Translator: CinderTL
As Song Wen had predicted, cultivators gradually began to appear around Corpse Soul Ravine as time passed.
At first, only low-tier cultivators arrived.
These low-tier cultivators, with their limited knowledge, had no idea why the Spiritual Qi was behaving strangely. However, having heard of Wu Yue's formidable reputation, they dared not approach the ravine and retreated.
Yet they spread news of the ravine's anomalous phenomena.
Within days, two late-stage nascent soul cultivators arrived, drawn by the rumors.
Their arrival immediately caught Wu Yue's attention.
Eager to prove his loyalty to Song Wen, he immediately proposed leaving the valley to discipline the intruders.
Although he hadn't fully refined the two Corpse Puppets Song Wen had given him, as a peak nascent soul cultivator, he already possessed several mid-to-late fourth-tier Corpse Puppets and a Supreme-Grade mystic treasure. He was confident in handling the two late-stage nascent soul cultivators outside.
Just then, he received a divine sense transmission from Song Wen.
"Remain calm! You cannot reveal yourself yet. Send one of your subordinates to inform them that you are in secluded cultivation, striving to advance to the Divine Transformation Realm."
Breaking through the bottleneck to advance to the Void Refinement Stage could take anywhere from a few months to several years.
During this critical period, Song Wen faced the risk of encountering formidable enemies, potentially undoing all his progress.
Song Wen's strategy in having Wu Yue act this way was to mislead outsiders, making them believe the unusual celestial phenomena in the area were caused by Wu Yue.
This would lead cultivators investigating the area to assume the presence of a nascent soul cultivator.
Regardless of how many nascent soul cultivators arrived, Song Wen was confident he could easily handle them without disrupting his breakthrough.
This was the primary reason he had kept Wu Yue and his subordinates around.
Wu Yue, unaware of Song Wen's true intentions, didn't question the order. He immediately instructed Ji Yang, a Foundation Establishment Stage male cultivator, to fly toward the canyon entrance on his sword.
Simultaneously, Wu Yue retrieved a cyan array disk and began manipulating the defensive formation he had established.
This formation, known as the Corpse Fiend Formless Array, was a fourth-tier formation combining defensive and concealment capabilities.
Under Wu Yue's control, the corpse qi within the formation barrier slowly writhed, revealing a corpse qi-free gap about three meters wide. However, the formation barrier itself remained intact.
Ji Yang approached the gap in the formation barrier, making himself visible to those outside the valley.
"Seniors outside the valley," Ji Yang called out loudly, "this junior has been sent by Senior Wu Yue to inform you that he is currently in seclusion and unable to receive guests. Please withdraw immediately."
"Is Wu Yue advancing to the Divine Transformation Realm?" a deep, raspy voice echoed.
Ji Yang could only hear the voice, not see its source, making it impossible to pinpoint the speaker's location.
"Please forgive this junior, Senior," Ji Yang replied. "My cultivation is too low to know the specifics of Senior Wu Yue's activities."
Another, sharper voice interjected, "With such massive fluctuations in heaven and earth spiritual qi, what else could Wu Yue be doing but advancing to the Divine Transformation Realm?"
"That doesn't seem quite right," the raspy voice countered. "The spiritual qi within a ten-thousand-mile radius is being affected. Advancing to the Divine Transformation Stage shouldn't cause such a widespread disturbance."
"Perhaps Wu Yue has deployed some powerful formation to forcefully gather spiritual qi from ten thousand miles around, hoping to reach Divine Transformation more quickly?" the sharp voice suggested, though with uncertainty.
The Spiritual Qi in this area was relatively sparse, insufficient to support Song Wen's advancement to the Void Refinement Stage.
That was why he had placed so many spirit stones at the formation nodes of the spirit gathering formation.
This greatly reduced his extraction of heaven and earth spiritual qi from the surrounding environment.
As a result, the two nascent soul cultivators remained unaware that someone was advancing to the Void Refinement Stage.
