Chapter 141: Battle Growth

In a flash, the distance between them had already closed to ten zhang. Dong Shuye had just cast two spells, both of which Lu Ye dodged.

Spiritual power surged, and a fiery red disk appeared before Dong Shuye. From the disk, fist-sized fireballs erupted one after another, densely covering the area ahead. The dark cavern immediately brightened.

He had used this spell two and a half months earlier when he was pursuing Lu Ye. Compared to the Golden Arc Slash, individual fireballs were far less destructive, but their strength lay in their sheer number and wide area of effect. Furthermore, he was more adept at casting Fire-element spells than Metal-element ones.

Lu Ye, rushing straight at him, frowned. He immediately flashed back, shifting his feet to circle around the attack. However, Dong Shuye simultaneously adjusted his aim, continuously channeling his spiritual power into the red disk.

Boom, boom, boom, boom...

Fireballs flew out, hitting the cave walls on all sides, creating a cacophony of sounds. Behind a thick stalagmite, the exhausted Amber was curled up, motionless. Its stamina was too depleted to be of any help to Lu Ye. Before the battle, Lu Ye had instructed it to hide here to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

Even if Amber had conserved its stamina, it would have been difficult for it to intervene in such a battle. While it had grown considerably, it was still far inferior to the enemies Lu Ye had to face.

Lu Ye's plan to rush forward failed. He could only circle continuously, using the towering stalagmites to block Dong Shuye's attacks. But he wasn't impatient. This situation was to his advantage, as Dong Shuye needed to expend spiritual energy to maintain his spells. Dong Shuye should be the one feeling anxious.

As expected, after just a few breaths, Dong Shuye switched his spell. He raised a hand and pointed, sending a coiling fiery snake towards the stalagmite where Lu Ye was hiding. This snake was even more realistic than those conjured by talismans, with faint scales visible on its burning body.

The fiery snake coiled around the stalagmite, but Lu Ye had already dodged. Dong Shuye turned his head to see Lu Ye aggressively charging from the side once more. He hastily activated his spiritual power, repeating his previous tactic. Another fiery red, burning disk appeared before him, from which fist-sized fireballs blasted out.

Lu Ye's movements became erratic at that moment, dodging one fireball after another as he steadily closed the distance between them. Dong Shuye frowned slightly, noticing that Lu Ye's reactions seemed a fraction faster than before.

This was no illusion; Lu Ye's movements were indeed quicker. While an increase in cultivation realm could enhance a cultivator's strength, it typically required some time to adapt to the newfound power immediately after advancement. Lu Ye, intending to lure Dong Shuye into a trap, had intentionally kept his sixty-three apertures stagnant. Dong Shuye attacked precisely at the moment he was about to break through, leaving Lu Ye no time to adapt to his body's changes.

He could only slowly adapt while battling Dong Shuye. Fortunately, the intense pressure of such a fierce confrontation accelerated his adaptation.

Lu Ye was forced back again, but he sensed that in just a few more moments, he would have full control of his newfound strength. He continued to hide behind the stalagmites, evading Dong Shuye's spell attacks, ready to strike fiercely when his opponent adjusted.

His reactions and speed became another fraction quicker. Lu Ye had a strong intuition: this time, he would succeed!

He weaved and dodged the incoming fireballs, blocking those he couldn't avoid with his Imperial Guard Spirit Rune. Ten zhang, eight zhang, five zhang...

Lu Ye raised his hand and drew his blade. The moment the long blade left its sheath, fiery red spiritual power clung to its edge, making the entire sword appear to ignite in the dark space. The blade light flashed, empowered by the Enhanced Edge Spirit Rune, as Lu Ye brought his sword down on Dong Shuye.

Dong Shuye's expression became somewhat startled; he seemed unable to comprehend how Lu Ye had closed in on him so quickly. Almost instinctively, he raised his arms before him, as if to block the fierce blow with his bare body.

With a shattering sound, the golden spiritual light broke apart. It was the Golden Body Talisman Dong Shuye had applied before entering the cave. With Lu Ye's slash, backed by his Fifth Stage cultivation, an ordinary Golden Body Talisman was no match. A single strike tore through the golden light.

However, before Lu Ye could even rejoice, golden light flashed before him, and two intersecting Golden Arc Slashes hurtled towards him in a cross formation. The distance was too close; there was no way to dodge.

He had fallen into a trap! It just wasn't like Dong Shuye, who was, after all, a Sixth or Seventh Stage spell cultivator, to make such a foolish move as blocking with his bare arms when an opponent closed in. It wasn't a block at all. Dong Shuye was using the gesture to conceal his spell-casting, and his expression was incredibly convincing to deceive Lu Ye.

What an excellent performance!

In fact, Lu Ye was mistaken. Dong Shuye's startled expression was genuine; he truly hadn't expected Lu Ye to close in on him so easily. Raising his arms, however, *was* premeditated. All along, he had given Lu Ye the impression that he could only cast one spell at a time, but that wasn't his limit.

When Lu Ye's slash came down, he seized the opportunity to unleash two intersecting Golden Arc Slashes. He was confident that with the protection of his Golden Body Talisman and his innate spiritual power defense, a double layer of protection, Lu Ye could not possibly kill him with a single blow. But if Lu Ye took two Golden Arc Slashes, he would be crippled, even if he didn't die!

