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The person who stepped forward was a man who looked like he was in his twenties. However, the Spiritual Power fluctuation around him indicated that he was a Ninth Order Realm Master! To have such advanced cultivation at such a young age undoubtedly meant that both his background and aptitude were extraordinary.
Not only was he very handsome, but he also had a remarkable temperament. Strangely enough, he did not embody the slightest hint of the pride and arrogance that generally came with those born in major Sects. On the contrary, his demeanor made him seem easily approachable and the faint smile on his face was a breath of fresh air.
The man soared into the sky and hovered approximately thirty meters above the ground. When he saw that he had attracted the attention of the cultivators in the vicinity, he finally spoke in a gentle manner. “Fellow cultivators who came from all over Jiu Zhou, Song Zhui gives you his greetings.”
After saying that, he politely bowed in all directions.
A soft exclamation immediately came from somewhere in the crowd. “It’s Song Zhui of the Rainbow Temple!”
In the cultivation world of Jiu Zhou, talented individuals were born in every generation and the new generation would eventually replace the previous generation. There were many cultivators among the crowd. Not everybody might know the name ‘Song Zhui’, but everybody would be familiar with the name ‘Rainbow Temple’. After all, the Rainbow Temple was a First Tier Sect.
When Lu Ye first stepped into the cultivation world, a woman had kindly told him about Bing Zhou’s Ten Great First Tier Sects. These First Tier Sects could be divided into one Palace, two Temples, three Sects, and four Clans. Rainbow Temple was part of the two Temples.
As a Rainbow Temple disciple who was active in the Cloud River Battlefield, Song Zhui was actually quite well known. It was just that not everybody knew about him. Nevertheless, it was not important whether they knew about him or not. He was a Ninth Order Cloud River Realm Master and a Rainbow Temple disciple. Just these two identities alone were enough to command respect.
Maintaining a warm and friendly smile on his face, Song Zhui continued his speech. “Fellow cultivators, I won’t go into details about the reason why you traveled from all over the Cloud River Battlefield and gathered in this place. I’m sure you already know the reason. I am standing here today simply because I have a few words to say.”
The smile on his face slowly vanished, replaced by a stern expression instead. “Since time immemorial, the Thousand Demon Ridge and the Grand Sky Coalition have always been at war with each other in the Spirit Creek Battlefield and the Cloud River Battlefield. In fact, our confrontation even extended to the cultivation world of Jiu Zhou. It is understandable for the cultivators to have their own stances in the war. After all, both sides have accrued deep grudges against each other over the years. Both sides have won and lost certain battles, and neither party has been able to overwhelm the other. However, the situation has undergone a subtle change ever since Lu Yi Ye of the Crimson Blood Sect appeared. How many Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators have died in the Spirit Creek Battlefield because of him? How many Sects have suffered great losses in the Spirit Creek Battlefield because of him? Especially in the Inner Circle and the Core Circle… From what I heard, he destroyed the Outposts of more than a dozen Sects in the Inner Circle. I couldn’t believe my ears when I first heard the news, but there is no denying the reality of the situation!
“Not to mention what happened in the Core Circle… All the Sects stationed in the Core Circle are either in the Third Tier or above. These Sects consist of many talented individuals. In the past, it was rare for any of the Outposts belonging to the Sects in the Third Tier or above to be destroyed. In fact, many years may pass without news of a single incident. However, dozens of Outposts in the Core Circle were destroyed when Lu Yi Ye stepped into the Core Circle! What’s more, there were two incidents where the Sects in the Core Circle had to cough up a fortune just to prevent any disasters from befalling them!”
At this point, he expressed a look of grief and indignation on his face. Then, his expression became agitated. “To tell you the truth, the Rainbow Temple where I come from is one of the victims among these casualties. I’m sure many others gathered here were also similarly affected. This is my greatest shame! This is the shame of the entire Thousand Demon Ridge!”
The major Sects in the Core Circle were blackmailed twice by Lu Ye and forced to offer compensation in exchange for their safety. Although it was not a secret, few Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators would dare to mention these incidents in public. After all, they could not afford to be humiliated by that person!
Be that as it may, Song Zhui had boldly mentioned the incident today. The effects of his statement were surprisingly good. The expressions of the people in the crowd turned gloomy upon hearing his words.
Cultivators belonged to their Sects. Similarly, the Sects represented the face of the cultivators. How could the cultivators remain unaffected if their respective Sects were humiliated? It could be said that some of the Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators who came here were targeting the bounty on Lu Ye’s head, but most of them were driven by hatred instead.
“It is only because we received the favor of our respective Sects and the careful guidance of our Seniors that we are who we are today. We weren’t there when our Juniors were bullied! We weren’t there when our Sects were humiliated! We weren’t there either when our Sects begged for their safety!” The volume of his voice rose steadily. At this moment, his warm and friendly smile from before had been replaced by a righteous fury that resonated with the others. He waved his hands and shouted, “We couldn’t do anything regarding the matters in the Spirit Creek Battlefield! But, this is the Cloud River Battlefield! And, Lu Yi Ye is here!”
He pointed in the direction of the Ameliorate Valley with great vigor. “He is right there! He is watching us and laughing at us from inside the Arcane Glade! He is mocking us for plotting and scheming against each other even though we have the advantage in numbers! He is mocking us for being passive and hesitant even though we have the strength to crush everything in our path! He is laughing at us for being divided among ourselves!”
Amidst the crowd below, Ming Zhe’s blood boiled at those words. He clenched his fists with great emotion, wishing he could applaud loudly! Song Zhui’s words perfectly expressed everything in his heart.
