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Such was the way of the world.

Many Fourth Tier Sects often did not have the opportunity to advance into the Third Tier despite working diligently across several tens of generations. Cultivators in the Real Lake Realm and below generally focused on continuously improving their cultivation. After all, it was not difficult for them to enhance their cultivation as long as they had enough aptitude and resources.

Unfortunately, there was a huge threshold to overcome when advancing from the Real Lake Realm to the Divine Ocean Realm. The reason was that the advancement involved the transformation of the Divine Soul. There were indeed many Divine Ocean Realm Masters in Jiu Zhou, but their numbers were accumulated over the generations. In reality, it was often harder for a Third Tier Sect and below to produce a Divine Ocean Realm Master than to attempt an ascension to the Heavens.

Naturally, there were exceptions to the general rule. There were countless Sects in Jiu Zhou after all. These Sects would undergo an evaluation to determine their respective Tiers every three years. As such, a Fourth Tier Sect would be promoted to become a Third Tier Sect every few decades. These phenomena undoubtedly meant that the Fourth Tier Sect in question had managed to produce a Divine Ocean Realm Master.

The Cloud Gem Clan had the greatest hope of being promoted to a Third Tier Sect in recent years thanks to the emergence of a genius by the name of Si Nan in the Sect. Si Nan was a Spell Cultivator who also cultivated the Way of Wards. Moreover, he had an extraordinary aptitude in the Way of Wards.

The Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators once compared Si Nan to Lu Ye. In the end, they came to a unanimous consensus wherein they believed that he was the only person in the current generation of cultivators who could compete against Lu Ye in the Way of Wards. It was only natural for him to hear about their evaluation of his talents, but he completely dismissed them as nonsense. Their evaluation of his talents had classified him as the weaker party. However, what he wanted was not to compete with Lu Ye on equal terms but to surpass his opponent.

Si Nan was originally not in the vicinity of the area. On the contrary, he had rushed over from a distant location. Although he immediately set off on his journey as soon as the information regarding Lu Ye’s Arcane Glade was exposed to the public, his starting point was so far away that he had yet to arrive even now. Fortunately, his timing was just right for the current situation.

Lu Ye was trapped inside the mining tunnel, and a powerful Ward Cultivator was needed to destroy the Wards that Lu Ye prepared beforehand. It could be said that Si Nan was carrying the hope of all the Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators on his shoulders at this moment. That was also one of the reasons why so many Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators were willing to wait around so patiently…

After hearing that Si Nan was on his way here, Song Zhui relaxed slightly and asked another question. “Who was the first to discover the situation here?”

Ning Zizai raised a hand and pointed in a certain direction. “Those people over there… But, they don’t know much either.”

Song Zhui glanced in that direction. Sure enough, he saw several cultivators with relatively weak cultivation standing there. The leader among them seemed to be slightly wounded. He immediately nodded and moved toward them in a flash.

Senior Brother Qin couldn’t help feeling very frustrated. Ever since more and more Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators arrived at this place, people constantly came up to him to question him for various details such as how they discovered the mining tunnel and how they determined that Lu Ye was hiding inside… After dealing with one batch of people, another batch would come. It was a never-ending cycle. Unfortunately, his cultivation was relatively low in comparison. He did not dare to offend the others, so he could only suppress his impatience and reveal the information he obtained.

At the same time, somewhere deep inside the mine… Lu Ye was refining various Ward Flags while vigilantly keeping an eye on the movements of the Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators outside the mine.

The shirt on his back was drenched in blood… At a glance, he certainly appeared to be severely wounded. Be that as it may, his appearance was nothing more than an illusion. Appearing to be heavily wounded was just a tactic he employed to mislead the Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators. Although the blood on his shirt belonged to him, the bloodstained shirt was a remnant from his previous battle with Huo Liaoyuan…

Up until this moment, his plan was proceeding rather smoothly. He was supposedly too heavily wounded to conceal his whereabouts properly, so his whereabouts were inadvertently discovered by a group of Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators. With no other choice, he was forced to hide inside the mine to recuperate from his injuries. Somebody later discovered traces of the Wards he prepared in the mine by accident and confirmed his current whereabouts. As a consequence, countless Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators immediately besieged the mine and cornered him inside the mine. With no means of escape, he could only wait for death to come for him…

“Lu Ye, there are very many people outside.” Yi Yi, who returned after secretly checking on the situation outside, reported the situation to Lu Ye. “Moreover, their numbers continue to increase over time.”

