Chapter 938, His True Intention
Chapter 938, His True Intention
Translator: Jon
Translation Checker: Silavin
At that time, Lu Ye could see that when Xiao Xinghe retreated, that person deliberately got in his way. He could also hear the conversation between the two of them.
That person had intended to get Xiao Xinghe killed. If not for the fact that Xiao Xinghe was powerful as he stepped aside at the most critical moment, his heart would’ve been penetrated by the spear.
Naturally, Lu Ye understood that not everyone in the Grand Sky Coalition was united. Wherever there were people, there would be conflicts. It was inevitable, and it wouldn’t disappear just because they were from the same side.
It was the same case for both the Grand Sky Coalition and Thousand Demon Ridge. Previously, the Real Lake Realm Masters who worked for Lin Yue were killed by someone from their side. When Lu Ye headed to Grand Sky City to report for duty, he came across many obstacles as well.
Despite the internal strife, they were not supposed to cross the line. It was outrageous that this particular person brazenly wanted to get Xiao Xinghe killed on the battlefield.
Lu Ye knew nothing about the feud between Xiao Xinghe and that person. It wouldn’t have mattered if he didn’t see it. Now that he was aware of it, he had to stand up for Xiao Xinghe.
It so happened that Li Taibai, his current identity, was a Thousand Demon Ridge cultivator, so he had every reason to do that.
“Do you want to challenge me?” The Seventh-Order Master looked at Lu Ye in shock. He didn’t expect this Thousand Demon Ridge cultivator to be so audacious.
“Who else can take on me other than you?” Lu Ye glanced impassively at him.
Lu Ye had won five matches. He had even defeated Zhang Youlin from the Northern Profound Sword Clan. The only person stronger than Zhang Youlin from the Grand Sky Coalition’s side was the Seventh-Order Master.
Lu Ye had been cautious in every step he took. It wasn’t until now that his true intention was revealed.
In such a situation, there was no way the Seventh-Order Master would turn down Lu Ye’s challenge. Otherwise, he would be embarrassing himself.
“Very well!” The Seventh-Order Master’s gaze turned icy at once as his fury rose within him. He felt that the other party had underestimated him.
“Teach him a lesson, Senior Brother Tan!” said someone beside him.
“I certainly will teach him a lesson.” A smile played on Cultivator Tan’s lips as he stepped forward.
“Junior Brother Taibai! Why are you so reckless?” Tong Shuyao was furious. She didn’t expect Lu Ye to be so greedy. Although he had defeated a Sixth-Order Master, it didn’t mean he could fight a Seventh-Order Master. Of the four Major Realms, the Fourth Order and the Seventh Order were critical in every Realm. Once a breakthrough was achieved, the cultivator’s power would increase significantly.
Even though there was only a difference of one Minor Realm between a Sixth-Order Master and a Seventh-Order Master, there was a huge gap between their powers.
That was why rarely any cultivators in the Seventh Order and above would come here and take part in the battles. Tong Shuyao wouldn’t have come here if not because she wanted to bring Lu Ye here to watch a good show.
Naturally, Eighth-Order and Ninth-Order Masters wouldn’t even show up.
Therefore, even though Lu Ye could defeat the Sixth-Order Sword Cultivator, he might not be able to contend with the Seventh-Order Master. Moreover, he was obviously exhausted following the previous battle. No one knew how much power he was left with.
Tong Shuyao had the urge to knock him out and take him away at once. However, if she interfered in this matter, it might cause the cultivators from the two sides to fight each other head-on. When that happened, many people would die, and she couldn’t afford to be held responsible for it.
The Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators also looked nervously and worriedly at Lu Ye.
Lu Ye had never expected that he, who was infamously known as the Annihilator of Sects among the Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators, would see them feeling concerned about him one day. On the other hand, some people from the Grand Sky Coalition were eager to get rid of him for good.
He couldn’t help but feel that life was full of surprises and uncertainties. Anyway, he was determined to achieve his goal.
He had witnessed Xiao Xinghe getting oppressed once, and there must have been even more incidents like this when he wasn’t around. Xiao Xinghe survived this time, but he might not always be safe. As such, if Lu Ye wanted to protect Xiao Xinghe, there was only one way.
Cultivator Tan stood 30 metres away from Lu Ye. The distance was dangerous for a Real Lake Realm Master.
He was unafraid because he was four Minor Realms above Lu Ye. He believed he could defeat Lu Ye even though the latter had showcased an impressive power.
Lu Ye politely cupped his fists. “I’m an independent cultivator from Dark Moon Forest Pass, Li Taibai.”
Anyway, he had to find out who this man was. A Seventh-Order Master wouldn’t do such a thing without anyone supporting him. He probably had his Sect’s support.
Cultivator Tan put on a faint smile. Although he had the urge to kill Lu Ye at once, he didn’t want to look mannerless in front of so many people. He half-heartedly saluted him back and said, “I’m Tan Shu from Sky Origin Clan.”
Sky Origin Clan was one of the ten Tier-One Sects in Bing Zhou. Before Lu Ye joined the Crimson Blood Sect, a woman named Yu Xiao Tiea had told him about it in Evil Moon Valley.
One Palace, two Temples, three Sects, and four Clans referred to the ten Tier-One Sects in Bing Zhou. One Palace was Auspicious Cloud Palace; two Temples were Yama Temple and Rainbow Temple; three Sects were Righteous Sect, Green Jade Sect, and Rasho Sect; four Clans were Infinity Clan, Scarlet Moon Clan, Northern Profound Sword Clan, and Sky Origin Clan.
