Chapter 1491: Hit Back

The Wind Rises in Kyushu

Under the formation of the strong cultivators from the Accumulation Board, it was indeed more than ordinary Star Constellations could withstand. If the battlefield had been a confined space, their performance might have been restricted, but on this Myriad Phenomena Sea, movement was entirely unhindered. The number of combatants held little significance; as long as the trio moved swiftly and frequently, they would be very difficult to surround.

This was the primary reason why the Star Constellations from Carp Island struggled to make any impact.

What surprised the observers most, however, was not the performance of Lu Ye and his two companions, but rather the techniques Ban Ci employed. No one knew what it was, nor what transpired inside that black sphere. Yet, for a late-stage Star Constellation to be able to contain a Moonfall cultivator truly overturned their understanding.

Cultivators from various factions watched, feeling a sense of relief. They were fortunate that Carp Island had made the first move; otherwise, any faction attempting to assault Wushuang Island would have suffered devastating losses. The number of cultivators on Wushuang Island might indeed be small, and their overall strength not particularly high, but with these few anomalies present, no single faction could hope to easily conquer Wushuang Island unless they combined their forces.

The slaughter continued. Wherever Lu Ye and his two companions passed, a bloodbath ensued, and Carp Island cultivators continuously plunged into the Myriad Phenomena Sea, sinking out of sight. They also attempted to launch a coordinated encirclement, but Lu Ye and his two companions moved so swiftly that they left no room for their opponents to form a blockade. Instead, any careless individual among them was sure to be targeted by the trio. These individuals had all participated in the Star Constellation Hall competitions and had never encountered strong cultivators listed on the Accumulation Board before. They naively believed that even if there was a difference in strength, it wouldn't be significant. It was only during this confrontation that they realized that despite being fellow Star Constellations, there were vast disparities among them.

In roughly fifteen minutes, over thirty of the hundred-plus attackers had died. While a considerable number of Star Constellations remained, fear was evident on every face, and their morale plummeted. They not only had to defend against the sweeping assaults of Lu Ye and his two companions but also against the strange attacks launched from within Wushuang Island, leaving them flustered and struggling to cope.

Then, a sharp cry rang out: "Retreat!" It was Nan Xingzhen, seeing the unfavorable situation, who gave them the order. If they didn't leave now, even more lives would be lost. The Star Constellations, as if granted a great amnesty, scattered, employing various techniques to flee into the distance. Lu Ye and his two companions ignored them, instead charging directly towards Nan Xingzhen's location.

Seeing this, Nan Xingzhen couldn't have been unaware of their plan: they clearly intended to team up with Tang Jun to corner him. If ordinary Star Constellations dared such a move, Nan Xingzhen wouldn't have given them a second thought. However, he had witnessed the performance of Lu Ye and his two companions just now and knew he couldn't underestimate them. If he were alone, he could certainly retreat, but he had a Moonfall companion trapped within the strange black sphere. If he left, his companion would be abandoned.

Just as he hesitated, a cracking sound reached his ears. Following the noise, a look of delight appeared on his face.

He saw that the strange black sphere hovering outside Wushuang Island was now like a shattered mirror, riddled with countless cracks, from which emanated an aura familiar to Nan Xingzhen.

With a loud crash, the black sphere completely shattered. A figure emerged and quickly fled backward. Who else could it be but Ban Ci? However, her current state was clearly dire; it was unknown what she had endured inside the black sphere. Blood flowed from her seven orifices, her face was ashen, and her aura was as faint as a candle flame in the wind. Forcibly using that secret technique as a Star Constellation to trap a Moonfall cultivator indeed came at a tremendous cost.

Before her, the Moonfall woman stood suspended in the air with a grim expression, violent and profound spiritual power surging. A spell blasted directly towards Ban Ci, as she roared, "Die!" To think that she, a Moonfall cultivator, had been trapped by a Star Constellation's technique! Although the Star Constellation paid a considerable price for it, it wasn't enough to quell the anger in her heart. Only by killing her could she cleanse herself of this humiliation.

Ban Ci was almost at the end of her rope, utterly powerless to retaliate against such an attack. If nothing unexpected happened, she would hardly survive this blow.

However, just as the Moonfall woman unleashed her technique, a figure suddenly appeared in front of Ban Ci. Ban Ci was slightly stunned, truly not expecting someone to come to her rescue at such a moment. She looked up and saw a back blocking the incoming torrent, that back holding a saber in one hand, slowly turning. Dazedly, Ban Ci seemed to hear the roar of a tsunami, with waves rising and falling, suddenly becoming fierce and wild.

The power of the spell struck. The collision of spiritual power and vital energy was like a stone hitting an egg; the latter was utterly vulnerable. However, the continuous saber glints were like endless waves, breaking one layer only for another to rise, forming countless layers of defense. The figure did not retreat a single step. In the mermaid territory, Lu Ye had used this saber technique to block an attack from a mid-stage Moonfall cultivator. Although at that time the opponent's strike was casual and not at full strength, now that he was in formation with Pukeyouling, there was no reason he couldn't block the assault of an early-stage Moonfall cultivator.

