Chapter 2272: Heart Tiger

To be safe, all other formation bases needed Spirit-fused cultivators guarding them. Two had already been breached, and no more could be destroyed, or the grand formation would become unstable.

Outside Boundless City, Yan Zhixing and the other three sensed something almost immediately as Lu Ye and You Die began their operation. The protective grand formation, which had remained impregnable despite two hours of fierce attacks from their four Spirit-fused peak cultivators, was now rippling. Even its thick, hazy glow had dimmed slightly. Their attack rhythm hadn't changed, but the grand formation had. This was undoubtedly the result of Lu Ye and You Die's efforts.

"Full power!" Yan Zhixing roared, unleashing his Dao Weapon Calabash. The calabash, like a fluid, wrapped around Yan Zhixing's arm, instantly forming a gourd-shaped armguard. A more powerful and condensed Dao force began to flow than before. Chen Gushan also deployed his Dao Weapon spear. Ziying's Dao Weapon was likewise a spear; having once studied under Chen Gushan, their combat styles were clearly inherited. He Linglong's Dao Weapon was a blooming lotus, its brilliant light radiating outwards, seemingly eroding the grand formation before them with palpable force.

The ripples on the grand formation spread even more violently, layer upon layer, one after another. Lu Ye and You Die had already initiated their plan, and Boundless City would surely detect it and dispatch powerful cultivators to counter them. Therefore, they couldn't hold back either; they needed to break through the current obstruction as quickly as possible, or Lu Ye and You Die's situation would become extremely perilous.

Inside Boundless City, Lu Ye's main body and his Talent Tree clone were in different locations, moving with great speed. Two of the enemy's formation bases had already been destroyed. Based on his previous observations, if two more were broken, the power of Boundless City's protective grand formation would be significantly weakened. Then, without the power supplied by the Bone Golems in the Bone Pool, Yan Zhixing and the others could forcefully breach the grand formation!

Boundless City was immense, and the formation bases were widely dispersed, which explained why it took Lu Ye two hours to locate only four of them.

Just as Lu Ye was about to reach the third formation base, a fierce aura suddenly swept in from afar. A voice, like a tiger's roar filled with boundless rage, preceded its arrival: "Despicable human, how dare you be so presumptuous!"

Lu Ye looked up, and a figure entered his sight. The newcomer was burly, with a broad back and muscular shoulders, and a 'king' character mark on his forehead resembling a tattoo, like a ferocious tiger descending a mountain. This must be from the Tiger Clan within the Beast Race, Lu Ye mused. He arrived so quickly! He naturally knew that once they made a move, Boundless City's powerful cultivators would react, but their reaction speed was still somewhat beyond his expectation. Furthermore, not only was he facing trouble, but his Talent Tree clone was also in a predicament. The Beast Race cultivator who went there resembled an upright ape.

In such a situation, there was no escaping or avoiding it. Lu Ye's expression turned grave. Since that was the case, he could only attempt to fight. He didn't know the opponent's strength, but with over two hundred Dao power, Lu Ye could escape even if he encountered a Spirit-fused peak cultivator, so he naturally wasn't afraid. In an instant, he gripped the hilt of his Pan Mountain Blade and lunged towards the Tiger Clan member.

Heart Tiger was furious. He had already learned Lu Ye's strength from Mad Lion, and with that level of power, there was no way he could be his opponent. Furthermore, for countless millennia, humans in Boundless City had been at the very bottom of society. No human had ever dared to look him directly in the eye, let alone display such fierce hostility towards him.

He opened his mouth and roared, unleashing an invisible, intangible shockwave. Lu Ye only felt his Spirit Sea tremble slightly, as if struck by something, but it didn't have much impact on him. He realized that this Tiger Clan member, like Amber, possessed the ability to use a tiger's roar to stun opponents. He dared not be negligent; after all, this was a powerful cultivator from Boundless City, specifically sent to deal with him. Who knew how strong they truly were?

The two figures rapidly closed in on each other. Heart Tiger's expression was arrogant, while Lu Ye's was somber. With a sharp clang, the Pan Mountain Blade was unsheathed, and Dao power surged fiercely. Lu Ye held nothing back in this attack. To save time, he unleashed a full burst of two hundred and ten Dao power. A lotus bloomed, its petals swirling. The fragmented petals were the manifestation of blade light, intertwining and dancing. Lu Ye and Heart Tiger's figures were concealed within.

Exclamations, muffled grunts, and screams... Blood splattered.

The moment the lotus shattered, Lu Ye dashed towards the formation base without looking back, blood dripping from the blade of his Pan Mountain Blade. Behind him, Heart Tiger's face was filled with horror, his body covered in numerous wounds, appearing utterly disheveled. At this very moment, he had but one thought... The City Lord lied to me!

Mad Lion had told him that this human only possessed slightly over one hundred sixty Dao power. He naturally hadn't doubted it, confident that his full power of one hundred eighty Dao would be enough to defeat the opponent. But only after exchanging blows did he realize that the opponent was not at one hundred sixty Dao at all; this human's strength definitely exceeded two hundred! Otherwise, how could he have suffered such a devastating loss in a single encounter?

