Chapter 1504: 斩魔蛛

However, the Star Beast of the Moonbloom Realm possessed incredible vitality. Even after suffering repeated heavy blows, its life was not in danger. Driven by pain, the Demon Spider swung its clawed limbs, the sharp barbs on them glinting with cold light.

Lu Ye immediately turned and embraced Ban Ci, who was clearly exhausted behind him. Her soft, warm body filled his arms, but he had no mind to appreciate it.

Behind him, facing away from the Demon Spider, layers of Sacred Guard Spirit patterns appeared.

The clawed limb swept down, shattering the layers of Sacred Guard. Lu Ye felt a sharp pain in his back as a foot-long, bone-deep wound appeared. A large chunk of flesh from the wound was even gouged out by the barbs on the claw.

Using the force from the impact, the two rolled to the side.

Rustle, rustle, rustle... The Demon Spider scurried forward on its clawed limbs, appearing extremely enraged.

Ban Ci, who had barely managed to stand, couldn't help but sigh at the sight. In the end, her spirit was willing, but her flesh was weak.

Then she saw Lu Ye, naked, standing protectively in front of her. His back, visible to her, was a gruesome sight with blood gushing from a hideous wound.

The next moment, a look of astonishment crossed her face. Lu Ye had suddenly conjured a spherical object. As spiritual energy surged into it, the sphere disintegrated, then immediately enveloped his body.

In an instant, a slender, crimson figure, three zhang tall, appeared before her eyes. A wild, domineering aura permeated the surroundings, so substantial that the void around the figure visibly warped.

The tall figure obscured the Demon Spider's hideous form and its ferocity, inexplicably giving Ban Ci a sense of security.

"A Mechanical Armor!" Ban Ci, being well-informed, instantly recognized it as a mechanical armor, and a full-body one at that. In the vast starry sky, while practitioners of the Mechanist school weren't numerous, they weren't few either. She had seen many top-tier mechanical armors, but rarely had any compared to the one before her.

It was magnificent, wild, and awe-inspiring, as if it could pierce a hole through the sky.

She immediately realized that this mechanical armor was probably extraordinary, for she sensed a peculiar aura emanating from it—the aura of an immensely powerful fierce beast!

Lu Ye hadn't used the Dragon Throne in a long time, mainly because he hadn't had the opportunity. But now, without his Mountain Cleaving Blade and having unleashed the nine strongest sword qi from his Gourd Sword, his only other option besides activating the Dragon Throne was to use a crimson talisman.

However, crimson talismans were precious, and Lu Ye was reluctant to use one, so he had no choice but to activate the Dragon Throne.

With the Dragon Throne donned, Lu Ye raised his hand, and the Dragon Spine Blade appeared in his grip. The exaggerated longblade, combined with the sleek mechanical armor, faced the ferocious Star Beast that was screeching and lunging nearby. Their intertwined auras clashed, creating a life-or-death atmosphere within the small cavern.

Confronting the colossal Demon Spider, Lu Ye stepped forward, swinging the Dragon Spine Blade and heavily striking the Demon Spider's back.

Yet, this powerful blow failed to significantly harm the Demon Spider, leaving only a shallow gash on its back. Although its back didn't appear heavily defended, as a Moonbloom Realm Star Beast, its physical body was inherently incredibly strong. Lu Ye, fighting it with the power of a Star Constellation, was inevitably at a disadvantage.

As the Dragon Spine Blade struck, the Demon Spider's clawed limb lunged forward like lightning. Lu Ye tried to dodge but couldn't evade it, getting directly impaled. Fortunately, the Dragon Throne's material was exceptional; the attack only subjected Lu Ye to concussive force and didn't cause him further harm.

"There's a chance," Lu Ye thought, his heart set. As long as the Dragon Throne could withstand the Demon Spider's attacks, he would have an opportunity to kill it!

He realized he had always underestimated the Dragon Throne. When he first acquired it, he was only at the True Lake Realm, and barely managing to unleash one strike from it had left him completely depleted.

Even then, Lu Ye realized that with his strength, he couldn't unleash the Dragon Throne's full power.

He had used it during the Divine Sea Realm, but it was still difficult to sustain. At that time, Lu Ye wondered if only at the Star Constellation Realm could one bear the pressure of using the Dragon Throne.

Yet, even now, as a late-stage Star Constellation cultivator, his own consumption while using the Dragon Throne was still terrifyingly high and unsustainable for long periods. The marvel of this mechanical armor was already somewhat beyond imagination.

Inside the cavern, Lu Ye and the Demon Spider fought a fierce, evenly matched battle.

Ban Ci, weakly leaning against the cavern wall, watched in wide-eyed astonishment.

She had never imagined that a Star Constellation cultivator could contend with a Moonbloom Realm beast in such a way. While it was true that this Star Constellation cultivator was using a powerful mechanical armor and the Moonbloom Star Beast was severely injured, if one's own foundation wasn't strong enough, no amount of external aid or enemy injury could make them a match.

Yet, from her observation, the battle unfolding was surprisingly evenly matched.

She had known Li Taibai was extremely powerful from the previous battle when Peerless Isle was attacked, but she had never anticipated that he could be strong to this extent.

This was already beyond the scope of what a Star Constellation cultivator could achieve.

As time passed, Lu Ye slowly gained the upper hand. It wasn't that the Moonbloom Realm beast wasn't strong enough; rather, the Demon Spider had been too severely injured previously.

