Chapter 2322: Trapped

Wind Rises Across the Nine Provinces

Although the Dao Power Bottle wasn't of much use to Lu Ye, it was still a good treasure. The speed at which it condensed Dao Liquid entirely depended on its environment.

A Dao Pool, without a doubt, allowed its function to be utilized to the fullest extent.

As time passed, fierce battles raged in three of the four Dao Pools, where numerous Dao Integration experts converged, except for the one occupied by Lu Ye and Su Yan.

Power shifted constantly, and no one could maintain a stable hold.

Dao Integration experts continuously fell in battle, leaving behind Star Abyss Coins. At such a critical juncture, no one even had the time to collect these coins.

In such chaotic combat, a single lapse in concentration could cost one's life. In this final stage of the Star Abyss Scions' contest, the cruel and bloody reality was truly laid bare before everyone. Perhaps there were still Dao Integration experts hidden who hadn't revealed themselves, but those still clinging to the shadows at this point were undoubtedly irrelevant.

Suddenly, a Dao Integration expert had half his body shattered. Unable to defend himself in time, with numerous attacks already descending upon him from all sides, his expression suddenly turned savage at this critical moment of life and death. He roared, "You want me dead? Then you'll all die with me!"

As he spoke, he pulled something from within his robes and frantically channeled his Dao Power into it.

No one knew what it was, but it suddenly burst forth with an incredibly dazzling light in his hand, then rapidly expanded with a boom.

A terrifying might permeated the air. This was undoubtedly not his own power, but the might of an exotic treasure.

Up until this point in the battle, cultivators had finally resorted to using exotic treasures.

The cultivators surrounding him, intent on killing him, all changed their expressions. They tried to retreat, but it was too late; the light exploded like a sun, engulfing all the Dao Integration experts within a large area.

Immediately afterward, the shockwaves spread...

When the light dissipated, seven or eight figures had vanished from that area, and many other cultivators were injured.

Lu Ye watched from a distance, greatly alarmed.

He secretly pondered, "If the might of this exotic treasure had erupted near me, could I have withstood it? Even if I could, I would likely end up severely wounded." Lu Ye had long known that throughout the Star Abyss Scions' contest, besides the powerful groups of peak Dao Integration experts, exotic treasures were the greatest variable. This was because the powers of these exotic treasures were bizarre, incredibly potent, and apart from their owners, no one knew what effects they could unleash. Their sudden deployment often resulted in terrifying casualties.

Where there was one, there would be a second... All cultivators who had acquired exotic treasures had, before this battle erupted, considered these treasures their ultimate trump cards. But in such chaotic combat, even if they were unwilling, they sometimes had no choice but to use them, because when their lives were threatened, they wouldn't get another chance if they didn't use them then.

Lu Ye watched, dazzled and enthralled.

No matter how fiercely the battles raged in the other three Dao Pools, no one disturbed them. This was entirely due to the powerful methods Su Yan had previously displayed.

As he was watching with great interest, he suddenly felt a chill in his heart and turned to look in one direction. There, a towering figure, radiating brilliant golden light, was rapidly rushing towards him and Su Yan.

That Sun Clan member!

Their eyes met, and the Sun Clan cultivator grinned at him. This fellow and his companion were the first pair to make a move when the four Dao Pools appeared. But although they were powerful, they lacked Su Yan's strange methods, so they were eventually forced to withdraw from the Dao Pool under encirclement.

He had been inactive until now, but at this moment, he suddenly set his sights on Lu Ye's side.

Was he planning to decide the outcome in advance? Lu Ye could sense that he was an unprecedentedly formidable enemy, and the Sun Clan member undoubtedly felt the same. Although the Dao Integration experts were fighting fiercely in the other Dao Pools, he actually didn't truly regard them as threats. As long as he found an opportunity, he could defeat those Dao Integration experts one by one.

Only Su Yan... her killing methods displayed earlier made him extremely wary.

Therefore, when he withdrew from the contest for the Dao Pool, he had already made up his mind to deal with Su Yan first.

Without concealment, he openly charged towards Lu Ye and Su Yan's location.

Su Yan suddenly looked up, raising the longbow in her hand. Lu Ye's large hand remained pressed on her, constantly maintaining the Colorful Phoenix Dual Flight Dao Pattern, allowing her to borrow his Dao Power at any time.

In an instant, three arrows were fired simultaneously, striking the Sun Clan member.

Her usually unfailing attacks had no effect this time. The Sun Clan member merely swayed slightly; not even his protective Dao Power was breached.

Su Yan's expression grew solemn.

Since participating in this contest, no cultivator had ever been able to withstand her three arrows. Not even peak Dao Integration experts possessed such ability, but this Sun Clan member did.

It wasn't that the Sun Clan member's cultivation surpassed peak Dao Integration; rather, his defensive power was stronger than that of typical peak Dao Integration experts! "His Dao weapon is a subordinate treasure!" Su Yan immediately concluded. "And it's one that provides defensive power. I wonder if it's also capable of offense. If it is, then this Sun Clan member's strength would be terrifying, definitely exceeding 249 Dao marks!"

