Chapter 1183: Bitter Battle

The Wind Rises in Kyushu

Over two months ago, when the Kyushu army entered the Blood Refining Realm, Lu Ye condensed his clone. He hadn't recalled it since, not because he lacked the time, but because there was no need to. During these two months, while his main body hunted Holy Seeds, his clone was also busy. Although the clone's kills were significantly fewer in number, it had still slain over thirty Holy Seeds. Naturally, the clone didn't let the Holy Blood left behind by the deceased Holy Seeds go to waste; it absorbed all of it into its body.

However, in terms of refining, the clone wasn't as efficient as the main body. This was because the clone's existence was rooted in only a segment of a Talent Tree's root; without sufficient Talent Tree fuel, it could only extract the sacred nature from the Holy Blood during refinement. The vast energy within the Holy Blood was discarded to avoid hindering the clone's performance. In other words, the clone also possessed an extremely powerful sacred nature. Although significantly inferior to the main body, it was still a level that the Blood Clan Holy Seeds could never hope to achieve.

Now, with the clone's return and fusion with the main body, its potent sacred nature was integrated into Lu Ye's essence. Instantly, Lu Ye felt a dramatic surge in his own sacred nature, causing his spiritual power to ripple intensely. Whether this level of sacredness was stronger or weaker than the Blood Giant's could only be determined by clashing with it. If it proved superior, there was hope for victory in today's battle; if still inferior, then retreat would be the only option. In that scenario, Lu Ye would inevitably have to venture deeper into the underground Blood River to seek out more Holy Blood, enhancing his sacred nature until the day he could suppress the Blood Giant. Only then would it be time for the cultivators of Kyushu to assault it. However, Lu Ye had a subtle feeling that in terms of sacredness, he might already surpass the Blood Giant. His sacred nature was derived from over a hundred Blood Clan Holy Seeds; no matter how formidable the Blood Giant was, it likely couldn't reach this level.

Collecting the fallen Red Dragon Battle Armor and Sword Gourd from the ground, Lu Ye turned and hurried towards the summit of Jade Pillar Peak. The battle here had visibly intensified. On the outskirts of the battlefield, several figures sat slumped, seemingly recuperating from injuries. In the brief time Lu Ye was away—less than an incense stick's burning time—several individuals had already been injured, and by their appearance, their wounds were not light. This was inevitable when clashing with an entity like the Blood Giant; a direct hit would almost certainly result in severe injury, unless one had adequate protection or an exceptionally strong physique.

Everyone noticed Lu Ye's return. Immediately, a portion of their attention shifted towards him, eager to see what method he might employ to turn the tide in this situation. Then they witnessed a sea of blood unfurl, like a crimson cloud enveloping the vast summit of Jade Pillar Peak. In an instant, the battlefield was plunged into twilight. A surprising sight emerged: as the sea of blood spread, the Blood Giant's movements visibly slowed, and its attacks lost their previous ferocity and sharpness. Within the sea of blood, Lu Ye's heart settled with certainty. Just as he had anticipated, he now held the advantage in terms of sacred nature, and it was a significant one. This exerted considerable suppression on the Blood Giant; its slowed movements and weakened attacks were the clearest indications of this.

The many powerful cultivators of Kyushu had been waiting for this very opportunity. Now that it had arrived, they wouldn't hold back. They unleashed their techniques, assailing the Blood Giant from all directions as they had at the start. Waves of power, capable of toppling mountains and overturning seas, struck the Blood Giant, causing blood-red light to splatter in dazzling profusion. Some cultivators even directly attacked the Holy Seed heads embedded in the giant. These heads were constantly unleashing spiritual power to interfere with everyone, proving quite annoying. Resolving them would remove many obstacles. For a time, the scene was intense, and the battle astonishing.

In previous confrontations with the Blood Giant, what frustrated the Kyushu cultivators most was the complete lack of opportunity to launch attacks. The Blood Giant's assaults were simply too sharp and too dense; they could only exert all their effort to dodge and resist. Such a battle offered no chance of victory. But now, things were different. Although the Blood Giant was still attacking, the Kyushu cultivators were also busy. As long as they could attack their opponent, there was hope of winning.

Amidst the fierce battle, Long Bai's thunderous laughter echoed, "Good lad, I knew you had it in you!" Though he wasn't entirely sure why Lu Ye could suppress the Blood Giant after a brief departure and return, this suppression was clearly related to that mysterious sacred nature. As humans, they simply couldn't perceive the existence of sacred nature; this invisible power was something only the Blood Clan could sense. Lu Ye's current situation wasn't ideal; the Blood Giant had clearly pinpointed the source of the suppression, so many of its attacks were directed towards him. Numerous uncanny blood techniques, emerging from the vortices all over the Blood Giant's body, surged into Lu Ye's sea of blood, attempting to slay him. All Lu Ye could do was constantly shift and change his position within the blood sea, while simultaneously activating its power to fend off the incoming attacks. Amidst the fierce fighting, the Holy Seed heads embedded in the Blood Giant's body were successively blown apart. Without the interference of these spiritual assaults, the Kyushu cultivators' offensive grew even more ferocious.