Not to mention the irreparable damage caused by the burning of its soul power, Ban Ci's long-prepared strike, combined with Lu Ye's nine sword qi and short arrow artifact, was enough to give it a hard time. For a Moonbloom Realm beast, such injuries weren't fatal but severely hampered its ability to exert its full strength.

As the fierce battle progressed, the Demon Spider also sensed that things were not going well. Although it possessed little intelligence, it had an instinct for seeking advantage and avoiding harm. It repeatedly attempted to escape the combat zone, but Lu Ye, having gained the upper hand, wouldn't give it that chance. With the longblade swinging, he continuously enveloped it within his blade-force.

The continuous blade-force embodied the essence of the "Thousandfold Ocean Waves" technique. Supplemented by the might of the Dragon Throne, it was enough for Lu Ye, a Star Constellation cultivator, to contend with a significantly weakened Moonbloom Realm Star Beast.

After a prolonged battle, Lu Ye finally found a good opportunity. He plunged the Dragon Spine Blade through the Demon Spider's mouthparts, and the blade, over a zhang long, emerged directly from the back of the creature's head.

The Demon Spider's clawed limbs repeatedly struck Lu Ye, making his body tremble violently. Yet, he didn't retreat a single step, instead pouring power into the Dragon Spine Blade, causing the blade to erupt in fierce flames.

Gradually, the Demon Spider's struggles weakened until they completely ceased.

Only then did Lu Ye withdraw the Dragon Spine Blade and take a few steps back. Blood flowed down the longblade, dripping to the ground.

He released his divine sense, confirming the Demon Spider was utterly dead. Only then did Lu Ye let out a long breath, disengaged the Dragon Throne from his body, put away the Dragon Spine Blade, then swayed unsteadily for a moment before slowly collapsing to the side.

His face was pale. A hole pierced through his chest, front to back—the result of the Demon Spider's initial sneak attack. Fortunately, his heart wasn't hit; otherwise, even if he hadn't died instantly, Lu Ye's strength would have been severely diminished, precluding any further battle. On his back, there was also a bone-deep wound, with flesh gaping open, a ghastly sight.

Besides this, his entire body was wracked with unbearable pain and profound weakness.

Firstly, these were the after-effects of using the Dragon Throne. Once activated, it continuously consumed and devoured his foundational energy at an alarming rate. Secondly, he was injured by the Demon Spider's counterattacks. Although the Dragon Throne offered strong protection, it couldn't completely negate the concussive force of the Demon Spider's blows.

At this moment, Lu Ye felt as though his entire body was falling apart.

He looked up at Ban Ci. Their eyes met, and silence fell between them.

Lu Ye took out some spiritual pills for healing and recovery, popped a handful into his mouth, and closed his eyes to regulate his breath.

Seeing that he wasn't about to die immediately, Ban Ci felt relieved and also began to recover herself.

Time passed. During this period, Lu Ye sensed some movement from Ban Ci's side but didn't pay attention. He had been severely injured in this battle, and even as a late-stage Star Constellation cultivator, it would take him several days to recover.

Several days later, when Lu Ye was once again invigorated, he opened his eyes to find Ban Ci had vanished.

Lu Ye had noticed when she left, but he didn't stop her. After what had transpired, Lu Ye found it somewhat difficult to face her.

Parting ways like this seemed like a good outcome.

However, Ban Ci's objective this time was clearly not achieved, as she hadn't reached the top of the stairs. But given the current circumstances, it was no longer suitable for her to continue. Perhaps she would return another day; after all, advancing to the Moonbloom Realm wasn't something that happened overnight.

Lu Ye lowered his head to check his injuries, which had mostly recovered. He took out new clothes and put them on, then walked to the cavern entrance to retrieve his lost Mountain Cleaving Blade.

When the Demon Spider was alive, the Mountain Cleaving Blade was tightly wrapped in its silk. Now that the Demon Spider was dead, the silk seemed to have lost its original power and was easily torn apart.

Hanging the Mountain Cleaving Blade at his waist, Lu Ye approached the Demon Spider's corpse.

Demonic beasts within realms possess demonic cores, while Star Beasts in the starry sky have crystal cores. Their essence is the same. Many Star Beast crystal cores are useful, especially those from Moonbloom Realm Star Beasts, which are always worth something.

Lu Ye searched for a bit and extracted the crystal core from within the Demon Spider. Despite the Demon Spider's enormous size, its crystal core was only the size of a fist.

Lu Ye then looked up at the stone cauldron at the top of the stairs. Although he knew it was unlikely, he couldn't resist trying.

This item was a treasure. If he could take it away, it would make it convenient for anyone around him to advance to the Moonbloom Realm in the future.

He stepped onto the stairs, initially still cautious because he had observed Ban Ci experiencing immense pressure when she tried to ascend earlier.

However, as he ascended, he felt no pressure whatsoever.

He easily reached the eighty-somethingth step, the very spot where Ban Ci had previously stopped. Beyond this point, the stairs were enveloped in mist emanating from the stone cauldron.

When Lu Ye took another step, he suddenly felt immense pressure descend upon him, causing his body to involuntarily hunch. He hastily circulated his spiritual energy to avoid falling.

The mist on the stairs seemed drawn to him, gathering around Lu Ye and pouring into his body.

Lu Ye silently observed for a moment, a slight surprise crossing his face. The instant the mist flowed into his body, he felt his spiritual energy being acted upon by a strange force, causing it to circulate and condense rapidly.