Chapter 1147: Inviting the Wolf into the House

Lu Ye couldn't help but recall the golden light band within the female Saint's Blood River. Based on his previous speculation, she had gained something from the underground Blood River this time, acquiring more sacred blood. However, she hadn't fully refined it, which was why it manifested externally after she activated her Blood River Art. If this were true, it would imply that the more sacred blood one refined, the nobler their bloodline became. The female Saint had refined more sacred blood than he had, allowing her to exert bloodline suppression over him. Although it was a guess with no concrete evidence, Lu Ye felt that this was likely the truth.

If Lu Ye had interacted with more Saints, he might have discovered this earlier. However, the only Saint he had encountered in the Blood Refining Realm before was Lan Qiyue, whose strength was not high at the time and who was completely unaware of such secrets unique to Saints. Lu Ye himself naturally didn't know either. He only learned of his ability to suppress ordinary Blood Race members' bloodlines upon his return to the Blood Refining Realm this time. As for his Senior Brother and the many elders, although they had been in the Blood Refining Realm for decades or even a century, they had always only fought with Saints. They knew Saints had absolute control over ordinary Blood Race members, but how could they have known there were also distinctions in bloodline nobility among Saints themselves? This led to some unexpected complications in his plan, which, upon reflection, stemmed from insufficient intelligence.

The reason he had rushed out at that moment and plunged into the Blood River was originally to activate his Blood River Art, intending to envelop the opponent's Blood River. This would negate the geographical advantage she had created. Furthermore, with his Blood River encircling her, it would be much harder for the female Saint to break through and escape, making the continued maintenance of the entrapment formation less critical. Undeniably, the Blood River unleashed by the female Saint was massive, especially since she needed to use it to conceal her form, naturally holding nothing back. Thus, her Blood River Art should have been pushed to its limit. Lu Ye's Blood River was also vast, but in comparison, it was still slightly inferior to the female Saint's Blood River. After all, the difference in cultivation realms was evident, and in terms of sheer size, the enemy's Blood River was stronger. However, within that short period, Jian Guhong and Wei Fufeng had continuously attacked, and Lu Ye himself had activated numerous killing formations. This caused the female Saint's Blood River to shrink, making it ultimately smaller than Lu Ye's. Had there been no unexpected developments, Lu Ye would have been able to execute his plan by activating his Blood River Art at this moment. Yet, the innate bloodline suppression caused his Blood River to shrink significantly, rendering him unable to complete his original plan.

In any battle, there are always various unforeseen circumstances; not everything can go smoothly. Although Lu Ye was young, he had experienced numerous life-or-death struggles, developing a resilient and tenacious character. The moment he sensed something was amiss, he decisively spread his Blood River over the opponent's, creating a barrier between her Blood River and the light barrier of the entrapment formation. His thought process was simple: if he couldn't complete his intended plan, he would buy time. To buy time, he needed to ensure the final layer of the entrapment formation's light barrier wasn't broken. The barrier formed by his own Blood River was sufficient for this purpose.

Inside the Blood River, the female Saint's astonished cry rang out: "A Saint... no, you're a Human Race member!" She was utterly shocked at that moment because, in the history of the Blood Refining Realm, it was unheard of for a Human Race member to possess Saintly power. Humans were considered blood food for the Blood Race. Throughout the Blood Refining Realm, before the elders from Kyushu arrived, there were few Divine Sea realm experts among humans. Even those Divine Sea realm cultivators were merely blood slaves cultivated by the Blood Race themselves. For a Blood Race member to become a Saint required immense fortuitous encounters, let alone a Human Race member. Thus, she couldn't comprehend how a Saint could emerge from the Human Race. Moreover, at this very moment, this Human Race Saint was causing significant trouble for her grand escape plan. Obstructed by Lu Ye's Blood River, she could no longer erode the third layer of the entrapment formation's light barrier. That barrier was clearly on the verge of breaking, yet she found herself unable to act. Infuriated, she gnashed her teeth and roared, "You know nothing of a Saint's power!"

He realized this was inevitable. Inheritance was one thing, but many truths could only be truly understood through personal experience. Lu Ye desperately resisted the assimilation of the opponent's Blood River, but it was futile. What made him feel fortunate was that this assimilation was not an outright seizure. In other words, although the female Saint had dominance over the merged Blood River, he could still resist; he just wasn't strong enough, which was quite frustrating. It felt like he was being forcibly overwhelmed.

