Chapter 1533: Besieged

In an instant, cultivators from one of the teams led a Moonflame Starbeast charging into the grand formation, all of them in a state of panic.

This team originally consisted of over ten members, but now only five remained alive. The others had been hunted down and killed by the Moonflame Starbeast during their escape. Even late-stage Constellation Realm cultivators found it difficult to withstand the beast's powerful strike; they were often either dead or severely injured.

The grand formation's power was instantly activated, and numerous dazzling lights converged on the Moonflame Starbeast. Moreover, the many cultivators lying in wait within the formation also unleashed their various techniques, striking at the beast.

Lu Ye was among them, unleashing crescent-shaped blade energies and demonstrating the skill level expected of a late-stage Constellation Realm cultivator.

The Moonflame Starbeast clearly hadn't anticipated such a large ambush. Caught off guard, it suffered some minor injuries, then roared in fury, its massive body rampaging unrestrainedly through the formation.

Immediately, chaos erupted. Wherever the starbeast charged, cultivators met with misfortune.

Meanwhile, the second Moonflame Starbeast encountered an almost identical situation. Both battlefields raged fiercely.

Cultivators who only had to deal with Constellation Realm starbeasts had a comparatively easier time. Firstly, the Constellation Realm starbeasts had limited power, and secondly, there was a considerable number of cultivators. Therefore, compared to the battlefields where the two Moonflame Starbeasts were, these areas remained relatively stable. By fighting steadily, they could eventually eliminate all the Constellation Realm starbeasts.

The cultivators engaged with the two Moonflame Starbeasts, however, faced significant hardship. While starbeasts generally possessed low intelligence, a Moonflame beast was still a Moonflame beast, vastly superior to Constellation Realm cultivators in both power and physique. Even with the assistance of pre-arranged grand formations, the situation remained perilous. People were frequently injured, and occasionally, someone would die on the spot.

Luo Shenzi proved himself worthy of being the strongest Constellation Realm cultivator in the Four Quadrant Star System. His golden spear danced with incredible power, and his movements were extremely agile, often allowing him to unexpectedly inflict wounds on the Moonflame Starbeast.

Lu Ye observed silently, vaguely feeling that if Luo Shenzi had participated in the Constellation Hall competition, securing a spot in the top hundred would have been no problem for him.

This person indeed possessed considerable strength.

Although Luo Shenzi could wound the Moonflame Starbeast, the disparity in cultivation was too vast. He encountered the same problem Lu Ye had faced when battling Blood Tyrant: the Moonflame Starbeast's physique was too strong, and its injuries had little significant effect, only further enraging it.

The battle was highly unfavorable for the cultivators, yet no one retreated. The opportunity was right before them; resolving these two Moonflame Starbeasts would open the way to a rare treasure. This was the best chance in a hundred years.

Lu Ye continued to leisurely unleash his blade energies. Their power was impressive, but their actual effect was debatable. It wasn't that he feared death; rather, in this environment, fighting alone without the advantages of others, he naturally had to be more cautious.

Everyone else, including Luo Shenzi, had familiar fellow disciples collaborating. Even if they couldn't form a full battle formation, they understood the art of cooperation, able to cover each other for attack or retreat. Those who could form proper formations were even more formidable, excelling beyond other cultivators in both offense and self-preservation.

Lu Ye even had the presence of mind to check on the situations in other battlefields. He saw Du Lang, along with a group of Constellation Realm cultivators, besieging the Constellation Realm starbeasts. Although Du Lang's strength wasn't high, he was inconspicuous amidst the crowd and should be fine as long as he was careful.

He also noticed that the other Moonflame Starbeast battlefield was in a worse state than his own.

On his side, Luo Shenzi was present, single-handedly absorbing about twenty percent of the pressure, making the situation much better. However, the other battlefield lacked such a powerful individual, leading to a chaotic and disorganized fight. The Moonflame Starbeast there was rampaging freely, and several unfortunate cultivators had already died in battle.

As Lu Ye was observing, his expression suddenly tightened. He focused his gaze forward and saw a massive figure lunging towards him, its gaping maw wide open, from which an incredibly powerful suction force emanated.

Lu Ye frowned, wondering why he was so unlucky to be targeted by this Moonflame Starbeast, especially since he had merely been activating his blade energies from the side.

However, a second thought suggested it wasn't just bad luck. Moonflame Starbeasts also knew to pick on the weaker targets. Everyone else had companions to cooperate with, but he was all alone. If not him, then who would the Moonflame Starbeast target?

Lu Ye quickly activated his movement technique to dodge. The powerful suction force emanating from the Moonflame Starbeast's gaping maw was inexplicable. While it couldn't fully draw Lu Ye into its mouth, it clearly affected his ability to maneuver.

Only then did Lu Ye understand why some cultivators, despite their decent strength, were so easily defeated by the Moonflame Starbeast earlier. This hidden factor was at play.

He forced his spiritual energy, narrowly avoiding the starbeast's lunge. Before he could regain his footing, a sense of danger, like a persistent shadow, clung to him from behind. Without needing to look, Lu Ye knew the starbeast was pursuing him.

Left with no choice, he could only continue to move and dodge.

Luo Shenzi's eyes lit up, and he shouted, "Well done, fellow Daoist! Keep it occupied like that!"

