Chapter 2822: With Me in Battle

"Senior?" In Yifu City, a blood-soaked Lu Ye stared in astonishment at the burly figure slowly rising from the throne.

Had anyone told him earlier that Baqiu would attack him, he would have utterly disbelieved it.

Although he hadn't had extensive contact with the strongest being in the Inner Realm, Baqiu had always been straightforward and honorable, offering help and support to both him and Liao. This was precisely why Lu Ye had rushed to assist without hesitation upon learning Baqiu was in trouble.

Yet, just moments ago, Baqiu had truly attacked him, and it was a sneak attack!

Not far away, Fuwei suddenly stood up, about to rush towards Lu Ye, but his wrist was firmly grasped by Baxia.

Fuwei turned to look at his ancestor. Baxia slowly shook his head, his expression serious. "Don't go!"

"Ancestor, I need to help!" Fuwei said in a deep voice.

He and Lu Ye shared honor and disgrace. Having just fought a battle against Xuanwuzong, he naturally intended to advance and retreat with Lu Ye now facing Baqiu.

But as soon as he spoke, he suddenly remembered that Baqiu was not Xuanwuzong. Baqiu's relationship with his own ancestor was just like his own relationship with Lu Ye.

Therefore, if he were to join the fight, his ancestor certainly wouldn't stand idly by, resulting in a two-on-two situation.

If that happened, he would be fighting his own ancestor!

This was something Fuwei absolutely did not want to face.

His eyes trembled involuntarily. "How could this be?"

Baxia said earnestly, "You must have glimpsed your own destiny!"

Fuwei suddenly recalled that not long after first meeting Lu Ye, Lu Ye had asked him to perform a divination. He seemed to have witnessed a life-and-death battle between Lu Ye and Baqiu. At the time, he found it incredible, as Baqiu had been famous for many years, and his position as the strongest in the Inner Realm was unshakable. Even other strong figures among the Ten City Lords were unwilling to easily engage Baqiu in conflict.

At that time, Lu Ye was merely an unknown Harmonization realm cultivator. How could he possibly engage in a life-and-death battle with such a powerhouse?

It turned out that this was where the prophecy came true!

"Why?" Fuwei's expression was pained as he looked at his ancestor. "Why is this happening? Why does it have to be this way?"

Baxia smiled gently, patting his hand. "Just watch!"

Before the throne, Baqiu stood tall, his massive blade pointed at Lu Ye. "Fight me!"

Lu Ye's face was solemn. "Is this the help you needed, Senior?"

"Indeed!" Baqiu nodded. "I've been waiting for this day for a long time. I originally thought I'd have to wait a few more years, but now it seems your growth speed has exceeded expectations. You are now qualified to fight me!"

Lu Ye's expression was slightly strange. "Senior, you might not be my match right now. Perhaps we should wait until your injuries have healed?"

His failed advancement must have significantly affected Baqiu. Otherwise, during the intense battle just now, he wouldn't have remained in the city, idly watching. He would surely have joined the fray himself, rather than sending Baxia out to confront the enemy.

In other words, the current Baqiu was definitely no match for Xuanwuzong. Since Lu Ye could contend with Xuanwuzong, Baqiu naturally couldn't be his opponent.

Hearing this, Baqiu grinned. "You seem to have forgotten what my blade is capable of..."

Before he finished speaking, Baqiu's expression turned to one of shock, as Lu Ye's grotesque wounds were visibly and rapidly healing.

Lu Ye, of course, hadn't forgotten the power of the massive blade in Baqiu's hand. Both being from the Soldier Clan, Liao's power constantly tore at wounds, but Shang's power was a seal.

Any wound inflicted by Shang would cause sealing power to invade the body, suppressing the enemy's strength.

All the strong figures in the Inner Realm knew that when confronting Baqiu, one must never be wounded by him, as the more one fought, the weaker one's strength would become.

The wound Baqiu inflicted on Lu Ye in his sneak attack was grotesque and terrifying. That level of sealing power was enough to suppress Lu Ye's strength by as much as thirty percent.

The strongest figure in the Inner Realm was indeed greatly weakened at the moment, but if Lu Ye's strength were suppressed by thirty percent, they would be evenly matched.

However, to his utter surprise, Lu Ye, by some unknown means, had so quickly expelled the power of Shang from his wounds.

It was precisely because of this that the grotesque wounds could rapidly heal; otherwise, with the power of Shang lingering, recovery would be impossible.

As early as when Lu Ye was in the Harmonization realm, he could gradually burn away the power of Shang with the help of the Talent Tree. Now, not only was he in the Dao Integration realm, but the Talent Tree had also been upgraded to a supreme treasure, making its burning power incomparably stronger than before.

While the power of Shang was indeed elusive and troublesome, requiring other Ten City Lords to spend time and effort to slowly expel it, for Lu Ye, burning it away was effortless.

The astonishment on his face lasted only an instant before Baqiu chuckled. "Good!"

Lu Ye raised a hand. "Senior, let's wait until your injuries heal. We have plenty of time; there's no rush right now."

Despite the sneak attack from Baqiu, Lu Ye didn't believe he truly intended to kill him, as there had been no hint of murderous intent when Baqiu struck earlier.

This human elder simply wanted to seal his strength to create an environment for a fair fight.

Lu Ye didn't know why he insisted on doing this, but now was definitely not a good time.

