Chapter 1735: Strong Attack

The leading Moon Weaver on Sanjie Island was lost in pleasant thoughts. For a moment, even with the composure of a peak Moon Weaver, the team leader couldn't help but feel a little light-headed, believing their luck was incredibly good to encounter such a fortunate turn of events.

Amidst his joy, he didn't forget to send a message to Yu Huan: "Sanjie Island is deserted; I've taken it over!" Regardless, Yu Huan had sent him a message earlier, and he felt obliged to return the favor, planning to share some of the spoils later.

When Yu Huan received the message, his mind reeled. He couldn't even be bothered to reply, as he already knew Sanjie Island was deserted.

The remaining forces from Sanjie Island were currently approaching Baiyue Island, poised to assault its protective grand formation.

Baiyue Island had stood for eight centuries, yet it had never experienced such a moment of simultaneous internal and external crisis.

He simply couldn't fathom what the people of Sanjie Island were thinking. Even if Baiyue had provoked them, it didn't warrant abandoning Sanjie Island to launch an all-out assault.

In comparison, Sanjie Island was undoubtedly far more valuable than Baiyue. Though both were high-grade spirit islands, their sheer scale was entirely different.

Furthermore, were the cultivators of Sanjie Island truly so confident they could conquer Baiyue?

As it stood, Sanjie Island was already lost to them. If they failed to take Baiyue Island, they would have no place left to stand on the Myriad Manifestation Sea.

Were the people of Sanjie Island simply insane?

Naturally, the people of Sanjie Island were not insane; no one else would have made such an extreme decision.

The decision to completely abandon Sanjie Island's defenses, using only an illusion array to conceal internal conditions and mislead enemy scouts, while employing the Azure Conch and Small Flower Realm to relocate Sanjie cultivators for an all-out assault on Baiyue—this decision was made by Lu Ye!

This was because he wasn't afraid of Sanjie Island being lost.

The success of both Sanjie Island and Wushuang Island stemmed from the Small Star Temple. As long as this treasure remained in his possession, even if Sanjie Island were truly lost, it wouldn't be a major issue; at worst, he could simply find another desolate island.

Thus, while guarding one's own spirit island was essential for others, Lu Ye had no such reservations. For him, offense was the best defense.

During the Moon Weaver council meeting on Sanjie Island, when he first presented this proposal, everyone initially disagreed, but he eventually managed to persuade them.

Among the Moon Weavers of Sanjie Island, Lu Ye's cultivation was the lowest, yet his influence was the greatest. If he insisted on something, it was naturally difficult for the others to oppose him too strongly.

Moreover, the sneak attack on Old Tang, which nearly cost him his life, was indeed infuriating. Coupled with Lu Ye's well-reasoned deployment and the strong possibility of taking Baiyue Island, the proposal was ultimately passed.

This led to today's full-scale assault on Baiyue!

Unlike Lu Ye's relaxed mindset, everyone on Sanjie Island felt this was a battle with no retreat. Since Sanjie Island was, in all likelihood, already lost, they had to take Baiyue to compensate for their losses.

As twenty Tiger Shark warships and hundreds of formations formed by Sanjie cultivators, led by He Baichuan, approached Baiyue Island, Lu Ye and his companions were enduring immense pressure.

Within Baiyue Island, each of the three formation base halls was manned by at least one Moon Weaver and over a hundred Star Constellations. This force was not weak, but they were deep in enemy territory. With nearly two thousand cultivators across Baiyue Island dividing their forces to besiege the three formation base halls, one could imagine the enormous pressure faced by the Sanjie cultivators.

It could be said that in each formation base hall, the Sanjie cultivators were facing enemies several times their own number.

Were it not for the protective formations of the halls themselves, given such a vast disparity in numbers, they would have sustained heavy casualties long ago.

In such a situation, even Lu Ye dared not show himself easily. While Sanjie Island had burned its bridges, wasn't Baiyue also fighting with its back to the wall? With the enemy already within their defenses, who would dare not fight to the death?

The three formation base halls where the Sanjie cultivators were hidden were all tightly besieged, with countless attacks relentlessly bombarding them from all directions, causing the halls to tremble violently.

Yu Huan's eyes were bloodshot. At this moment, he only cursed Liu Yu and Chu Zhu for making the hall formations so robust that they couldn't be breached quickly. Yet, upon reflection, this very sturdiness was exactly what he had initially demanded, as a formation base hall was crucial to a spirit island and, naturally, should be as indestructible as possible.

A bitter taste filled his mouth; he never imagined that these painstakingly arranged formations would not serve him, but instead become tools to aid the enemy.

Of course, given enough time, the formations of the base halls wouldn't withstand Baiyue's concentrated assault. Without the formations' protection, the mere hundred-plus individuals in each hall could not possibly endure the wrath of Baiyue's cultivators, and given the immense numerical disparity, they would likely be annihilated quickly.

But where was the time to waste now? Sanjie Island's strategy was a chain of interlocking moves, and in this battle, Baiyue was being completely led by the nose.

"Island Master Yu, the enemy's warships and formations are two hundred li away and are about to launch an attack!" Amidst the chaos, someone rushed up to Yu Huan to report the situation.

Yu Huan's eyes widened in fury. He turned to look out from the island and indeed saw He Baichuan's contingent had already assumed an offensive posture.

