Seven days later, in front of the Divine Conch Hall in the Merfolk Territory.

The Void trembled, the portal appeared, and Lu Ye stepped out from within it.

Just as he steadied himself, he frowned, and the Boulder Mountain Saber at his waist sprang out. A flash of saber light swept forward.

A blurry figure, almost invisible, came toward the saber light. Just as it was about to be struck, the figure suddenly twisted and narrowly avoided the blow.

The specter's eyes were full of excitement, staring intently at the portal behind Lu Ye as if she could already smell the scent of freedom!

She was a smart woman, knowing that hoping for Fa Wuzun's mercy was futile. She had to find a way out herself.

But this ghostly place was surrounded by waters similar to the All Phenomena Ocean, making it impossible for her to leave. After much contemplation, the only way out was through the portal manipulated by some unknown means by Fa Wuzun.

So she had specially concealed her presence and waited here, and sure enough, the opportunity arrived!

At this moment, she launched her attack. Even Lu Ye almost failed to react in time. Once she evaded the strike of the Boulder Mountain Saber, she was just a step away from the portal. All she needed was to take that step, and she would have boundless freedom!

However, that step was as insurmountable as a chasm!

The specter's form, as if struck, suddenly flew sideways. In the midst of tumbling, her concealment failed, revealing her figure.

The two merfolk stationed there were shocked, quickly assuming a defensive posture.

On the other side, the rebuffed specter flipped skillfully, supporting herself with one hand, half-crouched on the ground like a leopard ready to pounce, staring fiercely at Lu Ye: "Fa Wuzun, I don't want to fight you, get out of my way!"

Lu Ye stood like a door deity before the portal, his gaze indifferent as he looked at her: "Looks like you've recovered well!"

Seven days ago when he left, this guy was half-dead, but today, back again, there seemed to be no apparent issues.

"Get out of the way or not!" the specter gritted her teeth and growled lowly.

Lu Ye remained silent, one hand holding the saber, the other hand lifted, beckoning to her with a finger!

The specter angrily retorted, "You asked for this!"

As the words fell, her body's afterimage still appeared to be in place, but her true self had already swept to Lu Ye's side, a leg whipping down heavily like a lash.

Lu Ye seemed unresponsive, causing a cold smile to curl at the corners of the specter's mouth. People always thought ghost cultivators only knew stealth attacks, but she walked an unconventional path; otherwise, she wouldn't have ranked so high in the Constellation Palace's competition.

In terms of close-quarter combat, she was not inferior to any combat cultivator, though usually, she rarely showcased this side of herself. But in this moment of desperation, she could no longer care.

Freedom was right before her eyes. As long as she could push Fa Wuzun away, she could leave this accursed place.

She never intended to defeat Lu Ye because it was unrealistic. Fa Wuzun had been impressively powerful even at the Constellation Mid-Stage, and now in the Constellation Late Stage, the specter considered herself no match.

But just pushing him back shouldn't be too hard. To achieve her desire, she was giving it her all.

She knew the fight shouldn't drag on; there were many Moon Jades among the merfolk, and once those Moon Jades arrived, she'd have no hope of escaping.

This whip-like kick was powerful and heavy, though not overly imposing, all of its force contained within. Even with a great mountain before her, the specter was confident she could smash it to pieces.

But in the next moment, the specter frowned because Lu Ye, who seemed unresponsive, suddenly looked right at where her real body was, then slightly raised a hand.

With a slap, the descending leg was precisely blocked by his large hand!

With the first strike failed, the specter's afterimage lingered in place, as her real self darted to the other side to throw a punch.

Blocked again, Lu Ye's hand inexplicably obstructed her line of attack, easily deflecting it while his gaze followed her.

The specter was amazed; she knew Fa Wuzun was strong, but she hadn't expected this level of quick reaction!

Gritting her teeth, her body suddenly radiated a bright red glow, evidently activating some kind of explosive secret technique, increasing her speed and force further.

Clap, clap, clap...

Continuous crisp sounds rang out, each sound marking the bursting clash of spirit force, mesmerizing the two merfolk on duty.

In their vision, it seemed as if countless specters were born and destroyed around Lu Ye, attacking fiercely from all sides.

Faced with such an onslaught, they knew they couldn't withstand even a moment.

Yet the frenzied barrage couldn't move their honored guest from the clan even half a step. He calmly stood there, one hand continually blocking every attack perfectly.

The scene appeared somewhat comical, like a child throwing a tantrum at an adult.

In just ten breaths, the specter had changed positions countless times and launched countless attacks, but none succeeded. A chill spread across her back, unable to fathom how Fa Wuzun, also at the Constellation Late Stage, could be so unreasonably strong.

