Chapter 2917: Retreat the Enemy

Thanks to Xue Jiu's intervention, which tied down one of the puppet Half-Saints, Lu Ye's one-against-three fight, though tough, was no longer as perilous as before.

Ten breaths later, he suddenly sensed a Half-Saint aura vanish nearby.

It was a sign of success from the battle group where Dragon Venerable and others were fighting.

Initially, the four Dragon Venerables had entangled six puppet Half-Saints. However, after Ming Feng fled, three of them pursued, leaving only three behind.

With Si Sheng Ya now free to assist, how could the remaining three puppet Half-Saints possibly stand a chance?

Within a short time, one of them was slain.

Already at a disadvantage, with one gone, the remaining two puppets became increasingly overwhelmed and fell one after another a few breaths later.

Meanwhile, as soon as the first puppet Half-Saint was eliminated, Si Sheng Ya moved to support Lu Ye. His Shattered Heaven Blade unleashed an immense saber momentum, engulfing two of the puppets and dragging them directly into his offensive.

Lu Ye's spirits lifted.

Fighting three opponents at once was stressful for him, but in a one-on-one combat, how could these newly promoted puppet Half-Saints be his match?

His saber momentum surged like a tide, his Dao power flowed, and his offensive was ferocious.

With his current foundation, dealing with enemies like the puppet Half-Saints was effortless. After only a few exchanges, his Immovable Mountain Blade broke through the enemy's protective Dao power, leaving a deep, bone-revealing wound on its body.

Such an injury was by no means light, yet the puppet showed no sign of feeling it.

However, the very next moment, the puppet's aura suddenly weakened, as Lu Ye had activated the sealing power of "Sorrow."

Lu Ye was secretly pleased. Although Sorrow and Fang were both part of the Weapon Clan, their innate divine abilities differed. Sorrow's power primarily involved sealing, while Fang's power focused on tearing and inflicting unbearable pain. It was hard to say which was superior; each simply had its strengths.

He had previously been concerned whether the sealing power of Sorrow would be effective against Half-Saint level experts, but it appeared to be useful.

It made sense; Sorrow had been a supreme treasure even when it still existed, and having been nurtured by Ba Qiu for many years, its quality was extraordinary. Such power could not be ignored even by a Half-Saint.

Already inferior in strength and now with part of its power sealed, how could this puppet Half-Saint possibly survive?

As Lu Ye's long blade struck down, blood splattered across the sky.

Lu Ye reached out, collected the opponent's corpse into his small world, and then swiftly moved towards Xue Jiu's location.

For some reason, upon seeing Lu Ye coming to assist, Xue Jiu inexplicably shouted, "Leave this to me! Don't worry about my side!"

Lu Ye was already close; there was no way he would listen.

Working together, the two successfully dealt with the puppet Half-Saint.

Xue Jiu was incredibly quick, snatching the puppet's supreme treasure with a single grab, his face instantly lighting up with delight.

Lu Ye couldn't help but glance at him, finally understanding why Xue Jiu had insisted on fighting the puppet alone: he had clearly set his sights on its supreme treasure and feared it would be taken by others.

With no time to waste on him, Lu Ye immediately moved towards Si Sheng Ya's position after their engagement was finished.

However, before Lu Ye could reach him, Si Sheng Ya had already powerfully slain another puppet. His strength and foundation were slightly superior to Lu Ye's, so such a result was not surprising.

Once Lu Ye arrived and joined forces with him, the last remaining puppet also stood no chance.

The battle involving Dragon Venerable and the others also concluded successfully. After Si Sheng Ya slew one of the puppets, only two enemies remained for them.

Four against two was, of course, no challenge.

Thus, the dust settled. In this battle, seven Half-Saints were slain in a short period. Even though they were puppets stripped of their own consciousness, they were still Half-Saint level powerhouses.

Each possessed a supreme treasure, making the abundance of their spoils truly astonishing.

Under normal circumstances, even if one side held an advantage in a Half-Saint confrontation, it wouldn't result in such a swift and decisive victory, like autumn winds sweeping fallen leaves. Every Half-Saint had cultivated for many years and never lacked means for self-preservation or escape.

If they couldn't win, wouldn't they flee?

However, these puppets were different. After being discarded, they simply followed Modo's final instructions, fighting to the death, making escape impossible.

As the great battle subsided, Lu Ye turned to look in the direction Ming Feng had fled, his brows slightly furrowed.

"We can't catch them," Si Sheng Ya said softly, standing beside Lu Ye.

Lu Ye nodded. He knew they couldn't catch up. How incredibly fast Half-Saints were! Although they hadn't spent much time dealing with the remaining enemies, it had still taken about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, which was more than enough for Ming Feng to escape a considerable distance. In fact, if he were merely trying to save his life, he could have directly used the transfer point in the Hehe Realm to flee back to Thousand Streams City.

Not killing the snake ensures future trouble. It was a pity that Ming Feng couldn't be kept here today.

Moreover, a second batch of Half-Saints had already arrived from the Origin Realm!

And more puppet Half-Saints were about to appear.

If the forces from these three sides were to combine, the situation would become extremely grim. Given the current circumstances, it was only a matter of time before these three factions merged.

"Lu Ye," Dragon Venerable stepped forward. "The Half-Saints we observed coming to reinforce have all retreated. Should we pursue them?"

They had previously received reports that several puppet Half-Saints were converging on Dragon City from various directions, clearly newly promoted ones. Their sudden retreat now indicated they were under the control of Yuan.

The puppets themselves could not make such precise judgments.

