Chapter 1741: There is Always Revenge for Grudges

At the core of the defense, protected by multiple layers of formations, Yu Huan had remained silent. He had fully entrusted the peace talks to Gu Chuan, knowing that if he intervened, he would inevitably argue with the people from Three Realms Island, leading to a disastrous situation.

He was a patient man; otherwise, he wouldn't have invited Gu Chuan at such a time. Yet, upon hearing Lu Ye's words, he couldn't help but grit his teeth and exclaim, "Daydreaming!"

He and Jiang Jiao were the only two Moon Shiners remaining on Baiyue Island. If they died, the thousand Star Constellations on Baiyue Island would be scattered like sand. Moreover, Lu Ye actually demanded they remove the defenses around the core. Doing so would be like placing their necks under an enemy's butcher knife, leaving their lives entirely at the enemy's mercy.

Currently, the protection of the core was their fundamental means of survival.

Beyond his anger, he felt a profound sorrow.

How had things come to this? Just two months ago, Baiyue Island was at its peak. Besides him and Jiang Jiao, there were also Junior Brother Wang, Chu Zhu, Liu Yu, Junior Sister Meng, Su Yuming…

But two months ago, Junior Brother Wang was slain by Lu Ye. Chu Zhu was killed at some unknown point. In today's battle, Liu Yu, Junior Sister Meng, and Su Yuming were lost one after another.

Five Moon Shiners met tragic deaths, and eight hundred Star Constellations perished. Eight centuries of glory were lost in a single day.

At this moment, Yu Huan deeply regretted getting involved with Three Realms Island. If they hadn't launched that sneak attack on Tang Jun, these subsequent events wouldn't have occurred.

Regret was useless; now, only anger and stifled resentment remained.

After Yu Huan's words fell silent, Gu Chuan suddenly turned to him. The smile that had always been on his face vanished, and his expression turned cold. "Are you negotiating, or am I?"

Yu Huan gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and avoided Lu Ye's gaze.

Only then did Gu Chuan slowly turn back to Lu Ye, smiling again. "I'm merely fulfilling a request entrusted to me, and I wish to handle this matter well. Please don't take offense, Fellow Daoist Lu. However, your recent proposal is indeed a bit demanding."

"Then there's nothing more to discuss," Lu Ye slowly shook his head.

"Let's not jump to conclusions so quickly," Gu Chuan chuckled. "Look, Baiyue Island's forces have retreated to the center. While the operational space here isn't vast, its defensive strength shouldn't be underestimated. Your cultivators have previously attacked this defensive formation, so you should know how resilient it is. The core's protection is no weaker than the main defensive formation. It would not be wise for you to attempt a forceful assault."

Lu Ye raised his arm and declared, "I have a thousand Star Constellations, capable of forming three hundred formations. We can attack in rotating shifts. No matter how strong this defense is, it will eventually be broken!"

"What about casualties?" Gu Chuan asked. "Have you considered that, Fellow Daoist? The people of Baiyue Island won't just take hits without retaliating. As the defending party, they have an advantage. Surely you don't wish for your own cultivators to suffer casualties?"

Lu Ye replied calmly, "This is war. Casualties are inevitable. Whether it's me or any cultivator from Three Realms, we are all mentally prepared to die here in battle!"

Gu Chuan frowned, suddenly realizing that Lu Ye's resolve to annihilate them was unwavering and that he would not be easily swayed by a few words.

After a brief deliberation, he said, "Fellow Daoist, you might not know this, but your Three Realms Island has been occupied."

"So what?" Lu Ye indeed hadn't known about this, as no one had sent him a message, but he had anticipated it.

Three Realms Island was currently deserted, with only a bewildering array of formations serving as a facade. Anyone could attack and quickly take it.

"Although both Three Realms Island and Baiyue Island are high-grade spirit islands, Three Realms Island is undoubtedly more valuable. While others have occupied Three Realms Island, they haven't had time to construct defenses there. If you were to lead your forces back now, I believe the enemy would flee at the sight of your victorious army, and you could reclaim Three Realms Island effortlessly. However, if too much time passes and they establish their defenses, it could become problematic."

Lu Ye said indifferently, "My Three Realms only has a thousand cultivators. This Baiyue Island is quite good, enough for our cultivators to be stationed here. Although Three Realms Island is fine, a thousand people stationed there would seem too vast. We don't need it!"

Gu Chuan was speechless, suddenly realizing that this seemingly young man was utterly impervious to persuasion.

Gu Chuan seemed about to say more, but Lu Ye unceremoniously cut him off. "Fellow Daoist Gu, there's no need for further discussion. Please withdraw, lest battle erupts and you get splattered with blood!"

Lu Ye had engaged him for a while precisely because he was from Huanglong Realm; after all, they would still need to make a living on the Myriad Manifestations Sea, and it was not wise to easily offend people from Huanglong Realm.

Now that his stance was clear, if Gu Chuan truly had no vested interest, he wouldn't press the matter further.

Gu Chuan pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly. "Then I won't say more. Farewell!"

He clasped his fist and genuinely withdrew.

