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Song Zhui laughed loudly. “Seeing is believing indeed. Cultivator Lu, you really are interesting.”
Having been born in the Rainbow Temple, he had read countless books and records. He might not be cultivating the Way of Wards, but he knew the basics of the Way of Wards to a certain degree.
All the names that Lu Ye casually mentioned earlier were Earth-shakingly powerful Grand Wards. They were not Wards that a Cloud River Realm Master could prepare. Therefore, it was impossible for the Arcane Glade to have such Wards. While it was unknown whether there were any other Wards in the Arcane Glade, Lu Ye seemed completely fearless based on his confident posture.
“Am I that interesting?” Lu Ye lowered his eyes. “Then, why don’t I show you something even more interesting?”
A Ward Flag suddenly appeared in his hand, and he waved the Ward Flag lightly. There was a deafening explosion, followed by towering flames that soared into the sky.
Somewhere in the Arcane Glade, a hidden figure was abruptly revealed. His appearance was accompanied by a turbulent surge of Spiritual Power. Moreover, he was enveloped in flames. His shrieks filled the air, and he swiftly retreated from the Arcane Glade.
This man was evidently a Ghost Cultivator who attempted to sneak into the Arcane Glade without anybody noticing. He was only in the Sixth Order Realm, so it was a mystery why he had the courage to perform such a risky task in the first place. At this moment, his entire body was covered in flames after being enveloped by the Explosive Ward. Although he managed to retreat from the range of the Explosive Ward with great difficulty, he collapsed to the ground without moving. Judging by his condition, he was most likely on the verge of death.
The unexpected turn of events shocked the Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators. Lowering their heads in unison, they stared at the Ghost Cultivator collapsed on the ground. Before they could return to their senses, Lu Ye went on to wave the Ward Flag in his hand repeatedly.
*Boom… Boom… Boom…* Violent explosions continuously erupted at various locations within the Arcane Glade, and bursts of flames blazed brightly. Each explosion was also accompanied by a sharp shriek or a shrill scream. More importantly, every Explosive Ward revealed the figure of a Ghost Cultivator.
Within a short span of time, more than ten Explosive Wards were activated to expose more than ten Ghost Cultivators lurking in the shadows. These Ghost Cultivators were either killed or injured by the explosions.
The Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators were dumbfounded by the sight. Although they knew that some of the Ghost Cultivators would hide in the shadows and attempt to take action in secret, they did not expect the number to be so large! Not to mention, these were only the ones who were exposed! What about those who remained hidden at the moment?
These incompetent Ghost Cultivators… Not only did they fail, but they most likely made the situation worse!
What horrified the Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators even more was the number of Wards that Lu Ye prepared throughout the Arcane Glade. These Ghost Cultivators were clearly scattered throughout different locations in the Arcane Glade, but they could not avoid the fate of being injured by the Explosive Wards either. Judging by the situation, it would seem that there were Wards everywhere in the Arcane Glade.
Standing in mid-air, Song Zhui frowned and studied the Ghost Cultivators whose figures had been exposed. He knew that Ying Wuji was skilful enough not to be exposed so easily, but he couldn’t help worrying anyway. Sweeping his gaze across the Arcane Glade, he was slightly relieved to see that Ying Wuji was not among the Ghost Cultivators.
Ying Wuji was currently lurking somewhere in the Arcane Glade and gradually making his way toward Lu Ye in complete silence. The exposure of the other Ghost Cultivators did not seem to affect him, and he neither flinched nor retreated in the slightest.
As an excellent Ghost Cultivator, it was only natural for him to dabble in the Way of Wards to a certain extent. That was especially true regarding the Way of Ward Destruction. After all, there were many cases where the Ghost Cultivators would be forced to infiltrate various Wards to approach and kill their target.
There was a saying in the cultivation world of Jiu Zhou: A Ghost Cultivator who was ignorant of the Way of Wards was not a qualified Ghost Cultivator!
