Chapter 2840

**Winds Stir the Nine Provinces**

Before the Qiankun Cauldron, the Heavenly City was breached, horrifying all who witnessed it. It was unimaginable that a He-dao City could be breached so easily. Even if the Heavenly City wasn't of the highest rank, its defensive formation was undeniably formidable. Yet, the defensive formation's energy barrier, pushed to its limit, couldn't even withstand three breaths under Lu Ye's long saber. It was utterly unbelievable.

Even when Lu Ye stepped out of the Heavenly City, the numerous cultivators present had not yet recovered from their shock. It wasn't until a scream echoed that the faces of the surrounding cultivators drastically changed. Lu Ye, enveloped in a potent killing intent, had instantly charged at a nearby cultivator and struck him down with a single saber blow. As blood splattered, Lu Ye made a casual gesture, and the thick blood transformed into a blood-binding lock, ensnaring the heavily wounded cultivator on the spot. His figure already darted towards the next person, with Su Yuqing, holding her potted plant, following closely behind.

"Fellow Daoist..." The He-dao cultivator he targeted turned pale with shock. Having just witnessed Lu Ye's divine might, he knew he was no match and dared not confront him directly, exclaiming as he fled backward. There was no escaping; a figure flashed before his eyes as Lu Ye closed in. Saber light flashed, and the protective Dao power was torn apart as if it were made of paper. Meeting the same fate as the heavily wounded cultivator earlier, this He-dao cultivator was bound in place by a blood-binding lock in the blink of an eye. Lu Ye's figure was already moving towards the third person.

Only then did the numerous cultivators truly regain their senses. Someone exclaimed, "This guy's crazy!" Lu Ye's sudden, inexplicable appearance and his forceful breach of the Heavenly City had led everyone to assume he harbored some personal vendetta against it, so most had adopted an attitude of detached observation. After all, every cultivator here was after the supreme treasure, especially the Qiankun Cauldron, which clearly lacked sentience. Before the situation became clear, no one dared to make the first move to avoid stirring public outrage. This was precisely why numerous He-dao Cities and cultivators had gathered here and had remained peaceful until now. Lu Ye's forceful actions undoubtedly shattered this unspoken rule. He had no direct vendetta against the Heavenly City; he intended to clear the area!

"Fellow Daoists," someone cried out, "let's join forces and kill him first!" But as soon as the words fell, Lu Ye, who had been some distance away, suddenly flickered and darted to this person's front. His Panshan Saber swept horizontally, and with just one blow, it nearly severed the man's entire head. The man clutched his throat, thick blood spurting from between his fingers, as he staggered backward, his face filled with terror. Before he could make any other move, his body stiffened, already bound in place. Dao power surged wildly all around, and waves of attacks poured forth. The previously peaceful area instantly became like a handful of salt thrown into a pot of hot oil, completely boiling over. Such a dense barrage of attacks was overwhelmingly violent.

If Lu Ye were alone, he could have easily avoided the attacks using his rapid movement technique. However, with Su Yuqing following behind him, it was difficult to dodge. He raised his hand and swept Su Yuqing into his embrace, frantically urging his Dao power to protect both himself and her. The next instant, their figures were submerged by countless attacks. The attacking He-dao cultivators couldn't help but widen their eyes, certain that Lu Ye would surely die.

But no sooner had this thought popped into their minds than their pupils suddenly constricted. Because amidst the violent attacks, a mirror-like surface seemed to flash and disappear, and immediately afterward, countless attacks bounced back the way they came. No one reacted to this sudden change. In an instant, the attacking He-dao cultivators were thrown into disarray, appearing utterly disheveled. "A supreme treasure!" someone shrieked. When that mirror-like surface flashed earlier, the unmistakable aura of a supreme treasure was revealed, allowing everyone to clearly sense it. Moreover, that supreme treasure actually possessed the ability to reflect! At this very instant, a profound shock surged through everyone's minds. "One of the Ten Great City Lords!" This human weapon cultivator was definitely a powerhouse on par with the Ten Great City Lords; otherwise, it would be impossible for him to possess a supreme treasure and wield it with such ease. His He-dao City must even be nearby; otherwise, even a Ten Great City Lord without the enhancement of a He-dao Orb couldn't possess such formidable strength. Yet, Lu Ye's face was too unfamiliar; he was clearly not any of the Ten Great City Lords they knew. There was no time to think further. Lu Ye, who had launched a ferocious assault, was like a tiger charging into a sheep pen. Anyone he targeted could not escape; screams rang out one after another, and figures were bound by blood-binding locks.

Three breaths later, some cultivators finally saw the unfavorable situation and turned to flee outward. In an instant, numerous figures scattered and fled in all directions. "Hmph!" A cold snort was heard, and a point of blood-red light suddenly bloomed, rapidly expanding and instantly transforming into a vast, dense sea of blood. "The Blood Sea Art!" Within the sea of blood, cries of alarm rang out. The He-dao cultivators who cried out were filled with doubt: Lu Ye was clearly human in appearance and a weapon cultivator, so how could he activate a Blood Sea of such a scale? An ordinary Blood Clan member couldn't cast a Blood Sea like this; probably only the Blood Lord, Xue Jiu, possessed the same ability. Trapped within the sea of blood, it was like being stuck in a swamp. Not only was movement slowed, but turbulent undercurrents within the blood sea swirled numerous figures, making it difficult to discern directions. What was even more terrifying was that constant screams and cries of alarm emanated from within the sea of blood, only to abruptly cease, as if they had met a dire end. "Fellow Daoists, please attack together after three breaths to break this sea of blood! Only then will we have a chance at survival!" a voice cried out from deep within the blood sea. The cultivator who spoke clearly had a profound understanding of the Blood Sea Art. A Blood Sea of this scale was not easy to maintain and must impose a great burden on the caster. Therefore, it wasn't impossible to break it, but it required many people to act together. Given the current situation, only by breaking this sea of blood would those trapped here have a chance to escape; otherwise, they would eventually be defeated one by one.

