Lin Ye's aura erupted violently.
His presence climbed step by step—and in that very moment, it surged rapidly into the Fifth Moonwheel Realm.
"He actually jumped two realms!" Chapter Tianran blurted in shock.
He hadn't expected Lin Ye's secret technique to have such an effect—it was completely beyond his anticipation. But there was no time to be amazed. He had to kill Lin Ye with everything he had.
Otherwise, Plum Blossom Sword Sect would lose face beyond recovery.
The Profound Plum Killing Array activated.
Everyone's sword qi transformed into streaks of plum-blossom sword qi. Points of cold light exploded in an instant. Around Lin Ye, endless plum-blossom sword qi swarmed, wrapping him completely.
At the same time, within the formation, the figures of the eleven opponents vanished without a trace.
Only Lin Ye's figure remained inside the array.
"An illusion array?" Lin Ye laughed.
If someone who didn't understand formations ran into this kind of sword array, it really would be troublesome—because you would lose all targets and could only passively defend against the formation's attacks. Even if you could hold out for a while, as time dragged on, your qi would be drained dry.
To break illusions, the best method was fire.
Lin Ye summoned the Red Lotus Tribulation Cauldron. He slapped it with his palm—and terrifying flames burst out from within.
The instant Red Lotus Karma Flame appeared, the white, foggy world around him collapsed. All illusions were broken.
And at that moment, Chapter Tianran struck first, slashing with his sword.
"Whoosh!"
The sword qi seemed to cut through space itself—its speed was frightening.
But Lin Ye was prepared. He swung the Sin-Ghost Sword, breaking the incoming sword qi. At the same time, his blade collided with Chapter Tianran's sword—
Clang!
Chapter Tianran stared in disbelief. A notch had appeared on his sword.
"What kind of sword is that?"
His blade had been forged and tempered by a master smith using extremely rare materials. Even in the Middle Riverlands, it was hard to find a weapon that could contend with it head-on.
Yet with just one clash, Lin Ye's sword had chipped it.
Before Chapter Tianran could recover from the shock, Lin Ye attacked again.
Sword qi collided repeatedly.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
After several exchanges, Chapter Tianran's momentum surged as well. His qi churned, as though forming into an eagle that kept clawing at Lin Ye's blade.
But at the final clash—
A crisp cracking sound rang out.
Chapter Tianran's sword snapped.
"Hm?!" Chapter Tianran's face changed.
In the instant he was stunned, Lin Ye had already raised his palm and struck.
"Blood Luo Heavenly Waterfall Palm!"
"Eagle King Sweeps the Grave!"
Chapter Tianran's reaction was not slow. He didn't hesitate over his weapon—he flung away the broken sword, then formed one hand into a palm and the other into a claw, counterattacking.
Boom!
At the moment their forces collided, the shock was even more terrifying than a Moonwheel cultivator self-detonating earlier.
Chapter Tianran grunted, retreating more than ten meters.
"Hidden force?!" he gasped.
He suddenly felt a power surging violently inside his body. He hurriedly tapped several points on himself, forcing the hidden force out.
Lin Ye also retreated, but his reaction was faster still.
The Nine Nether Blood Wings snapped open.
Boom!
He neutralized that force completely. With a beat of his wings, he lunged at Chapter Tianran again.
"Luo-Sheng Palm!"
A force surged in Lin Ye's palm like an玄-gate opening, slamming toward Chapter Tianran.
Now that Lin Ye's Nine Revolutions Asura Art had reached the fourth layer, the power of Luo-Sheng Palm was dozens of times stronger than before.
With a single strike, Chapter Tianran sucked in a cold breath. He could only release qi armor to block.
Bang!
Lin Ye forced him back with one palm. Even with qi armor protecting him, Chapter Tianran's body shook—he was still injured by the震力.
"Pff!"
He spat a mouthful of blood.
In a direct clash, he had actually lost.
Just as Lin Ye was about to finish him, plum-blossom sword qi attacked again from all directions. Lin Ye decisively abandoned the pursuit—his blood wings beat, his body twisting sharply as he shot toward the ten men at the edge of the array.
"Blood Slaughter Nine Massacres!"
Terrifying blood-fiend sword qi erupted. The ten opponents hurriedly formed a defensive stance, their combined aura pushing back against Lin Ye's sword qi.
But Lin Ye's sword qi was too overbearing. With his Moonwheel power added, it crushed them outright.
In an instant, the terrifying sword qi shattered their defensive formation.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Even with ten of them joining hands, they still couldn't stop Lin Ye's assault. They were blasted away, and the array itself shattered on the spot.
The ten looked strong—but in the end, they were utterly incapable of resisting.
"Not good!"
The moment their formation was broken, everyone's expressions changed. They all understood what would happen next—Lin Ye would kill them one by one.
