Chapter 1591: Warship Fleet

In the desolate starfield between Thousand Mounds and Boundless, Lu Ye journeyed alone in his vessel, moving at a steady pace, neither fast nor slow.

He led the way, with the fleet trailing far behind, at the furthest range his communication talismans could reach.

Uncertain of the situation ahead, the fleet couldn't risk advancing en masse. If a fierce battle was underway, it would be detrimental for them to be caught in it.

Lu Ye scouted ahead alone; if anything unusual arose, he could promptly send back a message, allowing the fleet to react in time.

During his last passage through this area, active insectoids were occasionally seen. This time, however, not a single trace of them was visible. Lu Ye inwardly speculated whether the war had concluded and the insectoid nest had been eradicated. Otherwise, this region shouldn't be so peaceful.

Moreover, the butterfly star beast he had previously encountered had also flown in this direction. Yet, Lu Ye saw no signs of it along his route and didn't know where it had gone. Given that it was injured back at Thousand Mounds, it had likely sought a secluded spot to heal, and this desolate area would be an ideal location for recovery.

After flying continuously for two months, Lu Ye spotted a colossal insectoid nest in the distance, immediately realizing that the war here was far from over. Otherwise, the nest wouldn't still be present.

Although the nest remained, countless lights continuously flickered around it, and strong or weak energy fluctuations emanated from its direction.

This situation clearly indicated that cultivators were attacking the insectoid nest.

This battle has certainly dragged on for a long time, Lu Ye thought to himself. He wondered when exactly the conflict had begun, as it was still ongoing.

Since the insectoid nest was under attack, cultivators from Boundless or the other three star systems must be present. Lu Ye sent a message to the fleet behind him, instructing them to lie low and wait while he went to investigate the situation himself.

Luan Xiao'e quickly replied, urging him to be extra careful.

Continuing forward, Lu Ye applied concealment and aura-restraining spirit marks to himself, quietly approaching the battlefield.

As he drew closer, he gradually discerned the details of the situation, and his face filled with shock.

Around the colossal insectoid nest, numerous warships were gathered. These were unmistakably large battleships, their sheer size incomparable to smaller vessels like the Tiger Shark.

There were approximately two hundred of these large battleships in total, exhibiting quite distinct designs and styles. However, considering that this fleet was assembled by the combined forces of the four star systems, the variations in style were understandable, as they did not originate from a single faction.

Alongside the large battleships, smaller and medium-sized warships served as escorts. The various lights Lu Ye had seen from afar were indeed emanating from these battleships.

From a distance, only flickering lights were visible. Up close, however, one could feel the terrifying might of each attack; every strike from a large battleship was no less powerful than a full-force attack from a Moon Shiner cultivator.

Among all the warships, one positioned directly opposite the nest stood out. While the other battleships were large, they paled in comparison to the nest; yet, this particular warship was nearly as immense as the nest itself.

These two behemoths thus stood in distant confrontation in the starry sky, for an unknown duration.

Upon seeing this formation, Lu Ye knew that the four star systems were launching a full-scale assault on the insectoid nest. However, despite the intense offensive, it seemed unable to significantly impact the nest in the short term.

These insectoid nests were not merely breeding grounds; they were formidable war fortresses, capable of both offense and defense.

At this very moment, a visible defensive barrier surrounded the nest, causing all incoming attacks to be deflected and dissipate, unable to inflict the slightest harm.

Not a single insectoid was visible. Lu Ye surmised that they were all hiding inside the nest, daring not to show themselves under such a fierce assault.

Given the situation, Lu Ye saw no need to remain hidden. He removed the spirit marks augmenting him, revealed his presence, and directly headed towards the largest, super-sized battleship.

Before he could draw close, he was spotted by a nearby large battleship. Soon, a figure flew out from it, blocking Lu Ye's path from a distance and loudly challenging, "Who goes there!"

Lu Ye's appearance point was unusual. Cultivators from the four star systems would only arrive from the direction of Boundless, but Lu Ye came from Thousand Mounds, making it clear he wasn't from their allied forces.

At such a critical juncture of the war, the four star systems' defenses were naturally stringent.

However, Lu Ye's cultivation was not high, only at the Star Dweller stage. So, although he was detected, only a single Moon Shiner emerged to confront him.

Lu Ye halted and looked intently, realizing he didn't recognize this Moon Shiner. The only Moon Shiners he knew in this region were a few from the Boundless Realm and one from the Great Luo Realm.

Not recognizing him was normal. He cupped his hands and said, "Lu Yiye of Nine Heavens, greetings, fellow Daoist!"

The Moon Shiner paused, then exclaimed in surprise, "You are Lu Yiye of Nine Heavens?" He clearly knew of Lu Ye, which was natural. The reason the four star systems could so quickly unite to eradicate the insectoid nest was primarily because everyone wanted to follow Lu Ye to the Myriad Worlds Sea.

