Chapter 2888: Surround and Annihilate

Wind Rises in Kyushu

As the furious shout rang out, Xue Jiu desperately mustered his own strength to pin down his opponent, though with little effect.

Both Blood Clan Half-Saints unleashed their Blood Seas, a secret technique whose nature allowed their respective Blood Seas to merge seamlessly into one.

This meant that neither Xue Yuan nor Xue Jiu could gain a significant advantage within this combined Blood Sea, a fundamental tactic the Blood Clan used against cultivators of other races.

Now, as Xue Yuan sought to escape, he naturally intended to retract his Blood Sea, which was, after all, a manifestation of his formidable blood energy. He couldn't afford to lose it.

The process involved reclaiming the vital blood energy back into his body. While Xue Jiu could attempt to prevent this, his efforts were largely ineffective because Xue Yuan’s bloodline was superior, granting him a natural advantage in such a contest of power.

Under these circumstances, Xue Yuan would have been able to disengage in mere dozens of breaths.

However, the next moment, Xue Yuan’s expression changed dramatically. He suddenly realized that the retraction of his Blood Sea was encountering immense resistance, and this opposition wasn't just from Xue Jiu, but from a third party as well.

He abruptly turned to Lu Ye. "How can you also be a Blood Clan member?"

Only three individuals were contending within the Blood Sea. With Xue Jiu pinning him down, the remaining combatant could only be Lu Ye.

It was only then that he realized, with a jolt, that the Blood Sea now comprised not just his and Xue Jiu's merged powers, but an additional, distinct force.

The intensity of their prior struggle had prevented him from noticing.

In a flash, he grasped the problem: Lu Ye must have secretly unfurled his own Blood Sea while they were engaged in combat.

Xue Yuan felt a prickle of unease.

While he could still manage against Xue Jiu’s individual restraint, the addition of Lu Ye changed everything.

The situation was akin to a tug-of-war. Neither Xue Jiu nor Lu Ye, individually, could contend with Xue Yuan, but together, their combined efforts made it exceedingly difficult for Xue Yuan to extract his portion from the turbulent Blood Sea. He found himself hindered at every turn, unable to act effectively.

Unable to separate his Blood Sea, he couldn't escape unless he was willing to abandon this vast reservoir of blood energy.

Even for a Half-Saint of his stature, such an act would result in severe depletion of his vital essence.

Thus, upon realizing the predicament, Xue Yuan knew he was in trouble. At that very moment, Lu Ye charged forward with his blade. Ordinarily, he would have met such an attack without fear, but having discovered an issue with his prized artifact, he dared not act so recklessly.

Although he hadn't yet determined the root cause, it was undeniable that his prized artifact’s power had been diminished, and this had occurred directly after his skirmish with Lu Ye.

Now, with Xue Jiu flashing in to attack, Xue Yuan was forced into a desperate retreat.

He was incandescent with rage. He had reigned supreme in the Origin World for countless years, his power among the foremost of all Half-Saints. Yet now, he was being driven to despair by Xue Jiu, a newly ascended Half-Saint, and Lu Ye, a mere youth.

If news of this circulated, it would be an utter disgrace.

In a single thought, Xue Yuan made a decision. As an experienced Half-Saint, he understood when a situation was insurmountable and wouldn't force a losing hand. With a flicker of his body, he transformed into a streak of blood-red light, determined to abandon the conflict and flee the area.

Rather than face the unknown risks of being jointly besieged by Lu Ye and Xue Jiu, he preferred to abandon his vast blood energy and escape.

Though it would leave him greatly weakened, this was Star Abyss, teeming with living beings. He simply needed time to kill more, and his losses would be restored.

"Trying to escape!" Seeing this, Lu Ye immediately understood Xue Yuan's intent. Frankly, everything in the battle thus far had unfolded precisely as he anticipated.

Given this, if Xue Yuan wished to flee, Lu Ye was, of course, ready for it.

As he let out a cold snort, a shimmer of light flashed across the surface of the Myriad Venom Pearl on his Talent Tree.

Meanwhile, nearly a hundred thousand miles from the battlefield, Si Shengya, who had been waiting patiently, narrowed his eyes, gazing in the direction of the conflict.

The distance was too great, and the Blood Sea obscured the view, making it difficult even for Si Shengya to discern the precise details of the battle. However, the intense fluctuations of conflict emanating from that direction were unmistakable.

The Talent Tree clone stood beside him, its expression blank.

Lu Ye's main body was fully occupied with handling the formidable foe, making it difficult to spare any focus.

Ordinarily, Lu Ye's main body and clone could act in tandem against less powerful adversaries. But facing a formidable opponent like Xue Yuan, he dared not let his guard down. He was completely focused at all times, leaving him with little energy to control the clone.

At this very moment, a flicker of light appeared in the clone’s otherwise vacant eyes. It raised a hand and pressed it toward Si Shengya. "Saint Si, the time has come!"

Si Shengya understood. He closed his eyes briefly as spatial power undulated around him, and his form rapidly faded into nothingness.

On the battlefield, as Lu Ye let out a sharp cry, Xue Yuan, who had transformed into a streak of blood-red light, suddenly grunted, reappearing. But unlike before, his body was now suffused with a dark, greenish aura, and his face was contorted in surprise.

After a quick self-assessment, his eyes widened. "Poison?"

What kind of poison was this? It could even affect his Half-Saint body, yet he had been completely unaware of its presence until now.

It was simply unheard of!

