Chapter 419: How to Kill

Winds Rise Across the Nine Provinces

In the wooden house, Lu Ye accepted the challenge and selected the battlefield terrain. A subtle, cosmic force descended, and the figures of one person and one tiger quickly vanished.

It was still the same battlefield, spanning only a few dozen square zhang. Lu Ye steadied himself, and as the white light in his vision dissipated, he looked up to observe his opponent.

On the other side of the battlefield, a tall woman dressed in purple stood quietly. Her appearance was undoubtedly beautiful, her figure excellent, and her entire demeanor exuded a quiet and elegant aura.

This woman's name was Lan Ziyi, and she was indeed wearing a purple outfit, which was quite fitting for her name.

Lu Ye's gaze shifted downwards, and his eyebrow subtly lifted.

He was observing his opponent, and his opponent was observing him as well. As the strongest emerging figures from both factions, it wasn't out of mutual admiration, but rather an instinct to observe an opponent before a major battle.

Lan Ziyi showed no signs of being equipped with spirit artifacts. Lu Ye wondered if she might be a spellcaster.

But looking at her attire, it didn't quite seem like it.

Regardless, he would find out by trying.

The weapon box at his waist hummed, and nine streams of light, like tigers unleashed from their cage, shot towards Lan Ziyi with incredible speed. Most of the tens of zhang distance was covered in a blink of an eye.

Lan Ziyi raised her hand and pointed forward; a pure spiritual force transformed into a spiritual thread and shot out.

This was not a spell, but rather precise control over her own spiritual force, yet its power was no weaker than any spell.

What was even more surprising was that after this spiritual thread flew out, it suddenly split into nine, attacking each of the nine streams of light.

A series of clanging sounds erupted, and Lu Ye's nine control artifacts were all blocked.

Not only that, but more spiritual threads shot out from the opposite side, one after another. Some remained unchanged, while others suddenly branched off. In an instant, the space in front of Lu Ye was interwoven by numerous spiritual threads into a large net that descended over him.

Such a spiritual force net sealed the heavens and locked the earth; Lu Ye had no way to avoid it.

The Panshan Blade roared out of its sheath, and he slashed it forward.

A fiery red stream of light flashed, splitting open the spiritual net enveloping Lu Ye. Lu Ye shot out like an arrow released from a bowstring, charging towards Lan Ziyi.

The opponent seemed like a spellcaster, so Lu Ye naturally wanted to engage her in close combat, as that would allow him to utilize his advantage.

However, just as Lu Ye charged out, he heard clear, ringing metallic sounds, and looking up, more than ten streams of light were already attacking him.

Those numerous streams of light were all flying swords!

A spellcaster wielding flying swords? That's quite uncommon.

Lu Ye remained calm. Under his mental control, the nine control artifacts surrounding him met those flying swords, while he continued to advance, charging relentlessly.

The clanging sounds were ceaseless as the control artifacts and flying swords from both sides clashed in mid-air, sending sparks flying.

In the blink of an eye, Lu Ye had closed in to within ten zhang of Lan Ziyi, with fire light swirling around his Panshan Blade and killing intent erupting.

Lan Ziyi, who had stood still, raised her hand and grabbed in the air, and a greatsword appeared in her hand. Lu Ye didn't even see how the sword appeared.

This was a two-handed greatsword, much wider than a standard longsword and appearing heavier. Held by a woman like Lan Ziyi, it undoubtedly created a strong visual contrast.

She held the hilt with both hands, and facing Lu Ye's downward slash, she met it with her sword!

Boom...

Shockwaves swept across the battlefield, and in the instant spiritual force surged chaotically, Lu Ye's body shook, but he managed to steady himself.

Lan Ziyi on the opposite side also slightly bent her body and did not retreat a single step.

This surprised Lu Ye, because no Spirit Stream Realm cultivator had ever withstood his slash without retreating; even the body cultivators of Tianjiu would find it difficult to do.

Yet, a woman with such delicate features and a tall figure had accomplished it.

This person was definitely not a spellcaster!

What concerned Lu Ye even more was that from beginning to end, this woman had a faint smile playing on her lips, and her serene demeanor had an air of superiority.

Han Tiejun was right; this woman had many tricks up her sleeve, and she was indeed approaching the battle with a playful attitude.

Stuck in a stalemate at close quarters, the two were less than a zhang apart, their eyes met, and red and blue spiritual forces, driven by each of them, collided fiercely.

Usually in such situations, it would be time for the Sun-Drenched Spirit Mark to appear...

Spiritual light flashed on the Panshan Blade, and as it erupted with dazzling light, Lu Ye suddenly felt an irresistible force coming from ahead. Propelled by that violent force, he was directly pushed back several zhang.

At the same time, Lan Ziyi retreated with the momentum and tightly shut her eyes.

Clang, clang, clang...

Around the two of them, the control artifacts and flying swords continued to clash relentlessly. Even when their own blades and swords met, this engagement did not stop.

This undoubtedly tested one's mental fortitude greatly. Lu Ye's strong mental fortitude was due to his soul having been tempered in the Soul Washing Pool, and subsequently, he had taken numerous Soul Washing Waters.

But Lan Ziyi's mental fortitude was no weaker than Lu Ye's in the slightest, which was quite incredible.

Just as they were retreating from each other, a flying sword broke through the blockade of Lu Ye's control artifacts and silently slashed towards him.

