Chapter 2771: Chasing the Escapee

In the corridor, Lu Ye advanced with his saber, charging recklessly. Screams echoed one after another, but in just a few breaths, the commotion subsided. Liu Chang and the others who followed walked through the passage, seeing Winged Race powerhouses lying dead in pools of blood, their demise horrific. They were all greatly shaken.

A glimmer of light appeared ahead. As Lu Ye darted out, a sudden alarm rose in his heart. He had anticipated this. Since the enemy had already discovered their hiding place and sealed off both ends, there was bound to be an ambush outside. Therefore, he immediately channeled his Dao power to protect himself. The next moment, several attacks struck, causing his body to tremble and his vital energy to surge.

Before he could regain his footing, a Winged Race member wielding a long spear appeared before him, launching a fierce attack. Lu Ye held his saber horizontally, precisely blocking the blow, but the powerful force pushed him sideways for hundreds of feet. The surrounding Dao power became chaotic as figures rapidly flew in. Liu Chang and the others who had charged out with Lu Ye were immediately surrounded.

Lu Ye suddenly exerted force, barely fending off the spear-wielding Winged Race member, when two more figures attacked from both sides. Only then did he clearly see the situation around him. Outside the small island where they had been hiding, two enormous treasure ships lay to either side. Numerous figures stood on the ships; all without exception were Winged Race cultivators, glaring menacingly at them.

This was a dangerous place, and they should not linger. Lu Ye made a decision. He slashed again, forcing back the two figures attacking from the sides, and was about to dart away. But just as he moved, a brilliant, silken beam of treasure light suddenly shot from one of the treasure ships, sweeping towards him. Lu Ye didn't know the mystery of this treasure light, having never seen it before, and naturally dared not touch it carelessly. His body plummeted downwards, narrowly avoiding the beam.

The next moment, a startled cry came from the side. In the midst of his movements, Lu Ye turned his head to look. He saw that the cultivator named Sun was directly enveloped by the treasure light. What was originally formless now seemed to materialize, wrapping the cultivator like a mass of flowing water. No matter how he struggled, he couldn't break free. The treasure light receded, and the cultivator named Sun was dragged towards the treasure ship, like a lobster caught in a net.

Lu Ye's expression became serious. He was secretly glad that he had reacted quickly and avoided the attack; otherwise, he would have been in considerable trouble. This treasure light had no lethal power, but it possessed an extremely strong binding ability, clearly designed specifically for capturing living beings. In this Source World, the various races' hunt for humans was not primarily for killing. They sought to capture human cultivators alive for sacrifice, so naturally, they needed live captives. That mysterious treasure light was likely designed specifically for this purpose.

"Save me!" the cultivator named Sun cried out. But under the current circumstances, with everyone under siege, who had the ability to rescue anyone? Many beams of treasure light shot out from the two treasure ships, continuously enveloping everyone. Lu Ye moved and dodged with great difficulty. The others, however, were not so lucky. The already injured cultivator named Zhou soon followed in the footsteps of the cultivator named Sun, his body enveloped by the treasure light, losing his freedom. Liu Chang was next.

Two breaths later, Xia He and Xiao Man also fell victim. In barely ten breaths after charging out of the island, only Lu Ye was left struggling. He had already fought his way out of the encirclement with his saber, but at this moment, he suddenly turned back, darting to Xia He's side. In her astonished gaze, he fiercely slashed at the treasure light.

Xia He shook her head. "Go quickly, it's useless! This Primordial Stellar Light cannot be cut by brute force." Just as she said, the extremely sharp Panshan Saber slashed at the treasure light, but it was like sinking into a swamp, only causing the light to slightly deform with no sign of breaking. Not only that, Lu Ye even felt his Panshan Saber getting stuck, making it difficult to pull free.

"How dare you!" an angry shout came. Several Winged Race cultivators nearby, seeing this, attacked one after another. At this moment, if Lu Ye wanted to escape, he would have to abandon his Panshan Saber. But how could he make such a choice? He had painstakingly nurtured the Panshan Saber until now. For him, it was no longer just a Dao weapon; it was also the very foundation of his being.

"Go quickly!" Xia He cried out. Lu Ye suddenly shook the long saber in his hand, fiercely activating the power of the Talent Tree. Invisible roots spread out, coiling around the blade. The next moment, the unyielding treasure light suddenly shattered, as if melted by something. Lu Ye pulled out his saber. Spatial power surged around him, and the void beside him stretched. The saber light flashed, followed by several startled cries and splattering blood. The attacking Winged Race members were injured one after another, and one's body was torn apart, his remains falling into the sea.

Lu Ye grabbed Xia He, activated his Blood Escape Art, and fled in one direction without looking back. The sudden turn of events was so swift that not only did Xia He not react in time, but even the Winged Race powerhouses arrayed on the two treasure ships were caught off guard. No one had expected that anyone in this world could possess the means to sever the Primordial Stellar Light. By the time the Winged Race cultivators on the two treasure ships gave chase, Lu Ye had already taken Xia He far away.

