Chapter 2036: Being Ambushed

If this truly happened, it would be terrifying, akin to the dead being resurrected, simply in a different vessel.

However, upon reflection, Lu Ye felt it was improbable.

The black fruit originated from the seven emotions and six desires of the cultivators he had devoured. With the emotions and desires of so many cultivators mixed indistinguishably, even if the Blood Avatar, which carried a portion of this, truly had the potential for revival, it would not revive the consciousness of any single cultivator.

It was more likely to revive a chaotic will.

Of course, this was merely Lu Ye's conjecture; whether it was accurate remained to be seen.

This was also why Lu Ye went to experiment; he wanted to see what changes such a Blood Avatar would undergo if left unchecked.

As time passed, the connection between the main body and the avatar grew increasingly faint, and the avatar's transformations became more pronounced. Standing there, it seemed like a culmination of the world's evils, exuding an ominous aura. It also emitted an unintelligible gurgling sound from its throat, and occasionally, hostility and murderous intent flashed in its eyes when it looked at Lu Ye.

By this point, even if Lu Ye wanted to control the avatar, it had little effect. When he tried to issue commands, the avatar completely ignored him.

A moment later, the connection between the avatar and the main body was completely severed. At that very instant, the Blood Avatar suddenly roared like a beast, then transformed into a streak of black light and lunged directly at Lu Ye, like an ancient fierce beast.

Even though he had anticipated it, when the scene truly unfolded, Lu Ye found himself between laughter and tears.

His own avatar was attacking him; if word of this got out, it would be a complete joke.

He could clearly feel the malice and murderous intent within the avatar, as if he were its sworn enemy.

Lu Ye understood why; the will currently controlling the avatar stemmed from the many cultivators who had died by his hand, so it was only natural for it to bear such malice towards him, its enemy.

The two figures quickly collided, mana humming and vital energy surging.

It must be said, the Blood Avatar was truly profound. Aside from its inability to independently activate the power of the Talent Tree, it could essentially unleash Lu Ye's full strength for a short period.

In this confrontation, Lu Ye felt as if he was fighting a true Sunblaze cultivator.

Unfortunately, the Blood Avatar's attacks were utterly disorganized. It ultimately lacked true consciousness, and all its offensives were like a wild beast in a frenzy, blindly charging forward, solely to kill the living creature before it.

Thus, even though the Blood Avatar could exert Sunblaze-level strength, Lu Ye handled it with ease; he didn't even draw his sword.

After such an intense clash, Lu Ye distinctly felt the Blood Avatar's strength beginning to wane.

This was the Blood Avatar's sole flaw: its strength was not sustainable! Its foundation originated from Lu Ye, the main body; without him, it was like a tree without roots. Relying solely on the power stored within the precious blood, its strength would diminish over time, eventually dissipating completely if not promptly retrieved.

In this regard, the Blood Avatar was far inferior to the Talent Tree Avatar. While the Talent Tree Avatar could activate the spirit patterns on the Talent Tree, the crucial difference was its ability to sustain its power for longer and restore itself by devouring spirit jade.

This Blood Avatar could not be retrieved, and what needed to be verified had already been confirmed. With a thought, Lu Ye unsheathed his Mountain-Shattering Blade.

As the long blade descended, it was empowered by the Divine Edge spirit pattern.

This single strike nearly cut the Blood Avatar in half, yet it still refused to retreat, seemingly determined to drag Lu Ye down with it, even in death.

Lu Ye delivered another strike, finally slaying it completely. The avatar exploded, blood splattered around, corroding the ground into a massive pit, and black mist permeated the air.

Lu Ye's expression was subtle. He thought, "I fought against my own avatar and won. That's rather comical."

Just as he was about to sheath his blade, his heart tightened, and a sudden, inexplicable sense of alarm arose!

The next instant, a surging, terrifying soul force swept over, instantly engulfing him.

Lu Ye's body swayed involuntarily, his mind becoming turbulent, and he even felt a sense of dizziness.

He was ambushed! He reacted immediately, realizing that his assailant was no ordinary Sunblaze cultivator. Anyone capable of overwhelming his soul force would at least be a late-stage Sunblaze, or even stronger!

Subconsciously, he seemed to perceive a massive halo descending upon him, giving him a feeling of utter inescapability.

That halo was not a physical object, nor was it seen with his eyes, but rather a perception of his mind.

A Soul Suppression Secret Technique?

Lu Ye's heart was chilled, and his expression suddenly turned grim. Who was ambushing him, to activate a Soul Suppression Secret Technique right from the start, intending to suppress his soul? This assailant clearly knew his background, knowing he had only recently advanced to Sunblaze, and that against such a powerful Soul Suppression Secret Technique, he would essentially be defenseless. Therefore, it was a killing blow from the outset!

Even though Lu Ye's soul was stronger and more resilient than those of cultivators at the same level, it still had its limits. Against the suppression of such a powerful Soul Suppression Secret Technique, he indeed had little power to resist. In his mental perception, the halo rapidly descended, and his soul grew increasingly powerless.

And if he were truly suppressed, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Just then, a small pagoda rapidly rose from his Divine Sea to meet the descending halo. It was none other than the Soul Suppression Pagoda Lu Ye had acquired years ago from the War Merit Pavilion in Kyushu.

