Chapter 1040: What Are You?

Therefore, this formation, unique to the Blood Clan, is to some extent inferior to the various formations of the human race. Once activated, human formations amplify the strength of those participating to varying degrees.

As the first blood river shattered, Lu Ye and his Dao Soldiers, including Dao Thirteen, were revealed, surrounded by a large number of converging Blood Clan members. The sword gourd at his waist vibrated, and streaks of sword light, like bolts of silk, shot out, eliciting a chorus of screams.

In such a chaotic battlefield with enemies everywhere, a True Lake Realm weapon master's impact was quite limited, especially since the Blood Clan's blood arts had a strong corrosive effect on spiritual artifacts. Among the blade techniques he could employ, only Arc Moon was suitable for such a battlefield. However, Arc Moon consumed a significant amount of energy, so Lu Ye opted not to draw his blade and instead took out his sword gourd. The sword gourd still contained a large amount of sword qi, which was perfect for the current situation.

Not all Blood Clan members could summon their own blood rivers; this ability was exclusive to True Lake Realm Blood Clan members. Cloud River Realm Blood Clan members, in contrast, could only conjure blood mist to envelop themselves, which significantly reduced both their concealment and their threat. While sword qi raged from the gourd, Lu Ye's divine sense surged, and he led his Dao Soldiers headfirst into another blood river.

At the Azure Blood Holy Land, the distribution of human cultivators' strength was quite uneven. There were quite a few top-tier powerhouses, with several dozen venerated elders forming the backbone of the Azure Blood Holy Land. The number of basic and mid-level cultivators was also substantial, a common characteristic found everywhere, including the major sects of the Nine Provinces. However, powerhouses in the traditional sense, such as those between the Divine Sea Realm Fifth and Ninth Layers, were very few in number. This was unavoidable. The Azure Blood Holy Land had only been established for about thirty years. Even though Feng Wujiang had migrated a large number of humans from within a hundred thousand li of the Divine Palace Sea back then, and the Nine Provinces provided abundant resources as support, and the venerated elders personally instructed human cultivation, the time was ultimately too short. It was difficult for the Holy Land's human population to grow beyond the Fifth Layer. This was also where the human race suffered the most in every major battle with the Blood Clan.

While the venerated elders could indeed wreak havoc among the Blood Clan army, in confrontations at the level of traditional powerhouses, the human race consistently suffered heavy defeats. If not for the many venerated elders holding the line, the human side would have collapsed long ago. The emergence of the 'Same Root, Connected Branches' formation disk largely bridged this gap. Even if a few human cultivators at the Divine Sea Realm First or Second Layer formed an array, they would have the means to contend with a Divine Sea Realm Fifth Layer enemy and would likely hold an advantage.

Lu Ye's Blood Clan Dao Soldiers thus became even more valuable. Therefore, his mission in this war was not to kill Cloud River or True Lake Realm Blood Clan members, as these enemies could be left to human cultivators of equivalent strength. Instead, he needed to seek out and eliminate Divine Sea Realm Blood Clan members, which was the only way to continuously alleviate the pressure on the human side. Of course, Lu Ye would not show mercy to enemies he could easily eliminate; it was a mere side task, and there was no reason not to do it.

Although the battlefield was chaotic, Lu Ye's divine sense allowed him to easily locate Divine Sea Realm Blood Clan members, of whom there were still many among the Blood Clan forces. Under the 'Nine Palaces Linked' formation, one Divine Sea Realm Blood Clan member after another perished on the spot. In all his cultivation until now, Lu Ye had never experienced such exhilarating slaughter of Divine Sea Realm cultivators. Of course, he knew this wasn't purely his own ability; it was the combined power of his Dao Soldiers and himself.

However, continuous risk-taking eventually leads to trouble. His performance had caught the attention of many Blood Clan members, primarily because the Blood Clan couldn't understand why he had powerhouses from their own race assisting him. Dao Soldiers had never appeared on the battlefield of the two races' conflict before; their sudden appearance this time caused the Blood Clan to suffer greatly.

Immediately after eliminating a Divine Sea Realm Blood Clan member within a blood river and emerging from it, another blood river swiftly enveloped him and his group of Dao Soldiers, including Dao Thirteen. Immediately after, as blood light flickered, a figure seemed to float past in front of him. Lu Ye instinctively drew his Mountain-Cleaving Blade and struck forward. A clang echoed, and enormous power swept over him. Lu Ye felt his arm go numb and his qi and blood churn in his chest; if not for the assistance of the formation, he would certainly have suffered from that blow.

"It was a Divine Sea Realm Eighth Layer Blood Clan member!" Lu Ye instantly judged the opponent's cultivation. Among the Blood Clan members he had killed previously, the highest cultivation was only Divine Sea Realm Sixth Layer, making this the strongest Blood Clan member he had encountered so far. It wasn't that there were no Divine Sea Realm Ninth Layer members; among the hundreds of thousands in the Blood Clan army, Divine Sea Realm Ninth Layer cultivators were ubiquitous. However, those most powerful Divine Sea Realm members were currently besieging and restraining the human venerated elders. Each level of Blood Clan members had its own battlefield.

With the Blood Clan Dao Soldiers by his side, Lu Ye could clearly discern the enemy's location. This was how he had always fought enemies before, as only the Blood Clan themselves truly understood the intricacies of the blood river. As long as he found the Blood Clan's true form, eliminating the enemy was not difficult. But this time, the situation was different. The enemy's cultivation was too high and their movements too fast; though Lu Ye could discern their location, it was useless if he couldn't match their speed.

