Chapter 165: 163 32 games
The strong on the Spirit Stream Ranking all have some discernment and naturally could make out what was going on.
This time, Lu Ye proactively stepped forward to challenge the big sects of Ten Thousand Demons Ridge, albeit reluctantly after being cornered, but in reality, it was also an opportunity, a chance to build an invincible reputation.
It was just that he himself didn't realize this.
Of course, to accumulate such reputation, he needed to survive first.
Don't think that Lu Ye, after killing enemies from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge during the day and causing their side to be too scared to even fight, was actually in a much better situation; in fact, it had worsened somewhat.
Because of a day's battle, the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge had basically figured out Lu Ye's capabilities, which meant they could come up with better strategies against him.
The reason no one was coming forward now was that there was some dispute and divergence among the big sects of Ten Thousand Demons Ridge; several of the powerful figures on the Spirit Stream Ranking were mediating.
In the end, one of the top twenty powerhouses said, "Then let's decide like this. Whoever kills that Lu Ye gets to keep two-tenths of the spoils for themselves, and the rest will be split among the sects who have contributed. Does anyone have any objections?"
As he said this, he looked around coldly at the managers of various forces.
The main disputes and disagreements on the side of Ten Thousand Demons Ridge had to do with the rewards after killing Lu Ye. Everyone had seen the day's battle, and few who went up against him survived. Since each sect could only take the field once, if the disciple they sent out died, they would miss out on the chance of reward.
This led to everyone wanting to be at the back of the line to pick up an easy win...
Without solving this problem, it would be difficult for the side of Ten Thousand Demons Ridge to work together; after all, the sum of the rewards was too considerable, and nobody wanted to be a stepping stone for others.
The decision to let the one who kills Lu Ye keep two-tenths of the rewards while the rest would be shared among the contributing sects was endorsed by everyone.
This way, even if their own disciples couldn't kill Lu Ye, as long as they contributed, they could still get a share of the spoils.
"If there are no objections, then make your own arrangements. Find a way to break his barghest fangs. Whoever breaks his barghest fangs will get an extra one-tenth afterward!" the strong one declared coldly.
The strength Lu Ye had shown had made the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge side give up on the idea of taking his life in one battle; this was unrealistic. Though he was only at Level 5, he was much stronger than an average Level 6, and without a Level 7 stepping in, it was impossible for him to meet his match. Thus, the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge came up with a two-step plan to kill Lu Ye.
Your journey continues at empire
Moments later, Lu Ye, who had been sitting cross-legged on the platform eating strips of dried meat, slowly stood up, gulping down the piece in his mouth.
Eating was for replenishing his strength and also for Essence Refinment-Qi Conversion. The consumption of spirit force couldn't be completely relied upon elixir pills. Since the Talent Tree had lost the ability to burn pill poison, taking too many elixir pills would make his spirit force murky and affect his combat strength.
His spirit force was already not as pure as before because he had taken quite a number of elixir pills during his flight.
Although Essence Refinment-Qi Conversion was much less effective, it was better than nothing, and with the Bestial Gluttony Feast technique to aid his digestion, he was actually digesting the food quite quickly.
Another person from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge sprang out, and Lu Ye focused his gaze to see a combat cultivator wielding a long spear.
As usual, they exchanged sect affiliations before the opponent charged at him, spear flashing with spirit light, thrusting spear flowers swiftly towards various vital points around Lu Ye.
Several dozen breaths later, the combat cultivator was chopped down to the ground...
Lu Ye didn't continue to fight one match after another because he realized the effect of establishing his might during the day wasn't very clear. He simply didn't waste the energy, noticing that those from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge who sprang up seemed not too afraid of dying.
This might have something to do with the special environment of the Spirit Stream battlefield, a place where both camps have been in constant conflict for years. Every cultivator who reached Level 6 had fought their way through life and death battles, so facing to-the-death fights against enemies was routine for them.
Reflecting on those he had killed from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge, he recalled that very few pleaded for their lives before death. Instead, most spoke tough last words. For example, Dong Shuye had said he would wait for Lu Ye on the road to Hell as he lay dying, even though it was pointless...
Because everyone knew that if you were defeated by an enemy cultivator and couldn't escape, pleading was useless.
This bred a ruthlessness among Nine Provinces cultivators, a "disregard for life and death, if you don't submit, fight" attitude that was more pronounced the higher the level of cultivation.
Resting, killing enemies, resting again, killing more enemies...
It went on and on in a cycle, with many lively beings stepping forward and most ending up as corpses, with only a few escaping certain death.
Dawn approached, and Ten Thousand Demons Ridge's losses kept growing, but this didn't seem to affect the newcomers much. They might be afraid when they stepped forward, but that fear didn't stop their determination to fight.
Another night fell.
The arena floor was saturated with blood, and the pungent smell of gore filled the air, so heavy it seemed impossible to dissipate.
Near the Haotian Alliance camp, Lu Ye was sitting cross-legged, clutching a Spirit Stone in each hand, with a piece of jerky in his mouth that he hadn't swallowed yet, his head drooping, taking a brief rest.