Lu Ye, however, didn't focus on that point. He was looking for the Sun Clan member's companion.

His companion had clearly been by his side just moments ago. Where were they now?

Anyone who could partner with this Sun Clan member couldn't be weak, so they naturally wouldn't be hiding.

His divine sense surged, probing, and Lu Ye suddenly caught a faint trace.

Just at this moment, Su Yan's attacks landed on the Sun Clan member again. They were still blocked, but this time, the opponent was clearly struggling much more because Su Yan's attacks were even more ferocious than before.

The next moment, the Sun Clan member suddenly shifted his bulky figure to the side, revealing a petite woman who had been hidden by his towering frame.

Lu Ye's eyes narrowed. He immediately roared, "Go!"

Because the woman was holding a bottle, its mouth pointed at Lu Ye and Su Yan's location, and its interior was pitch black.

When Lu Ye saw the bottle, he instinctively felt a bad premonition.

This thing... was definitely another exotic treasure.

This pair was truly ruthless. To get him and Su Yan out of the competition early, they directly used an exotic treasure.

Su Yan's reaction wasn't slow. Although she didn't understand the mysteries of that exotic bottle treasure, she was about to activate a spatial secret technique to take Lu Ye away from the spot almost as soon as his words fell.

However, it was already too late. When the bottle was pointed at their location, a terrifying devouring power emanated from it; a large area of void directly twisted and was swallowed into the bottle.

Disappearing along with it were Lu Ye and Su Yan.

In the pitch-black space, Lu Ye and Su Yan appeared simultaneously, but they were surrounded by a square-shaped light barrier radiating bright light.

At this moment, they were like two people trapped in a small, square room filled with light.

This was not the power of the petite woman's exotic treasure. Rather, it was Lu Ye using the only exotic treasure he possessed when he sensed trouble.

He also had an exotic treasure.

It was precisely the token he had obtained earlier in the Ladder Cloud Marvel.

This item was actually a formation plate, a plate for a trapping array. Once activated, it would transform into a trapping array, and because it was considered an exotic treasure, this trapping array was extremely sturdy.

Lu Ye had originally intended to use it against powerful enemies skilled in escape, but plans couldn't keep up with changes, and under the crisis, he could only activate it preemptively.

A trapping array could trap others, or trap oneself; in situations like this, it could also serve as a protective barrier.

At the very least, for the duration of this trapping array, he wouldn't have to worry about any mishaps.

However, their current situation wasn't very good. No one knew what that exotic bottle treasure was, and he and Su Yan had undoubtedly been drawn inside.

"Senior Brother!" Su Yan called softly. Although the recent change was sudden, she also understood their current predicament.

"Don't worry, it's a good thing," Lu Ye said, while surveying their surroundings.

This was the space within the bottle, but no matter how he probed, he couldn't see what was happening outside the trapping array. Only a series of clanking sounds came from outside, as if someone was shaking chains.

"How is this a good thing?" Su Yan chuckled wryly. They were clearly trapped and couldn't escape. She felt that Lu Ye's mindset was truly optimistic.

Lu Ye said, "Think about it, that bottle is very likely an exotic treasure. Since it's an exotic treasure, it usually has a certain duration; it can't trap us indefinitely. So, even if we do nothing, we'll eventually escape. And you saw the situation outside earlier; being drawn in here actually gives us some peace. The only downside is that we'll accumulate less Dao Power."

That made sense...

"But what if that bottle isn't an exotic treasure?" Su Yan asked.

If it weren't an exotic treasure, then they would be trapped here indefinitely, unless they could break through the seal and escape.

"The rule of this contest is that only one male and one female must remain alive," Lu Ye continued. "If it's not an exotic treasure but a true treasure, then sooner or later, they'll have to release us to fight to the death. When that time comes, we'll only have to face two enemies."

Su Yan's eyes lit up.

It had to be said, Lu Ye was right. Limited by the rules of the contest, if the Sun Clan member and his companion wanted to gain the title of Star Abyss Scions, they would have to kill her and Lu Ye. Merely trapping them here would be meaningless.

Thinking this way, her mood also relaxed, and she even sat down cross-legged to recuperate.

Lu Ye's expression, however, wasn't as relaxed as he pretended.

Because this treasure... might not only possess the effect of trapping enemies. The clanking sounds of chains outside were too strange, and he didn't know what was truly happening.

With Lu Ye and Su Yan trapped, Ri Yan and his companion, Wu Yue, naturally usurped their place, taking over the Dao Pool that had originally belonged to them.

Landing inside, Ri Yan hastily began restoring his Dao Power. In truth, his Dao Power reserves weren't small, but having reached this point in the contest, he dared not be careless in any way. Therefore, before this, he had exchanged all his Star Abyss Coins for Dao Bones, as those coins couldn't be exchanged for anything else anymore.

Only by doing so could he ensure he had enough Dao Power for the ongoing contest and battles. "Wu Yue, how is it?" He turned to look at the petite woman.