Chapter 2220

Lu Ye never expected such a danger to be hidden deep within the ruins, a place only cultivators who had attained the Dao could enter.

The only thing that puzzled him was why the Nine-Headed Beast would possess this Blood Clan member's body. If its consciousness had always existed, given its cultivation level, there would be no need for it to hide here. Any Fusion Dao realm cultivator outside would find it difficult to resist the erosion of its consciousness. Not to mention Fusion Dao cultivators, even he, Lu Ye, had more potential than that Blood Clan member, yet the Nine-Headed Beast chose the other party.

There had to be a reason!

Bifu!

Lu Ye's gaze immediately fell upon the Blood Clan member's chest. When he first acquired Bifu, he felt it was like a piece of armor, but now he realized it wasn't armor at all—it was a snake scale! It was a scale left behind by the Nine-Headed Beast's true form.

Although any Dao Attainment cultivator who obtained Bifu could unleash power far exceeding their own, the strength unleashed by different cultivators varied significantly. That was why Yan Hong needed to resonate with Bifu to deepen their compatibility.

Amidst the chaos, a flash of insight struck Lu Ye.

The Nine-Headed Beast's conscious erosion must be related to Bifu, which was why it chose this Blood Clan member. In other words, Bifu was a bridge. Anyone possessing Bifu who could reach this place would become its target.

Unfortunately, to reach this point, one needed at least the power of thirty Dao patterns. Excluding Lu Ye, who was an anomaly, anyone who met this condition would undoubtedly be a Dao Attainment cultivator perfectly compatible with Bifu. Such a cultivator was precisely what the Nine-Headed Beast had been waiting for.

Lu Ye suddenly understood. No wonder the Nine-Headed Beast didn't try to seize the bodies of Fusion Dao cultivators. There was this reason: Fusion Dao cultivators were indeed strong, but if the compatibility wasn't high enough, taking their bodies would be useless. Conversely, a sufficiently compatible Dao Attainment cultivator would allow the Nine-Headed Beast to achieve greater growth potential.

Although these were just his conjectures, they were likely correct!

The Nine-Headed Beast was using Bifu to select the most suitable target. It had finally waited for this day, but unfortunately, it seemed to have chosen incorrectly.

This implied that the rumored method to leave the Multicolored Realm hidden deep within the ruins was probably just a ruse. The reason why only Dao Attainment cultivators could enter these ruins was also the Nine-Headed Beast's doing; its target had always been Dao Attainment cultivators, which was why Fusion Dao cultivators couldn't enter this place.

As these thoughts raced through Lu Ye's mind, the aura of the Blood Clan member, whose body had been possessed, grew stronger and stronger, reaching a peak...

"What's happening?" The Blood Clan member, now undoubtedly the Nine-Headed Beast, had his face filled with joy, which suddenly turned to astonishment. He had realized that something was not quite right.

This Blood Clan body wasn't as compatible with its remnant soul as it should be.

But how could this be? Anyone who could reach this point by relying on the power of its scales should be perfectly compatible. Such a body was the goal it had waited tens of thousands of years for, its capital for resurgence.

It made no sense for it to be this way.

Yet, after a careful examination, it discovered that the situation was indeed different from what it had imagined. This body had decent potential, but that was all; it wasn't the perfect target it had painstakingly awaited for so many years. The original owner of this body couldn't unleash the full power of its scales; he shouldn't have been capable of reaching this place!

Its divine sense surged, briefly scanning the original body's memories. The Nine-Headed Beast abruptly turned its head, finally noticing Lu Ye. "It's you?"

It wasn't the original owner who had managed to reach this place, but rather this human cultivator standing nearby!

But the Nine-Headed Beast sensed carefully and didn't detect the aura of its scales on him.

What was going on now?

How could a Dao Attainment cultivator possess such immense power? Even in its ancient memories, it had never encountered such a bizarre anomaly.

"Interesting!" The Nine-Headed Beast composed itself. The reason it had scattered its scales was to select a suitable vessel for its revival. The current unsatisfactory outcome was disappointing, but to its delight, there was an unusual Dao Attainment cultivator here.

Perhaps... it could try him.

With that thought, its figure darted forward, Dao power surging around it. It reached out and grabbed at Lu Ye.

Although it had just revived and retained only a fraction of its former power, it was confident it could easily capture a mere Dao Attainment cultivator.

Judging from the original body's previous experiences, this human should have the strength of thirty or forty Dao patterns.

Suddenly, a flash of saber light streaked across.

The surging Dao power subsided.

Lu Ye stood in place with a strange expression, gripping his Pan Mountain Saber. Before him lay the remains of the Blood Clan member, split open by his single strike, blood spilling everywhere.

Unsure of the Nine-Headed Beast's true strength, Lu Ye had put his full effort into that strike. The hundred Dao pattern amplification was arguably the strongest attack he had unleashed to date. Strictly speaking, such power was only slightly weaker than that of a sixth-stage Fusion Dao cultivator.

And then, the Nine-Headed Beast was cleaved to death by him!

However, a faint figure remained on the shattered body.

It was the Nine-Headed Beast's soul form. Unlike the statue, this Nine-Headed Beast's nine heads were reduced to one—the central head—as if eight had been severed by something.

They stared at each other, and silence filled the grand hall!

