Chapter 2028: The Death of Mo Xuan

Battles between peak Sun-Illuminated cultivators like Mo Xuan and Su Yuqing are beyond the reach of ordinary Sun-Illuminated ones. Therefore, even when Mo Xuan noticed Lu Ye's arrival, he paid little attention, not even getting a clear look at Lu Ye's appearance.

This great demon venerable was destined to pay for his arrogance. Had he known that Bi Chen's demise was directly related to Lu Ye, he would never have underestimated him so much.

At that moment, he was still channeling his demon core until a sword hum resounded.

Mo Xuan's skin tightened around his body. When he turned to look, a streak of sword light had already reached close to him. He sensed its power was not overwhelmingly strong, but certainly not weak either.

This was Lu Ye's third time activating the sword light from his Sword Gourd today.

The first activation easily breached the defenses of a Sun-Illuminated-grade warship. The second activation destroyed one of Bi Chen's arms.

According to Lu Ye's own exploration and understanding of the Sword Gourd's light, if it were unleashed without any loss, it could unleash devastating power that ordinary Sun-Illuminated cultivators couldn't withstand. Had he used it against Bi Chen with its full power the first time, he likely would have killed him directly.

The second burst of sword light was less potent than the first, yet a powerful cultivator like Bi Chen still couldn't fully defend against it.

As for this third time... there was a chance to injure Mo Xuan, but killing him seemed unlikely.

The key depended on how Mo Xuan would respond. If he was careless, he would be met with a combined assault from Lu Ye and Su Yuqing.

Mo Xuan was not careless; rather, at this moment, he couldn't afford to be. Even against the sword light, which had been weakened twice, Mo Xuan lacked the ability to defend himself because most of his power had been concentrated on his demon core after he summoned it.

Therefore, facing the incoming sword light, he unhesitatingly recalled his demon core, not even having time to reabsorb it into his body, and directly propelled it to meet the sword light.

The moment they collided, a surge of violent power erupted. Mo Xuan grunted, and the sword light's brilliance dimmed considerably before Lu Ye reabsorbed it into the Sword Gourd.

Looking up, an unnatural flush appeared on Mo Xuan's face, indicating that his demon core had undoubtedly sustained some damage in the recent collision.

Mo Xuan was furious!

Although he had been at a disadvantage against Su Yuqing, he hadn't suffered any serious harm. Who knew that Lu Ye's arrival would cause him such an unexpected setback?

How could he tolerate this?

Moreover, Su Yuqing was already attacking from the side. With his demon core shaking and his demon energy unstable, he would certainly be in a precarious situation if Su Yuqing and Lu Ye joined forces.

He needed to deal with this early-stage Sun-Illuminated cultivator first, so he could then focus on Su Yuqing.

In an instant, he sharply looked up at Lu Ye. A profound aura surged around his body as he fiercely roared, "The Heavens and Earth are Ink!"

As his words faded, Lu Ye was astonished to find boundless ink-like darkness pouring from Mo Xuan's completely black eyes, staining the starry sky.

In the blink of an eye, darkness enveloped everything, leaving no trace of light!

Not only that, but Lu Ye could barely perceive his own existence. It felt as if his five senses had been stripped away within this boundless darkness, leaving only a floating consciousness adrift in the ink, shoreless and solitary, with no hope of escape.

What kind of secret art was this?

No, wait, this wasn't a secret art; it was an eye technique!

Lu Ye suddenly recalled the scene just before this change occurred and immediately realized that what he was seeing wasn't reality. In other words, the boundless ink wasn't actually pouring from Mo Xuan's eyes; it was merely his own illusion. The true situation was not as he perceived it.

An eye technique...

Lu Ye's mind settled. Coincidentally, he also possessed a similar skill.

He exhaled softly and closed his eyes. The next instant, as his eyes opened, countless intricate patterns outlined themselves, rapidly taking shape within his pupils. Simultaneously, his spiritual energy surged, and soul power surged forth.

"Blood Moon... Ascend!" Lu Ye softly declared.

In the world shrouded by ink, a blood-red moon suddenly rose into the sky. Its crimson hue seemed to be formed from fresh blood, with droplets dripping down, making it appear incredibly terrifying.

Crucially, this blood moon resembled a colossal eye, shining from above and gazing down upon all living beings.

The inky darkness and the crimson light clashed violently; this was a silent contest between two eye techniques.

After only a brief moment, with a sharp crack, the boundless ink shattered, and the distant world reappeared.

Lu Ye looked up and saw Mo Xuan, who was lunging towards him. At this moment, the demon was less than a hundred feet away.

For a peak Sun-Illuminated cultivator, this distance was virtually face-to-face. Mo Xuan's large hand was already outstretched, his sharp claws on his five fingers glinting with cold light.

He also saw Su Yuqing's anxious and panicked face behind Mo Xuan, rapidly closing in, clearly intending to intercept Mo Xuan before Lu Ye was endangered.

But given their respective distances, she probably wouldn't make it in time.

Cold sweat trickled down Lu Ye's back, and he felt completely drained.

In that brief moment, he had poured nearly all his power into the Blood Moon Spirit Rune.

Although this spirit rune originated from the Blood Ancestor and was unfathomably profound, his own cultivation base was vastly inferior to Mo Xuan's. Therefore, to counter the opponent's eye technique, he dared not hold anything back.

