Chapter 372: Harvest

The expected has arrived, and the unexpected has come too.

Lu Ye readied himself for battle.

"Endless Heavenly Tower, are you present?" Lu Ye asked.

"I am here!"

"Can you defeat an Immortal Realm expert?"

"Naturally."

"Without difficulty?"

"Indeed."

Assured by the Endless Heavenly Tower's confirmation, Lu Ye grew confident.

"Then begin the attack. I'll follow you—just remember to leave the souls intact."

The Human Emperor Banner still lacked a single Immortal Realm soul, and Lu Ye certainly needed them.

Every Immortal Realm soul would be a great advantage to the current Human Emperor Banner.

Naturally, Lu Ye wouldn't pass up such precious souls.

"So be it!"

The Endless Heavenly Tower disappeared with Lu Ye.

The first to emerge stood before a mighty demon of Linlang Demon Cliff.

The demon's face twisted in shock and terror.

They'd materialized so suddenly the demon hadn't even detected them.

"Lu Ye!"

When it spotted Lu Ye, primal dread surged through it. From the moment Lu Ye appeared, he'd been staring at it like it was already dead, causing its heart to pound uncontrollably.

But the instant it cried "Lu Ye!", its head burst apart.

Its Nascent Soul disintegrated.

A flick of the Human Emperor Banner, and an Immortal Realm soul was effortlessly drawn into it.

The banner rippled gently while processing the Immortal Realm soul.

These souls were tough to process.

No matter—the banner was used to being overloaded, so a little extra strain meant nothing.

Next target.

Predictably, Lu Ye was recognized the moment he appeared.

Probably thanks to Yue Hongling's Nine Heavens livestream.

"What's going on?"

Powerful factions did not enter the Endless Secret Treasure but instead stood guard outside, on alert against rival forces with malicious intent that might deploy formations to seal off the exit.

But now, soul lamps of Immortal Realm experts have gone out.

Could the trial of the Endless Secret Treasure really be this deadly?

Soon, outcries of rage erupted.

Soul lamps are dying out!

Soul lamps kept extinguishing!

These extinguished soul lamps all belonged to Immortal Realm powerhouses.

Every faction turned pale with shock.

This can’t be happening—the Immortal Realm represents the pinnacle of any faction. If too many Immortal Realm experts perish, the resource-rich territories they hold will inevitably become prime targets in the eyes of other forces.

"Pull them out immediately!"

"What exactly is happening? Why the sudden deaths?"

"How could so many of Mo City’s experts die? What about your factions’ elites?"

"Amitabha, Bright Buddha Temple has also lost an Arhat!"

"Vastsea Heaven Sect is the same!"

"Our Qitian Sect as well!"

"Huh? Why has our Four Symbols Sect suffered no Immortal Realm casualties?"

"Neither have we lost any experts!"

"Then what’s going on?" roared the Mo City’s powerhouse.

They were baffled—is the killer targeting specific factions? Their sect hadn’t crossed anyone, so why was this happening?

"Could it be that these factions with fallen experts have something in common?"

Someone spoke up.

A commonality?

These factions are scattered across the world—some demonic, some orthodox—what possible commonality could they share?

"Amitabha!"

A monk from the Bright Buddha Temple intoned a prayer.

He glanced at the Eternal Sect, lips moving faintly.

The Eternal Sect’s powerhouse froze, his eyes turning frosty.

He sent voice transmissions to other sects, whose expressions also shifted abruptly.

After receiving confirmation, the truth dawned on them.

It was Lu Ye!

It's that damned Lu Ye! In the Endless Secret Treasure, he's attacking the factions that previously sent assassins.

But how can he act within the Endless Secret Treasure?

Those who died are all from the Immortal Realm, and those in the Immortal Realm are no mere ants—how can they die so easily and so quickly? What gives?

"Retreat! Have all remaining members withdraw immediately!" bellowed the Eternal Sect's elite.

Yet, their messages went unanswered.

No reply came, and no one escaped.

One by one, Immortal Realm experts fell.

The factions' hearts bled.

Their eyes burned crimson.

Yes, Immortal Realm experts are plentiful in the Fifth Heaven, but that doesn't mean they aren't precious.

Between two factions, if one has three hundred Immortal Realm experts and the other has two hundred, the weaker side must back down in conflict.

This is a harsh reality.

The Human Emperor Banner was now reveling in delight.

No, it was bursting at the seams.

Countless souls melted into essence, merging into the three main spirits.

Yet, each Immortal Realm soul that entered heaped unbearable pressure on the Human Emperor Banner. The three main spirits clashed violently within the banner to refine these souls.

The Human Emperor Banner was forced to evolve.

Otherwise, the sheer volume of these ferocious souls would rip it to shreds.

The Human Emperor Banner was tortured yet euphoric.

Souls!

So many powerful, delectable souls!

Too much! Can't handle it all!

Lu Ye followed the Tower Spirit, slaughtering the elites of each faction one by one.

Revenge was a dish he preferred served hot. Before, the factions hadn’t openly declared war; they had only sent assassins.

Lu Ye, having just ascended, was still too weak.

Though he could have called the Heavenly Gate to arms, even their involvement couldn’t have held out against the combined might of so many factions.

Now, things were different.

A golden chance for slaughter—Lu Ye wouldn’t waste it.

After the slaughter, he’d strike a deal with the Endless Heavenly Tower, buying it more time. Then, carrying the tower with him, he’d march forth and annihilate these sects once and for all.

But that was just wishful thinking.

Because once the Endless Heavenly Tower leaves the Endless Secret Treasure, it'd most likely get targeted by the Great Sage of the Nine Heavens.

Soon, Lu Ye followed the tower spirit to Demon Lord Wuxin.

A burst of light instantly obliterated Demon Lord Wuxin.

With a wave of the Human Emperor Banner.

What?

No soul?

The one who came to the Endless Secret Treasure wasn’t Demon Lord Wuxin’s true form?

No, it was his true form, but his soul must've been tethered by some powerful artifact. Once his body perished, his entire soul would instantly get sucked into the artifact.

Right then, Lu Ye figured it out.

An Li must have been in contact with Demon Lord Wuxin.

But if he got away, whatever. Lu Ye didn’t care.

It didn’t take long for Lu Ye to wipe out the Immortal Realm experts of all twelve factions.

Sweet!

Not only were the souls collected into the Human Emperor Banner, but he also took all their storage rings.

"Time to boot everyone else out," Lu Ye declared.

The Endless Secret Treasure belonged to him, and no way he'd let others walk off with everything.

He'd always been the one looting others—no way he'd let them rob him.

"Got it!"

The tower spirit was indifferent to such matters. It was already prepared to fade into nothingness with the Endless Emperor—what good were treasures now?

The Endless Heavenly Tower unleashed its power.

"Boom! Boom! Boom…"

One after another, bodies went flying.