Chapter 1255: Abandoning the Sword

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Wind Rises in Kyushu

Wind Rises in Kyushu

The ghost cultivator died too quickly, so fast that his two companions had no time to offer aid. This doesn't mean the ghost cultivator's strength was truly so vulnerable; among the cultivators participating in this grand event, none would be weak.

It was simply that Lu Ye's timing was exquisitely precise; his counterattack occurred almost the very instant the ghost cultivator unleashed his full power.

To achieve a single-strike kill, all ghost cultivators explode with their full power at the moment they strike. This precise moment is also when ghost cultivators are most vulnerable.

The opportunity was fleeting, yet Lu Ye seized it perfectly. A ghost cultivator with virtually no defenses stood no chance of survival against the cleaving strike of the Pan Mountain Blade.

Such a reaction isn't something everyone possesses; it's combat experience honed only through numerous life-and-death battles.

He gazed indifferently at the female cultivator, his eyes devoid of emotion, as if looking at a dead person.

The female cultivator was terrified, her skin prickling all over. It was her body's instinctive reaction when a sense of danger reached its peak. Having long experienced battles, how could she not know what this meant?

Without waiting for Lu Ye to make another move, she decisively retreated, shouting, "Zhu Chou, I'm not getting involved in your mess anymore!"

While her words seemed directed at her companion, they were actually for Lu Ye, meant to declare her stance. Even after saying this, she dared not relax her guard, fearing Lu Ye would pursue her with his blade. To her relief, the opposing soldier cultivator merely stared at her indifferently, showing no intention of giving chase.

Only after retreating to a relatively safe distance did the female cultivator quickly turn and depart.

They were originally very loose allies. When there were benefits, they could briefly cooperate wholeheartedly, but once difficulties arose, their alliance would disintegrate.

The female cultivator could retreat, but Zhu Chou could not. He remembered Lu Ye, and Lu Ye certainly remembered him. Since Lu Ye had chosen to act here, there was no possibility of a peaceful resolution.

Before setting off, his elders had already instructed him that if the opportunity arose, he must eliminate this soldier cultivator to vent their long-held resentment.

Thus, almost the instant the female cultivator retreated, Zhu Chou boldly lunged towards Lu Ye to kill him. Even though Lu Ye had just displayed his formidable strength by striking down the ghost cultivator with a single blade, Zhu Chou showed no fear, for dealing with soldier cultivators was precisely what he excelled at.

As he charged, three pitch-black spheres suddenly appeared around him, rapidly rotating about his body.

In a blink, he was close. Before he even made a move, the three pitch-black spheres, still spinning, hurled themselves towards Lu Ye.

Although Lu Ye didn't know what these strange things were, he knew they shouldn't be touched lightly. The Pan Mountain Blade descended, slicing through the gaps between the rotating spheres.

This strike could have landed on Zhu Chou, but the black spheres, which had been rotating quite regularly, suddenly became chaotic. One of them bizarrely paused, perfectly intercepting the Pan Mountain Blade's attack.

It was too late for Lu Ye to pull back his hand. The long blade struck the black sphere. It didn't shatter, nor did it offer much resistance. Instead, the black sphere suddenly disintegrated, transforming into a mass of black light that adhered to the Pan Mountain Blade. In an instant, the Pan Mountain Blade became incredibly heavy. This wasn't all; the other two masses of black light also attached themselves, making the blade's weight even more terrifying.

In all his cultivation, this was the first time Lu Ye felt unable to lift his blade. The terrifying weight even caused his body to sink slightly.

He finally understood what these three masses of black light were. They could actually attach themselves to a soldier cultivator's weapon, arbitrarily adding a mountainous weight.

A soldier cultivator without a weapon is like a tiger without its fangs; how much of their strength can they truly wield?

This was Zhu Chou's infallible method for dealing with soldier cultivators. Relying on this unique secret art, he had already killed two soldier cultivators previously. He believed the one before him would be no exception.

So he laughed loudly and swung his fist down: "Die!"

This punch was as powerful as lightning, its force immense. As the fist energy surged outwards, even the surrounding void began to twist.

He had expected to at least leave the soldier cultivator bruised and battered. To his surprise, the opponent reacted incredibly fast, actually swinging a fist to meet him.

The moment their fists connected, the smile on Zhu Chou's face suddenly froze. He felt an immense, irresistible power from the opponent's fist, a power so great that it left him feeling utterly outmatched.

"This... was a soldier cultivator?" Zhu Chou suddenly doubted if he had misjudged him.

Just as he lost focus, Lu Ye had already kicked out. This instinctive reaction was incredibly swift. Zhu Chou simply had no room to react, and was forcefully kicked in the stomach, sending him flying like a broken sack of rags.

Seizing this opportunity, Lu Ye looked down at his Pan Mountain Blade. He tried to lift and swing it, but it was incredibly sluggish because the blade was now astonishingly heavy. He attempted to channel his spiritual power to dispel the black light clinging to the blade, but it had no effect. That layer of black light didn't appear to be substantial, but was actually countless tiny, peculiar black grains of sand, each possessing immense weight.

