Chapter 1346: Division

"They're here!" Han Molong's voice suddenly broke the silence of their waiting.

At the Eastern Grand Camp, everyone who had been diligently recovering looked up, seeing a vast expanse of shimmering light rapidly approaching them.

The Southern and Western Camps, with their eighteen Star Hosts, advanced openly, without any concealment.

In fact, there was nothing to hide. In this situation and environment, there was no room for schemes or tricks. A direct assault on the Eastern Grand Camp would rely solely on the true strength of the two camps.

The cultivators from the two camps halted their advance three miles from the Eastern Grand Camp's platform.

Ye Chaoqun and Duan Xiuchen stood side by side, their gazes complex as they looked ahead. The four Spirit Orbs, now securely placed, appeared incredibly dazzling. This was a situation that should have unfolded at their own camps, yet it was now happening at the Eastern Camp.

Even now, they didn't know what methods the Eastern Camp had used to breach their camps' defenses and subsequently move the placed Spirit Orbs.

They considered asking but figured it would yield no answers, so they decided against it.

Ye Chaoqun let out a soft sigh, his spiritual sense surging as his voice resonated in all directions: "Fellow cultivators of the Eastern Camp, we have learned a valuable lesson this time! However, this matter concerns the foundation of our realm for the next fifty years. Please understand our Southern and Western Camps' joint attack. Do not say that we gained an unfair advantage!"

Using such a lineup against the seemingly weakest Eastern Camp was indeed somewhat indefensible. However, the Eastern Camp's performance this time had been too peculiar, forcing them into this action. Now that it had come to this, only pleasantries could be exchanged.

Although his words were directed at everyone in the Eastern Camp, Ye Chaoqun's gaze was fixed on Lu Ye. He had a persistent feeling that all the strangeness surrounding the Eastern Camp this time was inextricably linked to this human.

Though the Xiaoren Clan was divided into three camps, they were ultimately one race. They generally knew each other's capabilities. If there were methods beyond their understanding, they must have originated from an outsider!

Meeting his gaze, Lu Ye's expression remained calm: "Bring it on!"

Ye Chaoqun nodded, then gently waved his hand, uttering a single word: "Charge!"

The eighteen figures instantly split into several waves, encircling the Eastern Grand Camp from different directions. The next moment, colorful lights began to erupt, simultaneously striking the Eastern Grand Camp's location.

The Eastern Camp had already prepared for battle long before the cultivators from the two camps arrived.

Nine figures were spread across the smooth platform, each positioned at a vital array core. They channeled spiritual power into the grand formation, activating its power.

Instantly, layer upon layer of light barriers illuminated the platform's surface, hermetically enveloping the entire grand camp and the Spirit Orbs placed within it.

These layers of protective formations appeared independent, yet in reality, there were close connections between them. With cultivators presiding over them, the power they could unleash was not to be underestimated. They were far superior to the formations of the Southern and Western Grand Camps previously. Those were dormant formations without anyone managing them, while the Eastern Camp's was an active formation. The difference in defensive capability was at least four or five times greater.

Sharp attacks rained down on the light barriers, causing ripples to spread and lights to flicker.

In such a clearly defined offensive and defensive battle, if the attacking side lacked explosive means to breach the formation quickly, then the test for both sides would be a competition of patience and spiritual power endurance.

The Southern and Western Camps clearly understood that confronting the Eastern Camp's ironclad defense would not yield immediate results. So, while their attacks seemed fierce, they were actually rhythmically controlling their spiritual power consumption, appearing unhurried in their demeanor.

The situation appeared to be a stalemate, but in reality, it was gradually shifting in favor of the Southern and Western Camps.

After all, no matter how sturdy a defense, it would eventually be broken, especially given the clear power disparity between the two sides. In such a battle, the defending side is always in a passive and disadvantageous position.

After more than two hours of grueling battle, the Eastern Camp's first layer of defense was breached.

Two more hours later, the second layer of defense shattered.

Another hour and a half later, the third layer of defense collapsed...

Of the nine layers of defense, not every one could last the same amount of time. The further they went, the less time each layer could hold. By the last layer, it might not even last for the time it takes an incense stick to burn.

Lu Ye's expression remained calm, unsurprised by this. In fact, the Eastern Camp's first layer of defense lasting this long was already beyond expectation, primarily because the cultivators from the Southern and Western Camps feared excessive spiritual power consumption would affect their subsequent performance.

Haitang was secretly anxious but helpless.

Currently, the situation was very suitable for the Xiaoren Clan to activate formation talismans, but talismans also came in offensive and defensive types. She held a Nine Bends Interlocking Array Talisman gifted by her master, an offensive talisman, which was not suitable for use at this moment.

After all, as the defending side, stalling for time was paramount; they couldn't just casually launch an offensive.

The reason Su Yuqing bestowed this offensive talisman was her consideration that the Eastern Camp had always been weak, and this talisman might allow them to turn the tide at crucial moments.

Who would have thought that the Eastern Camp, always at the bottom, would experience such a surge this time, requiring a defensive stance?

Events were unfolding as Lu Ye had predicted. At the Grand Camp, layer after layer of defense was breached, each holding out for progressively shorter durations.