In the Spirit Creek Realm and the Cloud River Realm, the Ghost Cultivators were not particularly required to be proficient in the Way of Wards. However, a level of proficiency in the Way of Ward Destruction gradually became more and more necessary as their cultivation improved. The situation eventually led to a strange phenomenon in the cultivation world of Jiu Zhou. There were some who appeared to be Grandmasters in the Way of Wards on the surface but were actually Ghost Cultivators proficient in the art of concealment and assassination…
Ying Wuji might not be as good as Lu Ye in terms of proficiency in the Way of Wards, but he was different from the other foolish Ghost Cultivators. At the very least, he could detect the traces of the Wards which allowed him to avoid activating any of the Wards so far. In fact, he did not even step into the range of the Wards.
“How was my performance?” Lu Ye lowered the Ward Flag in his hand.
Song Zhui took a deep breath and exclaimed, “I’ve long heard about your extraordinary attainments in the Way of Wards, Cultivator Lu. Now that I’ve seen your abilities for myself, I have to agree that you are truly outstanding. I am very impressed!”
Lu Ye had easily forced more than ten Ghost Cultivators to reveal themselves. With such a powerful performance acting as a deterrent, the other Ghost Cultivators hiding in the shadows would not dare to act rashly again. Therefore, their success would depend entirely on Ying Wuji!
The current situation might have exceeded Song Zhui’s expectations, but the outcome was exactly what he wanted. He did not need to do much. It was enough as long as he distracted Lu Ye and created an opportunity for Ying Wuji to take action. Lu Ye was doomed once Ying Wuji made his move, and the goal of this entire operation would be achieved.
With that thought in mind, Song Zhui slowly shook his head. “Forgive me for overstepping my boundaries, Cultivator Lu. However, your actions are meaningless. Hundreds of Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators have gathered here today, and I’m sure you understand the reason for their arrival. With such a large force behind me, do you think you have any chances of survival?”
“I guess I’m doomed then.”
“Cultivator Lu, are you still entertaining unrealistic delusions? It is normal to fear death, what more cultivators like ourselves? Your refusal to resign to your fate is understandable, but are you willing to implicate others because of your affairs?”
Lu Ye narrowed his eyes slightly.
Song Zhui continued, “It doesn’t matter how many Grand Wards you prepared in the Arcane Glade, Cultivator Lu. Countless Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators have gathered here today, and we will not return home empty-handed! Unfortunately, both parties will only suffer grievous casualties if we force our way into the Arcane Glade. The most likely outcome for my side will be a hefty price for our actions, but you and your companions will be completely eliminated!” He raised an eyebrow questioningly. “Cultivator Lu, why don’t we make a deal?” ℟Áℕ𝙤𐌱ĚS
The corners of Lu Ye’s mouth lifted. For some reason, he suddenly broke into a smile after maintaining an expressionless demeanor for so long. “What a coincidence! I would like to propose a trade with you too.”
Song Zhui was surprised. “Oh? What kind of deal do you want to make, Cultivator Lu? Why don’t you tell me?”
“You may speak first.”
Without wasting any time, Song Zhui got straight to the point. “As I mentioned earlier, both sides will have to pay a price in the event of a battle. So, why don’t you just surrender quietly?”
“Are you talking in your sleep?”
He explained, “As long as you willingly surrender quietly, Cultivator Lu, I can call the shots and allow the three companions behind you to leave this place safely. If you don’t believe me, Cultivator Lu, I can even take the Heavenly Oath!”
“I see!” Lu Ye finally understood Song Zhui’s meaning. “What a sincere offer.”
He was basically being asked to give himself up in exchange for the safety of Li Baxian and others. If he did not have any other options, then this offer would indeed be a proposal worth considering. Needless to say, Li Baxian and others would never agree.
“What do you say, Cultivator Lu?”
“I…” As soon as Lu Ye opened his mouth, he suddenly turned to the side in alarm. He instantly placed a Blessing on his eyes with the Insight Glyph, then he quickly raised the Ward Flag in his hand and swung the Ward Flag with great force.
