Chapter 1488: Unmatched Island Is Attacked

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"Haha!" Chu Shen chuckled. "That old man talks utter nonsense! Why should we give up something just because you fancy it? I fancy your wife too; will you give her up then?"

The cultivators in the early stages of the Constellation Realm, who had been recruited, broke out in a cold sweat. They couldn't believe their Palace Master was so audacious, daring to speak to a Mid-Moon瑶 cultivator in such a manner.

Little did they know, Chu Shen came from a noble background; his birth mother was a Sunlit Realm powerhouse. He had encountered countless Moon瑶 cultivators, so he held little fear of them. Someone like Nan Xingzhen couldn't truly intimidate him.

To Chu Shen's side and slightly behind him, the woman named Ban Ci frowned, casting a glance at him. She seemed unable to comprehend how this young man could utter such outrageous words.

Even if the opponents meant harm, in a confrontation between cultivators, some things can be said, and some cannot. Many tragedies occur simply because of careless words.

"Impudence!" Nan Xingzhen roared. The Moon瑶 woman beside him also fixed Chu Shen with a chilling, murderous gaze.

"Impudent your mother!" Chu Shen, completely devoid of a Palace Master's decorum, stomped his foot and cursed, "If you want to fight, then fight! Stop your whining and posturing; it's annoying!"

Nan Xingzhen nodded slightly, deciding against further verbal sparring with Chu Shen. Instead, he looked at the group of Constellation cultivators behind Chu Shen. "Do you all intend to perish with this ignorant junior? If anyone wishes to leave now, this old man can spare their life!"

To defeat an enemy, one must first attack their morale. Nan Xingzhen, old and shrewd, naturally understood this principle. Even though his side vastly outnumbered Wushuang Island in strength, with one side attacking and the other defending, verbally dividing the opponent's forces could reduce unnecessary resistance for his own side.

He knew, in particular, that Wushuang Palace had only recently been established, and these Constellation cultivators were almost entirely recruited from Zhaolai Island, possessing no loyalty whatsoever.

As his voice fell, Chu Shen chimed in, "Everyone, this old man may be ugly, but he's not wrong. If any of you wish to leave now, this Island Master can open the grand formation and let you depart. Of course, it would be best if you're willing to stay and weather this storm with me, Chu Shen. However, if you choose to stay but then try to shirk your duties, or even secretly commit any treacherous acts, then don't blame this Palace Master for being impolite. The choice is yours; I, Chu Shen, will never force anyone!"

Chu Shen's words quite surprised Nan Xingzhen. In all his years, he had never seen such a thing. At a time when one should be rallying people, even offering generous terms to persuade them to stay and contribute, why would he actively let people leave?

"Indeed, still young and naive!"

Some people were indeed hesitant, weighing their options. On the surface, the disparity in strength was too great. Even if their side was on the defensive, there was little hope of victory in this battle. If they lost and the defensive formation was breached, their fate would be dire.

So, after only a moment's hesitation, someone, looking ashamed, clasped their fists towards Chu Shen and said, "My apologies, Palace Master!"

Chu Shen showed no disappointment, merely nodding slightly. "It's human nature, my friend; don't mind it!" He raised a hand and pointed. "Tell me which direction you're going, and I'll open the grand formation for you to leave!"

The person quickly flew in the direction Chu Shen indicated.

Several more people clasped their fists in salute and followed after him.

Seeing this, Nan Xingzhen pressed on, "I'll give you ten breaths of time. If you stubbornly resist, the day the island is breached will be the day of your demise!"

At these words, several more people departed.

Chu Shen remained expressionless. Once those individuals reached their designated positions, he opened a gap in the formation, allowing them to withdraw from Wushuang Island.

"Does anyone else wish to leave?" he asked.

Approximately twenty Constellation cultivators had been recruited from Zhaolai Island, but now only seven remained. More than half had left.

No one moved, which puzzled Chu Shen. He clearly sensed that every person who remained was feeling anxious and fearful, yet they wouldn't budge.

"Why aren't you leaving?" he asked, looking at the remaining people with confusion.

Someone, with a stiff expression, spoke, "Palace Master, where can we go if we leave? Back to Zhaolai Island to scramble for work, living hand-to-mouth again? I'm tired of that life. Rather than returning to Zhaolai Island, I'd rather stay and take a chance!"

Chu Shen chuckled wryly. "Aren't you afraid of being killed if the island falls?"

"I'm afraid!" The person wiped cold sweat from their face. "But what good does fear do? The path of cultivation is full of hardships; there's danger everywhere. Besides, Palace Master, you seem so calm and steady, as if you have another plan. Our cultivation levels are similar, and if you're not afraid, then I guess I can't be either."

"Are you all thinking the same thing?" Chu Shen asked, looking at the others.

Everyone nodded in unison. Someone else asked, "Palace Master, do we have powerful reinforcements hidden in the shadows?"

Otherwise, how could Chu Shen be so composed?

Chu Shen neither confirmed nor denied it, instead laughing heartily. "Excellent! From now on, you are all my sworn brothers. If I, Chu Shen, have even a single spirit jade, I will never let you suffer!"

He suddenly turned to the woman named Ban Ci. "Are you staying too?"