Dong Shuye's maneuver succeeded; his two Golden Arc Slashes struck Lu Ye's chest. Lu Ye was sent flying backward. His chest tightened in mid-air, and he spat out a mouthful of blood mist.

Yet, Dong Shuye also suffered a setback.

The moment they clashed, Dong Shuye cried out in pain and retreated frantically. He looked down to see deep, bone-exposing wounds on both arms, flesh torn open. He couldn't help but widen his eyes...

"Is this a slash a Fifth Stage cultivator can unleash? What a joke!"

That mere slash first shattered his Golden Body Talisman, then pierced his protective spiritual power, and wounded his arms! He secretly rejoiced that he had constantly maintained his spiritual power defense, otherwise, that single slash could have severed both his arms.

How could a freshly promoted Fifth Stage cultivator possess such a devastating attack? What quality spirit artifact was that in his opponent's hand? The last time he pursued Lu Ye, he had only witnessed Lu Ye fighting with his Imperial Guard Spirit Rune, knowing it had incredibly strong defensive capabilities. Only now did he truly experience Lu Ye's offensive power for the first time, and it sent a cold sweat down his spine!

He secretly felt a lingering fear; he had almost botched it.

"Cough, cough..." Lu Ye, who had been sent flying, propped himself up with his sword, his mouth tasting of rust.

Dong Shuye focused his gaze on Lu Ye's chest, but was quickly disappointed. Lu Ye's chest showed no signs of being cut. At the last moment, he had timely activated his Imperial Guard Spirit Rune to block. While the slash itself was stopped, the impact force couldn't be nullified, causing Lu Ye to suffer internal injuries.

He subtly checked himself; his chest felt tight, but there were no signs of bone fracture, which was good. After undergoing the Dragon Spring Body Tempering, his physique had significantly improved, and his ability to withstand attacks had become much stronger.

Dong Shuye wouldn't give him time to catch his breath. As Lu Ye had just stood up, he endured the pain in his arms and unleashed spells. Golden, red, and white spells, various techniques followed one after another without pause, forcing Lu Ye into a frantic defense.

After a while, he finally recovered, turning to charge towards Dong Shuye, his long blade once again burning like fire. Having successfully closed in on Dong Shuye once before, this time was much easier, especially since Dong Shuye's injured arms had noticeably reduced his spell-casting frequency.

As Lu Ye pressed his assault, Dong Shuye constantly retreated. This highlighted the importance of pre-selecting a battlefield. In the wilderness, Dong Shuye could simply glide away from Lu Ye, but in this confined space, he couldn't utilize his advantages.

The distance rapidly closed once more, and Dong Shuye's expression grew grim and fierce. In the blink of an eye, Lu Ye lunged within three zhang of Dong Shuye. While ducking to avoid a spell, he slashed his long blade diagonally upwards.

The seemingly certain hit of his slash actually missed. A powerful impact struck from above, and Lu Ye hastily activated his Imperial Guard Spirit Rune to block, but the force made his body sink and slide uncontrollably backward. He looked up to see Dong Shuye suspended in mid-air, gazing down at him with a mocking expression. "Kid," Dong Shuye sneered, "you underestimate spell cultivators!"

He couldn't truly fly, but he knew the Art of Aerial Movement. With this spell, short periods of hovering were entirely possible. What could a Fifth Stage Weapon Cultivator do against him, unless they grew wings? It could be said that the outcome of this battle was determined from the very beginning.

He hadn't revealed this ability earlier because he believed he could simply kill Lu Ye. However, after this exchange, he realized that even though his opponent had just advanced to the Fifth Stage, he wasn't so easily defeated. With his arms now injured, it was not advisable to prolong the fight; he needed to end it quickly.

Raising a hand, Dong Shuye pointed at Lu Ye, his expression grim. Spiritual power surged at his fingertips, and a tabletop-sized disk began to take shape. Lu Ye was too fast, and with his protective spirit rune, single-target spells would be difficult to kill him. Therefore, Dong Shuye prepared to unleash a large-area destructive spell. He intended to engulf the entire cavern in flames, as only then could he ensure his opponent's demise.

As the disk of spiritual power slowly took shape, spiritual energy surged beneath it, accompanied by sizzling sounds. A stout firebird, moving with lightning speed, plunged headfirst into Dong Shuye's chest!

With a boom, the stout bird exploded. Dong Shuye, his face bewildered, plummeted from the air, and the newly formed disk of power vanished into thin air. At that instant, the spiritual energy fluctuations throughout his body became incredibly chaotic.

"Spells? This guy can use spells?" Dong Shuye, plummeting from mid-air, had almost lost the ability to think. He had calculated everything, yet he truly hadn't expected Lu Ye, this freshly promoted Fifth Stage cultivator, to know spells. Moreover, his opponent cast that spell with effortless ease, even faster than he could, catching him completely off guard.

Was this guy also a spell cultivator?

From the corner of his eye, he glimpsed Lu Ye rapidly approaching. Dong Shuye hastily tried to adjust his posture, but being interrupted while casting a large-scale spell and then taking a direct hit from his opponent's spell, even with his spiritual power defense, the consequences were severe. At that moment, his spiritual power surged violently, raging chaotically through his spirit apertures, leaving his body incredibly stiff.