Translator: Jon
Editor: Silavin
One hour later, Zhuang Bufan, who was getting some shut-eye on the deck, suddenly opened his eyes and looked in a particular direction before saying, “He’s here.”
At the same time, Lu Ye, who stood not far from him, saw a ray of light charging towards them from a distance.
There was only one ray of light. However, its speed and aura showed that the person was a Ninth-Order Cloud River Realm Master. Moreover, it was apparent that he was more powerful than most Ninth-Order Masters.
Zhuang Bufan looked intently and said solemnly, “He’s Sun Qi!” Then, he muttered in a small voice as though talking to himself, “He was originally from the Hundred Battles Sect in Gan Zhou. He was born with an excellent aptitude but an ugly face. When he was young, his Junior Sister refused to get together with him. Around thirty years ago, he killed the groom during his Junior Sister’s wedding and forced himself on her. Then, he betrayed his Sect and left. Around twenty years ago, he ascended to the Ninth Order. That was when he returned to Gan Zhou and destroyed the Hundred Battles Sect.”
Since he believed that Lu Ye was a rookie, he took the initiative to tell him about the opponent’s information.
Strictly speaking, the Heavenly Gully Cult was an evil cult. The great force was a sanctuary for terrible people. There were traitors who had betrayed their Sects, horrible people who had committed atrocities, and people who had offended the powerful but were powerless to counterattack.
However, the Heavenly Gully Cult had only occupied Xue Zhou over the years, and they had never shown any intention of expansion. Moreover, the Cult’s disciples rarely left Xue Zhou as well. Therefore, even the three hegemons weren’t willing to wage a war against them without a valid reason.
Sun Qi ascended to the Ninth Order around twenty years ago. After such a long time of accumulation, he must be very powerful. Even if Zhuang Bufan was still healthy, he wouldn’t be a match for Sun Qi. He wasn’t sure if Lu Ye had the confidence to defeat the other party.
However, as he recalled that Lu Ye had built some wards around the ship, coupled with his calm expression, he became at ease.
While he was in his thoughts, a skinny man with a hideous face arrived at a spot that was a hundred metres away.
He was flying using his power instead of any Spirit Artifact.
Since he arrived so soon, it suggested that he was in a nearby place earlier.
Upon his arrival, he swept a glance over the Spirit Ship on the ground and the traces of blood on the deck. Then, he looked at the cabin and realised there were no auras of Human beings. His face fell in an instant. “Did you kill the cultivators from our Cult?”
Lu Ye remained silent while Zhuang Bufan replied weakly, “I killed them.”
Sun Qi stared at him and snorted. “How dare a loser like you provoke me?” He had no idea why Zhuang Bufan was badly injured. However, Zhuang Bufan was the most powerful among them. Sun Qi could easily destroy him since the latter was frail. As for Lu Ye and the others, he didn’t have any regard for them at all.
Nevertheless, when he caught sight of Yi Yi and Ye Liuli, his eyes brightened as he put on a grin. “Well, there are some beautiful girls here. What a surprise.”
Yi Yi was disgusted by his grin, so she leaned closer to Lu Ye and whispered, “He’s so ugly.”
Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Sun Qi roared, “What did you just say?”
Cultivators were rarely concerned about their appearances, especially the powerful ones.
Anyway, cultivators, regardless of their gender, usually wouldn’t look too terrible. That was because as one’s cultivation improved, their Spiritual Power would nourish their body. A man would become increasingly imposing while a woman’s skin would become supple.
Yi Yi had been following Lu Ye for a long time, so she had seen many cultivators. However, it was the first time she saw someone as ugly as Sun Qi. The man was like a bamboo pole with a toad’s head. No words could describe how hideous he was.
Nevertheless, Sun Qi was most concerned about his appearance.
His aptitude was outstanding, and even his Master preferred him to the other disciples. However, his Master still let his Junior Sister marry someone else because he was ugly.
Therefore, he killed his Junior Sister’s Husband and forced himself on her. Around ten years later, he became a powerful cultivator. That was when he returned to his Sect and destroyed everyone, thus making a name for himself. Then, he was hunted down by the great monks from Vajra Temple for three months. Left with no choice, she snuck into Xue Zhou and joined Heavenly Gully Cult.
This time, he was there to complete a mission. However, not only was his plan derailed, but someone even had the guts to say he was ugly.
Certainly, he wouldn’t put up with that.
Hiding behind Lu Ye, Yi Yi stuck out her head and pulled a face. “Not only are you ugly, but you are also barbaric!”
“I’ll kill you!” Sun Qi roared with a ferocious expression. As his Spiritual Power surged, he dashed towards the ship.
“Watch out!” Zhuang Bufan yelled. However, he no longer had any energy left to help him out, so he could only give him a heads-up.
The moment Sun Qi made a move, a flag appeared in Lu Ye’s hand as he waved it.
Sun Qi, who was pouncing on Yi Yi, became shocked in an instant. Following that, his figure plunged as though a mountain had been pressed against him.
He soon came to his senses and realised what was going on.
“Aerial Lock Ward?”
He was horrified at that instant. [Why is there an Aerial Lock Ward in such a deserted place?]
One had to know that only several Masters of Wards in Soaring Dragon Boundary were able to build Aerial Lock Wards, and it would take them a long time to do so.
Since there was an Aerial Lock Ward in this place, it meant that one of the Masters of Wards had made a move.