The Grand Sky Coalition and Thousand Demon Ridge respectively took up five spots as they were equally matched.
At a later time, Lu Ye found out that Sky Origin Clan was originally a Tier-Two Sect, not a Tier-One Sect. It only became Tier-One following the demise of the Crimson Blood Sect.
In other words, Sky Origin Clan had replaced the Crimson Blood Sect, so it had a weaker heritage than the other Tier-One Sects, though it was much stronger than other Tier-Two Sects.
Regardless, the Heavens had acknowledged Sky Origin Clan to be a Tier-One Sect, and they had many powerful cultivators.
Lu Ye gave it some thought and realised that he had rarely come into contact with anyone from Sky Origin Clan ever since he started cultivating. He became at ease instantly.
“Let’s cut the crap. Don’t worry. You won’t feel much pain.” Tan Shu came from an extraordinary background and had ample heritage, which was why he was haughty. Since he had been provoked by Lu Ye publicly, he was naturally determined to kill him.
Lu Ye replied with a smile, “There’s only one thing I want to tell you.”
“What is it?” As Tan Shu spoke, he summoned his Artifact. It was apparent that he was a Combat Cultivator who used a saber as well. The glow on his weapon showed that it was a Spell Artifact. Moreover, it was an extraordinary one.
“There’s no next time,” Lu Ye said in a small voice that only the two of them could hear.
“Huh?” Tan Shu was puzzled, but his expression changed drastically the next moment. Following a buzz, countless streaks of Sword Qi suddenly appeared. He was instantly engulfed in ferocious Sword Intent and murderous intent as though they had materialised.
Lu Ye no longer appeared exhausted. His expression turned hideous as his aura became extremely violent.
Although his opponent was only a Third-Order Real Lake Realm Master, Tan Shu felt his chest tightening at that moment.
He suddenly realised that Lu Ye had never fully activated his power in the previous battles. Lu Ye had also held back his power when fighting Zhang Youlin.
Nevertheless, he fully activated his power when contending with Tan Shu, so it was apparent that the latter had always been his target.
[Have I ever offended him? Also, what did he mean when he said ‘there’s no next time’?] As the thoughts turned over in Tan Shu’s mind, he pulled himself together.
After all, he was a Seventh-Order Master, and his Sect was just as great as that of Zhang Youlin. What was more, he was fairly powerful. Even though he was shocked by Lu Ye, he could still remain calm.
But just then, he abruptly felt a sharp pain in his mind. [Divine Ego!] He was flabbergasted.
He had dealt with Divine Ocean Realm Masters head-on and had been affected by the repercussions of their Soul Attacks before. Naturally, he understood what had happened to him now.
[Is a Divine Ocean Realm Master hiding somewhere?] He was terrified. Even though he was wearing a treasure that could protect his soul, it wasn’t so effective as it could only slightly fend off a Soul Attack, just like Lu Ye’s golden lock.
He thought that there was a hidden Divine Ocean Realm Master who launched an attack against him. Unbeknownst to him, the Soul Attack came from Lu Ye.
It was Lu Ye’s first time using his Divine Ego to attack his opponent ever since he developed a Divine Pool.
Although he wasn’t afraid of a Seventh-Order Master, it wasn’t easy for him to kill the other party either. It would be a different story if he launched a Soul Attack.
Since it was an all-out attack, he almost drained his Divine Ego in an instant.
Having been struck by the unexpected attack, Tan Shu found it hard to control his Spiritual Power, and his pupils had dilated. Even his attack which was driven by his instinct felt powerless.
There was no doubt he wasn’t going to survive this crisis. He became clear-headed right before his imminent death. Finally, he understood what Lu Ye meant when the latter said that.
After he tried to get Xiao Xinghe killed but failed, the latter said to him, “There’s no next time.”
Then, he replied, “What if there is?”
That was why Li Taibai said the same thing to him before he made a move.
[Is he standing up for Xiao Xinghe? Why? What right does he have to do that?]
Time was running out for Tan Shu as countless Sword Lights came and engulfed him.
When the Sword Lights disappeared, all of them were rooted to the spot as they looked at the battlefield.
There was a blood-soaked body with no more vitality left. When the corpse fell from the sky, everyone lowered their gaze as well. The moment the corpse fell to the ground and broke apart, everyone felt their heart sinking.
Cultivators from both the Grand Sky Coalition and Thousand Demon Ridge were in a state of disbelief.
Since there were countless Sword Lights, no one could see the exchange of moves between Lu Ye and Tan Shu. Much to their surprise, one of them was killed in such a short time.
Furthermore, the person who lost his life was Tan Shu, a Seventh-Order Master. On the other hand, even though a pale Lu Ye was staggering, he was unharmed.
[Is he so powerful?] When Tan Shu went on stage, no one felt that Lu Ye could win the match. Anyway, Lu Ye had already earned a lot of glory for Thousand Demon Ridge in the previous matches, and it was an even greater glory now.
He had won all six matches, and his opponents were progressively stronger. Some of them were from Tier-One Sects. In the last battle, he even killed a Seventh-Order Master, who was four Minor Realms above him.
Such an incident sounded more like a legend, but it happened right before their eyes. All of them felt like they were dreaming.
It wasn’t until someone exclaimed that they came to their senses.
“Senior Brother Tan!” The cultivators who were by Tan Shu’s side earlier were mournful. Some of them furiously pounced on Lu Ye while some rushed towards Tan Shu’s corpse. The place descended into chaos.