As he contemplated, Lion Heart slowly stood up. His towering figure almost touched the top of the starboat, forcing him to bend slightly as he said in a deep voice, "Fellow Daoist Yuan Cheng, thank you for escorting me all the way here. Let us part here."
"Hmm?" Yuan Cheng was startled and turned to look, seeing that Lion Heart had already stood up. He couldnât help but avert his gaze slightly. "What do you mean by this, Fellow Daoist?"
Lion Heart stared at him and said flatly, "After all, Iâve lived for so many years. Since the Demon Venerable has made arrangements, I will comply!"
Yuan Cheng mumbled something, but no words came out. He just sighed lightly, opened the starboat, and Lion Heart immediately leaped out, standing across the stellar space. His aura began to rise, his hair wild and eyes predatory, and he roared in every direction, "Come out!"
He saw no one nearby, but he knew there was definitely someone there, and it was the person he dreaded the most!
When his voice wave swept through, Lion Heart suddenly turned his head to gaze in one direction. Sure enough, there stood a figure silently on a meteorite, as if he had always been there, only neither he nor Yuan Cheng had noticed earlier.
The manâs figure was tall, youthful in appearance, with a long saber at his waist. Who else could it be but Lu Ye?
Their eyes met, and Lion Heartâs eyes were full of fighting spirit. Even knowing he was no match and that he would surely die today, he wanted to shine in his final moment of glory. This was an honor belonging to a demon cultivator who had been renowned for many years!
Lu Ye stepped forward, moving unhurriedly toward Lion Heart while spreading his mental consciousness to sense the surroundings.
Although he came here after receiving Black Cloudâs message to set an ambush, he truly couldnât guess what Black Cloud was thinking.
If that black cloud guy were using Lion Heart as bait while hiding in the shadows, this would be a trap aimed at him!
Therefore, Lu Ye had to be cautious.
During these past few days, Lu Ye had set up a large number of alarm arrays nearby, and several Treasure Blood Avatars were hidden on the side, ensuring he could escape immediately if Black Cloud did set up some trap.
However, that being said, Black Cloud choosing this place for the meeting actually showed some sincerity because if Black Cloud really intended to set up a trap, there were better locations than here.
This kind of location is more suitable for silencing someone.
As the distance between them closed, Lu Ye could clearly sense that something was wrong with Lion Heartâs state. His aura appeared strong, but it was actually extremely unstable.
Even though four months had passed since the battle that day and Lion Heart had been recuperating on All Phenomena Island, the backlash from sacrificing his demonic pill in a strike wasnât so easily recovered.
At this moment, itâs feared Lion Heart couldnât even display seventy percent of his strength from that day.
He also appeared extremely haggard, with numerous wounds of varying sizes covering his body, all left by the Boulder Mountain Saber that day. The strange barghestâs power, even after four months, had not dissipated, hindering his recovery.
Perhaps Black Cloud had the ability to disperse the barghestâs power, but it would certainly require a tremendous cost and effort. Lion Heartâs fate had already been decided, so Black Cloud naturally wouldnât waste that effort.
"If I die today, can this realm take back Zixuan Island?" Lion Heart suddenly asked.
Lu Ye, gradually closing in on him, replied indifferently, "That is one of the conditions discussed between Three Worlds Island and the Demon Venerable!"
Lion Heart understood, realizing that things were indeed as he had guessed, and asked, "What other conditions are there?"
"A hundred billion spirit jades!" Lu Ye did not refuse to answer.
"Nothing else?"
"No other conditions!"
Lion Heart nodded, "Your Three Worlds Island acts fairly. Unfortunately, although I, Lion Heart, have managed Zixuan Island for so many years, in the end, I become a criminal!"
"Knowing todayâs outcome, why make those choices back then?" Lu Ye looked at him coldly.
Lion Heart laughed heartily, "Even if time were to go back, and I had the chance to choose again, I would still swallow Wey Po. Thereâs no such thing as hesitation and indecisiveness in this world. Once a choice is made, walk the chosen path all the way!"
"Thatâs why you must die!"
"Weâll see if you can kill me today!" Lion Heart roared, a golden light flashing in his mouth as he directly sacrificed his demonic pill. Unlike the previous occasion, this time the demonic pill shattered immediately once it was summoned, and a large area of golden light encompassed Lion Heart. His already immensely large body instantly became dazzlingly golden.
Pill-Melding Technique!
Sacrificing the demonic pill is a desperate technique for demon cultivators. Although it causes damage and affects the foundation, as long as they can defeat their enemy, they wonât lose their life.
However, the Pill-Melding Technique is different. It melts the entire demonic pill, concentrating all its power into the body. Itâs a true risking-it-all secret technique. Whether the enemy dies or not in one strike, the user will definitely die!
Not all demon cultivators can perform the Pill-Melding Technique, and Lion Heart happened to be one of those who could.
Lion Heart couldnât help but recall Black Cloudâs words of caution before setting out. This must be what Black Cloud hoped to see.
He was the criminal of Zixuan and had no face to return to Zixuan to live in disgrace. Since that was the case, he would shine in his final moments.
Amidst the overwhelming aura and with the Pill-Melding Techniqueâs empowerment, Lion Heart shed his previous despondency and seemed to return to his peak, with a momentum stronger than that time!
He threw himself toward Lu Ye.
However, just at that moment, the long saber at Lu Yeâs waist was unsheathed. Accompanied by the undulating sound of the saberâs cry, Lion Heart suddenly felt as if struck by lightning, unable to stop his muscular body from shuddering.