Filled with shock and rage, these Winged Race cultivators pursued relentlessly. If Lu Ye had been alone, shaking them off would not have been difficult; a few spatial shifts would have sufficed. However, taking Xia He now made it somewhat inconvenient. The Winged Race was a race known for its speed, so even with Lu Ye activating his Blood Escape Art, it was difficult to shake them off. Moreover, the entire Cage Sea was teeming with enemies. If they continued to flee like this, they would eventually encounter other powerful adversaries.

"Let's go underwater!" Xia He finally regained her senses, grabbed Lu Ye with a reverse grip, and plunged directly into the sea. With two splashes, the sea surface splattered as their figures plunged into the ocean. Once in the sea, Xia He's body surged with power. She moved like a fish, her speed sharply increasing, and she also channeled power to envelop Lu Ye. This was likely a secret art. The aura of their pursuers grew fainter until, after more than half an hour, they finally managed to shake them off.

Somewhere beneath the sea, Lu Ye and Xia He concealed their aura, lying dormant. Xia He's face was filled with sorrow. Liu Chang and the others had been captured, and their fate would certainly be grim. They would surely be used as sacrificial materials for a heavenly offering. Facing the powerful Winged Race, she had no way to rescue them and felt utterly powerless. If Lu Ye hadn't turned back in time to save her, she too would have been captured. Although they had shaken off their pursuers, they still dared not show themselves for now, choosing to wait for a while.

However, just a moment later, Lu Ye suddenly frowned and pulled Xia He, who was a bit dazed due to her heavy heart. No sooner had they left their hiding place than the water flow suddenly surged, forming a ferocious gaping maw that bit down fiercely. Lu Ye's eyes narrowed. He had never imagined such danger existing beneath the sea. If not for the attacker having leaked a slight aura just now, he truly wouldn't have been able to detect it.

"Sea Race!" Xia He realized belatedly. Lu Ye finally saw who the attackers were. From behind a coral reef, several figures darted towards them like swimming fish. Each was oddly shaped, like anthropomorphic shrimp or crabs, and each held spear-like Dao weapons, approaching menacingly. Following closely behind these Sea Race members were massive, awe-inspiring sea beasts. With the surge of Dao power, Lu Ye felt the surrounding ocean currents become chaotic.

Without a word, Xia He dragged Lu Ye and surged upwards. "Go!" she urged. The seabed was the Sea Race's home ground. No race could possibly contend with them underwater; it was a difficult and thankless task. Numerous Sea Race members and sea beasts pursued them relentlessly from behind, casting various mysterious secret arts to hinder their escape. Fortunately, Xia He had also refined similar secret arts, which she had used while helping Lu Ye escape underwater. Although her mastery of such arts wasn't as great as the Sea Race's, they still proved somewhat effective.

A moment later, the two figures finally burst out of the sea. Before they could even steady themselves, streams of divine sense spread towards them. "Over here!" a fierce shout came. Lu Ye looked in the direction of the voice, immediately feeling helpless. The Winged Race members hadn't gone far and were still searching for their traces nearby. If they could have stayed hidden underwater, they might have escaped, but with the Sea Race pursuing them, they were forced to emerge, thus revealing their presence again. The Winged Race's two treasure ships had also moved nearby, and figures darted out from the ships, encircling and attacking them.

"Let's go!" Xia He called to Lu Ye, leading the way and flying in one direction. Numerous Winged Race members pursued them from behind, while the Sea Race closely followed underwater, casting various water-based secret arts to hinder and delay their movement. Lu Ye silently followed behind Xia He, his brows tightly furrowed. Only then did he truly and clearly feel the difficult plight of humanity in this Cage Sea. During the hunt, it was as if enemies were everywhere. Under such circumstances, once their whereabouts were exposed, what awaited them was endless pursuit. No matter how strong one was, it would be difficult to accomplish anything amidst such relentless chase.

Fortunately, he had risked saving Xia He; otherwise, being unfamiliar with the place and facing this situation, he truly wouldn't have known where to go. At least Xia He was from the Source World, which put her in a much better position than Lu Ye.

"Where are we going?" Lu Ye asked, keeping close to Xia He.

"Changyun Island, we can only go to Changyun Island!" Xia He replied.

"A large island?" Lu Ye asked again.

Xia He nodded. "Under the current circumstances, unless we can shake off our pursuers, we can only go to Changyun Island to hide. I hope... it hasn't been besieged!" Trying to shake off the Winged Race's pursuit was too unrealistic. With the Sea Race now watching them from underwater, even their escape route into the ocean was cut off, leaving them no choice. After much thought, the only destination Xia He could think of was Changyun Island. However, Changyun Island was a large island, a gathering place for many humans, and during the hunt, it could easily become a target for attacks from various races. She only hoped that Changyun Island was not currently besieged; otherwise, with just her and Lu Ye, they would have no chance of breaking in. If that were the case, it would mean an endless escape until they eventually exhausted themselves and were captured.

Compared to the current difficulties of their situation, what pained Xia He more was the betrayal. When their previous hiding place was exposed, she had also suspected Lu Ye, but now it was clear that he was not the one who betrayed them. Since it wasn't Lu Ye, it had to be someone else. Xia He didn't know who it was, but whoever it was, it was unacceptable to her.