The origins of the enemy are unknown, their purpose is unknown, the situation on the Unparalleled Continent is unknown, and things are quite dire.

Lu Ye secretly frowned. If he had known earlier, he wouldn't have killed that combat cultivator so quickly. It would have been better to capture him alive and extract some information.

However, he didn't have the ability to foresee the future. Before killing the enemy, how could he have known that it would come to this kind of situation?

"This place is not very close to the Unparalleled Continent, so the disturbance from our previous battle probably wasn't transmitted over," Feng Wujiang said, "So even if there are still two Constellation Realm cultivators inside, it's highly likely they haven't detected our arrival."

They might not even have noticed their companions' deaths since the two Constellation Realm cultivators killed earlier didn't have the chance or signs to transmit messages.

"Sneak in and find them, take them down one by one!" someone suggested.

Everyone nodded. In the current situation, this was indeed the most reliable method. Although there were ten of them, they couldn't openly challenge them, as that would only alert the enemy, especially since there was a Constellation Late Stage on the other side.

He had faced a Constellation Late Stage of the Dwarf Race before and knew that cultivators at this level were powerful, not something the Nine Provinces Constellation could contend with, even with a significant numerical advantage. If a fight were to break out, they might not gain much benefit.

The Dwarf Race, due to their growth environment and reliance on talismans, was generally weaker, something Lu Ye had noticed before.

It's the same reason as those niche sects in Nine Provinces—cultivators who overly rely on external forces will somewhat hinder their own cultivation advancement.

After the Black Abyss Martial Arts Meet this time, the Sun Blaze of the Dwarf Race also realized this issue. Or rather, they had long realized it but lacked the courage to change. This time, Lu Ye, a human race member, gave them a good lesson, finally prompting them to resolve to change the status quo.

Lu Ye could defeat a Constellation Late Stage of the Dwarf Race in a frontal confrontation, but he might not necessarily defeat the Constellation Late Stage of other races.

Especially since the opponent was also a human race!

The plan decided, the group immediately sprang into action. Moments later, outside the Unparalleled Continent, ten figures silently infiltrated the domain.

When cultivation reached the Constellation Realm, regardless of the sect, one would more or less master some concealment techniques, though varying in levels.

Among the ten, Nian Yuexian and another ghost cultivator had undoubtedly perfected their concealment. In this field, ghost cultivators possessed unparalleled advantages.

Next was Lu Ye.

The Concealment and Breath-concealing Spirit Runes were effective when used below the Divine Sea Realm, but not sufficient against the Mental Consciousness of the Constellation Realm. These two spirit runes were among the ones Lu Ye planned to reevaluate and improve, but he hadn't gotten to them due to limited energy.

As for the others... they barely managed concealment; how effective it was, was uncertain.

The group of ten split into five teams, two per group, dispersing in all directions.

Lu Ye was paired with Nian Yuexian. The first task was simple: locate the trace of those two outsider Constellation Realm cultivators and act accordingly.

Searching for two individuals within a vast domain wasn't easy, especially since both parties were in a concealed state, making it difficult to create noise.

However, Lu Ye's luck was extraordinarily good, or perhaps the other party had no intention of hiding...

A mass of ghastly black mist roiled atop a mountain peak, emitting ghostly wails and howls that made the skin crawl, accompanied by screams as if someone was suffering utter torment.

Hearing these sounds and seeing the scale of the black mist, both Lu Ye and Nian Yuexian felt their hearts sink with a faint hunch.

As they got closer, the certainty of their assumption grew.

Within the roiling black mist, a large banner fluttered in the wind. Beneath it, a lithe figure sat, the black mist swirling, making the figure appear and vanish like a real specter.

"The Million Souls Banner!" Nian Yuexian whispered through audio transmission to Lu Ye.

Lu Ye's face turned solemn, and he nodded slightly.

Having studied a vast number of jade slips at Xiyuan Pavilion of the Dwarf Race, both had gained some basic understanding of many things in the stellar space.

Information about the Million Souls Banner was among the records on a jade slip in Xiyuan Pavilion.

The reason it was documented was mainly because the artifact was too notorious, and the requirements for its crafting were not high, while its power was considerable, favored by some wicked cultivators.

The Million Souls Banner is a treasure, and one that can continuously upgrade its quality.

Its crafting requires extracting the psyche spirit body of living beings, imprisoning them within the banner. The stronger and more numerous the imprisoned psyche spirit bodies, the more powerful the Million Souls Banner becomes.

In battle, when the banner is raised, it transforms into a spectral domain. The banner wielder moves unhindered within it, invisible, while those trapped suffer endless psyche torment, with no way to escape.

The jade slip in Xiyuan Pavilion recorded an instance where a powerful expert, upon raising a banner, exterminated all living beings within a large domain.

Because crafting this banner is extremely ruthless and inhumane, it's openly considered a forbidden object.

Yet human nature is complex; the more forbidden something is, the more people pursue it. Throughout history, countless have crafted such wicked treasures, and countless beings have fallen prey to them, their psyche spirit bodies confined within banners, suffering in misery, wishing for death.

