Chapter 2037: Disaster

The old man, with his peak Sun-illumination cultivation, was incredibly fast. However, what he didn't expect was that just as he made his move, a few drops of blood from the mist Lu Ye had just spewed out suddenly twisted and transformed into three figures.

It was Lu Ye, using the cover of his injury, who had mixed three drops of his precious blood into the mist. Such a concealed method would have gone unnoticed by anyone.

“Hmm?” The old man was astonished. As he observed, all three figures exuded a Sun-illumination aura, greatly shocking him. This technique bore some resemblance to the ‘Blood Shadow Art’ he knew, but ordinary Blood Shadow Arts were never so profound. Moreover, the shadows created by the Blood Shadow Art were typically more illusory, whereas these three figures before him were substantial.

They were more like the unique ‘Precious Blood Avatars’ of the Saint Venerables among the Blood Race. However, as far as he knew, most Saint Venerables could only condense one or two such avatars, and a Saint Venerable capable of forming three Precious Blood Avatars was unheard of.

There was no time for further thought, as he had already entered the area of the three figures, finding himself surrounded by them in a triangular formation.

Any ordinary Sun-illumination cultivator, caught off guard like this, would surely be thrown into disarray. But the old man, with his profound cultivation, remained completely unperturbed.

However, in the next moment, his expression changed, because an extremely violent aura simultaneously erupted from all three figures!

“Self-detonation?” The old man's expression was one of shock. He was capable of disregarding three ordinary Sun-illumination cultivators, but if such cultivators self-detonated at close range, even he could not ignore it.

In haste, he conjured a magical artifact to protect himself.

With a thunderous boom, the entire desolate star shook. The already incomplete star shattered under the immense impact, and pieces of floating land scattered in all directions.

From the epicenter of the raging energy, the old man emerged with a livid face. Although he showed no signs of injury, he was quite disheveled, and the light from his protective magical artifact was extremely dim, clearly indicating damage.

It must be said that the self-detonation of the three Precious Blood Avatars had indeed caught him off guard, primarily because he had never encountered such a technique before.

However, this only solidified his determination to capture Lu Ye. To possess such abilities right after promotion—what would happen if he were allowed to grow further? Since an enmity had been formed, he had to see it through. The legendary Starry Sky Treasure was not with Lu Ye now; if he missed this chance, there wouldn't be another.

Gazing at Lu Ye's fleeing figure in the distance, the old man's eyes gleamed with a chilling light.

However, before he could pursue much further, a figure suddenly darted out from a nearby asteroid, rushing straight towards him.

The old man turned his head and froze in surprise, for the figure lunging towards him was yet another one of Lu Ye's avatars!

Even before it got close, an extremely violent aura surged from within the avatar.

“Again?” The old man's expression sharpened. Knowing that this Precious Blood Avatar-like entity would rush forward to self-detonate, how could he let it succeed? He immediately employed a remote attack, blasting it apart before it could even get close.

His method was indeed swift and decisive, but it still cost him a few moments.

Having dealt with this Precious Blood Avatar, the old man resumed his pursuit.

A moment later, another raging blood-colored figure appeared from ahead, coming to meet him.

How could there be more? The old man was truly baffled now. Such an avatar technique, comparable to a Sun-illumination cultivator, had to be incredibly profound and come at a great cost. How could Lu Ye, a newly promoted Sun-illumination cultivator, use it repeatedly?

In this short time, he had already encountered five!

He knew, of course, that Lu Ye was using this method to stall him. Yet, he couldn't ignore it, because these blood-colored figures were intent on self-detonation. Ignoring them would only lead to greater trouble, so he had no choice but to destroy them with swift, decisive attacks.

But each time, Lu Ye would seize the opportunity to flee a significant distance further.

After the fifth, there was a sixth, then a seventh, an eighth…

He pursued all the way until, after destroying eight of Lu Ye's avatars, the old man finally confirmed that Lu Ye had exhausted his tricks, as no more blood-colored figures suddenly appeared to pester him.

Secretly astonished, he thought these tactics were simply incredible. For someone of his mighty cultivation to have been chasing a newly promoted Sun-illumination cultivator for so long without success was truly a blow to his pride.

As the distance continuously closed, he channeled his power and slowly spoke: “Young man, surrender obediently, and I won't make things difficult for you, nor do I wish to take your life!”

Killing a newly promoted Sun-illumination cultivator was not difficult for him, but clearly, capturing Lu Ye alive was more valuable than killing him, as this concerned the ownership of a Starry Sky Treasure.

Lu Ye paid him no mind. The Myriad Manifestation Sea was not far, and as long as he could escape into it, he could shake off his pursuer.

He secretly felt fortunate that he hadn't traveled too far this time; otherwise, he would truly be in trouble.

It was a pity that his Precious Blood Avatars were all used up… Earlier, during his experiments, he had used one. The old man's pursuit had cost him eight, and he was fortunate to have them; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to contend with his opponent for so long.

However, he still had a red talisman he could use for escape, which he had been nurturing within his body. As long as he activated its power, he could immediately shake off his opponent.

But doing so carried a risk, because once the red talisman's power was activated, Lu Ye would be randomly teleported to a certain location. This location, within the talisman's maximum range, could be very close or very far, beyond human control.

If he appeared in the Myriad Manifestation Sea, that would be fine, but if he appeared somewhere else, the danger might be even greater.

