Chapter 1739: Shocking Battle Results

Lu Ye's mastery of the sword dao was not particularly high. His foundation in swordsmanship was entirely built upon the inheritances he received from numerous ancestors of the Dragon Soaring Realm, back when he reflected its essence.

However, the sword cultivators in the Dragon Soaring Realm were not very strong, so these inheritances were no longer of much use to Lu Ye, insufficient to support him in combat at the Moon Refinement stage.

Yet, the situation would be entirely different if a certain treasure were involved.

The Sword Gourd!

This was an associated treasure of the Creation Vine, a supreme artifact of the starry sky. Its nature was somewhat similar to the Minor Star Abode Hall, but while the Minor Star Abode Hall could not be used for combat, the Sword Gourd was a pure killing artifact.

Although the Sword Gourd itself possessed no direct offensive power, the sword qi it nurtured did. Furthermore, the might of this sword qi varied significantly depending on the quality of the treasures it had devoured.

The sword qi Lu Ye unleashed against Senior Sister Meng this time was no ordinary attack; it was sword qi nurtured within the Sword Gourd after it had devoured various magical artifacts.

He had previously slain several Moon Refinement cultivators, and all the magical artifacts left behind by them had been fed into the Sword Gourd. The sword qi generated by devouring these artifacts, when propelled by his formidable foundation from the early Moon Refinement stage, possessed a power that, while perhaps not matching his "Blade Draw" technique, was certainly not to be underestimated.

Senior Sister Meng could manage to fend off one or two blasts in a hurry, but five or six proved impossible to resist.

Her protective artifact shattered, and the relentless sword qi surged through, piercing her body and gravely wounding her in an instant.

As she plummeted, Senior Sister Meng desperately gasped for air, struggling to make her escape. However, a figure flashed before her eyes; Lu Ye, wielding the Mountain-Shattering Blade, had already swept in, blocking her path, his gaze fixed on her, devoid of expression.

Senior Sister Meng opened her mouth as if to speak, but she was met with a relentless slash!

Lu Ye understood full well the principle that leaving an enemy alive would inevitably lead to future trouble. Moreover, the conflict between the two islands was far from over. At this crucial juncture, the death of any enemy Moon Refinement cultivator would significantly increase their chances of victory.

Blood gushed forth as Senior Sister Meng's body plummeted downwards. Even before she hit the ground, her life force had completely dissipated.

With a Moon Refinement cultivator slain, the Star Abode cultivators on this side lost all will to fight. They scattered, fleeing in every direction, rushing towards a specific area of Baiyue Island. Ma Shangsi led the Three Realms' Star Abode cultivators in relentless pursuit, continuously widening their advantage. An unknown number of Baiyue cultivators perished during their desperate flight.

Simultaneously, from each of the four intact formation base halls on the island, a hundred individuals emerged. These were the cultivators Yu Huan had previously assigned to maintain the island's protective grand formation.

With the island's protective grand formation now shattered, they naturally had no further role. Following Yu Huan's recent command, they were all preparing to evacuate the area.

From one such hall, a hundred Star Abode cultivators had just burst forth and were still disoriented when, from four directions, four figures abruptly appeared. In an instant, they formed a Four Symbols Killing Array, encompassing the hundred Star Abode cultivators. All four figures were identical, bearing Lu Ye's appearance and possessing identical auras.

These were none other than Lu Ye's precious blood clones.

Of the original five drops of precious blood, one had previously been expended, leaving only four. While Lu Ye was forming his Talent Tree clone, he also manifested these four precious blood clones. He had secretly positioned them here, waiting for the opportune moment. To ensure their success, Lu Ye had even used his main body's power to imbue these clones with spirit patterns for concealment and breath-hiding.

These four clones were essentially four Lu Yes. While they couldn't employ all of the main body's techniques, once the Four Symbols Killing Array was deployed, the fate of those hundred Star Abode cultivators was sealed.

Capitalizing on their panic, the four clones immediately began their slaughter.

Why did Lu Ye not combine forces with Ma Shangsi to confront Senior Sister Meng earlier? One reason was that their side had fewer Star Abode cultivators, requiring him to help alleviate the pressure on them. The second reason was that all his clones had been deployed, splitting his focus. While managing multiple tasks was acceptable against Star Abode cultivators, it would leave him with insufficient reserves against a Moon Refinement cultivator. Had he failed to kill Senior Sister Meng, the pressure on his own Star Abode cultivators would have been immense.

Meanwhile, to the astonishment and admiration of countless observing cultivators, Minister He Baichuan charged directly into Baiyue Island. Any Baiyue cultivators who had not managed to retreat were immediately met with disaster. He Baichuan's unit had not engaged in direct combat until now, but upon entering the island, the five hundred Star Abode cultivators became incredibly energized, swarming any enemy they encountered and leaving no survivors in their wake.

A short while later, Luan Xiao'e and Yan Miao led their respective Star Abode cultivators to rendezvous with He Baichuan.

Both of their units had previously faced a crisis, particularly Yan Miao's, where the defenses of their formation base hall were on the verge of collapsing.

In that scenario, if the formation base hall's defenses had been breached, they would undoubtedly have suffered heavy casualties given their overall strength. After all, they were being attacked by Baiyue cultivators personally led by Yu Huan, who outnumbered them threefold.

Fortunately, Baiyue Island's protective grand formation was breached quickly enough. After He Baichuan led his forces in, Yu Huan realized the situation was hopeless. Had he not retreated, He Baichuan would have attacked from the front while Yan Miao's forces abandoned their defense, leading to a pincer attack that would have completely reversed the tactical advantage.

Therefore, as soon as the island's grand formation fell and He Baichuan's unit breached the defenses, Yu Huan decisively led his forces in retreat.

