Chapter 2091: Dao Energy Enters the Body

The Winds of Kyushu

Lu Ye struggled to steady himself, feeling his blood and qi churning. A sweet, metallic taste filled his mouth.

He focused his gaze, his expression grim. To his astonishment, the insectoid was completely unharmed, despite enduring the explosive force of four drops of Sacred Blood.

His opponent clearly still had Dao power protecting it.

This prolonged struggle had made the insectoid extremely impatient. It gnashed its teeth and growled, "Damn you scum, why are you so stubborn? Wouldn't it be better to just die obediently?"

It had never suffered such a significant setback against a mere Starry Sky cultivator. After battling a powerful enemy earlier, its Dao power was already largely depleted, and this fierce fight with Lu Ye and Jiu Yan had pushed it to the brink of exhaustion.

Although creatures of the Star Abyss, due to their unique physiques, could accumulate Dao power if their cultivation was sufficient, even without forging a Dao Foundation, it was much harder for them compared to those who had truly entered the Dao Realm. Every wisp of Dao power was incredibly precious to it, serving as its fundamental resource in this battlefield and not to be easily squandered.

In its fury, its killing intent solidified. As long as it acquired the two treasured artifacts this time, its depleted Dao power would eventually be replenished. With them as a foundation, it might even have a chance to forge its own Dao Foundation and truly become a Dao Realm expert.

It coldly lifted its gaze to Lu Ye, pressing closer step by step. "I don't believe you have a third treasured artifact!" it snarled.

Though it spoke defiantly, it was also somewhat apprehensive. If Lu Ye truly produced a third treasured artifact, it would immediately turn and flee.

Without even looking, it threw a punch. Jiu Yan, who was rapidly approaching, let out a muffled groan and was sent flying back at an even faster speed.

"Die!" it roared. Seemingly sensing Lu Ye had run out of tricks, it no longer delayed, its speed suddenly surging.

Just at that instant, a point of blood-red light suddenly erupted from Lu Ye. The light rapidly spread out, transforming into a vast sea of blood.

"Hm? You're a Blood Clan member?" The insectoid appeared incredibly astonished, seemingly not having expected to encounter one here. Yet, its movements didn't pause for a second. In the Star Abyss, creatures—let alone different races—had little trust or reliance even within their own kind. The chaotic, disordered, and cruel environment had shaped most Star Abyss creatures to rely solely on themselves.

So even if its opponent was a Blood Clan member, with two treasured artifacts right before it, it wouldn't hesitate in the slightest.

It flashed forward, lunging at Lu Ye. It threw a punch and exhaled deeply, "It's over!"

Lu Ye raised his Pan Mountain Blade, holding it horizontally in front of him. As he blocked the blow, his body slid uncontrollably backward.

The insectoid was greatly shocked. "How is this possible?"

A Starry Sky cultivator with such weak cultivation actually blocked its casual blow? It had subtly infused Dao power into that strike, making this feat incredibly unbelievable.

But soon it sensed something was wrong. Within the sea of blood, there wasn't just one aura; surrounding it were five other auras, each identical to the opponent in front of it, almost as if cast from the same mold.

"Sacred Blood Clones?" The insectoid quickly realized the truth.

It had dealt with many Blood Clan members and naturally knew about their Sacred Blood Clones. But... how could there be so many? And those unusual drops of blood that had exploded earlier—those must have been Sacred Blood too. If those were counted, the total number would be even higher.

It hadn't even noticed when Lu Ye had summoned the Sacred Blood Clones, realizing that this must have been done stealthily while the opponent was spreading out the sea of blood.

Within the dense sea of blood, Lu Ye's true body and the five Sacred Blood Clones had already formed a Xuanwu formation.

The Talent Tree was undergoing transformation, so the Linked Aura Spiritual Mark could not be used. However, the Sacred Blood Clones were inherently a part of Lu Ye, so even without the aid of spiritual marks, his true body and clones could easily connect their vital energies and form a formation.

This was the strongest means he could currently use, apart from his treasured artifacts.

The insectoid was clearly at its limits, and this battle had now reached the point of life or death. He naturally had to go all out. His ability to block the insectoid's strike was entirely due to the power of the formation.

This was equivalent to six Lu Yes forming a formation.

Relying solely on his true body's strength, he could never have done it so effortlessly.

Failing to succeed with a single blow and sensing the various presences within the sea of blood, the insectoid, though unwilling, knew the tide had turned and began to consider retreating.

However, within the sea of blood, was it so easy for it to leave? What's more, it was completely enveloped by the Xuanwu formation.

Sensing the change in the insectoid's mindset, Lu Ye's heart settled. He actively launched an offensive, and instantly, the sea of blood churned, with violent power surging wildly within it.

Jiu Yan also rushed back, entering the sea of blood. With Lu Ye's assistance, she fully displayed her sneak attack abilities, striking fiercely whenever the insectoid was preoccupied.

Thirty breaths later, the sea of blood receded, and three figures emerged from it.

Lu Ye looked pale as he sheathed his blade. Jiu Yan stood nearby, holding her silver spear, also looking exhausted. Since she began cultivating, she had truly never experienced such a grueling battle.

