Chapter 2706: How Could It Be Lu Ye

If Lu Ye hadn't been blessed with the triple Star Abyss Child's boon, how could someone who had just ascended to the Hedao realm possibly contend with a Universe-level City Lord like Green Mantis?

Even if his foundation was incredibly strong, it wouldn't be enough.

Now, however, he barely met the qualifications.

He was still not an equal opponent, but with the Mountain-Shattering Blade's current characteristic of cutting through anything, it was enough for him to protect himself against Green Mantis.

Lu Ye swiftly retreated, and Green Mantis gritted his teeth, giving chase.

However, Lu Ye vanished into the distance after just a few blinks.

Green Mantis roared in fury repeatedly!

This situation had occurred several times before. He, a venerable Universe-level City Lord, was truly being played like a monkey, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Now, he only hoped for one thing: that Lu Ye's Dao power would be depleted.

After these battles, even his own Dao power reserves were greatly consumed, let alone Lu Ye, who had just ascended to the Hedao realm. Green Mantis was certain Lu Ye couldn't last long; once Lu Ye was exhausted, success would be his.

Therefore, he absolutely could not give Lu Ye any chance to rest.

He had few subordinates left, only several dozen. All of them were races directly or indirectly associated with the Insect and Blood tribes. Most of the other summoned Hedao cultivators had already left.

Green Mantis, of course, knew why.

Lu Ye's identity as an external official of the Phoenix race had likely been exposed, making those individuals extremely wary.

Previously, whenever Lu Ye retreated, he would flee to the seventeenth floor. Green Mantis had tried to mobilize his forces to intercept him there, but it was utterly useless.

That guy's clones seemed inexhaustible. Large numbers of people crowding the entrance only gave him opportunities to use Blood Explosion Art to kill enemies.

After Lu Ye escaped to the seventeenth floor, Green Mantis dared not block it with his people, still fearing the Blood Explosion Art.

Thus, Lu Ye had entered and exited several times.

However, Green Mantis soon noticed that this time Lu Ye's movement path was different from before. He moved towards another direction, and quickly encountered several Hedao cultivators there. After a brief skirmish, some were killed.

He quickly departed before more Hedao cultivators could converge.

What was this guy trying to do?

"Green Mantis, things are bad. Members of the Dragon and Phoenix races have brought people down!" Blood Reverse's voice suddenly reached Green Mantis's ears.

His Dao body had been previously slain by Lu Ye, and his true body had been hiding in the shadows, not daring to show itself. That's why he was able to detect the anomaly in time.

"What?" Green Mantis was greatly alarmed; he released his divine sense, and indeed, he sensed many new Hedao auras on this floor.

"Are you sure they are members of the Dragon and Phoenix races?" he asked, startled.

"Absolutely. Only these three members of the Dragon and Phoenix races entered the tower this time, and they've all come," Blood Reverse replied.

Green Mantis's face turned pale.

The worst had happened.

Previously, to prevent news of their encirclement of Lu Ye from reaching the Dragon and Phoenix tribesmen, he had specifically ordered the information to be confined below the ninety-ninth floor.

Yet somehow, it had leaked.

Now that the three Dragon and Phoenix tribesmen had brought people, it was clear they were here to rescue Lu Ye.

Almost as he was thinking this, a fierce aura locked onto him from afar.

Green Mantis abruptly turned his head. Although significant obstructions prevented him from seeing the situation clearly, he accurately identified the owner of the aura: "Xuan Wuji!"

Ordinary Hedao cultivators wouldn't catch his eye, nor would he remember them. But Xuan Wuji was different. That guy's strength was considerable, enough to merit his memory. They had also encountered each other before.

Truth be told, in a true life-and-death struggle, Xuan Wuji was no match for him, but he was certainly qualified to stand against him.

Given the situation, what choice should he make?

Should he continue pursuing the human Lu Ye, or avoid their sharp edge for now?

In just a thought, Green Mantis made his decision, roaring: "Follow me!"

Their scheme had been exposed, and it was now impossible for them to escape safely. Since that was the case, they could only commit to their course of action to the end.

That Lu Ye was as slippery as an eel. Even with hundreds of subordinates, he couldn't deal with him. Now, with only dozens, it would be even harder to succeed.

So, they had to change their target.

As long as they could capture any one of the three Dragon and Phoenix members, they would have a hope of escape when the Tower of Time closed. Otherwise, once the Tower of Time closed and numerous Dragon race powerhouses made their move, even he, a Universe-level City Lord, would perish on the spot.

At his command, the Hedao cultivators who were still encircling Lu Ye all changed direction, converging towards Green Mantis.

"What are you doing?" Blood Reverse, hidden in the shadows, was startled. But he quickly discerned Green Mantis's intention. It had to be said, this was indeed their only way out now.

"Rely on you!" Green Mantis replied in a low voice.

Blood Reverse understood.

A scream suddenly rang out; Lu Ye had attacked again.

With these enemies no longer encircling him, it naturally gave him room to maneuver.

As soon as Su Yan entered this floor, Lu Ye had already sensed her presence. After all, he had once obtained Su Yan's Phoenix Primordial Blood. Therefore, as long as they weren't too far apart, Lu Ye could easily detect her location.

This was why Lu Ye hadn't fled to the seventeenth floor this time.

What surprised Lu Ye even more was that Su Yan and the others had actually brought so many reinforcements. Although he wasn't clear about the specific strength of these reinforcements, judging solely by the intensity of their auras, they were not ordinary Hedao cultivators.

