Translator: Raikov Editor : Dhael Ligerkeys Lu Ye had known since before that his Fourth Senior Brother had an illustrious reputation, but now, he was truly experiencing it for himself. Strictly speaking, they were all prisoners here, but Li Baxian had still drawn the attention of many cultivators who had long admired him and approached to take a closer look. In comparison, no one asked about Tan Sheng and Xia Liang, whose cultivation levels were higher than Li Baxian. The chattering went on for a while, Zhou Yuntian said, “All right now. The Mistress has already planted the Secret Technique in them, so we are all family from now on, and there will be plenty of opportunities to get to know each other. You can all disperse.” The noisy crowd gradually dispersed, and Zhou Yuntian closed the door, quietly guarding the room. The only sounds remaining were the steady breathing of the unconscious individuals. Lu Ye’s mind was filled with various thoughts. Based on the previous actions of the Venerable and the implications in Zhou Yuntian’s words, it seemed that the Venerable had indeed implanted some kind of Secret Technique in them. Lu Ye had a rough understanding of how the Venerable was controlling these cultivators now. It was through this unique Secret Technique that she possessed. Lu Ye felt shocked when he recalled his previous experience. He suspected that the Secret Technique employed by the Venerable might have something to do with the Divine Soul. When the Venerable used the Secret Technique, he felt a slight impact on his own mind, after which some inexplicable thing seemed to appear in it. However, as the Tree of Glyphs would burn away anything harmful to him, he was unaffected by the Secret Technique. This also made it difficult for him to perceive the specific effects of the Secret Technique. But… Divine Soul Secret Technique… Was such a thing possible? That should be a technique that only cultivators in the Divine Ocean Realm could employ. Only when one reached the Divine Ocean Realm could one touch upon anything related to the Divine Soul. Everyone had a Divine Soul, and as one’s cultivation strength grew, one’s Divine Soul would also develop. However, before reaching the Divine Ocean Realm, cultivators were unable to actively unleash the power of their Divine Soul, let alone perform a Divine Soul Secret Technique. Take Lu Ye for example, due to his refinement of many Soul Cleansing Waters, his Divine Soul was much stronger than other cultivators of the same realm. As a result, his mind was also much more stable, and he had a natural advantage in facing situations that impacted his mind or Divine Soul. For example, when expelled from the Rift of Illusions each time, a typical Cloud River Realm cultivator would have a headache for one or two days, whereas Lu Ye recovered quickly from the ordeal. That was the benefit of a strong Divine Soul. Even so, he still couldn’t actively unleash the power of his Divine Soul. His cultivation had not reached that level yet. However, that Venerable was able to use a Divine Soul Secret Technique! It was precisely because of this Divine Soul Secret Technique that she could control the many cultivators under her command, earning their respect and even worship. Lu Ye became increasingly curious about the identity of the Venerable. Could it be that an expert in the Divine Ocean Realm had forcibly entered the Cloud River Battlefield? But that didn’t make sense either. Powerful cultivators could forcibly enter the Spirit Creek Battlefield by using their Contribution Points, but he had never heard of such a thing happening in the Cloud River Battlefield. The cultivators who could enter and leave the Cloud River Battlefield had always been in the Cloud River Realm. Furthermore, even if a powerful cultivator in the Divine Ocean Realm entered the Cloud River Battlefield by force, they would be subjected to the balancing and suppression of the Heavens. It would be impossible for them to use a Divine Soul Secret Technique here. What was more, if some powerful Divine Ocean Realm cultivator had truly entered the Cloud River Battlefield and used their Divine Soul Secret Technique to control a group of Cloud River Realm cultivators, what could it be for? They couldn’t simply be thinking of playing house like a child. With that thought in mind, Lu Ye believed that it was probably unlikely for that Venerable to be a Divine Ocean Realm cultivator. The more he thought about it, the more questions seemed to pop up. Lu Ye simply decided not to dwell on it any longer. Right now, they were in an awkward situation. He could neutralize the effects of the Divine Soul Secret Technique through the Tree of Glyphs, but not his Fourth Senior Brother. Trapped in this place, they were in no immediate danger, but the fact that the Venerable had gathered so many cultivators under her indicated that she had motives to be wary of, so danger may be lurking at any moment. He made up his mind that he absolutely must not reveal that he had neutralized the effects of the Divine Soul Secret Technique. Otherwise, he would undoubtedly meet his death! He waited quietly. After about two hours or so, the people around him gradually woke up and sat up one by one. Lu Ye also opened his eyes and sat up straight. Just as he was thinking to observe the reactions of his Fourth Senior Brother and then follow his lead, he felt a surge of Spiritual Power. Shortly after, the sound of swords clashing rang out, accompanied by the shouts of Tan Sheng and Xia Liang. Chaos erupted in an instant. It was Li Baxian who had launched an attack without hesitation when he saw Tan Sheng and Xia Liang beside him. Lu Ye hastily drew his Inviolable Saber as well. As the Spiritual Power surged in him, flames swirled around the blade. “Stop!” Zhou Yuntian, who had been guarding the place, exclaimed as he quickly rushed over. Under the surging of his Spiritual Power, his powerful cultivation in the Ninth Order was unquestionable, pushing away the four cultivators with their drawn weapons. Zhou Yuntian had an angry expression on his face as he looked at the four individuals