"Yes, four thousand merit points. You may not have that many, but I think you should be able to gather them!"
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The most common way to obtain merit was by killing enemies, and another way was to sell items to Heaven’s Augury treasure vault. Under normal circumstances, it was difficult for a Spirit Stream Realm cultivator to accumulate so many merit points. Of course, if someone was Governor or Deputy Governor of a faction’s base, they could also earn merit points by granting themselves a monthly salary.
Four thousand merit points was an enormous number for cultivators of the outer or inner circle, but for some in the Core Circle, it was not an impossible target with enough effort.
Especially for someone like Bai Lan, who was strong and beautiful, female cultivators like her were pampered in any sect, and even if she couldn’t gather enough herself, someone would find a way to help her.
Lu Ye asking for twenty portions of Earth’s Core Fire was not an excessive demand but a figure he arrived at after comprehensive consideration.
"Why should I give you twenty portions of Earth’s Core Fire?" Bai Lan demanded angrily.
This was the first time she had encountered such a situation in a Spirit Stream Ranking challenge, and it truly left her speechless. Lu Ye the Sect Destroyer was notorious, and his reputation preceded him. Now that she had met him, she realized there was something off with his mind.
After all, would someone whose brain was functioning normally attract such targeted hostility from the entire Ten Thousand Demons Ridge?
"If you want to fight, then fight. Stop talking nonsense," Bai Lan snapped.
Then she saw Lu Ye leave a trail of afterimages behind him as he rushed toward her at high speed.
She raised her hand and cast a series of Dao techniques that continuously bombarded towards Lu Ye. However, he weaved through the onslaught of spells with precise movements, deftly avoiding every attack and rapidly closing the distance between them.
If it were an ordinary magic cultivator in this situation, they would immediately try to increase the distance while retreating and attacking continuously.
But Bai Lan was ranked forty-eighth on the Spirit Stream Ranking, no ordinary magic cultivator.
Furthermore, the moment Lu Ye took action, she realized their speeds were not on the same level; Lu Yiye’s weapon control speed was unparalleled, and his own speed was equally astonishing.
She wouldn’t be able to retreat far.
So she made a decisive choice, her magic spell hand movements shifting as she formed a Dharma Seal. Simultaneously, a light suddenly shone from the back of her hand.
It wasn’t the light of a battlefield marking but that of a spirit rune!
On the back of this woman’s hand was a rune tattoo inscribed by a spirit runes master!
Righteous Blood Sect had Madam Yun as a spirit runes master, so how could Ten Thousand Demons Ridge not have one? However, rune tattoos were so valuable that very few Spirit Stream Realm cultivators owned them.
Not to mention the various materials consumed in inscribing a spirit rune, even hiring those spirit runes masters was a significant expenditure.
To put it bluntly, the Rune Tattoo Wings that Lu Ye previously obtained were worth as much as a Magic Artifact in terms of value.
Moreover, rune tattoos were divided into Personality-Reveal Rune Tattoos and Hidden Rune Tattoos, as well as temporary and permanent, each with different resource requirements.
The rune tattoo Bai Lan was using was clearly a Hidden Rune Tattoo, invisible before activation, only revealing itself when she stimulated it to catch the enemy off-guard.
It was unclear whether it was temporary or permanent, but if it was the latter, then the cost of inscribing that spirit rune must have been substantial.
Although the spirit rune flashed only briefly, Lu Ye could see it clearly. It looked somewhat familiar, resembling the newly acquired Lightning Attracting Spirit Runes he had obtained.
Mist formed by the collision of water and fire spirit forces enveloped a vast area, and by now it was too late to escape.
Lu Ye immediately understood his opponent’s plan, and without hesitation, he spurred his spirit force, which was quickly enveloped by a layer of protective covering formed by Defense Spirit Runes.
A thunderbolt struck down, aiming directly at Lu Ye’s location. In an instant, the fog-covered land was rife with lightning serpents, and the crackling sound was incessant.
Lu Ye’s body shook as he truly felt the strength of the top fifty on the Spirit Stream Ranking. The intensity of the Defense Spirit Runes around his body was rapidly weakening, even though he was desperately encouraging his spirit force to maintain the operation of the runes, they only held up for the time of three breaths before they broke. Such a power of thunderbolt, few cultivators in the Spirit Stream Realm could withstand.
In Bai Lan’s horrified gaze, Lu Ye emerged from the thunderbolt-ravaged space, his complexion scorched black, and as he dashed forward, he also spat out a mouthful of black air.
Despite her horror, Bai Lan did not cease her actions, as a lifelike, ferocious roaring water dragon pounced towards Lu Ye while she herself swiftly retreated.
Retreating was the only option now; her most powerful trump card had failed to affect Lu Yiye at all, so she dared not remain in place.
The Boulder Mountain Saber, wrapped in firelight, descended, and when it collided with the water dragon, an immense shockwave approached, causing Lu Ye’s arm that held the saber to pause slightly.
As a light flashed over the blade, the Hefty Weight Spirit Runes were activated.
The saber, unstoppable, split the water dragon in two, reaching Bai Lan in an instant and fiercely chopping down.
With a look of fear on her face, Bai Lan touched an earring shaped like a teardrop below her earlobe; a protective layer quickly formed as spirit force surged.
Lu Ye’s original slashing strike was not meant to take Bai Lan’s life, as he was still counting on her to deliver the Earth’s Core Fire; if he killed her, where would he find it?
