Chapter 2390: 狂暴的屠戮

The instant the Corpse Clan member sensed something was amiss, Lu Ye’s accumulated Dao power erupted. His right arm, holding the Pishan Blade, trembled violently with slight movements.

Blade Vibration!

He hadn't used this secret technique since the competition for the Star Abyss Son ended, as no opponent he encountered had been worthy. But facing a Harmony Dao cultivator, and one whose strength surpassed his own, only this secret technique could prove effective in slaying him.

As the wild power unleashed, the Corpse Clan member’s large hand, gripping the Pishan Blade, was directly forced down. The sharp blade cut into his neck, severing half a chi deep into the flesh, sending emerald corpse blood spraying. Lu Ye’s right arm was shattered, revealing golden Dao bones. This burst was his full power, the strain on him unimaginable. Had his entire body not been composed of Dao bones, his whole right arm might have exploded.

“You…” The Corpse Clan member’s eyes widened in disbelief. He had never imagined his opponent, whom he believed he could easily control, would be completely unaffected by his unfailingly potent corpse poison. This truly caught him off guard. He had initially lost an arm to Lu Ye due to carelessness, and now, again due to carelessness, he found himself in a dire predicament.

Lu Ye also stared, because even after activating the Blade Vibration secret technique, he couldn’t instantly sever the enemy’s head! A Harmony Dao cultivator, after all, was still a Harmony Dao cultivator; their mastery of Dao power was far superior to a Fusion Dao cultivator. Although this strike had broken through the opponent’s protective Dao power, it remained stuck in their neck due to continuous resistance, unable to advance an inch.

The situation was a stalemate. Lu Ye’s right arm, now golden-boned, pressed down fiercely on the Pishan Blade, aiming for a decisive blow. Yet, the Corpse Clan member’s only remaining hand blocked the blade, channeling a continuous flow of Dao power, preventing Lu Ye’s strike from fully cutting through. In this clash of Dao power, the Corpse Clan member clearly held the advantage, as his cultivation and strength were superior. Thus, Lu Ye was in an insoluble predicament; once the Corpse Clan member broke free, tragedy would inevitably befall Lu Ye.

“Clever trick!” The Corpse Clan member gritted his teeth. At this point, he no longer harbored any desire to subdue Lu Ye. This human Fusion Dao cultivator was truly bizarre, completely unaffected by his corpse poison. There was no way to subdue him. If that were the case, he could only kill him, and only then would his hatred be assuaged. To think, a dignified Harmony Dao cultivator like himself had never suffered such a great loss against a mere Fusion Dao cultivator.

He would only need three breaths to turn the tide from defense to offense, and then it would be the human’s demise! He didn't believe his opponent hadn't sensed his own crisis, but what surprised him was that Lu Ye’s face showed only fierce determination, not a trace of panic.

Then he sensed something was wrong because a powerful aura suddenly appeared nearby, swiftly approaching. The Corpse Clan member was startled and turned his head, only to see another Lu Ye appear there! A clone? This human was cunning, hiding a clone here in advance, waiting for an opportunity. The Corpse Clan member’s mind processed this thought, and he frowned slightly, but didn't pay it much mind.

Because a clone’s strength is limited, and Lu Ye’s main body was already weaker than him, let alone a mere clone. At that moment, he had no spare energy to deal with the clone. He could only frantically channel his Dao power, aiming to first break free from Lu Ye’s main body while protecting himself.

In a blink, the clone arrived. It didn't use a sword gourd; instead, it charged forward and fiercely threw several punches at the Corpse Clan member’s back. The moment the first punch landed, the Corpse Clan member felt something was wrong, because although the clone’s strength wasn’t as great as Lu Ye’s main body, it didn’t seem to be far off…

As subsequent punches landed one after another, the Corpse Clan member finally panicked. His confrontation with Lu Ye had only given him a slight advantage, and now that advantage vanished instantly with the clone’s arrival. The furiously channeled Dao power couldn’t form sufficient defensive energy in time. The moment the Corpse Clan member’s protective Dao power was broken, the Pishan Blade, which had been stuck, violently cut down!

The Corpse Clan member’s expression was one of shock, his vision inverted, and he gradually sank into darkness. Lu Ye remained standing, his right arm, holding the blade, trembling violently. Blood surged in his face, and the ferocious battle intent from the intense fight temporarily couldn't be quelled.

Harmony Dao—for the first time in his life, he had truly slain a Harmony Dao cultivator. This was undoubtedly exhilarating, yet Lu Ye couldn't bring himself to be happy. His strength, which he prided himself on as unmatched in the outer realm, was simply insignificant before a Harmony Dao cultivator.

He could roughly estimate that this Corpse Clan member was likely only at the first or second stage of Harmony Dao cultivation, which was considered the bottom tier among Harmony Dao cultivators. Yet, even to kill such a low-tier Harmony Dao cultivator, he had to expend great effort. It was the opponent’s two moments of carelessness that gave him an opportunity; if the opponent had been cautious enough, he would never have had a chance to kill them.

“Lu Ye…” Old Tree’s voice came, filled with disbelief. Because of the mark of the Reincarnation Tree, Old Tree had clearly witnessed everything that had just transpired. He knew Lu Ye was strong, but he never expected Lu Ye to be strong to this extent.

