Chapter 104, Senior Brother Zhou, an Expert in Sword Wielding

The thing that had engulfed Senior Brother Zhou was the bell Lu Ye had obtained from the Young Master of Nine Star Clan. He had been nurturing the bell with his Spiritual Power for quite some time, which proved to be effective. Although he hadn’t softened all the layers of restriction, he could already activate some of its powers.

By just activating the bell, he could use it to trap his opponent. In the past, Yi Yi was confined just like this. As for the bell’s other powers, Lu Ye still couldn’t activate them.

The sudden change stunned everyone. In the blink of an eye, of the five cultivators from Serene Cloud Mountain, Senior Sister Yu was killed, and Senior Brother Zhou was trapped, so only three Third-Order cultivators were left. Before they could figure out what was going on, Lu Ye had charged towards the person nearest to him.

That person hurriedly stepped backwards and fished out his weapon to deal with his opponent, but Lu Ye had already whizzed past him. This Third-Order cultivator became rooted to the spot as his figure shook a little. The next instant, he collapsed to the ground, and the ground was soon dyed red.

Although both of them were Third-Order cultivators, he wasn’t able to parry a strike that had been blessed with Sharp Edge. One was well prepared, while the other was unsuspecting. Once they traded moves, he was bound for Hell.

On the other hand, Lu Ye had already reached the next Third-Order cultivator. This person was Junior Brother Xiong, who almost pissed on his trousers after he was frightened by Amber and Yi Yi some time ago. He had more time to react, but faced with a ferocious man like Lu Ye, he had lost the courage to resist. With a horrified expression, he clumsily wielded his weapon and stepped backwards. At the same time, he yelled, “Don’t come near me!”

This couldn’t delay his imminent death. Lu Ye dashed forward and slashed at him. A terrified Junior Brother Xiong instinctively raised his weapon to parry the attack, whereupon the weapon in his hand glowed with a Spiritual Light. Apparently, this was also a Low-Grade artifact.

Such a Low-Grade artifact was usually engraved with a Spiritual Pattern that could strengthen the item. That was because low-rank cultivators normally engaged in close-quarters combat, so a sturdier weapon would allow them to fight for a longer time. If the weapon was destroyed in the middle of a fight, the cultivator could only wait for death. 

Before the two artifacts came into contact, Lu Ye twisted his wrist as his weapon whizzed past his opponent’s artifact. Then, he hacked his weapon at him.

If he were still the guy who had just left Green Cloud Mountain, he would’ve kept going and tried to break his opponent’s weapon. However, after going through countless life-and-death battles in Split Sky Gorge, he had become a more experienced fighter. The attack almost split the opponent’s chest open as his heart could faintly be seen pounding.

“Argh!” That person shrieked and collapsed to the ground, but he wasn’t dead yet.

Lu Ye turned his sword around and jabbed it into his body. Junior Brother Xiong convulsed for a moment before becoming immovable. He soon stopped breathing. Following that, Lu Ye pulled out his weapon. While blood was still dripping from his artifact, he pounced on the last Third-Order cultivator.

Presently, this person was in an intense battle with Amber. Yi Yi had also appeared to harass their opponent. She was a very agile Ghost Spirit, so she could appear and disappear as she pleased. As the tiger and the Ghost Spirit joined forces, they couldn’t really harm this cultivator, but they could definitely hold him down.

Seeing that Lu Ye had killed two other Third-Order cultivators, this person knew that he was no match for him. As he wielded his weapon to fend off Amber, he anxiously rummaged through his Storage Bag and fished out a talisman paper. Just when he was ready to use the talisman paper, Lu Ye reached him and slashed at him.

In an instant, his hand, which was holding the talisman paper, was cut off. As the palm fell onto the ground, blood spurted out of the cultivator’s wound. A shriek was heard, but following that, it abruptly stopped as Lu Ye had accurately jabbed his sword into the opponent’s mouth and stuck it out from the back of the latter’s head. Then, he twisted his weapon to ensure that his opponent was killed.

