Chapter 1343: Done!

Winds Rise Across the Nine Provinces

Ye Chaoqun was in agony!

The Southern contingent could retreat without hesitation because this Spirit Orb was designated for delivery to the Western camp. Naturally, they cared more about the outcome at their own camp than assisting an ally with an escort.

But what should the Western side do?

If they all died and returned to their camp, would they still want this ninth Spirit Orb? But if only some returned, what good would that do against the Eastern contingent's fierce adversary?

He was a decisive person. Immediately, he named two individuals and commanded, "You two continue transporting the Spirit Orb; everyone else, die and return to your camp!"

The others received the order and didn't hesitate.

In a blink, only two early-stage Star Constellation cultivators remained with the Spirit Orb.

The two exchanged a look, both feeling helpless. The bustling scene had suddenly become desolate, leaving them to laboriously continue transporting the Spirit Orb.

However, this brief tranquility was soon shattered. Their senses clearly detected the presence of several Star Constellation cultivators rapidly approaching their location.

Looking up, they indeed saw numerous streaks of light approaching from that direction.

The Eastern contingent had arrived, all nine of them, not one missing!

What was going on? The two early-stage Star Constellation cultivators guarding the Western camp were bewildered.

If it was the Eastern forces who were attacking the Southern and Western camps, then what exactly were they seeing in front of them now?

Not only were they bewildered, but Duan Xiuchen and Ye Chaoqun, who had died and returned to their respective camps, were equally perplexed. There was no sign of any Eastern cultivators within their sight, nor could they detect even a faint trace of their aura.

It was as if the Eastern cultivators had never even been there.

Yet, the protective formations previously set up at their camps couldn't have shattered for no reason. This clearly indicated a forceful attack, and the Spirit Orbs had scattered, each being propelled by a huge meteorite!

"Cheating!"

In the Misty Void, the Southern Sunlit Realm cultivator was furious, pointing a finger at Chen Xuanhai: "This is blatant cheating!"

The Western Sunlit Realm cultivator paused, then realized: "Exactly! This isn't something Star Constellation cultivators can do. What treasures did you equip these youngsters with beforehand? They possess such elusive power."

Chen Xuanhai frowned: "Although our Eastern contingent has been weak for many years, we would never break the rules left by our ancestors. Furthermore, you are also Sunlit Realm cultivators; what kind of treasure, in your opinion, could achieve such effects? I think you're just being sore losers!"

"But how do you explain this displacement technique of your Eastern contingent?"

"What do I need to explain?"

"You are just cheating!"

"Cheating, my foot! So if our Eastern contingent finally rises once, it's cheating? Are your Southern and Western contingents supposed to be strong year after year, while our Eastern contingent must always remain weak?"

A group of Sunlit Realm cultivators, who were revered and pillars of their respective realms before their disciples, were now bickering like children in this Misty Void, constantly uttering foul language. If their disciples were to witness this, it would surely shatter their perceptions.

Amidst the clamor, the blue light dots representing the two Western cultivators flickered out, undoubtedly signifying their demise in battle.

Beside the ninth Spirit Orb, only the red light dots representing the Eastern cultivators remained, accompanying the orb as it flew towards the Eastern camp.

Judging by the current state of the Southern and Western contingents, they were powerless and had no time to intervene. The Eastern contingent securing the fourth Spirit Orb was a foregone conclusion!

The Sunlit Realm cultivators of the Southern and Western contingents actually knew that the Eastern Sunlit Realm cultivators couldn't be cheating in an exercise like this; otherwise, they wouldn't consistently finish last. However, this time, both contingents had brought extremely powerful lineups, which historically would almost guarantee them first place.

In contrast, the Eastern contingent, with such a weak group of nine, winning first place would be a complete humiliation for the Southern and Western contingents.

Amidst the bickering, the oldest Sunlit Realm cultivator from the Western contingent slowly spoke: "Everyone, stop quarreling. The integrity of our fellow Eastern cultivators should not be doubted. The Black Abyss Exercise is a momentous event for our Human Tribe, occurring once every fifty years, and no one would secretly resort to unfair means. We should be happy that these young ones from the East could perform so well."

Old Zhu nodded and said, "Old Xu is right; we were not dignified enough!"

Old Xu then changed the subject, slowly stating: "However, there's still some time until the exercise ends. Securing a Spirit Orb isn't the final result; being able to defend it is what matters!"

At these words, Chen Xuanhai couldn't help but sigh, while the Sunlit Realm cultivators from the other two contingents' eyes lit up.

Indeed, securing a Spirit Orb isn't the final result; the outcome is only decided if they can defend it until the exercise concludes.

The situation within the Black Abyss was now clear: the Eastern contingent would secure the fourth orb, the Southern three, and the Western two. Leaving aside the Southern contingent, for the Western contingent, which was ostensibly the strongest, such a result was utterly intolerable.

Therefore, no matter what, they would launch a raid on the camp.

The Southern contingent certainly wouldn't stand by either; they would likely want to advance further. With the Western contingent currently holding only two orbs, the only target left was the Eastern contingent.

