Chapter 2200: Fengtai Stronghold

Lu Ye, at the center of the Crane Wing formation, carefully observed while maintaining the posture of guiding the divine crane forward. This was because, when the Crane Wing formation was activated this time, he suddenly felt a significant difference compared to the last time!

The biggest distinction was a considerable reduction in pressure. When forming such a formation, almost all the pressure converged on him alone, making it impossible for even him to sustain it for long. The previous limit was one hour; if the formation wasn't dispersed by then, Lu Ye would suffer severe injuries, and the formation would collapse on its own. However, in comparison, the pressure this time was less than 20% of what it was before, undoubtedly meaning the formation could be sustained for much longer.

Lu Ye understood that this was likely due to a significant increase in his own strength. The last time he formed the array, he possessed thirty-four threads of power; now, he commanded ninety-three, a huge leap in personal strength, which naturally resulted in much less pressure.

It wasn't just the pressure... there were other changes too!

With a thought, Lu Ye looked towards Wang Xun's position and transmitted a message: "Wang Xun."

At that moment, Wang Xun, brimming with excitement and even surprise, seemed to have encountered something fortunate. Not just him, but virtually every cultivator in the Crane Wing battalion wore the same expression.

"Ah, yes, Commander, what's wrong?" Wang Xun snapped back to attention.

"How much has your strength increased?" Lu Ye asked.

"I feel... incredibly strong!" Wang Xun replied, his excitement barely contained. "Hahahaha, Commander, please forgive my boasting, but I feel like I can now unleash fifteen threads of power. I think I could fight a hundred!"

Just as expected... Lu Ye knew this would be the case.

Wang Xun possessed a Dao artifact; his inherent nine threads of power, combined with the artifact's amplification, allowed him to wield twelve threads. But now, under the Crane Wing formation, he could unleash fifteen! Those extra three threads were undoubtedly the boost provided by the formation. This was different from last time. Although the Crane Wing formation did provide a boost then, it was typically only one or two threads per person. He had never heard of anyone gaining three threads of power at once, especially not an increase from twelve to fifteen!

Such a change couldn't be solely attributed to the personnel adjustments within the Crane Wing battalion. While replacing all eight-thread cultivators with nine-thread ones would certainly enhance the formation to some extent, it wouldn't be this pronounced. That left only one explanation. It was still the result of his own massive increase in strength!

Lu Ye then questioned a few other individuals and quickly discovered that those with Dao artifacts had generally gained three threads of power, but surprisingly, those without Dao artifacts had gained four! In other words, with this formation activated, every member of the Crane Wing battalion possessed at least thirteen threads of power. This wasn't just one or two individuals; it applied to everyone. When linked by the formation, such a unified entity, assuming no one could break free from the Fusion Realm, was practically invincible on the battlefield. Its overall strength was far more than a mere dozen or so threads. Lu Ye even suspected that, in its current state, the Crane Wing battalion was qualified to engage in combat with ordinary Fusion Realm cultivators.

The only drawback that bothered Lu Ye was that the consumption of Dao power remained just as high. This was an unavoidable flaw; maintaining the Co-existence Dao Runes required constant activation of Dao power.

"Disperse!" Lu Ye commanded, retracting the Dao Runes. The divine crane vanished, and everyone returned to their positions. Now, not only did the veterans gaze at Lu Ye's retreating figure with profound admiration, but even the newcomers did, their expressions reverent, as if they were beholding a deity.

The so-called Fengtai stronghold was nothing more than a small, barren planet. It took Lu Ye and his group nearly a day to rush to the location. From a distance, with the stronghold at its center, battlefields stretched out in every direction. One particular battlefield was the most intense, where two figures, transformed into streaks of light, were engaged in a fierce struggle. The powerful energy fluctuations alone indicated that two Fusion Realm cultivators were clashing.

Lu Ye understood that one of the Fusion Realm cultivators was likely their own strong master guarding this stronghold, a man named Du Feng. On the way, Wang Xun had told him that Du Feng should possess the strength of a second-level Fusion Realm cultivator. At the Dao Entry level, nine threads were the peak. The Fusion Realm also had nine levels. A Fusion Realm cultivator like Du Feng, whose strength was neither high nor low, was not qualified or capable of independently garrisoning an entire combat zone. Those qualified to command a battle zone were at least at the sixth level and above; Du Feng was still far from that. However, his strength was sufficient to guard a stronghold within a major battle zone.

A second-level Fusion Realm cultivator was roughly equivalent to Pei Dan, the Blood Clan member Lu Ye had previously slain. Theoretically, they could wield at least thirty threads of power. However, due to the dual amplification of Dao runes, even if he only controlled thirty threads of power, he could inflict damage equivalent to thirty-six threads. The Pei Dan Lu Ye killed back then was roughly at this level. Lu Ye had no way of knowing the strength of Du Feng's opponent, but since Du Feng was engaging in a back-and-forth battle, the enemy was likely at a similar level. It was currently impossible to tell whether they were stronger or weaker than Du Feng. The only thing Lu Ye knew was that the opponent was an insectoid, because if they were Blood Clan, they would certainly have already spread out a sea of blood to gain tactical advantage.

