Chapter 2434: Just Like That

Within the celestial debris, the first true clash erupted. Under the gaze of a hundred thousand cultivators, Lu Ye and Que Yue's saber and ruler met, their respective Dao powers surging forth.

Having roughly estimated Que Yue's strength, Lu Ye unleashed approximately 280 units of power this time.

This undoubtedly slightly exceeded Que Yue's power.

Thus, the moment they engaged, Que Yue sensed something was amiss.

Feeling the Dao power emanating from his opponent's long saber, his expression grew even more solemn.

He had never seen a Dao Integration Sixth Level cultivator with such immense power. Instinctively, he glanced at the Pan Shan Saber in Lu Ye's hand.

He clearly mistook it for a spirit treasure as well, and one that had been highly nurtured. Otherwise, a Sixth Level cultivator should not be able to contend with him in terms of strength.

After a brief stalemate, a dazzling flurry of attacks ensued.

Que Yue's reputation in the death arena was naturally not based solely on his strength. His combat experience was also extremely rich, and his techniques were masterful.

His greatest achievement was once defeating a stronger opponent and slaying a peak Dao Integration cultivator. This was the primary source of his fame.

Therefore, he was confident that such a seemingly young individual could absolutely not surpass him in combat techniques. Even if his opponent's true age was not as young as he appeared, Que Yue was certain his own cultivation journey had been far longer.

But he soon realized he was mistaken. After a round of intense fighting, his opponent proved flawless in both offense and defense. This undoubtedly showed that in terms of combat experience and techniques, his opponent was in no way inferior to him.

“Something's not right, Lu Ye,” Liao's voice suddenly entered Lu Ye's mind amidst the fierce battle. “Something's really off!”

“What is it?” Lu Ye asked via spiritual transmission, while fending off Que Yue's furious assault.

This, however, made Que Yue suspicious. The cultivators in the spectator stands could only witness the life-and-death struggle, but couldn't perceive much else.

But with Lu Ye transmitting thoughts in this manner, how could Que Yue not sense it?

For a moment, he didn't know who Lu Ye was transmitting to, or if he was simply trying to disrupt his concentration. If it was the latter, it would be quite laughable.

“Anyway, it just doesn't feel right, this way doesn't seem to work,” Liao replied.

“You can't feel the opportunity for a breakthrough?” Lu Ye's heart sank. Although he had prepared himself for this possibility, he still felt a sense of disappointment when reality hit.

Liao had clearly been startled awake because it sensed an opportunity for a breakthrough, and that opportunity was definitely related to the spirit treasure. The method of engaging in a life-or-death battle with an opponent was also its idea. But if even this wasn't working, Lu Ye truly didn't know what else to do.

“No, it just feels like something is missing.”

“Something missing?”

“Yeah, what is missing?”

If Liao had a mouth, Lu Ye truly wanted to find a needle and thread to sew it shut.

Suddenly, he unleashed a saber strike. In his frustration, he momentarily lost control of his own strength with this blow and directly sent Que Yue flying.

Que Yue's eyes instantly widened, his face a mix of shock and uncertainty.

Every cultivator had their hidden methods or trump cards. He naturally didn't believe Lu Ye was as simple as he appeared; if he were, he wouldn't possess such strength at the Sixth Level of Dao Integration.

Thus, he concluded that Lu Ye possessed a trump card and had been guarding against this moment.

However, he hadn't expected this saber strike to come so suddenly and strangely.

That last strike... the power his opponent unleashed, it must have been over 300 units, right? Que Yue's heart trembled. He also possessed secret techniques that could instantly unleash greater power, but those were for life-or-death situations. He would never use them unless absolutely critical, as the repercussions were immense. Yet, looking at the nameless stranger opposite him, it seemed like just a casual strike, with no apparent side effects.

This situation caused a stir among the cultivators in the spectator stands.

After three months of promotion by the arena, those who could obtain spectator tickets were at least outstanding cultivators at the Dao Integration stage, and many among them were Dao Convergence cultivators.

Originally, those Dao Convergence cultivators weren't very interested in such battles, but this sudden turn of events piqued their interest considerably.

After all, while the previous exchanges between the two combatants were dazzling, they were still relatively evenly matched. However, in that one instant, the disparity in strength was clear, and the stronger one was the one with the lower cultivation level.

Within the celestial debris, Que Yue quickly distanced himself from Lu Ye. He didn't know if the nameless stranger had used some secret technique, but at such a critical juncture, he naturally had to be cautious. A power of 300 units was not something he could contend with at present.

After unleashing that saber strike, a flash of insight suddenly struck Lu Ye. He thought of a possibility.

Liao had previously speculated that for it to advance and break through, Lu Ye, as its master, would have to engage in a life-and-death battle with an enemy.

And just now it had said that something felt missing.

From this perspective, the general direction must be correct. It was just that in some details, he might not have done enough.

In that case...

Lu Ye raised his long saber and swiftly lunged towards Que Yue.

