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“...Elvira...the promise...the star whisperer..."

"...Garden...Dream...Guardian..."

"...Beware...the shadows...are spying...on...the dream..."

"...The third piece...is...echoing...awaiting...approval..."

The information was still fragmented, but a little clearer than before. In particular, "Beware of shadows spying on dreams" and "The third piece is echoing, awaiting approval" confirmed the warnings of the Star Speaker Vera and the hints of the Ionian prophet.

"Shadow... does that refer to the 'Nightmare Lord'? Is it still lurking?" Chen Ye thought warily. It seemed that even on the Holy Mountain, one could not completely relax their defenses against dreams and the mental realm.

Just as he was about to make a further attempt to communicate with the fragments, the warning barrier he had set up suddenly emitted a faint fluctuation!

It wasn't the sound of Jiufeng and the others returning, but... coming from another direction, closer to the foot of the mountain!

Chen Ye immediately concealed his aura and his form, cautiously extending his spiritual sense.

Below, in the forest, several furtive figures were rapidly and stealthily approaching his direction!
The figures were dressed in tattered, mismatched clothing (clearly not in the style of the Holy Spirit Clan), moved nimbly, and concealed their auras, appearing to be between the early and mid-stages of the Golden Core realm. They faintly emanated a familiar, repulsive aura from Chen Ye—the lingering malevolent energy of the Black Fiend Society cultivators! And a hint of… the bloody scent of the Iron Blood Alliance?

"Are they remnants of the Iron Blood Alliance and the Black Fiend Society? They actually tracked us all the way to the Holy Mountain?" Chen Ye's heart sank.

Judging from their appearance, it didn't seem like a large-scale search; more like a small reconnaissance or infiltration team. They also seemed to have noticed the unusual nature of the Holy Mountain area, and were moving very cautiously, constantly using the terrain and trees for cover.

Chen Ye counted them; there were five in total, three in the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm and two in the early stage. In his prime, he wouldn't have taken such strength seriously. But now that Jiu Feng and the others weren't around, he didn't want to easily reveal himself and cause even more trouble.

He decided to wait and see what these people's intentions were.

The five-person team quickly approached the outer edge of the mountain hollow where Chen Ye was. They stopped, seemingly observing something.

"Boss, the senses are right. That strange spatial fluctuation and the faint aura of holy spirit came from this direction," a thin cultivator whispered to the one-eyed middle-aged man at the head of the group.

The one-eyed man scanned his surroundings sharply: "Be careful, this Holy Mountain is a very strange place. There are far fewer of those corrupted monsters, but I still feel like something is watching us. The Alliance Leader and the Guild Master told us to find that kid's whereabouts and clues about that 'Holy Spirit Altar'... Damn it, we can't even find a way in this godforsaken place!"

“Boss, look over there!” Another cultivator pointed to some subtle traces left by Chen Ye when he parted ways with Jiu Feng and the others (mainly footprints and broken blades of grass).

The one-eyed man immediately led his men to carefully approach the traces and examine them thoroughly.

“The footprints are fresh, and there’s more than one person… there are men and women, and… animal claw marks?” The one-eyed man frowned. “Could it be that kid and his accomplices? They really did get to the Holy Mountain!”

"Boss, what do we do now? Should we signal for backup, or..." The skinny monk made a throat-slitting gesture.

The one-eyed man pondered for a moment: "Don't alert them yet. They've managed to get this far, so their strength shouldn't be underestimated. Let's continue tracking them, find out their location and number, and then send a signal. If we can find any clues about that altar, that would be a great achievement!"

The five-person team immediately followed the trail, cautiously pursuing the direction in which Chen Ye and Jiu Feng had left after separating from them—the direction of the third signal source.

Chen Ye, who was in the shadows, could see clearly and felt a sense of foreboding.

If Jiufeng and his group were to investigate the signal source and were spotted from behind by this group, they could easily find themselves caught in a pincer movement! Moreover, once this group confirmed Jiufeng and his group's location and strength, they would likely call for reinforcements immediately!

They must be stopped!

A cold glint flashed in Chen Ye's eyes. Now that they'd run into each other, they couldn't let these tails continue to follow.

He left his hiding place silently, stealthily making his way towards the five-man squad like a ghost.

In the silent forests of the sacred mountain, a silent hunt is about to begin.

The forest was quiet, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind.

Chen Ye concealed his aura to the extreme, the power of his holy blood contained within, and the faint light of his star crown completely hidden, making him seem to blend into the surrounding rocks and shadows. Thanks to the blessing he received from his ancestral mausoleum and his enhanced control over his holy blood, his ability to conceal himself was now far superior to before.

Like the most patient hunter, he lingered far behind the five-man squad, observing their patterns of movement and personnel configuration.

