Translator: Jon Editor : Silavin Unless Lu Ye could accurately strike the Ward Node, he couldn’t achieve such an amazing result with less effort. However, the location of a Ward Node would keep changing as Spiritual Power flowed through the ward. Therefore, it would be hard for any Ward Cultivator to find out where the node was. It was even harder to determine where the node was and attack at the same time. [Is this saber-wielding brat so lucky to strike the Ward Node with his first move?] While the injured cultivator was in his thoughts, Lu Ye made the second move. Violent fluctuations were felt, and more ripples spread across the protective light screen as the ship trembled. Initially, the cultivators from Heavenly Gully Cult standing on the deck had no regard for Lu Ye. Although they were not powerful cultivators, there were seven to eight of them. They were most wary of the Ninth-Order Master. Although the person looked like he was on his last legs, no one knew if he was putting on an act. Moreover, even if he was horribly injured, he was still mightier than them. Therefore, these people never dared to leave the ship when faced with the Ninth-Order Master’s provocation. They didn’t expect a Sixth-Order Master could cause so much damage to the ship’s Defensive Ward. At that moment, the cultivators on the deck were unable to stand stably. A hideous-looking man with a long scar on his face barked, “Where are you from, brat? How dare you interfere in our matters in our territory in Xue Zhou? Leave at once. Otherwise, I’ll destroy you!” Another person bellowed, “I’ve contacted the Elder in the Cult. You’ll be doomed!” Upon hearing that, Lu Ye shrugged. On the other hand, the injured man appeared worried. It wasn’t that he was afraid. He was just worried that if this dragged on, the commoners would be in danger when the powerful cultivators from Heavenly Gully Cult arrived. He was also worried that Lu Ye would become wary and choose to leave. After all, the Heavenly Gully Cult was infamous in Xue Zhou, and no one dared to offend them. When he turned to look, he saw that Lu Ye was making the third move. [Crack!] A breaking sound seemed to have sounded in the deepest part of one’s soul. A crack appeared in the ship’s Defensive Ward. The cultivators from Heavenly Gully Cult, who had been bellowing, were stunned as their expressions changed. On the other hand, the injured man clapped his hands and guffawed. “Wonderful!” Finally, he realised that Lu Ye wasn’t lucky. Instead, he had seen through the Ward Node and accurately struck it. He must be well-versed in the Way of Wards. Otherwise, he couldn’t have pulled it off. Nevertheless, the injured cultivator went through the famous Ward Cultivators in his mind, but none of them matched the person in front of him. He wondered when such a person even appeared in Soaring Dragon Boundary. Although Lu Ye wasn’t powerful, he was ridiculously adept at the Way of Wards. When the man with a scar on his face saw that Lu Ye was about to make the fourth move, he said through clenched teeth, “You’re asking for death, brat!” The next moment, he pounced on Lu Ye. The Defensive Ward could fend off attacks from outside but wouldn’t stop the people inside from leaving. Therefore, he could attack his opponent. He couldn’t take it anymore when he saw that Lu Ye could easily damage the Defensive Ward. His plan was to kill Lu Ye and retreat. He had the confidence to achieve his goal because he was a Seventh-Order Master. “Damn it!” While the injured cultivator was trying to figure out Lu Ye’s identity, he was surprised to see one of their opponents attempting to kill Lu Ye. He wanted to help, but he was badly injured. The instant he moved, he felt like he was coming apart. His vision turned dark, and he almost fell from the sky. When he came to his senses, he was shocked to see what was going on. Presently, the saber-holding brat still stood in front of the ship on his own. Blood scattered everywhere as a head was sent flying away. Meanwhile, a headless corpse was falling from the sky. [Huh? What just happened?] The injured man initially thought that Lu Ye would be doomed, so it surprised him that the latter had killed the scarred man by the time he came to his senses. [How did he do that?] Although he didn’t see how Lu Ye had killed the enemy, those from Heavenly Gully Cult had seen everything. It only took Lu Ye one attack to decapitate the scarred man, who was the strongest among them. They were flabbergasted by the sight because even a Ninth-Order Master couldn’t have achieved that with only one move. It seemed that they were truly unlucky. They were tasked with completing such a mission. Although they came across the injured Ninth-Order Master, it didn’t matter as he was unable to fully activate his power. However, Lu Ye’s power astounded them. The next moment, Lu Ye wielded his saber again. As a Saber Light flickered, countless cracks formed in the protective light screen, making it look like a spider web. Following that, the light screen came apart. At this point, these cultivators had to deal with Lu Ye head-on since the ward was gone. The injured man and Lu Ye dashed forward at the same time. Since they had joined forces, there was no way the cultivators from Heavenly Gully Cult could fend them off. They were killed several moments later. The injured man sat down on the deck as blood streamed out of his mouth. Despite that, he glanced at Lu Ye with a look of approval. “You’ve done a great job, Little Brother. What’s your name?” Lu Ye cupped his fists and replied, “Ye Six from Feng Zhou.” “Little Brother Ye.” The injured man nodded