Chapter 1716: The Dregs Retreat

While Lu Ye was busy, Ma Shangsi didn't interrupt him, only standing by as a protector. Every movement within the sea of blood was within Ma Shangsi's perception, so he was fully aware of the Stone Clan member's transformation just moments ago. He was utterly astonished by the miraculous abilities of his Holy Venerable.

However, the current situation left him somewhat puzzled.

"What's going on?" Ma Shangsi inquired.

The Stone Clan member had been restored, so it made no sense that this Filth Clan member had died. The only apparent difference between the two was their state of mind. From what they had observed so far, the Filth Clan members fell into two categories: those who acted purely on instinct without any consciousness, and those who still retained their sanity. The majority belonged to the former group, while only a small fraction retained their rationality. The unconscious ones were typically controlled by the conscious ones. The Stone Clan member was of the rational type, whereas the deceased Filth Clan member was of the unconscious variety.

Lu Ye speculated that the differing fates of the two Filth Clan members, after he incinerated the corrupting power within them, must be connected to this distinction.

"Don't waste your efforts on these Filth Clan members," the recently rescued Stone Clan member said as he walked closer. "Their wills have been extinguished and completely replaced by the corruption. Even if you save them, all that will remain is an empty husk." He gazed at the dead Filth Clan member before him, a hint of sorrow for a fellow creature in his eyes.

Lu Ye understood. Turning to the Stone Clan member, he asked, "So, only those Filth Clan members who still retain their sanity can be saved?"

Like the Stone Clan member before him, who, despite countless years of corrosive influence from the corrupting power, still retained his original will, there was a possibility of rescue.

"One can only say there's a chance," the Stone Clan member affirmed with a nod.

Lu Ye immediately knew what to do. He turned to the Stone Clan member and asked, "Do you still have the strength to fight, fellow Daoist?"

The Stone Clan member's injuries were not severe. Although his tough hide made them look gruesome, they were merely minor wounds. Previously, the power of the fangs had prevented them from healing, but now that they were no longer adversaries, Lu Ye had dispelled that power from his wounds, allowing for a swift recovery. His primary issue was soul instability. The techniques employed by the Soul Clan member who possessed Lu Ye had significantly impacted the Stone Clan member's soul, making him appear somewhat dispirited at the moment.

"While I'm not at my peak, dying isn't that simple," the Stone Clan member rumbled in reply.

Lu Ye nodded, then turned his gaze to Ma Shangsi. Understanding the unspoken cue, Ma Shangsi commanded the sea of blood to surge towards the nearest battlefield.

At this very moment, nearly every Moon Realm cultivator from Jade Snail was engaged in battles where they were outnumbered, yet the situation remained evenly matched. Empowered by the Soul Clan's possession, the Jade Snail cultivators were reveling in a sudden surge of power. The only challenge was the corrosive effect of the corrupting power, which prevented them from sustained combat. Their priority was to create an opening as quickly as possible.

Before they could succeed, they saw the sea of blood spreading towards them. Coupled with the recent demise of two late-stage Moon Realm auras, it was clear that Lu Ye and his companion had achieved another breakthrough. The situation was almost identical to the previous encounter, causing the Jade Snail Moon Realm cultivators to feel somewhat embarrassed.

The subsequent battle was straightforward. Wherever Ma Shangsi's sea of blood spread, death followed. His combined efforts with Lu Ye already made the Filth Clan's Moon Realm cultivators hard to resist; with the addition of a late-stage Moon Realm Stone Clan member, they could naturally gain the upper hand much more easily. Filth Clan members were cut down one by one, and their side's advantage steadily grew.

Lu Ye then set his sights on another Filth Clan member, a human. His origin was unknown, but like Lu Ye, he was a combat practitioner. He targeted this individual precisely because, like the Stone Clan member, he was one of the rare few who still possessed their sanity. As the Stone Clan member had explained earlier, the irrational Filth Clan members had their wills annihilated by the corrupting power. Thus, even if Lu Ye incinerated the corruption within them, he couldn't save them.

However, this human was different; by incinerating the corruption within him, he should theoretically be reversible. That was Lu Ye's assumption, but the final outcome was entirely different from what he anticipated. With Ma Shangsi's assistance, after he completely incinerated the corruption within this human combat practitioner, the individual still perished! Lu Ye was utterly bewildered as to what had happened.

The great battle was drawing to a close. Moments later, with the demise of the last Filth Clan Moon Realm cultivator, the most intense fighting concluded. Although numerous lower-level Filth Clan members remained within the corrupted domain, these minor threats posed no danger to the group.

Just as Lu Ye and the others prepared to deal with these remaining Filth Clan members, the void suddenly vibrated. Everyone was surprised and curious. Following the disturbance, they discovered that the wormhole was rapidly closing!

A Jade Snail Moon Realm cultivator exclaimed in joyful surprise, "The Filth Clan has retreated!"

The closing of the wormhole unequivocally signaled the Filth Clan's intent. They had dispatched two waves of attackers, roughly thirty-four Moon Realm cultivators in total, all of whom had been annihilated. Jade Snail had clearly demonstrated its capability to defend itself. Unless the Filth Clan forcefully activated the power of the Heaven Frost Mirror to stabilize the wormhole and allow Sun Realm cultivators to descend, they would be unable to conquer the Jade Snail star system. The Filth Clan would not easily take such a drastic step without perceiving substantial benefits, as doing so would incur an enormous cost for them. While dozens of Moon Realm cultivators constituted a formidable force anywhere else, to the Filth Clan, such a loss was insignificant. Their ability to absorb these casualties was the fundamental reason for their willingness to retreat.

