Chapter 1730: Soul Battle Closing the Gate to Beat the Dog

In the sea of blood, Zhou Chuang's eyelids twitched uncontrollably as he listened to Lu Ye's venomous words.

Had he been in that situation, captured alive by an enemy and taken to Sifang Island to be slowly dismembered in front of countless cultivators from their galaxy, he would truly prefer to die here and now.

He had never before seen such a ruthless side of Lu Ye and couldn't help but sigh, "The human heart is truly unpredictable." This also indirectly confirmed that Baiyue Island's ambush on Tang Jun had greatly enraged Lu Ye.

As Lu Ye's words fell, boundless rage suddenly surged in Chu Zhu's previously dim eyes, followed by a brilliant flash of spiritual light. Simultaneously, immense spiritual power erupted.

Sensing the fluctuation of the opponent's spiritual power, Lu Ye's lips curved into a smile, and he immediately opened his own soul.

"Daoist Lu, be careful!" Zhou Chuang exclaimed in alarm.

Just now, when he saw Lu Ye approach Chu Zhu completely unguarded, he had a bad feeling. After all, Chu Zhu was still a Late Moon-Tier cultivator. What if he had a dying surge of power? The most taboo thing in combat is to be careless before everything is settled; it's not uncommon to be caught off guard and suffer a humiliating defeat.

Now it seemed his worries had come true!

Chu Zhu's surge of spiritual power undoubtedly signaled that he had initiated a soul battle against Lu Ye!

Undeniably, previous observations showed Lu Ye's strength was formidable, far surpassing an ordinary Early Moon-Tier cultivator. However, that was only physical strength. As an Early Moon-Tier, how high could his spiritual cultivation be? It was certainly inferior to Chu Zhu's.

If Chu Zhu engaged in such a soul conflict and Lu Ye couldn't withstand it, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Zhou Chuang was utterly speechless. "Still too young," he thought. "He thinks he has victory secured and becomes arrogant. If he were to be defeated in this soul battle, his death would be truly unjust!"

As he finished speaking, Zhou Chuang's face turned pale because he sensed no sign of resistance from Lu Ye. The fierce spiritual fluctuations that had just erupted now vanished without a trace.

This undoubtedly meant the soul battle had begun, and Chu Zhu's soul body had already invaded Lu Ye's spiritual sea. All dangers were hidden within the spiritual sea, so outsiders couldn't detect any movement.

Zhou Chuang quickly thought for a moment, then said to Ma Shangsi, "Daoist, please guard him. I'll go assist Daoist Lu."

He clearly intended to join the soul battle. Since Lu Ye's spiritual defenses had already been breached by Chu Zhu, it should be no problem for his soul to exit his body and enter Lu Ye's spiritual sea. A two-on-one fight should ensure Lu Ye's safety.

As he spoke, he began to activate his spiritual power.

Ma Shangsi raised a hand to stop him: "Wait!"

Zhou Chuang paused, looking at him in confusion.

Ma Shangsi said, "It's all part of the plan. You needn't worry, Daoist!"

Zhou Chuang was stunned.

Part of the plan? Did that mean Lu Ye had already anticipated this scenario?

Zhou Chuang thought carefully and quickly identified the problem. Even with a cultivation gap between them, it wouldn't have been easy for Chu Zhu to initiate a soul battle against Lu Ye. Yet, throughout the entire process, Lu Ye showed no intention of defending himself; his spiritual defenses were breached by Chu Zhu in an instant.

Then, recalling Lu Ye's previous torments of Chu Zhu, his nonchalant approach at the end, and his venomous words…

Zhou Chuang suddenly realized: "All of Daoist Lu's previous actions were meant to force Chu Zhu to initiate a soul battle against him?"

"Precisely!" Ma Shangsi nodded in affirmation.

Zhou Chuang was puzzled: "But… why?"

Why initiate a soul battle? Was there any benefit to doing so? Could it be that Lu Ye was so malicious that he wanted to torment Chu Zhu not only physically but spiritually as well?

That would be truly vicious!

Zhou Chuang vaguely felt that things weren't so simple, but since Ma Shangsi said it was all part of the plan, he had nothing to worry about.

Since Lu Ye dared to do this, he must have been confident.

From the current perspective, Lu Ye hadn't initiated the soul battle himself because he wasn't confident in breaching Chu Zhu's spiritual defenses. That's why he forced Chu Zhu to make the first move. By simply not defending, the soul battle was naturally set in motion.

At this very moment, within Lu Ye's spiritual sea, Chu Zhu's soul body, wielding a sharp, sword-like soul treasure, descended in its Late Moon-Tier form. He had originally intended to wreak havoc here and make Lu Ye realize the consequences of underestimating him. However, with a glance, he saw a divine lotus spanning Lu Ye's spiritual sea, emitting multicolored light. Bathed in this radiant glow, even his foreign soul felt a profound sense of comfort.

What was this?

Although Chu Zhu didn't recognize it, he immediately realized that this multicolored divine lotus was an extraordinary soul treasure!

What truly shocked him wasn't just the multicolored divine lotus, but also a dilapidated large ship that suddenly emerged from the waves in front of the lotus, blocking the way.

In an instant, the dilapidated ship became whole again. Not only that, but numerous figures appeared on board, taking their positions. On the deck, Lu Ye's soul body stood quietly, looking down from a distance with an indifferent gaze, as if observing an ant!

What was this now?

He had seen many soul treasures, but what he witnessed today was utterly astonishing and beyond imagination!

