Chapter 2911: So Many Half-Saints

Although Xue Jiu had just used a secret technique to narrowly escape Lu Sheng's powerful strike, he still couldn't avoid it entirely. The impact was purely collateral damage, and he was incredibly unlucky. Regret filled his heart. Why had he decided to run towards Lu Ye? He could have remained perfectly safe. As a result, he was now severely injured.

Before he could finish his thought, Lu Ye suddenly vanished from his spot, and ripples spread through the void. The next moment, Lu Ye appeared behind the puppet half-saint. Although the half-saint had just been swept by the aftershocks of Lu Sheng's attack and was not seriously injured, he was disoriented and had just regained his footing. Before it could react, Lu Ye brought his blade down upon him.

Although the puppet half-saint lacked intelligence, it still possessed instincts. Facing this attack, it quickly raised its spear to block. The Pan Shan Blade struck the silvery-white spear, and the immense force sent the puppet flying. Si Shengya had already attacked from the side, taking advantage of the puppet's unstable posture to deliver a downward strike. This time, the puppet half-saint had no means to block or dodge and could only activate its protective dao power to withstand the blow, immediately bleeding from its mouth and nose.

This puppet was clearly a newly ascended half-saint, its aura still unstable. How could its foundation compare to that of an experienced half-saint like Si Shengya? It was at a disadvantage after just one exchange. A sharp blade glinted, and Lu Ye had appeared beside it, unnoticed. The puppet half-saint's protective dao power had just been shaken, leaving it no longer able to resist. As blood splattered across the sky, its body was severed in two. Lu Ye reached out and instantly collected both halves of the body, along with the silvery-white spear, into his small world.

Wiping the fresh blood from his lips, Lu Ye turned to Qian Liu and declared, "Attack the city!" Lu Sheng had retreated, and no True Saint would descend again in a short time. The suddenly appearing puppet half-saint had also fallen under the combined efforts of him and Si Shengya. Now, there was no more resistance. Although both he and Xue Jiu were not in ideal condition, attacking Qian Liu City was still not an issue. If Mo Duo and Ming Feng truly dared to sally forth, Si Shengya would handle them.

Inside Qian Liu City, Mo Duo and Ming Feng's expressions changed inexplicably. From the sudden appearance of the puppet half-saint, to Lu Sheng's abrupt arrival, injuring Lu Ye and Xue Jiu, and then to the puppet half-saint's demise, only about ten breaths of time had passed. All these changes happened too quickly, so fast that they had no time to react significantly. Only when Lu Ye's voice rang out did they realize their regret. If they had known this, they should have charged out of the city when Lu Sheng appeared. If they could have assisted, perhaps Lu Sheng could have killed Lu Ye today. At the very least, they could have saved that inexplicable puppet half-saint. But now Lu Sheng had vanished, and the puppet half-saint was dead, bringing the situation back to its previous state. Lu Ye and Xue Jiu certainly seemed to be in poor condition, but they dared not entertain any bold ideas.

Just as these two were feeling sorrowful, convinced that Qian Liu City could not be defended today, another anomaly arose. Suddenly, powerful auras rapidly approached from all directions, overtly radiant. Lu Ye's expression became solemn. Xue Jiu gasped in surprise, "How... how are there so many half-saints?" The four or five sudden auras were clearly all at the half-saint level. But in the Star Abyss, when did half-saint powerhouses become as common as cabbages? The only existing half-saints should all be gathered here. Not only that, while they could only sense four or five half-saint auras, they could see more lights approaching from various directions. Judging solely by the speed of those moving lights, it was clear they were all half-saint level cultivators.

"This is..." Long Zun's eyes flickered, as if he had a vague understanding. Lu Ye couldn't help but sigh, "Let's go!" The plan to attack Qian Liu today was now effectively aborted. With so many half-saints suddenly appearing, their current lineup made it impossible to continue the siege. In fact, if they delayed any longer, there would be significant danger. Xue Jiu had been waiting for this exact phrase. Upon hearing it, he immediately used his Blood Escape technique and fled into the distance. Lu Ye and the others promptly followed suit.

"How can there be so many half-saints?" Si Shengya frowned deeply, his face filled with confusion. "And none of them are from the Origin Realm." This was because none of the half-saints he sensed had familiar auras. "Of course they're not from the Origin Realm..." Lu Ye said, clutching his chest with a strained expression. Long Zun interjected, "They must be from the Hehe Realm!"

Many powerful individuals had been hidden within the Hehe Realm; how could Long Zun not know? When the Hehe Realm underwent its previous anomaly and was invaded by the Star Abyss's aura, those numerous powerhouses could no longer hide. For example, Mu Yunhui and Huan Caiyi, introduced by Qin Feng, could even have Lu Ye help them burn away the corrosive power within their bodies to maintain their sanity, and then leave the Hehe Realm to find suitable places to break through. However, many more left that original sanctuary as soon as the Hehe Realm underwent its anomaly. Once powerhouses like them entered the Star Abyss, they would inevitably reach their critical point within a short time, their intelligence completely eroded, turning them into puppets of the Abyss. The puppet half-saint previously slain by Lu Ye and Si Shengya's joint efforts undoubtedly came from this source. It was just unlucky; it arrived the fastest and died the quickest. Therefore, all these current half-saints are puppets!