Having fought for two days and one night in a row, he was very exhausted, so now after every battle, he had to rest and recuperate, seizing this rare opportunity to snatch a brief moment of respite.
As for recovery... With the Bestial Gluttony Feast working on its own, after swallowing an elixir pill, he didn't need to pay it any more mind.
Weh Ying was watching him nearby with eyes full of distress. After such a long period of battle, it was inevitable for Lu Ye to get injured. Under normal circumstances, Weh Ying could easily tend to these wounds, but due to the constraints of the Heaven's Augury Pact, Lu Ye couldn't rely on any external help, and he had to bandage the wounds himself.
His clothes had long been stained red with blood, which he had discarded. Now, his bare upper body was wrapped with some cotton bandages, and the injury sites were all applied with Healing Medicine powder concocted by Hua Ci.
"How many battles now?" someone asked Li Baxian.
Li Baxian moistened his dry lips: "Thirty-two!"
"Thirty-two!" The person who asked inhaled sharply and looked at Lu Ye, whose head hung low, with a complicated expression. What a remarkable record this was.
Keep in mind that these thirty-two battles were fights where he was outclassed. Based on the current frequency, by dawn, he should be able to complete forty battles!
When the Heaven's Augury Pact was signed, only forty-three sects had left their names on it.
No one believed Lu Ye could fight in forty-three battles. Even Li Baxian hadn't thought about that. What he considered was if Lu Ye could hold out for three days, he would win the victory.
If Li Baxian had not thought of such a thing, then the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge side would naturally have thought even less about it. What kind of person could fight in forty-three battles outclassed without being defeated? Such a thing had never occurred in the Nine Provinces cultivation world.
To those senior cultivators from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge who spearheaded this matter, Lu Ye was as good as dead.
But everyone had underestimated Lu Ye's killing speed. Those who came to fight him at Level 6 realm were often cut down by Lu Ye very quickly.
The three-day deadline had just passed the halfway mark, yet he had already fought thirty-two battles. On the Heaven's Augury Pact, only eleven sects had not yet fought.
Even now, as more and more cultivators from both alliances came upon hearing the news, swelling the numbers on Golden Light Peak to over four thousand, as long as Lu Ye stayed alive after completing forty-three battles, he would win.
Later Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators, no matter how reluctant, dared not make any moves, for under the constraints of the Heaven's Augury Pact, if they attacked Lu Ye, not only would they face the joint force of the Haotian Alliance side, but those forty-three sects who had signed on the pact, as well as some powerhouses of the Spirit Stream Ranking, would all have to take action against them.
This was the fairness of the Heaven's Augury Pact, which tolerated no challenge from anyone.
Only eleven battles stood between him and the final victory, yet Li Baxian's heart grew more uneasy by the moment. He didn't know if his junior brother could hold on because the spirit light on his junior brother's body was becoming obscured. It was due to swallowing a large number of elixir pills, which undoubtedly had a great impact. The obscurity of spirit force would affect his strength.
The most obvious sign was that Lu Ye had slowed down in killing his enemies. His sword was no longer as sharp, and his speed no longer as swift as before.
Each battle required more and more time, and the longer the fight lasted, the more he consumed, necessitating further use of elixir pills which could lead him into a vicious cycle.
When the time of one incense stick's duration was up, Weh Ying, with an unwilling heart, still gently prodded Lu Ye: "Junior brother."
Lu Ye jerked his head up, his eyes full of fatigue. He first looked confused and then realized the situation. He swallowed the unchewed jerky in his mouth, got up with the support of his long knife, and faced the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators, uttering the phrase he had said over thirty times already, "Righteous Blood Sect, Lu Ye!"
The great battle resumed, and on the platform, the knife light flickered, figures dashed forward, and blood flew wildly.
Battle after battle commenced and then quieted as the sky brightened once more.
On the platform, a petit figure zipped around like thunder and lightning next to Lu Ye, moving with incredible speed.
Lu Ye gained numerous wounds on his body, flesh torn and rolling – these were caused by his opponent in this battle. He stood still, holding his long knife, wordlessly.
After so many consecutive fights, he had finally encountered the first opponent who posed a real challenge.
It was a demon cultivator with two fuzzy ears on his head that made him look like a cat. If he only looked like a cat, that would have been fine, but the key was that this individual was as nimble as an actual cat.
In terms of speed alone, Lu Ye, even at his peak, probably couldn't have outrun this individual. Such an opponent was surely one of the trump cards prepared by Ten Thousand Demons Ridge. They had not let her engage because Lu Ye was in good condition earlier. Now that Lu Ye was so depleted, Ten Thousand Demons Ridge likely thought it was time for this cat demon to make an appearance.
Now that this trump card had been played, Lu Ye indeed entered a passive state. Without matching the opponent's speed, his slashes failed to kill the enemy and instead exposed him, leading to the wounds on his body.
Another round of blindingly fast clashes ensued, and as Lu Ye's long knife fell, it cleaved through an afterimage while pain shot through his waist and abdomen.
He lashed out with a kick, which the cat demon blocked with both hands, taking the opportunity to leap up and land gracefully.
Lu Ye staggered back, supporting himself with his long knife and nearly collapsing to the ground, prompting a cry of alarm from Weh Ying.