Chapter 2306 - 2304: Time Is Running Out

"So what? Before I die, I will definitely kill you!" Ning Gu glared viciously at Lu Ye. His doppelganger, cultivated with years of effort, was slashed by Lu Ye, causing loss to his true form's power. The hatred in his heart was overwhelming and could only be resolved by killing Lu Ye.

Lu Ye remained indifferent.

Such verbal threats were the least effective, and he obviously didn't care.

Moreover, he was sure that Ning Gu and Junior Sister Shuang would not hold out much longer, as both he and the two on the opposite side had almost reached their limits.

That invisible pressure descended from the sky, requiring them to constantly channel Dao force to resist!

This was not combat, but it consumed more Dao force than true combat since there was no way to relax.

Lu Ye had an enormous reserve of Dao force and naturally did not fear such consumption. But how about Ning Gu and Junior Sister Shuang? Even though they were at Peak Dao Fusion, they couldn't last much longer.

Therefore, the two of them certainly couldn't maintain this state indefinitely.

As expected, after a moment, Junior Sister Shuang glanced at Ning Gu with an arduous expression, her Mental Consciousness surging and whispered a message.

Ning Gu, although filled with reluctance, still nodded.

Immediately, the two retreated to the bottom to escape the pressure completely.

Lu Ye, however, did not descend with them. With no more covetous eyes from Ning Gu and Junior Sister Shuang, he instead looked upward.

Twenty steps, he was currently on the sixteenth level, and the doorway above was open, so as long as he climbed four more steps, he could leave this place!

No matter what, he had to give it a try, or he would truly be trapped here.

He sheathed his Boulder Mountain Saber, gathered his thoughts, and then stepped forward.

Ning Gu was always watching his movements, and upon witnessing this, couldn't help but feel worried.

He was somewhat puzzled as to why Lu Ye's ability to withstand pressure was stronger than his and Junior Sister Shuang's. They were both Peak Dao Fusion yet could only stop at the fourteenth level.

Even if Lu Ye was indeed a Peak Dao Fusion, there was no reason for him to be this much stronger unless, besides that long saber Dao soldier, he had a protective Dao soldier.

This was not impossible either.

For those like them at Peak Dao Fusion, if there was no hope of reaching Dao Harmony, they would naturally try to nurture a second Dao soldier to enhance their strength.

Even some who had hope for Dao Harmony would not rush into it but instead focus on a second Dao soldier.

Not only were Ning Gu and Junior Sister Shuang paying attention to Lu Ye, but other Peak Dao Fusion practitioners were also doing so.

Having escaped the first layer of the trap only to fall into this place, anyone would feel upset. Watching Lu Ye, Ning Gu, and Junior Sister Shuang's earlier ordeal, they realized how perilous the second layer of the trap was.

To leave this place, only one's mighty strength mattered; sheer numbers were no longer a factor.

Lu Ye moved very slowly, his raised foot trembling violently under immense pressure, but eventually, it landed on the seventeenth step.

After a moment to adjust, he lifted his other foot.

Just as before, after quite some time, he barely managed to stabilize himself on the seventeenth step, but his complexion was clearly pale.

Clenching his teeth, Lu Ye continued upward.

After another moment, when he stood on a higher step, his body suddenly shook, and a mouthful of blood mist erupted.

Not daring to pause, he quickly descended, landing on the fifth step, where he managed to steady himself.

He didn't descend directly because if he did, Ning Gu would undoubtedly cause trouble for him, and that was something he did not want to face.

The current position was ideal, with little pressure and negligible Dao force consumption. If Ning Gu made any moves, he would have time to respond.

Having attempted earlier, Lu Ye realized his limit was the eighteenth level!

Bear in mind that he had used two hundred forty Dao forces to counter the enormous pressure and was already struggling. There could be no one else among the Peak Dao Fusion practitioners present who could reach that position besides him.

Two steps remained, but though the distance was not far, it was an impossible chasm!

A true dead end.

Seeing Lu Ye injured, a trace of delight flickered in Ning Gu's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by overwhelming worry.

Given the current situation, was it really possible they would be trapped here to death?

How could he be willing to accept this? On the Baiyu Platform, he was the first to step forward and had carefully selected his companions. With two Peak Dao Fusion practitioners working together, there was a substantial chance of competing for the title of Star Abyss Heir.

If they were defeated and killed in a battle, so be it; that would mean Ning Gu's skills were inferior.

But to be trapped here to death was utterly unbearable.

His thoughts swirling chaotically, he became incredibly irritable, and the hatred for Lu Ye, due to the destruction of his doppelganger, deepened.

On the fifth step, Lu Ye silently healed, the injury not severe, so recovery wasn't difficult.

However, the current situation was somewhat tricky, and he pondered how to escape this place?

He did have a doppelganger that hadn't been revealed, but its strength was the same as his true form's, and even if he sent it in, the eighteenth level was still the limit.