However, for Lu Ye to return safely with his people, this insectoid nest had to be dealt with first. Otherwise, with the insectoids entrenched here, Lu Ye's return wouldn't be safe. If he were caught and killed by the insectoids, they would lose their path to the Myriad Worlds Sea.

Without this incentive, even if they understood the principle of "when the lips are gone, the teeth feel cold," the other three star systems would have demanded a heavy price from Boundless before agreeing to join forces. After all, the insectoid nest was at Boundless's doorstep, not theirs.

The alliance of the four star systems to eradicate the insectoid nest was arguably inevitable and destined to happen. However, Lu Ye's arrival and the allure of the Myriad Worlds Sea accelerated this outcome, significantly reducing the resistance to the four parties joining forces. Furthermore, only by resolving the threat of this nest could they focus on matters concerning the Myriad Worlds Sea; otherwise, with the nest entrenched, no one would be in the mood to send people there.

"That's right!"

"Good, you've come at a great time!" The Moon Shiner rejoiced. "The Sun Shiner seniors have been waiting for you for a long time. Please follow me!"

As he spoke, he channeled his spiritual power, enveloping Lu Ye, and swept towards the super-sized battleship.

En route, the Moon Shiner and Lu Ye exchanged a few casual words. Lu Ye primarily inquired about the current situation, learning from the Moon Shiner that the war had indeed reached a critical juncture.

This war had actually begun about half a year after Lu Ye's departure. However, it took time for the four star systems to mobilize their forces. Moreover, simply driving the insectoid nest away wouldn't have required much effort.

But what the powerful cultivators from the four star systems desired was not merely to repel it. If it were only driven off, the nest could always return. Therefore, they aimed for its complete annihilation.

It took this long because they needed to gather enough manpower, implement various deployments, gradually erode the insectoids' outer forces, and then progressively form a blockade and encirclement.

Gazing at the immense insectoid nest spanning the starry sky, Lu Ye felt somewhat perplexed. "I hear these nests are war fortresses that can drift anywhere in space. With the defensive power it's currently displaying, if it sensed danger and tried to escape, we wouldn't be able to stop it, would we?"

Although the four star systems had deployed numerous warships and formed an encirclement, if such a massive nest truly intended to break through, the large battleships alone couldn't stop it.

The Moon Shiner chuckled and said, "This is thanks to the foresight of the Sun Shiner seniors. Before the encirclement was fully deployed, several seniors forcibly broke into the nest and destroyed some of its core components. So, while the nest can still move, its speed is extremely slow."

Because its speed is slow, even if it were to break out of the encirclement, it would be pointless; it would simply be pursued and attacked by the four star systems' fleet. Furthermore, moving such a colossal nest consumes an enormous amount of energy. Instead of wasting energy on movement, it's better to concentrate it on defense.

Lu Ye was deeply stirred. Such a massive nest surely harbored countless powerful beings, and it was said to have two Sun Shiner insectoids overseeing it. Yet, several Sun Shiners from this side had combined forces to forcefully breach it, and from the outcome, they had achieved their objective.

It was hard to imagine how they had accomplished such a formidable task.

"So, the insectoids can only wait for death now?" Lu Ye asked.

The Moon Shiner nodded. "Indeed, they can only wait for death. Once its defenses are breached, annihilating this branch of insectoids will be a matter of moments." This was the confidence of a large realm with profound foundations. If Kyushu were targeted by such an insectoid nest, it would be Kyushu awaiting its demise.

He paused, then sighed slightly. "Unfortunately, during the last push into the nest, Senior Brother Chen Zong from my North Profound suffered an injury. I don't know the extent of his injuries, so I'll take this opportunity to visit him."

From his words, it was clear that he too hailed from the North Profound Star System.

As they spoke, they arrived aboard the super-sized battleship. Inside, Lu Ye felt even more acutely its immense scale. This vessel was undoubtedly the pinnacle of a realm's ingenuity, likely from Boundless. However, even with Boundless's resources, there probably wouldn't be a second ship of its kind. Such a warship would never have been deployed if not to combat the insectoid nest.

Only when Kyushu reached Boundless's level could it barely establish a foothold in the starry sky and handle most dangers from space. As for now, it was still far too early.

The North Profound Moon Shiner led Lu Ye directly towards the command center, and soon they arrived in a spacious hall.

At this moment, many cultivators were gathered in the hall, busily working on intricate arrays. Constant reports from various monitoring stations were relayed, providing the powerful cultivators present with a clearer understanding of the battlefield situation.

As soon as Lu Ye entered, he felt numerous gazes fall upon him.

He turned his head to look around and found most faces unfamiliar, recognizing only one valiant woman—the Boundless Sun Shiner he had met previously.