Chapter 2638: With the Tiger to Seek Skin

Each clash of blades caused Lu Ye immense discomfort. Although Yun Shiwang was a sword slave, his cultivation had reached the Integration Dao realm, and his foundation was impressive. Now, with his body controlled by the will of the Heavenly Pivot Sword and empowered by its artifact's strength, his power likely reached the level of the Ten Great City Lords.

In contrast, Lu Ye, despite possessing immense power, struggled to fully utilize it due to his mere Fusion Dao realm cultivation.

"Kid, you're going to die. Do you need help?"

Lu Ye was struggling to fend off Yun Shiwang's furious assault when a voice suddenly echoed in his mind. Startled, his reaction slowed by a beat, and the Heavenly Pivot Sword pierced directly through his chest.

He kicked out, striking Yun Shiwang squarely in the abdomen.

It felt like kicking an extremely sturdy barrier, and the sole of his foot ached. However, he managed to use the recoil to create some distance from Yun Shiwang.

He darted away, simultaneously dedicating a sliver of his consciousness to delve into his spiritual sea. What he discovered there astonished him even more.

For, within his spiritual sea, a soul body had appeared at some unknown point. It appeared to be a Blood Clan member. Lu Ye had never seen this Blood Clan member before, nor did he know when exactly it had infiltrated his spiritual sea.

He hadn't detected anything before it spoke.

"Bloodguilt, City Lord of Blood Drink City?" Lu Ye's heart tightened, and he immediately guessed the identity of his intruder.

To have silently bypassed his senses and infiltrated his spiritual sea in such a manner, this individual could not be an unknown figure. Ordinary Integration Dao realm cultivators simply lacked this ability.

Only powerhouses at the level of the Ten Great City Lords, with their profound foundations and numerous techniques, possessed such capabilities.

Yuan Xi had just mentioned that Bloodguilt attracted Yun Shiwang and the Heavenly Pivot Sword. Lu Ye had actually been on guard against this Great City Lord but hadn't seen him. Only now did he realize that he had fallen into the enemy's trap at some point without knowing.

He suddenly recalled that he had just decapitated a strange head, and at that moment, his spiritual sea seemed a bit unusual. However, he had been preoccupied with other matters at the time and overlooked it.

It seemed Bloodguilt had infiltrated his spiritual sea at that very moment.

"Indeed, it is I!" Bloodguilt chuckled proudly.

"Just a mere fragment of a soul!" Lu Ye snorted coldly, immediately preparing to activate the power of his Talent Tree to refine the intruder away.

He had to admit that Bloodguilt's methods were incredibly clever. But this was his spiritual sea, and only a wisp of a fragmented soul had entered. Lu Ye believed that under the refining power of the Talent Tree, this fellow was doomed.

He had no desire to get entangled with Bloodguilt; dealing with Yun Shiwang was his most pressing concern right now.

But just as he was about to do so, he suddenly had a thought and asked in a deep voice, "What do you want?"

This confrontation was strange in every aspect. Judging by the current situation, Bloodguilt had known all along that the Star Chessboard was hidden here. That's why he had expended such great effort to besiege Thin Bamboo City; attacking it was merely a feint, and his true objective was to draw out the Star Chessboard.

Yet, after drawing out the Star Chessboard, he had surprisingly also attracted the Heavenly Pivot Sword.

For a distinguished Great City Lord to act in such a manner, there had to be a deeper scheme.

Yuan Xi had previously speculated that Bloodguilt wanted to use the Heavenly Pivot Sword's power to refine the Star Chessboard, but now, it seemed that wasn't the case.

Suddenly, Lu Ye understood: "Your true objective is the Heavenly Pivot Sword?"

He wasn't trying to use the Heavenly Pivot Sword's power to refine the Star Chessboard; the truth was quite the opposite: he wanted to use the Star Chessboard's power to seize the Heavenly Pivot Sword!

"Oh?" Bloodguilt raised an eyebrow. "You recognize this artifact?"

If he didn't recognize it, how could he know its name? Bloodguilt had confirmed that this artifact had never appeared in the Inner Realm before; it must have drifted from some corner of the starry sky in recent years.

He nodded slightly. "That's right, my goal is this Heavenly Pivot Sword. Kid, how about we cooperate? It could be greatly beneficial to you."

"How so?" Lu Ye quickly asked.

He could seal off his spiritual sea and incinerate Bloodguilt's fragmented soul at any moment. Whether he would succeed was uncertain, but what he was sure of was that this fragmented soul, having intruded into his spiritual sea, posed no significant threat to him.

Therefore, he didn't mind gathering more information from Bloodguilt.

"Haven't you noticed yet?" Bloodguilt chuckled. "The Star Chessboard is using your body to channel the artifact's power and contend with the Heavenly Pivot Sword! If this is another chess game, then you and that sword slave are the chosen pieces of these two great artifacts!"

Lu Ye's expression grew solemn.

How could he not feel what Bloodguilt was saying? He had felt it from the very beginning when the chess game transformed, and he suddenly became unrestricted, able to move freely within the board.

And those numerous black pieces, blocking his path as if throwing themselves to their deaths—all of that was the Star Chessboard doing its utmost to enhance his strength.

He truly was a piece chosen by the Star Chessboard!

This artifact was different from the Heavenly Pivot Sword. The latter possessed immense destructive power on its own, but the Star Chessboard did not. Once manifested, it could only operate under its own rules.