He didn't know the old man's origin, but from the fact that the old man appeared on that desolate star, Lu Ye could deduce one thing: this old man was a cultivator from the Myriad Manifestation Star System!

His opponent must have encountered him purely by chance on this trip and, seeing an opportunity, suddenly made his move!

Since he was a cultivator from the Myriad Manifestation Star System and Lu Ye hadn't met him before, the opponent's identity became obvious. Ma Bin had previously mentioned someone to him, warning him to be extra careful, as this person was the strongest in the Myriad Manifestation Star System.

That's why he was reluctant to use the red talisman, in case he ended up in the One Origin Realm, where he would be like a turtle in a jar.

The aura behind him continuously drew closer. Lu Ye could feel that, while pursuing, the old man was also constantly channeling soul power, attempting to shake his spirit.

But after experiencing a disadvantage once, Lu Ye had been maintaining the power of the Seven-Colored Divine Lotus. With the lotus's vibrant aura covering his Spirit Sea, external tremors were easily nullified, so his opponent's actions had little effect.

“Stubborn fool!” the old man snorted coldly. Seeing the Myriad Manifestation Sea approaching, he no longer hesitated. A layer of blood mist suddenly burst from his body, dramatically increasing his speed.

He had clearly activated a secret technique similar to the ‘Blood Escape Art’.

His speed was already much faster than Lu Ye's, and this sudden boost truly caught Lu Ye off guard.

After a few moments, the distance between them reached an extremely dangerous point. Power surged around the old man, who raised his hand and flung out a whip-shaped magical artifact. The whip uncoiled, rapidly lengthening as if endlessly, spanning spatial barriers, and coiled towards Lu Ye's figure like a giant python.

Lu Ye leaped several times but couldn't shake it off.

Gritting his teeth, he took out his sword gourd and unleashed a sword light, striking at the long whip from a distance.

The moment the sword light collided with the long whip, the sword light shattered…

The sword light from the sword gourd had been nurtured by Lu Ye using numerous magical artifacts, with a total value of around five hundred million spirit jade. It had been used three times in the previous battle with Zi Xuan, greatly diminishing its power. This time, it could no longer be sustained and was directly destroyed.

If the sword light had been at its peak, its power would naturally have been immense, capable of destroying even a strong cultivator like the old man. No matter how powerful the old man was, he was only on par with the Azure Star Demon Venerable. But because Lu Ye hadn't replenished it earlier, the sword light's power was no longer significant.

Even so, it bought Lu Ye a chance to escape.

The Myriad Manifestation Sea was directly ahead. He leaped, plunging into it, and his figure vanished.

Seeing this, the old man behind him was utterly stunned: “How is that possible?”

He had only recently returned to the Myriad Manifestation Star System and had inquired about Lu Ye from Yuan Se and others. Naturally, he had heard about Lu Ye venturing deep into the Myriad Manifestation Sea under the protection of the Starry Sky Treasure.

But that time, he had the Starry Sky Treasure's protection. Now, the Starry Sky Treasure wasn't with Lu Ye at all, so how could this boy also enter the Myriad Manifestation Sea?

The old man, of course, wouldn't naively believe that Lu Ye was seeking death. Since he had done this, he must have a way to cope.

A mistake!

If he had known earlier that Lu Ye possessed such abilities, he would have taken him down swiftly, even if it meant resorting to forbidden techniques. But now…

Lu Ye had already entered the sea and vanished. Even if his strength was far greater than Lu Ye's, he couldn't dive deep into the sea and drag him out.

Trouble!

It had been a spur-of-the-moment decision, initially thinking it was a godsend opportunity. But now, he hadn't gotten the lamb and had only stirred up a mess!

Standing at the edge of the Myriad Manifestation Sea, the old man's expression flickered. Just then, he felt something and looked towards the depths of the Myriad Manifestation Sea. A Sun-illumination aura was rapidly approaching from that direction.

The old man's face was filled with unwillingness, but he could only turn and flee swiftly!

Any Sun-illumination cultivator approaching at this time would definitely be an ally called by Lu Ye, and most likely carrying the Starry Sky Treasure. Of course, he had to avoid confrontation.

From a distance, he looked back. This Magnificent Myriad Manifestation Sea was originally his home, but from today onwards, he might never be able to return, unless he gained the ability to contend with the Starry Sky Treasure.

Did he regret it? No. Although it was just a spur-of-the-moment decision, even if time rewound and he had to choose again, he would still attack Lu Ye, because such an opportunity was too rare.

Lu Ye was alone outside, without the protection of the Starry Sky Treasure, and his own strength was so much greater than Lu Ye's. In such circumstances, who could resist making a move?

Moments after the old man left, two figures arrived at the edge of the Myriad Manifestation Sea: none other than Luan Xiao'e and Hua Ci.

During the two months Lu Ye spent in secluded cultivation, Luan Xiao'e had already returned to the Myriad Manifestation Sea from Yu Luo. Besides her, a group of small human cultivators had also moved onto Zi Xuan Island, renaming Zi Xuan to Fang Cun Island.

During his escape earlier, Lu Ye had sent a message to Luan Xiao'e, asking her to bring Hua Ci and Xiao Gua to assist him.

If he hadn't guessed wrong, the old man's true identity was that of a powerful cultivator capable of clashing with Ma Bin. Currently, among their group, only Xiao Gua had the ability to subdue such a formidable opponent. The old man's sneak attack had nearly suppressed Lu Ye on the spot and had pursued him all this way, so Lu Ye naturally wouldn't let it go.