Chapter 1148: Roaring and Vigorous

But such a feat was far from easy. The female Holy Seed, who had been so imperious when she forcibly merged with Lu Ye's Blood River, was now equally discomfited.

As she tried to separate from the Blood River, Lu Ye continued to merge with it. Although his merging speed wasn't as quick as her separation, it significantly hampered her efficiency. At this rate, a complete separation would take her at least one or two hours.

One or two hours... she couldn't possibly last that long.

Even more critically, the power within her Blood River was rapidly draining. This was fatal, as the depletion of her Blood River's power meant her separation speed was slowing down even more. She finally realized she had reached her end. What led to this was not Jian Guhong or the others she considered formidable foes, but a human youth merely at the fifth level of the Divine Sea Realm.

How ironic.

As time passed, Lu Ye clearly felt the bloodline suppression on him steadily diminishing. If the previous suppression had felt like bearing the weight of a towering mountain, that mountain was now rapidly becoming lighter. This was all thanks to the Talent Tree's devouring and refining abilities. With their Blood Rivers fully merged, the Talent Tree's consumption was pervasive. The Blood River now contained not only the female Holy Seed's essence blood and vitality but also the unrefined Sacred Blood she had previously acquired through a stroke of luck. All of it now benefited Lu Ye. The most apparent sign was the rapid reduction of golden light streaks within the Blood River, which were undoubtedly being absorbed and refined by the Talent Tree. As a result, by refining more Sacred Blood, the gap in their bloodlines narrowed, and the bloodline suppression naturally diminished.

Lu Ye was in his element, while the female Holy Seed fought like a cornered beast. She abandoned all other tasks, focusing solely on relentlessly hunting Lu Ye within the Blood River! By this point, she knew she couldn't possibly survive. Outnumbered three to one, she was no match for the human race's top experts and couldn't escape. Only death awaited her. However, before that, she had one last task: to eliminate Lu Ye.

A human becoming a Holy Seed was unprecedented in the Blood Refinement Realm. If this individual lived, they would undoubtedly pose a significant threat to other Holy Seeds in the future. For the sake of the Blood Clan's future, and for the other Holy Seeds, she had to kill Lu Ye. Just as the human cultivators of Kyushu possessed a fierce spirit, so too did the Blood Clan. This race inherently improved by hunting each other for Blood Crystals. Before the emergence of the Jadeblood Holy Land, internal conflicts within the Blood Clan were even more intense than in Kyushu. Every blessed land, grotto-heaven, and even holy land was in a constant state of war with one another. Even now, in the distant northern reaches of the Blood Refinement Realm, far from the Jadeblood Holy Land, this situation remained unaltered. It was only in the southern reaches of the Blood Refinement Realm that the Blood Clan, spurred by the emergence of the Jadeblood Holy Land as a virulent threat, temporarily abandoned their enmities and united against it under the call of numerous Holy Seeds. External threats have always been the most effective method for fostering internal unity, a truth that holds true in both Kyushu and the Blood Refinement Realm.

The female Holy Seed possessed a spirit of self-sacrifice, but achieving her goal was now virtually impossible. Lu Ye was too astute to simply stand there and wait for her to kill him after sensing her intentions. A comical scene soon unfolded within the vast Blood River. Lu Ye flew at the forefront, with the female Holy Seed in pursuit. Jian Guhong and Wuchang, in turn, pursued the female Holy Seed. Simultaneously, Lu Ye also began moving closer to Jian Guhong and Wuchang. This created a peculiar, tumultuous circle of mutual pursuit. Meanwhile, outside the Blood River, Wei Fufeng continuously cast spells into it.

The female Holy Seed's injuries steadily worsened. Her single-minded pursuit of Lu Ye under the relentless assault of Jian Guhong and Wuchang naturally came at a cost. She had assumed that killing a fifth-level Divine Sea Realm cultivator would be trivial. However, Lu Ye was incredibly fast; she had never encountered a Blood Clan member at the fifth level who could move so quickly, unless they employed a Blood Escape Art. This, combined with Lu Ye's constantly improving bloodline, made her objective increasingly difficult to realize. As time wore on, the female Holy Seed's aura steadily weakened, a consequence of accumulating injuries, mainly inflicted by Jian Guhong. Wounds from a top-tier sword cultivator like him were not easily suppressed or healed; each one retained powerful Sword Dao True Intent. Her expression became a grotesque mask of unwillingness and fury, yet it was all in vain.

Then, at a certain moment, the female Holy Seed, who had felt utterly hopeless, suddenly noticed Lu Ye stop in front of her. She didn't understand why he would do this, but it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. So she instantly accelerated, pouncing directly before Lu Ye and lunging with her hand shaped into a claw, aiming for his head. It seemed inevitable that this claw would rip open Lu Ye's skull. Across from her, Lu Ye's eyelids were slightly lowered, one hand resting on the hilt of his Mountain-Pillar Blade, as spiritual power surged wildly around him.

