Chapter 2102: Killing the Six Paths

Using the cover of the sea of blood, Lu Ye silently swept behind the enemy.

However, the tall figure suddenly turned as if he had anticipated it, launching a punch at Lu Ye.

A powerful cultivator like him possessed an extremely keen perception of life-or-death crises, so even with the sea of blood providing cover, he sensed Lu Ye's killing intent.

At this moment, Lu Ye's qi and blood surged, and both his eyes turned blood-red. Wielding six threads of Dao power clearly placed a heavy burden on his body.

As the long saber descended, all six threads of Dao power erupted.

This method of unleashing Dao power was an ability possessed by every being qualified to wield it. After such a single, explosive release, the activated Dao power would completely vanish, but in return, it granted far greater destructive force.

In this starfield, this technique was known as the Dao Annihilation Art, typically employed as a desperate measure.

Lu Ye could have chosen otherwise; he could have engaged the enemy in prolonged combat, using the six threads of Dao power, which might have lasted for dozens of exchanges before depleting. However, that would not have achieved the desired effect.

The enemy's fist slammed into the blade of the Mountain-Shattering Saber. Lu Ye felt an overwhelming, irresistible force surge through him, his body trembled violently, and he drifted backward with the momentum.

As the saber descended, an expression of extreme shock appeared in the enemy's eyes, for his protective magical power had been shattered!

He immediately realized that among these starry sky cultivators, there was someone at his level!

In haste, he tried to re-activate his magical power for protection.

However, it was already too late. Du Qingsha, piloting her construct, swept in from the side. The construct, wielding a massive broadsword with both hands, delivered a horizontal slash!

Lu Ye had already factored in Du Qingsha's assistance when he made his move.

The sharp blade cut into the flesh, only stopped by bone, and as Du Qingsha swept past, a spray of blood followed.

Inside the construct, Du Qingsha was visibly stunned. Based on previous experiences hunting Six-Paths cultivators, they typically had to engage such opponents in prolonged battles, slowly finding an opportunity to injure or even kill them, a process that consumed a vast amount of Dao power from everyone involved.

Hunting Six-Paths cultivators was no longer about gains and and losses; it was a mandatory task for the Hunter Camp squads. Ignoring a Six-Paths cultivator would inevitably lead to increasing casualties, so no matter the cost, once a Six-Paths appeared, they had to be eliminated as quickly as possible.

Therefore, Du Qingsha never expected the Six-Paths cultivator they encountered today to be so weak, or that she would manage to wound him in such a short time.

Without time to ponder further, she quickly transmitted a message to everyone: "He's injured, everyone be careful!"

The wound inflicted by her sword was horrific, but for a Six-Paths cultivator, it wasn't fatal. Furthermore, injured enemies sometimes became even more formidable.

"Damn it!" the Six-Paths cultivator cursed through gritted teeth from within the sea of blood. Realizing there was someone of his own level nearby, panic seized him. He dared not linger and only wished to escape quickly.

His protective magical power reformed and reintegrated with his own Dao power, finally giving him a sense of security.

However, what followed were long-range attacks from all directions. Chang Yu also swept close to him, delivered a fierce blow, and immediately retreated.

Under such a siege, even attacks from Three-Paths cultivators like Xu Rong and Snake Woman could have a weakening effect; it wasn't as if their lower cultivation rendered them completely ineffective.

Not to mention, among the other team members, the old man was a Four-Paths cultivator.

In a flash of lightning and sparks, Lu Ye charged back, his qi and blood swirling, his magical power boiling. As his long saber descended, it unleashed another Dao Annihilation!

If the enemy had been unharmed, Lu Ye would likely not have been able to do much to him with this strike. Just moments before, though Lu Ye had shattered his protective magical power, he lacked the follow-up force, and it was Du Qingsha's timely intervention that inflicted real damage.

But now, the enemy had first been assaulted by several team members with long-range attacks, and then struck by Chang Yu, so the Dao power integrated into his protective magical power was no longer in its complete state.

This allowed Lu Ye's saber to not only completely breach the opponent's defenses but also have residual power to continue its descent!

The Mountain-Shattering Saber sliced diagonally downwards from the enemy's neck, almost cleaving his entire body open. The intense pain made him roar repeatedly.

Instinctively, he raised an arm and swung. Lu Ye had no time to dodge and was sent flying.

Several blinding beams of light struck from various directions, impacting the enemy's massive body and instantly blasting him into pieces.

Du Qingsha, who had just returned to the fray, froze for a moment. Chang Yu, who had just regained his footing in the distance, was also dumbfounded, and the other five team members, scattered in various locations, all showed expressions of wonder.

"He's dead?" Snake Woman asked, her expression a mix of surprise and uncertainty.

The sea of blood gradually receded, revealing their figures.

Only then could everyone confirm that their target was indeed dead!

"How did he die so easily?" Xu Rong racked his brain but couldn't understand why. He then turned to Chang Yu: "Captain Chang, are you sure this was a Six-Paths cultivator?"