The last time he acted in this manner, he had exposed more than ten Ghost Cultivators in one go. For him to repeat his actions could only mean that he had discovered the whereabouts of another Ghost Cultivator. It was just that the hidden Ghost Cultivator was only thirty meters from his current location! Such a short distance was extremely dangerous!
The only Ghost Cultivator who could come this far in secret after the previous deterrence was none other than Ying Wuji!
When Lu Ye’s gaze swept in his direction, Ying Wuji couldn’t help feeling startled. He instinctively knew that he had not done anything to reveal his presence. Nevertheless, Lu Ye was staring directly at his position. There was no doubt that Lu Ye had noticed him.
Both parties stared at each other for a brief moment. Then, Ying Wuji reacted. Turning into a black shadow, he rushed toward Lu Ye at an extremely fast speed. He had wanted to sneak up to Lu Ye’s side and kill Lu Ye cleanly with one blow, but his whereabouts had been exposed.
At this point, he could only attack Lu Ye from the front. He was a Ninth Order Realm Master, and there was only a distance of thirty meters between them. It was impossible for Lu Ye to avoid his charge!
Sure enough, Lu Ye did not dodge to the side. He simply waved the Ward Flag in his hand.
In the next moment, a light barrier covering a radius of several meters appeared out of thin air. The light barrier instantly enveloped Ying Wuji, who was charging toward Lu Ye.
Ying Wuji’s heart skipped a beat in horror at the sight. An ominous feeling washed over him as soon as he saw the light barrier, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that the light barrier was a… Trap Ward!
Immediately afterwards, his whole body was wrapped in a fierce aura that pressed him firmly against the light curtain. As he had suspected, the light barrier was indeed a Trap Ward. Moreover, the light barrier did not shatter to pieces despite absorbing the full impact of a blow from a Ninth Order Realm Ghost Cultivator like himself.
Terror flooded his heart. An intense yet chaotic Spiritual Power began to surge inside the Trap Ward. Then, dazzling flames erupted in his vision without warning.
*Boom… Boom… Boom… Boom…* The Explosive Ward erupted with unimaginable force. There was more than one Ward inside the Trap Ward. Judging by the commotion, there were at least three or four Explosive Wards layered over each other. The effects of the Trap Ward also served to further fuel and magnify the might of the Explosive Wards.
Outside the Arcane Glade, the Thousand Demon Ridge watched the scene and felt their eyes twitching in horror. Just looking at the scene… was painful enough.
Amidst the blazing flames came a muffled groan.
Meanwhile, the light barrier of the Trap Ward only lasted for a moment before shattering… It was not that the Trap Ward Lu Ye prepared was fragile. Even the full might of a powerful Ghost Cultivator like Ying Wuji could not destroy the Trap Ward in one blow. Therefore, the Trap Ward could already be classified as a qualified Ward. On the contrary, the superimposed explosions of several Explosive Wards layered over each other had simply exceeded the limits of the Trap Ward.
A black shadow slipped out from the Trap Ward as soon as the light barrier of the Trap Ward shattered to pieces. Instead of charging toward Lu Ye, the black shadow turned around and sped in the opposite direction. The speed was much faster than before. The black shadow seemed to be covered in a dense layer of blood light as though he was using some strange Secret Technique.
The black shadow appeared only for a fleeting moment, then the black shadow rushed out of the Ameliorate Valley in the blink of an eye and vanished without a trace. From beginning to end, nobody managed to catch a glimpse of his true appearance. Lu Ye was the only person who managed to catch a glimpse of the black shadow when the other party’s figure was exposed for a brief moment. It was just that the other party was wearing a black cat mask, so Lu Ye could not see his face. Nevertheless, judging by the energy fluctuations radiating from the other party, he was a Ninth Order Realm Ghost Cultivator.
In the sky, Song Zhui watched the scene in speechless silence. Ying Wuji… failed! Not only did he fail, but he was also severely wounded!
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