Translator: Truth Editor : Dhael Ligerkeys In retrospect, Grand Sky Coalition’s decision to escort Lu Ye back when he was still a small Fifth-Order Spirit Creek Realm cultivator had been wise beyond words. If they hadn’t done what they did back then, Lu Ye would have died a long time ago, and Grand Sky Coalition would not be enjoying today’s glory. Everything in the world was predetermined. In this case, one might say that Lu Ye was just paying back the favor Grand Sky Coalition had done to him back then. While the cultivators of Grand Sky Coalition were ruminating the past in a new light, their counterpart was deeply worried about the present. Normally, the two cultivation factions were evenly matched on the Spirit Creek Battlefield. The sects were like the black and white stones on a Go board, and no one stone had the strength to turn the tides completely in their favor. That was no longer the case. Miraculously, one region of the Inner Circle had been completely occupied by the Grand Sky Coalition. The black stones—the Thousand Demon Ridge sects—within that region had all been neutralized. The Tier-five and Tier-six sects weren’t the only ones who were affected either. Even some Tier-four sects close to the Core Circle had lost their Outposts. It pained the cultivators of Thousand Demon Ridge to see this to put it mildly. Of course, none of these sects lost too many cultivators. It was because most of them had evacuated the moment they saw the invasion force, if not sooner. However, there was no saving the Blessings on their Divine Opportunity Columns. That was generations of hard work gone just like that. What angered them even more was the fact that Lu Yi Ye showed no signs of stopping. Clearly, he was going to keep going until they had found a way to stop him, or he had finally conquered the entire Inner Circle. At this rate, that second worst case scenario would be months away at best. And what was the worst case scenario? It was the invasion force growing big enough to threaten even the Core Circle. This was the first time Thousand Demon Ridge experienced the fear of possibly losing an entire battlefield to one person. Scratch that, no one in the history of Jiu Zhou had ever experienced this until now. The spark that began from the Heavenly Derivative Sect and Deep Sea Mountain was showing signs of transforming into a blaze that would consume the entire Spirit Creek Battlefield. The Divine Ocean Realm cultivators of Thousand Demon Ridge quickly gathered for an emergency meeting. It wasn’t long before they arrived at a solution. The moon was round, and the night was young. The invasion force was currently camping in a valley. Their number had passed the five thousandth mark a while ago, and they had conquered dozens of Outposts by this point. There was no Outpost in the world that could accommodate this many people, so they had begun camping and recuperating in the wilderness several days ago. Tents of all shapes and sizes were littered across the valley, and the centermost and biggest tent was lit with lamps. With Lu Ye at the helm, at least a dozen Legates were gathered together around the table discussing their next battle plan. A while later, the battle plan was finalized, and the crowd dispersed, leaving only Lu Ye, the meditating Ju Jia, and the sleeping Amber. As the night deepened, the noise in the camp gradually quieted as well. Soon, only the patrols were still walking around the camp. It was under this beautiful moonlight that several figures started approaching the tent Lu Ye was at. They did not exude a speck of presence, and they were also perfectly invisible to the naked eye. Not only were they ghost cultivators, they were elite enough to infiltrate all the way to the center without being detected by the patrols as well. This alone should make their affiliation and intentions clear. The current Spirit Creek Battlefield was super hostile toward Thousand Demon Ridge, and the root of all evil was currently residing in this camp. If they could kill him, then their predicament would resolve on its own. It was the most effective and direct method. These ghost cultivators had been handpicked for this mission from the most prestigious of sects. One might even call them the strongest Spirit Creek Realm ghost cultivators Thousand Demon Ridge possessed. A lot of expectation was riding on their shoulders to say the least. Of course, the chances that these ghost cultivators would survive the mission was very low. Ideally, they would assassinate Lu Yi Ye without a sound and slip out just as stealthily as they came in. It was also the only scenario they might emerge alive. Every other scenario led to certain death. It was an enemy camp of five thousand cultivators after all. No one complained about the mission though. From Thousand Demon Ridge’s point of view, Lu Yi Ye of the Crimson Blood Sect was the root of all evil. Because of him, dozens of Thousand Demon Ridge Sects had lost their outposts, and entire regions spanning thousands and thousands of kilometers were dragged into his personal war as well. For as long as he lived, the motherfucker was probably going to run through every Thousand Demon Ridge sect in the Inner Circle at least once. So far, it looked like their infiltration had gone perfectly. There was one thing that concerned the ghost cultivators though. There were no guards outside Lu Ye’s tent at all. If the situation was reversed, and they were protecting someone like Lu Ye, then they could not imagine a scenario where they wouldn’t secure his tent with alarms, guards, traps and a million other things. But no matter how they looked at it, the tent in front of them was completely defenseless. They couldn’t help but wonder if it was a trap. It was too late to turn back though. It could be the dragon’s lair itself, and they still had to go in for everyone’s sake. They were powerful ghost cultivators after all. If they could enter the tent, locate Lu Yi Ye, and gang up on him together, there was zero chance the bastard would survive the assassination. As for what would happen to them afterward… well, they came here knowing it was a suicide mission. Time passed little by little. The ghost cultivators remained at their hiding spots with seemingly infinite patience. Patrols kept passing by the tent, and sometimes they even flew through the area. However, not a single person was able to spot them because of the gap between their cultivation level. They