Chapter 1715: Reverse

Divine Sea Foul Race members emerging from the wormhole were almost instantly killed. Our side, attacking from a distance, suffered no losses.

However, neither Lu Ye nor the Moonblossom cultivators of Jade Snail found any satisfaction in this. Everyone had realized the Foul Race's true objective.

A similar situation had occurred when the wormhole first appeared. At that time, the Foul Race also dispatched numerous Divine Sea realm members through it, and the Jade Snail cultivators defending the area had to kill relentlessly. Initially, Jade Snail held a significant geographical advantage, and Foul Race members emerging from the other side of the wormhole could barely establish a foothold. However, as more Foul Race members died, their corrupting energy diffused, gradually transforming the area around the wormhole into a corrupted zone.

The Jade Snail cultivators were forced to retreat. As the corrupted zone expanded, the Jade Snail cultivators were pushed further back, steadily losing their strategic advantage. The Foul Race then deployed their Constellation and Moonblossom realm members, slowly wresting back the tactical ground that had originally belonged to Jade Snail. This was why the Moonblossom cultivators stationed here had appeared somewhat disheartened when Lu Ye arrived with Qiu Wu and his group. It wasn't due to their lack of strength, but rather the overwhelming and relentless nature of the Foul Race's invasion tactics.

This corrupted domain served as the Foul Race's meticulously constructed bridgehead. The Foul Race's current strategy was now evident: to expand the corrupted domain by sacrificing more of their lower-ranking members. Theoretically, if enough Foul Race members perished, this domain could potentially engulf the entire Jade Snail galaxy, making it exceedingly difficult for even powerful cultivators like Lu Ye to operate. Of course, this was merely a theoretical possibility; in reality, achieving such a vast expansion would be nearly impossible, requiring an astronomical number of Foul Race casualties. However, if their goal was merely to expand the corrupted domain to a size that rendered the Jade Snail cultivators helpless, that was a far more achievable objective. For instance, if the current domain were to expand by just three to five times its present size, Jade Snail would face extreme peril. Having invaded and subjugated countless realms and enslaved countless species, the Foul Race, with their disregard for casualties, was certainly capable of achieving this.

Yet, the Jade Snail side could not afford to hold back from killing. This was precisely the most insidious aspect of the Foul Race's strategy: killing them was problematic, but not killing them was even worse. Throughout history, many star systems had managed to repel the Foul Race's initial assault, only to eventually fall victim to these unscrupulous tactics.

The assault continued relentlessly, and the Foul Race continued to die.

At one point, a bizarre, spherical, jet-black creature emerged from the wormhole. The moment it appeared, a battleship's blast tore it apart. The instant this peculiar creature died, an intensely concentrated surge of corrupting energy erupted from within it, spreading rapidly in all directions. Visibly, the already considerable corrupted domain suddenly expanded outwards, gaining significant ground! The expressions of all the Moonblossom cultivators shifted.

The demise of ordinary Divine Sea Foul Race members only contributed minimally to the corrupted domain's growth. Its gradual expansion since the Foul Race's initial movements had been slow due to the sheer number of casualties. However, the corrupting energy within that strange creature was clearly of extreme potency, and its death led to a noticeable and significant expansion of the corrupted domain.

The situation had just taken a turn for the worse. While the Jade Snail Moonblossom cultivators could charge in and defend the wormhole, surrounding any opposing Moonblossom cultivators sent their way, fighting deep within the corrupted domain would demand constant expenditure of spiritual energy for protection. How long could Jade Snail's Moonblossom cultivators endure such conditions? Even a slight lapse would allow Foul Race Moonblossom cultivators to successfully descend. Once the first one arrived, others would follow, one after another.

“I’ll go take a look,” Lu Ye stated, stepping towards the corrupted domain.

“Be careful!” Qiu Wu, uncertain of Lu Ye’s intentions but knowing that only Divine Sea Foul Race members were present, did not stop him, as there seemed to be minimal immediate danger.

Lu Ye nodded and entered the corrupted domain. The corrupting energy was noticeably denser than before, a direct consequence of the countless Divine Sea Foul Race casualties. In such an environment, any Jade Snail Moonblossom cultivator venturing deep within would face significantly greater pressure.

Halting, Lu Ye quietly activated his spiritual energy. The next instant, his spiritual energy surged outwards, making him appear as if he were ablaze. A vast, circular fiery aura emanated from Lu Ye, expanding rapidly. This was an intense burst of his own spiritual energy, a state Lu Ye, despite his deep reserves, could not sustain for long. Thus, even as he unleashed his power, he grasped two spirit crystals in his hands to continuously replenish his expenditure. Immediately afterward, he activated the power of his Talent Tree. Invisible roots from the tree extended outwards, their tendrils reaching every corner where his spiritual energy permeated.

“Ah?” Beyond the corrupted domain, Han Tong, who had been observing Lu Ye, suddenly gasped. The others likewise showed expressions of shock, swiftly replaced by immense joy. For as far as they could see, within the fiery red aura surrounding Lu Ye, the grey, mist-like corrupting energy was rapidly dissipating, vanishing in the blink of an eye. A clear, vacuum-like zone was forming directly within the corrupted domain. The sight was as if Lu Ye's spiritual energy was actively incinerating the corrupting power.

