Chapter 1903: Breakthrough

On the deck of the Black Cloud flagship, Yu Yaorao gracefully bowed to Lu Ye, saying, "Xiao Rao greets Second Uncle."

Lu Ye was momentarily stunned, not understanding why she called him "Second Uncle." However, he quickly saw Yu Yaorao wink at him and immediately realized she was providing a suitable identity for his recent actions.

His mind racing, he played along with her words: "It's been many years, Xiao Rao, and you've grown so much." Then, he shifted the topic, "Enough small talk. I'll escort you through the encirclement first."

Yu Yaorao quickly asked, "How will Second Uncle do that?"

Lu Ye turned his head forward and said, "I'll clear the path; you follow!"

As he finished speaking, he leaped forward, charging towards the pirate fleet in that direction.

Yu Yaorao was startled and immediately ordered, "Follow him quickly!" At the same time, she looked towards Lu Ye with a worried gaze.

When they first met years ago, both were only at the Divine Sea realm. At that time, her cultivation was even a minor realm higher than Lu Ye's. But now, she was merely at the Constellation realm, while Lu Ye had astonishingly reached the Moon Glimmer realm, a full major realm difference between them.

Yu Yaorao had no idea how Lu Ye cultivated or why his cultivation had advanced so terrifyingly fast.

However, high cultivation was one thing; possessing corresponding strength was another. Although the pirate fleets seemed disorganized, there were simply too many of them. Charging in alone like this, without sufficiently powerful strength, would undoubtedly lead to a dire outcome.

As she watched with bated breath, a scene that left her utterly shaken unfolded before her eyes.

As that streak of saber light swept through, the Tiger Shark warships blocking the path were instantly obliterated without any resistance, erupting into brilliant bursts of fire.

In just over ten breaths, a clear passage was remarkably carved out of what was previously an impenetrable encirclement.

The Black Cloud fleet immediately advanced along this newly opened passage.

Seeing the Black Cloud fleet's attempt to escape, the surrounding pirate fleets intensified their attacks, launching fierce assaults. Multicolored lights surged from all directions, transforming the vast battlefield into a spectacular fireworks display. Beneath this dazzling beauty, countless lives were extinguished.

The cultivators on the Black Cloud side were undoubtedly extremely loyal. Countless cultivators, piloting Tiger Shark vessels or small warships, rallied around Yu Yaorao's flagship. While fiercely resisting the pirate fleets' attacks, they also used themselves as a protective shield for the main vessel.

The Nine Heavens pirate fleet, which had accompanied Lu Ye, also joined the fray. Purple Cloud, the third leader, was terrified and uneasy. Although he admired his chief's decision to claim all the spoils, now that they were actually taking this step, he realized that achieving this goal was far from easy.

Originally, they were supposed to be part of the pirate fleets, but now they had become the target of the siege. Their allegiance had completely reversed.

Suddenly, a flagship, belonging to an unknown pirate fleet, appeared directly in Lu Ye's path. Seeing his fierce charge, various spell formations on the flagship hummed, and bright beams of light converged into a powerful attack, blasting towards him.

Lu Ye easily dodged the attack. While the assaults from warships were powerful, they required a certain wind-up time, making them unsuitable for targeting cultivators, as they could be easily avoided.

The massive saber silhouette was unleashed once more. As Lu Ye surged forward, his momentum and the saber silhouette climbed simultaneously, then he savagely struck the flagship.

Compared to the Thunder Light flagship, this warship was undoubtedly inferior in quality. Furthermore, this pirate fleet failed to adjust its defenses in time. With that single strike, the massive flagship was cleaved clean in two, its cut edges as smooth as a mirror.

Countless pirates perished instantly from this attack, while the remaining ones fled in terror.

Yu Yaorao watched this scene from afar, her heart stirred with emotion. She couldn't help but recall how, back in the Grand Primordium Realm, Lu Ye had also been invincible and devastatingly powerful. Even though she hadn't actually qualified for a top-hundred spot at the time, it was because she had consistently received Lu Ye's protection and remained safe until the very end that she eventually gained a flash of insight from the Grand Primordium Realm, allowing her to advance to the Constellation realm.

After many years, that reassuring sense of security once again enveloped her heart, as if with this man standing before her, all worries and anxieties could simply vanish.

"Incredible!" Elder Lan, who was beside her, couldn't help but exclaim.

Yu Yaorao asked, "How does Elder Lan compare to Second Uncle?"

Elder Lan shook her head, "I am far inferior to him!"

Yu Yaorao's red lips curled slightly. She knew how proud and arrogant Elder Lan was. As a sword cultivator and the strongest individual in Black Cloud, ordinary Moon Glimmer cultivators barely registered in her eyes. Yet, Lu Ye had managed to make her admit she was far inferior…

As these thoughts crossed her mind, several figures suddenly darted towards Lu Ye from various directions. Yu Yaorao couldn't help but send a mental message, "Be careful!"

She saw that each of those figures was a Moon Glimmer cultivator.

Although Lu Ye had already displayed terrifying personal strength, obliterating numerous Tiger Sharks and even a flagship during his charge, these Moon Glimmer cultivators seized the opportune moment with remarkable skill. They clearly believed Lu Ye had expended considerable energy after destroying the flagship, so if they didn't act now, when would they?