Simply put, this mode of conquest has always been the Filth Clan's established practice. Jade Snail was neither the first star system where they encountered setbacks nor would it be the last. Not every battlefield initiated by the Filth Clan ended in their victory; such failures were inconsequential to them.

The Moon Realm cultivators were ecstatic, and around the corrupted domain, the Star Realm cultivators cheered as well. The tension that had gripped them for over a month finally dissipated. Lu Ye also let out a long sigh of relief. If the Filth Clan had not retreated, it would have been a significant problem, as he would have been unable to leave as long as the wormhole remained. Fortunately, the current outcome was quite favorable. There was no need to worry about the Filth Clan returning, as the Heaven Frost Mirror randomly selected where to unleash its frigid essence. Having experienced this once, Jade Snail was highly unlikely to face a similar event again soon, unless they were exceptionally unlucky. In such a case, they could only accept their misfortune.

In just the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the massive wormhole vanished completely, leaving behind only a corrupted domain. The lower-level Filth Clan members within the domain were all eradicated by the Moon Realm cultivators. Everyone then withdrew, leaving Lu Ye alone to begin purifying the area. After a period of diligent work, Lu Ye purified all the corruption in the area before returning.

The group of Jade Snail Moon Realm cultivators, led by Qiu Wu, collectively bowed and expressed their gratitude to Lu Ye. Everyone understood that without Lu Ye, Jade Snail would undoubtedly have met a grim fate during the Filth Clan's invasion. In the first battle, Lu Ye and his companion played a vital role, completely eliminating all the Filth Clan's Moon Realm cultivators. In the second battle, Lu Ye even brought a contingent of Soul Clan reinforcements; otherwise, the Jade Snail Moon Realm cultivators alone would have been no match for their adversaries. Furthermore, on both occasions, Lu Ye employed miraculous methods to purify the corrupted domains, unequivocally resolving a critical underlying threat.

Although Lu Ye was also from the Jade Snail star system, this location was perilously close to the Jade Snail Realm itself, which would have borne the full brunt of the Filth Clan's invasion.

"Chief Qiu, there's no need for such formality," Lu Ye replied. "I am also a cultivator of this star system, and defending our home is my undeniable duty. Of course, if the Chief insists on expressing gratitude, then some fire-element treasures would be appreciated, as purifying the corruption consumes a significant amount of energy."

Qiu Wu promptly produced two storage rings. "They're all prepared," he said. Collecting fire-element treasures for Lu Ye was an instruction he had given the Jade Snail Realm before his departure. The realm had spared no effort, immediately mobilizing all its resources for the collection. They had intended to hand them over upon Lu Ye's return, but the battle had commenced too quickly for that.

Lu Ye cheerfully accepted the two storage rings. A quick sweep with his divine sense confirmed that the talent tree fuel he had expended could be fully replenished, with some left over as profit.

Meanwhile, Xu Yuan was questioning the Stone Clan member, seeking information about the Filth Clan, particularly the precise location of the Filth Land. Unfortunately, despite being rescued by Lu Ye, the Stone Clan member possessed limited knowledge about the Filth Clan. He was unaware of the exact location of the Filth Land because, after being corrupted and transformed into a Filth Clan member, he had entered the Filth Land via a wormhole. Although he had participated in numerous conflicts thereafter, his movements had always been through wormholes, thus he genuinely did not know the precise whereabouts of the Filth Land. However, he did state that the Filth Clan boasted an abundance of powerful individuals, with Sun Realm cultivators being plentiful and Moon Realm cultivators numbering in the countless. Therefore, the loss of a few dozen Moon Realm cultivators was truly insignificant to them. Furthermore, he clarified that Filth Clan members like himself were not considered true Filth Clan. The Filth Land was home to naturally born, pure Filth Clan members, who, though few in number, were exceptionally powerful. Even he had never encountered one of these true Filth Clan.

After a brief conversation, it became clear that the information gleaned from the Stone Clan member was very limited, leaving Xu Yuan feeling rather helpless. After a slight pause for thought, he gestured for Lu Ye to approach.

Lu Ye quickly stepped forward. "Elder, what are your instructions?" he asked.

Xu Yuan waved his hand, creating a barrier of pure spiritual energy to isolate their surroundings. He gazed steadily at Lu Ye for a moment, seeming to hesitate before finally speaking. "Is that Ma Shangsi, a member of the Blood Clan?"

When Ma Shangsi assumed human form, he displayed virtually no flaws, so much so that even Xu Yuan hadn't detected anything amiss. However, a Moon Realm cultivator from the Soul Clan had used a soul-possession technique on Ma Shangsi, vaguely discerning his true nature, and subsequently reported it to Xu Yuan.

Lu Ye did not conceal the truth. He nodded and replied, "That's right, he is from the Blood Clan."

Xu Yuan frowned slightly. "Young friend," he began, "your future is undoubtedly boundless. However, the Blood Clan's reputation is, ultimately, not good. It would be best if you did not become too deeply involved with them."

He refrained from asking how Lu Ye had become so intimately connected with a Blood Clan member, acknowledging that everyone possessed their own experiences and secrets. Nevertheless, as an elder, Xu Yuan felt it necessary to offer a word of caution to Lu Ye.

Sensing Xu Yuan's concern, Lu Ye replied, "Elder, please rest assured. I understand the gravity of the situation."