Chapter 2196: Target Appears

"You've worked hard," Lu Ye said to Chen Sheng, surveying his surroundings. "You should go back and heal your injuries."

Chen Sheng asked, "Brother Dao, do you not need my help gathering information?"

He had spent years in this war zone and knew many people. Perhaps someone had seen the insectoid creature in the past few days. If he sent out messages and asked around now, they might be able to gather more precise intelligence.

"No need," Lu Ye replied, shaking his head.

Chen Sheng hesitated for a moment before cupping his fist and saying, "Then be careful, Brother Dao."

He then turned and left.

A moment later, Lu Ye also departed from the area.

A war zone was vast. As a newcomer, it was almost impossible for him to locate his target's whereabouts on his own, and even with Chen Sheng's assistance, it wouldn't be easy.

However, he didn't actually need to actively search for the insectoid creature. As long as he killed enough enemies, the creature would naturally come to him.

Generally, cultivators possessing fourteen paths of power were considered the top elite in both enemy and friendly camps. Such beings rarely remained dormant.

Therefore, his current task was simple: find every enemy he could kill. The Insect Queen would eventually perceive his presence and would undoubtedly send powerful individuals to confront him.

Without any concealment, he proceeded openly.

After only half an hour, Lu Ye's heart suddenly stirred, and he halted.

Almost simultaneously, a concealed figure suddenly darted out from a nearby meteorite, rushing straight towards his location. Before the figure even arrived, a crimson light burst forth, transforming into a sea of blood that enveloped him.

Just before he was engulfed by the sea of blood, Lu Ye sensed several other figures darting out from various positions, converging to surround him.

Such ambush encounters were common in all major war zones. When there wasn't a significant power gap, the ambushing party often gained the upper hand, especially after a Blood Clan's sea of blood was deployed, maximizing the advantage of the terrain.

If an ordinary Cultivator of the Dao were ambushed in this manner, they would immediately try to break free from the sea of blood's embrace to survive.

Even Yan Hong wouldn't dare to easily let himself be caught within a sea of blood.

However, Lu Ye remained motionless, standing quietly in place, as if stunned.

The Blood Clan member who cast the Blood Sea Art felt a jolt in his heart, instinctively growing uneasy. He knew that individuals like Lu Ye, who dared to roam the war zone alone, were not ordinary Dao Cultivators. Such people often possessed immense confidence in their own strength.

So he couldn't understand why Lu Ye showed no signs of resistance.

But since he had made his move, there was no turning back. Now that the enemy was trapped in the sea of blood, even extraordinary abilities would be diminished.

As he was thinking this, a chilling dread suddenly descended upon him.

Within the dense crimson glow, a distorted figure abruptly stood before him, raising a hand and smashing it downwards.

The Blood Clan member's soul almost fled his body, and he frantically tried to retreat, but it was too late.

A powerful, heavy attack struck from above. He felt his head sink and then lost consciousness.

The freshly spread sea of blood instantly dispersed, revealing the scene it had concealed.

The attacking insectoids and Blood Clan members were instantly astonished. The human was now holding a short hammer, exuding potent killing intent, seemingly oblivious to anything else. Before him lay the headless corpse of one of their comrades, its chest caved in.

How could he be so fast?

The insectoids and Blood Clan members were horrified. They had encountered powerful enemies wielding Dao artifacts before, but none had ever exerted such terrifying pressure. In just one encounter, a Nine-Path Blood Clan member from their side had inexplicably died.

And this was within the sea of blood! How could he have precisely located the master of the sea of blood?

There was another Blood Clan member in the team, though his power was only at eight paths. He reacted quickly, and seeing his kin's gruesome death, he immediately let out a furious shout, intending to activate his own Blood Sea Art.

However, before he could make a move, Lu Ye had already swept behind him and swung his short hammer.

With fourteen paths of power unleashed, it was like smashing an egg. Half of the Blood Clan member's body dissolved into a mist of blood.

The remaining insectoids felt as if they had fallen into an ice cellar. They immediately realized they had bitten off more than they could chew. Just by observing how effortlessly Lu Ye killed his enemies, they could deduce that the short hammer Dao artifact must at least grant Lu Ye an increase of three or four paths of power; otherwise, such a crushing victory would be impossible.

One of the mantis insectoids' expressions turned fierce. Its speed suddenly increased, and two mantis blades sprang from its arms. As it swiftly swung them, they formed a cascading waterfall of blades that enveloped Lu Ye.

The remaining two insectoids, without prior agreement, fled in opposite directions.

They were no match; forcing a fight would only lead to complete annihilation. Given this, they could only have one insectoid delay and obstruct while the other two escaped, perhaps finding a chance to survive.

Only insectoids from the same hive could make such a decision in so little time. No cultivators from any other race could have responded so effectively.

Lu Ye swung his short hammer, shattering the waterfall of blades. It struck the mantis insectoid's chest with immense force, instantly creating a large gaping hole. With such a horrific injury, there was no way it could survive.

