The encampments of the Nine Star Sect and the Mystic Gate were adjacent, and with different camps, there was naturally no shortage of friction. One could say that over the years, people's minds had been beaten to a pulp, and the blood feud was impossible to resolve.
Although the Nine Star Sect was an Eighth Rank sect, one rank higher than the Mystic Gate, at the Spirit Stream level, the Mystic Gate held the advantage. Therefore, over the years, the Eighth Rank Nine Star Sect had suffered many losses at the hands of the Ninth Rank Mystic Gate.
Especially Wang Yang, who was one of the most extreme martial cultivators. His combat strength was unquestionable, and in the entire Nine Star Sect, only Dong Shuye, who was stationed at the encampment, could match him.
Cao Ye admitted he was not a match for him.
Behind Wang Yang, a young girl followed. She had two buns on her head, a delicate figure, and a pure, adorable appearance. She followed Wang Yang step by step, looking like his maid.
In fact, that was the case. Wang Yang came from a wealthy family, and the girl was a servant who had grown up with him. When Wang Yang joined the Mystic Gate, he brought his maid along. Unexpectedly, both of them had excellent cultivation aptitude and talent. Now, they were both disciples of the Mystic Gate, nominally master and servant, but in reality, they were master and maid.
The master and servant seemed to completely ignore Cao Ye and the others, and they walked straight to the edge of the battlefield. Wang Yang looked around, raised his eyebrows, and said in surprise, "Who killed your young master?"
It was no wonder the Nine Star Sect was so lively tonight; such a big event had happened.
He had only come out to investigate after receiving the news; otherwise, as a Seventh Layer Spirit Stream cultivator, he would never leave the sect's encampment at will.
Cao Ye stared at him intently, not missing any expression on his face, but he saw nothing unusual.
"I've been telling Dong Shuye to keep an eye on this trash, but he wouldn't listen. Now, he's been killed." Wang Yang had a look of schadenfreude on his face and turned to Cao Ye, "Do you know who did it?"
Cao Ye didn't want to answer, but he had to: "A young man with a White Tiger."
Wang Yang stroked his chin, "Never heard of him. An independent cultivator? Or a disciple from a major sect out for training?" After thinking for a moment, he shook his head, "Forget it, it's none of my business anyway."
"Run!" Cao Ye suddenly shouted, and the ground beneath his feet exploded as he darted away.
"Ha ha..." Wang Yang laughed lightly, and his long sword rang out as he drew it, a sword beam like a bolt of lightning slicing toward Cao Ye.
At the same time, the innocent-looking girl behind him also gathered spiritual energy. With a wave of her hand, a spell was cast, and her delicate fingers pointed at the three Nine Star Sect disciples.
A short while later, Wang Yang returned, still with that calm and composed expression.
"Master, one got away." The maid, Xiao Zhu, came forward to report the results. In front of Wang Yang, she was a meek and adorable maid, but in front of the Nine Star Sect disciples, she was a powerful Sixth Layer Spirit Stream cultivator.
Those three Nine Star Sect disciples were generally at the Third or Fourth Layer level. How could they be a match for her? However, the three were quite smart and fled in different directions. Xiao Zhu only managed to kill two of them, and by the time she pursued the last one, he had already disappeared.
"Let him go." Wang Yang responded indifferently. Cao Ye had also escaped, which made him sigh, "Physical cultivators are indeed tough."
"Also, call me Master!" Wang Yang tapped Xiao Zhu's head.
Xiao Zhu immediately clasped her head and pouted.
"How many can we mobilize?" Wang Yang asked again.
"Less than three hundred," Xiao Zhu replied, "But if we include the independent cultivators, it's about five hundred."
"How many Fifth Layer cultivators?"
"Only six."
"Tsk..." Wang Yang pursed his lips, "A bunch of dogs, all running out to grab benefits, leaving me here to guard the empty fort. That's too much."
The number of Spirit Stream cultivators in the Mystic Gate was naturally far more than three hundred.
But it was impossible for all of them to stay near the encampment; doing so would benefit no one. Cultivators would explore and travel in all directions, especially those above the Fifth Layer. They rarely stayed in the outer circle because the benefits there were minimal. After reaching the Fifth Layer, they would choose to enter areas closer to the inner circle.
Correspondingly, the junior disciples of medium and large sects would also come to the Mystic Gate's territory for training, receiving protection and a certain degree of mobilization from the Mystic Gate.
Not only the Mystic Gate, but all major sects in the outer circle were like this. In the Spirit Stream battlefield, the connections between large and small sects were very close, and the exchange of disciples was extremely frequent.
However, because of this, the Mystic Gate could only mobilize a mere six Fifth Layer cultivators... Two of these six had recently advanced to the Fifth Layer and hadn't had time to leave, and the remaining four were over forty years old, with little room for further cultivation.
At the Spirit Stream level, the age range of cultivators was quite large. There were young people like Lu Ye who had only been cultivating for a short time, and there were also old hands who had been cultivating for decades. Without exception, their talents were very low, and their cultivation was achieved through hard work over time.
"Master, what do you want to do?" Xiao Zhu looked at Wang Yang.
Wang Yang grinned, "Send out the message, the hunt has begun! Get the little ones excited! Also, keep an eye on that young man with the White Tiger. If there's any news, report it immediately!"
"Okay!"
...
At the Nine Star Sect encampment, Dong Shuye looked at the battered Cao Ye and frowned, "What happened?"
Cao Ye's mouth twitched, "Ran into that lunatic, Wang Yang!"
Hearing Wang Yang's name, Dong Shuye's face also twitched. After a moment, he said, "So, the news has already spread?"
Cao Ye sighed, "With all the commotion we made, it's impossible to keep it a secret."
"Do you think the Mystic Gate is involved in the young master's death?"
Cao Ye recalled Wang Yang's expression and shook his head, "Not much. Wang Yang only came out to investigate when he sensed something was happening here. When he saw the young master's body, he was also surprised. Moreover, with his pride, if the young master was really killed by the Mystic Gate, he wouldn't deny it; he would boast about it."
Dong Shuye nodded slightly, "That's true." With the blood feud between them, if the Mystic Gate had really killed the young master, there would be nothing to hide.
"I've already sealed off a hundred miles around. The person who killed the young master shouldn't have a high cultivation level and can't leave this area in a short time. As long as they are exposed, they will have no chance to escape."
"I'm afraid the Mystic Gate will interfere," Dong Shuye frowned.
"The Mystic Gate will definitely act, but the young master's death must be reported to the elders of the sect. Otherwise, we can't give an account."
Dong Shuye sighed, "I can't leave the encampment, so I'll leave the outside matters to you."
"Master, rest assured." Cao Ye nodded. Although he had been injured by Wang Yang, it was only superficial. With his physical constitution, he would recover in a night.
"By the way, the young master's body..." Dong Shuye remembered something else.
Cao Ye steeled himself, "I'll bring the young master's body back tomorrow." He prayed that Wang Yang wouldn't take the young master's body. Given his character, he probably wouldn't do such a low-down thing.