Chapter 2469: 百战，佩林

The Wind Rises in Kyushu

Given the current sharpness of the Mountain-Shattering Blade, few Dao weapons at the Dao Integration level could withstand it. In a head-on clash like this, unless the opponent's weapon was a Bound Treasure, it would surely be damaged, if not outright shattered.

Especially as Lu Ye's strike channeled the power of a full four hundred Daos. His original intention was to shatter the opponent's Dao weapon and then kill them in the same motion. While he had slain countless Dao Integration cultivators, he had never before killed anyone with the identity of a Son of the Star Abyss.

As for his opponent's background... Lu Ye had no time, nor inclination, to consider it at that moment.

Yet, the silver spear in Peilin's hand remained completely unscathed, stubbornly deflecting the strike!

Diao's excited voice suddenly rang out then: “Lu Ye, that’s a Bound Treasure!”

Indeed!

If Lu Ye had only been guessing, Diao's words unequivocally confirmed his suspicion. It had clearly sensed the mysterious essence within the silver spear, and quite possibly even taken a quick gulp.

Lu Ye was genuinely surprised and delighted. Ever since he had unintentionally acquired a Heaven-Measuring Ruler, he had been actively looking for Bound Treasures among the Dao weapons of his Dao Integration enemies. Unfortunately, he had never found one. While Bound Treasures were not as rare as Supreme Treasures, they were still not something just anyone was qualified to possess.

Who would have thought he'd stumble upon one here?

It wasn't surprising upon reflection. Peilin was a Son of the Star Abyss, favored by the will of the Star Abyss. If Lu Ye were the Lord of Hundred Battles City, he too would go to great lengths to find such a person a Bound Treasure.

The suppressed power instantly erupted, and the long blade slashed diagonally, scraping against the silver spear.

Peilin's expression instantly contorted in shock!

He had never conceived that another Dao Integration cultivator could surpass him in strength, nor dared he imagine that his proudly accumulated power would one day seem so utterly fragile against an enemy of the same cultivation level.

He had been a Son of the Star Abyss for many years. That year, during the arduous selection process, he had fought his way through countless trials and emerged victorious, claiming the esteemed title of Son of the Star Abyss.

Upon his return to Hundred Battles City, he was bestowed with the silver spear Bound Treasure as his personal Dao weapon. From then on, he dedicated all his energy to nurturing this Bound Treasure.

Nurturing a Bound Treasure was incredibly difficult. Not only did it consume far more Dao power than cultivating an ordinary Dao weapon, but it also grew progressively harder. Each increment of power often took many years, a slow and painstaking process of grinding it out with time and effort.

Thus, cultivators didn't automatically become powerful merely by acquiring a Bound Treasure.

Even to this day, Peilin was still several Dao forces shy of nurturing his Bound Treasure to its utmost potential.

This was precisely why he had delayed his Dao Conjunction. He knew that if he were to merge with the Dao now, the incomplete nurturing of his Dao weapon would limit his future achievements. Otherwise, with his talent, he could have advanced his cultivation to the next level long ago.

Yet, even with that, his strength already encompassed over three hundred Daos. Such power, while not invincible at the Dao Integration level, certainly had few rivals. In the entire Inner Realm, he feared no one, save for a handful of individuals who possessed even more potent Bound Treasures.

Upon entering this peculiar realm, he had been unstoppable. Regardless of whether he faced one, two, or even three enemies, he had routed them all, leaving them terrified and fleeing in disarray.

He had originally assumed that even if Lu Ye was a Son of the Star Abyss like himself, he couldn't possibly be stronger and could be easily dispatched.

Yet, this single clash instantly revealed his grave mistake; in a direct contest of strength, he was immediately at a disadvantage.

This made him instantly realize that the long blade in Lu Ye's hand was also a Bound Treasure, and one of even higher quality than his silver spear!

Just as he was secretly alarmed, the power emanating from the long blade suddenly intensified.

This fellow... he wasn't using his full strength earlier!

Peilin's heart was seized with terror. Under the onslaught of an irresistible force, he could only forcefully raise his spear to parry. His hand went numb, a sense of crisis overwhelmed him, and he instinctively snapped his head back.

A gleaming blade light slashed past his eyes, and a jolt of pain followed — a layer of his scalp had been shorn off. Had he not possessed extensive combat experience, that last blow might well have decapitated him.

Before he could even catch his breath, the opponent's second strike descended in a fluid motion.

The speed was too swift for him to react; this time, he had no means of resistance. The sharp long blade, descending from above, gleamed like a spirit snake's tongue, directly cleaving his entire body in half. His golden battle armor offered not even the slightest impediment.

Lu Ye's brow furrowed.

The feedback from that strike felt off; it didn't feel like it had cut through flesh, and no blood flowed.

Gazing intently, there was no sign of Peilin. Only a golden battle armor, neatly bisected, remained on the ground, its light rapidly fading.

A golden cicada shedding its shell?

Lu Ye quickly looked up. From that direction, he sensed the peculiar aura of a Son of the Star Abyss, now quite distant. Clearly, Peilin, who had somehow escaped, was rapidly fleeing.

