Translator: Jon Editor : Dhael Ligerkeys That was the embarrassing disadvantage of a Spell Cultivator. Even if a large gap existed between their cultivation and their opponent’s cultivation, the advantage was meaningless if their Spell Techniques could not land on their opponent. Lu Ye’s speed and reaction speed gave Huo Liaoyuan the strange illusion that he was not fighting a Fifth Order Realm Combat Cultivator… Cultivators in the Sacred Universe Arcane Glade would often seek advice from him regarding their cultivation. In particular, there was an Eight Order Realm Combat Cultivator called Ming Zhe who frequently came to him for guidance. Upon comparing the strength of Lu Ye and Ming Zhe, he was shocked to discover that Lu Ye’s performance was better than Ming Zhe. At the very least, Ming Zhe had never lasted for so long against him in battle. [What kind of monster is he!? How can he have the strength equivalent to an Eight Order Realm Master when his cultivation is only in the Fifth Order Realm!? More importantly, have I really seen the true extent of his strength!?] Even if he had never underestimated Lu Ye’s strength in the first place, he was shocked by the sudden realization. While he was preoccupied with his thoughts, the fiery-red Spiritual Power Disc in front of him slowly disappeared from sight. The attacks of the Meteor Shower were concentrated and vicious. Hence, it was suitable against multiple opponents. The only downside was the heavy consumption of energy. Taking everything into consideration, it was no longer feasible to defeat Lu Ye just by relying on the Meteor Shower. Thus, he had to settle for another method. At the same time, Lu Ye noticed the abrupt reduction in the intensity of his opponent’s offensive. He immediately kicked both feet against the ground and turned around to charge toward Huo Liaoyuan. “How delusional!” How could Huo Liaoyuan fail to realize Lu Ye’s intentions? The other party was obviously trying to take advantage of the situation to approach him. Accompanied by a furious roar, the Spiritual Power surged violently around his body. The fiery-red Spiritual Power in front of him gathered and squirmed as though something was about to leap out of the fog. Lu Ye watched the squirming Spiritual Power intently. The weapon holder hanging at his waist hummed loudly, signaling that the nine flying weapons were ready to be unleashed at any time. The distance between them closed rapidly. Before Lu Ye could activate the power of his flying weapons, a hissing sound came from within the wriggling and squirming Spiritual Power. It was immediately followed by the emergence of a Fire Snake that was over thirty meters in length and fifteen centimeters in diameter. Ignoring the flames that burned around the Fire Snake, it looked no different from an actual giant snake. The curves of its body were smooth, and the scales along its body were dense. Even the eyes and fangs of the Fire Snake seemed very life-like. The Fire Snake lunged forward with a hiss and arrived before Lu Ye with its mouth wide open in the blink of an eye. Lu Ye swiftly ducked to the side and dodged the attack, then persistently charged toward Huo Liaoyuan once more. Unexpectedly, the Fire Snake suddenly turned around and whipped its flame-wrapped tail at his back with great force. The impact caused a strong wind to hit him from behind. Fortunately, he managed to narrowly avoid the blow. Delayed by the attack, he turned around and glanced at the Fire Snake from the corner of his eyes. The Fire Snake was tirelessly chasing after him as though it contained sentience. Another hissing sound rang out, and a second Fire Snake slithered toward him from a distance at an overwhelming speed. There was no time for hesitation. He leapt and flipped over sideways. Nevertheless, the two Fire Snakes came lunging at him again from both sides like living creatures and kept him busy with their attacks. The Inviolable Saber swung down, releasing a sharp blade light that swept outward. The blade landed on the body of the Fire Snake with a dull clanging sound, almost as though the blade had struck steel. The Fire Snakes might have been formed by the condensation of Spiritual Power through a Spell Technique, but they seemed to have been endowed with a mighty physique and vitality. Lu Ye couldn’t help sighing in amazement. These skills were worthy of a professional Spell Cultivator indeed. Although he could perform a similar Fire Dragon Technique, he could only control them to a minimal extent. It was impossible for