Chapter 2889: Blood Abyss's Death

The Wind Rises Across the Nine Provinces

The Wind Rises Across the Nine Provinces

Xue Jiu was not blind to what Si Shengya could perceive, which made him increasingly audacious. He frequently made aggressive moves, yet always managed to escape unharmed.

With the three of them encircling him, Xue Yuan was momentarily overwhelmed, and his injuries steadily mounted.

During the fierce battle, he clearly felt that Si Shengya's strength was much greater than it had been in the Source World. He knew, of course, that this was not due to Si Shengya's foundation strengthening in a short period, but rather the amplification from a Hedao Orb. However, since he didn't detect the Orb's aura on Si Shengya, he naturally concluded that Si Shengya must have hidden his Hedao Orb somewhere nearby.

However, for him, this was not the time to ponder such things, as it held little significance. In fact, ever since Si Shengya appeared, he had no chance of escaping unscathed. What he was doing now was merely the desperate struggle of a trapped beast.

Amidst the fierce battle, Xue Yuan's aura continuously weakened, and he found himself in a sorry state. Lu Ye and Si Shengya pressed forward relentlessly, striking with ruthless force. In contrast, Xue Jiu abandoned his previous aggressive style and became meticulously cautious. He stayed on the periphery of the battlefield, using blood techniques to divert Xue Yuan's attention, as if extremely wary of any unforeseen circumstances.

And an unexpected turn of events did occur.

Just as Si Shengya wounded Xue Yuan again, Xue Yuan's already weakened aura suddenly surged like boiling water. With a backhand axe swing, he sent Si Shengya flying. Immediately after, he turned to Lu Ye. Instead of dodging Lu Ye's follow-up attack as he had moments before, he rapidly formed hand seals with both hands, roaring, "Bind!"

In an instant, blood shot out like spectral snakes from all his wounds, large and small. His face abruptly became deathly pale, as if all the blood in his body had gushed out in that single moment. The blood snakes, like chains, radiated in all directions and intertwined.

At such close range, Lu Ye was caught completely off guard. He hadn't expected Xue Yuan to act this way, and by the time he was stunned and tried to withdraw, it was already too late. In the blink of an eye, the blood-red chains sealed the two of them within a cage.

"Lu Ye!" Si Shengya, who had been sent flying, saw this scene and instantly knew something was wrong. He cried out softly and flashed back.

But it was completely too late. Almost simultaneously with the formation of the blood-red cage, Xue Yuan revealed a sinister grin. Looking at Lu Ye, who was now within arm's reach, he declared, "If you want to kill me, then let's die together!" The boiling aura around him abruptly became menacing.

A hundred zhang away, the ever-wary Xue Jiu fled outwards without a backward glance. An experienced Blood Race Half-Saint was about to unleash a Blood Explosion technique; this was no joking matter. Even he lacked the courage to remain nearby; naturally, the further away he got, the better. Even Si Shengya, who had been preparing to return to assist, after a brief hesitation, suddenly turned and moved away.

Xue Yuan burst into laughter, his eyes filled with contempt. "See?" he sneered. "These are your companions. When disaster strikes, it's always every man for himself."

Lu Ye's face showed panic as he immediately tried to activate his spatial power to escape the area. However, as Xue Yuan swung his axe again, the spatial power was instantly annihilated, completely severing any hope of escape. In just three breaths, Xue Yuan's Blood Explosion technique was complete. A crimson point within his body, like a nascent universe, was on the verge of exploding.

That extremely dangerous aura made Lu Ye's scalp tingle. Even Xue Jiu, who had already fled the area, felt a prickle of alarm. Yet, the panicked expression on Lu Ye's face vanished, replaced by calm. He gazed at Xue Yuan, his eyes filled with mockery.

Xue Yuan faintly sensed that something was amiss, but at that moment, he had no time for further thought. Since the Blood Explosion technique had already been activated, there was no turning back.

"Die!" With his furious roar, a surging, violent power erupted. A mass of red light blossomed like a great sun, first engulfing the blood-red cage, which was only restrained for an instant, then rapidly expanding. The vast Blood Sea vibrated ceaselessly, blood waves surging like tides.

Xue Jiu, who had already fled beyond the Blood Sea's range, felt a massive force strike him from behind. He found it difficult to maintain his footing and was secretly horrified. Fortunately, he had run fast enough; otherwise, he might have been caught in the aftermath. He wouldn't have died, but injuries would have been unavoidable.

He turned to look back, his eyes alight with excitement. In today's encirclement, Xue Yuan was dead. What surprised him even more was that Xue Yuan had dragged Lu Ye down with him in death!

"Haha..." Xue Jiu raised a hand, spreading his fingers to cover his face, initially afraid he wouldn't be able to stop himself from laughing aloud. Ultimately, he couldn't hold it back and burst out, "Hahahahaha!"

Finally... finally rid of that fellow, Lu Ye! Back in the Source World, Lu Ye had barely survived an attack from the True Saints. But under the terrifying power of Xue Yuan's Blood Explosion technique today, Lu Ye absolutely could not have survived. He no longer had to worry about the lingering poison within him, and no one in this world could use it to manipulate him anymore.

Now, he only needed to refine the bloodline left behind by Xue Yuan, which would enhance his own potential. Then, by cultivating steadily, he would one day reach Xue Yuan's level of power.

