Chapter 2435: Broken Rare Treasure

Feigning weakness seemed unnecessary, especially since such a confrontation would leave him heavily wounded and deplete a significant amount of Dao power, which was clearly not a worthwhile trade.

So, Yuan Xi concluded that the Unnamed fighter in the arena was likely not her Grand Commander of the City Guard.

Then her face fell.

She had staked all her possessions on the Unnamed fighter, and if it wasn't Lu Ye, wouldn't all her efforts be in vain?

She grew anxious and secretly prayed that the Unnamed fighter still had another way to turn the tide, because if the fight continued like this, he would surely be defeated.

Lian glanced at her thoughtfully for a moment before looking away. Although she had also bet a significant amount on the Unnamed fighter, far more than Yuan Xi, she could easily absorb this loss.

Within the starry void fragment, the fierce battle raged on. With each head-on collision, both Lu Ye and Que Yue fought with increasing ferocity, murderous intent flashing in their eyes.

For Lu Ye, it had been a long time since he had experienced such a grueling battle.

Admittedly, this was a consequence of him suppressing his own power, but the sensation of being on the verge of life and death was genuine. Since his goal was to help Liao advance, he could not unleash or enhance his power, no matter how perilous the situation became.

As a result, Que Yue was having a tough time.

While Lu Ye was indeed slightly weaker, Que Yue found it incredibly difficult to overcome him. His Dao power was already 40% depleted, and he hadn't felt a struggle this arduous even when battling a peak Dao Integration realm expert years ago.

And for some reason, he vaguely felt that something wasn't quite right.

This unease wasn't internal; at his level of cultivation, his self-control was absolute, and he would immediately detect any personal abnormality.

The source of the unease was the Heaven-Measuring Ruler, his affiliated treasure!

This feeling had begun to surface after his opponent's power seemed to wane during their struggle.

The Heaven-Measuring Ruler had been supplied to him by the Combat Arena. He didn't understand why he was afforded such a great opportunity, especially since the arena had invested significant effort and resources to help him cultivate this affiliated treasure. Consequently, he hadn't dared to relax for a moment over the past three months.

It was indeed an affiliated treasure; the Combat Arena wouldn't deceive him about something like this. Yet, the treasure was now giving him an unsettling feeling.

With no time to investigate, he had to defeat his opponent first and then delve into the matter.

In an instant, Que Yue made his decision.

Suddenly, Lu Ye was overwhelmed by an immense sense of danger. Que Yue, who had only been slightly stronger than him moments before, now seemed to transform into a ferocious beast, suddenly baring its sharp fangs.

As a red mist burst around him, Que Yue's body seemed to glow with intense power. The Heaven-Measuring Ruler suddenly erupted with dazzling light and descended upon Lu Ye with thunderous force.

Under this attack, numerous ruler images appeared, visible Dao power surged, and space itself fractured.

Even without direct contact, Lu Ye sensed the immense power of this strike. Compared to Que Yue's previous assaults, this attack unleashed at least thirty times the force!

For a Ninth Stage Dao Integration expert like Que Yue, a thirty-fold power surge was undoubtedly formidable, often capable of deciding life or death in a single blow.

This was undoubtedly Que Yue's ultimate secret technique.

Lu Ye's first instinct was to evade. At his current strength, he was slightly outmatched by Que Yue, and under such a power surge, he certainly couldn't withstand the blow. While an injury might be minor, compromising the rest of the battle would be a major problem.

Yet, just as he prepared to do so, Liao's desperate shout suddenly echoed in his ears: "Cut it!"

His body, poised to evade, suddenly halted. In that instant, without hesitation, he chose to follow Liao's will. His long saber met the descending Heaven-Measuring Ruler, unleashing all two hundred and forty layers of power.

In the spectator stands, numerous cultivators gasped in surprise, their eyes wide with disbelief.

Everyone realized that the decisive moment had come.

They had clearly seen Lu Ye preparing to evade, yet for some unknown reason, he chose to meet the attack at the very last moment.

No one knew what went through the Unnamed fighter's mind at that instant, but everyone could see that Que Yue was currently in a state of explosive power, enhanced by a secret technique.

The Unnamed fighter... was likely in danger!

This thought leaped into almost every cultivator's mind.

As the saber and ruler clashed, Que Yue's eyes gleamed with ferocity and cold murderous intent. He knew his opponent would block the strike as before, but he believed any resistance was futile against his overwhelming power.

After a momentary stalemate, Que Yue felt the resistance in front of him weaken, an undeniable sign that his opponent was decisively losing the power struggle.

"It's over!" he thought.

"Break it!" Liao's shout echoed in Lu Ye's ears once more.

As if his words held power, the moment Liao's voice rang out, Lu Ye distinctly heard a shattering sound. Instantly, the affiliated Heaven-Measuring Ruler splintered into pieces before his very eyes.