The Nine-Headed Beast's eyes widened in horror. Although it hadn't used its full power earlier, it still had over fifty Dao patterns of strength. No Dao Attainment cultivator could resist such power, and it had been confident it could capture Lu Ye.

Yet, it had been killed by a single saber strike!

This was preposterous!

It finally realized it had underestimated Lu Ye. His performance in the earlier passage was not his full strength; he had hidden much more.

"Good!" The Nine-Headed Beast regained its composure, and a look of pleasant surprise blossomed in its eyes.

Such a Dao Attainment cultivator was unheard of, unseen before. This was simply the most perfect vessel for its remnant soul's revival. If it could seize this body, its future strength might even surpass its peak.

With a cry, the Nine-Headed Beast's soul form lunged at Lu Ye.

Given this situation, Lu Ye knew exactly what it intended to do; it was clearly targeting him.

Having just seen the Nine-Headed Beast's soul form, Lu Ye knew this entity was merely a remnant soul. Although he didn't know what the Nine-Headed Beast had endured previously, it must have been an extremely fierce battle. In that battle, the Nine-Headed Beast lost its physical body, and even its soul form was severely damaged; otherwise, it wouldn't have only one head remaining out of nine.

It had been lingering in its Dao weapon, waiting for the opportune moment to revive.

Lu Ye didn't know how much power the current Nine-Headed Beast could wield. But even a centipede that loses its legs doesn't fall, and a powerful being capable of cultivating a Dao weapon like the Multicolored Realm shouldn't be underestimated, even as a remnant soul.

As soul power surged, his spiritual defense was activated to its maximum!

Only soul power could withstand the erosion of a soul body.

The next instant, Lu Ye's body trembled. He felt as if he had been violently struck by an invisible force, leaving him somewhat dizzy.

He dared not delay, immediately immersing his mind to resist the invasion of the Nine-Headed Beast's remnant soul.

However, he soon discovered that even with his full effort, he was no match for the Nine-Headed Beast. His Spiritual Sea's defense was rapidly weakening, and at this rate, it would likely collapse within ten breaths.

At that point, the Nine-Headed Beast's remnant soul would directly enter his Sea of Souls, and the situation would become perilous!

Moreover, Lu Ye could feel that the Nine-Headed Beast's remnant soul wasn't using its full power; it was likely trying to conserve strength to devour his soul and smoothly occupy his body.

What should he do?

Lu Ye had never imagined this trip would be so dangerous, nor had he expected such a remnant soul to be left behind in this cursed place. Encountering such a predicament without any preparation was truly helpless.

But in an instant, Lu Ye made a decision.

He turned around and sped back the way he came.

With his current strength, he couldn't resist the Nine-Headed Beast's remnant soul. Once it broke through his spiritual defense and entered his Sea of Souls, it would be a soul battle, and if he lost, the consequences would be unpredictable.

He needed reinforcements!

His life was currently tied to You Die. In such a crisis, You Die wouldn't stand idly by, so seeking help from her was the best method.

It was a pity, though. He had originally wanted to use this opportunity to get rid of You Die, but who knew that man's plans were inferior to heaven's? Now, not only could he not shake her off, but he might also expose his previous hidden strengths.

The passage wasn't actually long. Rushing at full speed, Lu Ye quickly reached the previous grand hall, flashing onto the altar and channeling his Dao power into it.

The intricate patterns beneath his feet began to glow, and Lu Ye's expression was strained.

He had never felt time pass so slowly.

Three breaths later, the light became dazzling, and Lu Ye's figure vanished.

Outside the ruins, Li Qi's brows were furrowed. You Die had been constantly contacting him, asking about the situation and instructing him to send Lu Ye back to the Bug Hive immediately upon his emergence.

But Lu Ye remained unseen. Not only that, even the Blood Clan member who had gone to rescue him hadn't returned.

Had they perhaps died inside?

Li Qi thought to himself.

He could sense You Die's anxiety but couldn't understand why a Dao Attainment cultivator would be so highly valued by her. It hadn't been long, yet she kept asking. Besides, if a Dao Attainment cultivator died, it wasn't a big deal.

After responding to another of You Die's inquiries, a figure suddenly appeared on the altar.

Li Qi let out a breath and stepped forward to greet him. "You finally came out..."

He didn't finish his sentence, suddenly realizing that Lu Ye's condition was off. His entire expression was strained, as if he were enduring something, and his soul power and Dao power were surging wildly.

He looked at the stone worm on Li Qi's shoulder, gritted his teeth fiercely, and said, "Something's happened!"

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a loud boom in his mind.

His spiritual defense was breached!

Within his Sea of Souls, the Nine-Headed Beast's remnant soul brazenly intruded!

Li Qi's expression changed. He reached out and pulled Lu Ye over, surprised to find that Lu Ye had lost consciousness—or, strictly speaking, his consciousness had sunk into his Sea of Souls.

What was this situation?

But then, the Insect Mother's voice transmission sounded in his ear: "Take him back to the Bug Hive at full speed, without any delay. I will meet you!"

Hearing this, Li Qi's expression became serious. He dared not neglect the Insect Mother's command, so he immediately took Lu Ye and headed towards the Bug Hive!

Simultaneously, a graceful and alluring figure suddenly burst out from within the Bug Hive. The figure appeared corporeal but passed through all obstructions, emerging directly from the deepest part of the War Star!

"Soul Departure!" All cultivators of the Insect and Blood races who witnessed this scene were stunned.