Chapter 2876: I Stand and Fall Together with Brother Lu

Wind Rises in Kyushu

At his words, Xue Jiu's expression subtly changed.

Since meeting Lu Ye again, in just a few sentences, Lu Ye had been asking about things he had always worried about. He knew clearly that Xue Tianxing's bloodline was problematic, but given the circumstances at the time, he couldn't advance to Half-Saint without refining Xue Tianxing's bloodline, making it difficult to establish himself in the Source Realm. Refining Xue Tianxing's bloodline was like drinking poison to quench thirst, but even though he knew, he had no choice. Furthermore, when he used Lu Ye's help to poison Xue Tianxing, had Lu Ye secretly poisoned him as well?

However, these worries vanished on the day Lu Ye left the Source Realm and was attacked by a True Saint. He had believed Lu Ye would surely die that day.

Now, with Lu Ye standing perfectly well before him again, those numerous anxieties resurfaced.

Just as Xue Jiu's mind was unsettled, a flash of saber light ruthlessly swept towards him; Lu Ye had directly made his move.

"How dare you!" Xue Jiu roared, channeling his Dao power, poised to retaliate. But suddenly, an anomaly erupted within his body, as if countless needles had pierced him, causing excruciating pain. What's more, the flow of his qi and blood, and his Dao power, abruptly became sluggish. The toxins within him... had erupted!

Xue Jiu finally experienced the agony Xue Tianxing had endured that day. The moment the potent poison erupted within him, his aura suddenly weakened. If this were the old Xue Jiu, Lu Ye's single strike might have taken his life under such circumstances. However, the current Xue Jiu was, after all, a Half-Saint. Even with his strength diminished by the poison's encroachment, he remained formidable. Moreover, he had the enhancement of a Grand-level Harmony Orb.

Blood qi condensed externally, Dao power surged, forming a layer of blood-red armor. The saber descended. Xue Jiu, his face contorted in pain, shuddered and involuntarily stumbled backward, crashing into a wall before regaining his balance. The blood-red armor covering his body was almost completely severed by the saber, leaving faint blade marks on his skin.

"You..." Leaning against the wall, Xue Jiu stared at Lu Ye, his eyes trembling, momentarily speechless.

Undeniably, upon seeing Lu Ye just now, he had harbored a strong murderous intent. If he could kill Lu Ye, he wouldn't have to worry about the potent poison in his body, as it was formless and undetectable in daily life, and wouldn't bother him unless Lu Ye activated it. But that intense murderous intent instantly vanished with Lu Ye's strike.

Because the formidable power of that strike exceeded Xue Jiu's expectations! Compared to when Lu Ye first left the Source Realm, this guy's strength had significantly improved. The sheer power of that one strike revealed that Lu Ye's strength had increased by at least thirty percent. Xue Jiu couldn't understand how a person's strength could undergo such a drastic transformation in such a short time.

Based solely on that one strike, Xue Jiu dared to conclude that Lu Ye now subtly possessed the capability to contend with Half-Saint powerhouses! He had wanted to kill Lu Ye because he believed that after his own advancement to Half-Saint, Lu Ye would absolutely be no match for him, even if Lu Ye detonated the poison within his body. But had he known earlier that Lu Ye's strength had grown to this extent, he would never have harbored any murderous intent, for he couldn't kill him, and would instead turn Lu Ye into an enemy.

The stinging pain throughout his body vanished without a trace at this moment. The sluggish qi, blood, and Dao power within him also returned to normal, as if the recent poison attack had merely been an illusion. Not far away, Lu Ye, standing still, slowly withdrew his saber, nodded slightly, and remarked, "Having advanced to Half-Saint, Blood Lord's strength has indeed made great progress. Congratulations!"

Xue Jiu's expression shifted several times before he suddenly burst into laughter. "The pleasure is mutual! Brother Lu's strength is also no longer what it once was. It truly astounds me!" These words were not flattery, nor were they insincere; Xue Jiu was genuinely astonished.

Their gazes met briefly, each then retracting their sharpness, and they approached each other with smiles.

Xue Jiu said, "Brother Lu, we swore a blood oath back in the Source Realm. Rest assured, whether in the Source Realm or here, I, Xue Jiu, will advance and retreat with you, sharing life and death!"

The Blood Lord was wise. Knowing he couldn't kill Lu Ye at present, his mindset immediately shifted. He also understood why Lu Ye had suddenly attacked him: it was simply to demonstrate his strength. Words alone are unsubstantiated; only by drawing his saber could Lu Ye prove his formidable nature. Otherwise, no amount of talk would be useful.

"Of course, I haven't forgotten the blood oath," Lu Ye nodded. He had long ago incinerated the constraints of that so-called blood oath with the power of his Talent Tree; it could only bind Xue Jiu. As for advancing and retreating together, sharing life and death, it was merely words to be heard, not to be taken seriously. Xue Jiu's current choice was merely a practical decision based on the circumstances. If Lu Ye ever truly fell into misfortune, Xue Jiu would undoubtedly be the quickest to kick him while he was down.

After a few simple exchanges, the previous tension vanished. The two schemers, each with their own hidden agendas, chatted and laughed, like old friends reunited after many years.

"Blood Lord, I have something I wish to ask," Lu Ye said, his expression turning serious after a few more words.

"Speak," Xue Jiu replied, his face also becoming solemn. "Whatever I know, I will tell you without reservation."

