Chapter 2820: I've been waiting for you for a long time

Lu Ye’s eye twitched. Fo Wei, who had just violently slammed between him and Xuan Wu Zong, was now uncontrollably rocketing away, his body enveloped in streaks of electricity.

He came quickly and departed just as swiftly.

The next instant, he quickly regained his composure!

He sensed the presence of Yuan Xi City!

As the City Lord of Yuan Xi City, he had refined the Dao Conflux Orb upon taking office, establishing a close connection with the city’s Orb.

Fully engrossed in his battle with Xuan Wu Zong moments ago, he hadn’t noticed it until now.

Feeling invigorated, he turned to the stunned Xuan Wu Zong and smiled coldly, “You’re finished!”

He brought down a fierce strike with his blade.

His strength was originally inferior to Xuan Wu Zong’s, but with his city nearby and within the Dao Conflux Orb’s amplification range, his power would significantly increase.

The amplification from a Universe-grade city was terrifying.

Xuan Wu Zong would certainly be no match!

As the blade descended, its light was sharp and chilling, and Dao power surged around Lu Ye.

Although Xuan Wu Zong didn’t know what had changed, he dared not be careless. His longsword danced before him, transforming into a lightning barrier to protect himself.

The Mountain-Shattering Blade struck the lightning cascade.

Lu Ye’s expression turned to one of surprise.

From behind the lightning cascade, a sword light thrust out, like a thunder serpent baring its fangs, striking towards Lu Ye’s face.

He quickly tried to retreat but couldn’t evade in time. Seeing the sword about to strike, Lu Ye swiftly activated spatial power, distorting the space in front of him.

“Waa-ya-ya…” A strange cry echoed from a distance, growing closer. It was Fo Wei, who, seizing the moment while Lu Ye entangled Xuan Wu Zong, had broken free from the effects of the Nine Heavens Thunder Marsh Sword and charged back into the fray.

Just like before, he plunged straight into the battle.

His action seemed extremely reckless, yet its furious power was something even Xuan Wu Zong dared not ignore. The Great City Lord couldn’t help but frown, forced to abandon his sword momentum and instead thrust his sword towards Fo Wei.

Lightning erupted once more.

As Fo Wei crashed out from in front of them, his body was again enveloped by lightning, sending him uncontrollably flying into the distance.

This scene was so familiar; it had just happened moments ago.

Lu Ye narrowed his eyes slightly.

Something was wrong!

With the amplification from Yuan Xi City’s Dao Conflux Orb, his power should have surged dramatically. Given his current base strength of over eight thousand Dao marks, even a slight percentage increase from a Universe-grade Dao Conflux Orb would have allowed him to easily defeat Xuan Wu Zong.

Yet, that hadn’t happened.

While Yuan Xi City’s Dao Conflux Orb did amplify his strength, the increase was minimal, only adding a few hundred Dao marks of power!

Lu Ye instantly understood the reason.

He was reviled by the Will of the Star Abyss, making it difficult for him to borrow external power. This extended not only to the cultivation of lower-tier Dao Conflux but also to Dao Conflux Orbs!

Damn it!

On second thought, it wasn’t surprising. Both the resonance of Dao Conflux cultivation with the external world and the amplification from Dao Conflux Orbs were ways of borrowing power, making the wandering Dao power available for one’s own use.

If borrowing power through resonance was unusable, then amplification from a Dao Conflux Orb would similarly be ineffective.

Currently, the Abyss’s sentience had not fully awakened, so in either scenario, it couldn’t completely isolate Lu Ye. He estimated that once the Abyss’s sentience fully materialized, individuals like him, whom it completely cast aside and loathed, would not be able to borrow even a trace of power from the outside world.

As these thoughts flashed through Lu Ye’s mind, Xuan Wu Zong on the opposite side frowned deeply.

When Lu Ye had boasted moments ago, Xuan Wu Zong had indeed felt an impending sense of doom, a feeling he hadn’t experienced in hundreds of thousands of years.

That’s why he didn’t hold back at all with his sword strike.

But judging by the current situation, it seemed his opponent was just putting on a show. Although he didn’t know why Lu Ye’s strength had increased somewhat, the improvement was extremely limited.

After a moment of hesitation, both regained their focus and clashed again.

In the distance, Fo Wei finally regained his balance. He bared his teeth, gazing at the intense battle, then, after a brief consideration, floated forward and rushed towards them.

Having learned from his two previous mishaps, he was wiser this time. Instead of recklessly crashing into the battle, he entered the fray from the side, shouting again, “Senior Brother, I’m here to help you!”

Xuan Wu Zong was furious. His Thunder Marsh Sword vibrated violently, transforming into a lightning whip that lashed out fiercely towards Fo Wei.

Fo Wei’s mouth gaped open as he cursed in frustration. He raised his hand and summoned a massive tortoise shell, holding it above his head.

However, before the lightning whip could strike, Lu Ye swept his blade horizontally.

Space twisted.

The blade’s aura shone like the sun.

This forced Xuan Wu Zong to withdraw.

Fo Wei finally entered the battle, holding the massive tortoise shell in his hand and ignoring everything else as he slammed it towards Xuan Wu Zong with immense force.

Seizing the opportunity, Lu Ye charged forward, unleashing a ferocious thrust with his Mountain-Shattering Blade. Its light enveloped Xuan Wu Zong like a sky full of stars.

Under their combined assault, Xuan Wu Zong was forced to retreat again and again!