"In the previous chess game, you were the strongest, which is why you were chosen by the artifact. This is a once-in-ten-thousand-year opportunity."

He originally had a chess piece too, but unfortunately, Lu Ye had killed it.

Originally, due to Jiao's death, his plan had become impossible to execute. Who would have thought that Lu Ye, a human, also possessed Blood Clan lineage, and his sacred purity was even stronger than Jiao's? This allowed him to continue with his plan.

He had just briefly investigated and found that Lu Ye indeed possessed Blood Clan lineage, perfectly meeting his requirements.

"What's in it for me?" Lu Ye asked.

Bloodguilt smiled. "Opportunities like this, to gain an artifact's favor, are rare. If you can help the Star Chessboard win this round, a bond will form between you and it. Later, when your strength is sufficient, you'll have the chance to refine this artifact. Is such a massive benefit not enough?"

"That is indeed tempting!" Lu Ye replied blandly.

Refining an artifact was indeed tempting. Bloodguilt had gone to such great lengths and schemed in countless ways, all for an artifact, hadn't he? If even a powerhouse like him strived for such a thing, what cultivator wouldn't be tempted by an artifact?

Yet, Lu Ye didn't really have many thoughts on the matter. Because he already possessed his own artifact—Square Inch Mountain in the starry sky. Because he already possessed one, refining another artifact didn't hold a strong allure for him.

Of course, there was still some attraction.

"How can you help?" Lu Ye asked. This guy had immediately asked if he needed help, clearly having a plan in mind.

Bloodguilt said, "I can enable you to fully unleash your current power!"

Lu Ye couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

To be honest, among all that Bloodguilt had said, only this sentence truly tempted him.

He was currently no match for Yun Shiwang, not because his own strength was insufficient, but because he couldn't fully exert it. Due to his insufficient cultivation realm, he could only utilize about sixty to seventy percent of the numerous enhancements the Star Chessboard had bestowed upon him.

When maneuvering against Yun Shiwang, Lu Ye even had to slightly reduce his speed, because if he moved too fast, he found it difficult to control his body.

If he could truly unleash his full power, he might not necessarily be inferior to Yun Shiwang.

After all, this senior from the starry sky was currently only in the body of a sword slave, and similarly unable to fully utilize the artifact's power.

"How do we do it?" Lu Ye asked.

Bloodguilt chuckled. "It's simple: hand over your physical body to me. You can't unleash its full power, but I can!"

He had originally intended to use Jiao's or Black Blood's body. Now, with Lu Ye, it was undoubtedly a much better fit.

Lu Ye's expression remained unchanged. He thought to himself that there were no free lunches in this world. Bloodguilt had quietly infiltrated his spiritual sea; if he truly handed over control of his body, who knew what hidden tricks this guy would leave behind.

Since Lu Ye possessed Blood Clan lineage, how could he not know their ways? Bloodguilt might seize the opportunity to refine his body into a puppet.

"Impossible!" he flatly refused.

"Heh heh, that's not for you to decide!" As Bloodguilt spoke, his soul body suddenly expanded, instantly transforming into a towering giant that reached for Lu Ye.

Since he had already infiltrated Lu Ye's spiritual sea, how could he not have made thorough preparations? Many methods had already been sown during his casual conversation with Lu Ye.

"This is my spiritual sea! How dare you be so brazen!" Lu Ye roared in fury, his soul power surging and sweeping like waves. However, the colossal Bloodguilt merely waved his hand, and the turbulent spiritual sea abruptly quieted. Simultaneously, a layer of blood-red color spread throughout the spiritual sea.

"What did you do?" Lu Ye asked, his face filled with alarm. In that instant, his soul body felt as if it were under immense restraint, and he watched helplessly as Bloodguilt's massive hand closed in.

"Don't resist. I merely wish to borrow your body for a while. Stay still, and once I've seized the Heavenly Pivot Sword, I'll release you." Bloodguilt seized Lu Ye, then, after a moment's thought, reassured him: "Kid, think of it this way: if I don't act, with your current abilities, you'll eventually die by that sword slave's hand. Therefore, only by my intervention do you have a chance at survival. We both stand to gain from this cooperation!"

A struggle flickered across Lu Ye's brows, as if he were weighing his options.

Bloodguilt patiently persuaded him: "Of course, if you insist on resisting, I don't mind destroying your soul right now. However, that might lead to unforeseen complications, and I'd prefer not to resort to it unless absolutely necessary. Do you understand?"

He looked like he was earnestly trying to reason with Lu Ye. Lu Ye's struggle seemed to diminish considerably.

"I've said all I can. If you still refuse to be sensible, don't blame me for being ruthless." Bloodguilt snorted, delivering his final ultimatum.

Lu Ye then grit his teeth and said, "Alright, I'll hand over control of my body to you, but you must promise to leave once you've seized the Heavenly Pivot Sword!"

"Heh heh heh..." Bloodguilt chuckled softly. "Of course, you can rest assured on that point. I have no interest in your physical body."

"I have one last question," Lu Ye said.

"Speak!"

"Given your immense power, why didn't your true body come here? Wouldn't that make it easier to seize the artifact?"

Bloodguilt initially didn't want to address this question, but considering he was, after all, borrowing Lu Ye's body, he reluctantly began to explain: "For powerhouses like us, the Ten Great City Lords, countless eyes watch us daily. If my true self were to come here, it would likely stir up immediate and immense turmoil."