To step onto the topmost steps, he needed a stronger pressure resistance.

He couldn't rely on himself alone, so the only option was to form an array!

While he was pondering, the other Dao Fusion cultivators had already attempted to climb the staircase, but among them, only Ning Gu and Junior Sister Shuang were at the Peak Dao Fusion level; the strongest others were merely at the 7th Order Dao Fusion.

With such cultivation, the highest they could reach was the sixteenth level.

Their emotions began to turn restless, and for the moment, none had any idea.

Lu Ye ignored them, tending to his injuries while inspecting the token he had snatched from Ning Gu's doppelganger.

This counted as the second treasure he obtained in this contest, and while the Dao force flask had some uses, it wasn't of much help to him.

This second item was clearly an exotic treasure.

Yet, despite looking at it repeatedly, Lu Ye couldn't determine what purpose it served...

With slight contemplation, he quickly took out a Star Abyss coin, utilized it to connect to that mysterious space, and after a search, indeed found a token identical to the one in his possession within this treasure vault-like space.

The reason for doing this was that Lu Ye believed that exotic treasures appearing in the stellar space fragment should have corresponding items in that space; if he didn't know its purpose, he could simply find the corresponding item to investigate.

The result was as anticipated.

A moment later, Lu Ye raised his brows and gained insight into the function of the token.

This treasure wasn't entirely useless; its purpose was just somewhat peculiar, and if used at the right moment, it could indeed offer some remarkable effects.

The injuries were slowly recovering.

Even Ning Gu's severed arm had recovered; for a Dao Fusion practitioner, a severed arm wasn't a major issue, but Ning Gu was only able to restore his own body, and his doppelganger was lost forever unless he spent time and effort on cultivation again.

"The time we have left... is not much!"

Amidst Ning Gu's frustration, Lu Ye, seated on the fifth-level staircase, suddenly transmitted audio slowly.

Ning Gu abruptly looked up at him, thinking: This scoundrel, who slashed my doppelganger, now has the nerve to communicate?

On the contrary, Junior Sister Shuang seemed thoughtful, also transmitted audio in response: "Fellow Daoist, what do you mean?"

Since it was audio transmission, it was undoubtedly meant to be unheard by others, and Junior Sister Shuang couldn't figure out Lu Ye's intention, but cooperating a bit didn't matter.

"I don't know if the two have been to the edge of the stellar space fragment, but I have; at the edge, the Chaos Fog surges and pushes forward, and the stellar space fragment we are on is dissolving!"

Junior Sister Shuang was slightly shocked; she really didn't know this.

She couldn't help but turn to look at Ning Gu.

Ning Gu gently shook his head.

"The Cloud Ladder Marvel we entered earlier is actually not far from the fragment's edge, so if we don't do something, our likely fate is not being trapped here but being swallowed along with the stellar marvel by the Chaos Fog!"

Upon hearing this, both Ning Gu and Junior Sister Shuang were greatly surprised.

If Lu Ye wasn't exaggerating, this might actually happen.

And in such a situation, Lu Ye seemed to have no need to exaggerate.

"So, if we want to survive, we have to leave here quickly!"

Junior Sister Shuang's eyes brightened: "Fellow Daoist, do you have a way to leave?"

Lu Ye said blandly: "It's worth a trial!"

Junior Sister Shuang blinked: "If you need help, feel free to say it; Senior Brother Ning and I will definitely do our best, without reservation!"

Lu Ye glanced at her, thinking this cold and frosty woman was indeed very sharp; he hadn't even spoken yet, but she could tell help was needed.

After all, if he didn't need anyone's assistance and could leave independently, he wouldn't have sought out these two.

Ning Gu also came to realization, his expression fluctuating before transmitting audio: "If we can leave this place, if you need help, just say it."

Lu Ye shook his head: "It's not help, it's mutual assistance!"

"All the same!" Ning Gu responded grumpily.

Lu Ye then said: "We can form an array!"

Junior Sister Shuang immediately reacted: "Are you planning to use the array to resist the pressure?"

"Exactly."

Junior Sister Shuang shook her head: "The idea is good, but forming an array is not something we people who meet by chance can accomplish."

Not to mention the enmity between Ning Gu and Lu Ye due to the slashing of the doppelganger, making cooperation unlikely; even her relationship with Ning Gu wasn't very close.

The two were merely paired by rule, not connected in spirit, so how could they form an array?

Thinking Lu Ye had a good idea, to find it turned out this way was thoroughly disappointing.

Lu Ye was unperturbed: "Indeed, under normal circumstances, we can't form an array, but what about using an exotic treasure?"

"Exotic treasure? What exotic treasure?" Junior Sister Shuang was somewhat amazed, and Ning Gu couldn't help but look at Lu Ye.

Lu Ye smiled slightly: "As they say, heaven leaves no path unsought, the exotic treasure in the previous trap is the one that can allow us to effortlessly form an array."