Chapter 2799: Blood Oath

The Wind Rises Across the Nine Provinces

Under the abyss, Lu Ye continuously collected and refined fragments of the Dao Integration Orb. Inside his inner world, the already Flood-grade Dao Integration Orb was gradually intensifying its glow.

When he previously wreaked havoc in the Blood Clan territory, he had breached numerous Dao Integration Cities, including several of Flood-grade quality. As a result, the Dao Integration Orb in his inner world was already close to reaching Universe-grade.

Given the current situation, Lu Ye estimated that it would probably take less than a month for the Dao Integration Orb in his inner world to advance to Universe-grade.

At that time, he would be able to resume cultivating the Minor World Secret Art and enhance his strength.

Xue Jiu stood nearby, his expression fluctuating.

Ever since realizing the Blood Clan might be under attack, his mind had been elsewhere.

But even if that were truly the case, he was helpless. Trapped in the Origin Realm, he couldn't escape, and no matter how great the calamity the Blood Clan in the Inner Realm faced, he was powerless to intervene.

In his mind, the worst-case scenario was the Blood Clan being defeated, his Blooddrinker City breached, and him losing his status as one of the Ten Great City Lords.

This was highly probable, because without him garrisoning Blooddrinker City, it truly couldn't withstand the combined siege of the Dragon and Phoenix Clans.

Although the Phoenix Clan's members were few, Dragon City, on the other hand, was teeming with powerful cultivators, and under Dragon City's command, a large number of cultivators would certainly obey.

If that were the case, his foundation, painstakingly built over countless millennia in the Inner Realm, would be destroyed. If he were to return to the Inner Realm someday, he would become like a rat crossing the street, with no place to hide.

This was something he absolutely could not accept.

A thought in his mind continuously strengthened with these ideas, until it became irrepressible.

Approximately half a month after Lu Ye and Xue Jiu arrived at this location, the previously silent Xue Jiu finally spoke: "Lu Ye, how about we make a deal?"

Lu Ye continued to collect and refine the Dao Integration Orb fragments, while nonchalantly replying, "What do you want, Blood Lord?"

He already had a guess in his mind, knowing Xue Jiu couldn't hold back any longer. The current situation was very bad for Xue Jiu; he had to find a way to break the deadlock, otherwise, he wouldn't be able to stand firm in either the Inner Realm or the Origin Realm.

Lu Ye had been waiting for this moment!

"I'll give you the Azure Sky Mirror. You help me kill Xue Tianxing and seize his bloodline!" Xue Jiu gritted his teeth, as if he had made a great decision.

When Lu Ye had made this proposal earlier, he hadn't thought much about it. While Xue Tianxing's bloodline was indeed very attractive to him, paying his only supreme treasure for it was too high a price.

If Lu Ye could guarantee the success of the matter, he wouldn't mind.

But he knew Lu Ye couldn't give him such a guarantee, because Lu Ye himself couldn't be sure.

However, times had changed. The major upheaval in the Inner Realm was most likely an attack on the Blood Clan. For the past half month, Xue Jiu had been observing the Dao Integration Orb fragments, and it was clear that a vast number of Dao Integration Cities in the Inner Realm had been breached during this period, including many of Flood-grade and even Universe-grade.

Such large-scale warfare could only be a war between the Ten Great Dao Integration Cities.

Given the current situation, the Blood Clan's situation must be very grim.

Sooner or later, he would lose the foundation he had built over many years in the Inner Realm. Therefore, his only option now was to strengthen himself.

Xue Tianxing's bloodline was his only way out!

"Oh? Has Blood Lord made up your mind?" Lu Ye raised an eyebrow.

"I have a few demands!" Xue Jiu snorted coldly.

Lu Ye pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Tell me!"

"First, if this doesn't succeed, then so be it. But if it does, you must not contend with me for that bloodline!" Xue Jiu looked at Lu Ye with a serious expression, like an old dog guarding its food.

He had to guard against this. Lu Ye also possessed Blood Clan bloodline. Xue Tianxing's bloodline was useful to Xue Jiu, but also to Lu Ye. He couldn't risk Lu Ye trying to compete with him after they finally killed Xue Tianxing; that would be a catastrophic loss for him.

Without waiting for Lu Ye's reply, he continued, "Of course, as compensation, the supreme treasure in Xue Tianxing's possession can be yours!"

What he was referring to was undoubtedly the treasure Xue Tianxing had obtained from his previous sacrifice.

"Fair enough!" Lu Ye nodded.

Although he had some interest in Xue Tianxing's bloodline, he wasn't as eager as Xue Jiu. After all, the Blood Clan bloodline wasn't that important to him.

Though he was currently human, he possessed Dragon Clan bloodline and the status of an external Phoenix Clan member. Which of these wasn't more promising than the Blood Clan bloodline?

Xue Tianxing's supreme treasure was useless to him, but it could be transformed into nourishment to nurture the supreme treasure fruits on the Talent Tree.

"Second, I need you to help me forge a Dao Integration City!" Xue Jiu continued.

Before coming here, he hadn't had this idea at all. But witnessing Lu Ye casually collect Dao Integration Orb fragments, the idea spontaneously emerged.

This was also one of the reasons that prompted him to make up his mind.

Relying solely on poison to deal with Xue Tianxing didn't offer much certainty. After all, the power gap between them was immense. Even if Xue Tianxing was affected by the poison, no one knew how much his strength would be impacted. He was, after all, a Half-Saint!

But with the assistance of a Dao Integration City, the probability of success would be much higher.

