Chapter 2686: Fifty Floors

The Pan Mountain Blade had been cultivated to its limit, so Lu Ye no longer delayed and began searching for the entrance to the fiftieth floor.

He wasn't heading to a higher floor to cultivate. At this point, his own accumulation was almost at its peak, and he could advance to the He Dao realm at any time. Cultivation held little meaning for him now.

However, the higher the floor, the more He Dao cultivators there were, and the stronger they were. Naturally, he would obtain more Star Abyss Coins after slaying them.

This was not an easy task, however. The interior of the Tower of Time was vast and also a giant labyrinth. If he was unlucky, he might not succeed even after spending a year or two.

Fortunately, he could ask others for information.

All the He Dao cultivators on the forty-ninth floor had retreated from the fiftieth floor, so they naturally knew how to return.

Several days later, as Lu Ye continued his search, his eyes lit up, and he darted towards a certain direction.

Lingering ripples of a confrontation were coming from there, clearly indicating that He Dao cultivators were clashing.

He arrived in an instant. Looking up, he indeed saw two figures fighting to the death. Both appeared to be soldier cultivators, each wielding a saber and a sword. Their strengths were evenly matched, and they fought with intense ferocity.

However, Lu Ye saw at a glance that neither of them was using their full strength; they clearly held back a lot during their fight.

He raised an eyebrow, probably realizing what was going on.

“Another one!” The saber-wielding cultivator suddenly grinned, completely ignoring his opponent, and charged directly towards Lu Ye.

The sword-wielding cultivator followed closely behind him, surprisingly showing no intention of launching a sneak attack. Instead, his movements were elusive, like a phantom.

These two were clearly working together.

They deliberately created a commotion by fighting to attract others. If anyone with ill intentions approached, they would surely be tricked.

In an instant, the saber-wielding cultivator darted to a spot not far in front of Lu Ye and violently swung his long saber. A saber aura, like a bolt of white silk, shot towards Lu Ye, while he himself followed closely behind.

Then he saw Lu Ye standing still, directly struck by the saber aura.

A good opportunity! His eyes immediately lit up. The saber aura was originally just a test, but since it had struck the enemy, he naturally had to press the attack.

In an instant, his spiritual power surged, fully channeled into his saber.

The next moment, however, his body stiffened. He saw his saber aura strike the other person, yet it caused no ripple whatsoever, as if a gentle breeze had passed by.

Although this was just a probing attack and not his full strength, it still contained seventy percent of his power.

Even if the opponent's strength was a cut above his, they shouldn't be able to completely ignore it like this!

Unless their strength far surpassed his, only then could their protective spiritual power be so formidable.

He immediately realized something was wrong and wanted to retreat, but it was too late. With a metallic clang, a flash of saber light passed. The saber-wielding soldier cultivator froze in place, maintaining his attacking posture, his expression one of horror.

A line of blood seeped from the saber-wielding soldier cultivator's waist, and then his body slid diagonally downwards.

His life force had not yet dissipated, but his eyes were already filled with despair.

The sword-wielding cultivator, who had followed closely, arrived just a step too late, landing behind his companion. He instantly felt as if struck by lightning, freezing in place and looking at Lu Ye in terror.

A murderous intent had locked onto him. He was certain that if he made even the slightest movement now, he would probably immediately follow in his companion's footsteps.

He knew his companion's strength well; it was on par with his own. If the opponent could finish off his companion with one saber strike, then he certainly wouldn't be able to resist either. This was simply a huge disparity in their relative strengths.

He wailed internally: How could there be such a powerful cultivator on the forty-ninth floor?

They were all failures, having retreated from the fiftieth floor, ruling supreme in this floor that was supposed to be for Rong Dao cultivators. What was going on with this guy?

Even if he had retreated from a higher floor, he shouldn't be here.

The sword-wielding cultivator just made a rough estimate and realized that this human soldier cultivator in front of him should be on the sixtieth floor or higher!

A massive sense of danger enveloped him. His mind told him to escape quickly, but under the lock of that murderous intent, he dared not make any move.

Then he watched helplessly as Lu Ye collected his spoils of war.

“Take me to the fiftieth floor, and I’ll spare your life!” Lu Ye retracted the Pan Mountain Blade and looked at the sword-wielding cultivator.

The sword-wielding cultivator’s spirits immediately lifted. He quickly calmed his spiritual power and showed his harmlessness: “Brother Dao, follow me!”

With that, he turned and led the way.

Although the labyrinthine paths were extremely complex, the He Dao cultivators’ memories were incredibly strong. Having retreated from the fiftieth floor, they naturally remembered clearly every place they had passed through.

He was puzzled and suspicious. This powerful cultivator, who should have been on the sixtieth floor or higher, was so strong. He must have retreated from an even higher floor. Why did he insist on being guided by himself?

He could have returned on his own.

Unable to understand and daring not to think further, he ran at full speed, fearing he might hinder Lu Ye.

Fortunately, this wasn't the vast, boundless void, but a winding labyrinth; otherwise, Lu Ye truly wouldn't have been able to keep up with him.

Not having advanced to He Dao, speed was always a major weakness.