The moment she spoke, Lu Ye immediately felt his own Blood River showing signs of wanting to merge with hers, a merging that was beyond his control. Due to their shared lineage, the Blood Race's blood arts could often form incredibly intricate cooperations. This was especially true for the Blood River Art; Blood Rivers unleashed by different Blood Race members could easily merge, forming a larger Blood River. With the strongest Blood Race member leading, and others following, they could unleash even greater power. In essence, the Blood River Art was a unique formation exclusive to the Blood Race, allowing for effortless collaboration. Of course, this collaboration had its limits, entirely dependent on the strength of the strongest individual leading the merged Blood River. The stronger the individual, the more Blood Rivers could be assimilated; conversely, the fewer. What Lu Ye was experiencing at this moment was the assimilation of the Blood River Art. Because her bloodline was superior to his, even though Lu Ye resisted upon sensing danger, his Blood River rapidly merged into hers. And due to her stronger bloodline, the female Saint had greater dominance over the merged Blood River.

Things became somewhat awkward. Lu Ye's original intention was to assist Jian Guhong and the others, but now he found himself entangled, which was completely unexpected. He had received the full inheritance of the Blood Race and wasn't entirely ignorant of the Blood River Art's assimilation, but he truly hadn't known such a situation could occur. Just as the female Saint had said, he lacked understanding of a Saint's power.

As the Blood Rivers gradually merged, the barrier Lu Ye had ingeniously created lost its intended effect. The already dim light barrier of the entrapment formation became even more precarious, on the verge of collapsing at any moment. The battle had now entered its final stage. Even if Jian Guhong and the others continued to exert their full strength, it seemed they could no longer prevent the enemy's escape.

At that very instant, the female Saint suddenly noticed something amiss. Lu Ye seemed to have completely given up resisting, allowing her to merge with his Blood River. Not only did he cease resistance, but he even seemed to be actively facilitating the merger. In the blink of an eye, the two Blood Rivers merged into one, indistinguishable from each other. Lu Ye clearly sensed the three figures battling within the Blood River: essentially, one was fleeing while two pursued. The female Saint darted frantically within the Blood River, with Jian Guhong and Wuchang hot on her heels.

Although the female Saint held an absolute advantage in the struggle for Blood River assimilation, she was completely at a disadvantage in the internal conflict within the Blood River. Moreover, she had been injured by Wuchang's sneak attack just as she appeared. At this very moment, she had several new injuries, clearly the work of Jian Guhong. The sword qi lingering in those wounds was so potent that even the powerful regenerative abilities of a Blood Race Saint could not immediately heal them.

It was at this very instant that Lu Ye activated the power of his Talent Tree! In a flash, countless invisible root-like tendrils extended throughout the entire Blood River, frantically devouring and absorbing everything around them. The female Saint had sensed something was wrong when Lu Ye actively assimilated his Blood River, but she couldn't pinpoint what it was. Until this moment... The instant the Talent Tree's devouring power activated, she let out a shriek filled with panic. She clearly felt her strength rapidly draining away. Within the Blood River, countless invisible black holes seemed to appear, and these imperceptible black holes were precisely the source of her vanishing power. She had no idea what was happening; she only knew that all these changes occurred after Lu Ye shifted from resisting to actively facilitating the merger. In a short time, she made a decision, her form flickering as she lunged at Lu Ye within the Blood River.

She could sense Lu Ye's location, and Lu Ye, naturally, could sense hers. After their Blood Rivers merged, neither party could conceal their movements within it. As she attacked, Lu Ye naturally evaded. Although his current strength was not weak, Lu Ye had no interest in directly confronting a Saint. That would not be bravery, but foolishness. So, sensing her intention, he shifted his body, moving towards Jian Guhong and Wuchang. Before the female Saint could reach him, she was intercepted by the combined efforts of these two elders.

A soft "snap!" echoed. The third layer of the entrapment formation's light barrier finally shattered. At this point, there was no longer any obstacle preventing the enemy's escape. But the female Saint could no longer escape. Her merging with Lu Ye's Blood River, which seemed like a stroke of genius, was in fact digging her own grave, inviting a wolf into her house. This was because, without dealing with Lu Ye first, she was utterly unable to move her Blood River efficiently. Even if she forced it, her speed would be minimal. It was as if she and Lu Ye were just ordinary mortals: she wanted to run, but Lu Ye was hanging onto her, making it impossible for her to move quickly! To regain her original escape speed, she had only one option: shake Lu Ye off. In other words, she had to separate their two Blood Rivers again. Of course, she could also abandon her own Blood River, but doing so would mean losing not only a vast amount of vital blood and life force but also abandoning the sacred blood she had previously refined, thereby losing her identity as a Saint. This was something she absolutely could not tolerate. Moreover, if she truly abandoned her Blood River, she would be able to shake off Jian Guhong and Wuchang's pursuit. But in doing so, she would be severely weakened and only die faster. Realizing this problem, she acted accordingly: she had to quickly separate their two Blood Rivers if she wanted any chance of escaping.