If he truly was a Six-Paths cultivator, how could he be so weak? This hunt felt vastly different from their previous encounters with Six-Paths cultivators. Could Captain Chang have made a mistake? It wasn't unheard of for someone believed to be powerful to turn out to be merely a "gilded exterior."

Chang Yu replied, "Sister Sha should know if he was a Six-Paths cultivator."

"He was indeed a Six-Paths cultivator," Du Qingsha confirmed. Although they hadn't exchanged many blows, anyone capable of withstanding attacks from both her and Chang Yu unscathed was definitely a Six-Paths cultivator.

Moreover...

"He left behind three Dao bones!"

One of them was undoubtedly the trophy the Six-Paths cultivator had just acquired, while the other two were his own.

As she spoke, Du Qingsha glanced at Lu Ye with a hint of doubt. While attributing the ease of this hunt to Lu Ye's assistance felt somewhat off – the sea of blood environment certainly provided many conveniences – victory in killing an enemy still depended on raw power.

Why was a Six-Paths cultivator's protective magical power so easily breached?

Lu Ye stood quietly to the side, naturally noticing Du Qingsha's gaze but pretending not to.

"This guy probably had existing injuries, making his Dao power unstable," Chang Yu concluded. Only this scenario could explain everything that had just transpired.

Killing a Six-Paths cultivator so easily was good news, regardless of the reasons. Besides the spoils of war, the battle merits gained from this fight were incomparable to those from hunting Four-Paths or Five-Paths cultivators.

They cleared the battlefield and collected the spoils.

The two squads then found a nearby location to divide the loot.

As there were only three Dao bones, division was somewhat tricky. However, this wasn't the first time the Hunter Camp squads had cooperated in such a manner, so they naturally had methods to ensure fairness as much as possible.

The spoils were quickly divided, and they went their separate ways.

Alpha Three Squad remained. Du Qingsha took out some of the spoils they had acquired earlier, and the squad then divided them amongst themselves once more.

She then looked at Lu Ye: "After refining these Dao bones this time, I should be able to temper my second Dao bone. During this period, I'll need your help to stand guard."

Originally, for tempering her second Dao bone, she would need to return to Thunderclap Fortress, as she had always done in the past. This was because she was the strongest member of the entire team, and their current location often encountered Five-Paths cultivators. If such an encounter occurred, the other team members might not be able to handle it.

However, with Lu Ye present, she wouldn't need to waste time returning to Thunderclap Fortress. After all, tempering a second Dao bone wouldn't take long, at most two days.

Lu Ye readily agreed: "Captain, please cultivate in peace; I'll handle everything." With his current strength, he could put up a fight even against a Six-Paths cultivator.

Xu Rong cupped his fist: "May Captain have a smooth cultivation and advance to Six-Paths after this!"

Snake Woman also offered a similar auspicious wish.

Du Qingsha gave a wry smile: "The chances aren't great, but I have to try."

This was her sixth attempt at tempering her second Dao bone, having failed five times before. Each failure completely depleted her Dao power, leaving her in extreme financial strain.

Moments later, Du Qingsha entered a state of secluded cultivation. Lu Ye and the other two concealed themselves, spreading out to keep watch.

Time passed.

All was quiet around them.

With nothing to do, a thought suddenly popped into Lu Ye's mind. He then activated a drop of precious blood, transforming it into a blood clone.

Traditionally, a blood clone could unleash the full power of its main body. Theoretically, this was true, but in reality, a significant portion of Lu Ye's strength relied on his Talent Tree and the Mountain-Shattering Saber. A blood clone lacked these conditions, only able to exert the strength of Lu Ye's physical body. Furthermore, its power would gradually weaken over time, as precious blood was consumed during combat.

Given this, he wondered if a blood clone, like his main body, could also wield six threads of Dao power.

If so, his nine clones plus his main body would mean ten Six-Paths cultivators—what a terrifying lineup! They could easily slay a Seven-Paths cultivator head-on.

However, after some experimentation, he discovered that a blood clone could not contain Dao power. Even if Lu Ye forcefully integrated Dao power into it, the precious blood would become extremely unstable, making it impossible to form a clone.

Upon reflection, this made sense. For starry sky cultivators like him, a Dao foundation was necessary to wield Dao power.

The Talent Tree could be considered his Dao foundation, but a blood clone lacked such a foundation, so it naturally couldn't wield Dao power.

By this logic, a Talent Tree clone should be able to wield Dao power, as its very existence stemmed from a segment of the Talent Tree's root.

Lu Ye then quickly condensed a Talent Tree clone, simultaneously integrating a portion of his Dao power into it as the Talent Tree divided.

The result was indeed positive, though the clone's situation differed from his main body; it only reached the level of a Five-Paths cultivator.

This was clearly because the amount of Dao power he allocated to the clone was less than two hundred.

He continued to experiment. When the Dao power he allocated to the clone exceeded two hundred, the clone indeed became a Six-Paths cultivator. However, because his main body now had less Dao power, it was weakened to a Five-Paths cultivator!

It seems having enough Dao power is still essential!