Lu Ye pondered briefly, then shook his head, "There's no need." At this point, even if they could catch up, which was uncertain, it was hard to guarantee that those puppets hadn't already rendezvoused with Ming Feng.

Furthermore, if Yuan's consciousness had become that clear, it could easily guide the newly arrived Half-Saints from the Origin Realm to meet up with Ming Feng.

Dragon Venerable nodded, then suddenly turned, his expression solemn, and bowed to Yang Lie and Zhu Pang: "I, Yang Fengxian, the unworthy descendant and current Dragon Venerable, pay my respects to Third Ancestor and Fifth Ancestor!"

Even the Phoenix Lord, standing nearby, bowed respectfully.

Dragons and Phoenixes had been one family since ancient times. Although their races were different, the ancestral figures of the Dragon Clan could also be considered ancestors of the Phoenix Clan.

Yang Lie nodded slightly, gazing at Dragon Venerable with a look of contentment, and raised a hand, saying, "No need for formalities."

Zhu Pang, however, chuckled, "Which generation are you now?" When he sealed himself in Ancestral Abyss, there was no such person as Yang Fengxian.

Dragon Venerable promptly replied with respect.

As the Dragon Clan powerhouses conversed, Xue Jiu, standing aside, was dumbfounded.

What he witnessed was incredible. The Dragon Clan's Third and Fifth Ancestors had appeared? How many years had these old relics lived?

He had always known that Dragon City possessed profound heritage, but he never imagined it ran this deep.

If the Third and Fifth Ancestors could emerge, what about the other ancestors? The Dragon Clan's lineage was ancient; how many more hidden powerhouses were there?

He had long heard that the Dragon and Phoenix clans had long lifespans, but only now did he realize the rumors were true. He had always thought those ancient dragons had simply died of old age...

"Lu Ye!" Snapping back to reality, Xue Jiu suddenly remembered something important. "Among the Half-Saints who came from the Origin Realm this time, are there any of the Blood Race?"

Lu Ye, idly toying with a supreme treasure he had acquired from a puppet Half-Saint, replied, "Yes, there are."

The message from Yang Zhao had clearly stated that there were still members of the Blood Race among the Half-Saints who arrived this time.

Xue Jiu's eyes lit up immediately. "Then why don't we take advantage of our current strength and go encircle those Half-Saints from the Origin Realm? They just arrived and know nothing about the Star Abyss. I can lead the charge, paralyze them, and create opportunities for you."

His eagerness to propose this undoubtedly stemmed from his targeting of the unknown Blood Race Half-Saint's bloodline.

Lu Ye was actually considering this as well, because given the current situation, if they couldn't pursue Ming Feng, they had to do something rather than just waiting.

Lu Ye didn't really pay much attention to the puppet Half-Saints. Their greatest advantage was their numbers, but their true strength was at the very bottom tier of Half-Saints.

The critical point was that the Origin Realm Half-Saints were all formidable opponents. If this batch of Origin Realm Half-Saints could be eliminated, the situation would improve significantly.

Lu Ye hesitated because the number of Origin Realm Half-Saints arriving this time was higher than before: nine of them!

Although their side currently had a fair number of Half-Saints, they also only had nine. Besides him, Si Sheng Ya, and Xue Jiu, all the others were newly promoted Half-Saints. If a real fight broke out, they definitely wouldn't be a match, unless he and Si Sheng Ya could swiftly kill one or two of them to gain an advantage.

"The Blood Race member who came this time is a female. Do you know her?" Lu Ye turned to Xue Jiu. Although he had spent some time with Xue Jiu in the Origin Realm's Blood Race territory, he had been secluded, focusing on nurturing the Ten Thousand Poisons Bead's venom, and thus truly had no knowledge of the Blood Race's affairs there.

"A female Blood Race member?" Xue Jiu was startled, then his expression subtly changed. "No way!"

From his reaction, it seemed he had recalled something.

Si Sheng Ya interjected, "Among the Origin Realm, the Blood Race has the most Half-Saints. While there are a few female Half-Saints, only one is likely capable of leading an expedition out of the Origin Realm and undertaking such a significant mission."

"Xue Wei!" Xue Jiu smacked his lips.

"Very strong?" Lu Ye frowned. Judging by Xue Jiu's reaction, he seemed to be quite wary of this Xue Wei. One should note that Xue Jiu hadn't shown such an expression even when facing Xue Yuan earlier.

"Very strong!" Si Sheng Ya nodded. "I was injured by her previously. In terms of strength, she is no weaker than me!"

That truly meant she was powerful. Just Xue Wei alone would likely be enough to tie down Si Sheng Ya.

Si Sheng Ya then asked, "What about the other Half-Saints? Which races are they from, and what do they look like?"

Lu Ye replied, "The people we arranged there aren't close enough for a clear view, so I can't tell precisely. I only know there's a Bug Race member whose wings appear to have a missing piece, and another who should be from the Golden Eye Race. These three are leading the group. As for the others, I'm not sure, only that the total number is nine."

"A Bug Race Half-Saint with a missing wing piece..." Si Sheng Ya's expression became solemn. "That's Fei from the Bug Race. Her strength is only slightly below mine. As for the Golden Eye Race member..."

At this point, Si Sheng Ya fell silent for a moment before continuing, "There isn't a specific ranking for the strength of Origin Realm Half-Saints, but it's generally acknowledged that the strongest, not from the Blood Race or Bug Race, nor from the Demon Race or Feathered Race, is Xing Zhou of the Golden Eye Race!"