Outside Pingyang Mountain.
Li Ye continuously cast formation flags, laying down a new formation outside the mountain's protective array.
Delay breeds change.
Although both Xu Pingyang and Ma Ying had already fallen by his hand, and logically there should be no one else in these Chidi Mountains who could pose a threat to him, Li Ye still came alone to attack the formation of Pingyang Mountain right after settling Lan Xinyi.
There was a reason.
Though all those who had joined in the siege against him were now dead, around Mount Changcui, beyond the reach of the grand formation, there were still likely other cultivators observing from a distance.
With their presence, word of what had happened would soon spread.
He had to seize control of Pingyang Mountain before the news spread too far before its remaining members had time to react.
Otherwise, anything of value within the mountain might be looted by its cultivators, familiar with its layout, before he could take control.
Although Li Ye's current mastery of formation arts was only at the lower second tier, insufficient to break a second-tier formation head-on with another formation...
His advantage lay in the fact that the person currently maintaining the formation was only barely skilled in formation arts at best, he could retaliate using the formation's control token.
But that was hardly better than letting the formation react on its own.
Such rigidity and lack of adaptability stood no chance against Li Ye, who now possessed divine sense and thus an unprecedented clarity in perceiving formation changes giving him the opportunity he needed.
"If that paranoid Xu Pingyang hadn't used blood refinement to bind the control token, I could've used it directly and saved myself all this trouble…"
Li Ye shook his head, though he also understood this was a common tactic when hiring others to construct formations.
After all, if one had no understanding of formations and no safety measures in place, how could they ever rest easy?
As his thoughts shifted, Li Ye waved his hand. The flags activated, and a formation partially embedded itself into the protective array, disrupting its function and revealing a few flaws.
Upon seeing this change, Li Ye quickly spotted several points of error in the formation's restrictions. He cast several more flags, reducing the array's power and opening up a weak channel.
Just as he was preparing to push further and attempt to bring the entire formation under his control
Suddenly, Luo Feibai walked out from the array, holding a secondary control token with trembling hands.
"We surrender to Senior Li. This token is yours. Please… show mercy."
"You believe me now that Xu Pingyang is dead by my hand? No more delusions of resistance?"
Li Ye asked with a faint smile.
"No more, no more! Our minds were clouded by greed we should never have stood against you… Pingyang Mountain now rightfully belongs to you, Senior!"
Luo Feibai spoke quickly, bitterness filling his heart.
As one of the first from Pingyang Mountain to encounter Li Ye, he had watched the man rise step by step to where he was today.
Yet Luo himself was still stuck at the eighth level of Qi Refining, battling the same bottleneck...
Meanwhile, Li Ye had advanced with lightning speed from the same eighth level to Foundation Establishment in just four short years!
Such a stark contrast filled him with envy and bitterness.
Still, he was the one sent out to beg for mercy precisely because he had the best relationship with Li Ye among those at Pingyang Mountain. Xie Yushu hadn't even sent him to the battle at Changcui Mountain.
Who would've thought… that twist of fate had saved his life?
Well, maybe it was too early to say. Whether he and the other cultivators in the mountain lived or died still depended on Li Ye's mood.
"Only now that the formation is about to break do you finally wise up? Too late…"
Li Ye said indifferently, and Luo Feibai's heart sank.
But then, Li Ye reached out with a wave and drew the control token to himself from a distance. With a sweep of his divine sense, he quickly verified its authenticity.
Without hesitation, he poured spiritual power into it. The restriction triggered, and the scattered formation flags shifted slightly to align with the node and integrate into the array.
With the token's aid, the array was swiftly and completely brought under his control.
At once, the grand formation changed its flaws vanished, its power returned to full strength, and at the same time, the entire formation sealed itself off from the outside.
Not a single cultivator inside could escape!
Seeing the array's sudden and complete transformation so drastic it was like the heavens had turned Luo Feibai, who had been standing outside, was stunned.
"This… this…"
He seemed to realize what Li Ye was about to do and couldn't help but feel a chill down his spine.
Descending in a glow of spiritual light, Li Ye stepped before him and smiled calmly.
"You and I are old acquaintances. No matter the circumstances of those past events, at the very least, you never kicked me while I was down… So naturally, I won't kill you."
"But on this Pingyang Mountain… there are quite a few who made their hostility toward me all too clear…"
"Those people cannot be allowed to live."
As he spoke, Li Ye strolled into the grand formation.
Luo Feibai, full of anxiety, instinctively followed behind him only to witness a scene he would never forget for the rest of his life.
Pingyang Mountain's protective array was of the fire attribute. Based on Li Ye's observations, it was most likely a second-tier formation known as the Blazing Flame Stream Array.
In truth, this type of array leaned more toward offense and was rarely used as a protective mountain formation. Perhaps it had been chosen to suit the terrain here or to complement Xu Pingyang's fire-based cultivation technique.
Ironically, it now suited Li Ye's needs quite well.
"Those who've shown hostility, who took pleasure in my misfortune or sought to make things difficult for me… today is the day they reap what they sow," Li Ye's voice rang across the entire mountain. "Those uninvolved do not act rashly. I do not kill without cause. As long as you remain still, you will not be harmed."
His words echoed through Pingyang Mountain.
Some cultivators dropped to their knees begging for mercy, others groveled with flattery, some stared at him in terror, and a few, knowing death was near, went mad in their final moments.
From the sky, beams of searing flame rained down striking down those cultivators one by one.
Of course, Li Ye wasn't some bloodthirsty killer.
He only targeted those he knew had taken concrete actions against him. As for those who had merely echoed Xu Pingyang's sentiments or spoken against him in passing, he let them go without a second thought.
By the time he reached the great hall halfway up the mountain and took the seat that once belonged to Xu Pingyang, he had only killed a few dozen.
As for the rest even if a few enemies had slipped through the cracks he no longer cared.
The fear he had instilled today in the hearts of Pingyang Mountain's remaining cultivators was more than enough to ensure their obedience.
"From this day forth, the Chidi Mountains are under my rule."
Li Ye calmly declared to the ragtag group of cultivators who had chosen to submit.
Then he turned to Luo Feibai.
"Luo Feibai, you will take over Xie Yushu's responsibilities and handle affairs on my behalf."
"Eh? Me?" Luo Feibai froze for a moment then quickly knelt in excitement.
"Your subordinate obeys!"
"Then let's leave it at that for now."
Li Ye nodded and headed toward Xu Pingyang's residence at the mountain's summit.
Behind him, the rest were left wide-eyed and bewildered in the lingering chaos and panic.
In a world where might make right, scheming and political maneuvering had their place but in the end, power spoke the loudest.
And with Li Ye now the only Foundation Establishment cultivator in the region, so long as his cultivation remained above theirs, he could afford to be as hands-off as he pleased.
…
With a flash of spiritual light, Li Ye soared upward, arriving at Xu Pingyang's resplendent and overly extravagant palace-like cave dwelling.
"This kind of tacky decor… ugh, better to just rebuild the whole thing."
Li Ye muttered with some distaste as he stepped inside.
Xu Pingyang had occupied this place for many years, but the spoils Li Ye had taken from his storage pouch were far fewer than expected.
That could only mean Xu Pingyang had hidden treasures stored elsewhere within the cave.
And now, Li Ye was going to find them.
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