Chapter 142: I Haven't Used My Full Strength Yet

Seizing the opportune moment, Lu Ye charged forward a few steps, his long blade, imbued with spirit power, descended with a fierce chop towards Dong Shuye.

As the blade struck, a powerful repulsive force erupted from Dong Shuye. Lu Ye couldn't tell what spell Dong Shuye had used, but the force pushed him back dozens of feet. He struggled to regain his footing.

When Lu Ye looked up again, Dong Shuye had risen, clutching his chest. A large, gaping wound on his right chest was clearly visible, with blood gushing out and instantly staining his clothes crimson.

His face was etched with terror, as Lu Ye had nearly killed him with that single blow. During the brief period his spirit power was in disarray, he had been utterly defenseless. Fortunately, he had regained self-control just in the nick of time.

Though he had narrowly escaped death, his injuries were extremely severe.

Dong Shuye staggered, and finally understood Lu Ye's true intention in luring him to this spot and immediately sealing off the exit. This wasn't a burial ground Lu Ye had chosen for himself; it was clearly meant for Dong Shuye. How ironic that he had always believed his strength was sufficient to kill his opponent, unaware that his own hubris was the root of his downfall.

The enemy charged at him once more, giving him no time to recover. Just as he had done earlier, this enemy was more decisive, ruthless, and highly aggressive in combat. From the beginning, Lu Ye hadn't uttered a single word; he simply kept seeking opportunities to advance and swing his blade. Perhaps this was what a true life-and-death struggle was meant to be like?

Watching Lu Ye rapidly close in, Dong Shuye pulled another Golden Body Talisman from his storage pouch and slapped it onto himself. Although he knew his chances were slim, he refused to simply wait for death.

With the Golden Body Talisman protecting him, he raised his hands. Ignoring the rapid depletion of his spirit power, he unleashed a continuous barrage of spells. But his arms were injured, and his right chest had been nearly cleaved open. The rapid blood loss left him feeling dizzy and disoriented, and even his breathing was labored. In this condition, his spell-casting speed was significantly slower than before.

Amidst the flurry of spells, Lu Ye pressed forward and delivered another cleaving blow. The golden light shattered. Even though Dong Shuye had simultaneously activated a spirit power barrier as the golden light broke, it still failed to fully block the fierce strike. The blade cut from his right shoulder down to his lower left abdomen, nearly disemboweling him.

Before Dong Shuye could cast another spell, Lu Ye's second blade swept out. A powerful repulsive force once again surged, pushing him several feet away.

When he finally regained his balance, Dong Shuye was suspended in mid-air. His spirit energy was boiling and ablaze. However, having learned from his past mistake, he wouldn't foolishly stand still. Under Lu Ye's watchful gaze, he floated erratically in the air, moving at a slow, jogging pace.

Lu Ye raised his hand, and a chubby bird flapped its wings, flying upwards. It missed. Accuracy had always been a significant challenge for him, which was why Lu Ye rarely used spells in combat. His previous successful hit was primarily because Dong Shuye had no idea Lu Ye could cast spells. The spell had been cast so quickly that Dong Shuye had no time to react before being struck. That moment could be considered Dong Shuye's biggest mistake. While the injury itself wasn't too severe, the subsequent chaos in his spirit power had consequences he could not endure.

Their eyes met. Dong Shuye bared his teeth in a sinister grin, raised a hand to touch his battle imprint. The imprint immediately glowed red. Lu Ye's heart sank. This guy was likely calling for backup. He immediately intensified his spell casting.

A moment later, the light from the imprint on Dong Shuye's hand faded. Simultaneously, the spirit light around his body abruptly dimmed, and he plummeted headfirst towards the ground. Lu Ye didn't quite grasp the situation at first, but quickly realized: this guy had run out of spirit power!

In his prime, Dong Shuye certainly wouldn't have exhausted his spirit power so quickly. After all, he was a cultivator with over one hundred and eight opened orifices, and his spirit power reserves were twice as abundant as Lu Ye's. He had expended a great deal of energy pursuing Lu Ye earlier, and once inside the cave, he had continuously cast sustained spells to keep Lu Ye at bay. Even with vast reserves, they couldn't withstand such continuous exertion.

Lu Ye, by contrast, was different. With Amber carrying him, he had maintained a perfect state throughout. He had even managed to break through to a new cultivation level here.

With a thud, Dong Shuye crashed to the ground, feeling as if every bone in his body might shatter.

Footsteps approached from nearby. Lu Ye, holding his blade, slowly walked towards him. He didn't believe Dong Shuye was faking; it would be agonizing to fall from such a height, especially for someone already gravely injured. In other words, the man had genuinely exhausted his spirit power.

Standing before Dong Shuye, Lu Ye looked down. Dong Shuye's mouth and nose were filled with blood, and gurgling sounds came from his throat. He stared at Lu Ye, as if trying to speak. Lu Ye raised his blade, reversing his grip on the hilt, and aimed for Dong Shuye's heart. He plunged the blade downward.

Dong Shuye's body stiffened abruptly.