Three breaths passed, and Dao power fluctuations suddenly erupted from various parts of the blood sea. The entire blood sea was like boiling water, trembling uneasily. Within the blood sea, Lu Ye, who was hunting around with Su Yuqing, furrowed his brow. If it were only a group of He-dao cultivators trapped in the blood sea, he would still have hope of maintaining it. But this time, those trapped in the blood sea were not just He-dao cultivators; there were also many He-dao Cities. At present, for self-preservation, the City Lords of those He-dao Cities were ferociously activating the power of their city's grand formations, unleashing violent attacks in all directions. So even he could not maintain it for too long. Since that was the case... He shifted his gaze towards a certain direction and darted away.

Another ten breaths passed, and the sea of blood suddenly dispersed. At this very instant, all cultivators watching the projected scene across the starry sky were startled. Previously, when the blood sea spread out, the projection had been entirely blood-red, with nothing else visible except continuous screams. Thus, they had no idea what was truly happening on the battlefield, only that Lu Ye was likely on a killing spree. Until now, with the sea of blood dispersed... As many as forty to fifty He-dao cultivators were bound in place by blood-binding locks, unable to move. Seeing this scene, their eyes were filled with shock and awe. One must know that from the blood sea's expansion to its dispersion, not much time had passed, yet so many He-dao cultivators had met a cruel end. They knew Lu Ye was definitely strong, but they hadn't expected him to be this strong. What terrified them even more was that Lu Ye was now standing before a Desolate-rank City. This was one of only two Desolate-rank Cities near the Qiankun Cauldron, far surpassing the Heavenly City from earlier in both rank and foundation. Lu Ye's long saber was already striking the defensive energy barrier of that Desolate-rank City, with emerald light flowing along its blade...

Inside the Desolate-rank City, the faces of the many He-dao cultivators changed drastically. Having personally witnessed how Lu Ye breached the Heavenly City earlier, they naturally knew what he was doing. The City Lord immediately took out his jade slip and frantically urged the defensive grand formation. But his expression suddenly changed because he found it utterly useless. The opponent's attack seemed to possess an extremely strong counteractive power, and the defensive grand formation's energy barrier, under that saber edge, was rapidly melting like a snowflake under the scorching sun. With a tearing sound, a gap appeared in the grand formation's energy barrier, and Lu Ye stepped in, charging forward. The Desolate-rank City Lord's pupils constricted. Without thinking, he turned and rushed into the central grand hall. Everything prior made him realize that any rhetoric now was useless. If he didn't quickly escape into the Hehe Realm, he and all the cultivators in the city would suffer the same fate as the Heavenly City. His speed was fast, but Lu Ye's speed was even faster. Space around him twisted, and as he took a step, he and Su Yuqing had already vanished from the spot. When the Desolate-rank City Lord rushed into the central grand hall, he saw Lu Ye standing there, witnessing the shattering of the He-dao Orb. His heart immediately sank to rock bottom! Without the He-dao Orb, how could he enter the Hehe Realm? In a daze, a flash of saber light bloomed before his eyes; a pain shot through his chest, and he was sent flying backward. After personally experiencing Lu Ye's power, he finally understood why those He-dao cultivators seemed so easily defeated. Such strength definitely rivaled that of the Ten Great City Lords. His face filled with unwillingness, he asked, "Fellow Daoist, why is this?" He truly couldn't understand. If Lu Ye had his eyes on the Qiankun Cauldron, he only needed to say so, and they would naturally yield. Although there were many cultivators gathered here, they were ultimately a scattered group. Who would be willing to risk contending with a powerhouse on par with a Ten Great City Lord for anything? But ever since Lu Ye appeared, he had immediately begun to act, without any intention of communicating with them. So he truly couldn't figure out why this was happening. Equally bewildered were the invaders watching this scene via projection. Lu Ye, however, bothered not to reply. After dealing with all the cultivators in this Desolate-rank City, he surprisingly flashed towards another Desolate-rank City, pursuing them.

With the Blood Sea breached, the surviving cultivators and He-dao Cities naturally scattered and fled. Cultivators, being solitary, fled incredibly fast, but He-dao Cities were much slower, especially the Desolate-rank ones, which were the largest and slowest. In such circumstances, anyone targeted by Lu Ye could hardly expect a good outcome. However, the cultivators within this He-dao City were quite decisive. Seeing Lu Ye pursuing them, they all quickly used their He-dao Orbs to escape into the Hehe Realm. By the time Lu Ye breached this city and entered it, he only captured a group of Fusion cultivators who hadn't managed to escape. He turned and looked around, finally giving up the idea of continued pursuit. If he continued to pursue, he could indeed gain more, but it was enough for now. At the end of the day, his objective this time was not to utterly annihilate all invading enemies. No matter how strong he was, he alone would find it difficult to accomplish such a feat.