Chapter 1341: The Best Defense is a Good Offense

If Lu Ye had been completely unprepared, he would undoubtedly be in grave danger at this moment, as this was ultimately a combined attack from two late-stage Constellation cultivators.

However, since he was prepared, it wasn't easy for his opponents to succeed.

His long saber was drawn, slashing diagonally. A massive, crescent-shaped saber aura flew out, gleaming brilliantly, meeting Ye Chaoqun's fierce assault. The descending saber traced a semicircle, and as the Spirit-infused Immovable Mountain Saber vibrated, it parried the sword glare aimed at his face.

The moment the sword glare shattered, Lu Ye's hand went numb.

Speaking of which, this was his first head-on confrontation with a late-stage Constellation cultivator, and he immediately noticed the huge disparity between late and early stages.

His own foundation was indeed profound, but his cultivation level was ultimately a significant weakness.

Before he could catch his breath, Ye Chaoqun charged forward, raining down a barrage of punches on Lu Ye. Simultaneously, Duan Xiuchen attacked from the side, unleashing a series of spirit talismans that manifested as fierce attacks.

Lu Ye swiftly retreated with Huang Li and Xu Xinghe. His long saber spun like a crescent moon, and he activated layers of protective barriers in front of him to block the incoming forces.

The protective barriers shattered at an unprecedented speed, and even with Lu Ye fully activating them, it seemed he couldn't block fast enough.

Just at this critical moment, Huang Li suddenly raised her hand and slapped Lu Ye's back. A spirit talisman in her hand transformed into a golden light, enveloping Lu Ye entirely.

Lu Ye's pressure significantly decreased.

However, Huang Li and Xu Xinghe were not as fortunate. The combined fierce assault from the two late-stage Constellation cultivators appeared to be blocked solely by Lu Ye, but it was actually a combined effort of all three.

The two were shaken, their vital energy surging from the aftermath of the fierce attacks. As Huang Li placed the Golden Body Talisman on Lu Ye, her concentration wavered, and she was accidentally struck by one of Ye Chaoqun's fist strikes, instantly exploding into a mist of blood.

With one person dead from their formation, the formation broke without needing an attack, and Xu Xinghe immediately met the same fate.

Seeing this, Ye Chaoqun and Duan Xiuchen intensified their attacks, clearly intending to send Lu Ye back to the Eastern Camp in one swift blow.

Unexpectedly, Lu Ye, fighting alone, became much more agile, and with the protection of the Golden Body Talisman, the two were unable to subdue him for a time.

When Lu Ye found an opportune moment, he unleashed a Crescent Slash, actually forcing both of them to retreat.

The two late-stage cultivators did not pursue further. Instead, they stood their ground, each with a different expression.

Only then did Lu Ye have time to survey his surroundings. While he was entangled with the two late-stage Constellation cultivators, he had continuously heard sounds of cultivators dying, knowing it meant his allies were in trouble. Now, seeing clearly, he realized the losses were far greater than expected.

Of the nine who came, only three were still alive: besides him, only Begonia and another early-stage Constellation cultivator were struggling to hold on.

As he watched, that early-stage Constellation cultivator also died on the spot, and Begonia's situation was equally grim; it seemed she wouldn't survive.

Although he had already cautioned everyone to flee if the situation turned unfavorable, it seemed they had still lowered their guard, mainly because the Southern and Western factions had played their roles too convincingly.

Holding his Immovable Mountain Saber, Lu Ye's eyes slightly lowered: "Friends from the South, this is hardly the way to treat guests!"

Duan Xiuchen sucked his teeth, his expression solemn: "Brother Ye told me about you before, and I didn't quite believe it, but now it seems Brother Ye not only didn't exaggerate, he actually underestimated you."

Who would believe that an early-stage Constellation cultivator could emerge unscathed from a combined ambush and fierce assault by two late-stage cultivators?

Yet, it had just happened right before his eyes.

"So, the South has allied with the West?" Lu Ye asked.

Ye Chaoqun chuckled: "As you can see, fellow daoist!"

Duan Xiuchen said, "Brother Lu, don't be angry. It's truly a matter of circumstances. Think about it, the East has always been third. It's customary for our two factions to contend for first and second. If the East were to suddenly surpass us this time, none of us would be able to explain ourselves upon returning. On the other hand, since your Eastern faction has always been third, maintaining that position this time isn't a big deal. As the saying goes, 'helping others achieve their goals' is something everyone should do. Brother Lu, you're just an external helper; there's no need to push yourself so hard!"

Lu Ye slowly sheathed his saber, saying deliberately, "Our faction thought we could maintain our alliance, but it turns out it was just wishful thinking on our part."

Duan Xiuchen replied, "This concerns an entire domain, and some choices are made out of necessity. However, this doesn't affect our personal friendship. If Brother Lu ever visits my Southern Fangcun Mountain, I, Duan, will surely host you warmly and apologize in person. But for this exercise... we'll have to ask for Brother Lu's understanding."

"Understood!" Lu Ye nodded.

Duan Xiuchen laughed heartily: "I appreciate Brother Lu's understanding. Then... let's part ways for now!"

Ye Chaoqun no longer pursued Lu Ye; there was no need. Of the nine from the East, only Lu Ye remained. While they were speaking, Begonia also died in battle.