"Black Python Swallows the Heavens!"
A figure suddenly sprang out. Immediately after, a black python manifested in the air, instantly piercing through a Moonwheel Fourth Realm expert.
"Hahaha! How could you not call me for something this good!"
Luo Gui roared with laughter.
This was absolutely a battle that would make his name.
Plum Blossom Sword Sect, so what? In Luo Gui's hands, they'd still have to call him "father"!
These past few days, Luo Gui's old injuries had completely healed. Not only that—thanks to the pills Lin Ye gave him, his cultivation rose another level in a short time.
He had reached Moonwheel Third Realm.
Given Plum Blossom Sword Sect's strength, once they found Lin Ye, it was normal that they would find Luo Gui too. At this point, Luo Gui had only one path left: stand firmly with Lin Ye.
He had rushed back—and ran right into this situation.
Lin Ye's blood wings trembled behind him. With the Sin-Ghost Sword in hand, he began harvesting.
The crowd scattered and fled.
Facing Lin Ye's attack, they knew they couldn't withstand it.
Lin Ye's speed was terrifying. In a flash, he killed two.
Luo Gui disengaged and entangled another opponent. His Black Python Spear stabbed repeatedly, locking the other man in combat.
Lin Ye raised his hand again.
A terrifying surge of power erupted.
Qi Lock!
The surroundings were sealed again.
Only one person escaped. Everyone else was trapped inside.
The figure who got away didn't hesitate at all—he fled out of the Spirit Water Riverlands, rushing toward the distance.
"Too terrifying… too terrifying…"
As long as Lin Ye didn't die, he could never return to Plum Blossom Sword Sect. Today's survival was nothing but a life snatched back from death.
What would happen next would depend on who ultimately lived—Lin Ye or Plum Blossom Sword Sect.
He couldn't go back to the sect either. If he returned, he would immediately be punished.
Terrifying.
He didn't dare think of anything else. He fled without looking back.
So many people had joined forces against Lin Ye and still achieved nothing—worse, they were slaughtered clean. And now another helper had arrived. The outcome was unthinkable.
Even Chapter Tianran might not survive.
Chapter Tianran had taken Lin Ye's palm strike and hadn't even recovered—yet in the blink of an eye, the remaining Wanxiang Hall experts had already been cut down like fallen petals.
He was stunned.
"I'll kill you," Chapter Tianran snarled.
He refused to accept failure.
Lin Ye had fought continuously—his qi must be nearly exhausted. Now was the moment to gamble everything and erase Lin Ye.
"Eagle Flame Break!"
Chapter Tianran's qi formed into a giant eagle that charged at Lin Ye.
Lin Ye's body flickered, dodging the attack.
That was the advantage of speed. Your strike couldn't even lock onto him before it was avoided.
"Underworld State!"
Lin Ye directly activated the power of the Nether Passage Profound Vein.
Chapter Tianran was stronger than Bamboo Sword Xu before. If he chose to flee, Lin Ye would have difficulty keeping him. Even if Lin Ye caught up, the man could still slip away.
But now Chapter Tianran wanted to hard-clash.
Lin Ye naturally seized the opportunity.
One strike.
Certain kill.
Boom!
The power of the Nine Nether Underworld King Tiger poured into Lin Ye's body.
In that moment, blood-fiend aura exploded from him like a demon god descending from the Nine Netherworlds.
He raised the Sin-Ghost Sword and slashed down at Chapter Tianran.
Boom!
The giant eagle qi was shattered instantly.
At the same time, Lin Ye's slash smashed through Chapter Tianran's qi armor as well.
With his armor broken, Chapter Tianran was killed in an instant.
Bang!
His body exploded in midair.
The remaining six men were dumbstruck.
The one who had escaped earlier was a Moonwheel Fifth Realm expert. Among these six, there were still two Moonwheel Fifth Realm cultivators left.
Now the six practically huddled together.
"Let's talk this through! We were forced—please spare our lives!"
"Yes! We were pressured by Plum Blossom Sword Sect. Otherwise we would never have dared become your enemy!"
"Chapter Tianran deserved it—he had it coming! Please show mercy and leave us a way out! We're willing to serve you like oxen and horses!"
The more they begged, the more exaggerated it became—as if Chapter Tianran had been holding a sword to their throats, forcing them to attack Lin Ye.
When they first arrived, they had been full of swagger. Who would dare block them? Anyone who blocked them would die.
But now?
Chapter Tianran, a Moonwheel Seventh Realm cultivator, was dead.
The others had been killed.
They were trapped and couldn't escape.
Their only option was to beg.
Lin Ye's response was simple.
"Blood Slaughter Nine Massacres!"
Nine streams of sword qi shot toward the six men.