He certainly hadn't stopped to court death. Rather, he felt that continuing this endless chase would involve too many unforeseen complications before he could finally dispatch his foe. He didn't want to prolong the fight any further. This was, after all, the Blood Refinement Realm, and their fierce struggle was causing a huge commotion that could spread far and wide. If powerful Blood Clan members were to arrive, it might stir up new trouble. Thus, the battle needed to be resolved swiftly!

At her peak, he would naturally be no match for a Holy Seed. But in her current severely injured state, it was uncertain how much of her full strength she could still wield. Even so, he didn't expect to be her equal, but merely hindering her for a moment... that should be manageable. With Jian Guhong and Wuchang in pursuit, if he could just create a momentary hindrance, their seasoned grasp of battle opportunities would likely allow them to deliver the decisive blow. To achieve a decisive victory, one naturally had to take some risks. This was precisely why he suddenly turned and stood his ground. He didn't summon the Dragon Seat primarily because he wanted to gauge the true disparity between himself and a Holy Seed.

The moment the female Holy Seed thrust out her claw, the Mountain-Pillar Blade roared from its sheath. He employed no elaborate blade techniques, only a simple, straightforward slash! Yet, it was a strike delivered with full power, for only by doing so could he accurately gauge the true gap between them. The instant Lu Ye's blade left its sheath, the female Holy Seed sensed his extraordinary nature. If before Lu Ye had been a cornered rabbit with nowhere to run, he was now a roaring lion. An overwhelmingly dominant and aggressive aura surged towards her with the descending blade. For a moment, the female Holy Seed felt as though she wasn't about to kill a fifth-level cultivator, but rather a ninth-level one. Only then did she realize she had gravely underestimated Lu Ye's capabilities. This human's strength could not be judged by ordinary standards; he could unleash power far beyond his actual cultivation realm.

But she had no retreat. She could only pour all her strength into that single claw, her sharp nails glowing with a blood-red light, their destructive power comparable to any spiritual treasure of the human race. The instant the long blade and the bloodied hand met, both felt an irresistible, immense force surging from the point of contact.

The Blood Clan, despite being unable to wield spiritual or magical artifacts due to the corrosive nature of their blood arts, were inherently a fusion of body cultivators and spellcasters. With their immense vital energy and life force, they could temper their physiques through years of cultivation. And thanks to their bloodline heritage, they could effortlessly unleash a variety of bizarre blood arts. Holy Seed-level Blood Clan members, in particular, possessed physiques comparable only to top-tier Divine Sea Realm cultivators like Meng Jie. This was why Lu Ye felt pressure, for at this moment, he was directly confronting a peak-tier body cultivator. Though this particular body cultivator was severely injured...

The female Holy Seed also experienced considerable pressure, a result of the activated heavy pressure spiritual pattern within the Mountain-Pillar Blade and the surge of Lu Ye's own power. Ever since he absorbed the vast vitality of the Bug Mother in the Bug Race's great secret realm, Lu Ye's physique had undergone a significant enhancement. He had always wanted to ascertain the full extent of this improvement, but opportunities had been scarce. Until now! The clash of their powers resulted in an immediate, mutual standoff. The colossal impact of their colliding powers created a void in the surging blood where their figures stood.

Though Lu Ye felt a shock reverberate through his body, his gaze remained as steady as ever. The female Blood Clan member opposite him, however, let out a muffled groan. For at the instant her palm collided with the Mountain-Pillar Blade, a wound was gashed into it. The injury itself wasn't severe enough to faze the Holy Seed, but the accompanying spiritual soul attack caught her completely off guard. The Soul-Severing Blade's characteristic was always its unpredictability. The next instant, Lu Ye's composure vanished as he hastily shouted to Jian Guhong and Wuchang, who were already poised to attack, "Retreat!" This was because an unusual fluctuation suddenly surged from the female Holy Seed's body, and a determined glint flashed in her eyes. Lu Ye immediately understood her intention. Such a secret technique could not only cause immense damage but also be used to ignite the essence blood within her body. This was a secret art of self-detonation, and its power was considerable.

Jian Guhong and Wuchang, both astute and seasoned veterans of countless battles, recognized her intent the instant the dangerous aura surged from the female Holy Seed. Wuchang fled faster than anyone, bolting from the Blood River in a flash. Jian Guhong delivered a swift sword strike and then retreated as well. A flash of sword light at the female Holy Seed's neck signified a decapitating strike. Jian Guhong seized the opportunity Lu Ye had created by turning to confront the enemy. Even though the female Holy Seed would have died by self-detonation regardless, facing an enemy, it was always more satisfying to deliver the killing blow oneself.