Chapter 1169: Good Helper

Novel

The clone had already begun its operations, while the main body remained dormant, biding its time.

Outside the Holy Island of Shenque Sea, the war raged intensely as the Blood Race army launched a full-scale offensive.

Although the Human Race's attrition tactics were relatively discreet, various anomalies still alerted the Blood Race to certain signs. While they didn't grasp the full extent of the deception, they understood the adage that prolonged delays lead to complications, necessitating a swift resolution to this battle.

Driven by this understanding, the Blood Race armies initiated a general assault from all four directions. The eastern front, in particular, saw exceptionally fierce fighting, as the Blood Race had concentrated the majority of their forces there.

The existence of the Bingzhou Legion could no longer be concealed. As the Blood Race launched their general offensive, the Bingzhou Legion simultaneously revealed its formidable presence, surging from various positions to join the defensive lines.

To their surprise, the Blood Race discovered that the Azure Blood Holy Land's defenses were far more robust than ever, with a significantly greater number of cultivators—certainly several times more.

Consequently, the Blood Race's previously unstoppable advance suddenly devolved into a tense stalemate.

The Blood Race couldn't comprehend this sudden shift, but with their attack already launched, there was no turning back. They had no choice but to engage in a head-on confrontation to determine superiority.

The battlefield became a chaotic maelstrom, with spiritual energy fluctuations turning incredibly turbulent. In the contested zone between the two factions, streaks of magical energy clashed relentlessly, and life was extinguished almost every moment.

Most of the casualties were from the Blood Race. The Human Race, after all, held a geographical advantage in defense, and numerous medical cultivators were constantly on standby. Any severely wounded cultivator was immediately retrieved and treated.

The Blood Race lacked this advantage; once they fell into the Shenque Sea, it was essentially a death sentence.

Amidst the overwhelming torrent of magical lights, Blood Race corpses plummeted into the Shenque Sea like falling dumplings.

Despite suffering immense casualties, the Blood Race still maintained a tactical advantage due to the sheer scale of their forces deployed in this siege of the Azure Blood Holy Land, which far surpassed any previous engagements.

The most evident sign was the gradual shrinking of the Human Race's defensive perimeter, indicating that their magical techniques were being suppressed.

This was inevitable. The Human Race comprised various schools, and spell cultivators, being only one faction, constituted a minority. Thus, in a defensive battle like this, only spell cultivators could project power from a distance.

The Blood Race, however, was different. Every member was a hybrid of physical and magical cultivation, capable of wielding potent blood arts.

Had the Human Race not been able to leverage pre-established magical formations, they would have been defeated long ago in this engagement.

Seemingly emboldened by hope, the Blood Race army intensified its ferocious assault.

Beyond the main battlefield on the Holy Island's periphery, numerous smaller battlegrounds were set, dedicated to clashes between the Human Race's top powerhouses and the Saint Seeds.

Approximately thirty Saint Seeds participated in this siege of the Azure Blood Holy Land, an astonishingly high number. While not all Saint Seeds from the southern region of the Blood Refinement Realm were present, at least seventy to eighty percent were.

This necessitated the deployment of even more top Human Race powerhouses to engage and neutralize them; otherwise, if left unchecked, they would inflict catastrophic casualties on the Human Race.

Throughout the sky, numerous blood rivers stretched out, forming a magnificent spectacle. Inside these rivers, fierce combat could be heard, indicating the sub-battlefields where the Human Race's top powerhouses clashed with the Saint Seeds. This long-standing understanding of warrior against warrior, general against general, had been maintained for decades, and this instance was no exception.

Amidst this chaotic situation, a figure, enhanced by stealth and aura-concealing spiritual patterns, quietly left the main battlefield and glided silently towards a massive blood river.

In such a chaotic environment, no one would specifically notice such a figure. With the added enhancements of stealth and aura concealment, it was practically invisible; even without them, it would likely have gone unnoticed.

The Saint Seed, who was currently channeling the blood river and fiercely battling a Human Race powerhouse, likely had no idea that there existed someone in this world who specifically targeted beings like them and possessed the unique abilities to counter them.

Lu Ye's choice of target was not random; it was strategic. He wasn't specifically targeting a particular Saint Seed, but rather focusing on the Saint Seed's opponent.

To eliminate a Saint Seed more effectively and quickly, one needed to choose the right partner.

Jian Guhong was undoubtedly the ideal candidate. Sword cultivators are known for their formidable destructive power and explosive combat style, especially top-tier sword cultivators like Jian Guhong. Given the right opportunity, he could achieve a single, decisive strike.

Thus, Lu Ye had been tracking Jian Guhong's movements even before he made his move, and they had already communicated.

Inside that blood river, the incessant clang of swords filled the air. Even through the dense crimson shroud, sharp bursts of sword light were faintly visible, clearly indicating Jian Guhong was employing his sword cultivation techniques to engage a Saint Seed.

Under normal circumstances, Jian Guhong would not have been so rash. Fighting a Saint Seed within their blood river was an extremely unwise tactic. The proper strategy would be to maneuver outside the blood river, exploiting weaknesses and opportunities while simultaneously diminishing the opponent's blood river's efficacy.