The quality of this Dao Integration City didn't even need to be too high. Desolate-grade or Flood-grade would be perfectly sufficient. With the aid of the Dao Integration Orb at that time, Xue Jiu's strength could increase by several tenths, naturally giving him greater confidence in facing Xue Tianxing!

"Anything else?" Lu Ye asked.

"I need you to form an alliance with me. Until this matter yields a result, we shall watch out for each other and advance and retreat together!" Xue Jiu looked solemnly at Lu Ye.

Lu Ye chuckled, "Blood Lord, you are naive. I can say these words, but would you believe them? If this were the Inner Realm or the Outer Realm, I could swear an Oath of the Star Abyss. But in this Origin Realm, there are no conditions for swearing an oath!"

There was no Abyss aura in the Origin Realm.

This was strange, as the Abyss was clearly suppressed on Abyss Island. Traces of its aura were everywhere in the Inner and Outer Realms, yet the Origin Realm remained pure and unblemished.

The reason was unknown.

Without the Abyss aura, oaths naturally couldn't be sworn.

Xue Jiu said, "You also have Blood Clan bloodline; we can swear a blood oath!"

Lu Ye immediately raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.

This was something he had overlooked. Indeed, the Blood Clan had such a thing as a blood oath. Although its binding power wasn't as absolute as the Oath of the Star Abyss, it wasn't something that could be casually violated.

Xue Jiu's willingness to cooperate with him must have been based on the blood oath. Otherwise, how could two individuals who were originally enemies establish a foundation of trust?

It was just that Lu Ye himself was not originally from the Blood Clan, so he hadn't thought of this immediately.

"Agreed!" Lu Ye pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly.

"Without further ado, shall we begin now?" Xue Jiu looked at Lu Ye inquiringly. It was clear that the changes happening in the Inner Realm had made him quite impatient.

"A blood oath seems to require some preparation time?" Lu Ye asked. While speaking, he quickly recalled the various aspects of a blood oath. To form a blood oath like the one between him and Xue Jiu, there could absolutely be no sloppiness. Moreover, the preparations required were very complex, involving an ancient secret art of the Blood Clan.

"Indeed. If you trust me, I will need a drop of your heart's blood!" Xue Jiu spoke.

"Of course!" Lu Ye agreed without hesitation, pausing his current actions. He raised his hand, gripped the Panshawn Blade, and with a reverse grip, stabbed himself in the chest.

When the long blade was withdrawn, a drop of fresh blood on the tip of the blade solidified like a gem.

With a shake of the blade, the blood flew out. Xue Jiu raised his hand and made a cupping gesture, then gave Lu Ye a deep look: "Rest assured, I am cooperating with you with great sincerity."

Lu Ye gave a faint smile.

He didn't need to do anything further; Xue Jiu would complete the ancient secret art himself.

Xue Jiu soon took a drop of his own heart's blood, merging the two drops. He didn't go far, but busied himself beside Lu Ye, clearly to show his sincerity.

Lu Ye paid no attention, merely focusing on collecting the Dao Integration Orb fragments.

Half a month passed in a flash. At a certain moment, as Lu Ye refined all the collected Dao Integration Orb fragments, his spirit suddenly surged!

The Dao Integration Orb in his inner world had advanced to Universe-grade!

This abyss was simply the perfect location for him to cultivate the Minor World Secret Art. Previously, to improve the quality of his Dao Integration Orb, he needed to conquer cities everywhere. But here, he didn't need to do anything; he just had to wait. Dao Integration Cities in the Inner Realm were constantly being breached. Once that happened, large quantities of fragments from the destroyed Orbs would escape into this place, where he would then intercept them.

Such a heaven-sent opportunity, Lu Ye naturally wouldn't miss.

He wasn't in a hurry to construct the World Pillar, but continued to collect Dao Integration Orb fragments and integrate them into his inner world.

Beyond Universe-grade was Cosmos-grade, which was the level of the Ten Great Dao Integration Cities. So there was still room for improvement in the Minor World Secret Art. However, advancing from Universe-grade to Cosmos-grade would be extremely difficult, requiring an enormous number of Dao Integration Orb fragments.

There was also something else Lu Ye was concerned about.

Because the quality advancement of Dao Integration Cities from Universe-grade to Cosmos-grade wasn't just about accumulating quantity; it seemed to involve another factor.

Therefore, he didn't know if the Dao Integration Orb in his inner world was also subject to this constraint.

If that were the case, then if he wanted to upgrade his Dao Integration Orb to Cosmos-grade in the future, he would have to seize one of the Ten Great Cities and replace it. Otherwise, even if he accumulated enough quantity, the quality of the Dao Integration Orb would be difficult to break through.

This was also why, throughout history, there had only been ten Cosmos-grade Dao Integration Cities in the entire Inner Realm.

For example, the Universe-grade cities Lu Ye had encountered previously, every single one had been passed down for countless millennia. Yet, due to some special reasons, they were unable to break through their limitations.

Lu Ye didn't expect his Dao Integration Orb to instantly ascend to Cosmos-grade now, but with such an opportunity, integrating more fragments would save him a lot of time and effort in the future.

A few more days later, Xue Jiu, who had been busy, suddenly spoke: "Lu Ye, it's ready!"

Lu Ye turned his head to look. He saw Xue Jiu standing solemnly in place, a patch of blood-red energy wriggling before him as if alive. As he moved, the blood-red energy suddenly split into two streams. Xue Jiu then commanded in a deep voice, "Do not resist!"

The blood-red energy swept towards Lu Ye, directly rushing into his forehead. Lu Ye felt a burning sensation, and an exceedingly intricate blood-red pattern appeared on his forehead.