Chapter 2880: Lu Brother is My Strongest Ally

Things haven't been easy for Xuan Wuzong recently.

Since returning from that battle, he had been in seclusion, trying to resolve the various anomalies within his body. However, whether it was the power of the Fangs, the power of Grief, or the potent poison of the Myriad Poison Pearl, none were easily expelled.

Consequently, even now, Xuan Wuzong has not fully recovered. The wounds inflicted by Lu Ye during that battle still haven't completely healed, though they no longer significantly affect his strength.

Recently, he had also felt a loosening of the long-standing shackles that had plagued him for countless years. He had planned to fully recover from his injuries, then make a concerted effort to break through to a higher realm before seeking out Lu Ye for revenge.

Who would have thought Lu Ye would come straight to his home?

Xuan Wuzong had no idea how Lu Ye had managed it. According to his perception, Ten Steps City's outer array was perfectly intact, showing no signs of attack. Before Lu Ye made his move, the city had been peaceful, with no anomalies whatsoever.

But with Lu Ye already making his move, how could Xuan Wuzong tolerate it?

Indeed, he greatly feared the Dao Soldiers of the Soldier Clan in Lu Ye's possession. However, this was Ten Steps City, and many of his generals were within its walls. No matter how formidable Lu Ye was, he would not escape today!

As his murderous intent surged, he transformed into a streak of light, darting towards the Central Grand Hall. Simultaneously, figures emerged from various parts of the city, rushing towards Xuan Wuzong.

These were clearly many of the city's most prominent powerful cultivators.

Mid-air, Xuan Wuzong suddenly felt something and tilted his head to look in one direction.

In that direction, a familiar figure stood quietly, its blood-red eyes calmly gazing back.

Xuan Wuzong froze, blinking his eyes. He almost thought he was mistaken, but a closer look confirmed he hadn't seen wrong. Surprise and joy instantly filled him: "Xue Jiu!"

After so many years of colluding with Xue Jiu in the Star Abyss, how could Xuan Wuzong forget that face?

Previously, he, Hong Tu, Gu Mingyue, and others had all believed Xue Jiu had met a terrible end, as Xue Jiu's Azure Mirror was in Lu Ye's possession. Such a supreme treasure wouldn't be lost unless something unfortunate had occurred.

Thus, Xuan Wuzong never expected to see a living Xue Jiu again.

With that thought, he quickly called out, "Xue Jiu, come quickly and help! Lu Ye has broken into the city. Today is the best chance to kill him!"

Victory is assured!

With Xue Jiu's help, Lu Ye will surely die today!

In his joy, he momentarily overlooked how Xue Jiu had appeared here.

"Alright!" Xue Jiu replied, lunging directly at Xuan Wuzong.

Xuan Wuzong frowned, instinctively feeling something was wrong. Xue Jiu's lunging aura was too ferocious, as if he harbored an irreconcilable hatred. Although Xue Jiu concealed it well, Xuan Wuzong keenly detected a sliver of killing intent.

This guy... wants to kill me?

Xuan Wuzong found it hard to believe.

Only when Xue Jiu closed in and unleashed a thunderous punch towards him did Xuan Wuzong confirm his premonition was correct.

The Nine Heavens Thunder Marsh Sword was unsheathed. The moment fist and sword collided, Dao power erupted wildly, causing many buildings in the city to collapse. Xue Jiu's body merely trembled slightly, while Xuan Wuzong was sent rocketing backward.

Stumbling to a halt, Xuan Wuzong's expression was grim: "Xue Jiu, what are you doing!"

They had known each other for hundreds of thousands of years. While he wouldn't claim their relationship was purely friendship, they had always advanced and retreated together when major issues arose. Any minor grievances were usually limited to skirmishes between their subordinate cultivators or cities, and they themselves had never engaged in conflict.

Yet today, Xue Jiu had actually attacked him!

"No, your strength..." What unsettled Xuan Wuzong even more was that Xue Jiu's power was clearly not right.

One should know that Xue Jiu's strength was actually a notch below his own. As a sword cultivator renowned for slaughter, Xuan Wuzong's power was certainly not to be underestimated.

Furthermore, with Blood Drink City destroyed, Xue Jiu had long lost his status as one of the Ten City Lords. So, logically, his strength should not have been this formidable.

Yet, in their recent clash, Xuan Wuzong was clearly at a disadvantage.

Moreover, judging by Xue Jiu's stance, he clearly wasn't using his full power!

In a daze, Xuan Wuzong considered a possibility: "Have you taken that step?"

Only this could explain such a drastic change in Xue Jiu's strength. Yet, he couldn't comprehend it; he himself had only recently felt the loosening of his own shackles. Even if Xue Jiu had experienced the same, he shouldn't have succeeded so quickly.

"Indeed!" Xue Jiu looked coldly at Xuan Wuzong, his eyes filled with a chilling frost. Then, activating his Dao power, he declared loudly, "I have returned! All cultivators of the Insect and Blood races, heed my command! Today, join me in conquering Ten Steps City!"

His voice, amplified by Xue Jiu's Dao power, instantly resonated far and wide.

At that moment, countless cultivators of the Insect and Blood races, who had previously defected, abruptly looked up both inside and outside Ten Steps City, gazing in Xue Jiu's direction. Their eyes first showed disbelief, then shock, and finally, euphoria.

The chaos... had begun!

Even a Cosmic-level City Lord like Xue Kuang had suffered such a miserable fate after defecting, let alone the other cultivators of the Insect and Blood races.