Lu Ye looked forward, his gaze meeting Yu Huan's. "Yu Huan," he said coldly, "when you ambushed my Three Realms Moon Shiners, did you ever imagine this day would come?"

Yu Huan gritted his teeth but did not reply.

Lu Ye declared loudly, "Although my Three Realms comes from a remote region, we are not to be easily bullied. The cultivators of my Three Realms stand firm in the Myriad Manifestations Sea with one principle: a grudge — must be repaid!"

As he finished speaking, he issued the command: "Attack the formation!"

Many Moon Shiners observing from afar heard Lu Ye's voice; some chuckled softly, some were dismissive, and others scoffed.

But everyone knew that Lu Ye's words were not just for Yu Huan but also for them, the observing Moon Shiners.

Three Realms Island was clearly using this battle to declare to the world: "We are not to be trifled with. In the future, anyone who dares to covet Three Realms Island should remember Baiyue Island's fate!"

In truth, Lu Ye had been harboring a deep, suppressed anger for a long time.

Although he appeared indifferent to the loss of Peerless Island, he was actually seething with rage. Peerless Island was developed by him using the Small Star Constellation Hall and crafted by Chu Shen. Yet, because it transformed into a top-tier spirit island, it was seized by people from Heavenly Flame Realm.

Even Old Tang almost died in that battle if not for Chu Shen's staunch protection.

Learning from the precedent of Peerless Island, when he placed the Small Star Constellation Hall beneath Three Realms Island, he deliberately adjusted its power, fearing it would develop too quickly.

However, the adjustment wasn't quite perfect.

After Three Realms Island transformed into a high-grade spirit island, it was targeted, backed by the subtle influence of the Myriad Manifestations' native Sun Shiners.

When Peerless Island was taken, Lu Ye wasn't there, so he was powerless.

Now that he was in the Myriad Manifestations Sea, the same thing absolutely could not happen twice!

Why should a spirit island he painstakingly built be snatched away? Did they think Three Realms Island was weak? Then he would show them. Anyone who dared to lay a claw on Three Realms Island would have it chopped off!

Today's battle unfolded before countless eyes. By tomorrow, the name of Three Realms Island would surely shake the Myriad Manifestations Sea!

Outside Baiyue Island's core, with Lu Ye's command, a thousand cultivators swiftly formed three hundred formations and, protected by Tiger Shark warships, advanced several dozen miles further.

Lu Ye's furious roar echoed: "Yu Huan, I'll give you one last chance. Remove your defenses! I will only kill you two Moon Shiners. Dare to resist, and I will leave no living soul on Baiyue Island!"

Yu Huan offered no response. Instead, the core initiated the first counterattack.

The Three Realms Star Constellations, formed into defensive formations, immediately stepped forward to block these attacks. The next moment, the offensive formations behind them unleashed their power, sending colorful lights cascading towards the core, causing ripples to surge across its protective arrays.

Lu Ye took one look and knew that the defenses here were incredibly tough, no weaker than the grand island-protecting formation, making a breach exceedingly difficult.

However, at this point in the battle, neither side could retreat. Three Realms Island was determined to flatten Baiyue, and Baiyue, for its self-preservation, would certainly not compromise easily.

Nevertheless, the situation was undoubtedly advantageous for Three Realms Island.

The core's limited area led to a direct problem: Baiyue cultivators' counterattack strength was insufficient because most of the arrangements there were defense-oriented.

Unlike earlier, when Baiyue cultivators relied on the vast island-protecting formation, which offered a long defensive line and ample space for numerous counterattacking measures, the core was a confined area with very limited room for deployments.

Even if there were tens of thousands of cultivators here, not just a thousand, only a fraction of them could truly be effective.

Of course, if Baiyue truly had tens of thousands of cultivators, they wouldn't need to hold their ground; they could simply charge out.

Although the second round of engagement appeared fierce, it was, in fact, quite monotonous. After half a day of conflict, neither side had suffered a single casualty!

On Baiyue's side, it went without saying that as long as their defenses held, their lives were not in danger. As for Three Realms Island, just as Lu Ye had told Gu Chuan earlier, their three hundred formations plus twenty Tiger Shark warships launched phased assaults, and half of these formations were dedicated to defense. This gave Three Realms Island a sufficiently strong defensive capability, ensuring that as long as the cultivators did not exhaust themselves, there would be virtually no casualties.

This was the first high-level spirit island contention battle since the widespread circulation of the 'Same Spirit, Connected Branches' formation disks.

The incident with Peerless Island didn't truly count because its defensive capabilities were too weak at the time; the enemy's single assault directly destroyed its defensive line, revealing nothing significant.

But this time was different...

According to the rhythm of past major battles, at this stage and intensity of conflict, the attacking side would inevitably incur heavy casualties. This was because the Star Constellations' strength was limited, and they often felt overwhelmed when resisting counterattacks from the defending side.

However, Three Realms Island suffered no casualties, primarily due to the formations specifically dedicated to defense! Formed by three to five people, these formations, while not impenetrable, played a huge role in handling the current battle.

A small 'Same Spirit, Connected Branches' formation disk had indeed reshaped the landscape of cultivator conflicts in the Myriad Manifestations Sea.