In Kyushu, this item was considered of decent quality, but in the vast starry sky, it was practically nothing. However, it had always resided in Lu Ye's Divine Sea, and he hadn't paid it much mind, treating it merely as a keepsake.

Yet, at this critical moment, it emerged to protect its master.

The collision between the small pagoda and the halo was silent. The halo continued to descend, while the small pagoda melted rapidly like snow under a blazing sun, having no effect whatsoever.

Ding-a-ling...

A crisp and pleasant sound rang out. In his turbulent Divine Sea, a bell began to chime.

Years ago, before Lu Ye departed for the Phantasm Blood Demonic Eye, Su Yuqing had given him a red talisman and a bell. This bell, known as the Soul-Stabilizing Bell, was a type of soul treasure with the effect of protecting the soul.

The item given by Su Yuqing was undoubtedly of much higher quality than the Soul Suppression Pagoda.

Lu Ye's originally groggy soul, stimulated by the bell, suddenly regained a sliver of clarity.

The halo's suppression speed seemed to slow down slightly, but the bell's chime became more urgent.

With a crisp crack, a fissure appeared on the Soul-Stabilizing Bell. Lu Ye's heart was appalled; he immediately knew his judgment was wrong. The enemy who ambushed him was stronger than he had imagined, otherwise, a soul treasure like the Soul-Stabilizing Bell wouldn't have failed to block the opponent's Soul Suppression Secret Technique.

Unbounded fury surged within him. Two great soul treasures in his Divine Sea were now one destroyed, one broken, yet he didn't even know who had ambushed him.

Taking advantage of that momentary clarity, he frantically channeled his soul force into the Seven-Colored Divine Lotus within his Divine Sea.

The next instant, a seven-colored radiance seemed to bloom, illuminating everything around him.

The halo dissipated...

His groggy consciousness finally recovered, though his head felt like it would split apart!

"Hmm?" A surprised exclamation came from behind him; clearly, the assailant hadn't expected Lu Ye to break free from the suppression of their Soul Suppression Secret Technique.

It was a coincidence that he found Lu Ye here. He had originally planned to go to Myriad Manifestation Sea to find Jiu Yan, but on the way, he sensed conflict in this area, and two Sunblaze cultivators were involved.

Driven by curiosity, he concealed himself and came to investigate, and that's when he saw Lu Ye.

He had actually seen Lu Ye once several years ago, but at that time, Lu Ye was only at the Moon Glimmer realm and was with another Sunblaze cultivator, so he hadn't paid much attention.

After returning to his home galaxy, he had seen images of Lu Ye from other Sunblaze cultivators there, so he naturally recognized him at a glance. This was the Moon Glimmer cultivator he had seen back then, and also the mastermind behind the drastic changes in Myriad Manifestation Sea.

He naturally wouldn't miss such a heaven-sent opportunity. Taking advantage of Lu Ye's unpreparedness, he launched a sudden sneak attack, and to ensure success, he immediately activated a Soul Suppression Secret Technique!

As long as he could capture Lu Ye, his home galaxy could regain control over Myriad Manifestation Sea, and he could even use Lu Ye as a bargaining chip to claim that supreme star-field treasure for himself!

Driven by such immense benefits, even he, a peak Sunblaze cultivator, could not restrain himself.

His cultivation realm was already vastly superior to Lu Ye's, and he had used a Soul Suppression Secret Technique in a sneak attack. Logically, Lu Ye should have had absolutely no room to resist.

But in reality, his Soul Suppression Secret Technique had not produced the expected effect. Not only did this fail to fulfill his plan, but it also caused some shock to his own soul!

This kid... he's strange!

At this moment, Lu Ye's eyes were blood red, and his head ached as if it would split, a consequence of the soul collision. Enduring the intense discomfort, he immediately sensed, upon recovering, a powerful and profound aura behind him, making a grabbing gesture, as if to capture him!

He hastily turned around and fiercely delivered a backhand slash!

This strike seemed to land on metal. Although the ambushing opponent was caught unprepared due to the backlash from the Soul Suppression Secret Technique, the attack still had little effect, merely cutting a shallow gash on the opponent's arm.

For the Mountain-Shattering Blade, long known for its sharpness, this was almost unbelievable.

"Peak Sunblaze!" Lu Ye immediately judged. He looked up and saw that his assailant was a vigorous old man with snow-white hair.

He vaguely felt that the old man looked familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before, but he had no time to ponder it now. The opponent was indeed worthy of being a peak Sunblaze cultivator; their physical strength was incredible.

"You're seeking death!" the old man roared. His momentary backlash from the Soul Suppression Secret Technique had subsided, and a surge of mana, far more potent and pure than Lu Ye's, swept forth.

Lu Ye was sent flying backward like a kite, spitting out a mouthful of blood mist in mid-air.

He hastily twisted his body, frantically channeled his mana, activated his Blood Escape technique, and fled rapidly towards Myriad Manifestation Sea.

He was no match; only by fleeing back to Myriad Manifestation Sea would he have a chance to survive.

"Trying to run? Delusional!" the old man snorted coldly. Since he had already unexpectedly made a move against Lu Ye on this trip, he might as well finish the job. For a mere newly advanced Sunblaze cultivator to escape from his grasp was simply a fantasy.

The instant he finished speaking, he immediately pursued him, determined to utterly destroy him!