Amidst the ferocity of the spell, Lu Ye's figure even advanced forward, though not quickly!

Such a scene further astonished the many cultivators watching from afar. They never imagined when a Star Constellation would possess the ability to contend with a Moonfall cultivator. The events they witnessed today truly opened their eyes, and they couldn't help but re-evaluate Wushuang Island's true strength.

If this Moonfall woman had used spells to contend with Lu Ye and his two companions from the very beginning, Lu Ye felt his side could generally cope. But as soon as she brought out that seal-like magic treasure, it bound the trio's hands and feet.

Sensing the strangeness of Lu Ye's saber momentum, the Moonfall woman also clearly showed a look of surprise. Just as she was about to test the measure of Lu Ye and the others again, she heard Nan Xingzhen call out: "It's futile, let's go!"

As his words fell, Nan Xingzhen calmly retreated. Tang Jun did not stop him. In the confrontation between the two, Nan Xingzhen had always held the upper hand. If he wanted to leave, how could Tang Jun stop him? He could only let him depart.

As soon as Nan Xingzhen left, the Moonfall woman also departed, but not before glaring fiercely at Lu Ye, as if blaming him for spoiling her plans.

Instantly, the fighting ceased near Wushuang Island. A fierce offensive quickly concluded, with the attacking side paying the price of dozens of lives.

Lu Ye stared in the direction the Moonfall woman had left until she vanished from his sight. Only then did he turn around and immediately saw Youling blocking the way for the weakened Ban Ci, who stood not far away. Their eyes met, and Ban Ci gave a slight nod to Lu Ye, a gesture of gratitude.

Lu Ye said nothing. He flashed back to Wushuang Island and entered his mountain cave. He could vaguely hear the cheers of Chu Shen and others from within the island. Chu Shen was undoubtedly very happy. In today's battle, he had originally thought Wushuang Island would surely not be preserved, given the clear disparity in strength between the two sides. However, he wasn't particularly worried about his own life.

If worse came to worst, he could reveal Jiu Yan's name, and he believed Nan Xingzhen and the others wouldn't dare truly kill him. He could also use this to protect his subordinates. But if that happened, not only would Wushuang Island be lost, but it would also break his agreement with Jiu Yan. At that point, he would have to obediently return to the Cheling Realm and act under his mother's protection.

But to his utter surprise, Wushuang Island had been preserved! Not only was it preserved, but the invaders were defeated and routed!

His biggest hope had naturally been Elder Fa; he generally knew Elder Fa's strength. But who would have thought that Ban Ci's performance was even more astonishing? If Ban Ci hadn't intervened at the last moment to trap the Moonfall woman, winning this battle would have been almost impossible. It was precisely because the Moonfall woman was trapped that the trio had room to maneuver. However, Elder Fa truly lived up to his name. To contend with a Moonfall cultivator as a Star Constellation, even in a formation with others, was truly awe-inspiring.

Wushuang Island's personnel had been halved, but Chu Shen was not saddened. Those who had stayed to weather the storm with him were trustworthy individuals and would undoubtedly form his core team in the future. He had originally thought that all the recruited personnel would surely leave completely.

After the great battle, those who needed rest rested, and those who needed healing healed. Chu Shen personally visited Ban Ci and, as the Island Lord, expressed his gratitude to her.

Inside the mountain cave, Tang Jun sat dejectedly on a prayer mat before Lu Ye, letting out a long sigh. Truth be told, although he was a Moonfall cultivator, he had never truly fought many cultivators of the same realm. Living in a place like Qingli Dao Realm before, he simply couldn't encounter other Moonfall cultivators. After arriving at Myriad Phenomena Sea, he hadn't had conflicts with anyone either. It was only today that he truly saw the gap between himself and others. Both were mid-stage Moonfall cultivators, but Nan Xingzhen was undoubtedly far more powerful than him. If not for the haste of today's battle and if it had continued, he would have surely been defeated. This left him with a strong sense of frustration.

"Why did you call me here?" Tang Jun asked, having been summoned by Lu Ye.

Lu Ye looked at him, probably guessing his thoughts, and raised a hand to toss him a storage ring.

Tang Jun took it, puzzled, and after a brief inspection, was greatly astonished: "So much spirit jade!" The storage ring contained approximately a million spirit jades!

"Where did this come from?" he quickly asked. As far as he knew, Li Taibai was also a pauper. When he had previously gathered information about the Jade Snail Star System and was preparing to return, he had even specifically asked Tang Jun for some travel expenses... After more than a year apart, how had he suddenly become so rich? And judging by the way he handed it over, it was clear he had more than just this; he definitely had even more. A million spirit jades—this was not a million spirit stones. Tang Jun had lived for so many years and had never seen so much spirit jade.

Lu Ye didn't answer, merely saying, "Go buy two decent magic treasures."

In today's battle, although he had been in formation with Pukeyouling to defend against enemies, he had also paid attention to Tang Jun's situation.

Tang Jun's foundation was quite solid; among mid-stage Moonfall cultivators, he might not be top-tier, but he was at least within the average standard. The main reason he wasn't a match for Nan Xingzhen was simply his inadequate magic treasures.