Chapter 2841: Killing the Chicken to Warn the Monkey

Wind Rises in Jiuzhou

A great battle had just concluded, but its events left countless cultivators who witnessed it deeply unsettled for a long time. Alone, with only a single blade, he had, in a short span, breached one heaven-grade city and two barren-grade cities, capturing nearly a hundred Harmonious Dao cultivators and countless Integrated Dao cultivators. Such formidable power sent shivers down the spines of those who faced him and inspired awe in those who merely watched.

However, everyone harbored a single question. From beginning to end, Lu Ye appeared to have killed no one. He merely inflicted severe injuries upon these cultivators and then bound them in place using a secret technique. In battles of this magnitude, capturing without killing is undoubtedly more difficult than outright slaughter, yet Lu Ye chose to do so. No one understood why. To say he was wary of the powers behind these Harmonious Dao cultivators seemed incorrect, especially after he had successively breached three Harmonious Dao cities.

Across the various parts of the starry sky, in those projected scenes, Lu Ye, who had been facing away, slowly turned around. A young, stern face came into view. He gazed forward, seemingly staring through the projections at every observer, his chilling eyes sending shivers down their spines. Three breaths later, Lu Ye slowly raised his hand, and a surge of vital energy pulsed around him. Streaks of blood-red light suddenly flew in from all directions, revealing the cultivators he had previously wounded and bound in place. There were hundreds of them, all, without exception, bound by crimson restraints.

During the previous battle, though Lu Ye displayed boundless and unmatched might, observers were still puzzled. He was, after all, alone, so why didn't the wounded and bound cultivators try to escape? After injuring them, Lu Ye had simply left them where they were. In such a situation, anyone would try to flee. Only upon witnessing this moment did they understand the reason. All the captured individuals, whether Integrated Dao or Harmonious Dao, were enveloped in a greenish-black aura. Their faces were pale, their auras weak, clearly showing signs of poisoning. The crimson chains binding them twisted and writhed like living things. In such a state, who could possibly escape?

Hundreds of people were drawn from all directions, landing behind Lu Ye, all looking at him with unease. Some began to plead for mercy, others cried out, and the scene became incredibly noisy. Lu Ye, however, paid them no mind. He simply stared forward and slowly spoke: "I am Lu Ye of the Human Race!" This was the first time he had spoken since his appearance; he had remained silent even during the earlier battle. Instantly, countless foreign cultivators before the projections held their breath, listening intently.

"Lord of Yuanxi City, Phoenix Clan External Steward, and a member of the Dragon Clan!" His voice was resounding, amplified by Dao power, spreading through the projections to all corners of the starry sky and astonishing countless foreign cultivators beyond measure. For a human to become an External Steward of the Phoenix Clan was an immense stroke of luck. Throughout history, the number of Phoenix Clan External Stewards had been exceedingly few, as becoming one required bonding with a Phoenix Clan member. Yet, how arrogant were the Phoenix Clan, to ever favor cultivators of other races? The status of External Steward was recognized by the entire Phoenix Clan. Though without Phoenix bloodline, it was equivalent to being a Phoenix Clan member. That alone would have been extraordinary. But he was also a member of the Dragon Clan? How could a human become a member of the Dragon Clan? It was known that the status of a Dragon Clan member was even harder to obtain than that of a Phoenix Clan External Steward, as it required being listed in the Dragon Register. Countless dragon descendants in this world painstakingly cultivated, hoping one day to gain recognition from the Dragon Clan and be listed in the Dragon Register. Yet, no matter how pure their bloodline, if they weren't pure-blooded dragons, they could never achieve this. And this human, Lu Ye, had actually achieved it? No one believed Lu Ye was merely boasting. Invoking the Dragon and Phoenix Clans with empty words would result in relentless pursuit and retaliation from both major races.

"This is my starry sky!" Lu Ye's expression suddenly turned sharp. As he spoke, he slowly drew his blade, his aura surging powerfully, emanating intense killing intent. "Those who violate my starry sky, die!" As he finished speaking, he swung his blade backward. A massive blade light, visible to the naked eye, swept through the bodies of the bound cultivators like a crescent moon. Heads flew high into the air as if they were vegetables being chopped, blood gushed from severed necks like fountains, and headless bodies convulsed. On the soaring heads, immense terror and disbelief were etched. They had been injured and captured, yet they still clung to a sliver of hope, thinking Lu Ye might have kept them alive for some other purpose. Who knew they ultimately couldn't escape their fate? Lu Ye's lone battle against all sides earlier was indeed shocking, but it paled in comparison to the might of this single strike. As this strike was unleashed, all the foreign cultivators watching through the projections finally understood why Lu Ye, despite his clear ability to kill, had only captured and not slain before. Because he was waiting for this moment! He wanted to make an example! He was killing the cultivators behind him to warn those still scattered throughout the starry sky.

