Chapter 2710: Slaying the Blue Mantis

Lu Ye had long decided that if the situation turned dire, he would reveal his identity as the Phoenix Clan's consort. This would make most of the Dao Fusion realm cultivators reluctant to act against him. However, he would not do so unless absolutely necessary, as he wished to acquire more Star Abyss Coins.

While there had been no prior grudges, since those Dao Fusion realm cultivators had been incited by Green Mantis and Blood Inverse to become his enemies, he would show no mercy in killing them. Regardless, Ran Li's secret dissemination of information had indeed greatly reduced the pressure on him.

After hearing his words, Lu Ye looked at Su Yan, silently commending her wisdom and grace.

Xuan Wuji asked, "Fellow Daoist Su Yan, what should we do now? I see that Green Mantis has few Dao Fusion realm cultivators left with him. If we continue the pursuit, they will surely have no chance of escaping."

Su Yan pondered briefly, then replied, "Let's take a moment to rest. All of you have exerted great effort in this battle, and some are injured. The Tower of Time will not close for now, and Green Mantis and his group have nowhere to escape. We can pursue them later." Her primary concern was Lu Ye's condition, and she wished to examine him herself.

"Very well, we shall do as you say, Fellow Daoist." Xuan Wuji naturally had no objections.

Immediately, more than twenty Dao Fusion realm cultivators gathered there to rest.

Su Yan pulled Lu Ye aside, removed his upper garment, and examined him carefully. Only after confirming that his injuries were not serious did she feel relieved.

"Fellow Daoist Su Yan, we found a fox demon over there who claims to be Fellow Daoist Lu Ye's friend," a Dao Fusion realm cultivator reported, approaching them.

"A fox demon?" Su Yan asked, a hint of suspicion in her voice as she turned to Lu Ye.

Lu Ye nodded, "Have her brought over."

The Dao Fusion realm cultivator promptly left. While they waited, Lu Ye recounted the story of Eight-Tails in detail. Su Yan listened, nodding slightly.

A moment later, the somewhat uneasy Eight-Tails was brought over, gazing pitifully at Lu Ye.

"Su Yan of the Phoenix Clan greets Fellow Daoist Little Eight," Su Yan said, offering a slight bow first. "Thank you for your help in this matter, and especially for carefully protecting my... husband during his breakthrough." She had never spoken like this in front of a stranger, and for a moment, she was unsure how to address Lu Ye. In her urgency, she could only bite the bullet and utter the word "husband," her face flushing. But then, considering that Lu Ye's identity as the Phoenix Clan's consort had already spread, she realized it only confirmed he was her husband. Her expression immediately became much more settled.

Eight-Tails looked awkward. When Lu Ye was undergoing his Dao Fusion breakthrough, she had been far away; there was no careful protection to speak of. She had merely approached out of curiosity at the very last moment. It suddenly dawned on her! No wonder Lu Ye's attitude toward her had suddenly changed so drastically after his Dao Fusion breakthrough, becoming much more amiable. So that was the reason.

She immediately returned the bow, saying, "You are too kind, Fellow Daoist. Although Fellow Daoist Lu and I met by chance, we have indeed gone through trials together, and Fellow Daoist Lu has repeatedly saved me."

"Since we've shared difficulties, saving you was only right, and you've also helped me quite a bit," Lu Ye said, looking at her. For one thing, before he had even reached the Dao Fusion realm, it was thanks to her concealment that Lu Ye had the opportunity to approach the entrance guarded by the Sun Clan's Dao Fusion realm cultivator. If he had been alone, things certainly wouldn't have gone so smoothly. Subsequently, Eight-Tails carrying his essence blood also greatly enhanced his mobility, allowing him to block the entrance twice using teleportation spells.

"After this is over, let's go up to the ninety-ninth floor together."

Eight-Tails' eyes immediately lit up. She had never imagined such an opportunity would come her way! When she entered the tower this time, her goal had only been around the seventieth floor; she had never dared to entertain greater hopes. Instead, she had encountered old enemies and been pursued relentlessly. And now, she could actually enter the ninety-ninth floor! If anyone else had said it, it might not have been possible, but since Lu Ye, the Phoenix Clan's consort, had offered, and the pure-blooded Phoenix next to them had no objections, then it was surely feasible.

Though delighted inwardly, she appeared uneasy outwardly: "But I still have a few enemies who have been searching for me..."

Lu Ye looked at her with a knowing, half-amused expression.

She immediately realized she had misspoken. At such a moment, she shouldn't harbor any unnecessary petty thoughts that would only needlessly annoy others.

"How about this: if we encounter them later, I'll help you get your revenge," Lu Ye offered.

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist!" Eight-Tails immediately replied, letting out a long sigh of relief inwardly. She mused inwardly, truly, good deeds were rewarded. She had previously taken such a great risk to help Lu Ye, and now it was finally time to reap the rewards.

The large group of Dao Fusion realm cultivators did not rest for long on this floor; after only half an hour, they resumed their pursuit downwards. Xuan Wuji led the way, forging ahead. The path ahead was unobstructed.

Throughout the entire seventeenth floor, there was no lingering aura of Dao Fusion realm cultivators. Green Mantis and his faction had clearly fled to even lower levels. As they searched floor by floor, Lu Ye couldn't help but remark to himself, "This truly is what goes around comes around." Before, Green Mantis had led people to search for his whereabouts; now, the roles were reversed. It was unknown where Green Mantis and his group had hidden, but as long as they searched to the very bottom floor, they would eventually find them.