The Jade Snail Moonblossom cultivators watched on, their faces alight with continuous surprise and delight. Lu Ye had previously demonstrated his ability to burn away the corrupting energy that had infiltrated their bodies. Therefore, despite their astonishment at this extraordinary spectacle, they also found it oddly logical. If he could incinerate the corruption within their bodies, then purifying the external corruption would naturally pose no issue.

Only Qiu Wu, after his initial surprise, showed a worried expression. He reasoned that if Lu Ye possessed such an ability, why hadn't he used it earlier? It wasn't a matter of withholding a secret, but likely due to immense energy consumption. Lu Ye must have refrained from using it initially for that reason, but now, with the corrupted domain expanding, he had no choice. Allowing it to continue would put Jade Snail in a dire predicament.

Qiu Wu's conjecture was correct, though not entirely accurate. While Lu Ye's actions indeed incurred a massive cost, it wasn't solely in the way Qiu Wu envisioned—the consumption of his own spiritual energy. If it were merely that, Lu Ye would have no reservations, as spiritual energy could always be replenished by refining spirit jade. However, incinerating the corrupting energy consumed the precious fuel reserves of his Talent Tree! The rate of consumption was alarmingly high; Lu Ye could feel the Talent Tree's fuel reserves rapidly depleting. Fortunately, he had replenished the Talent Tree's fuel before leaving the Myriad Manifestations Sea; otherwise, Lu Ye would never have dared to attempt this.

Lu Ye moved ceaselessly, traversing the corrupted domain. Wherever he passed, the corrupting energy was completely incinerated. The efficiency of fuel consumption was terrifyingly rapid. It was dozens of times faster than when he cultivated beneath the Myriad Manifestations Sea! This was not because the corrupting energy was more potent than the waters of the Myriad Manifestations Sea, but rather due to the immense area he was affecting. His cultivation beneath the Myriad Manifestations Sea was different from the current scenario; then, he merely needed to burn away impurities that entered his body. Now, however, he was incinerating corruption across a vast surrounding region.

This wasn't burning spiritual energy; it was quite literally burning money! Lu Ye's heart ached with profound distress.

Soon, Lu Ye traversed the corrupted domain, creating a colossal gap in what had appeared to be a seamless expanse of corruption. Turning, Lu Ye plunged back into the corruption. At the wormhole, Divine Sea Foul Race members continued to pour forth incessantly. However, the corrupted domain could no longer expand. Instead, as Lu Ye moved back and forth, pure zones began to appear one after another.

After toiling for nearly half a day, Lu Ye finally reached the wormhole. By then, he had thoroughly incinerated a vast section of the corrupted domain, clearing it completely. However, as long as Foul Race members continued to emerge from the wormhole, the corruption could never be fully eradicated. It was unclear if the Foul Race on the other side was unaware of the situation here, but the influx of Divine Sea Foul Race members showed no signs of abating.

Lu Ye knew the task was far from complete, so after a brief pause at the wormhole, he turned and returned. The Jade Snail cultivators gazed at him as if he were their savior.

Lu Ye, however, showed little satisfaction. He simply looked at Qiu Wu and said, “Realm Lord Qiu, I must depart for a time.”

Qiu Wu was taken aback. “Where to?”

“To gather reinforcements!”

Jade Snail's own strength was insufficient to resolve the Foul Race issue. Presently, the Foul Race showed no intention of closing the wormhole, clearly still harboring malicious designs on Jade Snail. The previous battle had clearly not inflicted enough damage upon them! Given this, the only recourse was to amass greater, stronger forces to demonstrate to the Foul Race that Jade Snail was not a soft target to be casually exploited.

Moreover, his Talent Tree's fuel needed replenishment. He could purify the corrupted domain once, and a second time, but as long as the Foul Race's invasion continued, he would need to keep purifying. Therefore, his Talent Tree's fuel reserves needed to remain abundant. He could also ask the Jade Snail realm to help collect fire-attribute treasures, of which they likely possessed a good number.

While the Talent Tree's fuel issue was manageable, their current collective strength was insufficient to deter the Foul Race or inflict meaningful damage. After much consideration, Lu Ye concluded that to truly resolve this problem, he would need to enlist the aid of the Soul Race. If he could secure the assistance of a Soul Race Sunblaze, the Foul Race might finally realize the futility of their efforts and withdraw. The only concern was whether the Foul Race would launch a major offensive during his absence. However, to definitively resolve the Foul Race issue, this risk had to be taken.

“Reinforcements…” Qiu Wu said, puzzled. “Where would you find them?” Within this galaxy, Jade Snail was the strongest. He knew of the Unstable Galaxy beyond the Chaotic Explosion Zone and the Thousand Hills Graveyard, which reportedly had Sunblaze cultivators, but the journey there would be far too long.

“I have my own plan!” Lu Ye offered no further explanation. “I must take Ma Shangsi with me, so the responsibility for this area will fall to you. Whatever happens, you absolutely cannot allow the Foul Race to stabilize the wormhole!” He needed to bring Ma Shangsi because of his greater speed, which would save crucial time.

Qiu Wu looked worried. “Roughly how long will you be gone?”

Lu Ye silently calculated. “Approximately one month should suffice!”

“A month…” Qiu Wu paused, bewildered. Where could Lu Ye possibly gather reinforcements in just a single month? However, since Lu Ye offered no details, Qiu Wu found it difficult to press. His expression grew solemn. “This concerns the very survival of Jade Snail, Junior Brother. Rest assured, even if Jade Snail fights to its last member, we will absolutely not allow the Foul Race to stabilize the wormhole!”