“It’s a good thing if there are many people,” Lu Ye responded casually while refining the Ward Flags without stopping. If he wanted to successfully implement his plan, then an adequate number of Ward Flags was necessary. He added, “How many Ninth Order Realm Masters are there?” Ṟ

“There are five at the moment. I also saw the guy named Song Zhui.”

“That’s good.” He nodded slightly.

She sat down beside him and questioned him quizzically, “Lu Ye, if you’re planning to lure them into the mine, then why did you construct so many Wards inside the mining tunnel? Aren’t you worried about scaring them away instead?”

“How could I possibly scare them away?” He laughed. At this moment, it could be said that he was a pot of honey emitting a mesmerizing scent while the Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators were a bunch of ants who came here in search of food. No matter how many Wards he prepared inside the mine, they would never be chased away. They would only be desperate to gain entry into the mine.

“I honestly believe you should reduce the number of Wards. Look; they don’t even dare to enter the mine now.”

He replied, “The Thousand Demon Ridge might not know exactly how high my attainments in the Way of Wards are, but they have a general evaluation of my abilities. If I seem too weak, then my performance will only arouse their suspicions. On the contrary, the current situation is just right.”

He was severely wounded at the moment. Therefore, he was only relying on geographical advantages to put up a strong rebellion against his enemies. That was the perception that he wanted to instill in the Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators, only then could he dispel the suspicions and doubts of the more intelligent individuals among his pursuers.

“Besides, I’ve already held back to a certain extent. Who could have known that they would be so useless?” he sneered contemptuously.

However, his words were not empty boasting. He had indeed held back some of his strength because he was afraid that the explosive power of the Wards would cause the mining tunnel to collapse if the explosions were too great. Although the numerous Explosive Wards that were currently lining the inside of the mining tunnel might explode in a violent manner, the explosive force they exerted was not enough to cause the mining tunnel to collapse. Naturally, the surrounding rock walls would gradually become loose from the impact… That was also part of his plan. After all, the side effect would make things easier for him when he decided to conclude his plan.

“I’m going to continue watching them.” Yi Yi headed outside while speaking.

The convenience of having the body of an Apparition was unimaginable. Furthermore, Yi Yi seldom appeared in front of outsiders. The general public was only aware that Lu Ye had a snow-white beast beside him, but very few people knew about Yi Yi’s existence.

Time passed. Approximately half a day later, Yi Yi suddenly sent a message claiming that an amazing Ward Cultivator seemed to have arrived at the Thousand Demon Ridge camp. Even Song Zhui and the other Ninth Order Realm Masters were very friendly and welcoming toward the Ward Cultivator.

At this moment, the Ward Cultivator had entered the mining tunnel and began the process of dismantling the Wards Lu Ye previously left behind.

It was not as though no other Ward Cultivators had attempted to remove Lu Ye’s Wards. It was just that those Ward Cultivators did not have high attainments in the Way of Wards. Not only did they fail to remove the Wards, but they also experienced various casualties during their attempts. Consequently, the rest of the Ward Cultivators did not dare to act rashly again.

Seeing as the Ward Cultivator who just arrived had received such a warm welcome from Song Zhui and the others, it was obvious he came from a prominent background. Song Zhui and the others also seemed to have high hopes for him. Sure enough, his accomplishments in the Way of Wards turned out to be unparalleled compared to the previous Ward Cultivators. He easily destroyed one of the Explosive Wards with no trouble whatsoever.

Upon receiving the information, Lu Ye couldn’t help feeling astonished. Although he had indeed held back his strength, he never imagined that there was a Ward Cultivator in the Cloud River Realm who could destroy his Wards. He initially believed that the Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators would eventually be compelled to enter the mine by force.