"I'll go assist him!" Elder Lan exclaimed urgently. With a clear clang from her longsword, she merged with her sword light and plunged into the battle ahead.

However, before she could even reach the spot, Lu Ye had already struck, cutting down the fiercest and closest Moon Glimmer cultivator as easily as slaughtering a chicken!

And that wasn't all; the one he killed was a late-stage Moon Glimmer cultivator! The defensive barrier the opponent promptly activated upon sensing danger was as fragile as paper.

Elder Lan's eyes narrowed involuntarily. She secretly rejoiced, grateful that this person belonged to Black Cloud. If he were truly a pirate, Black Cloud would surely have faced a disastrous outcome this time.

After eliminating one, Lu Ye immediately charged towards the second Moon Glimmer cultivator.

Seeing Lu Ye's continued ferocity, the opponent dared not approach, hastily turning to flee. However, Elder Lan, now merged with her sword, arrived just then, blocking his escape route.

Noticing this, Lu Ye immediately switched targets.

Ten breaths later, all the attacking Moon Glimmer cultivators were either dead or had fled, leaving the scene clear.

It wasn't that these Moon Glimmer cultivators were cowardly; it was simply that their companions died too quickly. Even if any single Moon Glimmer cultivator could have briefly entangled Lu Ye, they might have seen a glimmer of hope for victory. But when even a late-stage Moon Glimmer cultivator couldn't withstand three of Lu Ye's saber strikes, who would dare to be reckless?

Pirates are a group driven by self-interest, always seeking profit and avoiding harm. They swarm forward when there's an advantage to be gained, but when faced with danger, they flee faster than anyone.

If Thunder Light were still present, and under his coordinated command, the united pirate fleets wouldn't have been so easily dealt with. But Thunder Light's forces had already been decimated by Lu Ye, and even Thunder Light's own chief had fled.

Although the pirate fleets were numerous, they were a disorganized rabble and incapable of achieving anything significant.

The tight encirclement had been completely broken through. As the battered Black Cloud fleet escaped through the breach, it signaled the end of this pursuit.

The Black Cloud fleet gradually pulled away, leaving behind the various pirate fleets gathered together, separated from them by Lu Ye, who stood alone with his saber drawn.

One man stood as a blockade in the starry sky, yet no pirate dared to act recklessly. That dark saber seemed like a bottomless black hole, having devoured countless pirate lives in this battle.

Only after the resentful but powerless pirate fleets dispersed did Lu Ye turn and pursue the Black Cloud fleet's departing direction.

When he caught up to the fleeing Black Cloud fleet, he was surprised to find that the entire fleet had grown considerably in size.

The fleet clearly had many new warships.

On the Black Cloud flagship, Yu Yaorao was waving at him.

Lu Ye flashed onto the deck, noticing several unfamiliar faces who were currently observing him.

Knowing his unspoken question, Yu Yaorao proactively began to explain.

Lu Ye then learned that a neighboring star system had dispatched a fleet and cultivators to rendezvous with them. However, due to the long distance, they had arrived a little late, only reaching them after the intense battle had concluded.

With Yu Yaorao's introduction, they all exchanged greetings.

It was evident that Yu Yaorao was very happy. Her current training mission was essentially complete, and despite the dangers, the journey had been ultimately safe. Furthermore, participating in such a trial as a Constellation realm cultivator would surely yield significant rewards.

After some casual conversation, Lu Ye bid them farewell and departed. His identity here was that of a pirate chief, so it was naturally unsuitable for him to accompany them to the neighboring star system. The Moon Glimmer cultivators who had arrived clearly looked at him with wary expressions, evidently having heard of his astonishing prior achievements.

Bidding farewell to Yu Yaorao, Lu Ye leaped away.

The Nine Heavens pirate fleet's warship was waiting in the distance.

"Second Uncle!" Yu Yaorao's voice called from behind. Lu Ye turned to look, seeing her swiftly flying towards him.

Lu Ye stopped.

As she approached, Yu Yaorao suddenly flipped her hand, revealing an object.

Lu Ye fixed his gaze on it and immediately recognized it as the treasure he had seen upon entering the trial: a spherical, entirely jade-green object. The downfall of Black Cloud had been caused by it.

His current trial mission was to acquire this treasure and then annihilate all Black Cloud cultivators.

"See if this is the real treasure," Yu Yaorao said, handing it to him. "The information I received stated that this item holds the secret to cultivators advancing to the Sun Glimmer realm."

This was precisely why it had attracted the covetous gaze of so many pirate fleets; an ordinary treasure wouldn't have brought such disaster upon Black Cloud.

Lu Ye raised an eyebrow, took the spherical object, and tried to infuse it with his spiritual power, but there was no reaction. His divine sense also detected nothing. He shook his head and said, "It shouldn't be."

Treasures that appear in trial scenarios are sometimes real, meaning they can be taken out and used, but others are fake. This spherical object, for instance, is merely a prop for this specific trial. Although it purportedly contains the secret to advancing to the Sun Glimmer realm, in reality, it is nothing.

"That's a shame," Yu Yaorao said with some regret. If the treasure truly held the secret to advancing to the Sun Glimmer realm, its value would be immeasurable, especially since Lu Ye was at the late-stage Moon Glimmer realm, making it potentially useful for him.