Chapter 1850: One Man Defends the Pass

As the violent energy fluctuations subsided, Hu Guang stared wide-eyed at the spot where Lu Ye had been, only to find his figure had vanished, which immediately filled him with unease.

Just then, a commotion erupted on the fleet's right flank. He turned his head and his eyes nearly split with rage, for Lu Ye had, at some unknown moment, appeared there. He was now standing atop a Tiger Shark warship, his long blade already drawn. With both hands gripping the hilt in a reverse grip, his spiritual power surging, he thrust the blade fiercely downwards into the Tiger Shark.

The already incomparably sharp Mountain-Shattering Blade, further enhanced by the Divine Edge spiritual pattern, became even more lethal. Even the Tiger Shark warship couldn't withstand such a thrust; the blade sank completely to its hilt, as if cutting through tofu.

With a dazzling display of skill, the blade was pulled up, then swept horizontally, creating a gaping hole in the Tiger Shark warship.

Inside the warship, the five Constellation-level demon cultivators didn't even realize what was happening. They only felt a sudden burst of light, and when they looked up, their eyes met Lu Ye's cold gaze.

With a flick of the long blade, a ribbon-like surge of saber energy slashed out. Inside the Tiger Shark warship, blood splattered chaotically, and life was extinguished.

Lu Ye had already leaped to a second nearby Tiger Shark warship, repeating the process.

Hu Guang was stunned!

Although their brief previous encounter showed that the Third Island Master of Three Realms Island was incredibly audacious—otherwise, he wouldn't have recklessly used a clone to brazenly strike down a Purple Jade Moon Immortal—no one with an ounce of sense would do such a thing.

Yet, he never imagined this person's courage could be so immense.

Facing Purple Jade's entire fleet, he dared to come alone to harass them. Did this man truly not know how to spell "death"?

What angered Hu Guang even more was that Lu Ye had actually succeeded.

The loss of one Tiger Shark warship and five Constellation-level demon cultivators was not significant; it was almost negligible compared to the vast size of the fleet. However, some matters cannot be measured by the scale of losses alone.

Purple Jade had dispatched troops to attack Three Realms Island, only to be harassed mid-journey by a Moon Immortal from Three Realms Island. How could the demon cultivators tolerate this?

Furthermore, judging by Lu Ye's efficiency, if he wasn't stopped, the losses would surely escalate. If too much damage was inflicted, Purple Jade would find it unacceptable, even if Three Realms Island was ultimately conquered.

Purple Jade had deployed four thousand troops precisely to overwhelm Three Realms Island with absolute superiority and minimize its own casualties.

"You're seeking death!" Hu Guang roared, simultaneously streaking towards Lu Ye. As his divine sense surged, he issued two commands.

One command was for Yuan Che and Bao Youyou to attack together, flanking Lu Ye, while the other ordered all Tiger Shark warships to activate their defenses.

His reaction was undoubtedly swift, yet even so, in that brief moment, Lu Ye had destroyed three more Tiger Shark warships. Not a single Constellation-level demon cultivator inside them was spared; all were killed.

Hu Guang felt his heart bleed.

Looking back at the conflict between Purple Jade and Three Realms Island, Purple Jade had planned first. Yet, from beginning to end, Purple Jade had only killed Wei Po, who had just been promoted to Moon Immortal. In contrast, Three Realms Island first eliminated Junior Brother Hu, then killed Crimson Elephant and two hundred Constellation-level cultivators, and now three Tiger Shark warships had been lost.

In comparison, Purple Jade's losses were enormous, and the instigator of all this was that fellow named Lu Ye!

"Beware of his blade, it's very sharp!" Hu Guang, who was rapidly closing in on Lu Ye, quickly sent a telepathic message to Bao Youyou and Yuan Che. He had personally witnessed a Tiger Shark warship, which had activated its defenses under his command, being effortlessly cleaved open by Lu Ye, its cultivators slaughtered.

Tiger Shark warships were highly sought after mainly because they were compact and nimble. A few Constellation-level cultivators could pilot one, allowing it to exert power comparable to a Moon Immortal.

In other words, a Tiger Shark warship with activated defenses was almost equivalent to an early-stage Moon Immortal activating their protective spiritual power. Yet, even so, it couldn't withstand the long blade's strikes and was easily breached.

While demon cultivators indeed possessed powerful physiques, they couldn't afford to be unprepared against such sharp attacks.

Hu Guang and the two other Moon Immortals were remarkably fast, and in the time it took to speak, they had already approached Lu Ye. However, to Hu Guang's immense frustration, Lu Ye, who had seemed to approach with such ferocity, evaded them and fled before all three could arrive.

Clearly, he wished to avoid a direct confrontation, which was undoubtedly the correct choice. Facing three late-stage Moon Immortals alone, retreating first was the safest course of action.

Although Hu Guang had anticipated this situation, he still felt irritated when Lu Ye made this choice. Just as he hesitated whether to pursue, Yuan Che shouted, "Don't let him escape! His aura is somewhat unstable!"

Hearing this, Hu Guang immediately focused his senses and discovered that, indeed, as Yuan Che had said, although Lu Ye appeared normal, his slightly unstable aura couldn't be concealed.

He instantly understood that the loss of Lu Ye's two clones earlier must have caused a backlash to his true self.

