Spells and flying weapons continued to strike down on one’s enemies from every direction. The battle was fierce, and the surviving members of Thousand Demon Ridge were all prepared to die.
It was the second day of the pursuit. Thousand Demon Ridge had clashed against Grand Sky Coalition four times and each time it had ended with their defeat.
During the first two clashes, they were still able to put up some measure of resistance. However, their numbers eventually dwindled to a point where they lost the ability to do battle against the Grand Sky Coalition completely. The enemy just outnumbered them too much.
By now, there were less than thirty surviving Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators. Even Qi Ming of Sunlit Mountain had been slain during the earlier battles. Currently, the group of thirty were barely surviving under the leadership of Chu Qing of the House of Wintry Blossoms.
They all knew it was a matter of time before they died though. The only way to live was to break out of the encirclement!
They did so very soon. After probing the Grand Sky Coalition’s encirclement and finding a weak spot, Chu Qing immediately led them on an all-out assault.
It was impossible for Grand Sky Coalition to stop them because they numbered just over a hundred people. Their encirclement wasn’t nearly tight enough to stop a group of thirty from breaking through.
An incense stick later, Thousand Demon Ridge left behind ten bodies, but was able to escape successfully. Everyone was panting like a dog and running away as quickly as they could.
They all let out a sigh of relief when they noted that no one was chasing them. They didn’t dare to stop though. They kept running with the goal of putting as much distance between them and Grand Sky Coalition as possible.
On the battlefield, Ji Yan sought out Lu Ye and said cheerfully, “We have done as you said, Brother Lu.”
Was the Grand Sky Coalition so spent that they weren’t even able to send a squad to chase down their enemies? Of course not. It was questionable how well the pursuit would’ve gone though. After all, the enemy wouldn’t just stand there and let themselves be killed. They were going to keep running until they ran out of energy, or their pursuers did. Either way, it wasn’t really worth the effort.
Plus, Lu Ye specifically requested Ji Yan to let Chu Qing’s group go. He had plans for them, and Ji Yan was more than willing to oblige the man who turned the tables for them.
“My scouts will keep an eye on them and notify you of their whereabouts,” Ji Yan added.
“Thank you.” Lu Ye nodded. “And thank you for helping out with the white cat as well.”
“It is no problem at all,” Ji Yan said with a grin. Anyone could see that the man was very happy right now.
Lu Ye caught a bit of rest before going away with Ju Jia.
They were going to catch a cat. It was going to be a headache to put it mildly.
Lu Ye had only met the white cat one time, and he was unable to capture it even with Ju Jia’s assistance. The little shit was just too fast for either of them.
He had already come up with a proper plan to catch the cat. He would know how effective it was when they executed it. Before he could do that though, they had to first locate it.
Thankfully, the Grand Sky Coalition had plenty of people left. Lu Ye had already requested Ji Yan to mobilize his men to search for the white cat. The remnants of Thousand Demon Ridge was a concern, but he highly doubted that they would be stupid enough to show their faces. They could afford to leave them alone for now.
The woman in the red dress would remove the restrictions she had imposed after he returned the white cat to her. They would then be able to do whatever they wanted to Chu Qing’s group.
If the white cat turned out to be too elusive to catch, then they had no choice but to leave it to their allies to finish the job. One way or another, no one from Thousand Demon Ridge was leaving the Lost City of Xianyuan alive.
It wasn’t long before the Ghost Spirits he had lost in the battles had been replenished. They tried searching for the cat next, but unfortunately they didn’t see or hear a peep about it.
An entire day passed before finally, Ji Yan messaged him saying that someone had found the white cat.
Perking up, Lu Ye immediately rushed toward the specified location with Ju Jia.
About an hour and a half later, Lu Ye met up with a ghost cultivator. They traveled in stealth until they reached a certain corner, and the ghost cultivator stopped in his tracks. He poked his head out for a look before pulling back and saying, “It’s right over there.”
Lu Ye looked. He saw the white cat lying on a rooftop and curled up like a ball. It was snoozing away peacefully right now.
“Well done.”
“Do you need my help?” The ghost cultivator asked.
“It’s fine. I can handle the rest.”
The ghost cultivator nodded and went into hiding. It wasn’t long before he disappeared completely.
Lu Ye looked at the white cat again to confirm that he hadn’t alarmed it by accident. Then, he started executing his plan.
A moment later, a squad of five spectral sentries passed by the street right below the rooftop. The resting cat swayed its tail but paid it no heed.
It wasn’t long before another Xianyuan City Watch squad passed through the area. This one had six spectral sentries in it, and their presence caused the white cat to lift its head with a bit of puzzlement. It still didn’t suspect that something was amiss though.
The white cat finally realized that something was wrong when a third Xianyuan City Watch squad appeared close by. It swiftly rose to its feet, looked left and right warily, and got ready to leave.
It was too late though. The Xianyuan City Watch beneath the rooftop turned toward it and tossed out their Spirit Shackling Ropes at the same time.
“Meow!” The white cat meowed while dodging all of the spells with supernatural speed. It then started running in a certain direction at full speed.
Unfortunately, it didn’t manage to go far before a wailing sound and pipa twangs came from the front. There was also a scholar standing next to her and writing large words at the white cat.
At the same time, apparitions began appearing from every direction. They instantly formed a tight circle around the cat.