The one-eyed man at the head of the group was clearly the leader, possessing a peak mid-stage Golden Core cultivation level. His aura was steady, his eyes sharp, and he was highly experienced. He walked in the middle of the group, constantly scanning his surroundings, a black communication talisman, seemingly made of bone, clutched in his hand.

The other two were mid-stage Golden Core cultivators. One was burly and carried a giant axe the size of a door panel on his back, leading the way at the front of the group; the other was tall and thin, with several leather pouches hanging from his waist, and long, slender fingers, clearly someone skilled in using poison or hidden weapons.

The two early-stage Golden Core cultivators were a man and a woman. One was the thin, agile cultivator who had spoken earlier and was responsible for flanking guard. The other was taciturn and held a palm-sized bronze mirror in his hand, the mirror surface of which occasionally swept across the surroundings, seemingly possessing the ability to investigate.

"Investigating the magical artifact..." Chen Ye's gaze fell on the bronze mirror. This thing was a problem; although it didn't look high-grade, it might reveal his concealment.

He had to act quickly and decisively, and not give them a chance to send a message.

The best approach is to create an unexpected situation to scatter them, and then defeat them one by one.

Chen Ye's gaze swept over the surrounding environment. They were now traveling along a relatively gentle ridge, with steep slopes on the left and dense forest on the right. Not far ahead, there was a bend in the road obscured by several huge rocks.

He had a plan in mind. Silently circling to the front of the group, Chen Ye took out two "Holy Light Grenades" he had obtained at the Holy Light Outpost from his pocket (actually from the Star Codex storage space). These grenades were highly effective against creatures of the Dark Abyss, and also had a certain interference and blinding effect on ordinary cultivators. The key was that they would produce a strong holy light when they exploded, which was compatible with the environmental energy of the Holy Mountain and would not easily arouse suspicion.

He estimated the distance and timing, and just as the group was about to pass the rocky bend, he gently rolled a Holy Light Grenade into a bush on the right edge of the dense forest and set up a simple trigger restriction (using the power of Holy Blood to simulate a fluctuation similar to the energy dissipation of a certain Holy Mountain).

Then, he quickly moved to the back of the group, holding another Holy Light grenade in his hand.

Ahead, the burly, axe-wielding cultivator was the first to turn the corner.

Just as his figure was obscured by the rocks—

boom!
At the edge of the dense forest on the right, the Holy Light Grenade was triggered, bursting forth with a blinding white light and a deep roar!
"Enemy attack!" The one-eyed man reacted swiftly, shouting as he retreated rapidly, hiding behind a rock. The others also sought cover, warily watching the direction of the explosion.

"What's going on? Is it a trap set by the Holy Spirit Clan?" The tall, thin monk asked in surprise and uncertainty.

"Unlike... the energy fluctuations are very pure, without any killing intent." The cultivator holding the bronze mirror pointed it at the explosion site. The mirror only showed a dazzling white light and faint remnants of holy spirit energy.

"Go check it out! Be careful!" the one-eyed man ordered, while simultaneously gripping the communication talisman tightly, ready to send a signal at any moment.

The burly, axe-wielding cultivator and the tall, thin cultivator cautiously approached the explosion site. The smaller cultivator and the bronze-mirror cultivator remained beside the one-eyed man, keeping watch.

Just as everyone's attention was drawn to the explosion, Chen Ye made his move!

He darted out of the shadows like a ghost, his target the bronze mirror cultivator who was at the back and had his back to him!

The Starlight Escape Technique was activated at full power, making almost no sound. It wasn't until Chen Ye was less than three zhang away from the bronze mirror cultivator that the latter suddenly realized what was happening and turned around in horror!
But it was too late!
Chen Ye's left hand formed a sword shape with his fingers together, and a point of "Enlightenment Light" condensed to its extreme shot out like a fine needle, piercing straight into the back of the bronze mirror cultivator! At the same time, his right hand made a fist, and an invisible field of holy blood silently enveloped the cultivator, isolating him from sound and energy fluctuations!

laugh!
The light of enlightenment pierced precisely through the protective aura hastily erected by the bronze mirror cultivator and entered his heart! The power of purification erupted instantly, destroying his life force!
The bronze mirror cultivator didn't even have time to scream before his eyes dimmed and his body went limp. The bronze mirror in his hand fell to the ground with a "clatter".

All of this happened in the blink of an eye! It wasn't until the bronze mirror cultivator collapsed that the thin cultivator and the one-eyed man beside him realized something was wrong!

"Fifth Brother!" the skinny cultivator exclaimed, instinctively reaching for the bronze mirror.

The one-eyed man's expression changed drastically, and he shouted sharply, "Ignore it! There's an ambush! Send the signal!"

Without hesitation, he was about to crush the communication talisman in his hand!

