Winds Stir Kyushu
In this scheme against Xue Tianxing, the power of the Myriad Poisons Bead was one crucial element, and this Grand Dao Orb was another.
However, the Grand Dao Orb's aura was too unique and exceedingly fragile. Xue Jiu found it inconvenient to carry it, and it was also impractical to forge a Grand Dao City.
Thus, it could only be brought to the vicinity by Lu Ye's Talent Tree avatar, just moments before the attack, as seen now.
This way, Xue Jiu could still benefit from the Grand Dao Orb's power amplification.
The moment Xue Tianxing fully immersed himself in refining the Grand Dao Orb in his hand, the two schemers, who had planned for a long time, struck simultaneously with almost no warning. This was completely unexpected for him.
Consequently, he had no defense whatsoever against their simultaneous strike.
Nevertheless, a Half-Saint is still a Half-Saint; his reaction was incredibly swift. The moment he sensed danger, Dao Power surged wildly throughout his body.
Yet, his expression instantly shifted.
An anomaly had suddenly erupted within him; his mighty vital energy and blood, surging like a sea, instantly became chaotic, and even the flow of his Dao Power grew sluggish.
His overall strength plummeted by more than twenty percent.
An incomparably sharp blade struck the back of his neck.
Though Lu Ye had barely begun cultivating the eighth level of the Inner World Secret Art, his base strength had already surpassed six thousand Dao Power. With a thirty percent amplification from the Sub-Dao Realm, this single strike unleashed nearly eight thousand units of power.
Yet, it still couldn't penetrate Xue Tianxing's protective Dao Power!
From the sensation that vibrated back through the blade, Lu Ye felt as if his strike had landed on incredibly tough oxhide.
The power of a Half-Saint was truly immense!
His sword-wielding right arm suddenly swelled noticeably, as almost all of his vital energy and blood converged into it, causing Lu Ye's face to momentarily blanch.
The blade vibrated violently.
On the other side, the blood-red longsword in Xue Jiu's hand had struck Xue Tianxing's throat. Just like Lu Ye's experience, his full-force blow was repelled by the Blood Race Half-Saint's protective Dao Power.
He roared, his vital energy and blood, along with the Dao Power throughout his body, boiling simultaneously.
With the amplification from that Grand-level Grand Dao Orb, the destructive power of his strike was even more formidable than Lu Ye's.
Under the pincer attack, Xue Tianxing's protective Dao Power finally shattered. Xue Jiu's blood-red longsword pierced into Xue Tianxing's neck, unleashing Dao Power that blasted a gaping hole in his throat.
From behind, Lu Ye's vibrating blade broke through skin and flesh, cutting into the Dao bone.
In such a critical moment, it seemed that in less than a breath, Xue Tianxing's head would be severed from his body.
“How dare you!” A furious roar erupted as Xue Dong and Xue Xiao struck simultaneously. One charged at Xue Jiu, the other at Lu Ye, their Dao weapons glinting with a cold, menacing light.
Lu Ye and Xue Jiu had no spare energy to contend with these two. Their focus was entirely on Xue Tianxing; as long as they could slay this Blood Race Half-Saint, Xue Dong and Xue Xiao would be inconsequential, easily dispatched!
But was Xue Tianxing one to simply await his demise? While activating his protective Dao Power, he simultaneously unleashed his Saintly suppression upon Xue Jiu.
Almost the instant Xue Jiu's sword pierced Xue Tianxing's throat, his hand suddenly went limp, losing its previously unstoppable sharpness.
Xue Dong had already reached them, savagely slamming a war hammer into Xue Jiu. Under the unleashing of furious power, Xue Jiu was sent flying backward like a rag doll, spitting blood.
Having focused all his strength on Xue Tianxing, he had no means to defend against Xue Dong's strike and suffered a severe blow.
Behind Xue Tianxing, Lu Ye met the same fate. Xue Xiao's long spear pierced through Lu Ye's shoulder blade, flinging him away with a burst of fierce power.
The Blood Sea surged.
Lu Ye and Xue Jiu hastily regained their footing, expressions of bitter unwillingness etched on their faces.
Their coordination in this assault had been seamless. Had Xue Tianxing not brought Xue Dong and Xue Xiao, he would certainly have been decapitated. But with the aid of his two trusted lieutenants, Xue Tianxing ultimately managed to save his life!
Having averted the immediate crisis, Xue Tianxing staggered back a couple of steps, raising a hand to clutch his neck. Blood seeped through his fingers, and his face was etched with shock.
In all the years since he attained Half-Saint status, he had never faced such a crisis. In that single moment, he had truly had a brush with death.
He was utterly enraged!
He had never imagined he would face such a crisis this time, especially not that his assailant would be Xue Jiu, who had been constantly fawning over him in recent days!
His vital energy and blood surged, and the wound at the front of his neck rapidly healed. However, the injury at the back of his neck was enveloped by a strange power, making it difficult to recover.
What enraged him further was the obvious sign of poisoning. He had been utterly unaware of the virulent poison flowing within him until it suddenly erupted during the crisis. Now, it felt like scorching magma coursing through his veins, corroding his flesh and obstructing the flow of his power, forcing him to divert a portion of his strength to suppress it.
He angrily raised his gaze, glaring fiercely ahead, and gritted his teeth, roaring, “Xue Jiu!”
Xue Jiu had no time to spare him any attention. The Blood Master was already locked in an intense battle with Xue Dong.
Even with Xue Tianxing's bloodline suppression, Xue Jiu still held the upper hand. Xue Dong's strength was inherently a notch below his, and with the Grand-level Grand Dao Orb's amplification, the disparity between them only widened, a gap that the Blood Race's Saintly suppression could not bridge.