Lu Ye had literally deployed every Ghost Spirit under his command to capture the white cat. Even he had entered the fray after empowering himself with Windwalk.
He could practically hear the alarm bells ringing in the white cat’s head as it meowed louder. It really was too agile. It should be impossible for anyone or anything to dodge twenty plus spectral sentries throwing their Spirit Shackling Ropes at them continuously, but somehow the damn cat was able to dodge again and again.
It kept trying to break through the encirclement but was foiled again and again. The Ghost Spirits kept closing in on it until it looked like its capture was all but inevitable.
Suddenly, it turned around and shot toward Ju Jia like a ray of white light. It instantly arrived in front of the body tempering cultivator.
Ju Jia tried to catch it with his massive hand but failed yet again. Not only that, the cat jumped on top of his head and sat down. It even turned around and shot Lu Ye a disdainful look just like the last time.
Angry, Ju Jia brought his palm down on his own head but still failed to hit the white cat. It had already landed on the rooftop and was currently walking away at a leisurely pace. All Ju Jia did was to knock some stars into his eyes.
While leaving, the white cat did not forget to look back and savor Lu Ye’s dark expression.
Its delight was at its peak when suddenly, an unprecedented feeling of danger paralyzed its body. It puffed up its fur and let out a high-pitched meow before it abruptly vanished into thin air. The space where it was a moment ago was distorted, and there was what looked like a stone forest in the background.
Lu Ye and Yi Yi descended at the spot at the same time.
Yi Yi grabbed the Nine Realms Scroll and channeled her Spiritual Power into it immediately. Lu Ye had Amber withdraw the Ghost Spirits before entering the Ward Scroll together with it.
The Nine Realms Scroll was their final insurance and a trap Lu Ye had laid specifically for the white cat. He had purposely stationed Ju Jia in the direction of the Ward Scroll. He had realized that the white cat was incredibly smart the first time they met. He knew there was a high chance it would rush toward Ju Jia if forced into a corner.
He didn’t really think that the Ward Scroll would be needed since he had the white cat completely surrounded with thirty one Ghost Spirits and Ju Jia, but he was glad that his caution and preparation had paid off.
Ju Jia walked up to Yi Yi but did not follow Lu Ye into the Ward Scroll. He was now acting as her protector because she could not able to spare her concentration for anything else.
He looked at the Nine Realms Scroll. In the painting, a ton of figures were attempting to corner a white cat. From time to time, the Spirit Shackling Ropes would be drawn as well.
It took a little over an hour before Yi Yi finally gave the Nine Realms Scroll a shake and manifested Lu Ye. The man’s face was dark and unhappy though. It was also covered in scratches.
The white cat was currently held by the scruff of its neck in his left hand, unable to move even a muscle. Its eyes were teary like that of a bully victim. Too bad no one was falling for it.
“Let’s go,” Lu Ye said before making his way toward the woman in the red dress’ compound.
The white cat wanted to escape as a matter of course, but every time it tried anything Lu Ye would immediately inject its body with a wisp of Spiritual Power. It did not feel good to be invaded by his burning power. A few fruitless attempts later, the white cat had no choice but to abandon all hope.
They soon arrived at the compound. Lu Ye pushed open the door and found the red figure swinging on the swing just like before.
When he came to a stop behind the woman in the red dress, the prone cat suddenly “came back to life” and started making a series of meowing sounds at its master. It sounded like it was complaining about the “unfair” treatment it had received.
Lu Ye frowned deeply because he could see that the white cat was very important to the woman in the red dress, and his actions against it could hardly be constituted as friendly. It would be bad if the woman got angry with him.
He squeezed the white cat a little tighter. It immediately got the message and stopped meowing.
“Have you found Tang Yuan?” The woman in the red dress asked.
Lu Ye responded by handing over the white cat.
“Let it go,” she instructed.
Lu Ye did as she ordered. The second Lu Ye’s grip loosened, the white cat immediately shot toward the wall as a white blur. Clearly, it had become addicted to the outside world and wasn’t planning on staying home anytime soon. Unfortunately for it, a red ribbon easily caught up to it and wrapped it like cocoon. Then, it dragged the despairing and struggling cat back to its master.
Lu Ye had to hide how pleased he felt. [That’s what you deserve, you little shit!]
The woman in the red dress placed the white cat on her lap and caressed its back gently. The pet laid down as if resigned to its fate and stopped struggling.
Lu Ye thought it would resume its complaints and attempt to take revenge against him, but surprisingly, it didn’t happen.
“You did very well,” the woman in the red dress spoke up.
The second she said this, Lu Ye felt as if an invisible restriction was lifted from his body. He looked at Ju Jia and got a small nod from him. Clearly, the body tempering cultivator had felt the same thing as him.
He wondered if Chu Qing’s group had experienced the same thing. If they hadn’t, well, that would be most interesting.
“If there is nothing else, then we shall take our leave right away.”
Lu Ye shot Ju Jia a look after saying this. They then turned around and walked toward the exit without any hesitation.
The special apparition was way too powerful to be converted into a Ghost Spirit, and she had come very close to screwing him over. Naturally, he wasn’t going to stay here even a second longer.
What if she tasked him to find her Yuan’zi or Wan’zi or whatever next? That would be an absolute nightmare. The sooner he was away from this place, the better.