It was important to note that even during the last Star Abyss invasion, there was no precedent of a Starry Sky cultivator slaying a Harmony Dao cultivator single-handedly. The only Blood Ancestor who died in the starry sky was severely wounded by the backlash from Mount Fangcun and then ganged up on by Starry Sky cultivators until death. Yet, Old Tree had personally witnessed Lu Ye single-handedly kill an invading Harmony Dao expert.

Lu Ye had previously said he was only at the third stage of Fusion Dao... During the previous battle, Old Tree had been burning with anxiety but dared not rashly disturb Lu Ye. Now that the battle was over, he finally had a chance to speak.

“How are things with Elder Yun?” Lu Ye asked, sheathing his blade. Old Tree immediately replied, “You don't need to worry too much about Yun Sheng. His strength is much greater; he should be able to kill his opponent.” Lu Ye nodded slightly. If that was the case, then he wouldn't need to go support Yun Shiwang.

He needed to hurry to the Puling Star System. However, as soon as that thought crossed his mind, Lu Ye frowned again. With his current strength, even if he rushed to the Puling Star System, how much impact could he really make? A single Corpse Clan Harmony Dao cultivator had forced him to use all his means. What if a stronger Harmony Dao cultivator than the Corpse Clan one invaded? At that point, not only would he be unable to help, but he might also become a burden to Yun Shiwang.

In an instant, Lu Ye made a decision. “Old Tree, please tell Elder Yun that once he's finished there, he should quickly go and oversee the Star Abyss Gate in the Puling Star System.” “Where are you going?” Old Tree heard the hidden meaning in his words. “Back to the Star Abyss!” As Lu Ye spoke, he recalled his Talent Tree clone and headed straight for the nearest wormhole.

If his strength wasn’t enough, then he needed to improve quickly! He hadn't had an urgent need to rapidly increase his strength, as he had always known that too fast a cultivation advancement wasn't necessarily good. Even during his previous Moon-Glimmer and Sun-Illumination stages, he had deliberately suppressed his cultivation progress. But now, time was of the essence, and no matter what trouble might arise later, the stronger he was now, the better.

He couldn't increase his strength in the starry sky, so he could only go to Splendor! He would have to disrupt some of his previous arrangements and plans. The Insect and Blood races would probably denounce him as untrustworthy and dishonorable.

Traversing several wormholes, Lu Ye appeared in the Illusory Demise Star System in a short amount of time. Without any hesitation, he headed straight for the Star Abyss Gate. As he emerged from the Star Abyss Gate, countless gazes instantly focused on him. Lu Ye paid no heed, flying directly towards Splendor.

“Lu Ye!” A shout came. It was Yin Luo, who was stationed there. She had sensed Lu Ye's aura and come out to investigate. Seeing Lu Ye’s troubled expression, she couldn't help but ask worriedly, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, just keep an eye on things here. I’m going back to Splendor for a bit.” “Oh,” Yin Luo obediently replied. Lu Ye thought for a moment, then casually conjured a Blood Treasure clone for her. Yin Luo was immediately overjoyed: “I knew you were the best!” “Busy now, we’ll talk later.” Lu Ye turned and left.

Behind him, Yin Luo drooled, looking at the Blood Treasure clone with a profound grievance before her, and opened her mouth with a gulp.

Outside Splendor, Lu Ye took a deep look, then flashed and entered. When he reappeared, he was in a major war zone, near a battle planet of the Insect and Blood races.

Since Lu Ye’s initial discussion with the Insect Matriarch, the territories of the Insect and Blood races had been significantly reduced. Both races had realized that within Splendor, they could no longer make much of an impact. Their value now was to provide cultivation resources and training grounds for the human race. Fortunately, Lu Ye hadn't gone too far and had explicitly stated that he would not directly interfere with any conflicts within Splendor, maintaining the status quo. This gave the two races space to continue existing.

The Insect Matriarch had personally witnessed the grandeur beyond Splendor and had experienced Lu Ye’s formidable strength firsthand. Thus, even if the two races harbored resentment, they could only suppress it. In recent days, while it couldn't be said that Splendor was completely peaceful, no major wars had erupted.

But with Lu Ye’s sudden intrusion, the entire Splendor changed! A massive blood cloud suddenly appeared, stretching across the sky. Initially, the Insect and Blood races thought it was a powerful Blood Clan member arriving, but they soon realized something was wrong.

Because accompanying the blood cloud was a brutal massacre. Wherever the blood cloud covered, all cultivators of the Insect and Blood races withered away. In less than half an hour, all Insect and Blood cultivators residing on that battle planet, from Fusion Dao to Entry Dao, were killed without exception.

And it wasn’t over. After slaughtering all living beings on an entire battle planet, this eerie blood cloud suddenly descended upon another war zone. A moment later, when the blood cloud departed, the area was left in ruins, with corpses everywhere.

Initially, no news of such slaughter spread, but after the blood cloud swept through several war zones, killing cultivators from both the Insect and Blood races, the news slowly began to circulate. The three major powers of Splendor were all utterly shocked.

Everyone realized this was Lu Ye’s doing, because throughout all of Splendor, no one else possessed such ability. The afflicted war zones were scattered across various locations in Splendor. For ordinary cultivators, even Fusion Dao ones, merely traveling between them would take a long time, let alone carrying out such indiscriminate slaughter.