Chapter 2704: Several Clones?

Eight Tails' scalp prickled, for the moment she appeared, pairs of eyes immediately focused on her from all directions.

After a brief hesitation, a cultivator roared, "That's the female cultivator, Lu Ye's companion!"

At this shout, all those gazes turned cold and sharp.

Eight Tails had never imagined such a situation and immediately prepared to retreat to the floor below. Although her strength was considerable, there were twenty to thirty Path Integration cultivators gathered here. Even though they all had injuries of varying degrees, she was no match for them.

However, just as she was about to do so, she suddenly felt an unusual movement inside the front of her robe. She was slightly startled, but quickly reacted. The unusual movement came from the drop of precious blood Lu Ye had given her earlier, which she had kept close to her chest.

The space before her twisted, and then a figure abruptly appeared. Gazing at that familiar back, the frightened Eight Tails felt her heart steady!

Only at this moment did she realize that the drop of blood Lu Ye had given her earlier was not merely for tracking her location. Because Lu Ye's current location was easy to pinpoint; his sharp Dao intent could not be concealed, shining as brightly as a beacon in the dark no matter where he went. Anyone on the same floor could easily find him. This drop of blood was primarily to pinpoint her location, so Lu Ye could rush over and protect her at a crucial moment.

Just like now!

Facing those many ill-intentioned gazes, this human weapon master descended from above.

Several Path Integration cultivators closer to Eight Tails had already rushed forward. They had just suffered significant losses at Lu Ye's hands, so upon seeing this "Lu Ye's companion," they naturally didn't want to miss the opportunity. If they could capture this female cultivator, they could force Lu Ye into a dilemma.

Who would have thought Lu Ye would appear like a ghost. A blue aura flowed on the Panshuan Blade in his hand, as he swept it forward horizontally. The blade light flashed out. The two Path Integration cultivators rushing at the forefront were split into two halves mid-stride. Their upper bodies flew off while their lower bodies continued to rush forward, blood and organs spilling across the ground.

The rest were all struck with horror and shock. "Wasn't this human being pursued by Green Mantis? Shouldn't he be on another battlefield? How could he suddenly appear here! What kind of ability is this?"

"Spatial Secret Art?" A knowledgeable Path Integration cultivator cried out in alarm, suddenly realizing something was amiss. He vaguely felt that Green Mantis and Blood Inverse had probably hidden some crucial information from them, luring them solely with great rewards.

No sooner had he spoken when a scream rang out and abruptly ceased. Lu Ye had already charged towards them, his long blade dancing, with no one able to withstand a single blow.

Cultivators who entered the Tower of Time for cultivation varied greatly in strength. Most were low-level and mid-level Path Integration cultivators, as they needed to accumulate power. There were also high-level Path Integration cultivators, but their numbers were relatively small. Among these high-level Path Integration cultivators, even fewer were lured by the benefits offered by the Insect and Blood races.

Thus, although there were many Path Integration cultivators present, none could match Lu Ye's current strength. With his sharp Dao intent and swift, decisive killing methods, who could stop him? With the interference of temporal and spatial forces, even escape was nearly an extravagance.

If these individuals could cooperate wholeheartedly, they might have caused Lu Ye some trouble, or even had a chance to delay him for a moment. However, the Path Integration cultivators remaining here all had injuries, and seeing Lu Ye kill like reaping grass, their hearts were filled with fear. Who dared to confront him directly? As they tried to flee, they were consecutively cut down.

"Stop killing them!" Green Mantis roared furiously. He had finally rushed over from the other side. It wasn't that he felt pity for the deaths of these Path Integration cultivators; these individuals had all been lured by him and Blood Inverse with promises of benefits. He wouldn't care how many more died. However, this current endeavor still required the strength of these Path Integration cultivators. If too many died, how could they succeed?

Amidst the pool of blood, Lu Ye turned his head and calmly glanced at him, then, under Green Mantis's dumbfounded gaze, he darted away and plunged into a nearby entrance, returning to the floor below! Another dozen or so mangled corpses lay on the ground.

Three breaths later, Green Mantis stood where Lu Ye had vanished, his face ashen. Behind him, the many Path Integration cultivators who had followed him exchanged bewildered glances, feeling as though so many Path Integration cultivators had been played for fools like monkeys, yet they were powerless.

At the entrance to the floor below.

Eight Tails watched with a numb expression as another clone appeared beside Lu Ye. Normally, she would have surely teased him, simply because the clone appeared unclothed. But at this moment, her heart held nothing but shock. How many clones did this human possess...? And judging by his current posture, he clearly intended to do it again. She couldn't help but feel sorrow for the Path Integration cultivators above, because no one knew what kind of opponent they had truly provoked this time.

Lu Ye didn't know what she was thinking, but he vaguely sensed something, and turned to glance at her, offering a slight smile. The moment he returned to the entrance using the precious blood, he immediately retrieved the Talent Tree roots remaining at his original location, which was why he could now condense another clone. One could only say that Eight Tails' appearance was perfectly timed.

The power of the Blood Explosion Art was already activated again, because he knew that if he didn't act quickly, Green Mantis would certainly pursue him to this floor. That guy was completely enraged by him now, his entire being a volcano about to erupt. He had to deliver this "surprise" before his opponent could act.

