Chapter 2742: Offending the Public's Anger

Winds of Kyushu

During the brief exchange with Xuan Huai, Lu Ye's triple blessing as a Son of the Star Abyss was stripped away, signifying a thirty percent reduction in his borrowed power. However, Lu Ye remained unfazed, his gaze coldly fixed on Xuan Huai. Space energy permeated his surroundings as he raised his blade and struck again!

"You truly think I'm a soft persimmon to be casually squashed!" Xuan Huai roared in a frenzy. With a flip of his palm, a formation disk suddenly appeared. He was the Star Abyss's foremost formation master; had he not possessed such profound skill in formations, he would not have been chosen for this place ten thousand years ago. Furthermore, this location held a grand formation that he had painstakingly arranged over ten millennia! It was, in essence, his home ground, where no one could stand against him. His previous massive disadvantage stemmed primarily from underestimating Lu Ye's strength; he had assumed his attack would easily crush his opponent. Had he known Lu Ye possessed such power earlier, he would have immediately deployed the grand formation's might, sparing him the current predicament of his body being shattered and almost cleaved in two.

The brilliant blade light approached, met by an invisible grinding force, and instantly vanished. Xuan Huai, his face grim, looked forward, then paused slightly, realizing Lu Ye had vanished from sight. A profound sense of danger assaulted him from the side. Xuan Huai knew without looking that the threat must be from Lu Ye. "Die!" he suddenly roared, mobilizing the grand formation's power to exert pressure in that direction.

In that direction, Lu Ye, who had arrived and unleashed a long blade strike, suddenly trembled. He felt an incredibly powerful grinding force assailing him from all sides. This sensation was somewhat similar to, yet distinct from, his experience exploring the Yin-Yang Millstone marvel years ago. The surrounding space seemed to have instantly transformed into a millstone, with him as a single soybean within it. In just one moment of grinding, Lu Ye bled from all seven orifices, his internal organs severely wounded. The Battle Sky Sacred Dragon Guard and protective dao power covering his body seemed nonexistent, providing no defense whatsoever.

The grand formation Xuan Huai had established here was designed to counter the sealing power on the divine iron pillar. This formation possessed no offensive or defensive capabilities, only a grinding effect. As long as it remained active, it would gradually wear away the sealing power on the divine artifact. That artifact was an heirloom left by the ancestors of dragons and phoenixes. This clearly demonstrated the immense power of the formation. Now, used by Xuan Huai against Lu Ye, how could Lu Ye possibly withstand it? Had he not possessed a dragon-vein body, that single moment might have truly ground him into dust, like a soybean. Even with that, he felt incredibly unwell, sensing that some of his bones had been dislocated.

From his Origin Spirit Aperture, the Spatial Dao Seed's power surged, permeating with spatial energy, and he abruptly leaped away from his spot.

"Still trying to run? Within this formation, I am the master! Even if a dragon came, it would have to coil here for me." Xuan Huai snarled, looking up towards a direction. At that very spot, Lu Ye's figure appeared, and the fierce, surging grinding force immediately followed. He had no choice but to shift his position again to evade it.

After several such instances, Lu Ye's furrowed brow slowly relaxed. It was undeniable that the grand formation's grinding power was unparalleled and something he currently couldn't contend with. However, Xuan Huai didn't control it with complete ease. The formation was simply too vast; if Xuan Huai relied solely on his own power to sustain it, activating its full might took time, especially while Lu Ye remained mobile. This made it difficult for Xuan Huai to pinpoint his location.

Realizing this, Lu Ye looked towards Xuan Huai. His spatial leaps and evasions didn't consume much energy, but Xuan Huai was different. Repeatedly activating the grand formation's power while maintaining its intensity imposed a significant drain and burden on him. Therefore, Lu Ye concluded that he couldn't sustain it indefinitely. His current objective was to prolong the fight and exhaust Xuan Huai's strength. Once Xuan Huai reached his limit and could no longer command the formation's power, his death would be imminent!

Xuan Huai evidently perceived Lu Ye's intention. After numerous attempts to activate the formation's power failed to successfully eliminate Lu Ye, he roared, "Are you all just going to watch the show? Get moving! Don't forget why you've gathered here. If I fall in battle today, all your efforts will have been for naught."

The moment he finished speaking, an attack immediately slammed towards Lu Ye. In fact, Lu Ye had sensed the faint hostility of the surrounding cultivators when he lost his triple blessing as a Son of the Star Abyss. His actions here were contrary to the will of many Hedao cultivators present, obstructing their objectives. However, Lu Ye's recent display of power had made these cultivators extremely wary. But circumstances had changed. As Lu Ye tangled with Xuan Huai, all the Hedao cultivators present felt a subtle, unseen guidance: whoever could kill Lu Ye would gain immense benefits. This guidance wasn't entirely clear, but it undoubtedly came from that will, stirring ambition in many cultivators' hearts. Thus, as soon as Xuan Huai spoke, cultivators immediately took action. Others followed suit!