As he spoke, his golden spear vibrated, thrusting like a dragon into the starbeast's body. However, the thrust only penetrated half a foot, causing no effective damage to the beast.

Others also seized this opportunity to unleash their powerful techniques, causing the starbeast's blood to spurt wildly. While it appeared terribly wounded, this only further ignited its ferocity.

The starbeast roared furiously, its movements growing even faster, as if it wouldn't stop until Lu Ye was dead.

Lu Ye silently cursed his bad luck. While his movements were agile, he could only delay the starbeast for a short time. Any prolonged engagement, even a slight mistake, could lead to irreversible disaster.

Seeing that the starbeast was truly focused solely on him, Lu Ye no longer hesitated and threw himself towards a specific direction.

In that direction, several cultivators from the same sect had formed a formation, which appeared quite formidable.

Seeing Lu Ye charging towards them, the leading cultivator's expression changed, and he angrily shouted, "Get lost!" As he spoke, a curved blade in his hand sliced down. As spiritual energy flowed, the blade's light suddenly intensified, revealing a massive blade shadow that clearly indicated he was unleashing his full power.

If Lu Ye had come from a different realm, this person would not have dared to be so ruthless in front of everyone.

However, Lu Ye had previously announced his origin from Scarlet Sky, which removed any apprehension the cultivator had. The cultivators of the Four Quadrant Star System were aware of Scarlet Sky's situation, considering it the weakest realm in the system currently. Killing him would likely cause no trouble for the cultivator.

As the massive blade shadow descended, the cultivator had no time to see Lu Ye's fate. His curved blade was already wildly swinging, enveloping the Moonflame Starbeast that was crashing towards them.

Although the several cultivators had formed a formation and could display strength beyond their individual capabilities, they were ultimately insufficient. When the Moonflame Starbeast collided, the blade light shattered, and several figures were sent flying, spitting blood. Their formation broke without even needing to be attacked.

The starbeast continued its pursuit, but Luo Shenzi had already arrived, finally saving them in the nick of time.

Cultivators from all directions attacked together once more, causing the starbeast to roar relentlessly.

Lu Ye finally experienced the true might of a Moonflame Starbeast. Although he had killed several Moonflame cultivators before, each time involved exploiting weaknesses or relying on external forces—either ambushing and severely injuring the opponent or suppressing them with special techniques. He had never truly faced one head-on in a direct confrontation like this.

This encounter truly showed him the formidable power of a Moonflame being. And this was just a starbeast, seemingly without any special attributes.

Even with numerous cultivators from the Four Quadrant Star System combining their efforts, and after expending so much energy, they couldn't significantly harm the beast. The disparity in strength was simply too vast.

Others also realized how difficult the starbeast was to handle. By this point in the intense battle, many were injured, and several unlucky individuals had died. Seeing the starbeast's power grow even fiercer, they couldn't help but consider retreating.

Luo Shenzi sensed this and loudly called out, "Hold on! Do not falter!"

With his shout, even those contemplating retreat found it difficult to leave.

However, the situation soon improved. As more and more Constellation Realm starbeasts died, increasing numbers of cultivators became free to join the siege against the two Moonflame Starbeasts.

It was important to remember that Luo Shenzi had gathered nearly a thousand cultivators, all from the Constellation Realm, with many being late-stage cultivators. With an average of several hundred people besieging each Moonflame Starbeast, even with such a significant power gap, the Moonflame Starbeasts couldn't possibly withstand them.

The two battlefields in the starry sky grew increasingly intense. As more cultivators joined, the two Moonflame Starbeasts found themselves in an increasingly dire situation.

Even if the damage inflicted by the Constellation Realm cultivators was limited, their sheer numbers perfectly demonstrated the idiom, "A swarm of ants can kill an elephant."

Despite their low intelligence, the two starbeasts still possessed the instinct for self-preservation. Sensing danger, they immediately turned and fled towards the Sirius Star, with no one daring to forcibly obstruct their path.

A fierce glint flashed in Luo Shenzi's eyes. He knew that killing these two starbeasts was paramount. So many people had paid such a heavy price to push them to this point; if they failed now, all their previous efforts would be in vain.

He immediately let out a loud cry, "Fellow Daoists, if not now, when will we fight with all our might?"

As he spoke, he raised his hand and conjured a red light, desperately channeling spiritual energy into it.

A powerful aura emanated from the red light.

Lu Ye turned his head and instantly recognized the red light as a Scarlet Talisman.

However, judging by its aura, this was not one of the Scarlet Talismans made by the Pixie race, but a common one.

Therefore, although this Scarlet Talisman was refined by a Sun-Glow Realm expert, its power would be diminished when activated by a Constellation Realm cultivator like Luo Shenzi.

Unlike the Pixie race's Scarlet Talismans, which could be nurtured by their user over time and unleash increasingly greater power.

For instance, when Lu Ye, as an early-stage Constellation Realm cultivator, activated his Scarlet Talisman, he killed a Moonflame being with a single strike.

Now, he was a late-stage Constellation Realm cultivator, and his Scarlet Talisman had been nurtured within him for several years. If he were to activate it, he would be absolutely unrivaled below the Sun-Glow Realm.

As for whether it could harm a Sun-Glow Realm expert... the chances were likely slim.

Seeing Luo Shenzi even sacrificing such a precious treasure as a Scarlet Talisman, others with similar reserves no longer held back, each unleashing their own techniques.