Even the few cultivators who had been recuperating at a distance rejoined the fray, unleashing their techniques. The situation appeared largely favorable, but in reality, everyone remained tense. Even in its suppressed state, the Blood Giant's attacks were not to be underestimated; any direct hit would inevitably result in death or severe injury. Only cultivators at the Ninth-Layer Divine Sea Realm could manage this; those with slightly weaker cultivation wouldn't survive long on such an intense battlefield. The Blood Giant likely possessed no physical body; its form was purely condensed from the vast Blood River. Therefore, no matter how many attacks continuously struck it, they couldn't inflict actual damage. The numerous indentations created by the attacks would instantly recover. However, this regeneration consumed the Blood Giant's foundation. What the Kyushu cultivators were doing now was to continuously deplete it until it completely vanished! The effect was quite noticeable, as everyone could clearly perceive the Blood Giant's size continuously shrinking—a clear sign that its foundation was being consumed. Nevertheless, no one was certain of ultimate victory, because while the Blood Giant's foundation was being depleted, the Kyushu cultivators' strength was also being exhausted. This was destined to be a war of attrition. Even with the Kyushu cultivators holding a clear upper hand at the moment, ultimate victory would depend on who could endure longer.

The Blood Giant continuously swung its six arms, relentlessly unleashing blood techniques. Every part of its massive body was a point of exertion. Even without the spiritual power assistance from the Holy Seed heads, it remained an unshakable force in the short term. As it swung a fist in one direction again, two sword-lights suddenly blossomed, then rotated in tandem, rushing towards the fist like a spinning top. The massive fist slammed into the sword-lights but failed to disperse them. Instead, the rotating sword-lights moved upwards along its arm, carving huge gashes in the crimson limb wherever they passed. At first glance, it appeared as if a ring of formidable sword-qi had encircled the Blood Giant's arm. The sword intent soared to the clouds, causing ripples in Lu Ye's sea of blood above.

In an instant, the sword ring surged to the Blood Giant's upper arm. The sword-lights then dispersed, revealing two figures on either side. They were none other than the two generations of Sword Masters from the Northern Profound Sword Sect: Jian Guhong on the left and Mu Suifeng on the right. Although they lived in vastly different eras, they belonged to the same lineage, and the sword techniques and true sword intent they could wield were passed down in an unbroken line. As they revealed themselves, both simultaneously swung their longswords, fiercely slashing towards the Blood Giant's location, their movements so synchronized it was as if they were mirroring each other. As astonishing sword-light erupted, the massive arm was severed at its base and plummeted downwards. However, before it could hit the ground, it disintegrated into a shower of blood. It was as if a rain of blood fell from the sky...

The Sword Masters' explosive strike seemed simple, but it was in fact a full-power attack. After delivering that single blow, both figures inevitably paused for a moment. Of course, the Blood Giant wouldn't simply endure the attacks without retaliating. A myriad of blood techniques suddenly formed within the vortices on its chest, shooting towards the two figures. A roar erupted as a dazzling golden light suddenly burst forth from Meng Jie. With an unknown evasion technique, he instantly appeared behind Jian Guhong and Mu Suifeng. Without time to carry them, he simply kicked them, sending the two Sword Masters flying away. Immediately afterwards, he hunched his body, his back blazing with golden light, as if carrying a large golden shield. Numerous blood techniques bombarded this golden shield. In the blink of an eye, the golden shield's luster dimmed, visibly on the verge of shattering.

But Meng Jie was no fool; he wouldn't stand still. He had already drifted forward, carried by the force of the attacks. "Look out!" someone exclaimed. Meng Jie immediately sensed trouble. Yet, before he could react, the sky, already obscured by Lu Ye's sea of blood, suddenly turned pitch black, and a colossal crimson palm slammed down towards him. This top-tier body cultivator from the Righteous Qi Sect was swatted down onto the summit of Jade Pillar Peak like a fly. The spiritual peak trembled, and a massive crater appeared on the ground. That wasn't the end of it. The Blood Giant then lifted a foot and stomped down precisely where Meng Jie had fallen. From its stance, it seemed determined not to stop until Meng Jie was dead. Fortunately, other cultivators intervened to restrain it, preventing the Blood Giant's foot from landing squarely.

Wuchang's figure flickered, arriving at Meng Jie's fall site. He dragged his blood-soaked companion out of the large pit, took a closer look, and breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, he's not dead." It took Meng Jie a long time to catch his breath. He felt as if countless bones in his body were broken. Even with his powerful physique, a direct slap from the Blood Giant had brought him to the brink of severe injury.