"Commander!" Wang Xun exclaimed, his gaze fixed on the intense battle unfolding. From the current situation, their side seemed to be in a precarious position. This was certainly true; if the pressure wasn't severe, Yellow Springs wouldn't have dispatched them for assistance. Many cultivators could be seen returning to the stronghold wounded for healing, but at the same time, others who had finished their recovery were flying out from the stronghold to join the battle. Both sides had been fiercely contending around this stronghold for an unknown duration. The void was littered with shattered corpses, but in the Dao Entry level clashes, their side was clearly at a disadvantage. If not for the protective grand formation covering the stronghold, it would likely have been breached long ago.

"Ten people per group, flank and skirmish! Do not penetrate deep into enemy lines!" Lu Ye issued the command. The current situation was that the entire Fengtai stronghold was surrounded by the enemy's sea of blood. Although there were still gaps, these were clearly left intentionally by the enemy to break the morale of their cultivators and lure them into attempting a breakout. Lu Ye was certain that any cultivator attempting to break through those gaps would inevitably encounter enemy interception and ambush. In such a situation, it would be extremely unwise for the Crane Wing battalion to charge directly in, as no one knew how many enemies were hidden within those vast seas of blood. The best approach was to skirmish along the edges. Firstly, this would alleviate pressure on the stronghold's grand formation, and secondly, it would allow them to continuously chip away at any enemies drawn to them. Lu Ye didn't want to reveal the Crane Wing formation immediately, as that would make the enemy wary.

As the command was given, teams quickly formed. Besides the Crane Wing battalion, other cultivators from Yellow Springs Battle Star or elsewhere had also arrived to support the Fengtai stronghold. Initially, these cultivators were at a loss on how to act in such a situation and could only observe from afar. However, upon witnessing the Crane Wing battalion's movements, they immediately emulated them, organizing their own teams of varying sizes and charging alongside the Crane Wing battalion.

Lu Ye led the charge, his team of nine following him directly towards a sea of blood. The Blood Clan within the sea clearly sensed their approach and immediately stirred the blood sea to meet them, the pulsating mass appearing alive and attempting to engulf them. Lu Ye naturally wouldn't easily plunge into the sea of blood. Although he personally wasn't afraid, the entire Crane Wing battalion was currently operating with him as its core; if he charged in, everyone else would follow. Therefore, before the sea of blood could get close, Lu Ye unleashed several long-range attacks, blasting towards it, then swiftly darted to the side. The other teams followed suit, launching their attacks and retreating in arcs. By the time the sea of blood enveloped the area, everyone had already escaped, leaving only a few extinguished life forces within the blood sea, indicating some unlucky individuals had met a grim end.

The Crane Wing battalion, moving swiftly, was like a nimble butterfly, dancing gracefully along the edges of the blood seas, pushing the boundaries of provocation. Finally, some enemies could no longer tolerate it and surged out from the sea of blood, blocking their path. However, such an interception was completely shattered by Lu Ye's leading charge. In direct confrontation, every swing of Lu Ye's Dao artifact short hammer unleashed a burst of bloody light. He did not stop, ignoring any stragglers nearby, knowing that the following Crane Wing battalion cultivators would handle them. After such a charge, the speed of the Crane Wing battalion cultivators did not diminish at all, while the enemies who jumped out to intercept them suffered significant casualties.

This scene immediately made the enemy realize the strength of these reinforcements. More enemies could no longer hold back and leaped out from the seas of blood. Furthermore, the seas of blood that had initially surrounded the Fengtai stronghold also began to writhe. Within the Fengtai stronghold, the many cultivators who had been struggling to hold on were already at their limit, with even their painstakingly arranged grand formation teetering under the enemy's assault. However, with the Crane Wing battalion's actions, the pressure suddenly significantly decreased, giving them all a sense of reprieve from despair.

As time passed, numerous seas of blood enveloped them from all directions, and the maneuvering space for the Crane Wing battalion and the other reinforcing cultivators grew smaller and smaller. They were clearly on the verge of being surrounded! Unlike the composed and calm Crane Wing battalion cultivators, the expressions of the other cultivators began to turn to panic. Anyone could see that once the enemy completed the encirclement, their chances of survival would be slim.

Lu Ye noticed their fear and unease. After a brief thought, he immediately sent a message in all directions: "Fellow Daoists, do not panic. Please follow us closely; there will be a time for counterattack soon." He knew well that if he didn't calm these accompanying cultivators under such circumstances, the situation would certainly become chaotic. And if anyone couldn't bear the pressure and tried to escape, they would only fall into a trap. Perhaps influenced by his calming voice, most cultivators composed themselves. Although the remaining few were still fearful, they followed the Crane Wing battalion as instructed. Only a small number of individuals, unable to bear the oppressive feeling of being slowly surrounded, resolutely chose to break through.