Chapter 2175: Attack Star

"Brother Lu!"

As soon as Lu Ye stepped out of the War Merits Hall, Yan Hong approached him.

"Brother Yan, is something the matter?" Lu Ye looked at him. They had only just parted ways, yet Yan Hong had already sought him out again, clearly indicating something important.

Yan Hong said, "The Defense Lord has ordered me to gather some people to guard the southwest defense line, and I would like to ask Brother Lu to come and help me."

As a descendant of the Yan family, and possessing a top-tier Dao artifact, he was arguably the strongest individual under the Fusion Dao realm in this entire Splendor region, second only to the owner of the Bifu. Such a figure naturally had the qualifications to command a front, and it was only logical for the Blue Water Defense Lord to entrust him with such a crucial responsibility.

Lu Ye pondered for a moment, then nodded. "No problem."

Either way, he was going to kill enemies, and staying with Yan Hong might be safer.

Yan Hong smiled and patted his shoulder. "I knew Brother Lu wouldn't disappoint me."

Lu Ye then turned to look at Kang Xing and his two companions. "These three are my friends..."

"They can come too!" Yan Hong immediately replied, showing no disdain for the trio's lesser strength. He had noticed on their return that Lu Ye took good care of them, clearly indicating a close relationship. Moreover, since he needed to gather people, the more, the better.

"When do we depart?"

"In half a day. I'll contact others in the meantime."

After a brief conversation, Yan Hong quickly left.

Half a day later, Yan Hong sent a message. Lu Ye led Kang Xing and his two friends to the assembly point and was astonished at the sight. In just half a day, Yan Hong had gathered nearly a thousand people, a testament to his strong influence.

Many of the faces looked familiar; they were likely comrades who had fought their way back together previously.

Standing on a higher ground, Yan Hong looked at the many faces below and declared in a clear voice, "By order of the Defense Lord, we are establishing the Yan Battalion today to support the southwest defense line. Today, we go together, and in the future, I, Yan Hong, will surely lead you all back home together!"

"Together we go, together we return! The Yan Battalion is invincible!" "Together we go, together we return!"

Immediately, many cultivators cheered loudly. Lu Ye could clearly see that these were likely people Yan Hong had arranged, but in a large-scale war, unlike small skirmishes, boosting morale was highly necessary.

Infected by the continuous cheers, many more felt their blood boil and began to shout along, their voices like thunder, eager to charge into the battlefield immediately and utterly rout the Insect and Blood races.

"Advance!" Yan Hong's expression was stern as he waved his hand, then was the first to fly out.

A thousand cultivators followed closely behind.

Moments later, at the southwest defense line, a new elite force charged into the battlefield. Yan Hong led the way, a long spear in hand, like a tiger among sheep. He moved with overwhelming power, slaughtering enemies in every direction, none able to withstand him.

The remaining individuals divided into ten teams, each led by nine commanders. With Yan Hong as the center, they fanned out to the left and right, like a pair of wings enveloping the enemy formation.

Among the ten teams, Lu Ye led one of nearly a hundred people, confronting the approaching enemy cultivators. Upon impact, bodies and blood splattered everywhere.

Led by Yan Hong, the new elite Yan Battalion charged along this direction for a while, significantly alleviating the pressure on the original defenders and boosting their morale. In contrast, the Insect and Blood races were steadily retreating.

Yan Hong did not pursue deeply, as venturing too far alone risked being encircled and annihilated by forces dispatched by the Insect Matriarch. Even with his immense strength, he would be powerless to turn the tide.

With the pressure significantly reduced, many cultivators who had been defending the line quickly retreated to rest, recuperate, and restore their spiritual power.

This situation was not unique to the southwest defense line; similar battlefields raged all around the Blue Water Battle Star. Both sides engaged in fiercely brutal exchanges. This was the first large-scale battle to erupt in decades, as even the Insect and Blood races rarely chose to attack planets.

Fei Lian would not have acted in such a manner this time had it not concerned the Bifu, as choosing to attack a planet invariably meant heavy casualties.

In the rear ranks of the Insect and Blood races' army, Fei Lian's brows furrowed slightly with impatience. He spoke softly, "Still haven't found him?"

To find that human, they had to rely on the Insect Matriarch. All insect creatures were her eyes and ears, and as soon as that person exposed himself, the Matriarch would surely detect him.

A fist-sized stone insect lay coiled on Fei Lian's shoulder. Hearing him, it opened its eyes, and a surge of divine sense pulsed forth.

Fei Lian sighed. "Keep searching... And tell Pei Dan to behave himself. Before that person is found, he must not act rashly. If he dares to ruin my plans, I will not spare him!"

Pei Dan was a Blood Race cultivator who had only recently advanced to the Fusion Dao realm in recent years. He had not yet appeared publicly since his promotion, so naturally, the Human Race War Alliance and the Giant Race were unaware of him.

He had already infiltrated the battlefield and was merely waiting for the Insect Matriarch to pinpoint the human's whereabouts, at which point he could immediately go, kill the person, and seize the treasure.

However, earlier, this fellow had actually made a move without Fei Lian's permission, seemingly intending to eliminate that young descendant of the Yan family, which greatly angered Fei Lian.

While the Yan family's descendant was indeed a potential threat, the most important task at hand was to recover the Bifu.

The stone insect pulsed with divine sense again.

