Chapter 2335: Golden Phoenix Soars

During their time together, Su Yan had witnessed many incredible things about Lu Ye. She had thought she knew Lu Ye well enough, but to her surprise, there were still such astonishing aspects.

Logically, even the simplest Three Talents formation wasn't something three cultivators could form casually. It required a long period of interaction, mutual understanding, and even higher demands if intended for combat. Yet, at this moment, her aura extended and effortlessly connected with Lu Ye, and in an instant, the Three Talents formation was complete.

With their combined strength, their auras became one, and their Tao power flowed. Lu Ye's true form, occupying the Heavenly position and wielding his Mountain-Shattering Blade, met Ri Yan, who charged ferociously. A fierce and violent collision led to a momentary stalemate. The Three Talents formation was forced back a thousand li, while Ri Yan merely shivered slightly.

His gaze was fixed intently on the clone. Even if he were dull-witted, seeing the clone's familiar attire would have made him realize the circumstances of Wu Yue's death. And Ri Yan was far from dull-witted. It was precisely because he knew the truth about Wu Yue's death that he became even more enraged! Because if it were true, it would mean he had personally delivered Wu Yue to Lu Ye's butcher knife, allowing Lu Ye to kill her.

For him, the greatest gain from this Star Abyss Child competition had already been achieved: Wu Yue. One possessed the Solar Saint Body, and the other was a pure Moon Spirit with a perfect Lunar Yin Divine Body. If they could combine and cultivate together, their future was certainly boundless. Of course, to survive, the prestige of being the Star Abyss Child also had to be secured. But relatively speaking, the help Wu Yue could provide him was incomparable, even to the title of Star Abyss Child. One could say that Wu Yue was the best and most suitable partner of his life. Yet, not long ago, this destined partner was killed, shattering his future... How could he not be enraged?

Protected by a wondrous treasure, he had no need to worry about enemy attacks. He unleashed his full wrath, becoming unstoppable at the Integration level. Even with Lu Ye's Three Talents formation, they were outmatched. But Lu Ye still did not retreat. Facing such a powerful enemy, he needed the determination and courage to burn his bridges; any hesitation could lead to failure. Moreover, in such a situation, he had no room to retreat.

It didn't matter if they couldn't break through the enemy's wondrous treasure protection, as long as the enemy continued to expend Tao power. In terms of Tao power reserves, ten Ri Yans combined couldn't compare to him, even though Su Yan had already consumed a lot of his Tao power over this long period. Across a million li of scattered starry fragments, the only four remaining figures moved erratically, their battle's aftershocks spreading, causing floating landmasses and meteorites to shatter.

Half an hour passed in a flash, yet Ri Yan remained completely unharmed, showing no signs of fatigue. In contrast, Lu Ye and Su Yan, who had formed the Three Talents formation, both sustained injuries. Lu Ye's heart sank. He knew he had still underestimated Ri Yan. This guy... definitely had a considerable Tao power reserve, otherwise, he couldn't have remained so vigorous until now. He had already gone through several major battles before this, and by all accounts, he should have been at the end of his tether. But he wasn't.

This was troublesome. Originally, with the formation, their strength gap wasn't significant. However, Ri Yan's wondrous treasure protection meant he didn't need to defend, and with his strength, his full-power assault was terrifying. They had to quickly find a way to break through Ri Yan's wondrous treasure protection. Lu Ye had previously tried to force an attack using the Blade Vibration secret technique, but it had little effect, and the technique placed too high a burden on himself, so he dared not try it rashly again. However, at this point, not trying was no longer an option.

"Senior Brother Lu, I'll take the lead in attacking!" Su Yan suddenly interjected.

"Are you sure?" Lu Ye asked. Since Su Yan had said so, she must be about to unleash a powerful secret technique, one that Lu Ye had never seen before. He couldn't help but recall Su Yan once mentioning that she could fire seven arrows in an instant—that was her limit!

"I don't know, but I can try!"

"Go!" Lu Ye immediately agreed. At worst, he would have to leave his clone to cover their retreat, while his true form and Su Yan escaped to buy time.

As soon as he spoke, another fierce exchange occurred. The Three Talents formation drifted backward with the momentum. Not only that, but Su Yan also activated a spatial secret technique, directly relocating the three figures to the edge of the starry fragments. Ri Yan was caught off guard and naturally couldn't stop them. However, his divine sense surged, and he quickly located Lu Ye and Su Yan. A layer of blood mist erupted around him, and he pursued them like thunder and lightning. At his speed, he would arrive in just ten breaths.

On Lu Ye's side, the Three Talents formation was still maintained, but their positions had shifted. Su Yan stood at the very front, and Lu Ye reached out to place his hand on her shoulder. Gently exhaling, Su Yan raised her longbow, her expression more solemn than ever before. Ri Yan was rapidly approaching, his sharp aura locked onto their position, ready to deliver a thunderous strike upon arrival.