It wasn't that Lu Ye didn't want to save them; it was that the two late-stage Constellation cultivators had kept their divine senses locked onto him. If he had rushed in rashly, he feared he would have been trapped himself.

The cultivators from the Southern and Western factions reorganized briefly and then pushed the spirit orb toward one direction. Lu Ye glanced and saw it was the location of the Western Camp.

This was clearly something they had planned.

In the current situation, the East had three orbs, the South had two, but the West, which was strongest overall, only had one. Since the two factions were forming an alliance, it was natural for them to first make up for the West's deficiency.

They couldn't let the South get a third orb first, as that would make the West's situation look too bad.

Presumably, the eighth spirit orb would be placed in the South.

After watching the Southern and Western cultivators depart, Lu Ye turned and headed towards the Eastern Camp. Midway, he received a sound-note message from Begonia, agreeing on a meeting point.

After a while, Begonia and eight others arrived.

Everyone was somewhat unhappy, especially Huang Li, who pouted in anger: "Those two factions are so shameless! They're already so strong, yet they teamed up, and not only that, they set a trap for us to fall into! It makes me so mad!"

Han Molong chuckled, "Senior Brother Lu already warned us beforehand to flee if the situation turned bad. We just weren't careful enough. Look at Senior Brother Lu, didn't he get away unscathed?"

Huang Li retorted indignantly, "That's because Senior Brother Lu is incredibly capable!" She turned to Lu Ye: "Senior Brother, did you realize those two factions had ill intentions much earlier?"

Lu Ye said, "Regardless of the situation, one should always be wary. You can't place your hopes on others; being vigilant yourself is the way to last."

Everyone nodded.

Lu Ye looked around. Fortunately, although everyone was quite angry, the atmosphere wasn't solemn. After all, the Eastern faction had three orbs, which was enough to report back, and there was nothing they could do if they couldn't get a fourth.

And judging by the current situation, it was no longer realistic for the East to try and seize a fourth spirit orb, as the Southern cultivators were even willing to assist the West in transporting orbs. This level of cooperation went beyond a mere alliance.

Begonia couldn't help but worry: "Junior Brother Lu, do you think they'll come for ours after they've divided the remaining spirit orbs?"

Lu Ye calmly replied, "Do you know what that late-stage Constellation cultivator from the South told me?"

"What did he say?"

"He said that since the East has been third for ten thousand years, maintaining that position this time wouldn't matter much. But for their two factions, if they fell behind us, it would be difficult to explain. The seventh spirit orb has appeared now, and they're sending it to the Western Camp. If I'm not mistaken, the eighth will go to the South, and the ninth will also go to the West. This way, our three factions will equally divide all the spirit orbs."

Begonia's expression subtly changed: "So... they'll come to steal ours!"

At her words, everyone else immediately grew tense.

Even though they had just been almost completely wiped out, everyone had only been slightly angry, not particularly worried. But if this truly happened, then their established second place would be utterly hopeless.

If they hadn't managed to get a third spirit orb, it would have been acceptable – their overall strength was inferior, so they would have had to accept their fate. But how could they spit out meat that was already in their mouths?

Lu Ye nodded: "They certainly will. Nine orbs divided among three factions means no clear ranking. But if they take one from us, and then decide their own first and second, they can establish a proper ranking of one, two, and three. The Southern and Western factions have already decided on their strategy, just waiting for us to comply."

Huang Li weakly asked, "Coming to our camp to steal spirit orbs... that's not so easy, is it?"

"It's certainly not easy, but it's not impossible, especially with those two factions allied."

With two late-stage Constellation cultivators and five mid-stage ones, how could the East possibly contend against such a lineup? Even if they could continuously respawn and rejoin the battle at the camp, their consumed spiritual energy wouldn't recover. Once their death count reached a limit, they would completely lose their fighting capability!

Ultimately, the Eastern faction's lineup was too weak, so weak that the other two factions saw the feasibility of implementing this plan!

Their only current concern was Lu Ye. But if they sent one late-stage Constellation cultivator to tie him down, the remaining people would be nothing to fear. Once Begonia and the others were killed until they lost their fighting capability, Lu Ye, fighting alone, would be powerless to stop them.

Begonia realized the seriousness of the problem: "So, should we go back and strengthen the camp's defenses?"

"I'm already doing that!" Lu Ye said.

Everyone was bewildered, wondering how Lu Ye could strengthen the camp's defenses while clearly standing right there.

Only the three Sun-tier cultivators in the Misty Realm clearly saw that the previously extra twenty-eighth light point was now located at the Eastern Camp, unmoving.

"Strengthening the camp's defenses alone isn't enough. Even the strongest protection can be breached, so we need other methods."

Begonia said, "Junior Brother Lu, if you have a plan, just give the orders. As long as we can protect the camp's spirit orbs, it doesn't matter how many times we die."

Everyone looked at him. Lu Ye said faintly, "The best defense is offense. So... we're going to seize the fourth spirit orb!"

The group was immediately stunned. Seizing the fourth spirit orb was their previous strategy, but now it seemed impossible. With the Southern and Western factions cooperating so sincerely, the East had no room to intervene.

How were they going to seize it?