Translator: TheBrokenPen Editor : Dhael Ligerkeys The dance of blades continued unabated within the clutter of the stone column sprawl. Lu Ye, in his Beast Form state, unleashed each slash with unprecedented speed and power. He Bing valiantly defended himself with his long spear, but the back of his hand was beginning to split open from the force of Lu Ye’s relentless assault. His Spiritual Power surged tempestuously, yet his situation was growing increasingly precarious. Amidst the chaos, Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan provided steadfast support from the sidelines, skillfully distracting He Bing’s attention and creating openings for Lu Ye. It was in one such moment that Lu Ye’s long saber homed in at He Bing’s chest with the intensity of a serpent lunging at its prey. Fear and panic flickered in He Bing’s eyes as he desperately leaned back, leaving himself perilously exposed. As much as he wished to deflect the imminent blow, there was no way his movements could make it in time. Lu Ye’s current strength had soared to unprecedented heights, rendering He Bing’s protective aura too weak to keep him safe against this attack. If struck, it would surely result in a fatal wound that could even mean his death. But just as death seemed inevitable, He Bing defiantly mustered an unexpected surge of spiritual power. A luminous triangular-shaped energy barrier materialized out of thin air, interposing itself before him and thwarting Inviolable’s lethal advance. But the fear of death was real. He Bing was genuinely terrified; anyone who saw his face could read that clearly. Surprise and curiosity etched across Lu Ye’s countenance as he observed the intricate patterns adorning the impromptu defensive shield. He swiftly recognized what it was: Glyph: Protection! Was He Bing a Glyph Warlock too? No. If He Bing really was a Glyph-caster, then he should have used Glyphs during the battle. But he didn’t and that only meant one thing—He Bing did not know Glyph-casting, but he must have Glyphs tattooed on his body. Even for Cultivators, tattooed Glyphs remained a true rarity. Few possessed the knowledge and skills, plus the resources needed to cast tattooed Glyphs. In fact, the physical constitution of most Cultivators in the Cloud River Realm could only allow them to carry only a single tattooed Glyph, as any more would prove unbearable. He Bing’s tattooed Glyph must be on his chest and the burst of Spiritual Power he just released must be what activated it. That was what saved his life just now. Therefore, Lu Ye was sure that being He Bing’s hidden ace, the Glyph must be something he would only use only in the most desperate moment. But it was a very surrealistic sensation. Until now, Lu Ye had always been the one using Glyph: Protection, not the other way around. To see firsthand how his attack—a fatal blow that would have ended this skirmish—was thwarted by the same Glyph was something new. Undeterred, Lu Ye prepared to press on and attack once more. Yet, even before he could act, Li Baxian, who had been providing auxiliary support, sprang into action. The scattered shafts of light that had been circling around him converged and melded into a single, formidable blade Li Baxian held aloft, his countenance solemn and his aura a steely-cold presence. A frigid miasma of impending death swept across the site of the battle and Li Baxian vanished, assuming the form of a gigantic sword of light himself, unsheathed and poised for slaughter. Ever since Lu Ye’s Beast Form transformation, Li Baxian had relegated himself to a supporting role, never aiming to harm or kill the adversary. Instead, he sought only to distract and divert his attention. But now that He Bing had activated his final ace, Li Baxian evidently thought it was finally time for him to unleash his full might. The radiance of the sword shining with a resplendent illumination upon all reached even the eaves of the cavern as the sword of light struck at the luminescent shield like a thunderbolt in full wrath. The blinding-light-engulfed Li Baxian reappeared before He Bing the moment the gigantic sword of light made contact with He Bing’s Glyph: Protection, its tip hovering unyieldingly at just a mere hair’s breadth from the Glyph. The cascading din of metal twisting followed before an eruption of power ensued. A thunderous boom reverberated through the air as the invincible Glyph: Protection burst into pieces of energy dregs like fragile glass. Such was the terrible strength of Sword Cultivators. Despite being three tiers lower than He Bing in cultivation level, Li Baxian had managed to destroy the final bulwark that he relied upon for dear life. But that sapped Li Baxian of the entirety of his strength, leaving him open for He Bing to retaliate with a belligerent swing of his spear, viciously lashing aside the pallid, drained Sword Cultivator like a ragdoll. Lu Ye sprang into action. Seizing this opportune moment that Li Baxian had created by putting his own life on the line, Lu Ye descended upon his adversary with Inviolable ready for the kill. His special move: Flash! Terror surged in He Bing’s eyes as he desperately sought to reactivate his Glyph: Protection using his Spiritual Power, but he was too slow, too late. The saber swept down in a deadly arc and all He Bing saw was the phantom of a tiger materializing behind Lu Ye with a roar that echoed across the entire length and breadth of the cave. The frenetic chaos abruptly succumbed to stillness. Lu Ye maintained his frozen pose with his blade held before him as if Time stood still in stasis, although blood dribbled down the sharp edges of Inviolable in a steady stream. Drip… A faint sound shattered the newfound tranquility. Feng Yuechan pursed her ruby lips together, her gaze fixed upon He Bing and her spell warily poised for release. Three yards away from Lu Ye, He Bing stood there, petrified with his spear still thrust forward. The Glyph: Protection he activated quietly dissipated away, vanishing into the air like dust. His eyes twitched as he glanced at the figure who had just attacked him, his visage contorted with disbelief and unwillingness. Next second, He Bing fell backward, landing flat on his back as the impact separated his severed head and his torso, his gaze wide-eyed and unblinking with lingering unwillingness and disbelief. “Whew…” It was only at that moment that Feng Yuechan finally exhaled, retracting her spiritual power. Hastily, she rushed towards Li Baxian with distress and concern