Chapter 2098: Different Feeling

Wind Rises Across the Nine Provinces

For a month, Squad A-3 had been eliminating enemies in this highly efficient manner. Because each encounter was swift and decisive, their overall losses were minimal. With Dao Bones as spoils of war to replenish them, their respective Dao powers were steadily accumulating.

After another period of rest and the distribution of spoils, Du Qingsha announced, "Tomorrow, we enter the central zone!"

Xu Rong was momentarily startled before nodding, "Understood!"

Du Qingsha turned to Lu Ye: "Your first time entering the central zone will be different from operating outside. There are more enemies there, and they are stronger. Remember one principle: self-preservation is always the priority."

"Understood," Lu Ye replied.

He knew that the so-called central zone was the area where the Star Abyss Wormhole was located. Because the wormhole connected to the Star Abyss, the Star Abyss Strangers in this area were inexhaustible.

Squad A-3's previous active area was primarily the central zone. The reason they hadn't entered it for the past month was partly because they had just absorbed Lu Ye as a new member and needed time to familiarize themselves with him, and partly to boost their respective Dao power reserves as much as possible.

Now that they were all familiarized, it was natural to enter their true battlefield.

Lu Ye checked the leaves of his Talent Tree; his Dao power stood at 162, having already surpassed his initial record. Although he didn't know how much Dao power Du Qingsha and the others had accumulated, he estimated that he likely had the most Dao power in the entire squad.

Although he received the smallest share of the spoils each time, his refining efficiency was exceptionally high. Du Qingsha and the others were different; they wasted a lot when refining Dao Bones, often only able to refine a small fraction of the Dao power remaining in them.

During this rest period, all four individuals meditated quietly. Xu Rong and the Snake Girl didn't even feel like relaxing.

When the rest period ended, the squad set out.

They continued with their previous hunting mode, with Lu Ye acting as bait. After less than half a day, the first battle erupted, and their first enemy encountered was a Four-Path expert.

Keep in mind that over the past month, they had only encountered enemies of this caliber a total of three times. Yet, upon entering the central zone, they immediately faced one. Lu Ye now personally understood the danger level of this area.

Nevertheless, the squad eliminated it without expending too much effort.

In their second battle, they actually encountered three Star Abyss Strangers traveling together...

This was rarely seen in other areas; it was Lu Ye's first time experiencing such a situation.

While Star Abyss Strangers were indeed bloodthirsty and volatile, they weren't fools. With powerful cultivators from their own star domain active in teams here, some of them naturally chose to team up for resistance.

Fortunately, these three Star Abyss Strangers only possessed Three-Path power. Du Qingsha and Lu Ye each handled one, while Xu Rong and the Snake Girl jointly dealt with the third, preventing any major complications.

After spending so much time together, the others had gained some understanding of Lu Ye's strength, which was clearly more than Three-Path.

This made Du Qingsha sigh with emotion more than once, realizing that recruiting Lu Ye was like striking gold. Someone like him, whose cultivation realm wasn't high but whose power was immense, was unique throughout the entire star domain.

Killing enemies, collecting spoils, and withdrawing—similar scenes played out repeatedly.

Lu Ye's Dao power accumulated more and more. This method of cultivation, using battle to nurture power, was undoubtedly far more efficient than mere meditative practice, and less monotonous. The only caveat was the need to bear some risks.

During another rest period, after Lu Ye refined his share of the spoils, a strange sensation suddenly arose within him.

The anomaly originated from his Talent Tree.

He immediately immersed himself in his mind to investigate. The Dao power on his Talent Tree had already filled six leaves, and the seventh adjacent leaf was also glowing golden, with golden threads moving within it.

It had surpassed 200!

It seemed that precisely because his accumulated Dao power had exceeded 200, some unusual changes had occurred.

However, Lu Ye couldn't immediately figure out what exactly this change was. He calmly investigated, but consistently found nothing...

Until it was time to set out again to kill enemies, he still hadn't figured out the source of the sudden anomaly, so he could only reluctantly give up.

In an area where large patches of asteroids converged, Lu Ye moved through it as if taking a leisurely stroll. Suddenly, a malevolent presence emerged from a nearby asteroid, followed immediately by a figure charging out from that direction.

Lu Ye looked up, surprised to find that the figure charging at him was actually a human. He was momentarily astonished, as while he had encountered quite a few Star Abyss Strangers recently, it was very rare for them to be human.

Feeling the formidable Dao power emanating from the opponent, Lu Ye's heart tensed, and he immediately became more cautious. After so many battles, he had somewhat developed an ability to gauge an enemy's strength; while not perfectly accurate, it wouldn't be far off.

This human who suddenly attacked possessed at least Four-Path power.

He dared not be negligent, and immediately activated five strands of Dao power, integrating them into his spiritual energy...

It was not advisable to hold back when fighting Star Abyss Strangers. Knowing the opponent's strength, it was natural to go all out.

However, at that moment, Lu Ye suddenly froze for a moment. Although he quickly recovered and conjured his Mountain-Cleaving Blade, swinging it horizontally, he was still a beat too slow.

As the blade energy shattered, Lu Ye's body was sent flying backward, his vital energy surging. The attacking human couldn't help but pause.