Having suffered from the previous blow, how could Que Yue dare to approach Lu Ye casually? He wielded his Measure Heaven Ruler, sending streaks of ruler energy towards Lu Ye. He soon discovered that Lu Ye was fending them off quite awkwardly.

This greatly surprised him, because considering the strength Lu Ye had just displayed, he shouldn't be performing so poorly.

He immediately realized that this was likely the side effect of his opponent's secret technique beginning to manifest.

Of course, it could also be that his opponent was feigning weakness, but whether it was or not, a test would reveal the truth. Thus, seeing Lu Ye attempting to close in, he deliberately maintained his distance.

Streaks of ruler energy shot forth, colliding with brilliant saber glows.

If the previous close-quarters combat was dazzling, then this moment was an extreme tug-of-war at mid-to-short range.

Lu Ye was at a disadvantage.

He had suppressed his own strength to approximately 240 units. At this level, he was slightly weaker than Que Yue. Naturally, he wouldn't gain any advantage in such an entanglement.

After a long period of chasing and evading, Que Yue finally confirmed one thing: his opponent's strength had indeed weakened. It must be due to the side effects of the secret technique.

Although he could continuously wear down his enemy's Dao power in this manner and thus secure the final victory, such a combat style was not advisable when the strengths were not vastly different, because the consumption was too great.

Que Yue was only at the Ninth Level of Dao Integration. How could he have so much Dao power to squander? By this point in the battle, he had already expended 20% of his Dao power. While he certainly had more Dao power remaining, he naturally didn't want to waste it in this situation.

In an instant, Que Yue suddenly shifted his stance and charged towards Lu Ye again.

This sudden change made all the cultivators in the spectator stands realize one thing: after the period of probing, the two combatants in the arena would likely soon determine who lives and who dies. Whether the mysterious nameless stranger would survive or the somewhat famous Que Yue would claim victory – this was what they were anticipating, as almost every spectator had placed a bet.

The two figures clashed once more. Que Yue's Measure Heaven Ruler, enveloped in multiple ruler shadows, heavily slammed down. Lu Ye raised his saber to meet it. At the moment of impact, he felt his arm sink and his body tremble.

After suppressing his cultivation to this extent, he was indeed somewhat outmatched by Que Yue, especially since his opponent was wielding a spirit treasure.

Realizing Lu Ye's current 'vulnerability,' Que Yue's eyebrows subtly rose. His attacks grew even more relentless.

He did not notice a sudden gleam in Lu Ye's subdued eyes.

Because in that very instant, Liao's excited voice suddenly echoed: “That's it, exactly! Hahaha, I know now, I finally know!”

Upon hearing Liao's voice, Lu Ye understood that his previous idea was correct.

If it truly had to be a life-and-death battle, then they naturally had to be evenly matched. Initially, Lu Ye, to be safe, used 280 units of power against Que Yue. While this was indeed safe, it didn't meet Liao's requirement for advancement. Because even with that level of strength, he still surpassed Que Yue, and Lu Ye himself wouldn't feel any sense of crisis.

It wasn't until he suppressed his strength once more.

The battle suddenly became white-hot. To the cultivators in the spectator stands, both Que Yue and Lu Ye were now unleashing their fiercest and most powerful sides. Compared to the intense exchanges before, the current scene was a true life-and-death struggle.

Blood splattered. After just a few breaths of clashes, both sides had sustained injuries.

“Chop his ruler!” Liao yelped again in Lu Ye's mind.

Lu Ye didn't know what it intended, but he could only comply.

So, after exchanging a few blows and injuries, Que Yue found that his opponent seemed to have gone a bit crazy. His opponent's attacks were not aimed at him, but rather at the Measure Heaven Ruler in his hand, blocking its attacks again and again with maximum effort.

“I ate it, oh, it's so delicious...” Liao mumbled to itself. Lu Ye didn't know what it had actually eaten, but its voice was indeed somewhat muffled, as if it were truly eating something.

Figures darted and weaved. Saber glints and ruler shadows swept across the arena. To the spectators, this could barely be considered an an exciting battle. However, setting aside the difference in strength between the two combatants, judging solely from the current situation, it was definitely not worth the arena's three months of prior promotion.

Moreover, looking at the current outcome, the cultivator with the weaker cultivation seemed to be at a disadvantage, as his injuries steadily increased. Que Yue, on the other hand, was gaining momentum.

As the situation in the arena shifted, the odds outside the death arena were also continuously being adjusted.

Inside that private room, Lian suddenly turned to Yuan Xi: “What are you so nervous about?”

“Am I?” Yuan Xi was surprised.

Lian paused. “Do you know that nameless stranger?”

Yuan Xi frowned. After a moment, he spoke truthfully: “I initially thought it was the one I know, but now it seems it's not.”

His City Guard Grand Commander should not have to struggle so much to deal with a Ninth Level Dao Integration cultivator. It should be effortless.

Outside Flowing Light City, over thirty Dao Integration cultivators, including several peak ones, had fallen by his hand. So if it really were him, wouldn't killing a Ninth Level Dao Integration cultivator be resolved in just a few saber strikes?