Chapter 2567: Rushing Against Time

Winds of Jiuzhou

Gong Mao's eyes flickered. He shook his head and said, "No, let them keep betting!"

Since Lu Ye had such great confidence in this battle, he would go all in with him. After this fight, he planned to empty the pockets of every gambler in the fighting arena. And from then on, the arena would never again host a battle that garnered so much attention from cultivators.

Amidst the spatial fragments of the deathmatch arena, Lu Ye's rushing figure suddenly paused. Not far ahead, another figure also stopped.

Lu Ye focused his gaze and saw that the newcomer, superficially, had no significant difference from a human, except for a small crack on their forehead. This reminded him of Huan Qing, who also had a mark on her forehead after using the Brahma Eye. But the person before him clearly couldn't be from the Brahma tribe; this individual was from the Three-Eyed Tribe.

As Lu Ye assessed his opponent, Ling Yan was also assessing him. However, after just one glance, he lost interest. He slowly shook his head and said, "Let's finish this quickly." This "Nameless Guest" (Lu Ye) didn't seem special on the surface and was even human. Compared to other races, humans were the least talented. As he spoke, his figure swayed as he lunged at Lu Ye, extending a palm forward, his Dao power surging. The Spring Brilliance Sword in his hand remained in its sheath; he had no intention of drawing it.

Seeing this, Lu Ye couldn't help but frown. He understood clearly: this fellow definitely hadn't studied the recordings of his previous two deathmatches, otherwise he wouldn't be so arrogant.

"Is the Nameless Guest stupid?"

"Move, you idiot!"

The moment Ling Yan attacked, scattered cultivators in various viewing areas couldn't help but shout, though their number was small. These were undoubtedly the gamblers who, holding onto a glimmer of hope, had bet on Lu Ye. After much anticipation, they had finally seen the Nameless Guest appear, hoping he would continue his previous glory and lead them to a big win. Yet, seeing Ling Yan already attacking, the Nameless Guest remained foolishly standing still, causing them to grow anxious. "It's over!" these gamblers wailed inwardly, unable to bear watching what was to come.

More gamblers, however, showed excitement, believing that a mere Eighth-level Dao Integration cultivator like the Nameless Guest could never withstand an attack from a Dao Union realm cultivator. This single palm strike would surely turn him to dust. But the next moment, the hopeful gazes turned to astonishment, and gasps echoed throughout the various viewing areas.

Inside the deathmatch arena, Ling Yan's eyes narrowed. He stared fixedly at Lu Ye in front of him, his eyes filled with disbelief. His confident strike had failed to budge the human before him in the slightest. The opponent had simply stood there brazenly, enduring his palm strike head-on! Although he hadn't used his full strength in this attack, it had still surpassed the limits of the Dao Integration realm, yet it couldn't break through the opponent's protective Dao power.

A vast saber light flashed. Ling Yan retreated in alarm. After steadying himself, his gaze trembling, he looked down. He saw that the clothes on his abdomen had been cut open, and blood was seeping out. Looking up again, the human opposite casually spun his saber and said unhurriedly, "Though I'm also in a hurry, I advise you to take this seriously!"

The mysterious process for Liao to devour the treasure was too troublesome; otherwise, Lu Ye would have taken Ling Yan's life with that previous slash. Wounding him with one strike was merely a warning not to be careless, and at the same time, it was to provoke his killing intent. Only when Ling Yan took it seriously could Lu Ye have a proper fight with him. This one strike not only startled Ling Yan but also astonished the spectators in the various viewing areas. The scene most cultivators had expected—the Nameless Guest being instantly killed—did not occur. Instead, in the very first clash, Ling Yan, a cultivator of the Dao Union realm, was actually wounded. Although there was no Star Abyss aura in the deathmatch arena, preventing Ling Yan from drawing on external power, his fundamental strength was incomparable to that of the Dao Integration realm. Could this Nameless Guest really be this powerful? Did this not mean that the outcome of this battle was still entirely uncertain?

"Close the bets!" In the secret room, as this saber strike landed, Gong Mao waved his hand and let out a sharp cry. The betting lines could not be kept open. If they continued, cultivators would surely change their minds and bet on Lu Ye, and their numbers would certainly not be small. Betting on Lu Ye at this point would be like snatching food from his mouth. How could Gong Mao allow that? As for those who secretly targeted the arena master, their bets had already flowed into the pool. They could forget about getting them back. This time, he would make sure they gained nothing but loss. Although he couldn't follow the arena master into battle, wasn't the current fighting arena another kind of battlefield? Gong Mao was now wielding an invisible sharp blade, frantically harvesting the Dao Fish from the pockets of his overt and covert enemies, provided that Lu Ye could truly win this deathmatch!

In the deathmatch arena, Ling Yan looked up, his eyes filled with fury. He was a Dao Union realm cultivator, yet he had been wounded by a Dao Integration realm cultivator, and under the gaze of thousands. How could he possibly face himself? In the future, wouldn't people always add "the Dao Union cultivator wounded by a Dao Integration cultivator" when speaking of him? If this continued, what would become of his reputation? Beyond the anger, there was more shock. This Nameless Guest before him truly possessed considerable skill; no wonder he had gained some renown earlier. He couldn't quite understand how a Dao Integration realm cultivator could be so powerful. And this was only an Eighth-level Dao Integration; no wonder he had previously defeated a Ninth-level at Sixth-level, and a Peak-level at Seventh-level.

