Chapter 1157: Life and Death Struggle

A new storm brewed across the Nine Provinces.

In the fierce clash, their respective defenses shattered simultaneously. Saint Mohai's sharp fingernails pierced through Lu Ye's chest. Just a few more inches, and they would have pierced his heart.

If that had happened, Lu Ye would have surely died, no matter how great his abilities were.

However, Saint Mohai quickly sensed something was wrong. The sensation from his fingernails wasn't like piercing flesh and blood; instead, it felt like stabbing into a thick, dry piece of wood, encountering immense resistance.

He immediately understood one thing: this human's physical strength was truly no less than his own.

Only such a level of physical prowess could withstand his attack.

Although he had noticed his opponent's strong physique during their previous combat, he never expected it to be this formidable.

It was unbelievable!

He quickly prepared to unleash his power, striking while the iron was hot, to take Lu Ye's life. But at that moment, a sharp pain suddenly shot through his mind.

As his fingernails pierced Lu Ye's chest, Lu Ye's Panshan Saber also struck him, breaking through his blood-qi defense and leaving a wound on his body.

The wound wasn't large; for a battle of this caliber, it was merely a flesh wound at most. However, the subsequent burst of the Soul-Slaying Saber's power caught Saint Mohai completely off guard.

In a flash, an invisible saber light seemed to slash into his divine sea, deeply striking his soul spirit body.

With a pained groan, Saint Mohai involuntarily slowed his attack. He didn't even understand what had happened, detecting no signs of Lu Ye activating soul power, yet his own soul had been attacked.

The faint sense of crisis that had lingered in his heart since the start of the battle suddenly intensified to its extreme. Saint Mohai had no time for anything else; he instinctively activated the Blood Burst technique!

This time, he didn't detonate his own essence blood, but rather the blood from the wound in Lu Ye's pierced chest.

With a muffled thud, Lu Ye's body shook, blood splattering from his chest, his clothes torn, instantly turning into a bloody, indistinct mess.

But he seemed oblivious, wildly swinging his Panshan Saber. A deluge of saber light, like a torrential storm, enveloped Saint Mohai.

The pain in his soul had just subsided, only to be followed by more intense and continuous pain.

Saint Mohai finally understood the strange power of his opponent's long saber: it could inflict soul damage while simultaneously wounding the physical body.

What a strange ability—but for him, it was a profound catastrophe.

His soul was continuously struck by invisible saber light. Initially, Saint Mohai could endure it, but after only a moment, he could no longer bear it and cried out in agony.

Wailing, he retreated, trying to escape Lu Ye's assault. However, Lu Ye had been waiting for this opportunity. Now that it had arrived, he wouldn't easily give up, relentlessly pursuing like a parasitic worm.

During his escape, Saint Mohai did not abandon his counter-attack. His combat experience might have been insufficient, but his cultivation and strength were undeniable. Knowing how to react correctly in a crisis was an instinct ingrained in his bones.

As Lu Ye slashed at him repeatedly, Saint Mohai fiercely swung his fists, continuously striking Lu Ye's body.

He tried to force Lu Ye to retreat through this exchange of injuries. He didn't need much time, just a few seconds to adjust, and he would recover.

By then, he would never let that long saber strike him again, not even once.

The battle had suddenly escalated to a fever pitch.

Life-and-death struggles were like this: often, it was difficult to determine a victor for a long time, but once one side seized an opportunity, the battle would instantly intensify.

Each downward swing of the Panshan Saber caused minor flesh wounds to Saint Mohai, followed by soul attacks that rocked his soul spirit body, leaving him restless and disoriented. In this situation, he could not escape Lu Ye's pursuit.

In contrast, Lu Ye's injuries were undoubtedly far more severe than his.

The wounds left by the Panshan Saber were merely superficial flesh wounds, but each punch Saint Mohai landed on Lu Ye produced a loud thud, with violent power exploding within his body. Several bones broke, and his right eye was bloodshot, his vision blurred—the result of a direct blow from Saint Mohai's fist.

The situation became somewhat comical: Lu Ye, clearly more severely wounded, was ferociously pursuing the less injured Saint Mohai with an unstoppable momentum.

But many things cannot be judged by appearances alone. At least, both parties in the battle understood who held the advantage and who was at a disadvantage.

Gradually, Saint Mohai's body was covered in dense, crisscrossing saber marks; there was hardly a spot left intact. His blood-qi defense had long since shattered, rendering it completely ineffective against Lu Ye's fierce slashes.

Saint Mohai's agonizing screams had not ceased since they began, which greatly alarmed the numerous Blood cultivators watching from afar.

However, they were unaware of the exact situation within the Blood Sea, nor did they dare to venture forward to investigate.