him to maintain the Spell Technique for as long as Huo Liaoyuan Activating the two Fire Snakes had undoubtedly consumed quite a large amount of Huo Liaoyuan’s Spiritual Power. For that reason, he did not activate a third Fire Snake but simply stood motionless in place. His Mental Power surged, then he controlled the two Fire Snakes to confront Lu Ye. A large-scale Spell Technique like the Meteor Shower had not been effective against Lu Ye. In that case, he might as well crush Lu Ye with the latter’s own area of expertise. After all, the two Fire Snakes could also be considered fighting in close combat with Lu Ye. The figures of Lu Ye and the two Fire Snakes darted around the arena. For a time, the situation was very dangerous. Sparks would occasionally burst out in a shower following the constant slashing and swinging of Lu Ye’s Inviolable Saber. On the other hand, Huo Liaoyuan’s expression was growing increasingly solemn. He had noticed something crucial. Although Lu Ye was having some trouble dealing with the situation, it was impossible to kill him just by relying on the two Fire Snakes. After all, the power that could be displayed by the Fire Snakes would inevitably become weaker and weaker over time even though they could be maintained for some time. [I can’t delay any longer!] At this point, Huo Liaoyuan was starting to realize that something was wrong. [I need to take Lu Yi Ye down in one move with my strongest and most vicious ability!] When he first activated the Deathmatch Platform, he never imagined that a Fifth Order Realm Combat Cultivator like Lu Ye could persist for so long under his relentless assault. It no longer mattered how much he hated Lu Ye. Even he had to admit that Lu Ye was a difficult opponent indeed. When that thought crossed his mind, he abruptly spread his arms wide. His entire body shuddered, then sparks scattered across the sky in the next moment. These sparks resembled fireflies at first glance. Moreover, the weak and insignificant light seemed as though the slightest breeze could extinguish the flame. Be that as it may, Lu Ye instantly felt a sense of crisis blooming in his heart when the sparks came into existence. Having incredible Mental Power would lead to a strong perception. Hence, he could perceive various dangers and opportunities that could not be seen by the naked eye. He was busy fending off the two Fire Snakes at the time, but he took the time to glance in Huo Liaoyuan’s direction. What entered his vision was an overwhelming number of fireflies drifting toward him. The drifting motion of the fireflies was not slow either. Moreover, the area covered by the fireflies was extremely vast. Regardless of the Spell Technique, he had the feeling that the Spell Technique was not something he could withstand at the moment. Countless warning bells started ringing in his heart. Alarmed by the danger, he immediately tried to charge toward Huo Liaoyuan. Unfortunately, the two Fire Snakes tenaciously blocked his path forward by constantly attacking him from both sides. It only took an instant for the innumerable fireflies to cover half of the arena. Some of the fireflies even landed on his body, but he did not seem affected by them. Meanwhile, Huo Liaoyuan slowly raised his hand. The Spiritual Power around him surged violently, and he shouted loudly, “Lu Yu Ye, you should be honored to die from this Spell Technique of mine!” The only response he received was Lu Ye’s vicious counterattack! Lu Ye’s frenzied counterattack finally cut down one of the Fire Snakes. Blessing his legs with Windwalk, he prepared to rush forward at full speed only to discover a scorching sensation wrapping around his body. He looked back and saw that the Fire Snake he destroyed had not dissipated despite being sliced into two. On the contrary, the Fire Snake had wrapped itself around his legs like a living creature! Before he could break free from the Fire Snake tangled around his legs, the other Fire Snake quickly wrapped itself around him too. The two Fire Snakes bound him firmly, one on each side, and dragged him to the ground. He did not panic. At this point in the battle, the power of the two Fire Snakes had reduced significantly compared to before. He simply summoned the Spiritual Power around his body with all his might and exerted strength into his arms. Then, the Fire Snakes restraining him broke into several pieces from the impact. Unfortunately, Lu Ye was too late. Huo Liaoyuan pointed his raised hand at Lu Ye and clenched his fist abruptly, as though crushing an