other than Ming Zhe. Although he came from the Universe Clan, he would often challenge Huo Liaoyuan to practice matches because of their compatibility and similar temperaments. Huo Liaoyuan had never rejected the challenges or found fault with him, so they had a good relationship with each other.
At this moment, Ming Zhe suppressed his grief and examined Huo Liaoyuan’s corpse. Huo Liaoyuan might be dead, but the wounds on his corpse might provide some clues which could allow Ming Zhe to speculate about the circumstances of the battle.
The fatal wound was located in Huo Liaoyuan’s chest. His heart had been crushed to powder. There were many smaller wounds on his body, but they were not caused by sharp weapons. They seemed more like bruises caused by a brutal impact instead.
After a thorough examination of Huo Liaoyuan’s corpse, Ming Zhe could not find any useful clues. Huo Liaoyuan seemed to have fought an intense battle with Lu Ye, in which he was eventually defeated by his opponent! But… how was that possible? There was a gap of four Minor Realms in their cultivation. What qualifications did Lu Ye have to fight on equal footing with Huo Liaoyuan?
Just as Ming Zhe was puzzling over the situation, he received a signal from his Battlefield Imprint. He quickly checked his Battlefield Imprint. It turned out to be a message from Tu Guanxiong which contained only a short and simple inquiry: ‘What happened?’
It was evident that Tu Guanxiong had received news about Huo Liaoyuan’s death!
Ming Zhe suppressed his grief and reported the situation over the past two days to Tu Guanxiong.
Upon hearing that more than sixty people had been lost in the first battle, Tu Guanxiong was speechless for a long time.
When Huo Liaoyuan came to recruit help from the Sacred Universe Arcane Glade, Tu Guanxiong had tried his best to gather more people for Huo Liaoyuan. Practically seventy per cent of the manpower in the Arcane Glade had been mobilized for this mission. In addition to the Cult Blackfyre disciples whom Huo Liaoyuan summoned, the line-up consisted of more than one hundred and fifty people in total. Not only was it shocking to lose more than sixty people at once with such an impressive line-up, but it was also simply unbelievable.
Then, Tu Guanxiong learned that Huo Liaoyuan had activated the Deathmatch Platform today and dragged Lu Ye into the space within the Deathmatch Platform. In the end, Lu Ye was the one to return alive and Huo Liaoyuan was reduced to a corpse instead…
“Do you know how Brother Huo died?”
“He was stabbed in the heart. I don’t know anything else.”
Tu Guanxiong was silent for a moment. “Lu Yi Ye must have some sort of powerful Exotic Treasure in his possession!”
That was the only possibility to explain how Huo Liaoyuan died so tragically at the hands of Lu Ye. He did not believe that Lu Ye could kill Huo Liaoyuan with his strength alone when there was such a large gap between their cultivation.
“What do we do now, Senior Brother Tu?” Having lost his leader, Ming Zhe couldn’t help feeling lost and confused.
It was unrealistic to attack the Arcane Glade. The opponent had a wolf pack under their command. Anybody who dared to step into the range of the Aerial Lock Ward would not return alive. Be that as it may, they were unwilling to leave just like that. How could they hold their heads high and return to their Arcane Glade if they did not take revenge for their fallen comrades?
Remaining here to wait for reinforcements was also an option. Tu Guanxiong had already summoned more Universe Clan disciples to come and provide support. It was just that the reinforcements needed time to arrive.
Nevertheless, the Sacred Universe Arcane Glade cultivators might not be able to accomplish anything even if the reinforcements arrived soon. The casualties they suffered previously were too heavy after all. Nearly half of their troops had died in battle, and the number of cultivators summoned by Tu Guanxiong was limited.
“What about Xia Liang of the Raving Bladesmen and Tan Sheng of the New Moon Sect?” Tu Guanxiong asked.
When reporting about the incidents over the past two days, Ming Zhe had briefly mentioned the presence of Xia Liang and Tan Sheng.
“They are still here,” Ming Zhe replied. “Looks like they are not willing to leave just like this. It might be possible to borrow their strength.”
“No!” Tu Guanxiong immediately vetoed the suggestion. “One of them is from a First Tier Sect while the other is from a Third Tier Sect. They are not people we can afford to provoke. If we dare to borrow their power for this mission, then they will definitely turn around and use us instead. They will probably claim all the benefits for themselves upon defeating Lu Ye.”
“Senior Brother, Senior Brother Huo previously mentioned that the information regarding Lu Ye probably came from them.”
“Are you certain?”
“Senior Brother Huo seemed quite certain about his speculation.”
“It was as Brother Huo expected after all. They probably suffered extensive losses in the past. Knowing that they are powerless against Lu Ye with their strength alone, they were probably hoping to use us to achieve their goals instead. Damn it… I can’t believe the Sacred Universe Arcane Glade suffered such huge losses because they implicated us in their revenge.” Tu Guanxiong was furious.
The Sacred Universe Arcane Glade was originally peaceful and safe until they suddenly received information about Lu Ye. Afterwards, the situation had gone out of control and eventually developed into the current situation.
“Senior Brother, what should we do now?” Ming Zhe probed further.
Tu Guanxiong was silent for a long time. After an incense stick’s worth of time, he finally sent a message. “I will spread the news about Lu Yi Ye to the public. I’m sure many people will attempt to kill him, so you should act accordingly.”
With the Sacred Universe Arcane Glade’s Strength alone, it was impossible for them to exact revenge for the deaths of Huo Liaoyuan and their fallen comrades. Although Tu Guanxiong was furious over Xia Liang and Tan Sheng’s conspiracy, he refused to borrow their strength. More importantly, Xia Liang and Tan Sheng might not be able to accomplish anything even if Tu Guanxiong decided to borrow their strength. The Ameliorate Arcane Glade was covered by the Aerial Lock Ward, so the cultivators would have to face the wolf pack as soon as they invaded the Arcane Glade. Even the two Ninth Order Cloud River Realm Masters could only play a limited role under those circumstances
In that case, they might as well spread the news to the public!
There were many cultivators in the Thousand Demon Ridge who were desperately searching for traces of Lu Ye’s whereabouts. As soon as the news spreads to the public, countless cultivators would quickly swarm toward the Ameliorate Arcane Glade. Lu Ye would be doomed when that happened!
Even though the Sacred Universe Arcane Glade would not be able to monopolize the bounty on Lu Ye’s head, this was the only method Tu Guanxiong could bring to the table. Regardless of who eventually killed Lu Ye, the outcome could at least be considered as revenge for the tragic deaths of Huo Liaoyuan and the Sacred Universe Arcane Glade cultivators who died during the previous battle.
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