at odds with each other. “I don’t care about your past grievances or which faction you’re from. Since you’ve come here, you’re all family now, so don’t bring up any past grudges again.” He had said similar words when he first appeared, but no one took his words to heart at the time. Now, Lu Ye naturally disregarded them, but from their expressions, he noticed that Xia Liang and Tan Sheng across from him both seemed troubled. Turning to Li Baxian, even he furrowed his brow. Zhou Yuntian continued coldly, “What the Mistress hates most is seeing her own people fight each other. This is the first time, so it can be forgiven since you don’t know the rules yet, but if it happens again, there will be no mercy!” After a pause, he shouted, “This is a rule set by the Mistress, and everyone must abide by it!” With these words, Tan Sheng and Xia Liang both showed fearful expressions and withdrew their auras, bowing their heads slightly. “Yes.” Li Baxian also withdrew his Flying Sword and nodded. “Understood.” The word “Mistress” seemed to possess a mysterious power for them at that moment that caused their obedient compliance. Zhou Yuntian’s face remained stern. “Now that you understand, make peace with each other. I hope you can truly treat each other as brothers from now on” Xia Liang fell silent for a moment and cupped his fists at Lu Ye and Li Baxian. “I apologize for my previous offenses. I hope you can forgive me.” Li Baxian responded with courtesy, “Brother Xia, you’re being too formal. There’s no need to mention the past as we will both be under the Mistress from now on. Instead, I hope Brother Xia and Brother Tan will take care of us in the future.” “Yes, of course.” Lu Ye stood aside, observing them with a heavy mood in his heart. It was only now that he realized the terrifying nature of the Divine Soul Secret Technique. Regardless of what the technique actually was, it had the ability to twist a person’s character. Zhou Yuntian smiled in satisfaction and nodded approvingly. “That’s the way. Since you’ve come here, we are all family now. Come with me, the Mistress wants to see you, but before that, you need to clean yourselves up and change your clothes.” Saying so, he turned and left. Lu Ye and the others hurried to follow. After walking out of the room, Lu Ye surveyed their surroundings. Their current location should be a valley. It was not as beautiful as Ameliorate Valley, nor was it very large, but various buildings could be seen, as well as the hurrying figures of many busy cultivators. The climate in the valley was pleasant, with many peach trees planted all around. It was currently the season when peach blossoms were in full bloom. Pink flowers opened from their buds, filling the air with their fragrance. Following Zhou Yuntian, they encountered cultivators every so often in their way. Some of them exchanged greetings with Zhou Yuntian, and some would peek curiously at Lu Ye and the others. After a while, they arrived at a clear pool of water, its waters clean and transparent. Under Zhou Yuntian’s instructions, the four of them undressed and entered the water to cleanse themselves. Lu Ye never expected that the four of them, who were fighting fiercely just before, would now be peacefully bathing together in one pool. Li Baxian, Tan Sheng, and Xia Liang were even chatting and laughing as if their previous conflicts had been mere misunderstandings. Tan Sheng and Xia Liang were severely injured. After all, they had been surrounded and attacked by a pack of wolves. Their survival was a testament to their strength, and if they hadn’t escaped in time, they would have died back in the Arcane Glade. After a short while, the four of them finished bathing and put on their clothes again. Lu Ye and Li Baxian looked refreshed, while Xia Liang and Tan Sheng’s faces remained pale. The injuries they had suffered previously would need some time and rest in order to recover. Once everything was ready, Zhou Yuntian led them deeper into the valley. They kept going until they finally stopped in front of a large pavilion where a woman stood quietly at the entrance. She had a tall figure and a beautiful appearance, with bright eyes that shone like stars. She scanned Lu Ye and the others with her gaze, but quickly focused on Li Baxian, pursing her lips into a smile. “So, he’s Li Baxian?” Zhou Yuntian responded cheerfully, “Yes, it is him.” The woman looked Li Baxian up and down before nodding slightly. “Indeed, he’s just as the rumors say, dignified and handsome.” Li Baxian saluted her with a smile. “Your words are too kind, fellow cultivator.” The woman covered her mouth and giggled. “I thought Li Baxian would be an arrogant and aloof person, but it seems I was wrong. Cultivator Li, I am also a Sword Cultivator. If you have time, I hope to be able to learn from you.” Li Baxian replied, “I dare not claim to teach. Fellow cultivator, your cultivation surpasses mine. It should be me who learns from you.” Before the woman could say anything else, Zhou Yuntian cleared his throat and interrupted her. “Junior Sister Yu, the Mistress is waiting for them.” The woman’s expression changed at once, and she stepped aside. “Take them inside.” Zhou Yuntian nodded slightly and led Lu Ye and the others to the front of the pavilion. He raised his voice and called out, “Zhou Yuntian requests an audience with the Mistress. The newcomers have arrived.” “Enter!” the lazy voice of the Mistress came from inside the hall. Zhou Yuntian then stepped forward and pushed open the doors, leading Lu Ye and the others into the hall. Upon entering the hall, they could smell that unique and intoxicating fragrance again. The entire hall was decorated in shades of pink, and there was even a pink aura wafting in the air, giving one a hazy and ambiguous feeling. Topmost of the hall was a low sofa laid horizontally, and on it reclined a graceful figure lazily. There were several women either kneeling or standing beside her, some gently fanning her, some massaging her legs and shoulders, and others peeling berries and feeding her. The figure reclining on the sofa was undoubtedly the Mistress.