invisible bug in his hands. A cold but deep voice came out of his mouth. “Prairie Fire Explosion!” The weak light of a firefly instantly brightened by several thousand times. When the light burst forth, a terrifying fluctuation of Spiritual Power came from deep within the light. Lu Ye would not have been too worried if the reaction came from only one of those fireflies. However, there was more than just one firefly drifting around him at this moment. There were thousands… tens of thousands… There were simply too many to count. Like a prairie fire, the changes quickly spread into the surroundings. All the fireflies erupted one after another, and thousands of little suns seemed to explode at the place where Lu Ye was standing in the span of a moment. At this moment, Lu Ye finally broke free from the restraints of the Fire Snakes. Be that as it may, it was impossible for him to escape this area no matter how fast his speed was. Boom… A loud explosion accompanied the eruption of the fireflies. It was immediately followed by a deafening buzzing sound that filled the air. The scorching flames enveloped half of the arena; the intense heat distorted the space; the soaring rays of light were obstructed by the enchantment barriers; and the waves of air that swept out from the explosion raged across the huge arena. Huo Liaoyuan’s clothes flapped noisily in the wind. Even though he was the one who performed this Spell Technique, he was momentarily stunned by the magnificent scenery that spread out before him. Then, he threw his head back and laughed wildly. [Finally… I’ve finally killed Lu Yi Ye!] Forget a Fifth Order Realm Master like Lu Ye, even a Ninth Order Realm Master would not be able to defend against a Spell Technique of this scale. It was one of Huo Liaoyuan’s trump cards. In terms of power alone, this Spell Technique ranked number one among all the other Spell Techniques that he mastered. The only disadvantages of this Spell Technique were the slow casting time and extensive limitations in terms of coverage. The Spell Technique would only be effective under the premise that the enemy was firmly restrained. Therefore, the small space inside the arena and the Fire Snakes occupying Lu Ye’s attention had given this Spell Technique the excellent opportunity to shine brightly. [Will Lu Yi Ye’s corpse remain? If his corpse was burned to ashes, then there won’t be any evidence to prove his death. Will the major Sects of the Thousand Demon Ridge recognise and reward my achievement? But, even if a corpse remained, it would be burnt beyond recognition… That’s right! Xia Liang and Tan Sheng witnessed the scene where I activated the Deathmatch Platform. As long as they’re willing to testify for me, I’m sure the major Sects will not go back on their word. It doesn’t matter. Even if nobody is willing to testify for me, I can make a Heavenly Oath to prove that I killed Lu Yi Ye…] Now that he was relaxed, all sorts of thoughts popped up in his mind. His complexion went pale, and he slumped to the floor tiredly. Although the battle had not lasted for long, he had exhausted too much of his energy. Just maintaining the Meteor Shower for a stick of incense’s time had drained nearly half of his Spiritual Power. The Fire Snake Technique might not have consumed much of his strength, but the Prairie Fire Explosion was another energy-consuming Spell Technique. At this moment, he only had twenty per cent of his usual Spiritual Power left. In addition, the intense consumption of his Mental Power also left him feeling slightly groggy. Performing a Spell Technique not only caused the exhaustion of his Spiritual Power but also placed a burden on his Mental Power. Furthermore, the burden on his Mental Power increased with the strength of the Spell Technique. That was one of the disadvantages of being a Spell cultivator that could not be avoided. Nevertheless, Huo Liaoyuan’s mood improved and brightened once more when he recalled the unimaginably large reward he would receive for killing Lu Ye. The smile had just spread across his face when his expression froze again… [Something is wrong! The Deathmatch Platform has its own rules. Once we enter this place, both parties will be forced to participate in a fight to the death. Only one person can leave this place alive. Moreover, the restraints of the Deathmatch Platform will instantly be released as soon as one party is dead. That will return me to the same location as before I entered the Deathmatch Platform, but why… Why am I still inside the Deathmatch Platform?]