Chapter 2928: Blood Guilt Achieved Great Merit

The Wind Rises in Kyushu

The battle group Lu Ye had been eyeing was one where three Dragon Half-Saints were besieging a Demon Half-Saint.

He had set his sights on this particular group for two reasons: firstly, its proximity, and secondly, both combatants had revealed their true forms.

The demon was a silver wolf, whose true form stood over a thousand feet tall, with sleek, shimmering fur that gave it a majestic appearance.

Although the three Dragon Half-Saints also revealed their true forms, they only transformed into thousand-foot-tall bodies to confront the demon wolf.

The four colossal beings clashed and bit each other like real beasts, fighting with extreme ferocity, their roars and howls echoing frequently.

On the surface, it seemed to be a stalemate, but the three dragons were undoubtedly in a more precarious situation. While their attacks might not breach the silver wolf's protective aura, if they were caught by the enemy's offensive, they would at least sustain minor injuries.

After a short period of fighting, two of the dragons had already been wounded, their blood staining the void.

Without external interference, it was genuinely hard to say who would emerge victorious or defeated.

However, this stalemate was finally broken by Lu Ye's arrival. Sensing the approaching killing intent, and especially having previously detected the death of the Nether Bee, the demon wolf Half-Saint dared not hesitate. As its peripheral vision caught sight of Lu Ye charging with his blade, it frantically retracted its demonic form and fled like an arrow loosed from a bow.

Lu Ye, who had been lunging towards it, narrowed his eyes slightly. Without a moment's delay, he unleashed a horizontal slash.

A fierce blade light swept forth, distorting space. The demon wolf Half-Saint cried out in alarm as its protective power wavered and its body stumbled.

Extreme dread filled its heart. No wonder Lu Ye could effortlessly slay the Nether Bee; such profound strength would rank among the best even in the Source World.

How could such a monster be born within the Star Abyss?

As these thoughts raced through its mind, a massive dragon tail swept across. Although it managed to evade the blow, its movement was obstructed.

The other two Dragon Half-Saints, almost immediately after it retracted its demonic form, also transformed into human shape and pursued closely. Sensing an opportunity, they simultaneously attacked from both sides.

For a moment, the demon Half-Saint found itself utterly unable to escape, its face filled with despair.

By the time Lu Ye arrived and joined forces with the three dragons, the demon Half-Saint had no chance of survival. It endured for less than ten breaths before falling to their blades.

The three freed dragons did not linger. They turned and dashed towards the battlefield where the puppet Half-Saints were fighting, clearly intending to provide support.

Each of the puppet Half-Saints was essentially engaged in a one-on-one battle with a Dragon Half-Saint. Now, with these three joining the fray, they were sure to gain an advantage.

Meanwhile, Lu Ye had already lunged towards a second battle group. This time, he targeted an Infernal Half-Saint, whose entire body glowed with fire, resembling a being of pure flame.

Just like before, with his entry into the formation and the cooperation of several Dragon Half-Saints, it took little effort to slay the Infernal Half-Saint on the spot.

“Xing Zhou!”

On the other side, Xue Wei, who was locked in a fierce battle with Dragon Lord and others, suddenly let out a sharp cry.

If, before the battle erupted, she hadn't taken the enemies seriously, by this point, she had sensed that something was amiss.

As the battle progressed, her side had suffered repeated losses, specifically three Half-Saints from the Source World, while the opposing force had not experienced any attrition.

Crucially, those three Half-Saints had all died at Lu Ye's hands.

She immediately realized that on a battlefield like this, a powerful individual like Lu Ye, if left unchecked, would undoubtedly cause immense damage to their side.

At present, Lu Ye might have only killed three, but if he were allowed to continue, their losses would surely mount, and the enemy's advantage would snowball.

While she possessed the ability to restrain Lu Ye, how could Dragon Lord and the others easily allow her to leave at this moment?

Fei was nowhere to be seen, so now her only hope was Xing Zhou. Although Si Shengya was strong, he shouldn't be a match for Xing Zhou. Thus, unlike her own inability to disengage, Xing Zhou had the initiative.

Currently, Xing Zhou only needed to assume the posture of hunting Dragon Half-Saints, and Si Shengya and Lu Ye would likely have to join forces to stop him. Yet, Xing Zhou remained indifferent.

Even with her cry, there was no response from Xing Zhou.

However, Xue Wei soon showed a glimmer of joy, as she sensed Fei's aura rapidly approaching. Stealing a glance, she indeed saw Fei hurtling towards them.

There was no sign of Xue Jiu, though; it was unclear whether he had escaped or been killed.

She immediately shouted, “Fei, quickly deal with Lu Ye!”

Fei's face was grim. “They are all useless!”

He had been pursuing Xue Jiu and was on the verge of success, but he hadn't expected such rapid casualties on this battlefield, with three major figures falling in quick succession.

Realizing the dire situation, he no longer cared about Xue Jiu and immediately rushed back to assist.

Lu Ye had now reached another battle group. The Source World Half-Saint there was terrified, only narrowly escaping thanks to Fei's timely return.

Lu Ye sighed helplessly.