In the cultivation world, there were many types of clone techniques, but generally, the loss of a clone would significantly affect the main body. Lu Ye had lost two clones to Purple Jade previously; how could he possibly be unharmed?

His evasiveness was merely an attempt to hide his compromised state.

Hu Guang no longer hesitated. While ordering the fleet to continue forward, he and the two demon cultivators persistently gave chase, steadily closing the distance.

The chase lasted for half an incense stick of time, covering nearly ten thousand miles. As the fleeing figure ahead was about to enter their attack range, Hu Guang silently channeled his power. The illusory figures of six fox tails appeared behind him, swaying wildly and distorting the void, clearly indicating that his next strike would be unleashed with full force.

On the other side, Bao Youyou and Yuan Che also activated their powers, secretly building momentum, preparing to deliver a fatal blow to Lu Ye alongside Hu Guang.

With three late-stage Moon Immortals combining forces, no one of the same rank could resist them in the entire starfield. The three of them were confident they could severely wound Lu Ye here, or even kill him.

However, just before the three of them were about to strike, Lu Ye's continuously fleeing figure suddenly stopped. He then turned his head and cast an indifferent glance at them.

The next moment, a complex spiritual pattern abruptly formed beneath Lu Ye's feet.

Seeing this, Hu Guang's heart skipped a beat. Although he didn't know what the spiritual pattern signified, he instinctively felt something wasn't right. Without further hesitation, he unleashed a fierce assault, transforming into a fiery red attack that surged towards Lu Ye.

Simultaneously, Bao Youyou and Yuan Che also struck.

The violent power engulfed Lu Ye's location, obscuring his figure. When the three demon cultivators arrived together, their expressions all darkened.

Lu Ye was gone, but they saw no traces of a living being having died.

Bao Youyou's face was filled with unease: "Was that a clone too?"

If that was a clone, then where was Lu Ye's true body? To chase Lu Ye, all three Moon Immortals had departed, leaving the fleet without a strong guardian.

Hu Guang shook his head, then abruptly turned to look back the way they came, his face changing drastically: "Quickly, return to defend!"

He had realized the gravity of the situation. Whether Lu Ye had been his true self or a clone, there were no signs of him being killed; he had simply vanished as if into thin air. Connecting this to the peculiar spiritual pattern that had suddenly appeared, Hu Guang instantly understood that Lu Ye possessed a profound teleportation technique and had now transported himself to an unknown location.

He had heard that Three Realms Island had a spiritual talisman shop run by the Littlefolk, so perhaps a teleportation talisman crafted by them had been used.

Hu Guang only hoped that Lu Ye was not too close to the fleet right now, giving the three of them time to return and defend, as the Littlefolk's teleportation talismans usually involved random teleportation and couldn't be precisely targeted.

However, the very next moment, his hope was shattered. His communication talisman suddenly vibrated, not just once, but continuously, clearly indicating numerous messages were reaching him simultaneously.

Hu Guang felt a chill run through him. With trembling hands, he took out the talisman, and as his divine sense explored it, his vision went black.

At the same time, Bao Youyou and Yuan Che were also checking their own talismans. The former exclaimed in alarm, "This is bad! Lu Ye is slaughtering them at the fleet!"

The most dreadful thing had happened.

This undoubtedly meant that after Lu Ye had teleported away, he had appeared directly at the fleet.

Hu Guang didn't know how Lu Ye had managed to do such a thing, but he knew it was no coincidence. The three Moon Immortal demon cultivators desperately rushed back towards the fleet, but they had pursued too far, and even a defensive return would take some time now.

Across the vast Myriad Manifestations Sea, a rain of warships suddenly began to fall today. One after another, dilapidated Tiger Shark warships spun as they plummeted towards the sea surface, then sank into the depths without even a ripple.

Numerous passing cultivators, watching this astonishing scene from afar, were utterly speechless with shock.

For from their perspective, this was nothing short of a massacre—a single individual's slaughter against an entire massive fleet!

Observing from a distance, the figure darting through the immense fleet appeared as minuscule as an ant. Yet, this tiny figure brought misfortune to every Tiger Shark warship it touched.

The fleet was not without resistance, but it was utterly ineffective, instead causing a great deal of friendly fire.

The fleet deployed by Purple Jade for this expedition consisted of one central warship, capable of holding a thousand people; two large warships, each accommodating three hundred, all commanded by Moon Immortals; and nearly five hundred Tiger Shark warships, each piloted by a team of five. A fleet of such a scale, in the entire Myriad Manifestations Sea, could only be assembled by a top-tier power like Purple Jade Island.

No power below a top-tier spiritual island could contend with a fleet of this magnitude.

After the news of Purple Jade dispatching troops to Three Realms Island spread widely, all cultivators believed Three Realms Island was doomed. This nascent high-grade spiritual island, less than ten years old, was surely destined to be conquered and change hands.

Yet, no one expected that this insane battle wouldn't commence at Three Realms Island itself, but had already begun on Purple Jade's march. Lu Ye, the Third Island Master of Three Realms Island, was single-handedly darting through the fleet, wantonly destroying Tiger Shark warships and slaughtering Purple Jade's demon cultivators.

Purple Jade's immense fleet was utterly helpless against him!

Regardless of Three Realms Island's ultimate fate, this feat of a single individual challenging an entire fleet was enough to be recounted for centuries, becoming a legendary tale.