However, there was still one problem: Si Shengya. He wondered what attitude Si Shengya would have towards him now that Lu Ye, their previous nexus, was gone. But these were minor details. At worst, he could just say some pleasant words to Si Shengya. After all, they had just fought side-by-side, and in the current Star Abyss, Si Shengya would be isolated and helpless, surely needing his assistance again in the future. Various thoughts surged through Xue Jiu's mind as he began to envision a wonderful future.

His laughter abruptly ceased. Xue Jiu, still holding his splayed hand over his face, stiffly turned his head to look beside him. Just a few steps away, Lu Ye stood quietly. He raised a hand and beckoned, and the Pan Mountain Blade, lost in the Blood Sea, flew back to him.

Xue Jiu's face twitched slightly. He felt his throat go dry. "You..."

Lu Ye glanced at him expressionlessly. "What is it?"

"Nothing..." Xue Jiu instinctively replied. He desperately wanted to ask how Lu Ye had escaped from the previous situation completely unharmed, for, as he could see, the man was utterly uninjured. But how was this possible? That was Xue Yuan's Blood Explosion technique, and to prevent Lu Ye from escaping, he had even cast a secret art to seal space beforehand. No one in such an environment could have emerged unscathed.

"Lord Blood must have thought I was dead, didn't he?" Lu Ye said, instantly revealing Xue Jiu's thoughts.

Xue Jiu first shook his head, then quickly nodded, the confusion and embarrassment on his face instantly morphing into sorrow. "I feared heaven was jealous of your talent," he said, "but I never imagined Brother Lu could escape from the tiger's maw. That's truly wonderful... How did you escape?"

That last question was the crucial one; he genuinely wanted to know how Lu Ye had done it.

Lu Ye ignored him. He naturally wouldn't tell Xue Jiu that the one who had died was merely his Talent Tree clone. In fact, Lu Ye had already taken precautions when he sensed Xue Yuan's malicious intent. The desperate counterattack of an experienced Half-Saint like Xue Yuan before death was absolutely not to be underestimated; if he were truly targeted, even Lu Ye wouldn't dare claim he could escape unscathed. Especially since the power of annihilation from Xue Yuan's supreme treasure was the bane of spatial displacement techniques. So, during the intense battle, he had secretly swapped the positions of his main body and his clone, even dressing the clone in identical attire.

The battle was so fierce and chaotic at the time that not only did Xue Yuan fail to notice, but even Xue Jiu and Si Shengya were completely oblivious. There was already little difference in strength between his main body and his clone; the clone's only deficiency was the enhancement provided by the Pan Mountain Blade. Lu Ye specifically left the Pan Mountain Blade with the clone, thus eliminating any remaining weakness. In hindsight, his caution was undoubtedly extremely wise; otherwise, he might indeed have suffered greatly. Lu Ye wasn't confident he could have withstood the terrifying impact felt just before his clone's demise.

The reason Si Shengya also fled at the last moment was not out of caution, but because he had received a discreet message from Lu Ye's main body. Unlike Xue Jiu, that guy genuinely thought the situation was dire and ran faster than anyone.

A streak of fiery light rapidly approached, landing in front of him. It was Si Shengya, though his aura at that moment was clearly unstable. Even with Lu Ye's prior warning to flee, he ultimately couldn't completely avoid the Blood Explosion technique's impact and had evidently sustained some injuries.

"Are you alright?" he asked, looking Lu Ye up and down with concern.

Lu Ye shook his head. "I'm fine," he replied, knowing that Si Shengya was unaware of the profound nature of his clone and was worried his main body might suffer repercussions from the clone's demise.

"Let's go!" he called out, sweeping first towards the now settled Blood Sea.

The great battle was over; it was time to collect the spoils. And a Half-Saint's fortune was indeed extremely bountiful.

The three figures swept into the Blood Sea, and Lu Ye quickly found what Xue Yuan had left behind. There were several storage rings, but he wasn't in a hurry to open them and check their contents. What Lu Ye truly cared about was the Profound Yellow Annihilation Axe. Although the annihilation power of this item was quite profound, it was of little use to Lu Ye. It would be perfect to devour it and nurture the Soul-Suppressing Bell fruit. Today, he faced a Half-Saint; in the future, he might face a True Saint, or even directly confront the Abyss itself. Defenses for his soul needed to be prepared early. As for the inherent power of the Profound Yellow Annihilation Axe, he could leave a bulge on his Talent Tree, nurturing it out when he obtained another supreme treasure in the future.

Scattered throughout the Blood Sea were not only these items but also Xue Yuan's Dao Bones and his Blood Sea. These were what Xue Jiu most desired and valued.

But at this point, he hesitated. In the Blood Sea, Xue Jiu looked around, his face wearing an expression as if he had swallowed a dead fly. During the previous battle, he had clearly seen that Xue Yuan was poisoned. Even though Xue Yuan had self-destructed and died, the poison's power still lurked within this Blood Sea. If he were to refine Xue Yuan's bloodline, he would inevitably have to absorb the poison within it as well. He was already afflicted with severe poison; wouldn't this simply add more poison to his system? He secretly wondered if Lu Ye could somehow retrieve the poison, though he doubted it would work. But he quickly dismissed the idea. That fellow Lu Ye... it would be a wonder if he didn't secretly add more poison to the Blood Sea; how could he possibly help retrieve it?