He secretly marveled, thinking, 'As expected of someone from one of the top ten Dao Conjunction Cities, this life-saving technique is truly extraordinary.' He now realized that the golden battle armor Peilin wore was not a defensive item, but rather a secret treasure for preserving life.

This treasure would activate precisely when he encountered a fatal crisis.

Lu Ye had encountered similar treasures like 'puppet dolls' in the starry sky before. Generally, such treasures were incredibly valuable, beyond the sight of ordinary individuals. However, for someone like Peilin, acquiring one likely wasn't difficult.

“Chase him!” Diao urged excitedly. It was rare to encounter an enemy with a Bound Treasure, especially one who was also a Son of the Star Abyss. There was no way they could let him escape.

While Lu Ye had previously exchanged for a Bound Treasure from the Star Abyss Treasury for the battle arena, Diao needed more than one Bound Treasure to overcome his second major hurdle.

Otherwise, Lu Ye wouldn't have hurried here upon hearing news of the Moon Wheel Bound Treasure.

For Lu Ye, any Bound Treasure at this moment was worth several hundred Star Abyss coins, requiring a significant amount of time for him to accumulate.

If he could kill Peilin and seize his silver spear this time, then even if he didn't acquire the Moon Wheel Bound Treasure later, this journey would still be worthwhile.

Lu Ye's only regret was that he hadn't fully controlled his strength when he first engaged Peilin. Otherwise, he could have had a true life-and-death struggle, much like his previous battle against Que Yue in the arena.

Without Diao needing to remind him, Lu Ye had already activated his Blood Evasion Art, pushing his speed to its absolute limit as he gave chase.

The unique mutual sensing between Sons of the Star Abyss greatly aided Lu Ye's pursuit, yet it became Peilin's bane, as they could both sense each other's presence and location as long as their distance wasn't too great.

Peilin had once been immensely proud of his status as a Son of the Star Abyss, but now he utterly detested it. He genuinely couldn't comprehend why, in this Inner Realm, apart from those select few, anyone else would possess a Bound Treasure stronger than his own.

Recalling their brief encounter, he even suspected that the strength of those select few was inferior to that of the person chasing him. 'Where did this person come from?' he wondered.

He had heard that another Son of the Star Abyss selection had occurred a few years prior, though who ultimately won remained a mystery. If his pursuer was indeed the most recent Son of the Star Abyss, then his growth rate was astonishingly fast. But if not, he surely couldn't be from earlier generations; that would be far too long ago.

His mind racing with wild thoughts, Peilin couldn't make sense of anything. All he wanted now was to get as far away from Lu Ye as possible. If he could just create enough distance to get beyond their mutual sensing range, he would be safe.

Yet, he soon made the grim discovery that he was, tragically, slower. Although the gap wasn't closing rapidly, his pursuer was indeed steadily gaining on him.

The feeling of being relentlessly pursued by death was undoubtedly agonizing. Peilin knew he could not linger in this perilous place.

To survive, his only option was to swiftly leave this cursed place. Only by escaping here could he hope to receive aid from the Dao Conjunction cultivators of Hundred Battles City, and only then would he truly be safe.

Having made up his mind, he immediately changed direction.

Ahead, a man and a woman, both Dao Integration cultivators, walked side by side. From their attire and aura alone, it was evident they were of extraordinary origin, most likely from one of the powerful Dao Conjunction Cities.

They walked at a leisurely pace, the man occasionally saying something that made the woman giggle delicately behind her hand, as if they were not there to contend for Bound Treasures but simply to enjoy a stroll.

Suddenly, Peilin's powerful aura entered their perception. By the time they looked up again, they saw a figure rushing furiously towards them.

The man sneered, stepping protectively in front of the woman. "Another one here to die," he boldly declared.

From his tone, it was clear they had already dispatched many opponents before this.

"Brother, do you need my assistance?" the woman asked softly.

The man waved his hand. "Sister, just observe. I can easily handle this kind of trash!" He exuded confidence, clearly eager not to diminish his heroic image.

However, immediately after speaking, the man's expression shifted. He strained his eyes to peer ahead and exclaimed, "Oh no, it's that fellow Peilin!"

"Peilin?" The woman was stunned, then quickly realized, "Peilin of Hundred Battles City?"

The man hastily replied, "Yes, I've met him once, so I recognize him!"

"Is he... targeting us?" The woman's face paled. Though she and the man possessed decent strength, they were significantly outmatched by Peilin. Furthermore, they had no desire to provoke any conflict with him; if a fight truly erupted, they would be severely disadvantaged.

The man clearly shared her concern and quickly reassured her: "Don't worry, Sister, I'll speak with him; he won't trouble us."

Despite his brave words, the man's heart was filled with unease. While he had indeed met Peilin once, he couldn't be certain if Peilin would show him any respect. After all, there was a significant disparity in both their status and strength, and encountering him in such an environment meant that even if Peilin killed them, no one would know, making their deaths utterly pointless.

Peilin swiftly drew near. Just as the man was about to speak, he was astonished to realize that Peilin didn't even spare them a glance, rushing past them a short distance away.