Chapter 1743: Decisive Battle Begins

Outside the battlefield, almost everyone's eyes twitched as they gazed at the shocking scene, their expressions so dazed they almost thought they were dreaming.

The central defense system was severely dented, its light suddenly dimming. The immense shock even caused many cultivators to be thrown off their feet, leaving them in utter disarray. Of the hastily accumulated counterattack, half failed to launch, and the other half, though launched, could not break through the Black Tortoise formation.

To Yu Huan's relief, the central defense system was still intact. Though significantly weakened by that single strike, it hadn't completely broken, so none of their cultivators had died. What worried him was that this defense absolutely could not withstand a second strike... Such an attack was incredibly violent, almost beyond the Moon-Gazer level.

At the head of the Black Tortoise, Ju Jia's right arm was skeletal, stripped of flesh! That previous strike was a culmination of his own power and that of the five Moon-Gazer cultivators. To unleash such a blow as an early Star-Lord, even with the formation's assistance and Yan Miao's song for support, he had paid a huge price. This was why Yu Huan believed that strike was not simply a Moon-Gazer level attack. Among the five Moon-Gazer cultivators from Three Realms Island, except for Lu Ye, who was early Moon-Gazer, weren't the others all late Moon-Gazer? Such a combined attack was truly terrifying. Baiyue Island's central defense could withstand this blow solely due to eight hundred years of accumulated power. Any other defense with insufficient accumulated years would have shattered long ago.

At the head of the Black Tortoise, even with his right arm severely injured, Ju Jia did not cease his attack. He knew he could not maintain the Black Tortoise formation for too long and had to finish the fight quickly. His eyes bloodshot with rage, he raised his left arm. The massive Black Tortoise's left foreclaw also rose, eclipsing the last glimmer of light in the Baiyue cultivators' eyes.

"It's over!" Jiang Jiao gazed at the descending Black Tortoise claw, mumbling, his eyes glazed over.

Boom...

Baiyue Island violently shook for the second time, an even fiercer impact than before spreading in all directions. The hearts of the observing cultivators skipped a beat; it felt as if the strike had not landed on Baiyue Island's central defense, but directly on their own chests. The situation within the island became extremely chaotic at this moment, with energy in utter disarray, making it impossible to discern the exact circumstances. All that could be seen was the enormous Black Tortoise formation suddenly collapsing on its own.

Ju Jia had reached his limit. His burly body was stained with blood, his arms stripped of flesh, leaving only bare white bones. He weakly fell and was quickly retrieved by Li Baxian's prepared team, who swiftly withdrew him from the battlefield. Without him as the leader, the Black Tortoise formation naturally could not be sustained.

Only three breaths later could the observing cultivators in the distance clearly see the situation inside. Baiyue Island's central defense had been breached. Under the massive Black Tortoise's claw, not only was the defense broken, but countless Baiyue cultivators within the attack range were crushed to death. At that spot, a colossal claw print was filled with blood and debris.

"Kill! Leave no one!" Luan Xiao'e gritted her teeth and roared. At her command, the cultivators of Three Realms Island surged forward like tigers descending a mountain. The true decisive battle began at this moment.

Since the Three Realms cultivators began their assault on the island, they had broken through two layers of the enemy's powerful defenses. Having finally reached this point, no one would show mercy.

Lu Ye's divine sense surged. He suddenly looked up and gazed forward, calling out, "Ma Shangsi!" Ma Shangsi was quick-witted. Hearing the call, he immediately surged with blood mist, wrapping Lu Ye within it, and transformed into a streak of bloody light, darting forward. In a blink, they rushed out of Baiyue Island and headed towards the depths of the Myriad Manifestations Sea.

The reason was simple: Yu Huan had actually fled! He must have realized during Ju Jia's second Black Tortoise strike that the central defense would not hold, and thus fled first. His decisive action was unexpected even by Lu Ye. Furthermore, when the Black Tortoise formation collapsed, Lu Ye was hit by the backlash from its disintegration, preventing him from intercepting immediately. However, he had been keeping an eye on Yu Huan, which was why he could so quickly discern the other party's intention to flee.

The outcome of this battle was already without suspense. The Star-Lord level forces were roughly equal, but one side was full of momentum while the other had lost its fighting spirit. The Baiyue cultivators simply could not resist the subsequent assault from Three Realms Island. At the Moon-Gazer level, Three Realms Island held an even greater absolute advantage; therefore, it was only a matter of time before the Three Realms cultivators captured Baiyue Island. Although Luan Xiao'e shouted "Leave no one," everyone knew that in such a battlefield, it was impossible to kill every single enemy. As long as the Baiyue cultivators scattered and fled now, some would always escape. Three Realms Island couldn't possibly wipe them all out.

If the Star-Lord cultivators escaped, so be it, but Lu Ye would absolutely not let the Moon-Gazer cultivators get away. Jiang Jiao reacted a bit slower and was now entangled by He Baichuan. He was likely destined to die. If Yu Huan wanted to escape now, he would first have to get past Lu Ye.

