Chapter 2448: Monster

One of them, slightly further from the Green Wild Clan Hegemon, barely moved before he saw Lu Ye charging towards him in horror, his face instantly paling.

The Green Wild Clan Hegemon roared, "You're seeking death!" and lunged diagonally forward to intercept. Previously, he had been caught off guard, leading to heavy casualties among his Dao Integration subordinates. Now that he had witnessed Lu Ye's methods, he could not tolerate him continuing the slaughter in his presence.

Wielding a short spear Dao weapon, he was beside Lu Ye in a blink, channeling explosive Dao power into the weapon as he thrust it forward. The spear strike contained the force of six hundred Dao, not his full power but close to it. He believed no Dao Integration cultivator could withstand it. By killing this weapon master, he could naturally save the lives of his Dao Integration subordinates.

The impact felt like striking an extremely tough hide. The Green Wild Clan Hegemon's eyes widened, filled with horror. In that instant, he clearly sensed the profound density of Lu Ye's protective Dao power, a level impossible for a Dao Integration cultivator to possess.

A scream echoed, and blood splattered. The Dao Integration cultivator targeted by Lu Ye ultimately could not escape his fate. Lu Ye's punch shattered his protective Dao power and his head burst open like a watermelon. The headless corpse twitched a few times before falling backward.

Lu Ye then spun around and unleashed another punch towards the Green Wild Clan Hegemon, who was now very close. The Hegemon was still reeling from the shock. It wasn't that he was inexperienced, but what he had witnessed today was simply too extraordinary, completely beyond his comprehension. Unaware for a moment, he nearly fell victim to Lu Ye's attack. He hastily raised his short spear, just managing to block the fierce blow.

To his surprise, Lu Ye's target was not him at all. After forcing him back, Lu Ye immediately changed direction and charged towards the last remaining Dao Integration cultivator trapped in the city. A surge of violent power swept from behind him, accompanied by the Green Wild Clan Hegemon's roar, "How dare you!" He held nothing back. With the surrounding Dao power surging, he unleashed his full strength. The moment the short spear thrust out, the void itself subtly warped.

Lu Ye's protective Dao power was finally broken. He felt a sharp pain in his back, and under the immense impact, a rush of hot blood surged into his throat, but he forcibly suppressed it. His mouth filled with the taste of rust.

Over seven hundred Dao!

He immediately assessed the Green Wild Clan Hegemon's true strength. This power was indeed slightly greater than his own, but only marginally so. Moreover, this was within the environment of a Hegemon City. Yuanxi City was a Earth-grade Hegemon City, where the Star Abyss aura and Dao power were denser than outside. Therefore, the Green Wild Clan Hegemon could exert more power than usual. Outside a Hegemon City, Lu Ye estimated that this individual's strength might even be less than his own.

His heart settled slightly. Since entering the Inner Realm, he had encountered several Hegemons and even fought two of them. Neither of those had been opponents he could contend with. But now, it seemed it wasn't that he was weak; it was that the two Hegemons he had fought before were truly strong. This current Green Wild Clan member was a notch below them.

Using the force of his opponent's attack, Lu Ye's speed surged. The last Dao Integration cultivator had originally been moving closer to the Green Wild Clan Hegemon, but after witnessing his companion being killed by Lu Ye and seeing Lu Ye disregard everything to charge at him, he immediately understood Lu Ye's intent. He instantly turned and fled, wanting to get as far away from Lu Ye as possible. However, at such close range, and having to turn around, where was the room to escape? After only a few steps, Lu Ye was already behind him, his large hand open, slamming down hard. An irresistible force swept over him, and the last Dao Integration cultivator's head was driven into his chest. His body stiffened, and his life force rapidly faded.

Lu Ye shook his hands, rolled his shoulders, and slowly turned around, looking indifferently at the Green Wild Clan Hegemon not far away. Blood from the wound on his back streamed down his skin and dripped onto the ground, but he seemed not to notice. Such injuries were not actually serious. His reason for risking injury to first eliminate the two Dao Integration cultivators was, naturally, strategic. Facing a Hegemon was a challenge in itself, and any additional interference during the process would put him at a significant disadvantage, even if that interference was minimal. The interference from two Dao Integration cultivators would not be small. Without eliminating them, Lu Ye would constantly be harassed and ambushed, unable to fully focus on dealing with the Hegemon. Paying a small price to eliminate those two Dao Integration cultivators was absolutely worth it.

Now, it was time for a one-on-one battle.

The Green Wild Clan Hegemon was no longer angry. His face was filled with shock and uncertainty as he carefully studied Lu Ye and said gravely, "What kind of monster are you?" Without personally clashing with Lu Ye, he could not have imagined that such a person existed in this world—someone who could unleash such immense power purely based on his own foundation, with no signs of external aid. A monster! This was his assessment of Lu Ye, for he could find no other more fitting term.