The situation for Luan Xiao'e's unit was similar.

With the three units now merged, Lu Ye and Ma Shangsi arrived a moment later.

All of Three Realms Island's forces were now gathered in one place!

Lu Ye glanced around and noted that apart from some injured Star Abode cultivators on his own side, everyone else was largely unscathed.

This was to be expected. The five hundred Star Abode cultivators under He Baichuan, for instance, had not engaged in direct combat with the enemy before entering the island; they had merely exchanged attacks from a distance of two hundred li, so no casualties were incurred.

Both Luan Xiao'e's and Yan Miao's units had remained steadfastly within their formation base halls. As long as the halls' defenses held, neither side would suffer casualties.

Only the hundred-plus cultivators personally led by Lu Ye had sustained injuries, which was inevitable given they had first annihilated Su Yuming and his over three hundred Star Abode cultivators, and then engaged in a prolonged battle with Senior Sister Meng.

Fortunately, there were no fatalities.

To achieve such a decisive victory in this battle was profoundly shocking. In past spirit island conflicts across the Myriad Elephant Sea, even the winning side would typically incur significant casualties.

This outcome could be attributed to two main factors: the remarkable resilience of Three Realms Island's cultivators, and Lu Ye's highly effective strategic deployment.

Otherwise, had the defenses of Yan Miao's unit's formation base hall been breached just an incense stick's time later, they would have certainly suffered heavy casualties.

At this stage of the conflict, Three Realms Island had undeniably taken the first step toward victory, yet the battle was far from over.

At the vanguard of the Three Realms cultivators, Lu Ye turned his head, his gaze sweeping towards the center of the spirit island.

His senses confirmed that all surviving Baiyue cultivators had converged there.

As expected, that spot was likely Baiyue's central stronghold, undoubtedly fortified by numerous formations!

Yu Huan's earlier divine sense fluctuations were indeed commands for the Baiyue cultivators to retreat and hold the central stronghold.

He clearly had no intention of abandoning Baiyue Island, intending to rely on its existing defenses to mount another resistance.

"Rest for a short while. We launch the total assault in one hour. Baiyue Island is ours for the taking!"

At Lu Ye's command, the Three Realms cultivators either rested or tended to their injuries.

For this battle, even medical cultivators like Hua Ci and Shui Yuan were present with the formation. It could be said that every living person from Three Realms Island, except for Ya Ya whom Lu Ye had left in the mermaid territory, was now here.

With the assistance of medical cultivators, the cultivators' injuries were naturally not an issue. Only a small number of severely wounded individuals could not fully recover their combat strength in a short period, but this was of minor consequence.

The chaotic Baiyue Island momentarily fell silent.

Among the numerous cultivators observing from the periphery, some watched the spectacle with delight, others whispered and discussed, while some wore solemn expressions, replaying the events in their minds.

Contests for high-grade spirit islands were rare occurrences. The Moon Refinement cultivators who came to observe were naturally not just seeking entertainment; they intended to gain insights from this conflict to refine their own spirit islands' defenses and strategies.

For instance, they considered what actions would be necessary to achieve similar results if they were the attacking force.

Conversely, they pondered what steps they would need to take as the defending party to avoid such a disadvantageous situation.

While the battle for Baiyue Island was primarily a conflict between Baiyue Island and Three Realms Island, astute observers could extract valuable lessons for themselves from the engagement.

"The cultivators from Three Realms Island are resting. Judging by this, do they intend to seize Baiyue Island entirely?"

"Of course. Having fought their way onto the island, how could they abandon their efforts halfway?"

"Brother Wu, do you believe Three Realms Island will succeed this time?"

"It'll be difficult!" Brother Wu slowly shook his head. "Although Baiyue Island's protective grand formation has been breached and they've suffered many casualties, I believe they still possess the power to fight. Over twelve hundred cultivators are gathered at the central stronghold, which is slightly more than Three Realms Island's forces."

The questioner smiled faintly. "Baiyue Island previously had two thousand cultivators, didn't it? In such a short time, eight hundred were killed. What can the remaining twelve hundred do? And several of their Moon Refinement cultivators have already fallen; it seems only Yu Huan and Jiang Jiao remain."

Brother Wu shook his head. "Three Realms Island's significant gains are purely due to Yu Huan's incompetence. Baiyue's forces were too scattered initially, which gave Three Realms the opportunity to defeat them piecemeal. Fortunately, Yu Huan isn't entirely foolish. Now, realizing the dire situation, he has regrouped his forces and fortified the central stronghold. Even with only two Moon Refinement cultivators left, it won't be easy for Three Realms Island to conquer them."

The questioner pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly. "You have a point."

One thousand two hundred Star Abode cultivators, combined with two Moon Refinement cultivators, represented a formidable force. Furthermore, with the assistance of numerous formations within the central stronghold, Three Realms Island could not possibly take it by force without incurring immense costs.

He then inquired, "If you were in their position, Brother Wu, what would you do?"

Brother Wu smiled faintly. "If it were me, I would certainly know when to call it quits."

"Withdraw immediately?"

Brother Wu replied, "Of course I wouldn't withdraw so easily! After fighting so hard for so long and gaining such a significant advantage, why would I retreat? Naturally, I would launch a full-scale assault and then compel Yu Huan to negotiate for peace!"

The questioner suddenly understood. "Ah, so the goal is to extract concessions!"

"Not just a *little* benefit!" Brother Wu's expression grew solemn. "The Baiyue cultivators have been established here for eight hundred years, amassing substantial resources. As long as Three Realms Island dares to set a price, they will undoubtedly return with a generous haul. I trust Yu Huan isn't so foolish as to insist on a fight to the death with Three Realms Island. He has lived long enough to understand that it's better to lose some wealth to avert disaster."