etched upon her features as she assessed his condition. Meanwhile, Lu Ye sank to the ground, limbs sprawled haphazardly, his gaze fixated upon the expanse above shifting magically. His vision blurred momentarily, and he found himself once again within the confines of the underground cavern. The battle had concluded and they had triumphed. “Lu Ye, are you all right?” Yi Yi cautiously approached, her gaze filled with trepidation as she observed Lu Ye, who looked like he had just been dunked face-first into a vat of blood. Her voice trembled, tinged with the threat of tears. “I’m all right. What about Brother Baxian?” Li Baxian weakly croaked in response, “Right here. I’m fine!” Li Baxian, though in better condition, still showed signs of exhaustion after unleashing his secret sword technique. The final blow had drained him entirely. Lu Ye was relieved to hear that everyone had survived. Just as the tension eased, a sudden eruption of crimson stained the air, revealing the figure of Amber. Yet, the creature appeared disheveled, indicating the toll that Beast Form had taken on it. In that fleeting moment of vulnerability, an overwhelming surge of fatigue and exhaustion overtook Lu Ye, his every ounce of energy and spirit utterly spent. This weariness wasn’t solely the consequence of Beast Form but also the drawback of Glyph: Bloodrage plus the injuries He Bing had left on him—all of which proved to be an unbearable burden. Struggling to speak, Lu Ye managed only a single sentence, “I need rest.” And with that, his consciousness succumbed to darkness. Startled, Yi Yi hurriedly checked Lu Ye’s condition, relieved to find him stable. Li Baxian, too, descended into a deep slumber, while Amber curled protectively by Lu Ye’s side. The job of making sure that the men could rest in peace now fell on Feng Yuechan and Yi Yi’s shoulders. Yi Yi carefully tended to Lu Ye’s wounds and administered healing pills before she spoke, “Senior Sister Feng, I’ll leave them to you. I will be outside, keeping watch for anything.” Feng Yuechan nodded her agreement. With Lu Ye and Li Baxian now unconscious after the vicious and gritting fight, they would all be dead meat if anyone were to intrude into this cave and keep them all pinned inside. Yi Yi’s ability to move freely underground made her the perfect candidate to stand guard outside and monitor for any unwanted visitors. After all, Lu Ye had always relied on her to scout around and reconnoiter unknown areas for enemies. Meanwhile, the sudden surge in Carnage Points behind Lu Ye’s name had sparked intrigue among many who had been keeping tabs on the developments on the Carnage Roster. His increments had always been in the hundreds lately—especially for the huge increase when he slew the enemy Sixth-Order—and that had piqued the attention of certain quarters who had begun observing him. It did not take long for others to conclude that he must be a low-tiered Cloud River Realm Cultivator; there were only so many reasons behind his frequently large increments and the most commonly known way was slaying enemies beyond one’s cultivation rank. With a two-hundred-and-fifty-point surge, more people stopped to wonder who was unlucky enough to be his prey. It was worth noting that killing a Ninth-Order would only result in a sixty-point reward and yet Lu Ye’s reward was more than four times that amount. Five hundred miles away was a disgruntled Wei Que who was scowling at the Carnage Roster with palpable frustration. He was aware that Lu Ye’s cultivation level stood nowhere higher than the Third-Order. A two-hundred-and-fifty-point escalation undoubtedly signified that Lu Ye had slain an enemy Seventh-Order. The notion of a Third-Order successfully slaying a Seventh-Order bordered on the unimaginable. Even with the assistance of Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan, it strained credulity. And yet, the evidence lay glaringly before Wei Que’s eyes. But what irritated him wasn’t Lu Ye’s gain of Carnage Points. He could care less about Lu Ye’s performance in this Carnage Colosseum, especially since he did not have any intention of climbing the rankings at all. His objective had been Lu Ye all along. And because of that, he was certain that he was heading the wrong way. A battle with an enemy Seventh-Order as their adversary would have caused quite a commotion. Yet he had traveled so far and found no signs of them. Where were they? How did they manage to evade his detection? Wei Que found himself utterly confused. As time slipped away, the rankings on the Carnage Roster experienced more change with the gaps between the second and tenth positions becoming smaller and smaller to the extent that a single battle could propel one’s position upward by several places. But what intrigued and gladdened those trying to climb the Carnage Roster was how Lu Ye’s Carnage Points had gone stagnant. Lu Ye’s points had remained static for extended periods before, but they had typically increased by several hundred points almost daily afterward. Yet now, Lu Ye’s tally had plateaued at three-thousand-nine-hundred-and-ninety and had remained there for quite some time without any increments. His former lead of more than a thousand points had been so commanding that many had felt catching up to him was more impossible than daunting. But his present inactivity ignited renewed determination among the rest of the Carnage Colosseum contestants, compelling them to intensify their hunt for enemies to rake in more Carnage Points. Three more days passed by and the second-ranked Tan Sheng finally succeeded in usurping Lu Ye’s spot at the top of the Carnage Roster. Ecstatic at his achievement, Tan Sheng couldn’t help but wonder if Lu Ye had already met his demise. Yet, the persistent presence of Lu Ye’s name on the board indicated otherwise. That would mean that Lu Ye must be hurt or recovering from a fierce battle. His guess was right. Lu Ye was indeed busy recuperating. While his injuries weren’t overly severe, his body needed respite. A day or two of rest would typically be enough for him to recover from the strains of the gritting battle against He Bing, but the compounded drawbacks of using Beast Form and Glyph: Bloodrage was what enveloped him in a perpetual state of weakness. Recalling a similar weakness he experienced when he once used Glyph: Fire Phoenix back when he was still in the Spirit Creek Battlefield, Lu Ye lamented how Hua Ci was present then. Her tender care had facilitated swift recovery on that occasion.