For Lu Xiaotian, reuniting with the Lotus Avatar had caused his strength to surge, giving him a certain ability to contend with Ye Qianxun. He still wasn't Ye Qianxun's match, but he could protect himself to some extent against him. At that moment, however, in this ruined void, the spatial power that had once surged violently had calmed everywhere except near the exit. Naturally, this meant less interference for Ye Qianxun.
Lu Xiaotian's situation wasn't particularly good. More precisely, the one facing a truly thorny predicament was the Lotus Avatar. As for Lu Xiaotian's true body, it had already entered a wondrous state, unmoved by anything external.
His true body had always accumulated a deeper foundation than the Lotus Avatar. In the past, the Lotus Avatar's understanding of the Mahayana Realm had mostly come from his true body. Now, having personally experienced the Mahayana state of mind, Lu Xiaotian's true body was showing increasingly clear signs of breaking through its shackles even as the Lotus Avatar fought.
After a prolonged chase, Ye Qianxun closed in on Lu Xiaotian again. The Devouring Abyss Sword slashed repeatedly, and countless strands of Sword Qi formed a gigantic black hole in the void. Its gaping maw radiated a tremendous force of suction, causing Lu Xiaotian's escape to falter.
Without paying some price, he would likely find it difficult to get away. Yet in this ruined space, apart from the spatial power that fluctuated with extraordinary violence—and kept even Mahayana Realm experts from easily leaving—there was no way out anywhere else.
If Lu Xiaotian was willing to sacrifice some of his vital essence, he could escape for the time being. But that would only treat the symptoms, not the cause. It wouldn't be long before Ye Qianxun caught up again.
The more vital essence he