In recent years, they had been like unfortunate children without parents, living at the mercy of others, enduring insults and ridicule at every turn, their dignity trampled underfoot, yet powerless to resist.

Until this moment, with a single command from the Blood Lord, countless cultivators of the Insect and Blood races found their backbone, and their long-suppressed resentment and anger erupted instantly.

"Xue Jiu, you're insane! What are you doing?!" Xuan Wuzong stared at Xue Jiu in disbelief. They had been allies fighting side-by-side for many years, jointly opposing Ba Qiu and the Dragon and Phoenix clans. Why was Xue Jiu acting as if he had lost his mind today?

"Heh heh..." Xue Jiu sneered repeatedly.

Boom...

Just then, another loud boom echoed from the Central Grand Hall, causing Xuan Wuzong's expression to change. He glanced over and urgently said, "Xue Jiu, there might be some misunderstanding between us. First, restrain the Insect and Blood races. After I deal with Lu Ye, we can talk!"

As he spoke, he prepared to rush towards the Central Grand Hall. While Xue Jiu's sudden change in attitude infuriated him, at this moment, the Central Grand Hall was the priority.

Lu Ye's methods were extremely bizarre. If not stopped, the Central Grand Hall's inner array wouldn't be able to withstand him. Once the inner array was breached, his Integration Pearl would be in danger.

That was his foundation in the Star Abyss. Xuan Wuzong clearly understood what was more important.

The moment he moved, a burst of blood-red light exploded, instantly transforming into a vast sea of blood that swallowed and enveloped everything around them.

Xue Jiu's voice drifted leisurely: "I am here. You're not going anywhere!"

Xuan Wuzong was utterly bewildered: "Xue Jiu, what exactly do you want? That's Lu Ye!"

Xue Jiu's voice was elusive: "Of course I know that's Lu Ye."

"Then why are you still fighting me here? Your Blood Drink City was destroyed by his hand!"

"Slander!" Xue Jiu snorted coldly: "Don't assume I don't know that Blood Drink City's destruction was the work of the Dragon and Phoenix clans. What does that have to do with Lu Ye? At that time, he was with me in the Source Realm."

"You are truly insane!" Xuan Wuzong felt utterly helpless. Even as he spoke, they clashed. Only then did Xuan Wuzong truly grasp Xue Jiu's power. Compared to before, this Blood Lord was like a completely different person, his strength having improved by more than just a little. In mere moments, Xuan Wuzong found himself at a disadvantage.

As he fended off Xue Jiu's relentless barrage, he said, "Xue Jiu, get a grip! You have a deep-seated grudge against Lu Ye."

Even if Lu Ye didn't directly participate in the destruction of Blood Drink City, he was the catalyst. Not to mention Lu Ye's earlier rampage through the Blood Clan territory, which caused them heavy losses.

"Presumptuous!" Xue Jiu roared, "Brother Lu is my staunchest ally!"

Ally...

Hearing that word from Xue Jiu, Xuan Wuzong found it utterly ridiculous. They had once shared that relationship, but now they were opposing each other.

"So that's it!" Xuan Wuzong finally realized: "You two have been secretly colluding. You brought Lu Ye in!"

He had wondered how Lu Ye possessed such incredible means to infiltrate Ten Steps City without alerting him. This was clearly Xue Jiu's doing!

Currently, there were many cultivators of the Insect and Blood races within Ten Steps City. Under Xue Jiu's command, he could simply find any one of them to covertly bring Lu Ye into the city.

He secretly regretted it, wishing he hadn't accepted those defecting Insect and Blood race cultivators back then. He should have just let them fend for themselves in the Star Abyss.

But back then, he had assumed Xue Jiu was dead. The defecting Insect and Blood cultivators were numerous and had significant power, so accepting them seemed nothing but beneficial to Ten Steps City. How could he have foreseen today's calamity?

"It's too late to understand now!" Xue Jiu snorted coldly, and the sea of blood grew even more violent.

"Come quickly and help me!" Xuan Wuzong roared. In this short time, he had been completely suppressed and was clearly at a severe disadvantage. Under such circumstances, his chances were slim.

Many powerful cultivators from Ten Steps City were already rushing towards the battle when it began. Now, hearing Xuan Wuzong's cries, they no longer hesitated, plunging into the sea of blood one after another.

Among them were many vice-city lord level powerhouses.

The sea of blood immediately began to shake violently.

Although Xue Jiu was powerful now, facing so many strong cultivators alone was still a bit much for him. This was also why he hadn't allowed Xue Yuan and the others to directly attack the Ten Great Cities earlier; none of the Ten Great Cities could be easily trifled with.

Five Half-Sages were not enough to do as they pleased in the current Star Abyss.

"All of you, come!" Xue Jiu laughed heartily.

The next moment, even more cultivators surged into the sea of blood: the Insect and Blood races from within the city.

Powerful figures like Xue Kuang, after being stripped of their power, were typically kept within Ten Steps City to prevent them from causing trouble outside. Consequently, there was a significant number of Insect and Blood race cultivators in the city, all of whom were formidable.

What was originally a meticulous arrangement now became Xue Jiu's aid.

When those many Blood race powerhouses surged into the battle, they immediately helped stabilize the turbulent sea of blood. Furthermore, under Xue Jiu's covert guidance, Insect race powerhouses intercepted cultivators from Ten Steps City. Inside the sea of blood, an intense and chaotic battle instantly erupted.