Chapter 2329: Eerie Jellyfish Star Beast

Lu Ye had always been curious about one thing: how the jellyfish star beast had faked its death. He hadn't noticed anything amiss when he killed it.

If he hadn't failed to receive the Star Abyss blessing, he would never have grown suspicious.

However, the absence of the Star Abyss blessing was the biggest point of doubt.

Now, seeing this strange scene, he vaguely understood.

The jellyfish star beast hadn't faked its death! The one he killed was its true form!

It simply had more clones, and the connection between these clones and its true body was different from conventional understanding.

Typically, if the true body perishes, its clones cannot survive. Regardless of distance or whether they've been harmed, clones would die along with the true body.

However, the jellyfish star beast was clearly an exception. Its clones could survive independently; in fact, one of them might even become the true body in the future!

Therefore, even though Lu Ye killed its true form, it wasn't truly dead, and naturally, no Star Abyss blessing descended.

This alone wasn't significant, but the jellyfish star beast's clones were clearly controlling other living beings, and the number of controlled entities was vast!

They had all been hiding in the mud star beast's abdominal space. If Ri Yan hadn't been strong enough, his fate would have been grim: either he would have been jointly killed by these controlled Dao Integration cultivators, or he would have been taken over by the jellyfish star beast's clones.

Although he had escaped, he now faced the combined pursuit of over twenty Dao Integration cultivators. He dared not confront them directly and could only flee with Wu Yue.

He was indeed powerful, and given enough time and opportunity, he might have been able to kill these Dao Integration cultivators. However, he couldn't possibly confront so many of them simultaneously.

The targets chosen for control by this star beast combination were clearly strategic. Among the many Dao Integration cultivators participating in this conflict, they had selected those above the sixth stage of Dao Integration, with many at the eighth and ninth stages. At this moment, figures flickered and Dao power surged, creating an incredibly intense scene.

Lu Ye's gaze fixed on the slender figure wrapped within the sword dragon that had charged out first, his expression grim.

Song Weiwei...

He hadn't seen her since they parted ways that day. Even during the recent Dao Pond conflict, Lu Ye hadn't seen her appear.

He had assumed she had met a tragic end.

After all, she was alone, and Song Weiwei's mental state had already been unstable. Even with her considerable strength, she would have struggled to achieve much, and being killed in combat was to be expected.

But now, it appeared Song Weiwei wasn't dead; she had simply fallen into the jellyfish star beast's clutches and become its controlled puppet.

None of the puppets were truly dead; the vital energy on their bodies was undeniable. Furthermore, according to the rules of this conflict, a cultivator's body would vanish upon death.

What should he do?

Lu Ye could disregard everyone else, but he felt a sense of indebtedness towards Song Weiwei.

To be fair, it wasn't his fault; Su Yan had used the "Concentric Knot" to forcibly bind herself as his companion, leaving Song Weiwei no choice but to depart alone.

Regardless, they had all partnered and cooperated before, and Song Weiwei had taken nothing from the spoils gained by killing enemies.

Song Weiwei had also contributed to the smooth acquisition of the Mirror World.

Now that Song Weiwei was controlled and a puppet, he wondered if he should intervene. If he did, his fake death would be completely exposed, but if he didn't, he couldn't reconcile it with his conscience.

As Lu Ye hesitated, the group of cultivators gradually moved further away.

On the white jade platform, only the mud star beast remained. It moved its body to a Dao Pond, spreading itself out comfortably within it, refining the continuously emerging Dao Fish.

Lu Ye averted his gaze, then looked at the mud star beast, his eyes slightly downcast.

This was a good opportunity, but having witnessed the mud star beast's strange methods, Lu Ye knew that killing it wouldn't be simple. Not unless he combined forces with Su Yan to seal off the area, leaving it no escape route.

Although the initial purpose of his fake death was to deal with Ri Yan and Wu Yue, those two were now in dire straits, barely able to protect themselves. Instead, the star beast combination had become the primary enemy!

If he could use this opportunity to eliminate the mud star beast, that wouldn't be a bad outcome.

Meanwhile, Ri Yan and Wu Yue fled desperately, with over twenty Dao Integration cultivators in relentless pursuit. During the chase, the pursuers even split into several groups to surround and intercept them.

This gave Ri Yan a significant headache.

One-on-one, he feared no one, and even against multiple opponents, he was entirely confident. However, the sheer number of enemies now was overwhelming.

Most importantly, under the jellyfish star beast's control, these enemies truly pooled their strength, acting entirely according to its will. Such opponents could not be divided and conquered; they were a cohesive unit, not merely a simple alliance.

He dared not stop, as even the slightest hesitation would invite an incredibly furious onslaught.

"Watch out!" Wu Yue, no longer being dragged, clutched Ri Yan's shoulders, practically carried on his back. As she spoke, a soft radiance suddenly burst forth from her body.

Simultaneously, the outline of a ghostly figure nearby was revealed by the light.

Having already approached within dozens of yards of them, and suddenly discovered, the enemy abandoned all pretense of hiding and launched a brazen attack.