Suddenly, a life force was extinguished!
Xue Tianxing flinched slightly. As he turned, he clearly saw Xue Xiao's body trembling through the dense Blood Sea, his eye socket pierced by Lu Ye's long blade.
How could this be?
Xue Tianxing was perplexed.
Having just been ambushed by Lu Ye, he was well aware of the human warrior's strength. While Lu Ye was certainly stronger than Xue Xiao, he shouldn't have been able to kill Xue Xiao so swiftly.
These two should have clashed for a while.
He quickly noticed something amiss: another figure, clad in white, floated behind Lu Ye, holding a peculiar gourd. Its mouth opened, and a heaven-shaking sword energy shot out, arcing towards him.
Xue Tianxing waved a hand, and the sword energy slashing towards him shattered with a resounding crash.
He didn't know where this individual had come from, just as he didn't understand why Xue Jiu dared to attack him. But it didn't matter; in the face of absolute power, all schemes and tricks were futile.
Sword energy streamed continuously. The Talent Tree avatar had originally appeared at the pre-arranged spatial array a hundred miles away; its mission was to deliver Xue Jiu's Grand Dao Orb.
With the task now complete, it could leave the Grand Dao Orb there and come to support Lu Ye's main body.
Beneath this abyss, where human presence was rare, there was no concern that the Grand Dao Orb would be destroyed if left there.
The avatar momentarily diverted Xue Tianxing's attention, while Lu Ye's main body, moving like a swift dragon, bypassed Xue Tianxing and headed directly for Xue Jiu and Xue Dong's battlefield.
In the current situation, it was obvious to go for the easier target first. Xue Dong had to be eliminated so that Lu Ye could join forces with Xue Jiu to confront the Blood Race Half-Saint.
Otherwise, Xue Dong alone would cause them significant trouble.
“Wishful thinking!” Xue Tianxing immediately saw through Lu Ye's intention. He raised a hand and waved it, and blood coalesced, forming a crimson whip that coiled towards Lu Ye.
Just as it was about to ensnare Lu Ye, his figure suddenly blurred. The crimson whip merely coiled around an afterimage.
“Hm?” Xue Tianxing was astonished, completely unaware of how Lu Ye had managed to evade his sudden strike.
Lu Ye had already reached Xue Dong's side, bringing his long blade down fiercely onto his back.
Xue Dong's expression was utterly terrified. He was already no match for Xue Jiu in their confrontation, and now, facing such a sneak attack, he had no chance to react.
He instantly felt a violent force assaulting him. His already unstable protective Dao Power was directly breached, and a searing pain shot through his back as his entire body was nearly torn apart.
Xue Jiu seized the opportunity to thrust his sword, piercing him clean through. Dao Power erupted, extinguishing Xue Dong's last vestige of life.
Pulling out his sword, Xue Jiu stood gravely beside Lu Ye, gazing at the utterly disheveled Xue Tianxing not far away.
Meanwhile, behind Xue Tianxing, the Talent Tree avatar held its sword gourd, from which chilling sword energy emanated.
From the moment Lu Ye and Xue Jiu launched their sudden assault until this instant, no more than ten breaths had passed.
With two trusted aides dead, himself poisoned, and the wound on the back of his neck refusing to heal, Xue Tianxing, despite his disheveled appearance, maintained a normal expression. He stared coldly at Xue Jiu: “I truly didn't realize you harbored such ambition!”
By now, how could he not understand Xue Jiu's intentions? This was clearly an attempt to usurp his bloodline and replace him.
It must be said that Xue Jiu had genuinely impressed him this time. Yet, precisely because of this, the rage in his heart erupted like a volcano.
Xue Jiu remained silent. He had already made his move, and words were now useless; only actions would tell. Yet, facing the Half-Saint's bloodline suppression, a flicker of dread inevitably crossed his eyes. He only regretted that Xue Dong and Xue Xiao had spoiled his plans; otherwise, he would likely already be savoring the fruits of victory.
“What? You dare to act, but not to speak?” Xue Tianxing sneered relentlessly.
Xue Jiu gritted his teeth. “Since the Saint Lord knows my intent, then I ask the Saint Lord to die!” As he spoke, he transformed into a streak of crimson light, his Dao weapon longsword trailing behind him, and charged ferociously towards Xue Tianxing.
He had initiated this battle, so he couldn't rely on Lu Ye to break the stalemate. Thus, despite his apprehension, he had to make the first move.
“Then let’s see what you’re capable of!” Xue Tianxing gritted his teeth, raised his hand, and conjured his Dao weapon, bringing it down fiercely upon the charging Xue Jiu.
His Dao weapon was, surprisingly, a short staff adorned with intricate patterns, clearly identifying it as a treasured artifact.
As the staff descended, its length abruptly increased.
Xue Jiu was caught off guard, utterly unable to dodge. He watched helplessly as the strike descended, only able to mobilize his power in a futile attempt to resist.
He knew there was a significant disparity in strength between himself and Xue Tianxing. Without the bloodline suppression, he might have stood a chance, but under its influence, blocking this attack was simply impossible.
If he failed to block this blow, he estimated he would suffer no less than a severe injury.
At this critical juncture, a figure appeared behind him, and a dazzling blade light swept out horizontally.
Spatial power permeated, and space itself stretched.
Horizon Blade!
Xue Jiu's eyes lit up. He, too, was proficient in spatial power and instantly recognized the name of that blade technique. He immediately flashed to the side.
Immediately, one side of his body went slightly numb as Xue Tianxing's blow, by the narrowest margin, grazed past him and struck empty air.
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