Yu Huan was very fast. Since he was fleeing for his life, he certainly wouldn't hold back. With his late Moon-Gazer cultivation, Lu Ye clearly couldn't catch him alone. Fortunately, there was Ma Shangsi. With the Blood Escape Art activated, they stayed closely on Yu Huan's heels, the distance visibly closing. Sensing the presence pursuing him from behind, Yu Huan was terrified. He knew that if he couldn't shake off his pursuers this time, disaster would surely strike. He didn't know what kind of spirit talisman he used, but after slapping it onto himself, his speed suddenly increased. But soon he despaired because as his speed increased, the pursuers behind him became even faster.

Ma Shangsi was fuming! Was it easy for him to condense precious blood? It required a great deal of time and effort. Last time, when he took Lu Ye to rescue Tang Jun, he had used a drop of precious blood to activate the Blood Escape Art. He had thought he wouldn't need it this time, but who knew, he couldn't avoid it after all. In his heart, he utterly detested Yu Huan.

A short while later, the master and servant finally caught up to Yu Huan. Ma Shangsi struck first; with a series of blood arts sealing off escape, Yu Huan could no longer flee and was forced to contend with the two of them. Yu Huan evidently knew of Ma Shangsi's formidable blood arts, likely having heard from Chu Zhu. Therefore, Ma Shangsi's repeated attempts to unleash a sea of blood to engulf him were unsuccessful. Although the Blood Sea Art of the Blood Tribe was powerful, if the enemy was prepared, it wasn't easy to draw them into it, especially since Yu Huan's own strength was not weak.

The three figures fought intensely. Yu Huan quickly found himself at a disadvantage; after all, he was fighting two opponents, and Ma Shangsi was even stronger than him. In such a situation, it was even more impossible for him to escape.

Suddenly, in another fierce clash, Yu Huan abruptly turned, only slightly defending against Ma Shangsi's attack, and unleashed all his remaining power towards Lu Ye. His thought was simple: If he could take down Lu Ye, he would have a chance to survive! Ma Shangsi was not an opponent he could defeat, but Lu Ye was only an early Moon-Gazer. Surely he could defeat him? This was his only chance to survive now! In the previous exchanges, he had indeed noticed Lu Ye's extraordinary nature. This early Moon-Gazer's strength was uncommonly great, but ultimately, it was still far inferior to Ma Shangsi's. One always picks the softest persimmon to squeeze...

Behind him, Ma Shangsi's expression was strange. He couldn't help but sigh, thinking, "Those who commit sins against Heaven may be forgiven, but those who commit sins against themselves have no hope of survival." If Yu Huan had continued to entangle them, he might have lived a bit longer, but to actually target the Saint Lord—this was simply seeking death! However, on second thought, anyone in Yu Huan's predicament would have made this choice.

Facing Yu Huan's furious assault, Lu Ye suddenly sheathed his Pan Shan Saber... This action perplexed Yu Huan. But the next instant, a chilling sensation rose in his heart because when the sheathed long saber was drawn again, Yu Huan felt he was not facing an early Moon-Gazer, but an ancient ferocious beast that had suddenly awakened!

When that unadorned flash of saber light slashed out, Yu Huan instinctively tried to defend himself. His reaction was fast. If there were no other factors, this single saber strike might not have done much to him, at most catching him off guard and inflicting some injuries. The Draw Saber Slash was powerful, and Lu Ye's foundation was considerable, but their cultivation levels were ultimately two minor realms apart. For Lu Ye to kill a late Moon-Gazer with this one strike was still very difficult, especially since his mastery over the power of this strike had not yet reached its pinnacle. But just now, in his haste to take down Lu Ye, Yu Huan had only minimally defended against Ma Shangsi's furious assault... This proved fatal.

A tremendous force struck from behind; Yu Huan felt his internal organs churning. It was a strike from a peak Moon-Gazer, and even if not the most violent attack, it sent Yu Huan stumbling, seeing stars, his entire body's magical power in turmoil. At this moment, Lu Ye's saber slashed diagonally upward.

As blood splattered, Yu Huan screamed, retreating in panic. His entire body, from abdomen to head, was sliced open, flesh horribly turned inside out by the saber. He looked ghastly. He was almost bisected by that one strike; it was fortunate his physique was strong, which saved him from instant death. Lu Ye's saber momentum was continuous, like countless waves in a surging sea, layered upon layered, pressing closer step by step. On the other side, Ma Shangsi also struck mercilessly, no longer using blood arts, but engaging Yu Huan in close-quarters combat. With the master and servant attacking from front and back, even with his late Moon-Gazer strength, Yu Huan was battered into dizziness. In just a moment, he was covered in injuries, his life hanging by a thread.

Three breaths later, as Lu Ye's saber thrust out, Yu Huan's body suddenly stiffened. His expression was terrified. He looked down at his chest, only to see Lu Ye's long saber had pierced straight through his heart, exiting from his back. Every beat of his heart brought immense pain. Even such an injury was not actually fatal for a Moon-Gazer. But he dared not move, because Lu Ye only needed to exert a little magical power to destroy his internal organs from within, ensuring his death.

He slowly raised his head, looking at Lu Ye. He opened his mouth, wanting to beg for mercy. At this point, he truly and deeply regretted his actions. Who would have thought that merely following orders to ambush an intermediate Moon-Gazer would actually lead to such a great calamity for Baiyue Island?

However, Lu Ye had no intention of listening to him. Magical power surged around him as he prepared to deliver the final blow to Yu Huan.

Just then, a voice came from afar: "Fellow cultivator, stay your hand!"