To his relief, the effect was significant.

The Blood Moon Spirit Rune, unleashed with his full might, was indeed something Mo Xuan's eye technique could not contend with. The eye technique was broken in that instant, and Mo Xuan clearly suffered a backlash, becoming affected by the Blood Moon Spirit Rune instead.

Back when he ventured into the Phantasmagoric Blood Demonic Eye, Lu Ye had personally experienced the terror of the Demonic Eye's blink—a cosmic phenomenon that even Sun-Illuminated cultivators couldn't penetrate. The primary reason for the Demonic Eye's blink stemmed from the Blood Moon within the core of Fangcun Mountain.

Ultimately, the Blood Moon Spirit Rune was a legacy from the Blood Ancestor, something Mo Xuan's eye technique simply couldn't compare to.

Covering the hundred-zhang distance in an instant, Mo Xuan still maintained his attacking posture, but he appeared to have lost his senses, his body stiff. His two demonic eyes were imprinted with a blood-red light, as if reflecting the blood moon.

Lu Ye drew his blade and thrust it straight towards Mo Xuan's chest. He had intended to activate a Divine Edge Spirit Rune for enhancement, but realized his spiritual energy was completely depleted. It had been entirely used up in that brief moment.

The thrust was weak and lacked force. Although the Panyama Blade's inherent sharpness allowed it to pierce Mo Xuan's flesh, it only penetrated about three inches, hardly constituting a serious injury.

This was also due to Mo Xuan being trapped by the eye technique, unable to extricate himself, and thus unable to activate his protective demon energy. If he had been protected by it, Lu Ye's strike wouldn't have even broken his skin.

The slightly stiff Mo Xuan suddenly shivered, and there were signs of his murky eyes regaining clarity as the blood-red hue began to fade. After all, he was a peak Sun-Illuminated cultivator; even if he was trapped by the eye technique's backlash, it wouldn't last long. Stimulated by the pain, he was about to awaken immediately.

"Yuqing!" Lu Ye shouted softly.

Having known each other for many years and shared many intimacies, they had a deep unspoken understanding. It was as if a casual tap from Lu Ye was enough for Su Yuqing to know to roll over. With Lu Ye's shout, Su Yuqing instantly understood his intention.

She instantly lunged behind Mo Xuan and delivered a fierce palm strike.

Mo Xuan was propelled directly into Lu Ye's embrace, the long blade piercing clean through his body!

The intense pain finally freed Mo Xuan from the eye technique's backlash, and his inky eyes quickly cleared. However, it was too late.

Lu Ye kicked him away, while Su Yuqing quickly embraced Lu Ye and swiftly retreated.

In the distance, Mo Xuan looked down at his chest, unable to believe he had suffered such a severe injury. If it were merely a simple stab wound, it wouldn't be too serious for him, even if it was in his heart.

But at this moment, he distinctly felt a highly peculiar power lingering around the wound, hindering its recovery. Even with his peak Sun-Illuminated power, he couldn't resolve it immediately!

As Lu Ye ascended to the Sun-Illuminated realm, the quality of the Panyama Blade had also improved. The Tusk Power had become even more troublesome. This strange power, like a maggot in the bone, constantly hampered wound recovery and had a continuous tearing effect. In other words, if the Tusk Power wasn't dealt with quickly, the injury would only worsen.

"You dare to injure me? I'll kill you!" Mo Xuan looked up, glaring furiously at Lu Ye. It was one thing to be outmatched by Su Yuqing, who was also a peak Sun-Illuminated cultivator and his equal, but now even an early-stage Sun-Illuminated dared to wound him. In his rage, his intent to kill blazed fiercely.

He glared menacingly at Lu Ye, appearing ready to pounce the next instant. However, to everyone's astonishment, he not only didn't attack but, after uttering those words, he quickly turned and fled!

How could a powerhouse like him lose his rationality over temporary gains or losses?

Bi Chen was already dead, few other demon venerables could escape, and tens of thousands of demon cultivators had suffered heavy casualties. If he didn't leave now, he might truly lose his chance.

Only by surviving could he seek revenge. This was what he had been trying to achieve, but he hadn't found an opportunity until now, when it unexpectedly presented itself so quickly.

Watching him flee, neither Lu Ye nor Su Yuqing showed any intention of pursuing him, merely observing in silence.

"Explode!" Su Yuqing suddenly whispered.

Mo Xuan, who had already fled a considerable distance, suddenly froze. His eyes widened in extreme terror as he looked down at his chest. In that instant, he felt an incredibly terrifying aura erupting from within his body.

He raised his hand and plunged it into his chest, grabbing something intensely hot...

It was a spirit talisman!

And not just one!

"When did this happen?!" Mo Xuan's eyes filled with despair. He finally understood why no one was pursuing him: there was no longer any need.

Normally, he would easily detect any abnormalities within his body; a peak Sun-Illuminated cultivator naturally had complete mastery over their physical form. However, his injury in this battle was inflicted by the Tusk Blade, and the insidious nature of the Tusk Power prevented him from noticing that Su Yuqing had placed several powerful spirit talismans inside him.

A violent tremor emanated, and instantly, a massive fireball erupted where Mo Xuan stood. His formidable life force was completely extinguished at that moment.