Sage of Humanity-Chapter 1731 - 1729: Torment
In the stellar space, Chu Zhu and Zhou Chuang walked side by side, chatting and laughing, flying towards the direction of the All Phenomena Ocean.
At a certain moment, he suddenly turned his head to the side, seeing two figures flying towards them.
Initially, Chu Zhu didn't pay much attention, as such encounters were quite common in the All Phenomena Galaxy, just as he had previously stumbled upon Zhou Chuang.
But soon he sensed something was off, because these two were charging straight towards him, which was clearly abnormal.
Chu Zhu quickly exerted his ocular power, wanting to see the faces of the opposite party. But just at that moment, mana surged beside him. When he suddenly turned his head, he saw Zhou Chuang, who was previously chatting and laughing with him, unexpectedly strike a palm towards him, with mana surging and spells roaring from the center of his palm.
Chu Zhu was quick-witted and instantly realized that his encounter with Zhou Chuang had been a trap; this guy was in cahoots with the newcomers, deliberately approaching him, doubtlessly harboring sinister intentions.
He was somewhat bewildered as to exactly where he had offended Zhou Chuang to provoke such a vicious attack.
No time to think further, Chu Zhu quickly deployed a protective magic treasure. Although he hurriedly blocked Zhou Chuang's sneak attack, he was rather flustered and angrily shouted, "Zhou Chuang, you scoundrel, I see you don't want Sifang Island anymore!"
This was clearly a threat; Sifang Island hasn't been established for long, and regardless of how intricately the protective big array is configured, without sufficient accumulation, it can't be too strong. If Baiyue Island were determined to attack, Sifang Island would surely face dire consequences.
Chu Zhu had no idea whom he had offended, and could only try to intimidate Zhou Chuang somewhat, causing him to hesitate.
To his surprise, Zhou Chuang was completely unmoved, and after gaining the advantage of a sneak attack, he unleashed spell after spell madly, leaving Chu Zhu only able to defend.
Both had cultivation in Late Stage Moon Jade; one was caught completely off guard, while the other had plotted cunningly, causing Chu Zhu to suffer greatly.
But even with such a sneak attack, Zhou Chuang would never be able to kill Chu Zhu. If they were to duel, once Chu Zhu regained his composure, it would surely be a fierce battle.
However, Lu Ye and his servant were already closing in.
Chu Zhu finally saw their faces clearly.
"It's you!" Chu Zhu was shocked; he had just been puzzled about whom he had offended, and now realized that his current predicament was orchestrated by Three Worlds Island in the shadows!
He had encountered Ma Shangsi and Lu Ye before, for during the previous operation, he and Junior Brother Wang had teamed up to ambush Tang Jun. In the end, Tang Jun survived thanks to the protection of the red talisman, Lu Ye arrived and killed Junior Brother Wang, while he was held up by Ma Shangsi and couldn't offer assistance. Upon realizing Junior Brother Wang was dead, he immediately fled.
But... it makes no sense. They operated swiftly last time and didn't leave any traces. Moreover, they hadn't heard a word of trouble; how had Three Worlds Island pinpointed them?
These past two months had been peaceful and smooth; they assumed Three Worlds Island knew nothing about Baiyue's actions. But now it seems, they've known all along that Baiyue was acting in secret.
It's Zhou Chuang!
Three Worlds Island has ties with Sifang Island, and Zhou Chuang recognizes them, so Three Worlds Island had already pinpointed Baiyue two months ago. These days there hasn't been any activity, merely to lull their side into complacency.
This time, the assignment to leave the island and go to the Yiyuan World gave the opponents an opportunity.
In an instant, Chu Zhu understood the matter and realized he was in a troubling situation.
Ma Shangsi had already lunged forward, enveloping Zhou Chuang and Chu Zhu, who were entangled in fierce combat, within the Blood Sea.
Chu Zhu, though alarmed, kept his cool, for he had previously escaped from Ma Shangsi's Blood Sea. So during the struggles with Zhou Chuang, he pushed his mana to vibrate in all directions, attempting to replicate those earlier tactics.
But to his surprise, this Blood Sea was different from the last time, thicker and steadier... he couldn't break free from its restraints at the moment.
In terms of cultivation alone, Ma Shangsi surpassed Chu Zhu slightly; Peak Moon Jade, though still within the Late Stage levels, was nearing the pinnacle of Sun Blaze.
Previously, Chu Zhu managed to escape mainly due to Ma Shangsi's circumstances; Lu Ye had forced Ma Shangsi to detonate his treasure blood to trigger the Blood Escape Technique, which consumed greatly in a short period, depleting vital energy and unable to exert full power, giving Chu Zhu a chance.
This time was different; Ma Shangsi had no consumption, and Zhou Chuang alone was enough to hinder him. With both teaming up, Chu Zhu's escape from the Blood Sea was essentially impossible.
Three Moon Jade combatants were entangled fiercely within the Blood Sea, mana resonating incessantly, with the Blood Sea raging and boiling.
Chu Zhu knew this time odds were against him, feeling deeply resentful yet helpless.
Suddenly, he deployed his strongest protective magic treasure, guarding his body, then swiftly took out his audio talisman!
Not to seek reinforcement; contacting Baiyue Island now would be too late. He was taking out the audio talisman to relay the information here to Baiyue Island, so Yu Huan and others could be on guard.
Upon seeing the talisman in his hand, Zhou Chuang immediately grasped his intent and shouted, "Not good, stop him quickly!"
He too feared today's events being exposed; Sifang Island not being far from Baiyue Island, if today's events were leaked, the future for Sifang Island wouldn't be favorable.