Lu Ye hadn't expected to witness the Million Souls Banner in this place, and from the current scene, it was evident the person was enhancing the banner's quality.

He finally understood the purpose of the two outsider Constellation Realm cultivators entering the Unparalleled Continent.

For the holder of the Million Souls Banner, cultivators from the Nine Provinces within the Unparalleled Continent are excellent materials to upgrade this evil banner.

It's unknown how many Nine Provinces cultivators have fallen victim.

Upon receiving the news, he immediately ordered the Nine Provinces cultivators here to conceal and lay low, but for cultivators up to the Divine Sea Realm, how effective could their concealment be against a Constellation? Unless hidden deeply enough, the Constellation's Mental Consciousness could still easily find them.

He suppressed the anxiety in his heart and immersed his mind to inspect his battlefield markings.

The battlefield marking of his Third Senior Brother, Xiao Xinghe, was still imprinted, indicating he was still alive.

The same for the Fourth Senior Brother...

Lin Yinxiu, Feng Yuechan, and Yiyi are also still there.

Hua Ci... is also there!

He breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Nonetheless, he could feel that some imprints were indeed missing from his battlefield markings, which meant those missing people had already died.

It's unknown whether they died in the Nine Provinces or here, at present it's impossible to trace.

In silent observation, neither Lu Ye nor Nian Yuexian made a move. Although they found the trail of an enemy Constellation, the whereabouts of another remain unknown for the moment.

They still need Senior Brother to investigate thoroughly.

Yet, they had only just waited for a moment, when suddenly fierce sounds of battle rose from a certain direction, clearly the aftermath of a fight between Constellation level cultivators.

Exposed!

All the Nine Provinces here are at the Constellation Early Stage, and weren't particularly skilled in concealment, so exposure is normal if there is a cultivation gap.

Lu Ye immediately determined that the one on their side is a Constellation Early Stage!

He couldn't judge the opponent's cultivation level previously, the black mist of the Million Souls Banner roiled, the spirit force fluctuations were extremely chaotic, too much interference.

But now that others are exposed, it means the other Constellation's perception is strong, likely at Late Stage cultivation.

Which means the one on their side is definitely Early Stage.

Almost at the same time as the distant sounds of battle arose, the silhouette within the Million Souls Banner noticed something amiss, but before she could understand what was happening, two sharp auras abruptly appeared nearby, locking onto her.

She quickly looked over, through the black mist, she caught sight at once of the forms of Lu Ye and Nian Yuexian leaping up.

Nian Yuexian's body merged with the sword light, bursting with speed even faster than Lu Ye's by a bit, plunging headlong into the black mist of the Million Souls Banner, her longsword blooming with countless rays of light, like a waterfall cascading down to envelop the opponent.

The woman screamed, hastily driving the power of the Million Souls Banner.

Instantly, the wailing sounds of ghosts and wolves grew even louder.

Lu Ye followed closely behind Nian Yuexian into the banner region, immediately perceiving the sinister power of this banner.

The psyche was noticeably impacted, the force of the impact wasn't great but extremely frequent, coupled with the wailing sounds, those with weak minds would easily lose their composure.

However, the two who barged into the banner region at this moment, one is a sword cultivator renowned for slaughter, the other a combat cultivator with battle-hardened experience, this kind of trick had little effect on them.

Within the banner region, countless imprisoned psyche spirit bodies surged like ants towards them, once bitten, they would suffer pain on the psyche.

Lu Ye's long saber danced, and with each ghastly scream, the psyche spirit bodies lunging at him shattered one by one, dissolving into nothingness.

The Soul Severing Saber is a treasure specifically designed for severing psyches, how could these psyche spirit bodies imprisoned within the banner withstand its strikes?

Charging forward with unstoppable momentum, he brazenly arrived at the front of the banner holder under her terrified gaze.

The fury in his heart made him wish to cleave this woman in two with a single strike, yet ultimately he refrained, stabbing straight, piercing through past her heart!

Upon closer inspection, he found the woman incredibly beautiful, her demeanor full of a delicate and pitiful grace that would make anyone exclaim how endearing she seemed.

But the acts she committed were of a heart like a venomous snake or scorpion!

Lu Ye was faster to act, subduing the woman with a single strike, as Nian Yuexian also came charging, her longsword set diagonally across the woman's slender white neck, the sharp blade cut through her skin, blood flowed, and in the pitch-black spectral domain, this speck of red seemed especially jarring.

With one on the left and one on the right, both filled with a lethal aura, the woman trapped in the middle was trembling, expression filled with fear.

She never thought, that merely being here to enhance the quality of the Million Souls Banner, would lead to such a calamity!

"I'll only say it once, do as I say!" Lu Ye addressed the woman, his expression calm, "Nod if you understand!"

The woman obediently nodded, she could sense the near-boiling rage beneath the man's calm exterior before her, and the more composed a person is like this, the more frightening they are.