"I'll... wait for you... on the Road to the Yellow Springs!" In his final moments, Dong Shuye uttered these words through gritted teeth. His rigid body then slumped, his eyes wide and lifeless.

A faint red glow drifted from Dong Shuye's body and settled into Lu Ye's hand.

He gazed at Dong Shuye's corpse, a sense of unreality washing over him. Just two and a half months prior, he had been cornered and desperate, pursued by this very man. Had it not been for sheer luck, he would never have escaped that ordeal. Yet, only two and a half months later, this powerful cultivator, whom he had once looked up to, lay dead by his blade.

He realized how much stronger he had become in such a short time. And what's more...

"I haven't even used my full strength yet," Lu Ye murmured softly.

He truly hadn't gone all out. He still had a Windwalk Talisman he hadn't used. Windwalk could be applied to Amber, and naturally, it could be applied to him as well. With his current strength, using Windwalk would increase his speed by at least thirty percent. Lu Ye had initially planned to first adapt to the increased strength from his recent cultivation breakthrough before judiciously using Windwalk. Otherwise, rashly using such a talisman might make it difficult to control his body, potentially leading to a situation similar to when he crashed into a wall after the Dragon Spring tempering. Sometimes, a sudden surge in speed wasn't necessarily beneficial, especially against spell cultivators like Dong Shuye. With complete self-control, Lu Ye could evade his opponent's spells, but if his speed surpassed his control, he might inadvertently collide with an incoming spell. Such a mistake in a life-and-death battle would be disastrous. Regrettably, he never had the chance to use that talisman until the very end. Lu Ye hadn't made a mistake, but Dong Shuye had made a major one, being struck down by Lu Ye's Fire Phoenix spell.

Yiyi, holding a talisman, cautiously peeked out from the side, and asked tentatively, "Did you win?"

Lu Ye collapsed to the ground, lying spread-eagled. "I won!"

Aside from her initial use of a talisman to seal the exit, Yiyi hadn't shown herself. Lu Ye had instructed her not to intervene unless there was a perfect opportunity or he was in danger. However, the battle had proceeded much more smoothly than Lu Ye anticipated, and Yiyi never had an opportunity to act.

"Lu Ye, you're truly incredible," Yiyi said, genuinely impressed.

Lu Ye managed a faint smile. "We can't stay here long. Give Amber something to eat, rest for a bit, then we need to leave quickly."

Before he died, Dong Shuye had used his battle imprint to transmit messages. Although Lu Ye didn't know who he had contacted or what he had said, it was highly probable he was calling for reinforcements. Therefore, they had to leave as quickly as possible. What Lu Ye didn't know was that Dong Shuye, being a traitor to his sect, couldn't possibly call upon his former comrades for aid. Moreover, at that point, Dong Shuye had already realized his impending death, and even if he called for help, it would be too late. He had simply sent out a message—a message he had broadcast to many individuals!

After feeding Amber, Yiyi went to survey the battlefield. Soon, she excitedly returned, carrying a storage bag. "Lu Ye, Lu Ye, we're rich!"

Seeing her enthusiasm, Lu Ye knew the spoils were considerable. Dong Shuye's storage bag was open, as he had been retrieving items from it during the fight. There hadn't been time for him to re-engage the security lock. Lu Ye was currently sitting cross-legged on the ground, refining spirit pills to recover and eating food, while also checking his battle imprint.

Name: Lu Ye.Identity: Disciple of the Bi Xue Sect.Cultivation: Sixty-three orifices opened.Location: Spirit Creek Battlefield.Merit: 397.

When he had left Hundred Peaks Mountain, his merit was 368 points. He now had an additional 29 points. Reflecting, he recalled earning eight merit points from killing two Fourth-Level cultivators in the swamp. Dong Shuye alone had given him a full 21 merit points! It appeared that although Dong Shuye's cultivation had mysteriously fallen to the Sixth Level, the merit received from killing him was still calculated based on his Seventh-Level cultivation. Lu Ye had never fully understood how Dong Shuye's cultivation had declined. Now, he likely never would.

Dong Shuye's storage bag contained a considerable number of spirit stones and spirit pills. After a thorough count, he found 134 spirit stones and 57 spirit pills. This was the most lucrative storage bag Lu Ye had ever acquired, enough to offset the damage to his Profound Spirit Bell. However, for a cultivator of Dong Shuye's Seventh Level, this amount of accumulated wealth seemed somewhat meager. This was a misunderstanding on Lu Ye's part, judging others by his own circumstances. He always had abundant cultivation resources at hand, but that was because he had consistently been selling prime magnetic ore. Other cultivators simply didn't possess such a foundation. Comparatively, Dong Shuye was considered quite wealthy. After all, he had previously been the garrison commander of the Nine Star Sect's outpost, responsible for distributing cultivation resources to his junior disciples. He could occasionally skim off a portion, enriching himself, which was how he had accumulated such a fortune. An ordinary Seventh-Level cultivator would never possess such a fortune, as cultivation required constant consumption of resources. The monthly allowances from their sects simply weren't enough to save.

After gathering the spoils and a brief rest, Lu Ye and Yiyi together moved aside the stones blocking the exit, and proceeded back along the path they had come.