Chapter 1359: Just this?

Winds of Kyushu

Meng Jie was clearly startled by this sudden turn of events. In his understanding, even if reinforcements from Kyushu had rushed over after receiving the news, they couldn't have arrived so quickly. He knew his chances were slim today and had been searching for an opportunity to take the Soldier Cultivator down with him. Unfortunately, the disparity in their cultivation levels rendered him powerless. He had expected to perish here in regret, but a sudden change had arrived. The sudden eruption of numerous auras not only astonished the enemies but also caught Meng Jie completely off guard. But immediately after, a look of joy spread across his face, as he sensed several familiar auras!

Immediately, he switched from defense to offense, entangling the Soldier Cultivator who was trying to retreat. This move, while initially putting him at a disadvantage, was undoubtedly extremely risky. If the opposing Soldier Cultivator hadn't retreated, he would have had to clash head-on, and the outcome would certainly not have been favorable. However, his grasp of battle opportunities was incredibly precise, as he was certain the Soldier Cultivator would retreat—this being the most instinctive response to a sudden, unforeseen situation. Furthermore, even if the Soldier Cultivator didn't retreat, their offensive would slow down, reserving most of their power for defense, thereby ensuring Meng Jie wouldn't be in mortal danger.

Meng Jie had made the correct choice. The Soldier Cultivator, unable to disengage for the moment, grew exasperated and enraged, realizing that unless he killed Meng Jie, he wouldn't be able to escape the battle. With a surge of spiritual power, the long spear in the Soldier Cultivator's hand glowed, flickering in and out like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, thrusting directly towards Meng Jie's eye socket. Meng Jie didn't even blink. Facing such an assault, he showed no intention of dodging; instead, he reached out to grab the opponent's long spear, as if prepared to sacrifice one of his own eyes to restrain the enemy. The Soldier Cultivator inwardly cursed his opponent's madness. In fact, he and his companion had witnessed such insane displays many times over the past month.

It was precisely Meng Jie's intermittent displays of recklessness that made these two Mid-Star Realm cultivators hesitant, leading to a month-long entanglement without achieving their objective. He truly couldn't fathom which realm this cultivator hailed from, to be so utterly fearless of death. Are there cultivators in Kyushu who fear death? Yes, but relatively few. Across the Spirit Stream Battlefield, Cloud River Battlefield, and Star Realm Battlefield, the brutal confrontations between cultivators from the two major factions, and round after round of eliminations, meant that those who survived, whether considered elites or not, had at least directly faced death.

If nothing unexpected happened, Meng Jie would surely lose an eye, and his life might even be in peril, but the enemy's long spear would undoubtedly be pinned down by him. For a Soldier Cultivator, their spirit treasure, used for close-quarters combat, is akin to half their life. Once their spear was immobilized, they would be like a tiger with its teeth pulled.

Just at this perilous juncture, a figure surged in from the side, kicking Meng Jie squarely on the shoulder and sending him flying. It was Feng Wujiang, who had intervened at the critical moment. A sudden turn of events occurred. Even though Meng Jie sensed familiar auras and realized that Kyushu's reinforcements had arrived, he was still unclear about the exact situation. But with nine individuals from Kyushu rushing to the scene, how could Feng Wujiang stand by and watch his old subordinate lose an eye? The kick was merciless, primarily because he couldn't afford to hold back; against a physically robust Soldier Cultivator, immense force was necessary.

Meng Jie was sent flying directly. The Soldier Cultivator's long spear struck empty air, and before he could retract his weapon, he looked past where Meng Jie had been standing and saw a young man with lowered eyelids and an indifferent expression, approaching with his saber drawn. An early-stage Star Realm cultivator! The Soldier Cultivator instinctively shook the thrusting long spear, transforming it into a flurry of spear shadows that enveloped the approaching figure. Mid-stage against early-stage, he felt no pressure whatsoever and intended to kill the newcomer with a single spear thrust!

However, as the crescent-moon-like saber light flashed, the Soldier Cultivator's expression drastically changed. The clash between the long saber and the long spear immediately made him feel the opponent's violent and unparalleled offensive; that aggressive aura actually caused his mind to tremble unsettled. Hastily steadying himself, he let out a roar, furiously channeled his spiritual power, and engaged in a fierce struggle. The longer they fought, the more alarmed he became. This Soldier Cultivator, who appeared to be only in the early Star Realm, somehow instilled in him a sense of overwhelming, unmatched power. Every saber strike was incredibly heavy and forceful, delivered with astonishing speed and from incredibly tricky angles. He was momentarily overwhelmed and found it difficult to cope. If the opponent's spiritual power fluctuations hadn't genuinely been those of an early Star Realm cultivator, he would have suspected they were a late-stage cultivator in disguise. He was no match! Not only was he no match, but his life was also in imminent danger!

The Soldier Cultivator was terrified, utterly unable to comprehend why there was such a massive disparity in strength when their cultivation levels differed by only one minor stage. It was at this moment, accompanied by a short, miserable cry, that a life aura was extinguished. The Soldier Cultivator's expression drastically changed. In his perception, his companion's aura had vanished, and he immediately understood that his Law Cultivator companion had fallen in battle!

