Chapter 1674: Counterattack

The Great Grinding Disc of Yin and Yang was Lu Ye's original destination for this journey. Such a celestial marvel was bound to hold numerous dangers, but within it, he also had certain advantages.

If he could use this celestial marvel to escape the Divine Wind Pirate Group, that would be ideal. If not, he would have to find an opportunity to advance to the Moon-Shining Realm. Once he reached the Moon-Shining Realm, all his worries would naturally dissipate. Even if he still couldn't defeat the white-haired elder, escaping would certainly not be an issue. Thus, his goal remained singular from beginning to end!

Meanwhile, led by the white-haired elder, the Divine Wind Pirate Group had burst out of the grand formation through the gap. They looked up, slightly dumbfounded. In their vision, four streaks of blood-red light were darting away in four different directions, moving incredibly fast. The white-haired elder recognized them as Blood Escape Arts at a glance; after all, this secret technique was widely known throughout the starry sky.

But four figures…

"That Star-Dweller brat actually knows the art of doppelgangers," the white-haired elder scoffed, immediately activating a secret technique, a brilliant light flashing in his eyes. He cultivated a pupil technique; while doppelgangers might deceive others, they wouldn't fool his scrutiny. With his pupil technique activated, the elder immediately observed the four fleeing figures. The next moment, a look of astonishment crossed his face: "How can this be?" Under his pupil technique's gaze, the four figures appeared to have no significant differences; they all seemed to be the main body. However, this was impossible. Among the four figures, there had to be three clones and one main body. The fact that he couldn't detect a flaw only indicated that the opponent's cloning technique was so profound it surpassed the limits of his pupil technique.

"Chase them separately!" the elder decided the next moment. Regardless of which one was the main body, it must be greatly exhausted. Activating a red talisman with such terrifying power as a Star-Dweller couldn't possibly be without cost. The opponent wouldn't last much longer. Moreover, he had taken the Realm King Flower, which was also a massive burden for a late-stage Star-Dweller! Receiving the order, the many cultivators of the Divine Wind Pirate Group immediately split into four groups, chasing in different directions. The white-haired elder naturally went alone, as did the Flame Clan Moon-Shining cultivator. The remaining Divine Wind cultivators split into two, each group with a Tiger Shark warship.

At this moment, Lu Ye indeed felt some pressure. Activating the red talisman had caused him significant exhaustion. For other Star-Dwellers, such an attack would likely leave them incapacitated, but his foundation far surpassed that of ordinary Star-Dwellers, and he had already consumed many recovery elixirs, so the situation was still within his expectations. However, the pressure from activating the red talisman was secondary; he would recover from that. The pressure from having acquired the Realm King Flower's main body, however, would persist, because it was actually devouring his spiritual energy! Fortunately, he had the Seven-Colored Divine Lotus in his Divine Sea, which, under its nourishing care, greatly reduced the rate of spiritual energy loss. Nevertheless, the consumption still outpaced recovery.

This was already anticipated. As Lu Ye fled, he took out the elixirs the Flower Clan had given him earlier. Without minding their quality, he swallowed and refined them directly. This barely allowed him to maintain a balance against the spiritual energy depletion. After a quick calculation, he figured he could last about a month with the numerous elixirs and rare spirit flowers the Flower Clan had provided. If it dragged on longer, his spiritual energy would continue to deplete, and once it reached a certain level, he would inevitably be unable to bear it.

However, he also had a thousand soul jades! Elder Xuyuan had given them to him before he departed from the Soul Clan's ancestral land. These were far better for replenishing spiritual energy than the elixirs from the Flower Clan. Including these thousand soul jades, Lu Ye felt he could easily last another one or two months. Therefore, the white-haired elder's hope of the Realm King Flower's burden crushing him would certainly not materialize in the short term. Thanks to the Talent Tree, while other cultivators, even with abundant spiritual energy replenishment resources, would find them useless without quick refinement and absorption, Lu Ye could rapidly restore his spiritual energy consumption with its help.

Soon, Lu Ye's main body detected the aura of his pursuers. He had to admit, his luck was truly bad; it was precisely the white-haired elder. If the elder had pursued one of his Blood Clones, it would have bought him more escape time. But the white-haired elder was directly chasing his main body, and Lu Ye couldn't tell if the opponent was genuinely lucky or if he had seen through the true nature of the main body and its clones. It was likely good luck. If he could truly discern the main body, he wouldn't have ordered his subordinates to split up.

The power gap was too immense; even with Lu Ye activating the Blood Escape Art, the distance between them continued to close. Deploying a Starship at this moment was clearly not a wise move, as a Starship required a process to accelerate. Even if brief, that delay could allow the opponent to catch up immediately. He could only continue to flee with all his might, buying as much time as possible, while simultaneously monitoring the situation of his three Blood Clones. While the situation with the Blood Clones was better than that of his main body, it wasn't good either. One clone was being pursued by the Flame Clan's Moon-Shining cultivator, and the other two had Tiger Shark warships hot on their heels!

He needed to find a way to deal with these lesser foes, otherwise, his clones wouldn't be able to escape their sight, and even if his main body teleported, his location would still be exposed. But with his current strength alone, dealing with a Moon-Shining cultivator was a stretch. A Tiger Shark warship was almost equivalent to a Moon-Shining cultivator in difficulty, making them equally troublesome.