Moreover, all of them had powerful backgrounds. If any one of them had made a move, it meant that the great force behind them had also done the same.
While in his thoughts, Sun Qi plunged and reached a spot that was only ten metres above the ground. All of a sudden, the immense pressure on his shoulders vanished.
Before he could take a breather, Lu Ye waved his flag again. In an instant, a fog surged and covered Sun Qi’s figure.
On the deck, Lu Ye, who was calm and collected, stepped forward and disappeared into the fog.
Zhuang Bufan leaned against the wall and looked around with difficulty. All he could see was the fog, and he was unable to make out what was going on inside. He faintly heard some sounds of a battle and Spiritual Power surging, which caused the fog to roll violently.
Soon, all the noise died down following a shriek.
[Who’s the winner?] Zhuang Bufan felt his heart leaping to his throat.
Following that, he saw Lu Ye emerging from the fog. His expression remained dispassionate, and even his breathing was stable. It didn’t look like he had just contended with a Ninth-Order Master. Instead, it felt like he had just caught a fish from a nearby river.
Zhuang Bufan was wary of Sun Qi, but at this moment, that guy was held like a dead fish in Lu Ye’s hand. His entire figure was battered, and his aura was gone.
[Is he dead?] Zhuang Bufan was flabbergasted. [Was he killed just like that?]
He even suspected that he had mistaken Sun Qi for someone else. Perhaps that person wasn’t Sun Qi.
However, no other Ninth-Order Master was as ugly as Sun Qi in this world. Anyway, regardless of whether he was Sun Qi, he was a Ninth-Order Master, after all. As such, it was inconceivable that he was killed just like that.
As Zhuang Bufan recalled the wards Lu Ye had activated, he was astounded.
There were an Aerial Lock Ward, a Confusion Ward, a Trap Ward, and some Killing Wards.
Lu Ye had managed to set up everything in just two hours. His mastery of the Way of Wards must be beyond anyone’s imagination.
As far as Zhuang Bufan was concerned, even the famous Masters of Wards in Soaring Dragon Boundary found it hard to build an Aerial Lock Ward.
It was no wonder that Lu Ye had been calm and collected the entire time as he had no regard for his opponent. Zhuang Bufan initially thought that Lu Ye was fearless because he was a rookie. Now, it dawned on him that Lu Ye’s confidence wasn’t unfounded.
“You’ve done a great job.” Zhuang Bufan couldn’t help but compliment him.
Anyway, their immediate crisis had been solved. After losing Sun Qi, those from Heavenly Gully Cult probably wouldn’t make a rash move again in a short time. In that case, those hundreds of commoners would have a chance to run for their lives.
However, as Zhuang Bufan recalled the information he had gleaned from the commoners, he felt his heart growing heavier.
From what he had gathered, those commoners were not the only ones Heavenly Gully Cult had captured. There were other teams that were capturing commoners in other places. Perhaps the entire Xue Zhou had been affected.
Since he had come across those people, he could try to save them. Nevertheless, he wasn’t able to save the others.
He hoped that the three major Sects would react quickly and take action. Otherwise, many commoners in Xue Zhou would lose their lives.
After leaping onto the deck, Lu Ye looked at Zhuang Bufan and asked, “Are you going to the Valley of Medicine, Brother Zhuang?”
It wasn’t hard to figure this out. Zhuang Bufan was injured, and he was now in Xue Zhou, so it was apparent that he was looking for the Divine Healer to treat him.
As expected, Zhuang Bufan nodded and replied, “Yes, I’m heading to the Valley of Medicine. Are you…”
He took a look at Ye Liuli, who had been unconscious the entire time.
“Our destination is the same. I’ll take you there, then.” Lu Ye nodded.
An elated Zhuang Bufan said, “Thanks, Brother Ye.”
Given his condition, it was difficult for him to go to the Valley of Medicine. It would be best if Lu Ye could help him out.
At that moment, he felt that he was lucky to have come across Lu Ye, who seemed to be a kind-hearted person.
A moment later, two rays of light shot into the sky. Yi Yi drove her Flight-Type Artifact forward while carrying Ye Liuli. Meanwhile, Lu Ye helped Zhuang Bufan move forward as they headed in the Valley of Medicine’s direction.
There was no doubt Zhuang Bufan was more familiar with the terrain in Xue Zhou. With him leading the way, they saved a lot of time looking for the Valley of Medicine.
After all, Lu Ye only knew that the Valley of Medicine was in Xue Zhou, but he wasn’t aware of the exact location.
While on their way, Zhuang Bufan closed his eyes to recuperate.
On the other hand, Lu Ye remained silent as he charged towards his destination.
Half a day later, they arrived at the Valley of Medicine.
Xue Zhou was located in the northernmost area. Compared to the other Zhous, this place was undeniably more desolate. However, the Valley of Medicine seemed to have lovely weather all year round. One could always hear the birds chirping and smell the aroma of flowers. Moreover, this place was full of Spiritual Qi. There seemed to be a wonderful ley line beneath the ground.
That was the reason the Divine Healer had chosen to settle down in this place. She had to treat the injured cultivators in Soaring Dragon Boundary all year round, and that required a lot of herbs. Although those cultivators would bring expensive herbs with them when seeking her help, some herbs were unavailable in the outside world.
On the other hand, the Valley of Medicine had all sorts of herbs.