"Saint Jiu has entered the Star Abyss, the seal on Abyss Island has loosened, and the Abyss's will is beginning to awaken. Have you had any contact with it?" Lu Ye asked.

Xue Jiu blinked, secretly startled. He couldn't understand how Lu Ye, being in the Star Abyss, knew so much about the Source Realm. However, he then recalled Si Shengya, who had escaped from the Source Realm earlier. Since Lu Ye was able to find him immediately, Si Shengya must have had contact with Lu Ye. He instantly understood that he couldn't mislead Lu Ye about matters in the Source Realm, because this fellow knew more than he imagined.

Xue Jiu shook his head. "There's been no direct contact. The Abyss's will is indeed beginning to awaken, but as long as the Nine-Pillar Seal remains unbroken, it cannot fully awaken. We can only say that it occasionally transmits some vague intentions now." If the Abyss's will was purely instinctive before, now it's like the Abyss is in a deep sleep, occasionally experiencing bursts of its own thoughts. These thoughts are much clearer and more precise than its previous instincts.

Xue Jiu pondered briefly again before speaking, "Before I... that is, before the other Half-Saints and I left the Source Realm, the Abyss had already transmitted its will."

"What was it?"

"To collect the core fragments of the Harmony Orbs, and then to annihilate humanity, and the Dragon and Phoenix races!"

Lu Ye frowned. Si Shengya had previously mentioned that the Abyss wanted to exterminate humanity, but he hadn't mentioned the Dragon and Phoenix races, most likely because there were no creatures of those races in the Source Realm. Lu Ye could understand why the Abyss would have such a will. The ancestors of the Dragon and Phoenix races originated from humanity, and the Dragon and Phoenix races in the Star Abyss were also bloodlines he left behind. The Abyss's desire to exterminate these three races was simply due to hatred. As for collecting the core fragments of the Harmony Orbs...

Lu Ye couldn't quite figure out what the Abyss intended. But according to legend, the Harmony Orb was the strongest treasure in the entire Star Abyss, capable of mobilizing all the Dao power within it. Lu Ye secretly guessed that if the Abyss wanted to collect the Harmony Orb's core fragments, could it be trying to reassemble the complete Harmony Orb? If so, it might be disappointed, because one of the core fragments was with Lu Ye, and he also possessed a large number of ordinary fragments. Therefore, unless the Abyss could kill him, it would never be able to reassemble the complete Harmony Orb. Moreover, considering the vast number of Harmony Cities in the current Star Abyss, with countless Harmony Orb fragments scattered, who would even have the ability to reassemble this supreme treasure?

"How did you get here?" Lu Ye asked again, collecting his thoughts. "And why are there only five of you?"

Xue Jiu was slightly startled. This Lu Ye fellow even knew that five Half-Saints had arrived. Was his intelligence-gathering ability really that strong? The only possibility he could think of now was that Lu Ye had placed hidden informants near their arrival point, undetected even by them, the Half-Saints.

"How did you leave the Source Realm that day?" Xue Jiu countered, not answering directly.

Lu Ye replied, "Before Ba Qiu's breakthrough and self-severing his foundation, he tore open the Source Realm's barrier." Normally, Ba Qiu wouldn't have had this ability, not even as the strongest person in the Inner Realm. But that moment was crucial for his advancement to True Saint; he was practically already one foot into the Source Realm, which is why he could accomplish it.

"Since then, a flaw appeared in the Source Realm's barrier. Previously, we surrounded and attacked Si Shengya near that location. During the intense battle, Si Shengya found that flaw and escaped from the Source Realm. However, the Source Realm's barrier repairs itself very quickly. So after Si Shengya escaped, we took some more time to make preparations, and only then were we able to forcibly open the barrier. As for why only five of us could come..." Xue Jiu frowned. "I suspect it's related to the Source Realm's restrictions. What exactly the connection is, I'm not sure."

Lu Ye nodded slightly. Xue Jiu's guess aligned with his own thoughts; otherwise, there would be no reason for only five Half-Saints to have come. If this were the case, more Half-Saints should follow later, because the Source Realm was merging, the Nine-Pillar Seal's power was weakening, and the restrictive power was certainly weakening as well.

"What's your plan next?" Lu Ye asked.

Xue Jiu replied, "I've sent them to first condense the Harmony Orbs. The next step should be to attack the Ten Great Harmony Cities." He had originally intended to first destroy Phoenix Nest, and then annihilate Dragon City, but it was naturally inappropriate to mention these in front of Lu Ye.

Lu Ye mused. With five Half-Saints attacking, even if he had dealt with Xue Jiu, there were still four. These four would indeed be difficult to handle if they combined forces. Fortunately, those four Half-Saints were currently acting separately, which presented a good opportunity. Those individuals probably never imagined that in this Star Abyss, someone would dare to target them.

"With your current strength, how do you compare to the others?" Lu Ye asked again.

"Barely average," Xue Jiu honestly replied.

Lu Ye frowned. "Don't you have a Grand-level Harmony Orb?" He had specifically left it for Xue Jiu when he departed the Source Realm, fearing Xue Jiu wouldn't be able to hold his ground there.

Xue Jiu replied, "We all miscalculated. The Harmony Orb does provide a good amplification for the Harmony stage, but its effect on Half-Saints isn't that significant. That Grand-level Harmony Orb can at most increase my strength by ten percent!"