For Kyushu cultivators, who possessed extensive combat experience, there had always been a consensus when engaging in group battles: prioritize eliminating long-range attackers. This wasn't merely because they could unleash long-range attacks, but also because they were relatively fragile and easier to kill. Therefore, in group battles among Kyushu cultivators, Law Cultivators were always the most frequent targets. The same principle applied here. Lu Ye and eight others had stealthily arrived. Apart from Lu Ye himself and Feng Wujiang, who came to support Meng Jie, the remaining seven all went to engage the Mid-Star Realm Law Cultivator. Among these seven, there were also two Sword Cultivators, renowned for their lethality! As Jian Guhong's sword light flared, the seven cultivators unleashed all their attacks in a single, coordinated burst.

The Law Cultivator died unjustly! Facing the sudden sneak attack, his response was surprisingly swift. He first empowered himself with a protective spirit treasure, then activated spiritual energy to shield his body. However, such defenses were utterly ineffective against the coordinated assault from Jian Guhong and the seven, who attacked from various directions and angles. His protective spirit treasure was shattered, his defensive spiritual energy collapsed, and the Law Cultivator, now defenseless, died instantly. This was the Kyushu Star Realm cultivators' first engagement with outside Star Realm cultivators, so no one dared to hold back; everyone went all out. As a result, after a single round of coordinated attacks, the enemy, whose cultivation level was a full stage higher than theirs, was dead.

Each of them was bewildered… Was that all? If they had been in the Law Cultivator's shoes, with Mid-Star Realm cultivation, even if they had faced the same ambush, they shouldn't have died so easily. After a brief moment of stunned realization, they immediately prepared to rush to Lu Ye's side for support. When they looked up, they witnessed a scene that stirred their hearts. On that battlefield, Lu Ye's long saber flashed, having already suppressed the enemy to the point where he had almost no power to retaliate. Even Feng Wujiang, who had kicked Meng Jie away, stood observing from the side, with no intention of intervening, primarily because he was somewhat dumbfounded. Seven people ambushing one and achieving instant success was hardly a point of pride. However, for a single individual to overwhelm an enemy with a cultivation level one stage higher was truly awe-inspiring.

The battle didn't last too long. Ten breaths later, as Lu Ye's saber struck down, blood splattered, and a head flew off, its eyes wide open, as if unwilling to accept death. Meng Jie flew back, wincing and clutching his shoulder; Feng Wujiang's kick had truly stung. He also happened to witness the enemy's head being severed. He had entangled with this enemy for a month and was intimately familiar with their strength, knowing he had no chance of winning a one-on-one fight. Yet, this opponent, whom he considered formidable, had been single-handedly dispatched by Lu Ye with astonishing speed, like a swift knife cutting through tangled hemp. The group of Star Realm cultivators fell silent, a sudden feeling of age washing over them, and a sense of relief that Kyushu had capable successors. Even back in the Divine Sea Realm, these Star Realm cultivators had largely recognized Lu Ye's exceptional talent. However, now that they had all advanced to the Star Realm, standing on the same starting line, they had assumed that any differences in strength wouldn't be too significant. Yet, it now seemed that truly extraordinary individuals remained extraordinary, whether in the Divine Sea Realm or the Star Realm.

Lu Ye sheathed his saber and turned to Meng Jie. "Only two?" he asked. Meng Jie shook his head. "Four! Two more are inside!" Hearing this, everyone's expressions darkened; this was not the situation they had hoped for. If there were only two, the crisis would undoubtedly have been averted. But with four opponents, and two still inside the realm, the situation was precarious. There were still many Kyushu cultivators inside Peerless Continent, who would be utterly powerless against Star Realm cultivators, and might not even be able to hide.

"Explain in detail!" Feng Wujiang commanded. It was only after Meng Jie's detailed account that everyone fully grasped the current situation. A month prior, Meng Jie had coincidentally encountered two foreign Star Realm cultivators in the nearby starry sky—the two who had just been killed. Sensing their malevolent intentions, Meng Jie attempted to flee, but they pursued him relentlessly, forcing him into a confrontation. Simultaneously, he had roared warnings to the Kyushu cultivators within Peerless Continent. It was at that very moment that the Kyushu cultivators inside the continent sensed the situation and sent messages back to Kyushu.

Fighting two opponents with a cultivation disparity, Meng Jie was naturally no match. However, he dared not flee too far, knowing that if he left, the Kyushu cultivators would be completely unprotected. Therefore, he had taken cover nearby, occasionally revealing himself to provoke the two. Within a few days, however, two more Star Realm cultivators appeared, one of whom was a late-stage Star Realm cultivator! At this point, Meng Jie was even more outmatched. He fled without engaging them further. The newly arrived late-stage Star Realm cultivator did not pursue him; instead, he led the other Star Realm cultivator and entered Peerless Continent. They likely believed that their two mid-stage companions were sufficient to handle an early-stage Star Realm cultivator like Meng Jie.

This entanglement continued for a month. Meng Jie could do little more than constantly draw the enemies into skirmishes and retreats, up until today. During this period, he sustained continuous injuries. Today, he had been somewhat negligent, failing to shake off the opponents' entanglement in time, which had led him into a perilous situation. If Lu Ye and the others had arrived even a little later, they would likely have only found his corpse.

"So, you're also unaware of the current situation inside Peerless Continent?" Feng Wujiang inquired. Meng Jie shook his head. "Those two haven't reappeared since they entered Peerless Continent that day." He had been constantly entangled with two enemies, making it impossible for him to enter Peerless Continent to investigate, so he genuinely had no idea about the current state of affairs there.