Chapter 1675: Stoic as Death Muhe and the Black Umbrella

Lu Ye was naturally well-acquainted with the performance of the Tiger Shark Battleship; he had bought ten of them when he returned to Kyushu previously. These were the smallest type of warships, capable of being piloted by three to five people.

The Tiger Shark Battleship currently used by the Divine Wind Pirate Group was piloted by four Star Lords, two late-stage and two mid-stage. With their foundation and the various configurations on the battleship, they could indeed unleash attacks comparable to those of a Moon Cultivator, though the attack frequency was somewhat slower.

Even so, the chase had left the Blood Avatar in an extremely sorry state. Had the avatar not focused solely on fleeing, without engaging them, it would likely have been annihilated long ago.

At this moment, as the four cultivators inside the Tiger Shark watched in stunned silence, another figure of Lu Ye appeared out of thin air, causing them to freeze.

"What's happening?"

One of them reacted more quickly, his momentary surprise turning into great delight: "This must be his true form! Quick, capture him!"

No sooner had he spoken than another strange portal appeared in their field of vision. Immediately afterward, a cloud-like substance drifted out from within the portal, spreading in all directions!

It was a spore cloud, clearly a technique activated by Hei San. This substance looked like a white cloud but was actually composed of countless billions of spores imperceptible to the naked eye.

The sudden turn of events made the four cultivators inside the Tiger Shark Battleship feel uneasy. What astonished them even more was the emergence of two Moon Cultivator auras from within that strange white cloud.

"Where did two Moon Cultivators come from?" The four cultivators, belonging to different races, racked their brains but couldn't understand what was happening. Before they could react, the massive spore cloud had already enveloped the battleship. Its might was formidable, and from within came a roaring growl.

That was Mu He roaring, his voice filled with boundless fury and savagery. It had been incredibly difficult for their Wood Spirits and Spore Race. They had been living peacefully in the Blue Jade Realm until the Blood Race invaded their home, forcing them to abandon it. Clan members below the Star Lord cultivation level were relocated to the tree realm of the Reincarnation Tree, while the Star Lord members had to leave their homes and embark on a journey to find a new one.

Along the way, numerous hardships and trials further diminished their already small numbers. Fortunately, by divine providence, they stumbled upon the Flower Race. Guided by them, they were able to settle in the Flower Realm, and thanks to the Flower Race's diligent cultivation efforts, both clan leaders advanced to Moon Cultivator. They had believed a bright future for both races was finally at hand, only to discover that the Flower Realm had been targeted by a pirate group.

If the Flower Realm were seized by the pirate group, not only would the Flower Race suffer, but their remaining few clan members would also face misfortune! The two clan leaders felt sorrow, anger, and helplessness... until Lu Ye's appearance brought a glimmer of change to their grim future.

Mu He and Hei San had already decided to protect Lu Ye and help him escape, even if it meant fighting to the death. So, the moment they stepped through the portal, both clan members unleashed their full power!

The spore cloud expanded, enveloping the battleship. To their astonishment, the four pirate cultivators inside the battleship, already greatly alarmed, horrifyingly discovered that the battleship's speed plummeted as if it were stuck in a quagmire. Even with their desperate attempts to pilot it, it moved as slowly as a tortoise.

Before they could devise a solution, a thunderous roar reverberated from outside the battleship, followed by the entire vessel shaking violently. Inside the spore cloud, Clan Leader Mu He's body had swollen to a hundred zhang tall, like a towering giant. Countless sharp wooden thorns suddenly sprouted from his body, resembling long whips, madly lashing and stabbing at the Tiger Shark Battleship.

Restricted by the spore cloud, the Tiger Shark Battleship was unable to move freely. How could it evade such a fierce and furious assault? The four cultivators inside the battleship frantically activated the battleship's protective array. But how strong could the protective array of such a small battleship be? It might be able to withstand two or three attacks from a Moon Cultivator, but the crucial point was that the furious Mu He was now unleashing a dense, layered barrage of attacks.

In the blink of an eye, the Tiger Shark Battleship's defenses were breached. Sharp wooden thorns pierced its hull from all directions, and the violent vibrations almost made it impossible for the four figures inside to stand. Outside the spore cloud, Lu Ye's true form observed. He had initially intended to act, but seeing the ferocious onslaught inside the spore cloud, he knew he didn't need to intervene.

The Blood Avatar had already moved far away. The moment his true form arrived, the avatar continued to flee forward. The golden rule for escaping with an avatar: the true form and the avatar should avoid staying together as much as possible! Lu Ye understood this principle well.

In just ten breaths, the battleship's defenses, trapped within the spore cloud, were completely shattered. Not only that, but the battleship's surface was also riddled with dents and depressions. Had the battleship not been made of excellent materials, it would certainly have been punctured.

However, as Mu He sustained his assault, one wooden thorn finally pierced into the battleship. The four pirate cultivators stared at the hard wooden thorn, their faces pale. If such an attack landed on them, they had no confidence they could block it. After all, the power gap between a Moon Cultivator and a Star Lord was a fundamental difference in the essence of their strength.