It made sense. Since Su Yan and the others knew his situation, by calling for aid as members of the Dragon and Phoenix races, they would surely attract many powerful individuals to their side.

As he employed Spatial Traversing Art, his figure flickered erratically. With his long blade sweeping, a faint green mist flowed, and screams rang out once more.

On the other side, Green Mantis and Xuan Wuji were rapidly approaching each other, each having already identified the other as their opponent.

They soon collided. Green Mantis wildly wielded his four cutting blades. Xuan Wuji, holding a long sword, radiated sword light. The two powerful cultivators immediately became embroiled in battle.

Meanwhile, the Hedao cultivators summoned by Green Mantis, under his command, charged towards Su Yan and the others.

Although Lu Ye was constantly killing enemies, Green Mantis had many subordinates. At this moment, they were dispersed, and Lu Ye simply couldn't kill them all.

One by one, Hedao cultivators clashed, and battles erupted everywhere.

In terms of sheer numbers, the Insect and Blood tribes undoubtedly held an absolute advantage. However, in terms of quality, the Dragon and Phoenix tribes were significantly stronger.

As a result, this confrontation turned out to be almost evenly matched.

Su Yan, Su Yun, and Zhu Yin each found an opponent. Although all three were newly ascended Hedao cultivators, their noble bloodlines and mastery of the Dao of Time and Space, respectively, allowed them to maintain their ground even if slightly weaker than their enemies.

Lu Ye did not come to this side. Instead, he was chasing several Hedao cultivators who were fleeing in all directions. These individuals wanted to rendezvous with Green Mantis and his group, but Lu Ye blocked their escape routes, forcing them to scatter.

Amidst such fierce clashes, a pair of eyes scrutinized the surroundings from the shadows.

The sinister gaze swept over Su Yan and Su Yun, then quickly settled on Zhu Yin, who was currently clashing with a body cultivator.

Having suffered so many losses from Lu Ye, he naturally understood the difficulty of dealing with the Dao of Space. Thus, he quickly ruled out Su Yan and her brother, who were from the Phoenix race.

Relatively speaking, Zhu Yin was undoubtedly an easier target. Although the power of the Dao of Time wasn't easy to handle, it was useless for escaping. As long as he acted fast enough, he could capture this young Dragon.

This way, whether for their subsequent actions or waiting for the Tower of Time to close, they would have room to maneuver.

With his mind made up, he immediately took action.

A streak of blood-red, like a tiny blood-snake, slithered out from the shadows, silently approaching Zhu Yin.

At this very moment, Zhu Yin was grappling with her body cultivator opponent. Both showed no intention of retreating, fiercely exchanging blows with their fists.

In terms of strength, Zhu Yin was considerably weaker than her opponent. However, in pure physical strength, she was superior. Furthermore, she possessed the power of the Dao of Time, which could interfere with the enemy's thoughts and slow down the surrounding time flow. This meant that even if the body cultivator was stronger, he couldn't gain any advantage in the confrontation.

For any body cultivator, this would be a thrilling battle. But Zhu Yin's opponent was currently filled with frustration, because this opponent was somewhat "un-martial" in her conduct. Her striking fists contained not only Dao power but also the power of the Dao of Time, making it difficult for him to exert his full strength due to the interference.

Just then, his eyes suddenly lit up.

This was because he saw something unusual behind Zhu Yin.

Meanwhile, Zhu Yin, fully focused on battling him, was completely unaware.

The tiny blood-snake slithered to a short distance behind Zhu Yin, then suddenly expanded, transforming into a blood python. It coiled around her small body, and the blood python's head took on Blood Reverse's appearance.

Its snake-like tongue flickered, and its eyes gleamed with cruelty.

Success!

His timing was perfect for the attack, just when Zhu Yin was completely preoccupied. And with his Universe-level City Lord strength, once he coiled around Zhu Yin, there was no way the young Dragon could break free, no matter how capable she was.

No sooner had the thought finished forming in his mind than an intensely sacred aura suddenly descended from above!

Under that overwhelming suppression, the blood python's movements abruptly halted.

His cruel gaze turned to astonishment. Blood Reverse suddenly recalled the scene where his Dao body had been slain, and his body and mind trembled at that moment.

Lu Ye!

It had to be Lu Ye!

In this entire Tower of Time, no one else could exert such a bloodline suppression on him except this guy.

But... how could it be Lu Ye?

Before he made his move, he had clearly sensed Lu Ye's aura pursuing enemies in the distance, which was why he had acted with confidence.

Although he frantically surged his power to briefly break free from the suppression, and quickly retracted his form, intending to bind Zhu Yin, that single instant of hesitation allowed Zhu Yin to sense the danger.

A powerful spatial force suddenly erupted from her small body. The void slightly warped. She quickly contracted downward, then retreated backward, escaping her immediate danger.

Blood Reverse's pupils contracted sharply.

This Dragon... how could she also be proficient in the Dao of Space?

Although she couldn't perform spatial teleportation like Lu Ye, the void had indeed been twisted for that brief moment.

Blood Reverse was terrified out of his wits.

He knew he had made a grave mistake this time, choosing the wrong target.

But among the three young Dragon and Phoenix members present, who else could he have chosen besides this Dragon?

What terrified him even more was the intense sense of danger he felt right now!

Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly caught sight of a figure—it was Lu Ye. In that very instant, he had abruptly dropped out of the void, as if he had been hiding there all along.