Even so, the cultivators from the Southern and Western Camps showed no change in their assault, nor did they appear impatient.

From their perspective, breaching the Eastern Camp's formation defenses wasn't victory. They still had to endure a more brutal battle, annihilating the Eastern cultivators until they could no longer resist. Only then could they successfully seize the Spirit Orbs. As long as the Eastern Camp retained any strength, their efforts would be in vain.

Thus, breaching the defense wasn't the end, but merely another beginning.

Less than a day later, the Eastern Grand Camp's final layer of defense completely collapsed!

A rain of attacks fell upon the unprotected Eastern cultivators. Even with their desperate dodging, some were inevitably struck. In an instant, the Eastern Camp gained several casualties.

Lu Ye was particularly targeted.

Ye Chaoqun and Duan Xiuchen, both late-stage Star Hosts, unleashed a barrage of long-range attacks with their respective techniques, their relentless assaults swift as shooting stars.

Lu Ye's figure weaved and dodged, his evasion arduous. Yet, as the defender, he couldn't easily launch an offensive.

Because if he were to charge out, the remaining Eastern cultivators would become lambs to the slaughter. The Southern and Western Camps would surely swarm them and wipe them out.

After vigorously dodging for a while, seeing that the two camps had no intention of closing in, and were only performing long-range attacks, Lu Ye sighed inwardly. Ye Chaoqun and Duan Xiuchen were acting very prudently. This was clearly an attempt to suppress the Eastern Camp using their numerical and overall strength advantage, perhaps also related to his identity as a martial cultivator.

Although the Xiaoren Clan didn't have very strict factional divisions, they knew that when dealing with martial cultivators, one shouldn't fight them in their preferred domain or give them a chance to engage in close combat.

Such long-range suppression was the most frustrating for martial cultivators.

He couldn't wait any longer!

Lu Ye had originally wanted to wait for the two camps' cultivators to approach to give them a surprise, but that plan was now ruined. He could only resort to his own methods.

The moment a bloody light erupted, a faint sound of surging waves was heard, as if one was suddenly transported to a stormy sea with howling winds.

The next instant, the crimson light surged outwards, rapidly spreading!

"Retreat!" Duan Xiuchen's face changed upon seeing this, and he hastily shouted.

The cultivators from both camps reacted extremely quickly, retreating en masse when they saw the unfavorable situation. However, the bloody light spread too rapidly and erupted without warning. In just the blink of an eye after its appearance, it transformed into a gigantic blood orb.

Duan Xiuchen, having retreated to a safe distance, stared intently but could no longer see any trace of the Eastern Grand Camp. Even the four Spirit Orbs placed within it were tightly encased by this blood orb.

Also missing were three cultivators from the Southern Camp!

Duan Xiuchen's face darkened. He knew, naturally, that the missing Southern cultivators must have been trapped within this strange blood orb.

Looking at the Western Camp, the situation was similarly grim: two were missing. Although it was one less than their own side, one of the two missing was a mid-stage Star Host!

Out of an eighteen-person lineup, five were suddenly gone. While not crippling, it was a heavy loss. Fortunately, their two late-stage Star Hosts were unharmed; otherwise, the problem would have been significant.

"This is... a blood art?" Duan Xiuchen eyed the blood orb before him with suspicion.

"It looks very similar to the Blood Clan's blood arts; it must be a blood art, no doubt." Ye Chaoqun nodded, then turned to an early-stage Star Host beside him: "Were you three trapped by this thing before?"

This early-stage Star Host was indeed one of the unlucky ones who had previously fallen victim to Lu Ye's blood art.

The early-stage Star Host gritted his teeth and nodded: "Precisely. This blood art is almost identical to the blood arts described in ancient texts. Once trapped inside, there's no way to escape." At that time, to break free, the three of them had no choice but to self-destruct, which allowed them to escape.

Seeing the blood orb again now, he couldn't help but feel hatred.

"This is troublesome!" Duan Xiuchen frowned deeply.

They had thought that breaching the Eastern Grand Camp's defenses was the toughest part, but who would have imagined that the opponent could still deploy such a blood art? Moreover, they had been caught unawares, losing as many as five individuals in an instant.

Ye Chaoqun said gravely, "It's no trouble at all. There's only one day left in the martial competition; we can only launch a full assault! A blood art of this immense scale must consume a tremendous amount of one's own power. I refuse to believe he can maintain it indefinitely!"

Duan Xiuchen evidently understood this principle as well. Historically, the Xiaoren Clan had a relatively thorough understanding of the Blood Clan's blood arts. Even if they hadn't seen this particular one before, they knew what was most advantageous to do at this moment.

After a brief discussion, the remaining thirteen cultivators from the two camps attacked again. Compared to before, this assault was undoubtedly fiercer.

This was to be expected. Previously, they had been attacking the Eastern Grand Camp's formation defenses, which didn't require an overly fierce assault; a slow attrition would suffice.

But now they were attacking a blood art, activated by the power of a single individual. Naturally, a fiercer assault would deplete the opponent's strength more effectively, until they could no longer sustain it!