Though he had sent Lu Ye flying, he himself was also affected by the recoil.

"Five-Path! Everyone be careful!" Lu Ye urgently transmitted his voice to his teammates.

That momentary clash just now allowed him to ascertain the opponent's true strength: a formidable Five-Path expert, on the same level as himself and Du Qingsha.

This was, to date, the first Five-Path Star Abyss Stranger he had encountered.

Almost simultaneously with his transmission, Du Qingsha, Xu Rong, and the Snake Girl, who had been hidden nearby, appeared. Du Qingsha also controlled a humanoid automaton, but unlike Xu Rong's sturdy one, hers was clearly designed for agility, its mere appearance conveying a sense of litheness.

She was the first to charge the enemy, spiritual energy surging as she engaged in close combat. Xu Rong and the Snake Girl attacked from the flanks, striking quickly and retreating immediately.

The gap between Five-Path and Three-Path was immense; it could almost be said that a touch would wound, and a blow would kill. Therefore, the two absolutely dared not give the opponent a chance to counter. All their current attacks had but one goal: to break through the enemy's protective spiritual energy!

But their attacks didn't achieve much; they merely served to wear down the enemy.

In an instant, Du Qingsha and the enemy engaged in several fierce clashes, and the surrounding asteroids shattered. The two powerful experts were clearly evenly matched, which was normal. As both were Five-Path experts, a one-on-one fight would depend on their respective accumulated Dao power.

However, as the enemy suddenly exerted more force, Du Qingsha seemed to falter, her body stumbling and flying sideways.

The human was about to pursue, but out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a figure charging forward.

It was Lu Ye, who had initially been sent flying due to a slight misstep, now attacking again.

He didn't have an automaton, so he wasn't as large a target. Using Du Qingsha as cover, he returned stealthily at the exact moment the enemy's attention was fully focused on Du Qingsha.

This move caught the enemy completely off guard. Seeing Lu Ye's long blade descend, the human had no choice but to resist with all his might.

However, at that very moment, Du Qingsha, who had seemed to stumble away, adjusted her posture in time and attacked from the side. Her previous disarray had merely been a feint!

Not only that, Xu Rong and the Snake Girl also demonstrated extremely coordinated teamwork, unleashing their killing moves simultaneously from behind the enemy.

In an instant, the human found himself surrounded and attacked by all four members of Squad A-3.

The robust protective spiritual energy shattered with a crash.

Lu Ye's eyes lit up. "Now!"

Once protective spiritual energy shattered, it could be reformed, as long as the enemy's spiritual energy wasn't depleted, but this reformation required a small amount of time.

And this small window of time was often the crucial factor in life-or-death situations.

His right arm trembled violently, the blade of his Mountain-Cleaving Blade vibrating back and forth within a tiny range.

Blade Tremor!

As if slicing through something incredibly tough, Lu Ye swept past the enemy, his long blade drawing a spray of blood. He shot several tens of meters forward before stabilizing himself and slowly returning his blade to its sheath.

When he looked back, Du Qingsha had already begun collecting the spoils. She removed a Dao Bone from the enemy whose head he had severed, called out to everyone, and quickly withdrew.

This encounter with a Five-Path expert didn't take significantly longer than previous battles against Three-Path or Four-Path enemies, but the inherent danger was something only the four squad members could truly grasp.

Without pause, they continued to bait and eliminate enemies.

The subsequent waves of enemies they encountered no longer included Five-Path experts; all were dealt with smoothly.

After several days of battling, they found a place to rest and divide the spoils as usual.

Du Qingsha picked up one Dao Bone from a pile of over ten, and tossed it to Lu Ye: "This one's yours. You get no share of the others."

This particular Dao Bone was left behind by the Five-Path expert after his death. On the Dao Bone, a clear golden light was visible, indicating a significant amount of residual Dao power.

Lu Ye naturally had no objections.

The distribution of spoils was quickly completed. Xu Rong's gaze towards Lu Ye changed. "Brother, are you a Five-Path expert?"

Only today did he realize Lu Ye was so powerful. Otherwise, he couldn't have contended with that Five-Path human. He had previously thought Lu Ye was a Four-Path expert.

The Snake Girl beside Xu Rong also looked over with watery eyes, her tongue flicking in and out of her mouth.

Lu Ye nodded.

Du Qingsha looked at him with a complex expression. "Freak!"

She herself was a Five-Path expert, and naturally knew how profound and powerful a foundation was required to wield Five-Path power. This was something only cultivators who had reached the peak of the Divine Realm could hope to achieve, yet Lu Ye was clearly only in the early Divine Realm.

This undoubtedly meant that his own foundation was still accumulating. When he eventually cultivated to the peak of the Divine Realm, how much Dao power would he be able to command then?

However, having a powerful expert of her own level in the team was undoubtedly a good thing. The stronger the team, the greater their margin for error in crises, and the higher their efficiency in eliminating enemies.

It's just that... Five-Path experts like them were already qualified to form their own teams. Du Qingsha began to ponder, "What method can I use to make him stay?"

She turned to look at the Snake Girl, who was flushed with amorousness, and Du Qingsha couldn't help but inwardly scorn. "So useless. He clearly has no interest in her, yet she's still batting her eyelashes."