Chapter 2689: Sealing Off

Lu Ye's body instantly became stiff, as many of the attacks launched were binding and restraining types. A realization dawned on him: these guys weren't trying to kill him; they wanted to capture him alive! No wonder Eight-tails had survived earlier.

"Void!" Lu Ye immediately low-growled. From his Origin Spirit Aperture, the power of his Spatial Dao Seed erupted, and spatial energy permeated the area. The void around him twisted, and his form blurred. There were many spatial secret arts, and this Void technique was a clever application of spatial power that allowed one to briefly merge with the surrounding space, making it the best way to deal with the current situation. The numerous binding and restraining forces were suddenly reduced by more than half. A burst of blood mist erupted around Lu Ye, and he slipped away like a loach.

"He got away?" one of the attacking cultivators in the Harmonization Realm exclaimed, eyes wide with disbelief. Their coordination was flawless; it was fair to say no Harmonization Realm cultivator could escape once trapped, only to be captured. Yet, they had failed.

"Was that spatial power?" another Harmonization Realm cultivator frowned.

"Stop talking nonsense, chase him!" the third one said, rushing downwards.

As Lu Ye exited the entrance, he turned his head and frowned deeply. This was because powerful auras were converging from the bottom of the stairs, at least a dozen of them. These individuals, whose previous hiding places were unknown, were now all alerted. Lu Ye wondered if these Harmonization Realm cultivators were attracted by the commotion above or if they were allied with the attackers.

At the very bottom of the stairs, a white figure had already transformed into a streak of light, fleeing in one direction. It was none other than Eight-tails, who had retreated before him. This fellow had clearly also sensed the precarious situation and was fleeing frantically, without even a moment to greet Lu Ye. It’s often said that even spouses abandon each other in times of great peril, let alone two people who had only met by chance.

Without time to think further, Lu Ye rapidly descended, then turned and shot off in one direction. Currently, no matter which direction he ran, there would be Harmonization Realm cultivators blocking him, so he could only choose a random path.

The Harmonization Realm cultivator charging from that direction was an insectoid, resembling a cicada transformed into human form, with two pairs of transparent wings flapping on its back and a humanoid face filled with bloodthirsty intent. "Lu Ye!" it growled through gritted teeth as it rapidly approached. Lu Ye's expression became solemn. When he was previously ambushed, he hadn't thought much of it, but for this insectoid to directly call out his name, something was clearly amiss. This ambush... was aimed at him personally!

Xue Jiu's face immediately flashed through Lu Ye's mind. He thought of this individual because of the insectoid race; the Insect and Blood races were closely intertwined, and there had also been insectoids among those who ambushed him above. During the Starry Sky Chessboard battle that day, Lu Ye had been forced to allow a wisp of Xue Jiu's soul to possess his body to fight Yun Shiwang, who wielded the Heavenly Pivot Sword. It was then that Xue Jiu recognized the immense potential of Lu Ye's body. Consequently, even after being defeated by Ba Qiu, he had still unwillingly attempted to attack Yuanxi City, only retreating upon sensing Ni Chilian's aura.

It seemed this guy had been coveting his body, which was why he was orchestrating the current events. The fact that he had been taken away by the Phoenix Lord that day was not a secret. He had also previously appeared in Dragon City, having close ties with several Phoenix clan members. If someone with ill intent had been watching him, Xue Jiu could have easily deduced that he would enter the Tower of Time. So, the Harmonization Realm cultivators who ambushed him on the previous floor and those currently attacking him were all acting under Xue Jiu's orders to deal with him inside the Tower of Time? No wonder most of the attacks earlier were binding and restraining types. They wanted to capture him alive!

If that was the case, then this plot against him had been set in motion right from when the Tower of Time opened. However, at that time, he was in the Ancestral Abyss, and Xue Jiu's subordinates hadn't been able to track him within the tower. The scene of him previously coordinating with Eight-tails to ambush and kill enemies must have been witnessed by one of Xue Jiu's subordinates, which led to the recent incident. These guys were certain he would enter the seventieth floor, so they had set up an ambush in advance, waiting for him to appear to deliver a thunderous strike. If their intelligence hadn't been flawed, unaware of his considerable mastery of spatial dao, this time he really would have been in serious trouble. In a flash, numerous thoughts raced through Lu Ye's mind.

He had already approached the insectoid. His long saber was unsheathed, spatial energy flowed, and dao power surged with it. "Inch-Close Saber!" The long saber slashed down, landing on the opponent's neck, breaking through its protective dao power. The sharp blade cut into the flesh but was stopped by the neck bone. Lu Ye raised an eyebrow. This insectoid was at least a Mid-tier Harmonization Realm cultivator; it had tempered its neck bone into a dao bone! Otherwise, with the current sharpness of the Mountain-Sunder Saber, it would be impossible not to sever its neck.

Stimulated by the pain, the insectoid finally broke free from the influence of spatial power. The moment it recovered, its eyes were bloodshot, and it let out a roar, a strange power flowing through its body. Lu Ye's eyes immediately showed a look of surprise, because the power surging from this insectoid was actually temporal power! He quickly realized that while temporal power was said to be exclusive to Dragons and Dragon Descendants, it wasn't entirely unmastered by other races. However, compared to Dragons and Dragon Descendants, their grasp of it was very weak, lacking the essence. This insectoid was likely a type of Spring-Autumn Cicada, which allowed it to manipulate a trace of temporal power, attempting to interfere with Lu Ye's mind.

