Chapter 1000: Killing a Hollow Spirit State Cultivator
After initially trapping Li Ruhe, Ye Mo struggled to coordinate his Illusion Cloud strikes, but eventually mastered their application. The Illusion Cloud formation's killing strike evolved to the point where he could inflict damage upon Li Ruhe with its sword rays.
Li Ruhe, enraged but increasingly shocked, would never have believed a Golden Core cultivator could harm him—not before today's experience. This Golden Core cultivator's bizarre sword technique, and the sword rays emanating from a purple kitchen knife, formed a surprising sword ray formation. Initially clumsy, it solidified, ultimately achieving a level three attack formation's potency.
A Golden Core cultivator creating the equivalent of a level three attack formation was absurd! He was clearly at least a level four formation grandmaster. The realization that Ye Mo was a formation grandmaster caused Li Ruhe to sweat profusely. This was the first time he'd felt fear toward a Golden Core cultivator.
He understood this wasn't the South Peace State disaster transformation cultivator's work but Ye Mo's. The formation rendered him completely passive, forcing him to focus solely on escape, with no opportunity for counterattack.
Ye Mo, therefore, held an insurmountable advantage. If he'd indeed designed this trap and attack formation, he was a true level five formation grandmaster. Li Ruhe knew he had to escape quickly; otherwise, even his Hollow Spirit state wouldn't save him.
Ye Mo, however, was frustrated. Despite exploiting every opportunity to disadvantage Li Ruhe, he couldn't inflict serious damage. If this continued, his formation might not hold until Li Ruhe's demise. Hollow Spirit cultivators were formidable, beyond his capacity to kill, even with a level five formation. He'd upgraded the formation to level five without conserving materials; otherwise, Li Ruhe would have broken free long ago.
His Illusion Cloud killing strike, while potent, lacked sufficient damage against this high-level cultivator. Ye Mo considered improvements, wondering if shaping the sword rays into actual swords would drastically increase power, though he worried about the strain on his spirit sense.
Suddenly, a pained howl from Li Ruhe signaled a successful strike. A sword ray penetrated Li Ruhe's body, and the formation's beams also passed through him, crippling his ability to attack.
"The Yang Hai Merchant Association won't let you go…" he gasped, before collapsing.
Ye Mo sneered, deploying the Rainbow Soul Devouring Flag to claim Li Ruhe's soul. Hollow Spirit cultivators possessed stronger souls than Nascent Soul cultivators. Though his attack killed Li Ruhe, Ye Mo witnessed Li Ruhe's use of a forbidden soul escape technique—a skill known to only high-level cultivators.
Before Li Ruhe could plead, the flag devoured his soul. The fatal blow, however, wasn't Ye Mo's, but Li Yuqian's. The ten other cultivators were already dead.
Li Yuqian, pale from the self-inflicted injury of her forbidden technique, weakly shook her head. "A little longer, and that Hollow Spirit cultivator might have escaped. In that case, all of Mo Yue would have fallen with us." She consumed a life essence pill and sat down. "Our battle with the Yang Hai Merchant Association has just begun. They lost a Hollow Spirit and many Nascent Soul cultivators—more than half their power—but their association leader, Yang Youkang, is a mid-stage Hollow Spirit cultivator. We need to prepare."
She began recovering her cultivation essence. Ye Mo nodded and collected Li Ruhe's storage ring, receiving the others from Li Jingwen and the rest. Waving his hand, he instructed, "Sister Li will distribute these later. Take what you need; the rest goes into Mo Yue's storage. Rest as well; Yang Youkang won't let this go. I need to re-establish the formation."
This battle provided Ye Mo with a clearer understanding of Hollow Spirit cultivators' power. A level five trap and kill formation, combined with his level five Golden Core power, wasn't enough to kill one. Gritting his teeth, he used all of Chi Hong's remaining materials to lay several more killing formations in Mo Yue.
'If one isn't enough, I'll use two; if two aren't enough, I'll use three. I don't believe a level five formation can't handle a mid-stage Hollow Spirit cultivator.'
He believed no one else would seek them out, except perhaps the Yang Hai Merchant Association. But upon emerging, Su Yue reported a visitor: a peak Golden Core cultivator, a man in his fifties with a broad face and sharp eyes—clearly an astute individual.
"Association Leader Ye, I'm Pu Yufeng, a solo cultivator. I hope my unexpected arrival doesn't trouble you," the middle-aged man greeted respectfully.
Unsure of his purpose, Ye Mo replied plainly, "Brother Pu must be aware of Mo Yue's current predicament. Since others dare not approach, why do you?"
Pu Yufeng sat down. "Of course I know Mo Yue's predicament, and that the Yang Hai cultivators coming here likely won't return."
Ye Mo was surprised. He'd killed them moments ago—how did Pu Yufeng know?
Pu Yufeng continued, "I wasn't confident earlier, but coming to Mo Yue confirmed my suspicions. To be honest, Association Leader Ye, you're the most brilliant individual I've ever witnessed. Days ago, I saw you use a level three trap formation to kill five Yang Hai cultivators. I assumed you were a level four formation grandmaster, but I was profoundly mistaken."
Ye Mo was shaken. Pu Yufeng had seen through him. He couldn't underestimate cultivators; powerful individuals existed everywhere, they simply chose not to reveal themselves. He was grateful Pu Yufeng didn't expose him, but sensed a request underlying this visit. Any attempt to use the Yang Hai Merchant Association as leverage would end the conversation immediately; he doubted Pu Yufeng would be so foolish.
Ye Mo smiled, sensing no malice. "Brother Pu, speak freely."
"Very well," Pu Yufeng settled back.