After a moment of thought, Lu Ye focused his mind, connecting with the Realm King Flower in his Divine Sea. Within the Flower Realm, as Lu Ye collected the Realm King Flower, the previously turbulent realm returned to tranquility. The Flower Clan, Wood Spirit Clan, and Spore Clan members waited nervously and anxiously. They were completely unaware of the external situation and naturally didn't know what fate awaited Lu Ye after he collected the Realm King Flower. Normally, with a late-stage Moon-Shining cultivator outside, Lu Ye would surely face a grim end. However, Lu Ye had previously displayed the power of the red talisman, giving them a sliver of hope.

As they anxiously waited, a voice suddenly echoed within the Flower Realm: "Clan Chief Muhe, Clan Chief Heisan!" It was Lu Ye's voice! Muhe and Heisan's expressions brightened, and they quickly responded, "Present!" Hua Qianying also hastily asked, "Fellow Daoist, what's the situation now?"

Lu Ye said, "I've escaped the grand formation, but I'm currently being pursued, so I need both clan chiefs to lend me a hand!"

Hua Qianying quickly replied, "Tell us, how can we help you?" Being pursued by a pirate group, which included a late-stage Moon-Shining cultivator, Lu Ye's situation must be dire, causing Hua Qianying and the others immense worry.

"Please help, Fellow Daoist, by allowing Clan Chief Muhe and Clan Chief Heisan to leave the Flower Realm and come to my side to help me slay the enemy!"

Although the Realm King Flower had been collected by Lu Ye, the beings within the Flower Realm could still leave and appear by Lu Ye's side. Of course, this required Hua Qianying's assistance, as she controlled the opening of the Flower Realm's portal. Hua Qianying immediately looked at Muhe and Heisan, who both nodded without hesitation: "No problem!" Hua Qianying bit her red lip. "It's no problem on my end either…" Lu Ye's voice continued, "Then act according to my command!"

After he finished speaking, there was no further sound. Hua Qianying looked at Muhe and Heisan, her eyes filled with worry. The situation outside was clearly not good; Lu Ye, being pursued by such a formidable enemy, was obviously at his wit's end, which was why he was asking for help. Muhe and Heisan were only at the early stage of the Moon-Shining Realm. Even if they appeared and acted, their assistance would likely be limited.

Noticing her concern, Muhe gave a simple, honest smile: "Don't worry, even if we die in battle, we will certainly create an opportunity for Fellow Daoist Lu to escape!" They had already resolved themselves to death earlier, so naturally, they wouldn't waver now.

"I'm indebted to both of you!" Hua Qianying's eyes reddened slightly. She knew that once Muhe and Heisan left the Flower Realm for the outside, the chances of their survival were slim. But it had come to this; there was no other way. She believed that if Lu Ye had any other possibility of escape, he wouldn't have turned to them for help. "Don't worry, I will take good care of the Wood Spirit Clan members!" Muhe and Heisan's expressions grew even more resolute, both displaying a profound sense of defiance in the face of death.

At this very moment, spiritual energy surged within Lu Ye's main body, and void spirit patterns began to form. Five thousand miles behind him, the white-haired elder's figure was visible. This distance already made Lu Ye feel threatened; he knew he had to leave, otherwise, if they closed in any further, his opponent would likely attack. When Lu Ye's spiritual energy surged, the white-haired elder naturally sensed it. He quickly activated his pupil technique to observe carefully. Although he was certain that a late-stage Star-Dweller like Lu Ye couldn't escape his grasp, he remained very cautious given the previous power of the red talisman.

Immediately after, he witnessed an incredible sight: an intricate spirit pattern appeared beneath Lu Ye's feet, and then the entire person vanished from his sight. The white-haired elder's eyes widened; he almost thought he was dreaming. A moment later, he rushed to the spot where Lu Ye had disappeared, gravely sensing his surroundings, and exclaimed in disbelief: "Spatial Teleportation Art?" He clearly felt faint traces of spatial power from the residual energy. His face was filled with incredulity, as such a method was beyond the capabilities of a mere Star-Dweller. Had his opponent used a wondrous treasure? Who exactly was this young man? How could he be so wealthy? That red talisman clearly came from the Pixie Clan and was of immeasurable value. This wondrous treasure capable of spatial teleportation must also be extraordinarily valuable.

Could he be a rising star from some major force? As the white-haired elder pondered this, he suddenly felt uneasy. If that were the case, he would need to silence the young man even more, lest there be endless future troubles. A powerful divine sense abruptly spread out, and his pupil technique was pushed to its limit. From the lingering traces of spatial power, he discerned Lu Ye's movements. The next instant, his gaze fixed on a direction, and he swiftly sped towards it.

In that direction, a Blood Clone was frantically dodging attacks from a Tiger Shark warship. Although the Blood Clone could unleash Lu Ye's full power, it ultimately lacked a suitable weapon. Thus, facing attacks comparable to those from a Moon-Shining cultivator, it had no intention of counterattacking. Furthermore, every action taken by a Blood Clone consumed Blood Essence power, reducing its duration. Therefore, the Blood Clone was solely focused on evasion.

The Tiger Shark warship pursued it closely. Seeing the clone rendered utterly defenseless, they slowly let down their guard. Having personally witnessed the terrifying power of the red talisman earlier, how could they not have been wary? Now that they were reasonably sure this was just a clone, there was naturally nothing to fear. But at that very moment, a figure flashed out beside the Blood Clone. Lu Ye appeared seemingly from nowhere, and with him, a translucent portal!

(End of Chapter)