Chapter 1867: Fighting the Demon Girl

Lionheart was approaching, and Lu Ye had suddenly arrived, now radiating murderous intent as he advanced with his saber drawn.

Even the dullest person would have known what was about to happen. Yuan Cheng immediately sensed trouble and urgently called out, “Fellow Daoist, wait!”

Lionheart was the last remaining cultivator at the Purple Profound Moon Realm level, and his life had to be protected at all costs. In a daze, Yuan Cheng was reminded of the battle between Three Realms Island and Baiyue.

During that previous battle, Yu Huan had been the sole remaining Moon Realm cultivator. Yuan Cheng had intervened to save Yu Huan, but Lu Ye had paid him no mind whatsoever.

History was repeating itself with uncanny similarity, for today, Lu Ye again had no intention of listening to him!

Yuan Cheng was desperate. If Lionheart were to die right before his eyes, he wouldn't be able to account for it to Yuan Du. As he frantically wondered what to do, Hu Xue, standing beside him, suddenly took action.

With a flick of her slender, jade-like hand, she conjured a formation disk, lightly commanding, “Go!”

She then threw the object forward.

Yuan Cheng’s eyes widened, and he cried out, “No!”

But it was too late.

Hu Xue turned to Yuan Cheng, a triumphant look in her eyes. “Go meet Senior Brother Lionheart and take him back to recover,” she said. The next instant, strange, visible ripples spread across her body, and Hu Xue vanished abruptly.

Lu Ye, who had been advancing to confront Lionheart, also disappeared along with her.

Lu Ye had, in fact, detected Hu Xue’s sudden attack and attempted to dodge it. He didn’t know what she had thrown at him, but having already deduced her identity, he wished to avoid further entanglement with her.

However, the formation disk-like object suddenly emitted a faint glow beside him, followed by ripples radiating in all directions. He then felt a strange energy lock onto him; his vision went dark, and his surroundings shifted.

At that moment, Yuan Cheng’s face turned ashen. Hu Xue and Lu Ye had vanished simultaneously, and even the formation disk-like artifact Hu Xue had thrown was gone.

This gave Yuan Cheng a sense of impending disaster. Hu Xue had little contact with Lu Ye and, having been favored by Yuan Du for many years, was usually uninhibited in front of outsiders, save for her gentle demeanor when in Yuan Du’s presence.

She likely believed her status was special and that Lu Ye wouldn't harm her, prompting her to use the artifact to restrict his movements and protect Lionheart.

However, Yuan Cheng’s few encounters with Lu Ye had revealed the latter to be nothing short of a lunatic, a truly lawless individual!

Even with Hu Xue's special status, Yuan Cheng couldn't guarantee Lu Ye wouldn't kill her. If her actions provoked Lu Ye and she died by his saber, the repercussions would be far more dire than Lionheart’s death.

Yuan Cheng shivered, praying Lu Ye wouldn't be too reckless. Otherwise, even if Hu Xue was killed, Yuan Cheng himself would not escape with his life today.

This turn of events unfolded too suddenly, leaving Yuan Cheng no time to react. Amidst his shock, he marveled at Hu Xue’s quick thinking. From the current situation, it was indeed the best way to protect Lionheart, as without the artifact to restrict Lu Ye, Lionheart would surely perish upon meeting him.

Lu Ye suddenly materialized in an unfamiliar space. He looked around, his brow furrowed, realizing he was in a void filled with asteroids of various sizes.

He found himself standing on a small asteroid. He slowly turned his head and saw a graceful figure standing still in the distance.

“Battle Arena!” Lu Ye instantly understood. Hu Xue had activated a Battle Arena against him, drawing him into its unique space.

Lu Ye was no stranger to Battle Arenas, having encountered them in Kyushu. They were a type of exotic treasure.

However, the Battle Arenas in Kyushu were not true exotic treasures but rather artifacts created by Little Nine. When activated, they could tap into the heavenly mechanism to form a special space for a duel to the death.

They were considered mere artifacts because, once outside Kyushu, they became inert, requiring the support of Kyushu’s heavenly mechanism to function.

These artifacts created by Little Nine were undoubtedly derived from genuine Battle Arenas.

In fact, not just Battle Arenas, but many exotic treasures found in Kyushu had prototypes in the starry sky.

Hu Xue had undoubtedly activated a genuine Battle Arena, an exotic treasure whose power far surpassed the inferior imitations found in Kyushu.

While Kyushu’s Battle Arenas offered no assistance to their users once activated, a true Battle Arena was different. As its master, Hu Xue had significant control over this exotic treasure, enabling her to fight above her cultivation level!

Furthermore, the most significant difference was that while Kyushu’s inferior versions trapped both combatants until one died, a true Battle Arena was not so restrictive.

Lu Ye stared at Hu Xue and demanded, “Release it!”

As the Battle Arena’s master, Hu Xue could deactivate it at will. With Lionheart’s arrival imminent, Lu Ye had no time to waste, especially against a demon cultivator linked to Yuan Du.

She was neither easy to defeat nor to kill, and prolonged engagement with her would only be a waste of time.