Considering the timeline, Long Zun and Feng Zhu entered seclusion first, followed by the Hehe Realm's anomaly. Long Zun and Feng Zhu had just emerged from seclusion. Logically, the powerhouses from the Hehe Realm should not have had enough time to advance to half-saint status. However, in reality, after their breakthrough, Long Zun and Feng Zhu spent some time stabilizing themselves before emerging. These puppet half-saints did not stabilize themselves; it's highly likely they rushed here immediately after their breakthrough, which is why their auras are all very unstable.

"Hehe Realm... so that's it!" Si Shengya realized with a jolt. He was also a half-saint who had fallen from the Star Abyss into the Origin Realm and had once been one of the Ten City Lords, so he naturally knew some secrets about the Hehe Realm. Throughout history, it was no secret that many powerhouses nearing their limits had fled into the Hehe Realm for refuge; any cultivator with a little insight could learn about it.

"But this number is simply too many," Xue Jiu, who was running at the front, exclaimed. "Who could possibly handle such a large influx?" Fortunately, their side had acted quickly. If these half-saints had appeared earlier, Hundred Battles would never have been taken, and even Crimson Flame City might not have been saved.

"This isn't all of them!" Lu Ye responded in a deep voice. Regarding knowledge of the Hehe Realm's internal situation, no one in the entire cosmos could compare to Qin Feng. As the Master of the Battlefield, he had been stationed in the Hehe Realm for years and knew precisely which reclusive powerhouses were there. The numbers Lu Ye had learned from him were far greater than what they were currently seeing. He now only regretted one thing: when the Hehe Realm underwent its anomaly, most of those powerhouses had immediately fled. Otherwise, Qin Feng could have found more people like Mu Yunhui and Huan Caiyi. That way, Lu Ye could have saved more individuals. Not that he sought gratitude or repayment; it was simply that the more people he saved, the fewer enemies there would naturally be. However, it was useless to regret it now, because he hadn't known about the Hehe Realm's anomaly at the time. By the time he entered, it was too late; only Mu Yunhui and Huan Caiyi, who had received the news, were waiting for him.

"They're still chasing us!" Xue Jiu looked back, seeing the puppet half-saints clinging to them like maggots to bone, impossible to shake off. This greatly infuriated Xue Jiu. Since leaving the Origin Realm and allying with Lu Ye, he had been virtually unstoppable, winning every battle. For years, he had been suppressed in the Star Abyss; never before had he felt such pride and vindication. This slight setback immediately ignited a fierce aggression within him. He longed to turn back right then and fight those puppets to the death. Compared to these puppet half-saints, he could grudgingly be called a senior. He was confident that even injured, his strength was no less than any of theirs, and if given the chance, he could certainly slay one of them. Of course, he would never admit that he coveted the supreme treasures in the puppets' possession.

As he spoke, he glanced at Lu Ye, who had already caught up, but seeing no intention of fighting in the other, he could only suppress his thoughts. Under the current circumstances, it was indeed unsuitable to engage. Who knew how many puppet half-saints were coming this way? There might even be more on the way. If they got entangled now and couldn't decide the outcome quickly, it would be disastrous when enemy reinforcements arrived later. Naturally, they also had to be wary of Mo Duo and Ming Feng. These two probably never imagined that Qian Liu City, which they had already planned to abandon, would ultimately be saved in such an inconceivable manner.

Indeed, that was the case. Inside Qian Liu City, as Lu Ye and the others retreated, and the puppet half-saints pursued relentlessly, the previously boisterous city suddenly fell silent. Mo Duo and Ming Feng exchanged glances, both somewhat confused by the situation. "Where did those half-saints come from?" Mo Duo exclaimed in surprise. Like Si Shengya, he didn't detect any familiar faces among them. If he didn't know, how could Ming Feng possibly know? Fortunately, there was still Gu Mingyue.

"Sirs, those half-saints should be from the Hehe Realm." "Hehe Realm?" Mo Duo frowned. He had been to the Hehe Realm; it was a very peculiar space. Why would there be so many half-saints there? Gu Mingyue knew he was unfamiliar with the Star Abyss's situation, so she briefly explained, then continued, "Earlier, Lu Ye shouted 'puppet', and I observed that the first half-saint who appeared indeed had a wooden expression and moved stiffly, as if it had lost its intelligence." Mo Duo and Ming Feng's eyes both lit up as they listened. "So, these half-saints are all puppets controlled by the Abyss? And they've all just recently advanced?" No wonder they felt the auras of those half-saints were very unstable, and none of them showed any intention of communicating, instead rushing towards Lu Ye and his group as soon as they appeared. This made them think there was some deep-seated hatred between the two sides, but the truth turned out to be this. "Mo Duo..." Ming Feng quietly called out. Mo Duo understood implicitly. "Such excitement, of course, calls for our involvement. Let's go!"