Black River Heaven Lord was only Fifth-Order, and the woman's cultivation was on par with his own. Being caught off guard by an ambush, he naturally fell to the disadvantage.
That brat was cunning indeed—having his subordinates suppress their auras to lure him into a trap. Black River Heaven Lord was so frustrated he nearly vomited blood.
He had assumed that Lu Xue and Guo Ziyan had been using some secret technique to conceal their auras before, but that wasn't the case at all. Two months ago, Lu Xue had truly been only Fourth-Order Open Heaven, and Guo Ziyan had truly been only Second-Order.
The reason they had made such dramatic leaps in such a short time was entirely thanks to World Fruit.
Once Lu Xue and Guo Ziyan had gathered intelligence on Black River Heaven Lord, Yang Kai's head ached with worry. The gap between Fifth-Order and Fourth-Order might seem like just one rank, but their actual combat strength was worlds apart. With Lu Xue alone, there was no way to contend against Black River Heaven Lord.
But Yang Kai couldn't just hole up in the Universe Temple forever. If he wanted to resolve this threat, his only option was to elevate Lu Xue's rank.
Yet advancement in the Open Heaven Realm was extraordinarily difficult, usually requiring vast stretches of time for accumulation and consolidation. Where would Yang Kai find the time to wait?
Fortunately, he had World Fruit in his possession!
Of the three mid-grade World Fruit, he had left one with Yue He before departing, leaving two in hand. With life and death hanging in the balance, Yang Kai didn't hesitate. He immediately produced one more and had Lu Xue consume and refine it.
Guo Ziyan also received a low-grade World Fruit.
The two months they had spent delayed inside the Universe Temple were the time Lu Xue and Guo Ziyan had needed to refine their respective World Fruit.
World Fruit truly lived up to its legendary reputation. With the aid of this divine treasure, both of them advanced in rank, which was what had led to the current situation.
However, even though Lu Xue had advanced to Fifth-Order, in a truly fair one-on-one fight, she would still not be Black River's match. After all, she had only just broken through. Her foundation was unstable, and she would need a considerable period of consolidation before she could truly display her full strength. Black River, on the other hand, was a veteran Fifth-Order—both the depth of his inner Small Universe and the magnitude of his World Force were far beyond what a newly minted Fifth-Order like Lu Xue could compare to.
Even among cultivators of the same rank in the Open Heaven Realm, there could be significant disparities in actual strength.
But at least Lu Xue now had the capital to fight him.
The ambush had proven devastatingly effective!
The battle in the void raged on. Lu Xue's longsword wove an airtight curtain of blade-light as she fought with everything she had to maintain her hard-won advantage, not daring to slack off for even an instant. Guo Ziyan, after being knocked flying, had immediately turned back. In a clash between two Fifth-Order Open Heaven cultivators, the role he—as a newly advanced Third-Order—could play was extremely limited, but at the very least he could draw a fraction of Black River's attention. The price he paid was enduring devastating blow after devastating blow.
Black River's deeper reserves eventually began to tell. After fighting for a long while, he slowly stabilized his footing and quickly spotted an opening. His exchange with Lu Xue had revealed her to be outwardly strong but hollow within—the true strength of this Fifth-Order Open Heaven woman lagged behind his own. If he went all out against her, she would certainly be no match.
But Black River pretended not to realize this, roaring in fury while retreating step by step, putting on the appearance of being outmatched.
Lu Xue grew ever more aggressive, intoxicated by the power of Fifth-Order Open Heaven. Years of striving had come true in a single moment, reinforcing her belief that staying in the Void Territory had been the right choice. On her own, it would have taken her decades more to reach the Fifth-Order.
But now, a single World Fruit had made her dream a reality. And the benefits World Fruit brought were far more than just a one-rank advancement. The greatest boon was that her ceiling had been raised.
Before, her limit had been Sixth-Order—still within the range of mid-grade Open Heaven. But now, her limit was Seventh-Order!
She had never imagined that in her lifetime, she might have the chance to glimpse the splendor of upper-grade Open Heaven.
A surge of gratitude toward Yang Kai welled up in Lu Xue's heart, and naturally she fought with desperate fervor to protect him.
World Force surged and poured into the Frost Sword in her hand. Blade-light blazed in every direction, sword energy crisscrossing the void, battering Black River until he could only defend and had no capacity to counterattack.
Amid the fierce exchange, Lu Xue seized on an opening in Black River Heaven Lord's defense and thrust her sword straight at him.
This strike blazed with blinding radiance—it was Lu Xue's full-powered killing blow. Even if it struck a fellow Fifth-Order like Black River, it would cost him half his life.
But just as the blow was about to land, Black River Heaven Lord let out a ferocious laugh. His Black River Whip cracked through the air, and his aura erupted and skyrocketed.
Lu Xue instantly felt a terrifying force barreling toward her. The pressure of World Force bore down on her, creating an overwhelming sense that she was utterly powerless against it.
This man had been concealing his true strength the entire time!
Lu Xue's heart lurched with shock. In the span of a heartbeat, her sword-light shattered. The Black River Whip struck Lu Xue's body, and with a muffled groan, she felt as though her entire being was about to fall apart. Her inner Small Universe trembled violently, and her World Force descended into chaos.
When she looked up again, she saw that Black River Heaven Lord had broken free from her entanglement and was charging straight toward Yang Kai.
It was a trap! Lu Xue gritted her silver teeth, realizing she had been careless and fallen into his scheme. Black River had possessed the power to turn the battle around from the very start but had deliberately held back, all so he could make this sudden move. His target, from beginning to end, had been Yang Kai and Yang Kai alone.
Yang Kai and his two companions had clearly been centered around him from the start—this was obvious to anyone watching. Taking down Lu Xue would not have been simple for Black River, but if he could seize Yang Kai, the battle would be settled in an instant. With Yang Kai in hand, whether to stay or retreat would be a single thought away.
Credit where it was due—Black River Heaven Lord's scheme was brilliant. Lu Xue had been so intoxicated by the power of Fifth-Order Open Heaven that she hadn't noticed a thing.
By the time she realized what was happening, it was already too late!