But would Chen Ye give him that chance?
The instant he killed the bronze-mirror cultivator, he pounced on the one-eyed man like a cheetah! His speed was so fast that he left a faint afterimage in his wake!

"Die!" The one-eyed man was both shocked and furious. He didn't have time to activate the communication talisman, so he could only slash at Chen Ye with his sword! The sword light was pale and carried a strong bloody aura. It was the signature blood sword of the Iron Blood Alliance!

Chen Ye neither dodged nor evaded; the Vengeful Soul Greatsword was already in his right hand, its golden-red light subdued, and he thrust straight forward without any frills!
Swords clashed!
There was no earth-shattering noise, only a soft "poof" sound.

The one-eyed man was horrified to discover that his blood-red blade, infused with all his spiritual power, was easily pierced like rotten wood by the opponent's seemingly simple and unadorned sword strike! The golden-red sword light, like a red-hot iron, spread along the blade, instantly breaking through his protective aura and piercing into his chest!
The power of Holy Blood's restraint on the Iron Blood Alliance's techniques was fully demonstrated at this moment!
"You..." The one-eyed man looked down at the bloody hole in his chest, his eyes filled with disbelief. He was a peak mid-stage Golden Core cultivator, yet he couldn't even withstand a single sword strike from his opponent?!

Chen Ye drew his sword, reached out with his left hand to snatch the communication talisman from the man's hand before he could crush it, and at the same time kicked him away, sending him crashing into the skinny cultivator who was about to pounce on him.

The thin cultivator staggered backward after being knocked back by the one-eyed man's corpse, his eyes filled with terror. He was only at the early stage of the Golden Core realm, and seeing his leader and the bronze-mirror cultivator die instantly terrified him. He turned to run away.

How could Chen Ye let him escape? In a flash, he appeared behind him, a sword light flashed, and the thin cultivator felt a chill on his neck before his consciousness plunged into darkness.

From the moment he made his move to the moment he took down the three men, it only took two or three breaths!
Ahead, the burly axe-wielding cultivator and the tall, thin cultivator, who had just turned around and rushed back around the corner after hearing the commotion behind them, saw the one-eyed man and the thin cultivator lying dead on the ground, as well as Chen Ye standing with his sword in hand and cold eyes.

"It's you!" the burly cultivator roared, recognizing Chen Ye as one of the targets they had been tracking all along! He swung his giant axe, bringing it down with the force to split mountains and shatter rocks! The axe wind howled, carving a furrow into the ground!
The tall, thin cultivator was even more insidious. He did not attack directly, but instead flicked his hands, sending several fine, bluish-green poison needles silently towards Chen Ye's vital points!
Despite being attacked from both sides, Chen Ye remained unfazed.

He lightly touched the ground with his left foot, his body floating backward as if weightless, perfectly avoiding the giant axe's edge. At the same time, he made a circle with his left hand in front of him, and a thin golden-red light screen appeared.

Ding Ding Ding!
The poisoned needle struck the light screen with a crisp sound, then was purified by the power of holy blood and dissipated into blue smoke.

"How is this possible?!" The tall, thin cultivator's pupils contracted. His "Ghostly Bone-Piercing Needle," specifically designed to break through protective qi and coated with potent poison, had actually been so easily blocked and purified by the opponent?
Chen Ye gave him no time to think. In the instant he dodged the giant axe and poison needles, he hurled the Wraith Greatsword in his right hand!

It wasn't thrown at the burly cultivator, but at the ground behind him!

boom!
The giant sword plunged into the ground, its golden-red light shining brightly, instantly transforming into a simple holy light barrier three zhang in diameter, enveloping the burly cultivator and the tall, thin cultivator within!

Inside the barrier, the holy light scorched, exerting a strong suppressive effect on the two cultivators who were practicing Blood Fiend and Poison Techniques! The burly cultivator felt as if he were sinking into quagmire, and his movements became sluggish; the tall and thin cultivator even let out a muffled groan, his poison techniques suppressed to the point that they could hardly be used!

"Not good! Break the barrier quickly!" the tall, thin cultivator screamed, taking out several black pellets to throw out.

But Chen Ye had already appeared outside the barrier like a ghost, his hands forming a hand seal, and he uttered a low shout:
"Holy Blood Seal!"

The holy light within the barrier suddenly contracted and condensed, transforming into countless tiny golden chains that wrapped around the two of them!
The burly cultivator roared, wildly swinging his giant axe, severing several chains, but more chains wrapped around him, binding him like a dumpling. The tall, thin cultivator was utterly powerless to resist, instantly bound tightly by the chains, even dropping the poison bullet in his hand to the ground.

Chen Ye stepped into the barrier, his eyes cold as he looked at the two bound figures. (End of Chapter)