Su Yan, however, remained unhurried. Her Tao power began to surge. At the same time, Lu Ye's expression tightened slightly, as the rate at which Tao power was draining from his body... was quite fast! This Tao power was being borrowed by Su Yan, and after coordinating for so long, Lu Ye had long grown accustomed to it. But if the previous drain of his Tao power had been like a trickling stream, now it was a raging river, with a tendency to become even more ferocious. His eyes involuntarily brightened as he stared unblinkingly at Su Yan's back, eager to know what kind of secret technique she was about to unleash this time. Judging solely by the consumed Tao power, the might of this secret technique was absolutely terrifying, perhaps even surpassing his own Blade Vibration.

*Whoosh...*

Su Yan seemed to ignite, her long golden hair flowing wildly, twisting like flames. Not only was she burning, but the longbow in her hand was also aflame. Something hidden was rapidly awakening, emitting an ineffably noble and sacred aura, similar to Su Yan's own aura, yet far more profound.

*Flap!*

Suddenly, a pair of massive golden wings unfurled from Su Yan's back. Golden light flowed across the wings, and intricate, complex patterns intertwined, making her appear ethereal and impossibly beautiful. Lu Ye watched, utterly mesmerized. It was at this very moment that he clearly heard a clear, ringing sound. The sound pierced his soul, seemingly capable of cleansing all impurities in the world. That sound... it sounded somewhat familiar!

A phoenix cry? The thought immediately surged into Lu Ye's mind. This was because his Talent Tree contained a Fire Phoenix Dao pattern, which he had activated many times. Each time the Fire Phoenix emerged from its shell, there was a similar cry. But in comparison, the sound he heard now was undoubtedly far more genuine and sacred.

Then Lu Ye truly saw a phoenix! It was a colossal, golden creature that flew out from within Su Yan, spreading its wings, its long phoenix neck held high, and once again emitting a clear cry. Su Yan gently "shot" this long-prepared arrow. In reality, there was no physical arrow; she merely assumed the posture of drawing and releasing a bow. The golden phoenix behind her flapped its wings slightly, broke through the spatial barrier, and vanished from sight.

Lu Ye watched in awe! Although he wasn't directly facing it, he could clearly feel that the power of this "arrow"... was something he couldn't withstand! In other words, if Su Yan had used such a secret technique against him back then, he would have been utterly annihilated. But then again, Su Yan, by her own ability, couldn't have unleashed this secret technique. This was because the secret technique had consumed over two thousand units of Tao power, a fact Lu Ye clearly perceived. It wasn't just a matter of immense Tao power consumption; the burden imposed by this technique was also beyond what Su Yan could bear alone. The reason she could unleash it now was that all the burden was being carried by the Three Talents formation.

Even so, after "shooting" this "arrow," Su Yan's body went limp. The Three Talents formation dissolved on its own, as she no longer had the strength to activate her aura, and the Dao weapon longbow in her hand vanished. Lu Ye quickly took the opportunity to support her.

Ahead, as Su Yan prepared this secret technique, Ri Yan, who had been attacking relentlessly, felt his heart pound. An immense sense of crisis enveloped him. He almost instinctively wanted to turn and leave. But he couldn't! He had no space to escape to. Furthermore, the time limit for his protective wondrous treasure was nearing its end, so he clearly knew he had to eliminate his enemy before his treasure's protection failed. The only one he needed to kill now was Lu Ye! Since Wu Yue was already dead, if he simply killed Lu Ye, only he and Su Yan would remain, and the Star Abyss Child competition would conclude. He couldn't retreat, nor could he evade, so he could only endure it head-on!

The moment the golden phoenix flew out, he stood his ground, frantically channeling Tao power to protect himself. His vision was instantly filled with blinding golden light, obscuring everything else. Then, incredibly violent Tao power frantically assailed him.

*Crack...*

For the first time since joining this competition, Ri Yan's face showed sheer horror, for he discovered that his wondrous treasure's protection, which should have lasted for another incense stick's worth of time, had actually developed a crack. This attack from his opponent... was it truly this ferocious? This wondrous treasure's protection was indeed not invincible, but it shouldn't have been breakable at the Integration level.

"A Phoenix clan member..." he murmured, his expression bitter. He had long suspected this, believing Su Yan might belong to this noble race. According to legends, phoenixes controlled space, and if she didn't possess Phoenix bloodline, Su Yan's spatial secret techniques couldn't have been so exquisite and profound. Now, he finally had confirmation: that woman was indeed from the Phoenix clan. Losing to a legendary race like this wasn't truly unfair. After all, who would have thought a Phoenix clan member would appear in the Star Abyss Child competition?

At this moment, Su Yan leaned entirely against the clone. After unleashing that secret technique, she was completely drained, without even a shred of strength. Had it not been for the clone's support, she likely wouldn't even be able to stand. As for Lu Ye's true form, after entrusting Su Yan to the clone's care, he had already raised his blade and charged towards Ri Yan. Ri Yan's aura was still present; he wasn't dead, but after such a blow, Lu Ye refused to believe he could still be unharmed.