However, to coordinate with Lu Ye, entering the blood river became imperative.

The Saint Seed engaged in combat with him was secretly pleased, believing Jian Guhong had lost his mind by allowing him to gain such a significant tactical advantage.

With the aid of the blood river, how could he possibly lose? He was even confident that given enough time, he could wear Jian Guhong down to death!

It was amidst these expectations that he suddenly detected an unfamiliar aura intruding into his blood river.

The entire blood river was within his perception, so he instantly recognized the intruder as a Human Race cultivator at the fifth level of the Divine Sea realm.

Frankly, such a Human Race cultivator was beneath his notice; he could effortlessly dispatch them. With a mere thought, a blood cone materialized within the river, poised to extinguish the intruder's life.

However, in the very next instant, his mind was abruptly shaken, causing the blood river to churn.

This was because an intensely potent Sacred aura, strong enough to unsettle him, suddenly erupted with the Human Race's intrusion. His mind momentarily wavered, and the condensed blood cone violently disintegrated.

He utterly failed to comprehend how a Human Race member could possess such a formidable Sacred aura.

He didn't need to understand. The moment Lu Ye unleashed his Sacred aura, creating a bloodline suppression that drastically diminished the Saint Seed's strength, the numerous sword lights circling the Saint Seed suddenly flared with dazzling brilliance, converging simultaneously into its center!

For this decisive strike, Jian Guhong had been meticulously planning and waiting. The sword lights seemingly drifting aimlessly within the blood river were, in fact, positioned precisely for this explosive moment.

Had the Saint Seed's power not been suppressed, achieving this would have been exceedingly difficult, as the blood river's energy would have impeded the convergence of the sword lights.

But the moment Lu Ye appeared and the Saint Seed was suppressed, that impeding force dramatically weakened, and Jian Guhong knew his chance had arrived.

As they converged, countless sword lights also began to spin rapidly, instantly enshrouding the Saint Seed. In a flash, the Saint Seed was trapped within a whirling wheel of swords. The unparalleled sharpness of the sword energy cut through even the Saint Seed's formidable physique, which offered no resistance.

This was the terrifying destructive power of a top-tier sword cultivator.

To a certain extent, sword cultivators hold a significant advantage over physical cultivators, as their explosive destructive power can breach the physical defenses that physical cultivators pride themselves on.

The primary weakness of sword cultivators lies in their limited stamina, as their most potent techniques are burst-oriented, consuming vast amounts of their internal reserves. Therefore, the most prudent approach when facing a sword cultivator is to engage in a war of attrition. Once a prolonged battle ensues, a sword cultivator's power will steadily diminish, making victory almost inevitable for their opponent.

However, among those of similar cultivation levels, few could withstand a prolonged battle against a sword cultivator. A mere few flying sword strikes would leave several holes in their bodies.

While treasures could be used to counter the might of flying swords, the Blood Race never utilized such artifacts. Their blood arts possess extremely corrosive properties, rendering any treasure ineffective in their hands.

The standard of artifact crafting in the entire Blood Refinement Realm was remarkably low. No Blood Race member delved into the art of crafting, and even Human Race cultivators living there were influenced, showing little enthusiasm for it. At best, they would fashion simple items.

The sword wheel's rotational cutting shaved away the Saint Seed's flesh inch by inch. In the blink of an eye, the creature was almost reduced to a skeleton.

He was not yet dead. The Blood Race possesses an incredibly vigorous life force and vitality. Although his injuries were critically severe, he could still recover if given sufficient time.

However, he would never be granted that opportunity.

Two figures, one from the front and one from the rear, lunged at him, arriving at his position almost simultaneously.

Lu Ye's Panshan Blade was unsheathed from his waist, striking directly at the Saint Seed's neck. Simultaneously, a sharp sword appeared in Jian Guhong's hand, thrusting directly at the opponent's heart.

Under the powerful bloodline suppression, the Saint Seed's effective strength was, at most, equivalent to an ordinary cultivator at the ninth level of the Divine Sea realm. Facing such a pincer attack, how could it possibly defend itself?

Overwhelmed by an immense life-or-death crisis and tormented by excruciating pain, he momentarily faltered, unsure which attack to prioritize defending against.

He attempted to defend against both, resulting in him failing to block either.

Lu Ye's figure swept past him, his long blade severing the Saint Seed's neck. Simultaneously, the sharp sword in Jian Guhong's hand pierced its chest, and a surge of explosive power instantly erupted from the blade, blasting a massive hole through its torso.

The powerful impact sent its head soaring high, and the Saint Seed's aura instantly vanished as the blood river disintegrated.

Amidst the shattered flesh blasted from its chest, a prominent speck of golden light was clearly visible: its Sacred Blood.

The Sacred Blood refined by a Saint Seed is typically stored near the heart, functioning as the Saint Seed's heart blood. This is a substance superior to their own essence blood and constitutes the fundamental essence of a Saint Seed.

Jian Guhong's heart-piercing strike precisely dislodged this drop of Sacred Blood.

The entire engagement was lightning-fast. From Lu Ye's intrusion into the blood river to his combined effort with Jian Guhong to slay the Saint Seed, no more than three breaths of time had passed.