This was likely something Zhu Chou specifically refined to counter cultivators' treasured artifacts. Whether it was a soldier cultivator's weapon or a sword cultivator's flying sword, once contaminated, it would be impossible to wield freely.

From this perspective, any cultivator who relied on their spiritual artifacts to unleash their full power would not have an advantage against Zhu Chou.

Indeed, the starry sky was vast and full of wonders. Lu Ye had previously exchanged blows with cultivators of various races, always broadening his horizons. He had thought himself well-informed, but who knew he was still narrow-minded?

Undeniably, this black sand was an extraordinary item. What exactly it was, Lu Ye didn't know.

Without dwelling on it, Lu Ye looked up at Zhu Chou, who had managed to regain his footing not far away. With a relaxed grip, Lu Ye let go, and the Pan Mountain Blade plunged straight downwards.

Zhu Chou was somewhat dumbfounded.

In the past, he had used this unique method to deal with soldier cultivators, consistently causing them to panic and become flustered. This was because no soldier cultivator would easily abandon their weapon. What was a soldier cultivator without a weapon? Especially since soldier cultivators' weapons typically accompanied them for many years; they were extensions of their bodies, not to be easily discarded.

He could exploit this point, putting soldier cultivators in a dilemma, controlling the rhythm of the battle, and then deciding their fates.

But what he saw now was clearly abnormal. The soldier cultivator opposite him had actually discarded his long blade so easily!

"The blade lives, the man lives; the blade perishes, the man perishes." Where was your soldier cultivators' pride and persistence?

Boom...

As the huge sound resonated, the Pan Mountain Blade, falling from the sky like a meteorite, crashed into the valley below. The immense impact created cracks in the earth, stirred up strong winds, and caused trees to sway.

Swaying along with them was Zhu Chou's body.

No other reason: Lu Ye had already charged before his opponent, summoning a short cudgel in each hand—precisely the two spiritual treasures from the powerful insectoid, Yan Ya.

Without the Pan Mountain Blade, he indeed couldn't unleash his full strength. But if it was just to deal with a body cultivator, having the Pan Mountain Blade or not seemed irrelevant.

In any case, it was close-quarters combat, where brute force triumphs over skill. The two short cudgels blurred into afterimages, raining down strikes on Zhu Chou. He hadn't refined these two spiritual treasures, so he couldn't activate the restrictions within them. All he could exert was the amplification of his own physical strength.

Zhu Chou raised his arms to block, while his other hand swung a fist in retaliation, spiritual energy and vital blood surging around his body.

At first, he could counterattack a few times, but he soon realized something was wrong. Compared to himself, a legitimate body cultivator, the soldier cultivator opposite him surpassed him in both speed and strength.

This forced him into full defensive mode.

Clanging sounds continuously echoed throughout the valley. It had to be said, body cultivators truly had tough physiques. Even with Lu Ye's frenzied attacks, Zhu Chou managed to block them all. The feedback from striking him gave Lu Ye the illusion of hitting a copper wall or an iron fortress.

When cultivators' cultivation levels were low, body cultivators' physiques, though stronger than other factions, didn't offer a significant advantage. However, as cultivation improved, the benefits of a powerful physique would become increasingly pronounced. At the Divine Sea Realm level, body cultivators' physical bodies were their most relied-upon spiritual treasures.

Therefore, cultivators at this level rarely used defensive artifacts, as those artifacts' defensive capabilities might not even be stronger than their own physiques. Moreover, expending effort to activate the artifact's power during combat would be counterproductive.

But this didn't mean body cultivators had no defensive spiritual treasures. They always kept one or two prepared for emergencies!

Zhu Chou also possessed a defensive spiritual treasure. Seeing the unfavorable situation, he immediately activated it. It transformed into a protective barrier enveloping him. In an instant, his entire body glowed brilliantly, as if coated in a layer of golden light.

But this layer of golden light lasted less than ten breaths before it shattered with a roar. No matter how sturdy the defense, it couldn't withstand such ceaseless bombardment, especially such violent, brute-force attacks.

The moment the golden light broke, a look of despair flashed in Zhu Chou's eyes. He knew his chances were grim this time.

In the past, whenever he suppressed a soldier cultivator's weapon, he was always successful. But this time, he had unexpectedly failed badly.

It truly echoed the old saying: "One who often walks by the river cannot avoid getting wet feet."

With a crunching sound, Zhu Chou's arms broke, and he grimaced in pain. With this strike, his solidified vital blood defense also violently wavered.

Like the last straw that broke the camel's back, his previous persistence and resistance transformed into complete collapse at this moment.

With a fierce expression, he advanced instead of retreating, opening his broken arms as if to embrace Lu Ye. From his appearance, it was clear that even if he were to die, he would take a bite out of Lu Ye.

How could Lu Ye grant his wish? As he floated lightly backward, the two short cudgels in his hands swung even more ferociously, aiming directly for Zhu Chou's head.

Until the final cudgel struck, Zhu Chou's head suddenly exploded, scattering blood like rain, resembling a blooming blood-red rose.

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