Chapter 204: Pursuit

Karma!

Lu Ye knew the Jiang Clan would definitely retaliate.

Don’t be fooled by how close they seemed in his previous life—how well they treated Jiang Die.

They treated her better than their own flesh-and-blood daughters.

And the more that was the case, the easier it became to see the Jiang Clan’s hypocrisy.

To treat someone like Jiang Die, who had ascended from the Second Heaven and had never even lived in the Third Heaven, with such kindness—how was that any different from being nice to a complete stranger?

Anyone with eyes could see that the reason for their kindness was because they stood to profit from her.

One thread of karma after another extended outward.

Several karmic threads stretched straight up into the heavens, two of which were the most prominent—thick as dragon tendons.

Of course, karma couldn’t pierce the Dao of a Great Saint of the Nine Heavens. If it could, someone would’ve already cursed Lu Ye to death the moment he ranked first on the Eternal Heaven's Proud Sons List.

In reality, among the powerhouses of the Nine Heavens, hardly anyone could actually do that.

And those who could... wouldn’t lower themselves to act.

It would be beneath them.

There were karmic lines rushing toward the Second Heaven and First Heaven—those were the most numerous.

But the Third Heaven had them too.

The thickest karmic thread undoubtedly belonged to Jiang Die.

Then there were six others—subtle, slender karmic lines, but undeniably real.

What were these six karmic lines?

Lu Ye had reached the Destiny Realm, and with that, his capabilities had advanced yet again.

He could now use karmic techniques.

“Divine Derivation!”

Lu Ye formed hand seals. Invisible energy gathered between his fingers until it coalesced into a strange and powerful force.

He pointed one finger out, touching a karmic thread.

In an instant, a flood of indistinct images surged into his mind.

Blood trickled from Lu Ye’s nose.

He pulled his hand away from the karmic line.

The problem was clear at a glance.

They were here to kill him?

And not just anyone—it was two Unity Realm cultivators and three Three-Life Realm ones. That kind of lineup...

That was a death squad.

Jiang Die had been imprisoned by Jiang Dingtian?

Serves her right. Better if Jiang Dingtian just killed her.

Looks like Jiang Dingtian had really benefited from her. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be letting these Jiang Clan members come provoke him like this.

Lu Ye knew Jiang Dingtian well.

He was the kind of man who never underestimated potential. He was always courteous to geniuses, even to those he held grudges against—quick to resolve conflicts and turn enemies into allies.

Of course, if that proved impossible... that was when the Jiang Clan would finally bare its fangs, and bite a young prodigy dead while they were still weak.

The bite now only happened because Jiang Dingtian wasn’t around!

Two Unity Realm and three Three-Life Realm cultivators—Lu Ye found it a little headache-inducing. That kind of lineup could wipe out a top-tier faction in the Third Heaven.

The Jiang Clan had kept this trait: whenever they made a move, they did it with full force, determined to crush their enemy completely.

First, he had to take care of these five pursuers.

Lu Ye’s figure vanished.

In terms of raw combat power, of course he couldn’t beat all five. He’d die of exhaustion before that happened.

But killing them?

That wasn’t so difficult.

Lu Ye’s destination was the Three-Valley Forbidden Grounds—a ruin, formerly the domain of Three-Valley Ghost Dao, who’d been slain before the Nine Heavens ever formed. His cave-dwelling had since become a death zone.

There, three terrifying formation arrays still operated. Even after countless years, though their power had waned, they still remained active.

Inside was the Ghost Valley Wood—the key to condensing his fifth life.

He’d intended to go there anyway. If someone wanted to hunt him down now, all the better.

Jiang Die was enduring pain every moment.

Jiang Dingtian had pulled out the Dragon-Locking Nail again. The inch-long nail pierced directly into Jiang Die’s body.

Agony!

Unbearable agony!

The Memory Recovery Technique was truly horrifying.

She was still holding out, refusing to speak about her reincarnation.

But judging by the intensity of her screams, she likely wouldn’t be able to endure much longer.

And once she broke, Jiang Dingtian would gain access to an entirely new world.

Five figures appeared at the location where Lu Ye had been.

“He escaped? Which direction?” Jiang Benchuo asked.

“The west!”

One of the Three-Life Realm elders replied.

“Keep pursuing!”

“He probably sensed our arrival and fled in advance. Be careful—he might try to counterattack,” Jiang Benchuo said.

The other four immediately laughed.

“Fourth Elder, he’s just in the Destiny Realm—and you think he can counterattack us?”

“Honestly, if he can withstand even one finger from me, I’d consider him worthy of his spot at the top of the Eternal Heaven’s Proud Sons List.”

“The gap between us is just too vast. I want to take him seriously, but it’s really hard to.”

Jiang Benchuo gave them a cold look.

“So you think life has no meaning anymore? If you’re so eager to die, then pretend I said nothing.”

That one sentence turned all four of their expressions grim.

Was it really that serious?

Was he really that terrifying?

“Stay sharp. The number one on the Eternal Heaven’s Proud Sons List won’t die so easily. Go all-out. The moment you see him—kill him instantly!”

Jiang Jiu’s face was flushed red, his clothes a mess, clearly drunk.

But when he spoke, the expressions of the other three immediately became solemn.

“Keep chasing!”

The five of them followed Lu Ye’s trail toward the Three-Valley Forbidden Grounds.

They pursued all the way to the edge in one breath.

Before them stood three valleys—like three massive bowls stacked one inside the other. The terrain was highly unusual.

Because of this unique terrain, the overwhelming spiritual energy between Heaven and Earth was funneled entirely into the area. The density of the aura was astonishing.

And yet—no one dared to enter the valleys.

Because the Three-Valley Forbidden Grounds were home to three shocking formation arrays—far beyond what should exist in the Third Heaven.

Even after all this time, though their power had greatly diminished, the formations still remained active.

“He went into the Three-Valley Forbidden Grounds?” Jiang Benchuo frowned.

“If the technique didn’t fail, then yes.”

“How did he get in?”

No one could answer that.

Who the hell knew how Lu Ye got in there?

“Could it be... that the formations have weakened so much over time that they’re no longer as powerful?” Jiang Jiu speculated.

Jiang Benchuo fell silent in thought.

“Let’s test it. Attack it—if the formations have weakened, then a direct hit will definitely cause a violent reaction, and we’ll see how strong they are.”

“Understood!”

The five of them struck simultaneously.

Boom—boom—BOOM!

Five terrifying divine abilities slammed into the edge of the formation. Dust exploded ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) skyward. The ground trembled violently.

The formation rippled like shifting clouds.

It absorbed the five attacks without the slightest sign of cracking.

All five men sucked in a cold breath.

What a terrifying array.

Now what?

“Should we call someone proficient in array-breaking?”

“Three-Valley Ghost Dao was a peak array master. If someone could break these formations, the valley would’ve been claimed long ago.”

“Then how the hell did he get in?”

As they spoke, inside the Three-Valley Forbidden Grounds—Lu Ye was already quietly approaching them.