While Amber was panting on the side, a surprised Yi Yi came over and called out, “Lu Ye!”

Lu Ye flashed a smile at her, but before he could speak, a loud boom was heard from a short distance. Turning his head, he saw the bell’s surface glittering. The bell, which was originally the size of a water tank, had expanded significantly.

After all, he hadn’t fully refined this bell, so he could only use it to trap his opponent, but the duration was rather short. As a Fifth-Order cultivator, Senior Brother Zhou certainly wouldn’t wait for death inside the bell. Under his attack, the time the bell could trap him became shorter.

If Lu Ye didn’t retrieve the bell, it would be destroyed in no time. After all, this bell was meant to save its owner, so it was sturdier on the outside. In comparison, it was easier to damage it from the inside.

“Take Amber away!” Lu Ye hurriedly said. Amber hadn’t really recovered, but it was harmed again by these people from Serene Cloud Mountain. Presently, its white fur was dyed red. Moreover, given its power, it was unable to deal with a Fifth-Order cultivator.

Fully aware of the situation, Yi Yi only said worriedly, “Be careful.”

Then, she took Amber away, but she still stared fixedly at Lu Ye. As soon as Lu Ye fell into danger, they would pounce on the opponent together to offer as much help as possible.

After a nod, Lu Ye dashed towards the bell and extended his hand, whereupon the bell hoisted and shrunk rapidly before coming back to him. As soon as he stored the bell, he leaped into the air and brought down his sword.

Right after the bell was lifted, a cold glint from a blade flashed across Lu Ye’s eyes as Senior Brother Zhou extended his hand and clashed his weapon with that of Lu Ye. Upon impact, Lu Ye almost couldn’t support his own weight. Not only was his attack fended off, but he also fell backwards.

Seizing the initiative, Senior Brother Zhou charged forward and repeatedly pushed his sword forward in a rapid manner. Although his attack wasn’t violent, it was continuous as Lu Ye was forced to retreat. It was the first time Lu Ye came across such an opponent. When he killed people in the past, he was always swift, accurate, and ruthless. He would either break the opponent’s weapon or cut off their body in a resolute manner. Even the Fourth-Order cultivators from Nine Star Clan were not able to parry his sword, which had been blessed with Sharp Edge.

However, Senior Brother Zhou’s mastery of sword wielding was incredible, so Lu Ye wasn’t even sure how he could make a move. His hurried moves were all resolved. Not only was Senior Brother Zhou unharmed, but he had also managed to leave some cuts on Lu Ye’s body. Lu Ye activated a defensive Spiritual Pattern to protect himself, but the other party’s weapon was as erratic as a snake. His sword could always circle around the Spiritual Pattern and harm Lu Ye, which made the latter waste some Spiritual Power.

Unless Lu Ye could activate a Spiritual Pattern that could fully block his front, he was unable to ward off his opponent. If he really used such a Spiritual Pattern, not only would his Spiritual Power be depleted in no time, but he would also be unable to attack.

This battle was different from that against Luo Ji in the past. Luo Ji was a spell cultivator, so his spells were somewhat predictable. Lu Ye just had to activate a Spiritual Pattern to fend them off. However, Senior Brother Zhou was a combat cultivator, so it was hard to predict how he would wield his sword.

Therefore, even though Luo Ji’s power was equivalent to that of an ordinary Fifth-Order cultivator, it was a completely different battle for Lu Ye. He could defeat Luo Ji, but he was no match for Senior Brother Zhou. After moving back several dozen meters, he realized that the other party’s attacks had intensified. At that moment, he knew that his opponent’s combat skill was much better than his. 

After all, it had only been a few months since he started cultivating, while Senior Brother Zhou had been a Fifth-Order cultivator for a long time, so the latter’s mastery of sword wielding was much greater. If the battle dragged on, Lu Ye was bound to be defeated.

A furious Lu Ye decided to fully use his Spiritual Power to protect himself, and at the same time, he recklessly pushed out his weapon. A Spiritual Light glistened on the sword as it was blessed with Sharp Edge.