Lu Ye had not yet landed. Without even looking, he swept his blade out, its powerful destructive force dimming the flying sword's spiritual light and sending it flying directly to the edge of the battlefield.

The usually unfailing Sun-Drenched Spirit Mark failed to produce a miraculous effect this time. Lan Ziyi's reaction was too fast, pushing Lu Ye away the instant she sensed something was wrong and tightly closing her eyes.

When the light dissipated, the two figures simultaneously charged towards each other, resulting in another fierce collision, like two great mountains crashing together. Light of different colors clung to the greatsword and long blade, entangling in a deadly struggle as killing intent erupted.

Lu Ye's eyes narrowed. He had sensed something was wrong when he was pushed away just now.

This woman's strength was perhaps a bit excessive, and he felt it even more clearly now. Every time their blade and sword clashed, his blade-wielding arm would slightly tremble, and the web of his hand would gradually grow numb.

He could hardly believe it.

In a contest of strength, he had actually lost to a woman!

Observing her vitality, it wasn't outrageously vigorous, so how could she unleash such powerful strength?

During their clash, Lu Ye considered a possibility and immediately constructed the Insight Spirit Mark in his eyes.

Under the effect of Insight, he finally saw clearly.

In terms of vital energy and blood, Lan Ziyi was indeed inferior to him, but this woman clearly mastered the Art of Blood Transference. Every time her greatsword slashed down, she could perfectly unleash all of her power, which was why her explosive strength was stronger than his.

This was something Lu Ye found hard to achieve. Although he had practiced the Art of Blood Transference for a few days, he was far from her level of mastery.

If they were to truly compare, if Lu Ye's internal power was 100, then Lan Ziyi's would at most be 70 or 80. However, without activating the Art of Blood Transference, Lu Ye could only exert half of his own strength. If he activated it, he could perhaps match her, but he absolutely could not achieve her level of mastery.

In contrast, Lan Ziyi could unleash all of her power at any time.

Lu Ye dared not casually use the Art of Blood Transference. The battle had just begun, and it would undoubtedly be unwise to rashly activate his trump card before understanding his opponent's full capabilities.

The so-called trump card was something meant to deliver a decisive blow!

Although he couldn't match her in strength, Lu Ye fortunately still had spirit marks he could activate, utilizing various spirit marks like Windwalk, Pressure, and Sharpness in different ways. This caused Lan Ziyi to suffer quite a few hidden disadvantages, and for a while, the two fought to a standstill.

Amber roamed the edge of the battlefield, and Yiyi hid underground; neither of them participated in this battle.

The spirit and the tiger both knew Lu Ye's intentions. It was rare to encounter such an opponent, so naturally, he wanted to fight to his heart's content first and use this opportunity to hone himself. Otherwise, if they all rushed in, even if they won, it would be meaningless.

The control artifacts and flying swords clashing in the sky gradually ceased their movements...

Both Lu Ye and Lan Ziyi had realized the other's strength. Facing such an opponent, neither could afford to be distracted anymore, so they both recalled their control artifacts and flying swords.

Another fierce collision occurred. The effect of the Pressure Spirit Mark caused Lan Ziyi to hunch down, nearly falling to her knees. Taking advantage of her momentary lapse, Lu Ye channeled all his vital energy frantically to his right arm. In an instant, his entire right arm swelled by a circle, and his skin turned bright red.

Spiritual light flashed even brighter on the Panshan Blade, empowered by a double Sharpness enchantment.

A Flash!

It worked!

This strike landed on Lan Ziyi's waist. With the burst from the Flash Strike and the enhancement of the double Sharpness Spirit Marks, absolutely no one among Spirit Stream Realm cultivators could block this attack. Lan Ziyi's most likely outcome would be to be cut in half by this strike, dying instantly.

However, the next moment, Lu Ye realized something was wrong.

This strike indeed hit Lan Ziyi, but her body was not cut open. The instant the long blade landed, Lu Ye clearly saw a thick barrier completely enveloping Lan Ziyi.

Immense force sent Lan Ziyi flying. While still in mid-air, she tumbled several times before landing awkwardly.

However, Lu Ye's abdomen also stung with pain. The instant the opponent flew back, her greatsword stabbed into Lu Ye, three inches deep. If he hadn't sent Lan Ziyi flying with his strike, this sword would have almost pierced straight through him!

Such a greatsword stabbing into one's body would cause considerable injury.

Blood immediately gushed from Lu Ye's abdomen, and he staggered backward.

He quickly constructed a Blood-Stained Spirit Mark on his chest, and the gushing blood was drawn by the spirit mark and gathered.

Standing his ground, Lu Ye frowned and looked towards the woman.

He couldn't understand what kind of defense that was, one that could block his Flash Strike, which was enhanced by the Sharpness Spirit Mark and activated with the Art of Blood Transference!

He saw no signs of Lan Ziyi activating any spirit artifacts, which meant that defense was her own ability.

This is troublesome!

If even Flash Strike couldn't break through her defense, how was he supposed to kill her?

On the other side, Lan Ziyi was half-bent over, with her greatsword propped against the ground, her feet dragging two lines in the battlefield as she barely managed not to fall.

Although she didn't know what method she had used to block that fatal blow and avoid the fate of being cut in half by Lu Ye's blade, the violent impact force was impossible to mitigate, and at this moment, blood seeped from the corner of her mouth.

She propped herself up with her longsword and slowly stood up, her eyes curiously observing Lu Ye, as if re-evaluating him.