This battle had once again made her realize the terrifying power of Dao.

"Let's go!" Lu Ye called out to Jiu Yan. The latter quickly rushed to his side, helped him up, and they rapidly fled into the distance.

Both were greatly exhausted, but by comparison, Jiu Yan's condition was undoubtedly much better. She felt deeply ashamed, as the main force in this battle had surprisingly been the weaker Lu Ye, and her own role had not been very significant.

An hour later, on a massive floating landmass, the two landed and sought a place to hide.

There was no time to rest. Jiu Yan immediately took out a formation plate and set up a formation nearby. Her mastery of formations wasn't high, but she could still set up simple ones. This was an ability that almost every cultivator who reached a certain level of cultivation would undoubtedly master, as everyone has times when they act alone.

"How are you?" Jiu Yan asked, looking anxiously at Lu Ye.

Lu Ye's condition was clearly very poor. Large drops of sweat beaded on his forehead, his clothes were soaked, and his face was utterly devoid of color.

This was clearly not just due to the excessive exertion from the previous battle. As she spoke, Jiu Yan looked at the injury on his chest, where a large chunk of flesh was missing, almost exposing the bone.

Given Lu Ye's physique, such an injury should have recovered quickly. But in reality, since being wounded by the insectoid, the wound had not only failed to heal but showed signs of worsening.

"Dao power has entered my body!" Lu Ye replied through gritted teeth, his entire body trembling uncontrollably.

The color suddenly drained from Jiu Yan's face. Although she had anticipated this might be the case, she still found it difficult to accept once it was confirmed.

According to the records of Thunder Fortress, if an ordinary Starry Sky cultivator had Dao power invade their body, it was an unsolvable predicament. There was no way to dispel it unless a Dao Realm expert could be found to help. Even then, there was still significant risk, as conflicting Dao powers within the body often led to unpredictable complications.

"Back to Thunder Fortress, I'll take you back!" Jiu Yan said, moving to help Lu Ye up again. Only by returning to Thunder Fortress and finding help would Lu Ye have any hope of survival.

"It's too late!" Lu Ye waved his hand. From their current location, even traveling at full speed, it would take several days to return to Thunder Fortress, and that didn't even account for the potential risks they might encounter on the way.

Jiu Yan clearly realized this problem and was momentarily at a loss. Suddenly, she thought of something and quickly said, "Then I'll go out and look! Maybe I can find a Dao Realm expert from Thunder Fortress!"

Lu Ye grabbed her hand and slowly shook his head. "Don't go out. And don't worry. I... should be fine!"

"How could you be fine!" Jiu Yan's voice trembled. She only thought Lu Ye was trying to comfort her. She stared at Lu Ye for a moment, then suddenly lowered her head, her voice filled with despair and self-reproach. "I'm useless!"

If she could forge a Dao Foundation and enter the Dao Realm, then the current problem wouldn't be a problem. In fact, they wouldn't even have had such a grueling battle with that insectoid.

It felt as if an invisible needle had pierced her heart, stinging with pain!

Her eyes became blurry and moist...

Seeing her like this, Lu Ye knew that no matter how he explained it now, Jiu Yan probably wouldn't believe him. He sighed helplessly, "Don't leave, Senior Sister. Just stay with me!"

Neither returning to Thunder Fortress nor going out to find a Dao Realm expert was realistic. For now, he had to keep her here.

Jiu Yan looked up, her eyes red and her lips bitten. She nodded heavily. "Okay!"

Lu Ye closed his eyes and immersed himself in his mind, examining the Talent Tree Seed in his Origin Spirit Aperture!

At this very moment, the Dao power that had invaded his body was converging around the Seed. And it seemed that, stimulated by this wisp of foreign Dao power, the Seed surprisingly emitted an even brighter radiance than before. The small sapling within the Seed swayed wildly, showing faint signs of breaking free.

Lu Ye didn't know why this was happening, but the Talent Tree Seed was clearly reacting to the Dao power.

The reason he told Jiu Yan he would probably be fine was precisely because of this anomaly.

Regardless of its nature, the Dao power that had invaded his body was ultimately an external force. As long as the Talent Tree completed its transformation, it could completely incinerate it.

He had this confidence in the Talent Tree!

As he observed, the small sapling within the Seed became increasingly clear, and the entire Seed seemed to undergo some subtle changes.

Lu Ye was secretly delighted. Although he had previously confirmed that the Talent Tree's transformation might not take much longer, this time, being corroded by the insectoid's Dao power seemed to have accelerated the process.

A thought stirred in his mind: Was the Talent Tree's fourth transformation related to Dao power? Otherwise, why would there be such a change?

Before he could figure it out, Lu Ye felt a warm, soft body pressing against him. When he opened his eyes, he realized Jiu Yan had sat down beside him and was holding him in her arms.

"Are you cold?" Jiu Yan asked, her voice choked.

Lu Ye was stunned for a moment. When he realized, he was instantly amused and bewildered. He had been trembling due to the pain from the Dao power invasion, which had clearly led Jiu Yan to misunderstand something.

And Jiu Yan's appearance seemed to suggest she wanted to accompany him to the very end of his life.