were the elites among the elites chosen to undertake this mission after all. How could they hope to succeed if they couldn’t even hide from the patrols? Finally, their chance presented itself. A towering figure pushed away the tent flap and stepped out into the open. They immediately recognized him as the body-tempering cultivator who often accompanied Lu Yi Ye, Ju Jia. It was rumored that Ju Jia was extraordinarily talented. His physique was so much tougher than your conventional body-tempering cultivator that he was worth ten of them. These ghost cultivators had never met Ju Jia before. Now, they realized that the rumors had actually understated things a little. His vitality was rich beyond belief, and his physique shouldn’t be possible for an ordinary Ninth-Order cultivator. For some reason, Ju Jia looked as if he didn’t know what to do, glancing at the sky once before rubbing his head. In fact, he didn’t. He was in the middle of meditating when suddenly, Lu Ye messaged him to leave the tent. He also specifically instructed the body-tempering cultivator not to react when he saw the ghost cultivators. Ju Jia wanted to obey Lu Ye’s instructions, but the outline of the ghost cultivators looked so obvious that it was almost provoking. Left with no choice, Ju Jia could only bow his head and stare at his own feet. He was also holding the flap open almost as if he was inviting the ghost cultivators to come in. The ghost cultivators only hesitated for a moment. Then, the leader—a man whose name wasn’t worth mentioning—led his cohorts into the tent. The entire process was as soundless as it was invisible. Their movement didn’t stir even a breeze. When the last ghost cultivator had passed under Ju Jia’s armpit, he finally lowered the tent flap and stepped forward. Again, he was just obeying Lu Ye’s instruction. The young man had told him that things were going to turn dangerous, and that he should be anywhere but the tent when it happened. Inside the tent, the ghost cultivators stopped on their tracks and looked. They immediately spotted Lu Yi Ye sitting on a chair with one leg over the other, one arm on the armrest, one hand supporting his cheek, and staring straight into the eyes of their leader. The leader’s heart skipped a beat when their eyes met. [Did he see me? But that’s impossible!] The ghost cultivator was very confident with his concealment abilities because he had successfully assassinated a Heaven-Grade Ninth-Order champion before. Lu Yi Ye was an impressive man, but there was no way an ordinary Ninth-Order cultivator could see through his concealment. However… “Why does Thousand Demon Ridge love breaking the rules so much?” Lu Ye questioned in a light but criticizing tone. Of course, none of them responded to him. The young man could just be bluffing after all. “After the Battle of Goldentip, Brother Li told me that the Spirit Creek Battlefield is governed by a set of rules. Outer Circle matters will be handled by Outer Circle people, and Inner Circle matters will be handled by Inner Circle people. I thought Thousand Demon Ridge would learn their lesson and wise up a little, but then again, what am I saying? Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” This time, the ghost cultivators did move. It was clear at this point that they were exposed, not to mention that Lu Ye was sweeping his gaze back and forth as if he was determining their cultivation level. The leader took off first. The others followed closely behind him. Killing intent erupted from the tent in an instant. There was a loud whoosh as a pair of fiery red wings appeared behind Lu Ye. He took to the sky just in time to dodge the ghost cultivators’ fatal attack and wave the ward flag that just appeared in his hand. The scene before the ghost cultivators abruptly distorted. The next thing they knew, they found themselves trapped in a sea of mist. It was difficult to tell left from right. “Confusion Ward!” A ghost cultivator yelled before they unleashed their Spiritual Power together. The fog was blown away in an instant, but what greeted them next chilled them to the core. It was because they felt a chaotic tidal wave of Spiritual Power flooding in their direction. A rain of spells and flying weapons were falling in their direction. The tent was instantly turned into shreds. As for the ghost cultivators, they could be Divine Ocean Realm cultivators, and they would still be confined to Spirit Creek Realm level on the Spirit Creek Battlefield. Naturally, there was no surviving a bombardment like this. A few life energies extinguished instantly. The only one who survived was the leader thanks to a defensive Spiritual Artifact he owned. Unfortunately, he didn’t even get to catch a breather before the next wave of attacks arrived. Despair flashed across his features for an instant before he too exploded into a gore of flesh and blood. Lu Ye slowly descended from the sky as the Legates swarmed him. They relaxed only after they confirmed that he was truly safe and sound. “What was their cultivation level?” Zhao Li asked. There was no way these ghost cultivators were Inner Circle stock. Only Core Circle ghost cultivators possessed the ability to infiltrate a camp of five thousand. “Five Heaven-Grade Ninth-Orders!” Everyone gasped audibly when they heard this. Thousand Demon Ridge had truly spared no effort to kill Lu Ye. Heaven-Grade Ninth-Order ghost cultivators were among the best of the best even in the Core Circle. They were precious talents who could’ve ascended to Cloud River Realm at any moment. Now, they had all perished in the attempt to assassinate Lu Ye. Heavens know how sad their sects were feeling right now. “Do the rules mean nothing to Thousand Demon Ridge?” Someone asked with a frown. “It’s not like this is the first time they’ve broken them.” The last time they did it was because of Lu Ye as well, though at the time their goal was to remove the Crimson Blood Sect. It wasn’t quite the same as this. The Crimson Blood Sect’s Outpost was growing by leaps and bounds right now, so their dream of removing the Crimson Blood Sect was probably going to remain a dream for a long time to come. This time, they had broken the rule for Lu Ye and Lu Ye alone. Another Legate was trading messages with someone when suddenly, he spoke up, “I got confirmation that the thirty-ninth and eighty-second champion disappeared from the Scroll of Supremacy a moment ago.” This was obviously not a coincidence.