Twenty Tiger Shark warships, while not enormous in scale, were certainly not small, and coupled with hundreds of formations, this was a force not to be underestimated.

Especially now, with four of their formation bases already destroyed, Yu Huan genuinely had no idea how much remaining power their island's protective grand formation could still exert.

"Junior Sister Meng! Junior Sister Meng!" he quickly called out.

Junior Sister Meng, who was leading the assault on one of the formation base halls, swiftly glided over.

Yu Huan urgently said, "Quickly lead people to establish defenses. Also, ensure the remaining four formation base halls are absolutely secure."

No more formation bases could be destroyed. Only four remained, still maintaining the island's protective grand formation. If even one or two more were lost, the grand formation might collapse on its own before the enemy even attacked.

"Understood!" Junior Sister Meng acknowledged, immediately issued commands in all directions, and led a large contingent of people away.

The pressure on Lu Ye and his companions greatly diminished!

Soon, a roaring sound erupted as He Baichuan's twenty Tiger Sharks began their concentrated assault on Baiyue Island. Among the many formations formed by the Sanjie cultivators, nearly half coordinated their attacks.

The reason only half participated was primarily because the other half of the formations were not suited for long-range attacks, and they had different assignments.

Even from two hundred li away, when the attacks struck the island's protective grand formation, the light barrier rippled intensely. Had Junior Sister Meng not promptly led people to the four intact formation bases to stabilize the grand formation, such attacks would likely have shattered it completely within a few rounds.

After three rounds of attacks, the grand formation still held, but its strength had noticeably weakened. This was the detrimental effect of incomplete formation bases. If all eight bases were intact and manned by sufficient personnel to control and maintain them, He Baichuan's forces would have had no effect whatsoever.

Immediately afterward, Baiyue Island's counterattack began!

A well-arranged spirit island was not only equipped with a resilient, unbreaking grand protective formation, but also featured numerous defensive measures around its periphery designed to guard against external threats. These arrangements were capable of counterattacking invading enemies.

For example, there were offensive formations that used magic treasures as their core. If resources were abundant, even Tiger Shark warships could be used as the core of such formations, thereby maximizing their power.

The cultivators of Baiyue had been established there for eight hundred years. Even if they had never experienced this type of warfare before, they would certainly have no shortage of necessary defensive arrangements.

At this moment, under Junior Sister Meng's coordination and planning, successive counterattacks were unleashed.

He Baichuan's forces remained unfazed. Dozens of formations that had not previously participated in the attack simultaneously activated their might, emitting dazzling light. The formations, taking on various forms, seemed to almost come alive, transforming into a solid protective barrier.

These continuous protective barriers, formed by the formations, appeared like an impenetrable wall of brass and iron, shielding their attacking personnel from the assaults launched from the spirit island.

After one round of defense, there were no casualties.

Their own attacks were unleashed once more.

The offensive and defensive battle outside the island began two hundred li away. He Baichuan's forces could not advance further until Baiyue's protective grand formation was completely breached, as doing so would be too risky, and even if they drew closer, they still couldn't land on the island.

The number of cultivators arriving to watch steadily increased. A battle for a high-grade spirit island seemed to have drawn the attention of the entire Myriad Manifestation Sea.

After all, such an event was rare. Many cultivators had never witnessed a battle of this scale erupting over a high-grade spirit island. In comparison, the skirmishes they had previously seen over mid-grade and low-grade spirit islands seemed like mere child's play.

As the battle raged fiercely outside the island, within one of the formation base halls, Lu Ye stepped forward, leading Ma Shangsi.

Earlier, when all of Baiyue Island's forces were concentrated within the island, the three formation base halls had been completely suppressed, unable to retaliate, relying solely on the halls' formations for defense.

However, with the appearance of He Baichuan's contingent, nearly half of Baiyue Island's forces had been drawn away. Lu Ye could distinctly feel that the pressure on their side had lessened.

The opportunity... had arrived!

"Open a gap in the formation! Everyone charge out after three breaths!" Lu Ye commanded as he advanced.

Within the hall, over a hundred people acknowledged the order in unison!

As Lu Ye and Ma Shangsi reached the very front of the hall, the cultivator responsible for maintaining the formation immediately opened a gap.

This was an extremely risky move, as outside the hall, enemy attacks were relentless. Without a gap in the formation, they could still barely hold on, but once a gap was opened, closing it again would be impossible.

This was also why Lu Ye ordered everyone to charge out after three breaths. If they didn't, once the hall's formation was broken, staying there would simply make them sitting targets.

With the gap open, Lu Ye turned his head.

Ma Shangsi's expression was grim, a resolute determination to face any number of foes etched on his face, as he charged out through the gap.

The very next instant, an unknown number of attacks slammed into him. Even as a peak Moon Weaver, he was instantly ripped open, skin and flesh tearing, blood splattering, and his entire body exploded.

The Moon Weaver responsible for leading the siege on this particular hall was Su Yuming of Baiyue, a late-stage Moon Weaver and one of the four remaining Moon Weavers on Baiyue Island.

He had received a direct order from Yu Huan to block the enemies inside the hall at all costs and kill anyone who dared to show themselves. He had expected a prolonged battle, assuming the opponents would remain hidden within the hall. To his surprise, someone had indeed charged out, and it was a Moon Weaver!