With a thought, Lu Ye activated the power of his Talent Tree. He had considered such a situation before the major battle, specifically how to deal with such a powerful opponent if he truly encountered one. Harnessing the power of the Talent Tree was undoubtedly the best method. Invisible roots extended out, plunging into all sides of the blood river... devouring everything! Lu Ye could devour even the power within a true blood river, let alone a secret art activated by the Blood Clan. Furthermore, the blood river conjured by the Blood Clan did not appear out of thin air; it was a manifestation of their own power, containing extremely concentrated energy. Consequently, when Lu Ye activated the Talent Tree to devour the blood river, it was equivalent to devouring the very essence of that Blood Clan powerhouse.

With the 'Nine Palaces Linked' formation, this Divine Sea Realm Eighth Layer Blood Clan member was temporarily unable to harm Lu Ye. Although Lu Ye also had no immediate way to deal with him, they couldn't remain in a stalemate forever. In the end, only the Blood Clan member would suffer. After a while, the blood river would collapse on its own, and the Blood Clan member's own strength would be diminished.

The changes in the blood river naturally did not escape the Blood Clan member's notice, as it was a manifestation of his own power. The moment he sensed something was wrong, he let out a strange cry, "What are you?!" It had always been the Blood Clan devouring human blood, but he never expected to witness a human being capable of devouring the Blood Clan. While his heart was in shock, he saw Lu Ye biting a blood crystal in his mouth and crushing it with a crunch. The battle had been going on for a long time, and Lu Ye had consumed a considerable amount of spiritual power. It was a good opportunity to replenish some. But when the Blood Clan member saw this, he couldn't help but feel terrified.

Feeling the blood river's power rapidly and continuously weakening, he no longer dared to maintain the secret art. He immediately enveloped himself, and the blood river quickly merged back into his body. Lu Ye was revealed as the winged spirit patterns on his back unfolded, boosted by Wind Step. He pounced on the Divine Sea Realm Blood Clan member like thunder and lightning, with Dao Thirteen and the other Blood Clan Dao Soldiers following like shadows, instantly drawing the enemy into their formation.

The Mountain-Cleaving Blade was held level in front of him. He thrust the blade forward, and specks of starlight flickered erratically. "Overlord's Way First Form: Myriad Stars!" Facing this attack, the Blood Clan member remained fearless; his Divine Sea Realm Eighth Layer cultivation gave him the confidence to do so. His divine sense surged, blasting towards Lu Ye. At the same time, he extended a hand, his sharp claws gleaming with a chilling light as they struck directly at Lu Ye's chest. If this blow had landed solidly, even with the protection of the Red Dragon War Armor, Lu Ye might not have been so lucky.

But at that instant, the spiritual power around the Blood Clan member suddenly became chaotic. Immediately after, a large petal appeared out of thin air. The petal was massive, and under the Blood Clan member's astonished gaze, it instantly wrapped him tightly. The Blood Clan member's sharp claws stopped at Lu Ye's chest, but Lu Ye's blade strike had already landed. Specks of blood splattered, and the Blood Clan member's body stiffened further. Simultaneously, Dao Thirteen's two fists struck out, and the other Blood Clan Dao Soldiers also attacked with claw-like hands. One-on-one, no one was his match, but under the cover of the formation, it was a group assault tactic, not a one-on-one fight.

Lu Ye retracted his blade and immediately rushed towards the location of another Divine Sea Realm Blood Clan member. Behind him, the Divine Sea Realm Eighth Layer Blood Clan member had already been reduced to a pile of mangled flesh. There wasn't even time to extract the blood crystal.

Two hundred zhang away, on the city wall, Yue Ji smiled faintly and retracted her slender, jade-like finger as her spiritual power slowly calmed. At the Azure Blood Holy Land, there were currently about seventy-odd venerated elders from the Nine Provinces who were still alive. On average, each small island could have six or seven people stationed to defend it. However, the small island where Lu Ye was located only had Meng Jie and Yue Ji. The reason for this arrangement was because of the Blood Clan Dao Soldiers Lu Ye had forged. With those hundred-plus Blood Clan Dao Soldiers, this side did not need too many venerated elders.

Earlier, Meng Jie had already charged out, with Lu Ye and his Dao Soldiers following closely, but Yue Ji remained stationed here. She was naturally not just watching. As a top-tier spell cultivator from the Nine Provinces, even just standing there, any Blood Clan member she targeted would not have a good outcome. However, because she had to remain on guard, she couldn't frequently make a move. Assisting Lu Ye at crucial moments was still possible. The petal that had just enveloped the Blood Clan member was her doing. If the Blood Clan member hid in a blood river, she might not have had a very effective method. But once he revealed himself, he was a target for her.

The battlefield was chaotic. Lu Ye could feel earth-shattering auras continuously colliding, those of the venerated elders from the Nine Provinces demonstrating their might. Almost every venerated elder was surrounded by a large number of Divine Sea Realm Blood Clan members, who, fearless of death, used their bodies and lives to tie down these elders. There were also those fighting individually; those were the Blood Clan Holy Seeds making their move. Although the venerated elders were formidable, the Holy Seeds were also impressive, with almost every one possessing the strength to match the elders. Lu Ye had previously thought that Star-Moon Saint Venerable was the only Holy Seed on their side, but he now realized he was mistaken. The northern front had at least five Holy Seeds, not just Star-Moon Saint Venerable. Previously, they had remained concealed, so Lu Ye couldn't sense them, but now that they had revealed themselves to fight, their powerful presence was obvious.

The Blood Clan army's attack had never stopped. The human side had concerns and could only maintain the front line a few hundred zhang away from the small island. They could not advance, as they wouldn't receive support from the rear, nor could they retreat, as that would allow the Blood Clan to break through their defenses. This range of several hundred zhang had clearly become a forbidden zone of death. The Blood Clan suffered huge casualties, and the human race also suffered significant losses. This war was like this, and all previous wars had been the same.