Instantly, numerous attacks converged on Lu Ye from all directions. This turn of events was unexpected for Lu Ye. He knew his confrontation with Xuan Huai incurred collective resentment, but as long as he appeared powerful enough, what did public anger matter? Indeed, a vast number of Hedao cultivators, tens of thousands, had gathered here, but they were scattered, coming from various parts of the Star Abyss. So, Lu Ye didn't understand why Xuan Huai's single sentence could sway them. These Hedao cultivators weren't children; how could they act without personal gain? Without dwelling on it, the invisible grinding force appeared out of nowhere again. Lu Ye dodged, his figure already beside one of the Hedao cultivators. This individual had stealthily attacked him during the chaos, believing their move to be highly covert. Little did they expect Lu Ye to target them first.

"Dao brother..." The man's expression was a mixture of fear and bewilderment. He had barely uttered two words before Lu Ye decapitated him with a single blade strike. Without pausing, Lu Ye employed his Void Leap technique, weaving and shifting. One after another, Hedao cultivators fell beneath his blade. Although these Hedao cultivators had arrived in response to the summons, their strength wasn't particularly high; most were lower-ranked. Against the current Lu Ye, what power did they have to resist? In quick succession, over a dozen Hedao cultivators perished.

He had expected this slaughter to deter the others, but the situation was entirely different. Auroras from all directions were rapidly closing in, and divine senses locked onto him from afar. Lu Ye's expression hardened. For a moment, he couldn't fathom why he had suddenly become such a prized target. In such a situation, he dared not remain stationary. With another leap, he once again closed in on Xuan Huai.

He didn't want to engage in a pointless struggle with the numerous Hedao cultivators. He had already lost the Son of the Star Abyss blessing, so killing enemies no longer yielded Star Abyss coins, as evidenced by the dozen or so Hedao cultivators he had just dispatched. Therefore, killing more was meaningless. Xuan Huai was the key; as long as he could swiftly kill Xuan Huai, everything here would be settled.

Xuan Huai was currently fleeing, just as Lu Ye dared not remain stationary. He, too, couldn't stand still, as a wisp of Lu Ye's aura continuously locked onto him from afar. Suddenly, Lu Ye intercepted him, and a flash of brilliant blade light swept forth. However, the blade light vanished as soon as it appeared. Lu Ye grunted, cast a deep glance at Xuan Huai, who was not far off, and leaped away. The Star Abyss's foremost formation master had, in that moment, used the grand formation's grinding power to envelop himself. This was akin to donning a turtle shell. Lu Ye's assault certainly made things difficult for him, but as long as he protected himself, Lu Ye's methods, however profound, would be useless.

Things had become tricky. Xuan Huai couldn't be killed, and Lu Ye also had to fend off the converging attacks of the numerous Hedao cultivators, finding himself overwhelmed. After this scare, Xuan Huai also became clever, deliberately fleeing towards areas with more people, which infuriated Lu Ye.

Life energies constantly extinguished. Xuan Huai couldn't be killed, but the Hedao cultivators were no match for Lu Ye. Once he targeted them, they had no chance of survival. Time passed as Lu Ye's figure darted back and forth within the marvel, pursuing Xuan Huai. The entire marvel became a scene of bloodshed.

Gradually, Lu Ye realized something was amiss. Logically, after such widespread slaughter, those Hedao cultivators should have wisely avoided confronting him. Yet, this wasn't the case. There were always some hopeful individuals seeking opportunities to ambush him. Lu Ye could dismiss these individual sneak attacks, but the fact that these numerous Hedao cultivators were slowly grouping together was what truly vexed him. Even the most powerful cultivators feared encirclement; not just Lu Ye, but even Tyrant Qiu. Once defensive dao power sustained too many attacks in a short period, it risked being broken. Moreover, the enemies' gazes were filled with greed and covetousness, as if he had truly become some highly desirable prize.

Lu Ye instantly understood what was happening. This was undoubtedly the will of the Star Abyss guiding their actions; as long as they could kill him, the "rebel," they would undoubtedly receive substantial benefits.

In a flash of thought, Lu Ye declared in a low, deep voice, "Today, I only seek to kill Xuan Huai. Those who do not wish to die, leave this place immediately. Anyone who remains here after ten breaths, regardless of who they are, will be my enemy!"

Not all Hedao cultivators were hostile towards Lu Ye. The guidance of that will was one thing, but the Hedao cultivators' own choices were another. Thus, most Hedao cultivators were simply observing, perhaps intending to wait and see. Lu Ye lacked the ability and means to distinguish friend from foe. Given this, he decided to draw a clear line. Furthermore... this action could also target Xuan Huai!

As Lu Ye finished speaking, Xuan Huai's expression changed drastically. He immediately shouted, "Do not listen to his mad words! This fiend was once a Son of the Star Abyss, but now commits rebellious acts here. He has been abandoned by the will of the Star Abyss! I implore all of you to unite and lend me your strength to slay this fiend. After this is done, you will surely receive favor!"

While Xuan Huai spoke, Lu Ye did not stop. The group of Hedao cultivators pursuing him disregarded everything else and simply charged forward. Along his path, anyone who remained stationary, whether Hedao or Rongdao, was met with a blade strike! None could withstand it; even Hedao cultivators facing such a blade light attacking from a distance were destined to be cleaved in two.