The many surrounding cultivators gasped, their eyes fixed on the battlefield in awe. What they witnessed today was truly shocking. First, a human cultivator whose strength rivaled that of the Ten Great City Lords had appeared out of nowhere, and now, another bald man had emerged.

The combined might of these two men forced Xuan Wu Zong into a purely defensive stance, something utterly unbelievable if not witnessed firsthand.

At this moment, Lu Ye felt a very strange sensation.

He wondered how Fo Wei had achieved such immense growth in just a few years. Among all the people in Yuan Xi City, Fo Wei had always been the least ambitious; Lu Ye had rarely seen him cultivate while he was still in the city.

Yet, in reality, Fo Wei now possessed strength comparable to his own.

Fo Wei must have received amplification from Yuan Xi City’s Dao Conflux Orb, as he was, after all, one of the city’s Vice City Lords.

But this alone couldn’t fully explain why Fo Wei possessed such power.

If his own foundation wasn’t strong enough, any amplification would be meaningless.

What Lu Ye found strange wasn’t the change in Fo Wei’s strength, but rather their coordination.

This was, in fact, the first time the two had fought together against an enemy, and against a top-tier expert from the Inner Realm like Xuan Wu Zong at that.

Yet, their coordination showed no awkwardness whatsoever. Instead, it was fluid and effortless, like fish in water. During the intense battle, they required no verbal communication or even eye contact. Their offense and defense seamlessly connected, revealing not a single flaw.

One could even say Fo Wei was Lu Ye’s clone, or perhaps even better than a clone.

Against an expert like Xuan Wu Zong, Lu Ye wouldn’t dare manifest a talent tree clone, as any moment of distraction could be fatal.

Xuan Wu Zong’s retreat became like a breaking dam, utterly unstoppable.

Annoyance grew within him, and he became increasingly impatient.

The success of today’s battle to slay Ba Qiu depended entirely on his performance.

Hong Tu, Zong Shenliang, and Gu Mingyue were of no help, as they were all held back by experts of equal strength. The four of them had predicted this scenario before taking action.

The main reason Xuan Wu Zong was chosen to act was because he possessed the strongest destructive power among the four.

Originally, everything was proceeding smoothly; he only needed to repel Ba Xia to march directly into Yifu City. But now, these two unexpected figures were blocking his path.

“Enough!” Xuan Wu Zong roared. His Thunder Marsh Sword suddenly vibrated and transformed into a bolt of lightning, striking fiercely towards Fo Wei.

After a brief, intense struggle, he naturally knew which of his two opponents was easier to handle.

In terms of raw strength, Lu Ye and Fo Wei were almost equal, but strength was one thing, and the ability to wield it was another.

Not to mention that Fo Wei had no associated treasures with him, his growth experience was far less diverse than Lu Ye’s.

Before Dao Conflux, he had always remained in the ancestral land of the Bu Clan, only going to designated locations at predetermined times, following the prophecies of the Ancestors.

After that, although he attained Dao Conflux alongside Lu Ye, his combat experience was actually very shallow. This was evident from Fo Wei’s various reactions during their recent battle.

If Lu Ye hadn’t constantly covered for him and patched up their weaknesses, their cooperation wouldn’t have been so flawless.

Xuan Wu Zong was confident that without Lu Ye holding him back, he could dispatch Fo Wei in less than a quarter of an hour.

Therefore, he decided to deal with Fo Wei first!

When that burst of lightning power erupted, Fo Wei couldn’t react at all. As he watched the purple lightning strike towards him, he showed not a hint of panic.

His form blurred slightly, then solidified again.

Xuan Wu Zong’s eyes narrowed, for in that instant, Lu Ye and Fo Wei had swapped positions.

“I’ve been waiting for you!” As Lu Ye spoke, his long blade vibrated, and a flash of mirror light flickered on its dark surface.

Lu Ye had naturally anticipated that Xuan Wu Zong would target Fo Wei, as he would have made the same decision if he were in Xuan Wu Zong’s position.

Although Fo Wei’s combat experience was lacking, his raw strength was undeniable. Therefore, to defeat him, Xuan Wu Zong would undoubtedly have to use his most powerful hidden techniques.

During the previous battle, Lu Ye had secretly left a mark on Fo Wei’s body. It was through this mark that the two were able to swap places.

Xuan Wu Zong’s sudden attack was also the opportunity Lu Ye had patiently awaited.

In that fleeting moment, the true plan was revealed.

The mirror light on the blade suddenly expanded, forming a mirror that floated horizontally before Lu Ye.

Xuan Wu Zong’s eyes narrowed. For some inexplicable reason, the mirror felt familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before.

Before he could fully comprehend it, the lightning transformed from the Thunder Marsh Sword struck the mirror’s surface.

The instant the mirror shattered, Lu Ye grunted, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

But the purple lightning rebounded, striking towards Xuan Wu Zong.

“Sky Mirror!” Xuan Wu Zong cried out, finally understanding why the mirror seemed familiar.

Wasn’t this Xue Jiu’s Sky Mirror?

That fellow Xue Jiu treasured this supreme artifact immensely, as it was his only one, and he rarely revealed it.

He suddenly recalled that Xue Jiu had been pursuing Lu Ye, and then both of them had disappeared.

Lu Ye had returned, but where was Xue Jiu?

Could it be…

Otherwise, how would the Sky Mirror have ended up in Lu Ye’s hands?

In that fleeting moment, numerous thoughts swirled through Xuan Wu Zong’s mind. He had no time to ponder; he could only frantically channel his power to protect himself.

The purple lightning struck him, instantly shattering his protective Dao power. The purple lightning enveloped him, causing him to tremble uncontrollably.