"Too late!" As Baqiu's eyes opened and closed, golden light surged forth, as if two suns had been embedded in his gaze.

At the same time, a layer of blood-red flames suddenly ignited on his body. The flames shot up dozens of feet high, their crimson hue almost engulfing the entire Yifu City.

Within the blood-red flames, Baqiu's figure appeared even taller and more imposing. His aura rapidly surged, making him difficult to look at directly.

Lu Ye's eyes trembled, his throat dry. "Senior, why go to such extremes!"

He hadn't expected Baqiu to be burning his own life essence.

As he spoke, Baqiu charged forward, blade in hand, delivering a heavy downward slash. Lu Ye hastily raised his blade to block, and with a booming impact, Yifu City trembled.

Lu Ye was struck by an immense, violent force, his body sent drifting into the depths of the void. Baqiu followed like a shadow, his massive blade pressing against the Pan Mountain Blade, his golden eyes fixed on Lu Ye's. "I won't hold back. If you can't kill me, you will die!"

Unlike during the sneak attack earlier, Lu Ye now felt an exceptionally clear murderous intent from Baqiu. He immediately understood that Baqiu wasn't just speaking idly; he genuinely intended to follow through.

What he wanted was not just a battle, but a struggle of life and death!

He had poured everything into this. This battle would also be the last for the strongest figure in the Inner Realm. After this fight, regardless of victory or defeat, Baqiu, having burned his life essence, would not survive.

But... Lu Ye couldn't understand why he would do this.

There was no enmity between them; in fact, Lu Ye felt much gratitude towards Baqiu and had even helped him out of a predicament just moments ago. To repay kindness with malice was not Baqiu's nature.

As if discerning his confusion, Baqiu slowly spoke. "During my advancement, I glimpsed the truth, so I severed my own foundation!"

Lu Ye's heart jolted, and he finally understood.

It seemed his initial thoughts were correct. He had originally believed Baqiu had only severed his path to advancement, which was why Yuan had been so furious.

But now he knew the situation was worse than he had imagined: Baqiu had cut off not just this advancement path, but his very foundation.

If he hadn't been forced, Baqiu would never have done such a thing.

The fact that he did it meant the circumstances at the time left him no choice; only by doing so could he escape his downfall.

For a cultivator to sever their own foundation meant that even if their life was preserved, they would have no future. Moreover, as time passed, their strength would increasingly wane until it reached its limit.

How could someone as proud as Baqiu allow himself to slowly wither like a late autumn flower?

This battle with Lu Ye would be his last and most spectacular bloom in life, something he deeply yearned for.

He certainly hadn't intended to make these explanations, but if Lu Ye didn't know the truth, he wouldn't be able to truly enjoy this battle.

Pain filled Lu Ye's eyes. His body, pushed back by the immense force, slowly stabilized. He said in a deep voice, "I understand."

Slowly exhaling, Lu Ye reopened his eyes, his expression solemn. "Then, Senior... please give it your all!"

As he spoke, the Pan Mountain Blade erupted with blade energy, and he unleashed a fierce chop.

Baqiu was sent flying, a look of approval on his face, but the murderous intent in his eyes intensified. He quickly regained his balance and swung his blade down.

Dao power surged, and just a single clash distorted the surrounding void.

Both combatants were abandoned by the Will of the Star Abyss. Although their respective Dao Integration cities were nearby, neither could leverage the amplifying power of the Dao Integration Orb.

Lu Ye's own foundation was strong enough, and after burning his life essence, Baqiu had also recovered some of his peak prowess.

Therefore, from the very beginning, this battle was an evenly matched contest.

In Yifu City, Fuwei and his ancestor, Baxia, stood at the edge of the ruined city, gazing from afar at the shocking battle, both with complex expressions.

Leaving aside the terrifying strength of the two combatants, their fighting style was brutally simple, devoid of any frills.

The two figures constantly collided and separated, like two immense waves endlessly crashing in the ocean. Every strike was delivered with full power, and no one held back.

It was a test of who would collapse first.

Blood splattered.

In such a furious exchange, neither Lu Ye nor Baqiu could fully protect themselves. In just a short time, both had accumulated numerous injuries.

The difference was that Baqiu's injuries were difficult to heal due to the lingering power of Liao, while Lu Ye's wounds consistently recovered rapidly.

A million miles away from this battlefield, a streak of water energy darted back and forth in the void, but the surrounding space constantly warped and inverted, making escape impossible.

That streak of water energy was Gu Mingyue.

The Phoenix Lord had pursued her all the way here and was on the verge of giving up. After all, they were both among the Ten City Lords, and even if the Phoenix Lord was stronger, killing Gu Mingyue would be difficult.

Unexpectedly, the Dragon Lord suddenly arrived to assist, which gave the Phoenix Lord hope, and her attacks became even more ferocious.

But at this point, the Phoenix Lord suddenly frowned. "Yang Fengxian, what are you playing at?"

They had known each other for countless years; if anyone in the world truly understood the Dragon Lord, it was the Phoenix Lord. By rights, with the two of them working together, even if they couldn't defeat Gu Mingyue outright, they should have been able to severely wound her.

Yet, in truth, at every critical moment, the Dragon Lord's coordination would falter slightly, giving Gu Mingyue a chance to catch her breath.

It was as if the Dragon Lord was doing it on purpose.