If Fei had returned a little later, he could have slain a fourth Half-Saint. These individuals were indeed on the same level as Zhi Fei—decent, but essentially in the realm of ordinary Half-Saints, each entangled by several dragons. As soon as he joined a battle, he quickly achieved results.

However, now that Fei had returned, he couldn't act so recklessly.

To be honest, given the progress of the battle, he was quite satisfied with the current outcome. After all, according to the original plan, he was supposed to confront Fei after dealing with the Nether Bee.

Xue Jiu's ability to lure Fei away was an unexpected bonus; the Blood Lord had undoubtedly performed a great service this time.

As for Xue Jiu... Xue Wei didn't know if he was dead or alive, but Lu Ye knew very well. The guy's body was riddled with the potent venom of the Myriad Poison Pearl, and Lu Ye could sense him no matter where he went.

At this moment, Xue Jiu was hiding outside the battlefield, doing something unknown, likely observing the situation.

He immediately had an idea.

The next instant, Xue Jiu, hiding in the distance, couldn't help but grunt. Feeling his vital energy become somewhat chaotic, his face immediately darkened. “Bastard!”

He had just narrowly escaped death and hadn't even had a chance to catch his breath, when that scoundrel Lu Ye was already forcing him back into the fight.

It was clear that Lu Ye had just activated the poisonous energy within his body. Fortunately, it was fleeting and had no lasting effect on him, but he understood Lu Ye's intention.

Cursing, he gritted his teeth and plunged back into the battle.

Just like before, he didn't seek out the strong opponents, but instead focused on where the puppet Half-Saints were.

Lu Ye was now locked in battle with Fei.

He immediately felt the pressure. Compared to the Source World Half-Saints he had previously slain, Fei's strength was significantly greater. If not for Fei's wariness of the Pan Mountain Blade's sharpness and the Sky-Weaving Needle's trickery, Lu Ye felt he would genuinely have difficulty coping.

An old Half-Saint like Fei, who had lived for countless years, possessed incredibly rich combat experience and an endless array of tactics. Without the ability to suppress him with absolute strength, it was difficult to achieve a decisive blow in battle.

In terms of individual strength and foundation, Lu Ye estimated that he and Fei were evenly matched.

With the battle still raging intensely, Lu Ye composed himself.

By this point, he had done everything he could. What remained was beyond his control; he could only do his best and leave the rest to fate.

Moreover, if the situation continued to develop as it was, the advantage would actually be on their side.

Because with his slaying of several Source World Half-Saints, the balance of power had already shifted. Not to mention Xue Jiu, even the Dragon Half-Saints who had disengaged from other battle groups, after joining the conflict with the puppets, represented a force that could not be ignored.

The current advantage wasn't overly significant, but as soon as the puppets began to suffer losses, this advantage would further expand, reaching a point where the enemy could no longer recover.

Currently, the enemy's only hope was that Xing Zhou or Xue Wei might achieve a breakthrough.

But this was almost impossible.

That's why Lu Ye inwardly felt that Xue Jiu had rendered a great service this time. Without him luring Fei away, this would not have proceeded so smoothly.

The battle's progression was precisely as he had anticipated. Approximately half an incense stick's time after he began fighting Fei, the enemy finally suffered another casualty.

It was a puppet Half-Saint that had been slain.

This seemed to be a catalyst. As the aura of the first puppet Half-Saint vanished, a second fell shortly after, followed by a third... In less than half an hour, nearly ten puppets had been annihilated in succession.

Ten puppets might not be a large number compared to their total quantity, but this not only represented a reduction in enemy numbers but also meant that their own Half-Saints could now assist elsewhere. With this ebb and flow, their advantage indeed expanded further.

Initially, it took a considerable amount of time for their side to slay a single puppet, but by this point, the intervals were becoming shorter and shorter.

Xue Wei gritted her teeth, her heart filled with resentment.

She was annoyed that Xing Zhou, bearing the title of the strongest Half-Saint, was unable to deal with Si Shengya. She was even more frustrated that Fei had previously left the battlefield without permission, giving the enemy an opportunity.

But she knew better than anyone that this battle... her side had probably lost.

Furthermore, if they didn't withdraw quickly, the remaining puppets would likely be completely annihilated.

Although more Half-Saints would surely arrive from the Source World later, if the losses this time were too great, there would be no "future" to speak of.

Thus, after a brief consideration, Xue Wei made up her mind.

Just as she was about to call for the Half-Saints to retreat, a sudden hum resonated throughout the heavens and earth. This abrupt, unheralded change startled both allied and enemy forces, leaving their expressions bewildered.

Immediately after, everyone detected the source of the anomaly and looked towards it.

In the void over there, a colossal vortex suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Inside, lightning flashed and thunder roared, and an indistinct, immensely powerful aura undulated.

Lu Ye's face immediately darkened.

Because from within that vortex, he sensed a familiar aura of a True Saint!

Again?

It made no sense. According to his deductions, True Saints couldn't descend into the Star Abyss frequently; after each descent, a long interval was required before another could occur. Saint Er had already been here just now and destroyed his talent tree clone, which was why he had dared to come out so boldly.

But what was happening now?

Could it be that, with the continuous integration of the Source World, True Saints could not only stay longer in the Source World, but also that those unknown restrictions would weaken?

If so, that would be terrible!