Quickly collecting his thoughts, Ling Yan raised his hand and gripped his sword hilt. The moment he drew his sword, the sword light surged like a dragon, man and sword becoming one, transforming into a streak of light that shot towards Lu Ye. Just as Lu Ye had hoped, he began to take it seriously, unleashing his full power with this strike. Because he wanted a quick and decisive victory, to crush his opponent fair and square, thus upholding his status as a Dao Union realm cultivator.

Lu Ye's eyes lit up at the sight, knowing that his previous provocation had worked. And this was exactly what he wanted to see. His long saber suddenly swept horizontally. A brilliant light before him transformed into a saber domain, enveloping the space ahead. The sword light entered the saber domain without losing any speed. As the saber domain shattered, Ling Yan, with sword in hand, had already arrived close by. A curtain of swords descended, and in an instant, Lu Ye's vision was filled with sword shadows. He stabilized his stance and unleashed a devastating saber strike. The sword curtain abruptly dissipated. Ling Yan had already darted away to a distance. Lu Ye remained standing still. His clothes suddenly split into countless tears, and blood seeped out, instantly dyeing him crimson.

In various viewing areas, due to the fighting arena's mechanisms, although spectators couldn't clearly see Lu Ye's face, and even his figure appeared blurred, they could still discern whether Lu Ye was injured or not. Seeing Lu Ye covered in blood, many spectators immediately erupted in cheers. Earlier, when Ling Yan was wounded by Lu Ye, their hearts sank with worry. Now, seeing Ling Yan display his power, they finally felt much relieved. It now seemed that Ling Yan's earlier injury was mainly due to his overconfidence. Once Ling Yan took it seriously, the Nameless Guest would certainly be no match. Ling Yan, however, was very dissatisfied with his own performance. He had intended to take Lu Ye's life just now, but only managed to inflict superficial injuries. He had used his full power, yet in that brief exchange, he actually felt that his opponent's strength was not much inferior to his own. This was incredible; the opponent was only an Eighth-level Dao Integration cultivator. How could he possess such profound power? He momentarily wondered if the fighting arena was engaging in fraud. In other parts of the inner realm, he could easily tell if a cultivator was in the Dao Union realm, because once they started fighting, the performance of Dao Integration and Dao Union cultivators was different. But here, there was no way to distinguish the performance of a Dao Union from a Dao Integration cultivator, because neither showed any signs of drawing on external power.

Lu Ye didn't give him much time to think. The moment he paused, Lu Ye had already lunged forward. They had exchanged two rounds, each with a win and a loss, but this was not a true reflection of their actual strengths. In the first round, Lu Ye merely intended to provoke his opponent, while in the second, he aimed to gauge the opponent's true capabilities, which would allow him to adjust his own strength accordingly. Now that he had a general understanding, he could naturally act without restraint.

"You're courting death!" Seeing Lu Ye actually take the initiative to attack, Ling Yan roared and charged forward to meet him. In an instant, the two figures clashed, fighting with extreme intensity. This was the true clash, and Ling Yan thus confirmed one thing: his opponent's strength was indeed weaker than his own, but only marginally so. That's why his initial palm strike hadn't broken through the opponent's protective Dao power, because he hadn't intended to use his full strength at that moment. Feeling the human's true capabilities, Ling Yan calmed down considerably. In this situation, as long as he fought steadily, he could secure the final victory. As for his talk of a swift victory before the battle, it was now far from his mind. Against an enemy whose strength was only slightly inferior to his own, one should never think of a quick victory; that would only lead to defeat.

Inside the deathmatch arena, the two figures intertwined and moved. Sabers and swords clashed continuously, and Dao power surged. This scene stunned all the spectators. Many spectators had personally witnessed the Nameless Guest's previous two deathmatches. Even those who hadn't seen them firsthand had recently sought out and studied the recordings. In those two deathmatches, the Nameless Guest's opponents were only Dao Integration cultivators, yet he fought extremely hard, often winning by a narrow margin. Now, this scene was astonishingly repeating itself!

Just like the previous two battles, the Nameless Guest consistently seemed to be slightly at a disadvantage. As their figures clashed, blood constantly splattered from him, clearly indicating he was continuously being wounded. Ling Yan, on the other hand, had completely changed from his previous impatience and disdain. Both his demeanor and his fighting were utterly serious. He genuinely treated his opponent as being on the same level, without the slightest carelessness or underestimation. Yet even so, he also bore marks of injury. Of course, the frequency of his injuries wasn't as high as the Nameless Guest's, and whenever he was injured, the Nameless Guest certainly didn't fare well either. If the situation continued like this, Ling Yan would most likely be the ultimate victor.

But when the spectators recalled how the Nameless Guest had won his previous two deathmatches, they couldn't help but feel uneasy. In both of those fights, his opponents had also been in the upper hand, but then, inexplicably, their Dao weapons shattered, allowing the Nameless Guest to seize the opportunity and defeat them in one fell swoop. Once was a coincidence, but twice? What about this time? The spectators who had bet on Ling Yan suddenly felt anxious. Surely the same thing wouldn't happen a third time, would it?