The moment the temporal power was unleashed, it disregarded everything, its sharp clawed feet, like blades, thrusting towards Lu Ye's chest. It wasn't trying to kill Lu Ye, but was confident that such an injury wouldn't be fatal, though it would gravely wound him. As long as it succeeded, its companions could then surround Lu Ye, and by then, the human would have no way to escape. Its thoughts abruptly ceased at that moment. Just before the interruption, it felt a more intense temporal power surging back at it, not only breaking through its own power but also greatly affecting it.

The long saber stuck in its neck suddenly vibrated. With the Ox-Slaying Secret Art activated, the sharp killing intent bypassed the obstruction of the dao bone, severing the bone marrow within the neck bone. The insectoid's entire body stiffened. Lu Ye pulled out his saber and thrust straight. The blade pierced through the opponent's eye socket and out the back of its head, and the violent power churned its brain into a mess. Its life force was extinguished. Lu Ye conveniently tossed its corpse into his small Flower Realm, collected the Star Abyss Coins, and dashed forward.

"Chase him!" someone roared, pursuing relentlessly. Figures converged from all directions. Lu Ye also noticed seven or eight powerful auras emerging from the entrance to the seventieth floor – it was the group that had just ambushed him. They had actually come down as well. The maze was complex, and Lu Ye had no time to discern directions; he could only go with the flow.

Not long after, he encountered another Harmonization Realm cultivator, this one not an insectoid, but a Blood Clan member. The moment they saw each other from a distance, the Blood Clan member was greatly alarmed and immediately turned to flee. It hadn't intended to intercept Lu Ye here, because the Blood Lord had given orders before this operation that all Blood Clan members, regardless of strength, were only to assist and not engage in direct confrontation. The human, Lu Ye, somehow possessed Blood Clan bloodline, and his sacred power was extremely potent. Any Blood Clan member confronting him would not end well. So this Blood Clan member genuinely hadn't expected such misfortune; primarily, the maze environment was too complex, and they just happened to run into each other while moving.

Having encountered an enemy, how could Lu Ye let him go? He raised his saber and gave chase. The Blood Clan member in front fled desperately, even resorting to activating a Blood Escape Art to save its life. Lu Ye felt utterly helpless. Speed had always been his greatest weakness, and the Blood Clan was renowned for its Blood Escape Art. With the opponent fleeing like this, he simply couldn't catch up. If not for the winding twists and turns of the maze, making it impossible to move in a straight line, he would have been shaken off long ago. The distance was considerable; at such a range, even the Inch-Close Saber would struggle to be effective.

Lu Ye gritted his teeth, his figure suddenly blurred, and when he reappeared, he had already rushed to the end of the passage. Teleportation. He turned, and teleported again. After several such instances, the distance was finally closed. Looking at the figure frantically fleeing ahead, Lu Ye abruptly activated his sacred power, transforming it into an immense pressure that swept over the Blood Clan member.

The Blood Clan member, whose body was enveloped in a mist of blood, instantly felt as if struck by lightning. The flow of its vital energy became sluggish, and its body suddenly fell out of the blood mist, its speed greatly reduced. Feeling the killing intent approaching from behind, the Blood Clan member looked back, its face filled with despair. The Blood Lord was right; this human's sacred power was ridiculously strong. Even a Harmonization Realm cultivator like him could barely resist it. In the entire Blood Clan, perhaps only the Blood Lord could contend with him. As the saber light flashed, the Blood Clan member was already dead. For Lu Ye, killing it wasn't difficult, far easier than killing the insectoid earlier. The difficulty lay in the chase. Fortunately, his current teleportation ability somewhat compensated for this weakness.

"Two fellow daoists have fallen! The enemy is very strong, don't be alone!" a roar echoed, reverberating throughout the entire tower level. These Harmonization Realm cultivators, when they first received Xue Jiu's orders, had felt that the Blood Lord was making a mountain out of a molehill. It was just about capturing an obscure human; why would so many people need to act together? Even before the operation, the Blood Lord had instructed Blood Clan members to actively retreat if they encountered the enemy. Now they knew that the Blood Lord wasn't exaggerating. This human truly possessed considerable skill. Leaving aside the fallen Blood Clan member, who was likely suppressed by sacred power, the insectoid was a genuine Mid-tier Harmonization Realm cultivator, yet it was killed in a single encounter.

Just how strong was this human? But the Blood Lord had clearly stated that this guy was merely in the Integration Realm! Was he really just in the Integration Realm?

"Where is he? How did he suddenly disappear!"

"Who can sense his aura?"

"Quickly seal off the exits! He must not be allowed to escape! We must trap him on this floor!"

Shouts erupted from all directions as many Harmonization Realm cultivators gathered in twos and threes, scattering to search. In the shadows, Lu Ye, who had isolated himself with spatial power, frowned deeply. The situation was somewhat grim. The Harmonization Realm cultivators he had encountered this time were by no means mediocre. There were definitely some stronger than him, and encountering them one-on-one would be trouble, let alone with them coordinating remotely.