"Is there a problem?" Ban Ci retorted.

"No problem!" Chu Shen smiled brightly. He understood that the early-stage Constellation cultivators chose to stay because they suspected he had a plan and decided to gamble. What Ban Ci was thinking, he couldn't figure out, but it was good news for him. Ban Ci had late-stage Constellation cultivation and was quite strong; her presence would add to their side's power.

"How foolish people are! They refuse a path to life and instead seek death. So be it, this old man will grant your wish!" Nan Xingzhen scoffed, waving a hand. The numerous Constellation cultivators behind him dispersed simultaneously. In an instant, spiritual energy became chaotic, and multi-colored lights erupted, violently pouring towards the defensive grand formation.

A continuous rumbling sound echoed, and the entire Wushuang Island trembled. Ripples spread across the light barrier of the defensive grand formation.

"What a lively scene!" On one side of Wushuang Island, Puke took a swig from his wine gourd. "I didn't expect to encounter such excitement right after arriving!"

Youling teased, "You probably still have time to leave now."

"This spirit island is quite good; I plan to stay longer," Puke said, putting away his wine gourd. "But if the Island Master doesn't have any other backup plans, then we might have to fight against a Moon瑶 cultivator!"

As he spoke, his gaze fell upon the early-stage Moon瑶 woman.

The opposing side had two Moon瑶 cultivators, while their side only had one. Tang Jun could hold off Nan Xingzhen, but the Moon瑶 woman would be an unchecked threat. If she attacked recklessly, Wushuang Island's defenses, no matter how strong, would be breached.

"I remember that Skeleton General!" Youling said with a bitter, resentful expression. "That guy wasn't even a true Moon瑶, and he almost wiped out our entire force. This woman is a real Moon瑶; we definitely won't be her match! And besides..." She glanced leisurely at Lu Ye. "He's not Fa Wuzun!"

Puke nodded. "You're right, but this isn't that tomb chamber either. There's ultimately more room to maneuver here."

"Have you decided?" Youling asked. "I have no choice, but you still do."

She had been brought here by Fa Wuzun, who was Chu Shen's elder brother. If she didn't try her best to defend the island, Fa Wuzun would certainly not let her off easily.

Puke smiled. "When have you ever seen me indecisive?"

Lu Ye, who had been silently pondering, flipped his palm, revealing an object. "Who will lead?"

Their eyes were immediately drawn to it. Youling was astonished. "How do you have that?"

It was clearly a "Same Breath, Connected Branches" formation plate.

"The Island Master gave it to me!" Lu Ye casually bluffed.

Youling and Puke had no reason to doubt him. Given Chu Shen's relationship with Fa Wuzun, obtaining a few formation plates from Fa Wuzun wouldn't be a big deal, would it?

"Then this might actually work!" Youling nodded slightly. She had initially thought that even if the three of them teamed up, they would surely be no match for that Moon瑶 cultivator, at best only managing to briefly contain her, and with great risk. But with the aid of the formation plate, a fight might not be impossible. "I'm a ghost cultivator; it's not suitable for me!"

Puke also said, "You're a weapon cultivator; you lead!"

This was Lu Ye's original intention, so he naturally had no objections. Although the battle against the Skeleton General had been arduous, he had used the Crimson Dragon Blade at the time, which slightly affected his performance, and his cultivation was only at the mid-Constellation stage. Now, with his strength improved, dealing with an early-stage Moon瑶 cultivator with the three of them forming a combat array... might not be a problem.

However, that woman appeared to be a spell cultivator, so they would still need to guard against any strange secret arts or magical treasures she might possess.

The spirit island hummed continuously, but Nan Xingzhen showed an astonished expression. It was only then that he realized Wushuang Island's defensive grand formation... was quite extraordinary!

He had assumed such a defensive formation could be easily breached, but to his surprise, their grand formation was of an extremely high caliber and offered incredibly strong defense.

Setting up such a grand formation would not have been cheap. What kind of background did these people from Wushuang Palace have?

Little did he know, Chu Shen had taken five million spirit jades from Lu Ye, with a full four million invested in setting up the grand formation, leaving only one million for reserves. How could a formation built with such immense wealth not be strong? One could say that Wushuang Island's current grand formation was literally "smashed out" with spirit jades.

Furthermore, the island was abundant with cosmic energy. If given more time and allowed to absorb enough cosmic energy, the formation's defensive power would surely become even more robust.

Currently, Wushuang Island's grand formation, in terms of its level and scale, might be slightly inferior to those on high-grade spirit islands occupied by major powers, but it was absolutely far superior among low-grade spirit islands. Its only drawback was the short time it had been set up and insufficient energy reserves.

Nan Xingzhen was clearly aware of this, and thus concluded that the grand formation wouldn't last much longer. As long as his side maintained a continuous assault, the formation would eventually be breached.

Amidst the humming, Chu Shen called over those who remained and counted them. Including Xiao Dai and Xiao Wai, there were thirteen early-stage Constellation cultivators in total.

He flipped his hand, producing several formation plates, and distributed them. "It won't do to just take hits without fighting back. Find your respective formation cores, and counterattack however you wish!"

The group's eyes lit up. Upon receiving the formation plates, they immediately split up and began to act.

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