Lu Ye simply raised a hand and beckoned to him, the meaning clear. The Green Wild Clan Hegemon glanced behind Lu Ye. Whether intentionally or not, Lu Ye's current position perfectly blocked his path to the central great hall. Therefore, to shatter Yuanxi City's Hegemon Orb, he first had to eliminate Lu Ye, or at least force him back. As for the other Hegemon in the city, he wasn't too concerned, as that Hegemon was surely directing the grand array and would be unable to distract himself. If that Hegemon dared to divert his attention and attack, it would actually be beneficial for him, as the Frostfall cultivators outside could then break the array and charge straight in.

Although Lu Ye's various displays had shocked him, from their brief encounter, it appeared this monster's strength was slightly inferior to his own. Therefore, he only needed to take some time to at least force him back.

Their gazes met, and both figures moved simultaneously. The explosive force in that instant made the entire Hegemon City hum, and large indentations appeared beneath their feet. In a flash, they collided. Their powers lashed out, and the surrounding Dao energy boiled. The Green Wild Clan Hegemon wielded the short spear so swiftly that it became an impenetrable blur of afterimages. Lu Ye's fists hammered out in powerful, crisscrossing blows.

He quickly found himself at a disadvantage. Aside from the Green Wild Clan Hegemon being a notch stronger in raw power, there was also the issue of combat habits. Lu Ye was a weapon master, and his Dao weapon was an extension of his body. Since he began cultivating, he had rarely fought bare-handed. With his blade in hand, Lu Ye could unleash his full strength, but with his Pan Mountain Blade currently unusable, defending himself solely with his fists made him somewhat unaccustomed. In this situation, while he could still control all of his Dao power, many of his usual combat techniques could not be employed, naturally affecting his display of strength.

Blood splattered, and almost every few exchanges left Lu Ye with a new wound. Fortunately, the disparity in their strength was not vast. The opponent's powerful attacks, after being mitigated by Lu Ye's protective Dao power, caused limited damage. Thus, none of his injuries were severe. If the strength gap had truly been immense, the Dao Integration cultivators Lu Ye had killed would have served as a grim warning.

Lu Ye remained calm. This situation could be considered the best possible outcome. Currently, Yuanxi was engaging three Frostfall Hegemons, and the local city had You Die overseeing the grand array, ensuring its safety for the time being. Therefore, his task was to stall for time, waiting for Yuanxi to succeed, which would then turn the tide of the battle. He wasn't worried about Yuanxi's success. Yuanxi would not have dared to attack Frostfall without confidence. Furthermore, even if Yuanxi failed, the city still had a retreat route, so its safety was not an issue.

If his opponent were a Dao Integration cultivator, Lu Ye could hope to exhaust their Dao power and then decide the outcome. But against a Hegemon, that hope was slim. Although the Hegemon could unleash the force of seven hundred Dao with each strike, his actual consumption was not that high, as he was largely drawing upon external power. This was the biggest disadvantage for a Dao Integration cultivator fighting a Hegemon: the Dao power consumed by a Dao Integration cultivator was far greater. Only Lu Ye could withstand such consumption; any other Dao Integration cultivator would quickly be depleted.

After a fierce exchange, the Green Wild Clan Hegemon finally grew impatient. While he held the upper hand and his opponent appeared quite battered, both he and Lu Ye knew that the injuries were not fundamental, with some flesh wounds even healing in an instant. He could not afford to drag this out any longer. The enemy had come prepared, and Frostfall was responding in haste. No one knew what other tricks the enemy might have up their sleeve. Admittedly, the enemy's overall foundation did not appear very strong, but this single monster before him was enough to provoke extreme caution. He needed to end this quickly!

In an instant, the Dao power around the Green Wild Clan Hegemon suddenly became ferocious, and his entire being exuded an extremely dangerous aura. Lu Ye was startled. This feeling... He suddenly recalled his death match against Que Yue in the arena. At the very end of that battle, Que Yue's aura had been strikingly similar to the Hegemon's now. A secret technique! His opponent had undoubtedly unleashed some secret technique that boosted his power. When Que Yue had used a similar technique, her strength had increased by nearly thirty Dao. Yet, Que Yue was only a ninth-level Dao Integration cultivator. Now, he was facing a Hegemon. How much more of a boost could this Hegemon gain?

A strong sense of alarm immediately arose in Lu Ye's heart. As he rapidly retreated, he unleashed his Dao power without reservation to protect himself. The next instant, he saw his opponent lightly wave the short spear in his direction. His protective Dao power was instantly shattered. Unlike the gradual erosion and breaking from before, this time it was forcibly torn apart with no room for resistance. Next, his chest went numb, and a splash of crimson bloomed in his vision. Under the fierce power, Lu Ye's body was sent flying uncontrollably, blood gushing like a spring in mid-air before he finally crashed into a building. With a crash, his battered figure was engulfed by rubble and broken walls.