It must be said that this scene was profoundly impactful. As those numerous heads flew into the air, the foreign cultivators were all shaken to their cores, feeling a chill run down their necks and their entire bodies go cold. It should be noted that among the cultivators slain by Lu Ye's blade, there were not only Integrated Dao cultivators but also Harmonious Dao cultivators, many of whom were of higher cultivation stages. Many high-level Harmonious Dao cultivators began tempering their entire bodies' Dao bones after three resonances, prioritizing vital areas like the neck and heart. Thus, among the slain Harmonious Dao cultivators, there were certainly some of higher stages who had already completed tempering the Dao bones in their necks. They could even see golden light shimmering within the crimson blood at some cultivators' necks. Yet, it still couldn't withstand the sharpness of that blade! What kind of blade was this? What kind of power was this, capable of effortlessly severing even Dao bones? With a single strike, nearly a hundred people were instantly cut down. The number of captives standing behind Lu Ye immediately decreased by more than thirty percent. The remaining ones were all terrified. The sounds of crying and begging for mercy grew louder. Some desperately tried to activate their power, wanting to escape, but with potent poison coursing through them, their strength was greatly diminished, and bound by blood-red restraints, how could they possibly escape? "Those who harm my starry sky's cultivators, die!" Another cold shout echoed, and the blade light swept backward once more. With this strike, another hundred heads flew high into the air, a scene almost identical to the previous one.

In an unnamed starry sky, Yiyi watched the distant projection with wide, excited eyes. She suddenly turned to look at the Harmonious Dao cultivator beside her. The Harmonious Dao cultivator seemed to sense it, immediately turned his head, and angrily demanded, "What are you looking at?" Yiyi smiled faintly without answering, her gaze lingering on his neck, an unhurried expression on her face that seemed to say, "Your neck doesn't look any tougher than theirs." This made the cultivator somewhat enraged and humiliated, wishing he could immediately act to destroy this spirit. However, what he had just witnessed made him genuinely apprehensive. If this spirit wasn't deceiving him, it must have a very deep connection with Lu Ye. And with Lu Ye now slaying Harmonious Dao cultivators like chickens and dogs, killing him would naturally be effortless.

"I advise you to leave quickly. I can pretend today's events never happened," Yiyi said slowly, having perceived the other's thoughts. The Harmonious Dao cultivator remained silent. Indeed, this starry sky was no longer safe. Lu Ye was demonstrating such overwhelming power that if he didn't leave soon, he would surely perish here if found. But he had, after all, offended the White Tiger and the spirit. Who could guarantee that after he left, the spirit would truly act as if nothing had happened? What if they reported him to Lu Ye once they were safe? How would he escape then? Wouldn't he be relentlessly hunted throughout the Star Abyss? "As the saying goes, it's better to resolve animosity than to deepen it. Although you injured Amber and me, we didn't suffer any real losses. Minor injuries will heal with some rest. But if you continue to cling on, the consequences will be unpredictable," Yiyi quickly added, seeing his silence.

The other party was finally persuaded, primarily because this starry sky was no longer tenable; he had to leave quickly, no matter what. With this thought, he nodded slightly and said, "I'll do as you say, but I hope you won't mention today's events to Daoist Lu." Yiyi smiled sweetly, "Injuries are common in cultivator skirmishes. It's nothing major for Amber and me." The Harmonious Dao cultivator gave her a deep look, then cupped his fists and said, "Many thanks!" With that, he turned and sped away. Watching his retreating figure, Yiyi finally felt relieved. Her gaze returned to the distant projection, secretly thankful that Lu Ye had returned just in time; otherwise, today could have been quite troublesome.

Myriad Manifestations Sea, Three Realms Island. People came and went, making it incredibly prosperous. Throughout the Myriad Manifestations Sea, Three Realms Island was now the largest in scale, highest in rank, and had the densest spiritual energy. The island alone had seven or eight spiritual veins. As those hundreds of heads flew high, a hearty laugh rang out. "I knew Big Brother would definitely come back!" a young man exclaimed with full spirit. "Now watch, how will those clowns dare to act so presumptuously?" Two women, who had just arrived together, looked up to see two figures standing atop a tall building, one of whom was the young man laughing incessantly. Beside him was a serene-faced woman, gazing tenderly at the young man in the projection. The two women recognized the woman. After all, they had been in the Myriad Manifestations Sea for a while and knew that she was one of the few Harmonious Dao cultivators there, seemingly named Jiuyan. However, knowing her did not mean much to them. As newly advanced Harmonious Dao cultivators, they didn't need to pay much attention to her, so they hadn't had any previous interactions.

As the young man's words fell, the woman suddenly raised her hand and twisted his ear, her face inexplicably flushed. "What are you shouting 'Big Brother' for?!" The young man, half-lifted, pleaded, "Mother, please let go! So many people are watching. Big Brother and I already agreed, we'll address each other as equals!" "Even so..." Jiuyan scolded, then suddenly lowered her gaze, meeting two pairs of curious eyes. Her expression instantly turned serious. She naturally knew these two women. For some time now, powerful cultivators had been continuously invading through the Star Abyss Gate here. These two women didn't look particularly special, just good-looking, but Jiuyan had, through her observations, confirmed one thing. They were the leaders of the invaders; all Harmonious Dao cultivators who had entered the starry sky through the Myriad Manifestations Sea's Star Abyss Gate deferred to them. Fortunately, since this faction's invasion, they had not caused any harm to the starry sky, nor had they engaged in any bullying or exploiting the weak. Jiuyan had tried multiple times to speak with them and inquire about their objectives, but she had never succeeded. She hadn't expected these two to come uninvited today.