Ji Yang suddenly interjected, "Seniors, please leave as soon as possible. Senior Wu Yue warned that if anyone disturbed his seclusion, he would personally visit each of them to settle accounts upon his return."
"Heh..." the sharp voice sneered. "Wu Yue is already stretched thin. How dare he threaten us? He's practically begging for death."
Before the words had even faded, a dark figure appeared above the canyon.
The figure was completely shrouded in a black robe, revealing not a trace of their face. Yet, from the sharp voice and slender frame, it was easy to deduce that this person was a female cultivator.
"Lian Cang, stop hiding and come out. Now is the perfect opportunity to deal with Wu Yue. Kill him, and we'll not only seize his treasures but might even obtain spiritual objects that can help us advance to the Divine Transformation Realm," the black-robed cultivator said.
As soon as the words left her lips, a slightly burly figure materialized.
This was clearly the owner of the raspy voice from earlier, the Lian Cang mentioned by the black-robed female cultivator.
Lian Cang lowered his gaze, staring intently at the formation barrier guarding the canyon entrance below.
"Wen Liu, what's your plan?"
The black-robed female cultivator replied, "Naturally, we'll seize the opportunity while Wu Yue is preoccupied with his breakthrough. We'll breach the formation barrier and interrupt his advancement. The backlash from his failed breakthrough will cripple him. Then, we'll join forces to eliminate him and divide his treasures equally. Lian Cang, what do you say?"
"Agreed. Let's proceed as you've suggested."
As soon as Lian Cang finished speaking, a crimson pearl suddenly appeared before him.
The pearl swelled rapidly in the wind, expanding to a diameter of thirty meters.
With a thunderous boom, scorching flames erupted from the pearl, causing the surrounding temperature to skyrocket.
Lian Cang waved his hand, and the pearl plummeted like a meteor from the heavens, dragging a long fiery tail as it crashed toward the formation barrier below.
Not to be outdone, the black-robed female cultivator summoned a flying sword. Its blade flashed like lightning, piercing directly toward the barrier.
At the bottom of the canyon, Wu Yue saw the assault and prepared to rush out to meet the enemy. But then Song Wen's voice echoed in his mind.
"Don't engage them. Let them break through the formation, lure them into the valley, and trap them like turtles in a jar."
Wu Yue immediately understood Song Wen's plan, his eyes lighting up. "Understood!"
The outermost formation barrier had been set up by Wu Yue himself. Without his direct control, it stood no chance against the combined assault of two late-stage nascent soul cultivators.
After several joint attacks, the barrier shattered abruptly. The two cultivators, impatient, immediately plunged into the depths of the ravine, quickly arriving near Song Wen's cultivation cave.
Sensing the Spiritual Qi converging from all directions, all flowing toward the cave, they immediately deduced: this must be where Wu Yue was in seclusion.
Just as they were about to strike, a mocking voice echoed from the valley floor.
"Gentlemen, barging in uninvited is hardly proper guest etiquette."
The two cultivators exchanged puzzled glances. Wu Yue was supposed to be in seclusion. Who else in Corpse Soul Ravine would dare speak to them in such a manner?
They followed the sound with their eyes, their expressions instantly shifting to shock.
Wu Yue, who should have been in seclusion, had appeared on the roof of the pavilion at the bottom of the valley.
"Wu Yue! Weren't you in seclusion? How did you get here?" the black-robed female cultivator exclaimed.
As she spoke, Lian Cang beside her had already shot into the sky, clearly realizing they had fallen into a trap and attempting to escape.
However, Lian Cang had only risen about three kilometers when he abruptly halted, his gaze fixed on the sky above with a grave expression.
To their astonishment, a new formation barrier had materialized at the entrance of the canyon, its presence undetected until now.
The oppressive aura emanating from the barrier indicated that this formation was far stronger than the one they had previously breached.
This was a fifth-rank formation!
The two of them were now trapped within the formation.
(End of the Chapter)
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