He turned to pursue another insectoid, but unexpectedly, the mantis insectoid wasn't entirely dead. With extreme ferocity, it clasped its hands together, embracing him, even wrapping its legs around him. Its mantis blades were already shattered, but the insectoid opened its mouth and lunged to bite Lu Ye's neck.

Lu Ye frowned, reached out, grabbed the insectoid's head, and pulled hard, intending to rip it off himself.

However, the creature's grip was too firm; he couldn't dislodge it immediately.

He exerted more force with his hand, channeling his Dao power, and directly crushed its head. Only then did the corpse wrapped around him go limp.

A few moments later, Lu Ye dealt with another fleeing insectoid. He then looked in the direction the last insectoid had escaped, but it was already out of sight.

A five-person team, under ambush, lost four members in just ten breaths of time—a devastating loss.

While Lu Ye could have pursued the last insectoid, he was too lazy to do so. There were many enemies to kill on this battlefield; there was no need to waste time on a single insectoid.

He collected the spoils of war and quickly departed.

For the next few days, Lu Ye remained active in this war zone. His unconcealed, defiant presence often attracted the covetous eyes of ambushers, but each time, they met with complete annihilation.

After several such engagements, the situation underwent a subtle change.

Lu Ye noticed that no more reckless individuals dared to ambush him. Clearly, the Insect Queen had become aware of his existence and issued orders for her insectoids to avoid battle.

This suited him perfectly.

He waited patiently, and two days later, his target finally arrived.

It wasn't a chance encounter. When Lu Ye, who was searching for enemies, suddenly spotted his target, he immediately understood that the creature had specifically come to find him!

Upon closer inspection, he saw a high white carapace on its back, making it look like a hunchback at first glance. The Dao artifact it wielded was a short blade, confirming it was indeed his target.

With the target revealed, the next consideration was how to kill it!

An enemy with fourteen paths of power was no different from a slightly larger insect in front of the current Lu Ye. If he went all out, he could crush the opponent with a single finger.

If the opponent were a Blood Clan member, Lu Ye could simply do that, as he wouldn't have to worry about revealing anything after killing them.

But the opponent was an insectoid…

Then he would have to engage in a tough battle. This was because, theoretically, fourteen paths of power represented the strongest force a Dao Cultivator could exert, apart from a Bifu wielder. If he displayed too astounding a performance, he might inevitably cause trouble similar to what happened previously in the Blue Water War Zone.

Being besieged by the Insect Queen's army was not a pleasant experience.

There was no exchange of words. The moment they met, battle erupted. With a sudden collision, both bodies shook violently, and their rapidly moving figures seemed to be pressed down by an invisible large hand, coming to an abrupt halt.

The intelligence from Chen Sheng was correct; this insectoid indeed possessed fourteen paths of power! This meant the short blade Dao artifact in its hand was undoubtedly of high quality. If he could acquire it, it would be worth eight hundred Dao bones.

Lu Ye's mind raced. As his left hand formed a fist and smashed towards the opponent, his right hand's short hammer struck down once more.

Unexpectedly, the insectoid showed no intention of dodging such an onslaught. Its face contorted into a fierce expression, and it thrust its short blade directly towards Lu Ye's chest, clearly adopting a life-for-life fighting stance.

But this was its shrewdness.

Both possessed high-quality Dao artifacts and could unleash fourteen paths of power. However, its Dao artifact was a short blade, while Lu Ye's was a short hammer. In such a fight, the damage they could inflict differed.

Even if it was an exchange of injuries, the advantage it would gain would be greater than Lu Ye's.

In its mind, facing such an attack, Lu Ye would surely panic and very likely retreat. If that happened, its opportunity would arise.

However, events did not unfold as it expected.

Lu Ye showed no panic whatsoever, nor any intention of retreating. The short hammer continued its downward trajectory with undiminished force, shattering its protective power…

Although cultivators possessing Dao artifacts could unleash power beyond their own inherent strength, this power was not comprehensive.

Take the short hammer in Lu Ye's hand, for example: it could indeed allow a Nine-Path cultivator to unleash damage equivalent to fourteen paths of power, but the cultivator's defensive power would still remain at nine paths! The hammer's amplification was solely manifested in the attacks made while wielding it.

Therefore, confrontations between Dao artifact wielders weren't solely dependent on the artifact's quality. They also heavily relied on the wielder's combat experience. Perhaps an Eleven-Path cultivator could easily kill a Fourteen-Path one, because both eleven and fourteen paths of power were sufficient to breach a Dao Cultivator's defenses.

This was also the biggest difference between Bifu and other Dao artifacts, and precisely what made it so precious. Bifu's amplification of its wielder was holistic, from the inside out. The increase in Dao power it provided wasn't merely reflected in offensive capabilities but also in defensive strength. This was a comprehensive enhancement unmatched by any other Dao artifact.