But he quickly felt that something was wrong. How could the City Lord lie to him? The intelligence the City Lord possessed was all gathered by Ghost Annihilator. This meant that either Ghost Annihilator lied, or Ghost Annihilator hadn't investigated thoroughly, which led to his failed interception. He had no way of knowing that Ghost Annihilator's intelligence was perfectly accurate; the problem was Lu Ye. Since being severely wounded by Ghost Annihilator last time, his strength had increased dramatically. When cultivation strength reached their level, every increment was extremely slow, requiring years of refinement and accumulation. Yet, Lu Ye's strength improved rapidly; an increase of forty Dao power in such a short time was something no one would believe.

His thoughts shifted in an instant. Heart Tiger roared and resumed chasing Lu Ye. Although he knew he was no match, he didn't dare to let Lu Ye escape. He knew Lu Ye's goal was to destroy the formation base. The City Lord must have detected the changes here and was likely already dispatching reinforcements. He just needed to delay Lu Ye for a while.

Lu Ye's main body was progressing smoothly, but his Talent Tree clone had encountered some trouble. Golden Ape's strength was only a hair's breadth away from the Spirit-fused peak. This meant that even without using a Dao Weapon, he possessed nearly two hundred Dao power, and with his Dao Weapon, his strength would be even greater. As a result, the Talent Tree clone, even at full power, was still no match and was immediately suppressed by Golden Ape. Fortunately, while there was a strength disparity, it wasn't so vast, so the Talent Tree clone wasn't in significant danger as long as it remained cautious.

After his main body broke free from Heart Tiger's entanglement, bolstered by the Blood Escape Art, he rushed into a grand hall just over ten breaths later. This place was one of Boundless City's formation bases. Ordinarily, only a few Dao Enlightenment cultivators idly guarded the formation array for the base here. Because Boundless City had been peaceful for too long, the hall containing the formation base had no defensive capabilities. Only two Spirit-fused cultivators, having received Mad Lion's orders, had urgently rushed to this location.

As Lu Ye swept into the grand hall, the two Spirit-fused cultivators had only just arrived. The three figures stood still in succession, and the two Spirit-fused cultivators couldn't help but be startled. Immediately after, Mad Lion's command rang in their ears: "Hold this human at all costs. Do not let him destroy the formation base. Heart Tiger is already en route as support."

Only then did the two Spirit-fused cultivators react, realizing this human was supposed to be Heart Tiger's opponent, but for some reason, Heart Tiger hadn't managed to intercept him. How could they hesitate under the City Lord's command? They immediately spread out, flanking Lu Ye from both sides.

"Die!" Lu Ye raised his hand and brought down his blade, striking to his left. With a tragic scream, blood and internal organs splattered, and one Spirit-fused cultivator died instantly on the spot! This individual was only at Spirit-fused Layer Five, just beginning to cultivate their Dao Weapon. At full power, they only possessed a little over ninety Dao power, so how could they possibly withstand such a fierce strike?

The Spirit-fused cultivator on the right had already closed in, watching his companion bleed out on the spot. He was instantly terrified and tried to halt his momentum, but it was too late. In his horror, he also dared not rashly attack, his emotions extremely conflicted. A flash of blade light swept across his vision, and then he knew nothing more.

In the grand hall, Lu Ye effortlessly dealt with the two Spirit-fused cultivators. Under the helpless gaze of a group of Dao Enlightenment cultivators, he raised his long blade high, and a massive blade light, like a serpent's tongue, pulsed, shining brilliantly.

Heart Tiger, covered in blood and looking disheveled, chased Lu Ye and arrived here. Suddenly seeing this scene, he was terrified and roared, "Stop!" Lu Ye paid him no mind as the blade light descended.

Giant Blade Slash!

With a thunderous roar, the earth trembled, the entire grand hall split in two, a deep chasm appeared, the ground cracked, the formation array shattered, and the formation base hidden beneath the ground was utterly destroyed. Witnessing this scene, Heart Tiger's blood ran cold, and his eyes turned crimson. Even though he knew he was no match for Lu Ye, he didn't retreat in the slightest. What he had to do now was simple: entangle this audacious human who dared to act so wantonly within Boundless City!

However, to his astonishment, two beams of white light suddenly appeared and almost simultaneously vanished into the human, enveloping him in light and making him appear utterly sacred.

"Star Abyss Blessing?" Heart Tiger's eyes widened. He couldn't understand how this guy, despite being so strong, received two Star Abyss Blessings just for killing two of their Spirit-fused cultivators. This blessing was like a silent mockery, stinging Heart Tiger's spirit.

As the white light dissipated, Heart Tiger was momentarily stunned. Because there were suddenly eight Lu Yes in his place. Before he could react, the eight Lu Yes scattered and fled in different directions! Clones? Which one was real? Without time to think, Heart Tiger launched a punch through the air. In that direction, one Lu Ye was instantly blasted into a mist of blood. The Blood Treasure Clone, facing a powerful cultivator like Heart Tiger, was as vulnerable as an insect.

"They're all fakes. Quickly go support Golden Ape; that human's true body has gone to Golden Ape's location," Mad Lion's voice suddenly rang in his ears.

"What?" Heart Tiger was dumbfounded. His location was quite a distance from Golden Ape's. Even if he rushed at full speed, it would take him dozens of breaths. How did that human get there?