and saluted him back with difficulty. “I’m Zhuang Bufan from Qi Zhou.” When he mentioned his name, he observed Lu Ye’s expression and realised the latter appeared dispassionate, as though he had never heard of the name before. The injured man concluded that Lu Ye must be a rookie in the martial world. Otherwise, he would’ve been aware of who the injured man was. Zhuang Bufan was known to be the Master of Theft, and he was famous throughout the entire Soaring Dragon Boundary. Any experienced person must’ve heard of him before. “Brother Ye, can you do me a favour?” he asked gently. Lu Ye knew what the man wanted. “Do you want to release those commoners?” He respected Zhuang Bufan, who never hesitated to stop evil people from harming the commoners despite his injury. It showed that he was a kind-hearted person. Zhuang Bufan replied, “Yes.” “I was about to do that.” As Lu Ye spoke, he entered the cabin and soon found the Central Ward that controlled the Spirit Ship. Under his control, the ship slowly landed on the ground. While he was busy, Zhuang Bufan entered the bottom of the ship and released the commoners. At the same time, he tried to glean some information from them. His heart sank as he listened to them. “Leave now and stay away from Xue Zhou. Go somewhere else and start over.” On the deck, Zhuang Bufan waved his hand at the commoners, who knelt in front of him to salute him. Over four hundred people had been released. Many of them were young people. Although they had lost their homes, they could leave Xue Zhou as long as they helped each other out. If possible, Zhuang Bufan was more than willing to help them leave Xue Zhou. However, if he did that, all of them would be doomed. After the group of people were gone, he turned to look at Lu Ye and said, “Farewell, Brother Ye.” Lu Ye nodded in response. A moment later, a surprised Zhuang Bufan asked, “Why are you still here?” Lu Ye replied, “Aren’t you here as well, Brother Zhuang?” Zhuang Bufan coughed and said, “Since I’m badly injured, I’ve decided to get some rest first.” Lu Ye smiled helplessly as he found the man funny. He shook his head and leapt out of the deck before building some wards around it. Zhuang Bufan stuck his head out from the deck and asked curiously, “What are you doing, Brother Ye?” Without lifting his head, Lu Ye replied, “Since you’re badly injured, you’d better recuperate. Otherwise, you’ll pass away before the enemies even get to you.” With a solemn expression, Zhuang Bufan said, “Since you’ve realised it, you’d better leave right away. The Elder from Heavenly Gully Cult must be a Ninth-Order Master. You’re no match for him.” Then, he lifted his head and looked in the direction where Yi Yi and Ye Liuli were located. “They’re waiting for you. Don’t make them sad.” “That’s why I’m building some wards.” Zhuang Bufan was rendered speechless for a moment. Although he reckoned that Lu Ye must be well-versed in the Way of Wards, it was merely speculation. Since he had never seen Lu Ye build a ward before, he knew nothing about the latter’s mastery of the Way of Wards. With that said, Lu Ye’s calmness gave him some confidence. [Perhaps things are not as bad as I think.] At the thought of this, Zhuang Bufan said, “I’ve informed my friends about the atrocities that those from Heavenly Gully Cult have committed. They’ll try to contact the Imperial Sect, Vajra Temple, and Grandeur Academy. I’m sure they’ll start taking action in a few days. Therefore, as long as we can stop those people from running after the commoners, they will have a chance to survive. Please tell me honestly, Brother Ye. How confident are you?” He didn’t choose to send the commoners out of Xue Zhou because the cultivators from Heavenly Gully Cult had sent a message to one of the Elders before they were killed. Therefore, their opponent might be coming for them. Since the person was an Elder, he must be a Ninth-Order Master. When they got into a fight, many of the commoners would be killed even if they hid inside the cabin. However, Zhuang Bufan couldn’t leave just like this either. Otherwise, those from Heavenly Gully Cult would capture the commoners again. He didn’t tell Lu Ye any of those things as he had decided to stay there on his own to stop the cultivators from Heavenly Gully Cult. Since he had interfered in this matter, he wouldn’t give up before he achieved his goal. Surprisingly, even though he said nothing, Lu Ye saw through his intentions. [He’s such a righteous young man!] As such, Zhuang Bufan didn’t want to drag Lu Ye into this matter. “Will you believe me if I say I’m a hundred per cent confident, Brother Zhuang?” Lu Ye replied while building the wards. Zhuang Bufan sat back down on the deck and leaned against the wall. Then, he drank some wine and guffawed. “I believe you!” Lu Ye didn’t need to build wards to deal with a Ninth-Order Master. However, since he had no idea how many opponents were coming, it would be safer for him to do so. Even if dozens of cultivators from Heavenly Gully Cult arrived, Lu Ye had the confidence to destroy them with his wards. He was done with everything in around two hours. Then, he leapt onto the deck. Yi Yi had already brought Ye Liuli over following his order. Zhuang Bufan glanced at three of them. It was apparent that he had misunderstood something as he remarked, “It’s wonderful to be young!” Then, he continued drinking his wine. His era was long gone. Fortunately, bright young people were starting to shine, and they would continue to achieve greater heights for the next hundreds of years. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t live long enough to see that.