While he was still pondering, Lu Ye waved his hand, and the large ship charged towards Chu Zhu's soul body. As it advanced, the ship's spell formations hummed, unleashing a barrage of overwhelming attacks.

This soul battle lasted only about half a cup of tea's time. After Chu Zhu witnessed the terrifying power of the Ghost Ship, he wanted to flee. However, having entered, how could it be so easy to leave?

He had been able to easily breach Lu Ye's spiritual defenses earlier because Lu Ye hadn't defended himself at all. But that didn't mean Lu Ye's spiritual defenses were weak.

With the spiritual sea now sealed, it was like "shutting the door to beat the dog"—trapping an enemy to deal with them at leisure.

After his physical body had been brutally tormented, Chu Zhu's soul was also severely wounded. Half a cup of tea later, his soul treasure, the long sword, shattered, and his soul body itself grew dim.

On the Ghost Ship, Lu Ye captured Chu Zhu's soul body, his expression cold.

Ambushing Chu Zhu, fighting him, tormenting him, and inducing him to initiate a soul battle—everything had led to this moment!

Soul Subjugation!

To conquer Baiyue Island from within, it was natural to start with its internal personnel. Lu Ye had long planned to use the power of Soul Subjugation to enslave people from Baiyue Island, as this was the only way to dismantle the island's protective formation.

Ordinary Constellation-Tier cultivators were not his target; the few Moon-Tier cultivators on Baiyue Island were.

In the past, Lu Ye had used Soul Subjugation to enslave Dao Thirteen and cultivators from the Blood Refining Realm. However, Dao Thirteen had impaired intelligence, and the cultivators from the Blood Refining Realm were not powerful, so controlling them had not been difficult.

However, if he wanted to use Soul Subjugation to control a Late Moon-Tier cultivator with his current cultivation, the difficulty would be immense.

Under normal circumstances, it would be almost impossible to succeed, even though Soul Subjugation had been refined through the Talent Tree, making its effects stronger than before.

Therefore, Chu Zhu's willpower had to be worn down to its lowest point.

This was the fundamental reason why Lu Ye first tormented him physically, then crushed him in the soul battle. With his body and mind thoroughly ravaged, Chu Zhu's willpower could be said to have reached its absolute lowest point.

Only then would it be possible to perform Soul Subjugation!

Steadying his mind, Lu Ye raised his hand and pressed it towards Chu Zhu's soul body. With the Soul Subjugation Divine Rune activated, Chu Zhu's soul body was enveloped.

If successful, conquering Baiyue Island would be effortless, as Chu Zhu would become his insider on the island. With such an insider, Baiyue Island's protective formation would be rendered useless!

Enveloped by the light, Chu Zhu's exhausted soul seemed unresponsive. Just as Lu Ye felt everything was going smoothly, Chu Zhu's resistance suddenly erupted, fiercer than ever before.

Although Chu Zhu didn't know exactly what Lu Ye was doing, as the Soul Subjugation Divine Rune continuously exerted its effect, he vaguely became aware.

This man was extremely unyielding. This could be seen from the previous battle; even after being tormented beyond recognition, he hadn't uttered a single plea for mercy.

How could such a person willingly become another's slave?

Stimulated by the divine rune, Chu Zhu's already depleted willpower surged once more. Resisting fiercely, he gritted his teeth and growled, "You want to enslave me? Give up that idea! Even if I die, I will never let you succeed!"

As he spoke, a cracking sound echoed, and Lu Ye was startled to find signs of Chu Zhu's soul body shattering.

This undoubtedly meant that in their mutual struggle, Chu Zhu's soul was on the verge of collapsing.

If he didn't give up, Chu Zhu's soul body would inevitably shatter. But if he did, all his previous efforts would be in vain.

Lu Ye couldn't help but sigh. It had come to this after all.

Even before planning this, he had anticipated such an outcome. The willpower of a Late Moon-Tier cultivator was incredibly resilient. Even with perfect preparation, he still couldn't implant the Soul Subjugation Divine Rune into Chu Zhu's soul body.

Fortunately, he had a backup plan. However, compared to enslaving Chu Zhu, this alternative carried a bit more risk, and Lu Ye preferred not to resort to it unless absolutely necessary.

This was because he had a psychological aversion to the method he was about to employ…

Flash of Insight!

If Soul Subjugation wouldn't work, he would have to use Flash of Insight to pry into Chu Zhu's memories. Lu Ye hadn't done this since he first used it in the Blood Refining Realm because the sensation of vast and complex memories flooding into his mind from another person was extremely unpleasant.

Flash of Insight had also been refined through the Talent Tree.

Seeing Chu Zhu's soul body showing signs of shattering, Lu Ye no longer hesitated. Hardening his resolve, he transformed the Soul Subjugation Divine Rune into Flash of Insight.

Instantly, a flood of complex information surged in, causing Lu Ye's head to throb as if it would split and leaving him feeling disoriented.

At the same time, Chu Zhu also perceived many of Lu Ye's memories and secrets. Under such an impact, his already fractured soul body became even more overwhelmed, and the rate of its disintegration abruptly accelerated.

A short while later, as Chu Zhu's soul body completely shattered, Lu Ye staggered to his feet, feeling utterly unwell.

He secretly vowed never to use this method again, no matter what. It was simply too much for a human to endure.

Not rushing to leave the spiritual sea, his soul body sat cross-legged on the Ghost Ship. As the myriad complex pieces of information swirled in his mind, Lu Ye began to search for useful intelligence.