Even Lu Ye, who had caused it, couldn't help but show a look of astonishment, let alone Que Yue.

He had been in a position of advantage, ready to decisively defeat his opponent. Who would have thought that at such a crucial moment, his affiliated treasure would actually shatter?

He was in disbelief, but it was the undeniable truth.

"Combat Arena... you misled me!" Que Yue thought, in the last moment before his vision plunged into darkness.

No wonder he had felt something wasn't quite right with the affiliated treasure in his hand earlier. It turned out this wasn't an affiliated treasure at all; otherwise, how could it shatter?

Lu Ye's long saber shattered the Heaven-Measuring Ruler without any hindrance, directly slicing Que Yue's head in half. Warm blood splattered onto his face, but no one saw his grim expression at that moment.

Even at this moment, Lu Ye still couldn't believe that the affiliated treasure had shattered.

How could an affiliated treasure shatter?

In Lu Ye's understanding, ultimate treasures were manifestations of a mysterious power, very likely the legendary "rules" themselves, granting each treasure unique abilities.

Since affiliated treasures were born from ultimate treasures, they were extensions of this same unique power.

Therefore, theoretically speaking, affiliated treasures should not shatter.

Yet just now, he had shattered an affiliated treasure with his Mountain-Shattering Saber.

For a moment, he couldn't help but share the same thought as the dying Que Yue: had the Combat Arena provided Que Yue with a fake affiliated treasure?

While he was still in a daze, Yuan Xi, whose emotions had been on a roller coaster, suddenly burst into laughter in her private room. Turning to Lian, she declared, "I'm rich now! I won't need to borrow from you anymore, you stingy old woman!"

She had initially believed the Unnamed fighter was Lu Ye, then thought she was mistaken. But now, regardless of the Unnamed fighter's true identity, she had already gained immense profits.

She had been among the first to bet on Lu Ye, and at that time, the odds for his victory were astonishingly high. It was a pity she had so little capital, otherwise, she truly could have become wealthy overnight.

"Well, congratulations then!" Lian said with a faint smile, her gaze lingering with interest on Lu Ye in the arena.

Undeniably, a Sixth Stage cultivator defeating a Ninth Stage had captured her attention. Indeed, from this day forward, he would catch the attention of many others. If he chose to reveal his identity, numerous Dao Conjunction Cities would surely try to recruit him.

In the spectator stands, some celebrated while others lamented. Relatively few people were celebrating, and they were all those who had bet on Lu Ye.

The majority, however, were frustrated at having missed this excellent opportunity.

In another private room, behind a large table, a young-looking cultivator was initially leaning back in his chair, feet propped on the table, observing the previous battle with a nonchalant air.

But as the battle concluded, the youth couldn't help but sit up straight, staring blankly in Lu Ye's direction.

"Boss, it shattered!" exclaimed an incredibly peculiar creature on the table, resembling a small octopus. It waved its soft, pink tentacles, clutching its round head, its two tiny eyes filled with disbelief. "The affiliated treasure was shattered!"

"Quiet, I saw it!" the youth snapped, casually flicking a finger and sending the noisy little octopus flying to stick against the wall.

The little octopus slowly slid down, then struggled to move its body, grunting as it climbed back onto the table. "Boss," it asked again, still in an incredulous tone, "did you give Que Yue a fake affiliated treasure?"

The youth shook his head. "I personally inspected that Heaven-Measuring Ruler; it was indeed an affiliated treasure."

"Then how could it shatter?" The pink little octopus asked, its eyes wide with confusion.

The youth remained silent, simply staring at Lu Ye as he swiftly collected his spoils—more precisely, at the Mountain-Shattering Saber at Lu Ye's waist. A meaningful smile suddenly appeared on his face. "A Soldier Race... so that's it!"

"Oh?" The little octopus, though comical in appearance, was naturally well-informed from years of accompanying the youth. It immediately reacted: "Are you saying this Unnamed fighter's Dao Soldier is from the Soldier Race?"

The youth nodded, then, as if realizing something new, added, "No wonder he deliberately provided an affiliated treasure to his opponent. He wanted his Soldier Race to advance!"

As he spoke, he suddenly noticed a few more puzzling details.

Looking at the outcome, the Unnamed fighter achieved his goal. However, judging by the process, it seemed he had been experimenting, as his initial approach wasn't quite right, and he only gradually adjusted it later.

If that's the case, the Unnamed fighter must have been exploring a method for his Dao Soldier to advance, and then, by great fortune, succeeded!

"Doesn't that old monster also have a Soldier Race treasure?" the little octopus suddenly recalled.

The youth cast a faint glance at it. "If you don't want to end up steamed or braised by him, you'd best not call him that."

The little octopus gave an awkward laugh. "But I'm just in front of you, Boss..."

In front of that old monster, it wouldn't dare to be presumptuous; it was always well-behaved. If it provoked the old monster, he truly might treat it exactly as its boss had suggested.