It was a strand of soul energy, hidden with absolute perfection. Even Yang Kai's formidable Divine Sense hadn't detected it until the attack was nearly upon him. Had it not been for a fortunate coincidence—the Form-Revealing Pearl's power allowing him to catch a glimpse—he would have been successfully ambushed.
The instant he detected the soul energy, Yang Kai counterattacked without hesitation.
What astounded him was that the other party's soul cultivation was in no way inferior to his own. When their invisible spiritual wills collided, Yang Kai came off slightly worse, though his opponent hadn't fared much better.
However, following this encounter, Lu Ye immediately retracted his spiritual sense, pretending as though nothing had happened. It was Yang Kai's muffled grunt that drew everyone's attention instead.
Afterward, when Qu Changfeng drove the others away, Lu Ye's expression had remained unsettled—dark one moment, pale the next. Once most of the warriors from the various factions had been expelled, he had no choice but to leave voluntarily. After all, he was the sole representative of Flowing Cloud Valley present, and Qu Changfeng wouldn't give Flowing Cloud Valley a second thought. Staying behind would only earn him humiliation.
Something was off about this Lu Ye!
Yang Kai thought to himself that if he hadn't happened upon the Warm Spirit Lotus years ago, there was no way he could have possessed such powerful soul energy. But how many Warm Spirit Lotuses—supreme treasures of heaven and earth—existed in the world? Even if others were out there, it was hard to imagine any of them being in the hands of a mere warrior like Lu Ye.
That Lu Ye's soul cultivation was on par with his own—that was truly puzzling.
Flowing Cloud Valley wasn't a particularly powerful force. On the Dark Star, it could only be considered mid-tier at best. There was no way their sect possessed any heaven-defying soul-refining techniques. So how exactly had Lu Ye cultivated his soul power to such a level?
Back in the stalactite cave, Yang Kai hadn't noticed anything unusual about Lu Ye. He had seemed like a perfectly ordinary Saint King Realm Third Level warrior. Later, when they'd immersed themselves in the Soul-Washing Divine Water, Lu Ye had entered as well, but the meager benefit he'd gained was nowhere near sufficient to account for such a transformation.
Having a powerful enemy appear out of nowhere left Yang Kai thoroughly frustrated. He wasn't even sure what he'd done to provoke the man.
He would have to find a chance to kill him. Regardless of whether the other party's hostility was based on a misunderstanding or not, being marked by someone like that would leave no one at ease.
A tangle of thoughts churned through his mind before Yang Kai quickly made his decision. He exhaled softly and stopped dwelling on Lu Ye. He closed his eyes and resumed his contemplation. The rise of the second red sun had made the fruit fragrance permeating the air even richer, and the wondrous properties concealed within it had grown considerably stronger. Every remaining warrior was unwilling to waste this precious opportunity, and they naturally devoted themselves to meditation with relish.
Yang Kai once again immersed himself in his comprehension of Saint Yuan control. He knew that the window for enlightenment granted by the fragrance of the Red Candle Fruit—a supreme treasure of heaven and earth—upon its maturation would be very brief. So he hadn't even intended to attempt comprehending something as profound as the Laws of Space. As long as he could thoroughly grasp Saint Yuan control in these short two or three days, the trip would more than have been worth it.
He didn't know what choices the others would make, but he was confident his own choice was the right one.
When the second red sun rose to its zenith and hung still, a layer of dark crimson energy spread throughout the valley. Having already witnessed this phenomenon twice, the numerous experts present gave it little notice. Yet they still couldn't suppress the excitement surging in their hearts or the fervor on their faces.
The appearance of the dark crimson energy meant the third red sun would rise momentarily, forming the miraculous spectacle of Three Yang Ascendancy—and it also meant the Red Candle Fruit was about to truly ripen!
Many impatient warriors with unstable temperaments, unable to remain composed under the mounting tension, abandoned their meditation and opened their eyes wide, watching every shift in the valley below, unwilling to miss a single detail.
The dark crimson energy appeared without warning. The earth trembled gently, and in moments, the energy erupted outward, blasting in all directions. The fruit fragrance in the air intensified yet again.
The third red sun, under the gaze of every soul present, rose slowly into the sky—fulfilling all expectations!
A faint murmur rippled through the crowd as threads of Saint Yuan secretly surged within. Some seemed on the verge of charging down impulsively.
Li Younan of the Medicine Pill Sect, sweating profusely, could no longer hold himself back. He shouted at the top of his lungs: "Everyone, please do not act rashly! The Three Yang Ascendancy spectacle hasn't fully formed yet—the Red Candle Fruit hasn't surfaced! Now is absolutely not the time for fighting! If anyone disturbs the fruit's maturation, no amount of death could atone for such a sin!"
He believed he understood the secrets and pre-maturation signs of the Red Candle Fruit better than anyone present, and so felt it was his duty to warn them.
At the same time, he cursed inwardly. If not for his fear that these people might lose control and actually start fighting—thereby disrupting the fruit's maturation—he couldn't have bothered saying any of this. Their battles and deaths had nothing to do with him. Ideally, they would all perish, and then his Medicine Pill Sect could claim this heaven-defying spiritual fruit for itself.
After hearing Li Younan's words, many cast cold, indifferent glances his way, utterly unmoved. Those who were wary remained wary, and those who had been gathering their Saint Yuan continued to do so.
Over at the Shadow Moon Palace, Wei Guchang narrowed his eyes, quietly estimated that there was still some time, then closed them again and resumed his contemplation, showing no signs of excessive eagerness.