Fei Lian snorted coldly. "There's no doubt. That human is definitely in Blue Water. The Defense Lord's summons means he wouldn't dare not return. Furthermore, judging by the previous movements of human cultivators, he hasn't handed over the Bifu yet. Besides, if he could kill your insect kin, he must certainly possess a Bifu himself, and his compatibility with it is likely far beyond imagination!"

Any Dao artifact involves a matter of compatibility. The same Dao artifact, when used by different individuals, will unleash varying levels of power; the higher the compatibility, the greater the amplification.

That's why the Bifu on the human side had always been controlled by Huang Zhihuan of the Huang family. It wasn't just because he was a Huang family cultivator, but primarily because his compatibility with the Bifu was the highest. Even if others obtained the Bifu, they wouldn't be able to unleash its full power.

"One person with two Bifus! What incredible luck!" Fei Lian sneered.

Since that person wasn't Huang Zhihuan, he must have stumbled upon great fortune and acquired a Bifu. Unfortunately, he was too cautious; ever since his escape, he had vanished without a trace.

With Yan Hong leading the Yan Battalion into the southwest battle line, the pressure had significantly diminished. The Insect Matriarch evidently noticed this and continuously diverted troops to exert pressure on this area.

In such a massive battle, even with Yan Hong's unparalleled bravery, it was difficult to ensure everyone's safety. People constantly fell in battle, and the defense line showed signs of collapsing at one point, only to be recovered by Yan Hong and his men multiple times.

Lu Ye's hundred-person team also lost over ten members. Fortunately, Kang Xing and his two friends had followed his instructions, staying by his side at all times, so they were mostly unharmed.

After several days of fierce fighting, the defense line saw constant pushing and pulling, with one side advancing as the other retreated. Both enemy and ally alike showed signs of exhaustion.

Such battles were extremely draining for cultivators, and everyone could only seize brief moments to recover.

In the palace, Zi Ying's tightly furrowed brows remained unbroken. The enemy's actions this time were clearly abnormal, so several days ago, she had already sent a message to the War Alliance's main planet requesting assistance. Unfortunately, there had been no response until now.

"My lady, the main planet has contacted us," an adjutant beside her suddenly announced.

"What did they say?" Zi Ying asked.

The adjutant sighed. "The main planet says that all the Fusion Dao realms have their own responsibilities and cannot be reassigned. They've instructed you, My Lady, that if the battle turns unfavorable, you may abandon Blue Water to preserve yourself."

Even though she had anticipated this outcome, Zi Ying couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment.

She naturally knew that it wasn't easy to reassign Fusion Dao realms. Within the entire Splendor region, the Human Race War Alliance occupied many battle stars, and each one had at least one Fusion Dao realm stationed there, all of whom, like her, were unable to leave their assigned battle star.

However, she simply refused to believe that not a single Fusion Dao realm could be reassigned.

Perhaps the main planet had many considerations... She could only comfort herself with that thought.

But for her to abandon Blue Water was absolutely impossible. With her strength, she could indeed break through the encirclement, but what about the numerous Alliance Guards here at Blue Water? If she left, those Guards would likely all die!

And once Blue Water was lost, this entire war zone would fall into enemy hands.

"What about the Giant Scale Battle Star?" Zi Ying asked again.

There was also a Fusion Dao realm stationed on the Giant Race's side. Although his strength was not as great as hers, he was still a Fusion Dao realm, and if they could coordinate, great things could certainly be achieved.

"Giant Scale is also under siege," the adjutant replied. "The Insect Race has sent a Fusion Dao realm there to take command. Although the forces they command aren't as numerous as ours, Giant Scale dare not make any rash moves."

Zi Ying understood.

Since the enemy intended to attack Blue Water, they certainly had precautions against Giant Scale.

Now, with no reinforcements and Giant Scale unable to help, she could only hope that things were not as she feared.

"Still haven't found him?" Fei Lian's face was filled with frustration. That human was simply too cautious; even in such a chaotic battle, he hadn't revealed the slightest clue. The Insect Matriarch did have many eyes and ears, but without a trace, she couldn't detect him.

They couldn't delay any longer.

It had been several days already. Zi Ying wasn't foolish; she must have noticed something was amiss and very likely already requested reinforcements.

If Fusion Dao realm reinforcements arrived, all their previous efforts would be in vain.

Had that human youth died? Or had he already left this war zone? Fei Lian was beginning to feel a hint of doubt about his previous judgment.

Putting himself in the human's shoes, Fei Lian mused that if he had faced such a large-scale encirclement before, he would probably also be terrified and feel that this was no place to linger, thus inevitably leaving.

If that were the case... then all their current efforts would be meaningless.

Furthermore, the Giant Scale Battle Star couldn't be delayed much longer. Because a large number of troops were committed to Blue Water, not many forces had been diverted to Giant Scale.

Currently, they were only using the Blood Sea of the Blood Race as a cover, employing a feint to deter Giant Scale from making rash moves. However, over time, their deception would surely be exposed.

Once Giant Scale engaged and realized the truth, the consequences would be dire.

In a flash, a fierce glint appeared in Fei Lian's eyes. "In thirty breaths, tell Pei Dan to move. Attack the planet and take Blue Water!"

When this plan was initially set, Fei Lian had prepared a two-pronged approach. The primary goal was, of course, the Bifu, but with no progress in the past few days, they could only settle for the secondary objective: taking Blue Water!

This way, their current military expedition wouldn't be without gains, and with two Fusion Dao realms working together, Blue Water would certainly be unable to resist.