However, upon seeing that layer of protection, another light swept over the Boulder Mountain Saber, with the Double-Sharpness enhancement.
After the strike, Bai Lan’s body flew out like a torn sack, in utter disarray.
The defense wasn’t broken, so she was not injured; after all, the earring was a top-grade spirit artifact. Even if she could not mobilize its full potential, it was enough to keep her from dying.
But under the strike, the protective screen’s luster significantly diminished, and the impact of the great force could not be neutralized either.
Bai Lan hurriedly got up, and before she could steady herself, she felt another powerful force striking her, and once again, she flew out. This time the protective screen had become extremely dim.
She couldn’t withstand a third strike!
Bai Lan panicked.
She had thought that with the top-grade spirit artifact given by her master, she would be invincible. But now she realized she had underestimated this hooligan, as the strength of his attacks exceeded her understanding. She truly couldn’t comprehend how the might of a single strike from a 8th Heaven cultivator could be so terrifying.
Lu Ye did not pursue her but stood silently in place.
Bai Lan hastily got up and, from a distance, looked at Lu Ye with unsettled nerves.
"You have one hour."
Having dropped this sentence, Lu Ye called out again, "I concede!"
His figure rapidly faded, then disappeared.
Bai Lan was stunned...
She had already prepared herself to admit defeat, but instead, the other party conceded first.
What was that all about?
In a flash, Bai Lan saw through Lu Ye’s intentions. In half a shichen, that thug would challenge her again!
Damnable!
On that precipice boulder, a man anxiously waited. Although his junior sister was protected by a top-grade Spiritual Artifact, Lu Yiye’s previous records were there for all to see. Since he started challenging others on the ranking, not a single one of the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators before him had survived. His junior sister was the apple of his eye; how could he not worry?
As he worried nervously, the void in front of him twisted, and his junior sister’s figure suddenly appeared.
The man looked at his junior sister, then at the Spirit Stream Ranking...
His own junior sister was ranked forty-eight, with no change, while that Lu Yiye was ranked fiftieth, also with no change.
"Did you win?" the man asked excitedly.
Bai Lan, pale, looked at her senior brother and thought about facing that aggressive thug again in half a shichen. With a pout, she said, "Senior brother..."
The man’s face changed, and he asked anxiously, "What is it, junior sister? Are you hurt somewhere?"
"Wu wu wu..." Bai Lan threw herself into his arms, crying her eyes out. Enjoy new stories from freewebnovel
The man was frantic. "Are you hurt anywhere? Tell me quickly."
Bai Lan just kept crying and vigorously shook her head.
The man’s face turned green. There were no signs of injury on his junior sister, but she was sobbing so sadly...
Could it be...
Lu Yiye, you despicable villain, I will never coexist with you!
It took a good moment before Bai Lan calmed down and the man finally understood the situation. He relaxed, as it wasn’t what he had imagined.
"You’re saying that scoundrel demanded twenty portions of Earth’s Core Fire from you?"
"Mm-hmm."
"And then he’s going to challenge you again in half a shichen?"
"Definitely. Just now, he conceded and left the combat field himself."
Remembering the aggressiveness of the thug wielding the saber, Bai Lan felt a chill, despite not feeling cold. She had fought against many combat cultivators before, but none had given her such a strong sense of oppression. The flame-wrapped saber didn’t physically hurt her, but it left her soul riddled with wounds.
She didn’t want to face off against someone like that again, no matter what. The feeling that her life was in constant danger was unbearable.
One thing was for sure—if it hadn’t been for the top-grade spirit artifact bestowed by her master, she would have died in that combat encounter.
"That’s simple. When he challenges you later, just refuse, right? It’s not like you have to fight him."
In the midst of crying, Bai Lan sniffled and then thought to herself, right, she had the right to refuse. There was absolutely no need for her to fight him.
As long as her ranking on the Spirit Stream was behind his, he would never be able to bother her again!
That despicable man actually wanted to extort twenty portions of Earth’s Core Fire from her! She hoped he would drop dead!
"You’re so smart, senior brother!" Bai Lan smiled through her tears, wiping them from the corner of her eyes, and felt relaxed all of a sudden.
In a wooden hut within Ten Thousand Poisons Forest, Lu Ye was practising his cultivation while consuming pills.
Yiyi and Hua Ci sat facing him, both focusing their gaze on Lu Ye.
Stare!
"Just say what you want to say."
Lu Ye felt uncomfortable under their scrutiny.
With an odd tone, Hua Ci said, "I would’ve never guessed that Lu Ye, the Sect Destroyer, could actually be one to cherish flowers and show mercy to jade."
Yiyi added, "He’s not like that toward every woman, only those with substantial assets."
"How substantial?"
"Hmm... at least bigger than you."
After pondering for a moment, Hua Ci said, "Isn’t that a tiring way to live?"
"I don’t know," Yiyi confessed, as she had never experienced such exhaustion. Curiously, she asked, "Sister Hua Ci, are you tired?"
With a gentle smile, Hua Ci answered, "Not really."
"Enough!"
Seeing the conversation drift, Lu Ye was losing his patience. "In your eyes, am I that kind of person?"
Both women considered the question seriously and then nodded in unison.
Yiyi said, "When we first left Qingyun Mountain, didn’t you enjoy it when those female cultivators lectured you on the Dao? The bigger their truths, the more you appreciated them."
Hua Ci also said, "I remember the first time we met. Even though someone was wrapped up like a zongzi, their eyes were quite crafty."
"You misunderstand me," Lu Ye said with a hint of sadness.