Only Lan Qiyue, who was also within the Blood Sea, had a clear understanding of the battle's progression.

Her growth in recent years had been remarkable. After all, every Saint Seed was a child of fortune in the Blood Refining Realm, and cultivation came easily to them. She had believed her strength had long surpassed her senior brother's when he left years ago, and she had even wanted to surprise him upon their reunion. Instead, she was the one who received the surprise.

Her senior brother was still her senior brother. She had been almost powerless against Saint Mohai, yet her senior brother could make him so disheveled. She was filled with admiration.

"Let me go. I will never step foot within a hundred thousand li of this area again," Saint Mohai suddenly offered.

This was undoubtedly a sign of weakness.

He had no other choice, because if this continued, his situation would only worsen, and he might very well die here.

Although he was a Saint Seed, speaking to a human in such a manner was undignified, but everyone had an instinct for survival. He did not want to die, especially not at the hands of a human.

Moreover, he believed that even if his opponent could kill him, it would come at a heavy cost. Therefore, perhaps he could negotiate.

One could only say that Saint Mohai was too naive. With the battle having progressed this far, how could Lu Ye easily let him leave? This battle was naturally a matter of life or death.

So, in response to Saint Mohai's proposal, he remained completely indifferent, even intensifying his attacks.

Receiving no response, Saint Mohai understood Lu Ye's intent and immediately abandoned his hope for a shameful survival. He stopped screaming, knowing it would only make him appear more pathetic. Facing Lu Ye's assault, he retaliated with equal ferocity.

He was gambling that Lu Ye would collapse before he was killed.

The life-and-death struggle between two evenly matched opponents had now become a contest of will and endurance.

Saint Mohai's soul was severely damaged, and his mind was unstable. Lu Ye had accumulated internal injuries, and his body was damaged. Neither was significantly stronger than the other.

The Panshan Saber slashed down, a fierce blade light flashing. This strike landed heavily on Saint Mohai's neck.

Lu Ye had struck this spot many times before, each time worsening the injury to Saint Mohai's neck. This latest strike severed more than half of his neck. If the force had been slightly fiercer and the Panshan Saber slightly sharper, it could have almost decapitated him.

At lower cultivation levels, Body Cultivators were merely slightly stronger in physique and didn't have much advantage over other cultivation paths. But as cultivation increased, the benefits of a strong physique gradually became apparent, especially at Saint Mohai's level, where physical strength was almost comparable to a Spirit Treasure.

Such an injury would have been impossible for any other cultivator to endure, but for a Body Cultivator, it was truly nothing.

As this saber strike landed, Lu Ye took a heavy punch to the chest, which made his body shake and his heart almost stop beating.

A mouthful of fresh blood uncontrollably spewed out, quickly dissolving into the Blood Sea.

Lu Ye's consciousness also began to blur, not due to the opponent's soul attack, but from the severe accumulation of injuries.

Since embarking on the path of cultivation, he had never truly fought an enemy to this extent.

This was a crisis, but also a crucible. Overcome it, and the world would open up; fail, and his life would end.

Instinctively swinging his saber, repeatedly trading injuries with the powerful enemy, Lu Ye felt as if his entire body was about to fall apart. Yet, from beginning to end, he maintained an offensive stance, never retreating even a single step.

He didn't know how much longer the enemy could last, but he absolutely could not fall before the enemy truly collapsed.

Until a certain moment, when Lu Ye swung the Panshan Saber again towards Saint Mohai, who was within arm's reach, the expected counterattack did not come.

Saint Mohai remained in a punching posture, his entire body seemingly frozen, standing stiffly as the saber light continuously struck him.

His eyes were dim, devoid of any vitality, and even the fierce aura that had surrounded him had completely extinguished.

He was dead.

Not killed by Lu Ye's blade, but by the shattering of his soul.

The Soul-Slaying Saber's repeated soul attacks, accumulating over time, finally caused his soul spirit body to break down completely.

This was unexpected for Lu Ye. He had been trying to slice off Saint Mohai's head but failed. Instead, he had ended up slaying the opponent's soul first.

Staring fixedly at Saint Mohai before him, Lu Ye panted heavily. He slowly raised the Panshan Saber in his hand and brought it down one last time.

This strike still landed on Saint Mohai's neck, but this time, it met no resistance. As the blade sliced through, Saint Mohai's head was separated from his body.

At the edge of the Blood Sea, Lan Qiyue rapidly rushed towards Lu Ye's position, evidently sensing that the battle had reached its conclusion.

Lu Ye only managed to retract his Blood River into his body before his vision went black, and he completely lost consciousness. Before he fell unconscious, he faintly heard Lan Qiyue's panicked shouts.