Chapter 2761: Dead Taoist Fellow Dies Not Poor Taoist

With his mind made up, Lu Ye didn't hesitate. Even the tempting Integration Orb from Taikun City, right before his eyes, couldn't outweigh his personal safety.

His only stroke of luck was that the Starry Sky Chessboard wasn't fleeing in his direction, meaning Xue Jiu wouldn't target him if he gave chase. This afforded him an opportunity to escape.

Lu Ye turned his body, activating the Blood Escape technique. Enveloped in a shroud of blood mist, he prepared to vanish instantly. Just then, however, the Starry Sky Chessboard, which had been streaking past in the distance, suddenly arced and began to approach him. Lu Ye gasped in alarm. What in the world was this supreme treasure up to?

To his dismay, the Starry Sky Chessboard was incredibly fast, catching up to him in a mere few breaths. Lu Ye turned to look, finally discerning the supreme treasure's true form. It was a small, unassuming chessboard. Without the potent aura of a supreme treasure emanating from it, it would likely be overlooked by anyone. Yet, the artifact's current state was clearly abnormal; its glow was incredibly faint, as if it could vanish at any moment.

Lu Ye understood. Xue Jiu's lengthy refining process had clearly inflicted severe damage upon the artifact's sentience; if it possessed life force, it would undoubtedly be on its deathbed. Somehow, it had broken free from Xue Jiu's control and escaped. It must have sensed Lu Ye's presence and intended to redirect the danger towards him! This thing was utterly devious!

From behind, a powerful aura drew near—it was Xue Jiu. Lu Ye hastily glanced back, his eyes widening in shock. Xue Jiu had astonishingly transformed into a chess piece—he couldn't tell what kind—and was frantically pursuing him. The sight was utterly comical. Xue Jiu must have been afflicted by the supreme treasure's profound power; otherwise, such a transformation would be impossible.

Lu Ye, however, found no humor in it. The chess piece was wreathed in bloody light and moved a third faster than both him and the Starry Sky Chessboard. Lu Ye could also clearly sense Xue Jiu's divine consciousness sweeping over him, then over the Starry Sky Chessboard, as if weighing a choice. Although Lu Ye was certain Xue Jiu valued the Starry Sky Chessboard more, there was always an outside chance. He had severely devastated the Bug and Blood races, making it impossible to guarantee Xue Jiu wouldn't be overcome by rage and make an imprudent decision.

Therefore, he immediately had a thought. In the battlefield, the horde of corpses, engaged in combat with the Bug and Blood cultivators, immediately abandoned their adversaries. They reformed into a massive zombie tide and surged forward to confront Xue Jiu. Simultaneously, Lu Ye swung his saber fiercely, aiming a powerful strike at the Starry Sky Chessboard, which had already closed in to a position not far ahead of him. If it played dirty, he wouldn't be merciful.

The Starry Sky Chessboard, still possessing some sentience, swayed left and right as if trying to evade the strike, but ultimately failed. The ferocious saber light struck the chessboard with full force. Lu Ye's original intention was simply to obstruct the Starry Sky Chessboard. This was clearly a "better you than me" situation; to escape Xue Jiu, he had to outpace the chessboard.

What Lu Ye hadn't anticipated, however, was that as his saber strike landed, the supreme treasure's already dim glow instantly extinguished. The Starry Sky Chessboard spun rapidly and flew off into the distance. He frowned slightly, because immediately after his strike, he vaguely sensed a change in the supreme treasure—it seemed to have lost its spirit. Its sentience... had he just destroyed it? Lu Ye felt a severe headache coming on.

This was not the outcome he desired. He had hoped to merely obstruct the Starry Sky Chessboard, causing it to flee in a different direction, thereby buying himself time to escape. Who would have thought his single saber strike would be the final straw? The supreme treasure's sentience was completely annihilated. Though it still possessed the power of a supreme artifact, its intrinsic spirit was gone.

After only a moment of hesitation, Lu Ye reached out and seized the Starry Sky Chessboard, pulling it into his grasp. He couldn't rely on this supreme treasure anymore, so he had to depend on himself. The reason he didn't abandon it was simple: a Starry Sky Chessboard stripped of its sentience couldn't possibly hinder Xue Jiu. Xue Jiu would most likely simply collect the treasure and continue his pursuit. Given this, he certainly couldn't let his enemy profit from the artifact.

Without looking back, Lu Ye could still clearly sense Xue Jiu relentlessly closing in. The Blood Clan's secret techniques were inherently swift, and as a Blood Lord, Xue Jiu's speed was likely unparalleled in the entire Star Abyss. There was simply no outrunning him.

Lu Ye immediately activated the power of his Space Dao Seed, causing the space around him to twist and warp, growing increasingly dense. To shake off Xue Jiu, he had no choice but to use the Void Teleportation technique, and do so without considering the consequences. Under normal circumstances, his Void Teleportation had a limited range and could only transport him to locations within his line of sight. Random teleportation carried the risk of unforeseen dangers; if he were to materialize in a hazardous area, it would be disastrous. But Lu Ye could no longer afford such considerations. At this moment, the greatest danger he faced was Xue Jiu, who was relentlessly pursuing him.

In the distance behind him, Xue Jiu sensed the fluctuations of spatial energy. Knowing full well Lu Ye's intentions, he immediately raged, his divine consciousness surging. "Drop the Starry Sky Chessboard, and I'll spare your life!" he bellowed. His figure charged forth recklessly, any venomous corpse in his path exploding into fragments, their very bones pulverized. Lu Ye ignored him. Dropping the Starry Sky Chessboard now would only play into Xue Jiu's hands, as he could easily retrieve the supreme treasure and then resume his pursuit.

This teleportation required a full five breaths of preparation before Lu Ye suddenly stepped forth. His form rapidly blurred and then vanished from the spot.

Amidst the corpse tide, Xue Jiu continued to charge, and upon witnessing this, he was practically fuming with rage. He had never imagined that while he was peacefully refining a supreme treasure deep within the Blood Source Sea, Lu Ye would ruin everything. Furthermore, his forces had suffered such catastrophic losses. Now, even the supreme treasure was lost—a complete loss of both men and wealth. His immense power surged fiercely. With a sudden "bang," as a brilliant crimson light erupted, Xue Jiu finally broke free from the supreme treasure's restraining power and returned to his original form.

"Get out!" he roared, and with a casual sweep of his hand, large groups of venomous corpses before him burst apart. He stared intensely in the direction Lu Ye had vanished, spatial energy likewise surging around him. He quickly arrived at the spot where Lu Ye had teleported from, taking a step forward himself. His mastery of the Dao of Space might not be entirely pure, given it was an ability he acquired by plundering the bloodlines of several Phoenix Clan members. Yet, in terms of sheer accomplishment, Xue Jiu, who had delved into this Dao for countless years, was in no way inferior to Lu Ye's current proficiency. He was, after all, one of the Ten City Lords, possessing exceptional talent and ability. Thus, Lu Ye couldn't solely rely on the Dao of Space to escape from him. Given enough time, Xue Jiu was absolutely confident he could catch up to Lu Ye.

Three breaths later, Lu Ye emerged from the void, his face showing lingering trepidation. He had narrowly avoided teleporting into the realm ahead, a consequence of exerting just a little more power. While it wouldn't have been life-threatening, it would have significantly delayed his escape.