It was clearly a petite ghost cultivator. What made Ri Yan's scalp tingle was that this ghost cultivator wore a transparent jellyfish hat on its head.

Just how many Dao Integration cultivators were controlled, then?

He was certain that this ghost cultivator, who had suddenly appeared to ambush him, was not from the original pursuing group, as their speed wasn't this fast.

This ghost cultivator had been lurking nearby, and Ri Yan had simply fled into its vicinity, giving it an opportunity to launch a sneak attack.

In other words, in addition to the group of Dao Integration cultivators who had emerged from the mud star beast's body, there were also other controlled puppets lurking outside.

"Die!" Ri Yan roared furiously, unleashing a ferocious punch that instantly pulverized the ghost cultivator.

Given the disparity in their strength and the fact that its presence had been exposed, the ghost cultivator's methods were severely hampered, and it naturally couldn't withstand Ri Yan's punch.

Ri Yan continued to move. Just as he was about to resume his escape, another attack came from nearby.

He quickly turned his head and saw a figure standing quietly nearby, wearing a jellyfish hat and staring blankly at him. Yet, it was fully channeling its power, gathering it into a mighty magical attack that hurtled towards him.

Another one!

And it appeared this spell cultivator was a companion to the ghost cultivator from before, as they were one male and one female.

Under normal circumstances, Ri Yan would have taught this spell cultivator, who was attacking him from afar, a harsh lesson about provoking a powerful adversary. But the situation was special now; he had no time to deal with this spell cultivator. He could only channel his Dao power to withstand the blow and quickly make his escape.

But this momentary delay allowed the pursuers behind him to close in significantly. A barrage of attacks rained down, and while Ri Yan dodged most, he couldn't evade them all.

Fortunately, none of the attacking Dao Integration cultivators were as strong as him, and they caused him no substantial harm.

As he continued to flee, enemies constantly appeared along the way, launching attacks.

He gradually realized the severity of the situation.

Because in addition to the initial twenty-odd Dao Integration cultivators who had appeared, over a dozen more controlled by the jellyfish star beast had continuously emerged from outside!

The total now approached forty!

While this number might not seem large, under the jellyfish star beast's control, they were able to act as a unified force. With such targeted efforts, Ri Yan and Wu Yue had no time to rest.

While these Dao Integration cultivators were indeed weaker than him, there were several instances where the controlled puppets launched ferocious assaults, seemingly preferring death over retreat.

While Ri Yan and Wu Yue remained unharmed in the battle so far, the continuous depletion of his Dao power made him realize he couldn't keep going like this.

The jellyfish star beast was clearly using a human-wave tactic to deplete their Dao power. Once their Dao power ran out, he would be unable to utilize his myriad abilities.

It was almost comical to think that before today, he considered himself almost unrivaled among Dao Integration cultivators across the Star Abyss, though he wouldn't dare claim invincibility.

Yet now he was being driven into such a desperate state by a mere star beast.

"Wu Yue, prepare to fight!" Ri Yan gritted his teeth, his expression turning grim.

Did they truly believe he could only flee?

As things stood, if he didn't want his Dao power to be depleted, he had to quickly eliminate a group of puppets to relieve the pressure.

"Understood!" Wu Yue had been waiting for this moment and, upon hearing Ri Yan's words, naturally knew what to do.

As he spoke, Ri Yan suddenly changed direction and charged toward the pursuers behind him.

Under the jellyfish star beast's command, most of the puppets had been dispersed to set up blockades. Since the current star fragment was limited in size, Ri Yan couldn't escape no matter how he ran. While scattering the puppets carried the risk of them being defeated individually, the jellyfish star beast wouldn't care.

Even if Ri Yan could kill enemies, he would still ultimately deplete his Dao power.

Therefore, only twelve or thirteen Dao Integration cultivators were currently pursuing Ri Yan from behind.

This was still a considerable number, and the leader was none other than Song Weiwei.

The jellyfish star beast's control over its puppets evidently had certain limitations on their strength. Song Weiwei was its strongest puppet, and being a sword cultivator renowned for her lethality, she naturally became the primary force in the pursuit.

As Ri Yan turned, the distance between them rapidly closed.

Song Weiwei flicked the long sword in her hand, unleashing a torrent of sword light that assailed them like rain and a waterfall.

Along with the sword light, numerous other attacks also surged forward.

Suddenly, the sound of surging tides filled the air. As space shifted, a magnificent sea appeared out of thin air. Above its surface, a full moon rapidly ascended, casting its bright, pure moonlight in all directions.

A hazy figure stood within the full moon. Bathed in its brilliant light, its face was indistinguishable, only the silhouette of its form visible.

Bright Moon Rising Over the Sea!

Wu Yue had used this secret art before, against Ning Gu and Junior Sister Shuang, but she clearly hadn't used her full power then, as the moon that time was merely a crescent.

This time was different!

The moonlight was much denser, its threads and strands filling the world like silken ribbons.

The sky-filling sword rain and numerous attacks that fell into it instantly had their power greatly diminished!

Ri Yan's aura also changed abruptly, and even his appearance transformed. He was now clad in golden armor, with a golden full-face helmet covering his head, making him look like a deity descended to the mortal realm.