After all, the Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators would only need several Eighth Order Realm Masters and Ninth Order Realm Masters to take charge and lead the way. With enough preparations beforehand, they could slowly make their way forward little by little until they eventually arrived at the mine cavern. The Wards he prepared along the way would also be cleanly destroyed as they progressed into the mining tunnel.

For that reason, the appearance of such a person among the Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators came as a complete surprise to him… His plans naturally could not keep up with the unexpected changes. Fortunately, the overall effects were minimal.

When the news that Si Nan had dismantled an Explosive Ward in less than ten seconds spread to the public, the Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators waiting outside the mine expressed various exclamations of astonishment and admiration. Likewise, Song Zhui and the other Ninth Order Realm Masters finally stopped feeling so anxious.

Si Nan certainly lived up to his reputation. He might have come from a Fourth Tier Sect, but it was precisely because he came from a Fourth Tier Sect that his reputation on the Cloud River Battlefield was greater than all the other cultivators who came from First Tier Sects and Second Tier Sects. The Ninth Order Realm Masters had originally been worried about whether his attainments in the Way of Wards were enough. Now that he had set a precedent of success, their worries were immediately relieved.

“Based on this speed, it should take less than two days for us to enter the mine. Everyone, what do you think of Brother Si Nan’s proposal earlier?” Song Zhui asked. He was surrounded by several Ninth Order Realm Masters, among which included Ning Zizai and Wei Zhong.

When Si Nan first arrived, he immediately held a short discussion with them. The purpose behind the brief greeting was not just for him to get acquainted with the others but also for him to make a bold proposal. He would take responsibility for dismantling the various Wards. In exchange, he wanted to monopolize forty percent of the bounty for defeating Lu Ye!

He did not force Song Zhui and the others to give him an answer on the spot. It was unrealistic to expect his request to be accepted when he had yet to display his true strength to them. On the other hand, they had no choice but to consider his previous proposal now that his true strength had been revealed.

Ning Zizai said, “I don’t have any objections. He contributes the most, so he takes the largest share. That’s only fair.”

Even without Si Nan’s presence, the Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators were fully capable of forcing their way into the mine. It was just that they would inevitably suffer terrible casualties in that situation. Not to mention, the arrangement of personnel would also be a huge problem. Who would be placed at the forefront? Even a Ninth Order Realm Body-tempering Cultivator like Wei Zhong would be wounded if he were to lead at the forefront. Besides, the winding mining tunnel stretched out for several kilometers. Who knew how many Explosive Wards Lu Ye had constructed along the path?

“What do the others think?”

Wei Zhong scowled. “Forty percent is a little too much…”

Somebody else nodded and echoed the sentiment. “Forty percent is way too much. Comparatively, twenty percent is an acceptable amount.”

Song Zhui sighed and replied, “You seem to have misunderstood the point… It certainly is quite outrageous for Si Nan to take forty percent of the reward, but do you really think it makes a difference to us whether he takes forty percent or twenty per cent of the reward?”

“What do you mean, Brother Song?” Ning Zizai glanced toward Song Zhui.

Song Zhui explained, “There are nearly two thousand Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators gathered here at this point. Aside from Si Nan’s share of the reward, how will we split the rest of the reward after killing Lu Yi Ye? Are we going to split the reward equally amongst ourselves? That will definitely incite public outrage. We will definitely have to share the remaining rewards with all the cultivators who participated in this operation. Hence, there won’t be much left by the time we receive our share of the reward. In that case, what does it matter if Si Nan wants a forty percent share of the reward? How will it make a difference for us if we gave him a forty percent share of the reward? It’s as I’ve mentioned before. Compared to the bounty on Lu Yi Ye’s head, his death is much more important!”

Song Zhui once encouraged countless Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators outside the Ameliorate Valley to share the reward equally among themselves under the guise of eradicating the scourge that was Lu Ye. However, he actually had other plans at the time and instead cooperated with Ying Wuji to defeat Lu Ye together. Now that Ying Wuji was out of the picture, there was no point in trying to monopolize the reward for himself since there was nobody to cooperate with him in the first place. In that case, he could only take a step back in this situation. Killing Lu Ye was the most urgent task at hand, and everything else was not important.

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