On their way, Lu Ye did not restrain himself. Instead, he brazenly unleashed his Rong Dao aura, hoping to attract others this way.

The sword-wielding cultivator leading the way couldn't help but ponder that this human soldier cultivator was full of tricks. He was so powerful, yet he had somehow used a secret art to feign being a Rong Dao cultivator.

If anyone were lured over, they would certainly be unlucky.

As expected, along the way, two or three unlucky souls were indeed startled and drawn over. The sword-wielding cultivator watched helplessly as they became casualties of Lu Ye's blade.

He felt a pang in his heart, feeling sad for those unlucky souls, and recalling his own situation, he felt uneasy and fearful.

Although Lu Ye had said he would spare his life if he led him to the fiftieth floor, words alone were not proof; how could he fully trust them? Moreover, the other party was strong and powerful; if he truly went back on his word, he would have no room to resist.

It was even more impossible to ask the other party to swear an oath by the Star Abyss; that would be no different from seeking death.

He remained worried all the way. After several days, he finally led Lu Ye to the entrance of the fiftieth floor.

It was a staircase leading upwards!

Over a thousand steps long, seemingly reaching to the heavens.

“Brother Dao, you can enter the fiftieth floor by going through here,” the sword-wielding cultivator said, watching Lu Ye warily. He secretly resolved that if this guy made any suspicious move, he would fight him to the death!

Lu Ye nodded, slowly waved his hand, and looked up.

The sword-wielding cultivator faced Lu Ye, maintaining constant vigilance, but his figure quickly retreated backwards, turning a corner and disappearing.

Only after confirming that Lu Ye wasn't pursuing him did he let out a long sigh of relief.

He never thought that this powerful human soldier cultivator would actually be a trustworthy person. It was he who had previously misjudged a gentleman with petty thoughts. However, thinking again of his companion's death, he sighed.

He was powerless to seek revenge. Moreover, he and the saber cultivator were merely casual acquaintances, having only cooperated briefly, with no deep friendship. He could only blame that guy for charging too quickly at the time; if he had been the first to charge, his companion would be standing here now instead.

At this moment, Lu Ye had already ascended the staircase towards the fiftieth floor.

He secretly decided that he would first find someone who had retreated from the fifty-first floor. This way, he could enter the fifty-first floor at any time.

Cultivators often hid in ambush at entrances and exits, but Lu Ye was skilled and bold, so he didn't care too much.

He leisurely appeared on the fiftieth floor. Surprisingly, there was no one around.

On second thought, it made sense. At this stage, cultivators would already be on the tower floors they were supposed to be on; they should rarely move up and down.

Only he was an exception. Having arrived too late, he still had to ascend floor by floor.

Without a specific target, he walked casually, as before, brazenly radiating his Rong Dao aura.

After more than half a day, Lu Ye stood still, frowning.

He could feel a hidden presence nearby, which had been secretly following him. It must have been drawn by him, but this fellow seemed a bit too cautious, or perhaps Lu Ye's own brazenness made the other party unsure of the situation.

So it had not revealed itself.

Being constantly watched like this wasn't ideal. Lu Ye tried several times to follow the trail and find the other party's whereabouts, but none were successful.

In the end, there was still a gap in their cultivation realms. The other party was likely a ghost cultivator. Lu Ye's ability to sense him was already his limit; it was impossible to find him without using some special methods.

In that case...

From his Source Spirit Aperture, the power of the Spatial Dao Seed was activated. In an instant, a ripple spread outwards from him, moving as fast as lightning.

In the shadows, a pair of small eyes were staring at Lu Ye, full of confusion.

This ghost cultivator was indeed attracted by Lu Ye's aura. Encountering a Rong Dao cultivator on the fiftieth floor was abnormal in itself. Furthermore, as a ghost cultivator, he naturally had an extremely strong perception of danger. Several times, he wanted to make a move to test him, but each time, a strong sense of alarm arose within him.

As if truly making a move would lead to certain doom.

Normally, he should have retreated immediately upon encountering such a situation, but he was simply too curious. How could this human soldier cultivator, who only appeared to be in the Rong Dao realm, stroll so brazenly on the fiftieth floor?

One must know that even he had to hide and sneak around.

Relying on his own concealment abilities, he wasn't worried about being discovered.

However, just as he was thinking this, he suddenly saw a visible ripple spread out from Lu Ye's body, reaching him in an instant.

“Not good!” The ghost cultivator was greatly alarmed. Although he didn’t know what method Lu Ye had used, it was clearly a detection-type ability.

Moreover, wherever the ripple passed, space was instantly warped and folded.

His concealment ability also had some connection to space. Once swept by this ripple, he would inevitably be exposed.

His heart was filled with terror. He never imagined the other party possessed such an ability. Daring not to hesitate any longer, his figure revealed itself, and he rapidly retreated.

He only needed to escape a hundred zhang and turn that corner to avoid being affected by the ripple.

However, the next moment, his eyes widened because the corner, which was originally only a hundred zhang away, did not rapidly shrink the distance between them.

He had clearly fled for thousands of zhang!

“Spatial secret art, Phoenix clan?”