This sudden surge of potent venom, precisely timed to coincide with his attempt to use the Blood Escape technique, struck at his most vulnerable point. Not only was his escape art disrupted, but his strength also seemed to wane further!

Xue Yuan was a mix of shock and fury. To think that after reigning supreme in the Origin World for countless years, he had now been unexpectedly outmaneuvered.

The crucial question was this poison... when had he been afflicted?

As two wounds on his body throbbed faintly, a sudden realization struck him: he had been poisoned when he was injured, but the toxin had been so insidious and well-hidden that he hadn't detected it until it was activated moments ago.

That Lu Ye... how cunning and treacherous! He must have anticipated Xue Yuan would activate his Blood Escape technique, which is why he deployed his method at that critical juncture.

Had it not been for that momentary burst of poison, he would have already made his escape.

Before he could even process the thought, he suddenly turned his head toward a specific direction. There, a familiar aura abruptly materialized, and despite the dense obstruction of the Blood Sea, Xue Yuan saw it with absolute clarity.

"Si Shengya!" Xue Yuan gasped, utterly horrified.

He was already at a disadvantage against Lu Ye and Xue Jiu, and now Si Shengya had unexpectedly appeared. How could he possibly fight them all?

The power of this Human Half-Saint was incomparable to the two relative newcomers. Si Shengya’s strength was at least equal to, if not greater than, his own. Even at full health, Xue Yuan might not have been able to defeat him, let alone now, with his power repeatedly diminished.

In that instant, Xue Yuan grasped the entire situation.

Everything that had transpired today had been meticulously planned.

First, Xue Jiu had appeared, shattering his painstakingly formed Dao Convergence Pearl. In the brief moment of his distraction, Lu Ye struck, catching him off guard. Following that, those two newcomers relentlessly entangled him, and then, just as his Blood Escape technique was broken, Si Shengya, who had been lurking in the shadows, emerged to attack.

What a truly sinister scheme!

Xue Yuan cursed inwardly. If he had known Si Shengya was lurking nearby, he wouldn't have fought so desperately; he would have fled much earlier.

But now it was too late.

Si Shengya had revealed himself, and with their full hand exposed, Xue Yuan already foresaw his grim fate.

At this point, his heart, paradoxically, steadied. He let out a furious roar: "You want to kill me? Then let's see if you can pay the price!"

Unable to escape, he had only one choice: a desperate last stand!

In the Origin World, Si Shengya had survived alone for so many years precisely because he possessed the ability to drag others down with him.

If Si Shengya possessed such a skill, why wouldn't Xue Yuan?

With a furious roar, he abruptly turned his head toward Lu Ye’s position.

Among the three enemies cornering him today, Xue Jiu, a Blood Clan member, had betrayed him, making him the most hated. Si Shengya was a long-standing arch-nemesis, with both wishing to eliminate the other. Therefore, if he were to fight to the death, he should logically choose one of those two. Lu Ye, however, should not have been a consideration at all.

Yet, for some inexplicable reason, he had a subtle feeling that Lu Ye was the root cause of all today's events. If he could drag Lu Ye down with him, then this day would not be a loss.

Raising his gaze, he violently thrust a hand forward. A beam of crimson light shot towards Lu Ye, carving a momentary void through the dense Blood Sea.

"Watch out!" Si Shengya exclaimed. His Shattered Sky Blade flashed from its sheath, unleashing a burst of fire that seemed to incinerate everything in its vicinity. The rapidly approaching crimson light was instantly consumed and utterly obliterated.

Lu Ye had vanished from Xue Yuan’s sight.

Yet, as if by instinct, Xue Yuan twisted his head to another direction. His Xuanhuang Extinction Axe descended with a roar, unleashing a wave of destructive power. Lu Ye's stumbling figure was abruptly revealed.

"Such petty tricks dare to be flaunted before me!" Xue Yuan sneered. He then swung his axe again. In that direction, before Xue Jiu could even activate his spatial displacement technique, he was frozen in place, the spatial power around him instantly annihilated.

"You'd do well to take care of yourself first!" Si Shengya scoffed, advancing with his blade.

Xue Yuan dared not be complacent. While as an old Half-Saint, he could afford to not take Lu Ye or Xue Jiu too seriously, Si Shengya was an entirely different matter.

In a flash, the two Half-Saints clashed, and the battle intensified even further than before.

With Si Shengya engaging Xue Yuan head-on, Lu Ye and Xue Jiu were free to launch their individual assaults.

Lu Ye frequently employed spatial power, displacement techniques, and nimble dashes, making his movements erratic and ghost-like, leaving Xue Yuan unable to pin down his whereabouts.

While Xue Jiu's tactics were somewhat simpler, Xue Yuan had no attention to spare for him at this moment.

For him, the greatest threat now was not Si Shengya, an adversary whose strength was slightly superior, but rather Lu Ye.

The power infused in Lu Ye's long blade was simply too peculiar; every strike that landed on him diminished his strength, and the toxins within his body steadily accumulated.

Thus, while fending off Si Shengya, he dedicated most of his attention to guarding against Lu Ye.

This immediately put him in a precarious position. After only a brief exchange, Si Shengya’s blade wounded him, causing him to cough up blood and appear utterly disheveled.

Witnessing this, Si Shengya pressed his attacks with even greater ferocity. He realized that Xue Yuan was highly apprehensive of Lu Ye, to the point where, in the midst of battle, he would rather endure a blow from Si Shengya than risk being wounded by Lu Ye.