He suddenly realized something. It was not that there were no sensible people here. On the contrary, most of them were aware of the situation. It was just that they lacked a leader. Now that Song Zhui had stepped forward to become the leader, the Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators finally stood united. From this moment onward, their joined forces would become the rope of hatred that whipped both the Ameliorate Valley and Lu Ye to pieces in revenge!
Song Zhui exhaled deeply. Lowering the volume of his sonorous voice, he slowly continued, “Fellow cultivators, I understand your worries. There is a massive bounty on Lu Yi Ye’s head. Anybody who received ten per cent or even five per cent of the bounty would be able to live the rest of their lives in luxury. Unfortunately, there are so many of us but only one Lu Yi Ye. As the saying goes, ‘It is not about the scarcity of resources but the evenness of distribution’. I understand your worries. But, what I’m trying to convey is… Are we simply going to keep watching the situation and being wary of each other? Are we simply going to let Lu Yi Ye mock us from inside the Arcane Glade? If so, will there be a future for the Thousand Demon Ridge?”
Somebody immediately said, “Senior Brother Song, why don’t you take command of the operation since you’ve stepped forward? I am willing to obey your commands. I’m sure the others will not refuse either.”
“That’s right! That’s right! Go ahead and direct us, Senior Brother Song.”
“We will obey your commands, Senior Brother Song!”
…
Exclamations of agreement rang out from the crowd.
A smile spread across Song Zhui’s face once more. Then, he cupped his fists politely. “Thank you for your favor. Naturally, I had that intention when I took the initiative to step forward earlier. After all, we cannot afford to continue waiting without taking action. Of course, please feel free to voice your opinion if you have any objections. I am not a small-minded person.” ⱤάΝο𐌱Ëṡ
After Song Zhui flamed the atmosphere to such an extent, the person who dared to stand forward and refute Song Zhui now would only arouse public outrage. Besides, his cultivation was not to be ignored. Even those who were not inferior to him in strength would not dare to challenge him at this juncture.
Song Zhui raised his hand slightly and made a pressing motion to settle the crowd. The cacophony of voices slowly subsided, then he resumed his speech. “Lu Yi Ye must die, and the Arcane Glade must be destroyed. However, I am not acting for the sake of the reward. I am here to resolve a potential catastrophe for the Thousand Demon Ridge. I’ve specially investigated Lu Yi Ye in the past. Although his cultivation is low, he has managed to achieve various feats that other people have failed to achieve throughout history. He threw the entire battlefield into disarray during his time in the Spirit Creek Battlefield, but he has not done anything particularly shocking since coming to the Cloud River Battlefield. Nevertheless, the incident at the Carnage Colosseum has shown us a glimpse of the future. As long as he lives, he will surely become a huge threat to the Thousand Demon Ridge in the future! I’m certain the Elders themselves would like to prevent him from growing and developing his strength further. Otherwise, they would never have issued such a large bounty on his head.”
“According to the information I received previously, there are many Wards scattered throughout Lu Yi Ye’s Arcane Glade. The most eminent Ward is the Aerial Lock Ward. As you know, one of our fellow cultivators lost his life a few days ago because of the Aerial Lock Ward. Furthermore, there are nearly three hundred Wolf Mutants inside the Arcane Glade. They should not be underestimated. Naturally, we have such overwhelming numbers that we can easily crush the other party’s strength. Nevertheless, I would like to remind you to be careful. The rewards might be great, but you need to be alive to enjoy the reward.”
“As for the reward that would be given after Lu Yi Ye’s death… I will make preparations in advance so that all who participate in this mission will receive an equal share of Lu Yi Ye’s bounty! Of course, I will need some help regarding this matter. If there are any capable Junior Sisters willing to help me, please approach me later.”
As soon as those words came out, many people were shocked. They never imagined that he would make such a decision. The bounty on Lu Yi Ye’s head might be large, but each person would not receive much after the bounty was divided among the people here. They would only get a substantial windfall at most, but it was better than nothing.
In any case, Song Zhui was right about one thing. The main reason for slaughtering Lu Ye was not the reward but to remove a potential danger toward the Thousand Demon Ridge, so the bounty was not the most important part of the mission. Besides, there was almost no risk or danger when acting together with so many people. The reward was practically a freebie at this point.
The divided Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators gathered at the entrance of the Ameliorate Valley finally became united in their goal thanks to Song Zhui’s words. Although a portion of them were not particularly happy with the outcome, they were powerless to resist the general consensus under these circumstances.
Afterwards, Song Zhui added a few more words to remind the Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators to prioritize their safety. His statement only served to strengthen the impression that he had a good character.
When Song Zhui landed on the ground once more, several female cultivators took the initiative to approach him and volunteer their help. Acting under his orders, they excitedly began to record the names, backgrounds, and even the factions of the Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators participating in the invasion of the Ameliorate Valley. Even though there were many Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators, their efficiency was very high. It took them less than an hour before they returned and presented several jade slips to Song Zhui.
Song Zhui shot a warm smile at the female cultivators. “You’ve worked hard, Junior Sisters.”
The female cultivators responded differently to his advances. Some smiled in response while others fell silent in embarrassment. On the other hand, some even took the initiative to exchange contact information with him through the Battlefield Imprint. He naturally did not refuse them. After dealing with the female cultivators, he finally checked the contents of the jade slips.
A voice suddenly sounded beside him. “Doesn’t your conscience hurt when you do this?”
There was only a voice but no figure in sight. In fact, even the people walking by Song Zhui did not notice anything amiss.
Song Zhui lowered his head and muttered softly, “I’m sure you’re not the only Ghost Cultivator hiding in the shadows. You better prevent anybody else from succeeding, Ying Wuji. I only cooperated with you because I trust you. Not to mention, I went to the trouble of instigating these people. You had better not disappoint me.”
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