As his words fell, Zhou Chuang's heart suddenly tightened, for nearby a fearsome aura erupted instantly, causing even someone with his Late Stage Moon Jade level to feel chilled to the bone.
Sure, here is the translated text:
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Immediately, amidst the boundless sea of blood, a bright saber light flashed by. This flash of saber light seemed as if it could split the entire Blood Sea in two, even severing Zhou Chuang's view.
When he regained his senses, he heard Chu Zhu's muffled groan, and upon raising his eyes, he was shocked, for the protective magic treasure that Chu Zhu had just summoned was shattered, and even the arm holding the audio talisman was severed.
The severed arm, wrapped in the whirlpool of the Blood Sea, quickly drifted far away, vanishing without a trace.
Zhou Chuang suddenly turned his head and saw Lu Ye, who had been standing quietly on the side since the great battle began, without making a sound. At this moment, the long saber on Lu Ye's waist was already unsheathed, held in his right hand, slanted.
Zhou Chuang's eyelid twitched...
It was certain that the saber strike just now was Lu Ye's handiwork.
But... for someone at the Early Stage of Moon Jade to break the protective magic treasure of a Late Stage Moon Jade with one slash, and sever an arm, is such a thing really possible?
He had felt the power of that protective magic treasure, and even he couldn't break it in a short time. How did Lu Ye do it?
If this saber were to slash his way without any defense, would he still be alive?
Lu Ye should have only recently advanced to Moon Jade, how could he possess such powerful strength? But soon, Zhou Chuang realized that the saber strike should be a secret technique, a technique that exerted extreme burden on oneself, as Lu Ye's right hand holding the saber was trembling at the moment.
Yet even so, it gave Zhou Chuang an unspeakable shock.
The power of the Drawn Saber Slash was indeed formidable. This was Lu Ye's third time executing the Drawn Saber Slash, but even with the experience from the previous two times, he still couldn't perfectly control this strike.
Simply put, once this saber was slashed, he couldn't control it anymore. Whether it directly killed Chu Zhu, or severed his arm, was up to luck.
Fortunately, this time luck was on their side, Chu Zhu didn't die, only the arm holding the audio talisman was severed, preventing him from sending messages out.
With just the power of the Drawn Saber Slash alone, it may not have reached this level, because before Lu Ye slashed, Chu Zhu had already activated the power of the protective magic treasure.
But with the Boulder Mountain Saber, the protective magic treasure was hard to withstand.
When the Boulder Mountain Saber reached the magic treasure level, it had one power of the barghest, injuries caused by this saber would be entwined by the barghest's power, making them difficult to heal.
Upon advancing to the magic treasure, the Boulder Mountain Saber gained another trait, which was its destructive power against protective magic treasures, especially significant.
With such a saber strike, the current outcome was achieved.
Chu Zhu roared in pain, face pale, yet still resisting continuously.
Lu Ye slightly calmed the surging blood Qi within him, wielding his saber and charging forward, while transmitting audio, "Fellow Daoist Zhou, retreat!"
Hearing this, Zhou Chuang immediately withdrew from the battlefield, allowing Lu Ye to take the lead and attack.
Given the current situation, Chu Zhu was completely subdued and couldn't make much of a splash. Moreover, Lu Ye's displayed strength was too terrifying, so Zhou Chuang naturally wasn't worried about any incidents befalling him.
He originally thought Lu Ye intended to personally slay Chu Zhu to vent his anger.
But soon he realized something was amiss, because in the subsequent battle, not only did he not intervene, but even Ma Shangsi didn't intervene, merely maintaining the Blood Sea, creating a combat environment favorable for Lu Ye.
Moreover, Lu Ye showed no intention of swiftly killing Chu Zhu. Instead, he continuously tormented him, dashing around, causing some non-lethal wounds each time.
Chu Zhu was tough and resilient; for many timid cultivators, facing such a situation would inevitably lead to begging for mercy, but he didn't. Instead, he could only curse, shouting that a warrior could be killed but not humiliated, and so on.
Lu Ye's expression was indifferent, unaffected, seemingly determined to torture Chu Zhu to death bit by bit.
Even Zhou Chuang, watching the scene, felt somewhat unbearable, but he didn't persuade him. Baiyue Island intended to attack Three Worlds Island, and Lu Ye and Chu Zhu were enemies. No matter how cruel the means were against an enemy, it was not excessive.
However, observing Lu Ye's demeanor, it didn't seem like he was deliberately tormenting him, so for a moment, Zhou Chuang couldn't figure out what Lu Ye was doing.
For a full hour, Chu Zhu's body was almost devoid of intact spots, and he became extremely weak.
A Late Stage Moon Jade ideally shouldn't be in such a situation, but the wounds caused by the Boulder Mountain Saber couldn't heal, and coupled with Ma Shangsi occasionally activating the Blood Attraction Technique... Not dying was already a testament to his strong vitality, but at this moment, saying he was better off dead was not an exaggeration. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖
Lu Ye withdrew his attack, slowly walking up to Chu Zhu, gazing at him with calm eyes, and threatened, "Don't worry, I won't kill you just yet. I will take you to Baiyue Island later, and outside the island, I will carve you up into a thousand pieces, so Yu Huan and the others know the consequences of offending my Three Worlds Island!"
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Sudden gastroenteritis, struggled in the hospital for half a day, got an allergic reaction from the IV, resulting in another shot in the butt for the allergy... what a misfortune.
Only one update today, really have no energy left after all that.
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