Not until he stepped onto the tenth floor did Lu Ye's eyebrows rise. This was because at the very center of this floor, there was an unmistakable and unconcealed aura of numerous Dao Fusion realm cultivators gathered. He couldn't help but chuckle in surprise. What a coincidence! He had previously fled all the way to this very floor to undergo his Dao Fusion breakthrough, and he hadn't expected Green Mantis and his group to have also remained here. This clearly indicated that the enemy knew they had nowhere left to escape and had resolved to stay here and prepare for a decisive battle.

Lu Ye turned to look around. His group consisted entirely of Dao Fusion realm cultivators, numbering around twenty-five. Apart from him, Su Yan, Su Yun, and Zhu Yin, all the rest were High-level Dao Fusion realm cultivators. The strongest among them, Xuan Wuji, was even comparable to a Cosmos-level City Lord. Although Green Mantis's side had a few more Dao Fusion realm cultivators, their strength was significantly mixed. This battle held no suspense.

Following the aura, they quickly arrived near the very center of the floor. This central location was a vast circular platform, with passages extending in all directions. When Lu Ye first entered the Tower of Time, he had cultivated for a time in such a place.

"They've set up an array!" Xuan Wuji exclaimed, glancing over and immediately recognizing it. Lu Ye also saw it; there were indeed traces of an array there. However, due to the limited time, its power and efficacy were unknown. It was likely incomplete, as it lacked even the power of concealment.

"Fellow Daoist Su?" Xuan Wuji turned to Su Yan.

"Let's attack," Su Yan said, her expression cold and resolute. Although Lu Ye was not seriously hurt this time, upon careful reflection, had he not advanced to the Dao Fusion realm at the opportune moment, he would likely have been captured alive by Green Mantis. And all this happened within the Tower of Time, controlled by the Dragon Clan. The Insect and Blood Clans had truly acted too audaciously! This made her long to personally slay Green Mantis, only lamenting her own insufficient strength.

"Alright!" Xuan Wuji nodded. "Then let's attack!" In this situation, there was no room for elaborate tactics. These enemies were merely cornered beasts fighting for survival; what mattered now was brute strength. He led the charge, his body merging with sword light, with numerous High-level Dao Fusion realm cultivators following closely, flanking him on either side.

Green Mantis's eyes bulged with rage, and the Dao Fusion realm cultivators around him were overcome with terror and anxiety. The enemy's pursuit had been too swift, so swift that their array was not yet perfected. Now, their only option was to fight to the death.

Even an unperfected array could offer some resistance. As Xuan Wuji and the others charged forward, the grand array hummed into operation, unleashing violent assaults from their side, but these were effortlessly neutralized by the numerous High-level Dao Fusion realm cultivators.

In moments, they engaged in close combat. Fierce and explosive skirmishes erupted everywhere. Lu Ye's figure darted, moving through the various skirmishes. His long saber carved out streaks of deadly light; anyone weaker than him was instantly killed with a single strike. Even those stronger than him, provided they weren't overwhelmingly so, found it difficult to resist his assaults when already entangled in combat. One life force after another was extinguished.

This great battle lasted only about the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Most of the enemy Dao Fusion realm cultivators were already dead or wounded, with only Green Mantis left desperately resisting. But it was already futile. Because at this moment, as many as six Dao Fusion realm cultivators were besieging him, all of them High-level cultivators of considerable strength. More Dao Fusion realm cultivators encircled them, standing by to intercept. It wasn't that these waiting Dao Fusion realm cultivators didn't want to participate in the siege; rather, there wasn't enough room to deploy effectively, and six besiegers was already the limit.

Green Mantis was still wielding four war blades. Although one had been shattered by Lu Ye earlier, he clearly had a spare. However, this spare blade was not part of the same set as the other three, nor was it his personal Dao weapon. His strength was somewhat diminished. Although he displayed extreme bravery and fearlessness, he was ultimately outnumbered, and his wounds steadily worsened.

A moment later, as Xuan Wuji delivered a heavy sword blow, and Green Mantis furiously counterattacked, Lu Ye, who had been standing still, suddenly stepped forward! This step brought him directly into the thick of the battle, right in front of Green Mantis.

Green Mantis was exceptionally tall; Lu Ye stood two heads shorter in front of him. Lu Ye tilted his head slightly and swept out his Crag Mountain Saber diagonally.

"I knew you'd come!" Green Mantis roared, his previously weakened aura suddenly surging dramatically at that instant, though it was unclear what secret art he had activated. Immediately, he disregarded the attacks from the others, and his four war blades slashed from left and right, adopting a stance that indicated he would drag Lu Ye down with him even in death.

"Watch out!" several alarmed cries suddenly rang out.

Lu Ye, however, remained unperturbed. On his Talent Tree, the Fruit of Chronology radiated golden light, and a dense temporal power permeated the area. Everything around them slowed down considerably at that moment. In Lu Ye's vision, the four war blades in Green Mantis's hands moved as slowly as a crawling turtle. He had used temporal power against Green Mantis before, which had an effect, but the influence had never been this profound. The reason for this now was undoubtedly that Green Mantis was at his last gasp.

As the saber light flashed, Lu Ye's figure vanished from his spot. The four war blades sliced through, shattering an afterimage. Green Mantis's chest heaved violently. He remained motionless, maintaining his blade-swinging posture, his gaze fixed dead ahead.

At that position, Lu Ye had already sheathed his saber.

"Heh..." an unintelligible sound escaped Green Mantis's lips. A thin red line appeared on his neck, and his head slid down.