The clone didn't even have time to put on clothes. Fortunately, once the Blood Explosion Art was activated, a bloody light enveloped it, so others couldn't see anything. Immediately, it rushed upwards without pause.

Just then, Green Mantis strode towards the entrance, declaring, "Follow me, all of you! We're going down!" Although Lu Ye had killed many of his subordinates this time, more Path Integration cultivators were still on their way to converge here. It was important to remember that he and Blood Inverse had mobilized several hundred Path Integration cultivators this time, so the previous losses were completely negligible. Now, he only needed to proceed steadily, gradually compressing Lu Ye's space for maneuver, and he would surely leave him no escape.

The moment his words fell, a mass of bloody light abruptly appeared in his vision. From within the bloody light emanated an extremely terrifying and chaotic aura. Green Mantis's pupils constricted. "It's back again?" He had previously learned from a subordinate's report that Lu Ye had used the Blood Explosion Art once, and then he had just experienced it himself. This was now the third time. The Blood race could indeed use clones to activate the Blood Explosion Art to kill enemies, but ordinary precious blood clones were useless. Only Dao clones possessed considerable power. Blood Inverse himself only had one Dao clone, which Lu Ye had already slain. How many Dao clones could Lu Ye possibly have? How did he manage this repeatedly?

Despite his many questions, Green Mantis showed no hesitation. Having already suffered a loss just now, this time he didn't even consider trying to block the power of the clone's Blood Explosion Art. The moment he sensed danger, he swiftly retreated. His reaction was extremely fast, but the other Path Integration cultivators were not as quick.

When the mass of bloody light exploded, blood-red light filled the heavens and earth. All the Path Integration cultivators in front of the entrance were stunned. Bloody light splattered, enveloped by sharp Dao intent, like blood arrows bombarding all directions. Hissing sounds filled the air endlessly, screams erupted, and life forces extinguished.

This time, the Blood Explosion Art achieved significantly greater results than the last. Last time, it only annihilated two or three Path Integration cultivators, but this time, seven or eight life forces were extinguished. The reason for this lay with Green Mantis. When the clone self-destructed last time, Green Mantis intervened to block it. Although his efforts were fruitless, the power of the Blood Explosion Art in his direction had been negated. In other words, the Blood Explosion Art's full power had not been unleashed last time. This time was different. Green Mantis immediately fled, completely disregarding the lives of the Path Integration cultivators. Naturally, more unfortunate individuals were caught.

Amidst the bloody light, Green Mantis narrowed his eyes, fending off the residual impact. His gaze suddenly turned sharp and cold. Just as he had expected, almost the very moment the clone exploded, Lu Ye's main body rushed up from the floor below. Taking advantage of the surrounding Path Integration cultivators being thrown into disarray by the impact, he once again unleashed a massacre. The scene from earlier repeated itself.

Green Mantis moved like a light breeze, silently darting towards Lu Ye. No matter what, he had to capture this human this time. If he allowed the opponent to pull such stunts a few more times, he would lose all his prestige. By then, the Path Integration cultivators who had allied with them would be disheartened; how could they achieve anything?

At this very moment, on the twenty-second floor, figures were approaching the entrance to the floor below from all directions. Not much time had actually passed since the news of Lu Ye's reappearance spread. Green Mantis and Blood Inverse had rushed over from the twentieth floor, so they quickly arrived at the location. The Path Integration cultivators on higher floors received the news later, and were now en route.

Most of these Path Integration cultivators were in groups of three to five, with only one elder being an exception. He suddenly flashed beside a group of Path Integration cultivators, disregarding their wary glances, and lowered his voice to ask, "Fellow Daoists, how is it that I heard that human Lu Ye has the status of an external minister of the Phoenix clan?"

Several figures paused, and the one in the lead frowned, looking at the elder. "Brother Dao, you cannot speak such words carelessly!" he said. "Where did you hear this news?"

Another Path Integration cultivator asked, "Indeed! The Phoenix clan hasn't had an external minister for many years. What virtue or ability does that human, Lu Ye, possess to gain the favor of the Phoenix clan?"

"This old man isn't clear on the exact source of the news," the elder replied, "but that's what I heard."

The elder was precisely Ran Li, who had rushed over ahead of time at Su Yan's request. One had to admit, Su Yan's consideration was very thorough. With their Dragon and Phoenix bodies, she and Zhu Yin could indeed summon helpers within the Tower of Time, but that would take time. Lu Ye's current situation was precarious, and by the time they gathered helpers and rushed over, it would likely be too late. Having Ran Li come to spread this news was a wise move. Once such news spread, regardless of whether the Path Integration cultivators believed it or not, they would all harbor some apprehension in their hearts. This was the Tower of Time, and outside was Dragon City. The status of an external minister of the Phoenix clan was no joke. And as long as they had concerns, Lu Ye's situation would improve.

"Furthermore, throughout history, neither the Dragon nor the Phoenix clans have ever rejected humans, and some even showed a closeness to humanity," Ran Li added. "I merely heard that human Lu Ye cultivates the Dao of Space, and his mastery doesn't seem low."

"The Dao of Space!" The expression of the Path Integration cultivator who had spoken earlier immediately turned grave.