Chapter 2777: Intense Battle

For Lu Ye, the greatest benefit of this formation was its ability to reduce his own energy consumption. However, for Xia He and the other Harmonization Realm cultivators stationed at the formation cores, it was more than just that. The attacks they unleashed at this moment were no less powerful than Lu Ye's, differing only in their manifestations due to the unique properties of their respective core artifacts. This meant that the formation could significantly enhance their combat performance, temporarily elevating them to a level comparable to Lu Ye's.

However, there were drawbacks: the power accumulation time was relatively long. After one strike, it often took more than ten breaths to charge up for the next attack.

Viewed from high above, Changyun Island was currently under siege. The number of attacking enemies was countless, and along the island's edges, the power of countless grand formations was unleashed, continuously firing multicolored light.

The Blood Sea churned, its depths constantly witnessing the invisible dissipation of life force, indicating that unfortunate individuals were being slain. Despite their continuous losses, the enemies showed no signs of retreating. From within the Blood Sea, multicolored lights also ceaselessly rained down upon Changyun Island's defensive grand formation, causing ripples to spread across its protective barrier.

This war was exceptionally fierce from the very beginning.

Such a hunt was an ordeal for the human race in the Cage Sea, but for the other foreign races, it was a carnival. The human race had prepared for this hunt for a century, and these foreign races had likewise waited a hundred years. They often deployed their most elite cultivators and their best tactical configurations, solely to capture more sacrificial materials during this hunt.

Although Lu Ye was participating in such a battle for the first time, he keenly observed that this seemingly fervent war was, in fact, merely an appetizer. The life forces extinguished within the Blood Sea were not particularly powerful; to Lu Ye, they felt like cannon fodder used to deplete Changyun Island's strength. With this doubt in mind, he discreetly sent a voice transmission to Chu Li, who was stationed nearby, amidst the busy fighting. He quickly received an answer, confirming his suspicions.

In the Source Realm, the human race's plight was desolate, and they were not alone in this. Several other races, such as the Star Spirit Race and the Ice Soul Race, also faced extremely dire circumstances. Lacking Saints within their ranks, they too held low status in the Source Realm and often became subjugated groups to more powerful races. In peacetime, these subjugated races suffered bullying and oppression from the powerful races. During war, they were conscripted as vanguards and cannon fodder.

The human race, meanwhile, was permitted by various powerful races to inhabit and proliferate in the Cage Sea, as pigs are only valuable when fattened. However, the other weaker races did not have such conditions. They weren't even deemed worthy of becoming sacrificial materials, their value to the powerful races far inferior to that of humans. In the current war, these weaker races had undoubtedly supplied many conscripts, though their exact numbers were obscured by the Blood Sea.

This battle continued for three full days and nights. Lu Ye didn't know how many enemies he had killed; he only knew that each time he activated the power of the formation core, a great deal of life force would vanish within the Blood Sea.

After three days of high-intensity combat, not only were Changyun Island's cultivators heavily depleted, but many of the formations also required repairs. Formation masters, who had long been on standby, rushed about to mend them. Along Lu Ye's defensive line, over a dozen formations were almost constantly being repaired in rotation.

After three days, the intensity of the battle suddenly escalated. The most obvious sign was that the attacks launched from the Blood Sea became denser and more powerful. For those three days, the defensive grand formation had only rippled no matter how it was struck, but now it flickered erratically, clearly under immense pressure.

Furthermore, disturbances occasionally erupted within the city. Chu Li explained that these were caused by the Sea Race infiltrating the city using subterranean currents. However, Changyun Island had long prepared for such contingencies, so there were generally no major issues.

Another half day passed. As a mass of purple light spread from the Blood Sea and clung to the defensive grand formation like smoke, Chu Li's expression abruptly changed. His greatest fear had materialized.

Because this section of the defensive line had previously been intentionally opened, it was a weak point compared to other parts of the grand formation. Just like a wound that heals but leaves a scar, the enemy was undoubtedly targeting this vulnerability. The purple light was highly corrosive; upon adhering, a large section of the grand formation's barrier rapidly dimmed. Countless attacks also converged on this area. Even with Lu Ye and the others fully unleashing the power of their core artifacts, they struggled to repel them. The situation quickly became precarious.

Chu Li could no longer sit idly by. He went alone to the weak point, wielding his Dao weapon to alleviate the pressure. The effect was negligible.

In just half an hour, the protective barrier in this area showed signs of almost melting away. Anyone could see that this defense was bound to break; it was only a matter of time. Sure enough, moments later, a massive breach appeared in the protective barrier. Amidst howls of despair, numerous figures surged through the opening.

Chu Li stood alone, single-handedly blocking the breach. Though he fought fiercely, he could do little to stem the tide. Fortunately, Lu Ye and the others continuously unleashed the power of their formation cores, eliminating the incoming enemies one by one. Still, this only offered partial relief. If this continued, the defensive line here would certainly collapse.