As the wooden thorn was pulled out, the white spore cloud surged in through the hole. The four cultivators turned pale with fright, yet were utterly powerless to resist as they watched the spore cloud fill the battleship's interior.

Hei San's voice echoed in Lu Ye's ear: "Young friend, I have them under control. Shall I kill them directly?"

"Under control?" Lu Ye was momentarily stunned. Because the battlefield was enveloped by the massive spore cloud, he could only sense the general situation inside; discerning the specifics was difficult.

"How did you control them?" Lu Ye asked.

Hei San replied, "They have been infested by my spores. They are now my puppets. Perhaps we can extract some information from them?" Had it not been for this consideration, Hei San would have already killed them.

However... why was the situation different from what he and Mu He had expected? They had expected to face the terrifying might of that late-stage Moon Cultivator immediately after leaving the Flower Realm, with an entire pirate group as backup. Even if both of them had advanced to Moon Cultivator, they would never be a match. This was a battle they knew would be fatal, yet they couldn't retreat from it. They had prepared to die in battle!

But in reality, there was no late-stage Moon Cultivator here at all. After they emerged, there was only a single Tiger Shark Battleship, which they easily captured with his and Mu He's cooperation. The cultivators inside the battleship were also not highly cultivated; they were merely Star Lords, and there were only four of them. "Where are the rest of the pirate group? And those two Moon Cultivators?" Hei San was somewhat confused.

"There's such a thing?" Lu Ye was surprised. He knew that the Spore Race could activate spore clouds and cooperate with the Wood Spirits in battle, but he truly hadn't known the Spore Race possessed such a bizarre ability. Just as he was about to say there was no need to gather information and they should simply kill them, he reconsidered and quickly asked, "To what extent can you control them?"

Hei San replied, "They are essentially my avatars now. I can exert basic control over their bodies. Of course, if you give me some time to infest their Divine Seas, I can gain complete control!"

This ability... was truly bizarre. Lu Ye thought for a moment and said, "Don't kill them; they still have a use."

Soon, the spore cloud dispersed, revealing the scene on the battlefield. Mu He scratched his head, looking utterly bewildered as if searching for a formidable enemy he was promised, a foe he was prepared to die fighting. "Why was it just one Tiger Shark Battleship?" he seemed to wonder. He had unleashed such power moments ago, only to feel like he had used a sledgehammer to swat a fly.

Just as Lu Ye was about to step forward to check the situation inside the battleship, his heart suddenly skipped a beat. He turned to look in a certain direction, extremely surprised. "So fast!"

The white-haired elder had actually caught up! What puzzled Lu Ye was how the other party had pinpointed his location. Using the Void Spirit Mark, he could teleport tens of thousands of miles in a single shift. Logically, the white-haired elder's divine sense shouldn't have been able to extend this far. How had the other party caught up so quickly? However, upon second thought, perhaps the cultivators inside the battleship had sent out a message after being attacked. Regardless, it was not advisable to linger here.

"Don't activate your powers, both of you!" Lu Ye flashed next to Mu He and Hei San. As he spoke, an enormous Void Spirit Mark began to form, spreading and connecting beneath the three of them, and even the Tiger Shark Battleship. As the Void Spirit Mark materialized, the white-haired elder, still some distance away, could only watch helplessly as Lu Ye's figure vanished once more.

"Damn it!" The white-haired elder was furious. A late-stage Star Lord was someone he genuinely didn't pay much attention to, but who could have imagined that a late-stage Star Lord possessed such unfathomable abilities? However, the other party must have relied on some bizarre exotic treasure's power; otherwise, they couldn't achieve this level of capability solely on their own. Since it was an exotic treasure, activating it must place a tremendous burden on the user, and it couldn't be used too many times! Thinking this, the white-haired elder soon arrived at the spot where Lu Ye had vanished. He activated his eye technique to observe, and just like before, he determined the direction of Lu Ye's escape by the residual traces of spatial power.

Not far behind another Blood Avatar, a Tiger Shark Battleship was also relentlessly giving chase. Soon, this Tiger Shark Battleship met the same fate as its counterpart, except this time Lu Ye didn't just bring his true form; Mu He and Hei San were also brought along. The moment they appeared, Hei San's spore cloud instantly spread out. The pursuing Tiger Shark Battleship had no time to react and crashed headlong into the spore cloud.

What followed was simple: Hei San restrained, Mu He unleashed his power, and the second Tiger Shark Battleship also fell into Lu Ye's hands, all within ten breaths of time.

Lu Ye's gaze swept into the distance, towards the location of the third Blood Avatar. Compared to the previous two avatars, this one's situation was particularly dire, as it was being pursued by none other than the Flame Race Moon Cultivator. If not for the extreme speed of the Blood Escape Technique, it would have been caught long ago. Even so, the distance between them was rapidly closing. It wouldn't be long before the Blood Avatar would be within the Flame Race Moon Cultivator's attack range, and at that point, the avatar would have no power to resist.

Lu Ye didn't rush over. Instead, he activated his divine sense, simultaneously controlling his three Blood Avatars.