“Delusional!” Hu Xue gnashed her teeth, her alluring and charming demeanor replaced by a fierce resolve. Her earlier plea for Yuan Du to kill Lu Ye had merely been a feint, knowing he would never agree. She had never imagined she would have the chance to personally slay her enemy.

She possessed late Moon Realm cultivation, and with the Battle Arena’s amplification, she was confident she could contend with any cultivator at that level. Even Lionheart himself would find her a worthy opponent here!

Thus, upon seeing Lu Ye, she immediately recognized an opportunity for vengeance and decisively activated the Battle Arena, catching him by surprise.

Moreover, she could also save Lionheart, achieving two goals with one action.

As she spoke, demonic energy surged around Hu Xue, and a mysterious power descended from above.

Lu Ye immediately observed bright patterns illuminating the area around him, swiftly forming a large array that trapped him within.

The grand array was an inherent feature of the Battle Arena, not a personal ability of Hu Xue’s. However, as the arena’s master, she could command its power at will.

In an instant, the containment array materialized, transforming dozens of miles around Lu Ye into a formidable cage.

Immediately, more bright patterns flickered incessantly within the cage, and one grand array after another quickly took shape.

First entrap, then kill—this was the basis of Hu Xue’s confidence in confronting Lu Ye. With the Battle Arena’s amplification, no Moon Realm cultivator could breach such a containment array. Her sole task was to continuously unleash the array’s power and obliterate Lu Ye.

Energy surged violently as the power of array after array erupted. Inside the containment array, golden light flashed, flames soared, and strange forces swept in all directions, leveling everything. Hu Xue’s eyes reflected the shifting colors; Lu Ye’s figure was long gone, and she laughed with unrestrained glee.

The so-called “foremost cultivator below the Sunlit Realm” was nothing special!

Her laughter abruptly ceased as Hu Xue was astonished to see a crack suddenly appear on the containment array’s barrier!

From within the containment array, an intensely terrifying surge of power erupted, yet the source of this power was not the array she had activated!

Crackling sounds….

A flurry of dense sounds followed as the cracks on the containment array’s barrier rapidly multiplied and spread in all directions.

“How is this possible?” Hu Xue stared, dumbfounded. As the Battle Arena’s master, she could clearly sense the terrifying intensity of the sudden power surge; it utterly defied her understanding.

In her shock, her spiritual sense surged, and she frantically tried to stabilize the barrier, hoping to repair it if it held steady.

However, she had no such opportunity. With a resounding crash, the containment array’s barrier shattered completely. The array, on which she had placed such high hopes, failed to hold for even three breaths. The moment it broke, the numerous grand arrays she had activated scattered their power aimlessly.

At the same moment, a Black Tortoise phantom suddenly burst forth from the violent energy, lunging directly toward her.

Hu Xue was stunned, seeing one, two, three… a total of seven Lu Yes, forming a Black Tortoise Grand Array. Each Lu Ye was incredibly lifelike and exuded the aura of a mid-Moon Realm cultivator.

While it was true that the containment array was incredibly sturdy, far exceeding what a single Moon Realm cultivator could breach, seven mid-Moon Realm cultivators forming an array—especially when one was Lu Ye—made it impossible for the array to hold!

Hu Xue screamed, hastily retreating while relentlessly drawing upon the Battle Arena’s power to unleash fierce attacks and obstruct Lu Ye.

However, it had no effect whatsoever.

While she could indeed leverage the Battle Arena’s power, the combined strength of Lu Ye’s true self and his Blood Treasure Avatars, when arrayed, genuinely transcended the Moon Realm’s capabilities.

In a flash, the Black Tortoise Grand Array closed in, and the phantom raised a massive palm, slamming it down with immense force.

A scream tore through the air as Hu Xue was sent flying, spitting blood. In that moment, she was certain she was going to die!

Her delicate body slammed into an asteroid, leaving her utterly disheveled. Before she could even rise, a cold saber blade pressed against her long, pale neck.

She looked up to see Lu Ye’s indifferent face looming over her. “Release it!” he commanded.

Feeling Lu Ye’s intense murderous intent, Hu Xue involuntarily shivered. Yet, recalling the preceding events, she composed herself and curled her lips into a cold sneer. “You must know who I am by now,” she challenged. “Do you dare to kill me?”

Her deduction stemmed from the fact that during the Black Tortoise’s previous strike, the young man had clearly held back; otherwise, she would have had no chance of survival.

His restraint indicated a reservation, and what he feared could only be Yuan Du!

While provoking him, various thoughts flashed through her mind like lightning. Calculating the time, Lionheart likely hadn't reached Myriad Manifestations Island yet. Therefore, she absolutely could not deactivate the Battle Arena and release Lu Ye. She had to buy more time, no matter what!

“I’ll count to three!” Lu Ye's long saber pressed down slightly, its sharp edge slicing into Hu Xue's skin.

“One!”

The blade pressed further, cutting through flesh, and crimson blood began to flow.

“Two!”

Spiritual energy surged into the saber, driving the blade another inch into her flesh.

His murderous intent solidified, becoming almost palpable!