Seeing this, Lu Ye immediately called out, "Zhang Zhen, take over!" Zhang Zhen was one of his more than thirty assistants, possessing a mid-tier Harmonization Realm cultivation. He was the strongest among the formation's personnel apart from Lu Ye himself. Although he couldn't unleash the formation core's full might, it was better than nothing.

As he spoke, he charged out. Already in mid-air, he drew the Mountain-Stabilizing Blade from his waist and brought it down with a fierce chop. As the blade light flashed, spatial power permeated the area.

Chu Li was currently overwhelmed. Though his strength was considerable, the breach in the defensive line was too wide, and too many enemies were pouring in. He was outnumbered and struggling to cope. While Lu Ye's strike didn't cause significant damage, the spatial power it unleashed helped relieve Chu Li.

When Lu Ye arrived by his side, Chu Li's pressure immediately lessened. The two figures, just like days before, stood side-by-side at the grand formation's breach. Under the clash of blades and swords, the invading enemies continually fell.

However, compared to the day Chu Li had intentionally opened the grand formation's breach to receive Lu Ye and Xia He, the current situation was far more severe. The melted area of the grand formation's barrier was much larger than that day's opening. This made it much easier for enemies to pour into the island, and the difficulty for formation masters to repair the breach significantly increased.

"Repair the formation, quickly!" Chu Li roared while slaying enemies. If this breach wasn't mended, it would inevitably draw in more numerous and powerful enemies. If that happened, even with their combined strength, he and Lu Ye would be unable to withstand them.

Fortunately, moments later, a large number of cultivators arrived from both sides as reinforcements. Changyun Island had faced sieges multiple times, and with Island Lord Changyun overseeing the deployment of personnel, they naturally had ample experience in handling such situations.

Lu Ye finally had a moment to assess the situation at the grand formation's breach. What he saw immediately invigorated him: there were clear signs that the breach was being repaired. Its size was already smaller than before, and as time passed, the repair speed was increasing.

As the breach shrank, fewer and fewer enemies managed to pour in. After less than half an hour, with the last enemy falling in battle, the grand formation's breach was finally fully repaired. The cultivators who had come as reinforcements immediately moved on, heading towards another direction without delay. In that direction, the grand formation was also torn, requiring their urgent assistance.

The Blood Sea churned, and from within, angry shouts and curses erupted, clearly from the attacking enemies frustrated at having missed their opportunity.

Lu Ye turned to look at the group of formations, seeing that all the cultivators appeared pale, their auras weak and unstable. Just now, to repel the enemies, everyone—from Xia He and the other high-tier Harmonization Realm cultivators manning the formation cores to the assistants—had exerted their full strength without reserve, resulting in enormous consumption of energy in a short time. Even several of the formations themselves had been damaged.

Yet, there was no time for rest. Although the breach was repaired, the enemy's attacks continued relentlessly. Lu Ye suddenly turned his head again and looked to the side. Chu Li was gazing back at him, and their eyes met, exchanging a slight nod. Chu Li felt fortunate to have Lu Ye's help. Otherwise, in the previous situation, he alone truly wouldn't have been able to hold back the tide or last until the reinforcements arrived. If that had happened, this section of the defensive line would have been completely lost. Once the enemies established an invasion point here, the entire Changyun Island would be in dire straits.

Time passed quickly, and the pressure on Changyun Island continued to mount.

At a certain moment, Lu Ye and Chu Li simultaneously turned their heads to the left. They saw that at an adjacent defensive line, the grand formation's barrier had shattered, and a large number of enemies surged in, directly overwhelming a human cultivator stationed there.

"Help!" Chu Li roared. Almost as soon as his voice rang out, Lu Ye and he flashed towards that direction. Reaching the battlefield in an instant, Lu Ye swung his long blade. The oncoming enemies were instantly shredded, their blood raining down and their bodies scattered.

Yet, he had only just made a few strikes when he heard a muffled grunt. Looking up, he saw Chu Li's burly figure flying backward, spitting out a mist of blood in mid-air. Right behind him, a Feathered Race cultivator pursued mercilessly, their Dao weapon glowing as a cruel smile spread across their face. Lu Ye generally understood Chu Li's strength, so for this Feathered Race cultivator to injure him in such a short time, even under a siege, demonstrated extraordinary power. Although Chu Li was currently activating his Dao power to protect himself against the incoming enemies, there was more than just this one Feathered Race cultivator attacking him. The situation was momentarily critical.

Lu Ye took a step forward, suddenly appearing behind Chu Li. With one hand, he braced Chu Li's body, and using Chu Li's form for cover, he brought his blade down in a ferocious frontal slash.