So, the most probable scenario for the upcoming situation was that the Southern and Western contingents would continue their close cooperation and launch a forceful assault on the Eastern camp!

For the Eastern contingent, this was undoubtedly an extremely severe test. If they could defend it, they would wipe away their past shame; if they couldn't, all their previous efforts would come to nothing.

What the final outcome would be, even the Sunlit Realm cultivators present couldn't easily foresee. On the surface, the Eastern contingent didn't seem to have the strength to defend their gains, but the performance of the Eastern cultivators this time had been truly perplexing, making it impossible to draw a swift conclusion.

Within the Black Abyss, at the Eastern camp, the fourth Spirit Orb was safely returned, encountering no obstacles along the way—it was unbelievably easy.

Cheers erupted. The male cultivators' expressions were invigorated, while the more sensitive female cultivators were almost on the verge of tears.

No one had expected that they would actually succeed!

They had achieved something that generations of ancestors had hoped for but were unable to accomplish!

Earlier, when Lu Ye decided to seize the fourth Spirit Orb, no one believed it was possible. After all, the other two contingents were cooperating so closely, and their own lineup was the weakest; how could they succeed in a one-against-two situation?

Yet, to everyone's surprise, under Lu Ye's strategic planning, what seemed impossible was easily achieved. Throughout the entire process, they simply followed orders, continuously shifting positions, and apart from finally cornering and eliminating two Western cultivators, they never even encountered the main forces of the other two contingents.

It was an incredible feat!

"Don't get too excited!" Lu Ye interrupted their cheers. "The real test has only just begun. The Southern and Western contingents definitely won't give up and are surely on their way. We must now defend our camp and hold out until the exercise ends."

Haitang nodded: "Junior Brother Lu is right. There are still about two days left until the exercise ends. Only if we make it through these two days can we truly say we've won!"

Han Molong said, "Senior Brother Lu, just tell us what to do, and we'll follow orders!"

Everyone nodded. Initially, Haitang was considered the leader, but as each Spirit Orb was contested and secured, Lu Ye had become the core of the Eastern contingent. Especially after the struggle for the fourth Spirit Orb, even if Lu Ye ordered them to die at this moment, no one would likely frown; they would only ponder if there was some deeper meaning behind such a command.

"Then... let's recover our spiritual power first," Lu Ye said.

Everyone was astonished. They had expected some arduous task to be awaiting them, but instead, it was something so simple.

No one asked further questions. They all sat cross-legged and silently began to recover.

Haitang secretly sent a voice message to Lu Ye: "Junior Brother Lu, the grand formation here seems to have changed. Did you do it?"

Lu Ye nodded: "I added some defensive formations."

Haitang asked, "Does Junior Brother have a clone?"

Lu Ye smiled: "Sister, you noticed?"

Haitang replied: "When you led us to the Western camp just now, your attire was different, and... you weren't carrying a blade. So, I thought it might be a clone. But your clone technique is truly profound; I couldn't spot any flaws."

"The clone technique I practice is a bit special," Lu Ye explained casually.

Strictly speaking, it wasn't a clone technique at all, but a unique ability of Lu Ye based on his Talent Tree. However, its external manifestation was similar to a clone technique, making it impossible for uninformed individuals to discern any flaws.

After a brief chat, Haitang also began to recover her spiritual power.

The Eastern camp was quiet. A thousand *li* away in the void, Duan Xiuchen led the Southern contingent, waiting. Moments later, the Western contingent, led by Ye Chaoqun, arrived.

They met, exchanged glances, and each saw the bitterness in the other's eyes.

No one had expected that the sincere cooperation of the two contingents would be so easily neutralized by the East. They had originally believed that after the sixth Spirit Orb, the East would no longer be able to interfere with the remaining orbs, and might not even be able to hold onto the ones they had already secured.

To their surprise, the ninth Spirit Orb still ended up in the Eastern contingent's hands.

After a period of quiet contemplation, Duan Xiuchen said, "Look on the bright side, the situation hasn't actually changed much!"

The two contingents had originally planned to attack the Eastern camp after delivering the ninth Spirit Orb, and they were still doing so now.

However, the current situation was favorable for the Southern contingent because, with the Spirit Orb originally intended for the West now lost, the South had suffered no actual loss.

Ye Chaoqun said, "Brother Duan, if the Southern contingent wants to secure first place this time, you cannot hold back!"

The Western contingent was already at the edge of a cliff. With only two orbs in hand, if they didn't reclaim one, they would have no way to explain themselves upon returning. First place was out of the question; they could only hope for second.

Therefore, the Southern contingent still needed to contribute alongside them. If all went well, they could snatch two Spirit Orbs from the Eastern contingent, and each side would secure one, leading to a happy ending for both. As for the Eastern contingent... they could just cry.

Duan Xiuchen naturally understood Ye Chaoqun's thoughts. He smiled and nodded: "Don't worry, my Southern contingent wouldn't want to miss such a good opportunity."

It was rare for the Western contingent not to compete with them for first place, so how could the Southern contingent not seize this chance?

(End of this chapter)