For no other reason than that the various wounds on his body, in that instant, suddenly burst open.
It was as if countless invisible small hands had torn open his wounds.
Mere flesh and blood werenât enough to make him so agitated. The key was that with the inexplicable rupturing of his wounds, an indescribable feeling of pain drilled into his core, penetrating deep into his psyche, causing the momentum he had worked hard to accumulate to vanish like smoke.
Lion Heart couldnât help but widen his eyes.
All along, he had been able to feel an inexplicable power lingering around his wounds, a power he couldnât dispel, preventing his injuries from healing. Yet he never imagined that Lu Ye could manipulate this mysterious power from a distance.
Blood spattered. In the instant Lu Yeâs long saber was unsheathed, Lion Heart became a figure drenched in blood, his entire body almost without an intact piece.
Amidst the scarlet blast, the golden light enveloping Lion Heart became extremely unstable.
Lu Ye had already lunged to Lion Heartâs front. The light of the Drawn Saber Slash Spirit Runes, accumulated over months within the sword sheath, dimmed. As his figure flashed past Lion Heartâs side, the long saber slashed out horizontally!
The formidable physique that once gave Lu Ye a splitting headache posed no obstruction in the face of this strike. The sudden rending of flesh drastically diminished the resilience of his body, making it impossible to withstand the explosive blow of the Drawn Saber Slash.
Lu Ye stood still, slowly sheathing the Boulder Mountain Saber.
A hundred feet behind him, Lion Heartâs mighty figure stood suspended in the Void, still raging with fury, yet unable to move as if struck by an immobilization curse.
In a fleeting moment, the mixture of golden and blood lights enveloping him shattered and fragmented.
On his neck thick as a barrel, a distinct blood line appeared, followed by a fountain-like gush of blood, sending the large head soaring high.
Lu Ye raised his hand to grab it back, holding it in his hand, then glanced indifferently to the side.
In that direction, Yuan Cheng, piloting the starboat and yet to escape, felt a chill run down his spine.
When Lion Heart used the Pill-Melding Technique, preparing for a desperate struggle, he still hoped that Lion Heart could pull Lu Ye down with him. After all, in this state, Lion Heart should have been unmatched at the level of Moon Jade.
But the reality was nothing like he imagined.
From beginning to end, Lu Ye only struck once, but with such fierce power that it was almost unbearable to behold, Lion Heart was slain!
This Lu Ye... seemed to have become even stronger than when he was last seen.
Moreover... Lu Ye didnât have to do this; Lion Heart, having used the Pill-Melding Technique, wouldnât have lived much longer. Lu Ye only needed to entangle with him for a while, and Lion Heartâs death was inevitable, yet Lu Ye still took his life.
Clearly, this guy has a strong sense of revenge. The death of a single Wey Po at the banquet that day not only led to the downfall of Zixuan but also resulted in Lion Heart being slain by him.
Even separated by the stellar space, Yuan Cheng could still feel Lu Yeâs gaze upon him, making him tremble with fear.
"Go back and tell Yuan Du that the cause of all this doesnât lie with us on Three Worlds Island. The Three Worlds cultivators came from afar to struggle and find it hard to get a foothold. Whoever wants to uproot this foundation, the Three Worlds cultivators will never agree. Now, scram!"
Yuan Cheng felt as if granted amnesty, hurriedly steering the starboat back the way he came, secretly resolving never to take on such tasks again. Theyâre terrifying!
After Yuan Cheng left, Lu Ye turned to look at Lion Heartâs remains, contemplating for a moment before storing them away with the storage ring.
Lion Heartâs body was so strong that the demon bone must be exceptional, making it excellent material for Artifact Refining, so it shouldnât be wasted.
In fact, the demon bones of the Demon Raceâs Moon Jade slain on Zixuan Island that day had all been collected, though the drawback of using demon bones for Artifact Refining is that once used against enemies and discovered by the Demon Race, it could easily incur hostility.
Since Three Worlds Island and Zixuan Demon Planet were already at odds, there was no need to worry about this.
The battle here decided life and death in an instant. From start to finish, Demon Venerable Black Cloud did not show up, nor were there any hidden ambushes, indicating some sincerity on Black Cloudâs part.
This also indirectly confirmed one thing: that the Zixuan Demon Planet was eager to reclaim Zixuan Island, so they didnât want any complications.
Lu Ye leisurely headed back towards Three Worlds Island.
Upon returning to this island, he summoned He Baichuan.
He Baichuan, unaware of what had transpired, rushed over anxiously, only to see Lu Ye throw a massive head before him.
He Baichuan was startled, glancing at it intently, utterly astonished: "Lion Heart?" Then he looked up at Lu Ye: "No way, wasnât he hiding on All Phenomena Island? How did you manage to kill him, Junior Brother?"
It couldnât possibly be that Lu Ye stormed All Phenomena Island to kill him, that was absolutely impossible.
Lu Ye said, "Didnât Demon Venerable Black Cloud come by the other day? I made some deals with him, and Lion Heartâs life was one of the terms."
He Baichuan was incredulous, "That Demon Venerable Black Cloud actually agreed to such a thing?"
"They want to reclaim Zixuan Island, so they had no choice but to agree!" Lu Ye pointed at Lion Heartâs head and said, "When you have a chance, take it to Senior Sister Luan. Senior Sister is striving towards Sun Blaze; with Lion Heart dead, it should resolve one of her heartâs knots, helping her thoughts to be more aligned and possibly aiding her."