She managed to secure a position close to the two-hundredth mark in the Constellation Palace competition, which proves her strength is quite remarkable. One must know that the Constellation Palace competition involves hundreds, even thousands of star systems, with tens of thousands or even millions of Constellations battling it out. Although a rank around two hundred isn't exceptionally high, it definitely makes her one of the elites.

Yet at this moment, all her efforts couldn't move Fa Wuzun in the slightest!

It's true that she wasn't using her full strength, but then again, was Fa Wuzun exerting all his might?

In the heat of the battle, the specter suddenly withdrew, her aura becoming unpredictable and mysterious. Her eyes grew serious: "Fa Wuzun, be careful. I don't want to kill you. If you can't handle it, move aside quickly!"

Saying this, her form suddenly split from one to two, two to four, four to eight…

Lu Ye focused his mind, raising his eyebrows, for he realized he couldn't discern which of the eight specters was real. All eight figures appeared genuine, a display of some Mysterious Secret Skill.

But the way the specter spoke clearly showed her intention to fight desperately.

The eight specters moved simultaneously, transforming into eight streams of light, fanning out as they lunged at Lu Ye, swift as lightning.

A sudden feeling of dread arose within Lu Ye. He now knew that the secret technique the specter was using must be unimaginably powerful.

The hand holding the Boulder Mountain Saber finally moved. As the saber momentum was invoked, a continuous burst of saber light began to erupt. In an instant, the dense saber light surged like waves, one following another, relentless and unending!

The eight specters had reached him, their forms intertwining and overlapping, constructing a domain of death around Lu Ye.

In a flash, even Lu Ye felt immense pressure. The specter's secret technique was extremely powerful and difficult to defend against. If he hadn't grasped the saber skills from the short sword legacy, relying solely on his foundation with the Tyrannical Saber Technique, he would have struggled to fend it off.

Comparatively, the Tyrannical Saber Technique's legacy leans more towards offense, whereas the saber skills in the short sword legacy are both offensive and defensive.

At this moment, the wave-like saber light continued to shatter, but after shattering, new saber light emerged.

Three breaths later, Lu Ye sheathed his saber.

The specter's true form appeared not far to the side, panting heavily, her face slightly pale. It was evident that the secret technique just now was a significant burden on her.

She looked at Lu Ye, who stood like a door deity guarding the portal, with a face full of despair. Her eyes turned tearful, and she plopped down on the ground, wailing like a child, sobbing and crying, "You're bullying me!"

When Bai Lu and the merfolk elders arrived in haste, responding to the commotion, they were greeted by this bewildering scene.

Pairs of eyes turned to Lu Ye, unsure of what act of tyranny he committed to make the specter cry so bitterly. Her tear-filled eyes glared at Lu Ye, full of blood and tearful accusation.

Lu Ye frowned; losing a fight and then crying, he'd never seen this before. But the specter never cared for appearances, and what others wouldn't do, she was capable of doing.

The specter's crying got on people's nerves, and Lu Ye pointed at her, speaking blandly, "If you cry again, don't ever think about leaving here!"

The wailing specter immediately fell silent, covering her mouth with her hand, though her shoulders still heaved with her sniffling, clearly very upset.

Lu Ye gave her a glare and turned to speak to Yann Miao and the other elders, informing them of what just transpired. Hearing it wasn't another external invasion, Yann Miao and the others quickly dispersed, leaving only Bai Lu behind.

Another moment passed, and the portal slowly faded from view.

Only then did Lu Ye step away from the spot. Even earlier, he hadn't lowered his guard. Who knew if the specter would suddenly jump up and force the portal; she would indeed do such a thing.

"Has she not caused any trouble for you recently?" Lu Ye asked Bai Lu.

Bai Lu smiled, "You're right, she's a clever one. So even though we haven't restricted her, she hasn't harmed any of our people."

Lu Ye nodded, "Still, be careful. Do not let her come into contact with Bai Shuang."

"I'm aware of that. Over on Bai Shuang's side, someone is always secretly watching."

"What are you talking about, why am I not allowed to hear?" The specter sensed the two were communicating via Mental Consciousness, and promptly voiced her disapproval. Her eyes were still red and swollen, yet she displayed overwhelming curiosity, seeming utterly ridiculous.

"None of your business!" Lu Ye snapped.

The specter scooted over, speaking with eager anticipation, "Fa Wuzun, when are we leaving here?"

Lu Ye glanced at her, "Did I say you could leave?"

The specter said, "You just said that if I stopped crying, I could leave!"

"What I said was if you cry again, don't even think about leaving!"

"Isn't it the same thing?" The specter looked as if it should be self-evident.

Lu Ye was too weary to argue further. With a shift in conversation, he said, "We need to settle the account on your mischief!"

"How are you planning to settle it…" The specter looked pitiful, "I don't have any money anyway!"

Anyone familiar with her knows she's dirt poor.