Chapter 671 6-Winged Demon Race (Demon Beast)

Eldrin had no choice but to be cautious. Every spirit island in the Mooncrest Archipelago served as an array anchor for the Sunstar Atoll. These fourth-tier spirit islands possessed formidable defenses—even a fifth-tier treasure ship would require 2 full days of sustained assault to breach them.

2 days would be more than enough time for Eldrin to bring reinforcements.

The fact that they simultaneously breached 3 spirit islands, not even allowing them time to send reinforcements, suggests there must be at least a dozen or so fifth-tier treasure ships involved.

Chen Changxuan’s expression turned grave as he took a deep breath and said, "The enemy has at least 20-some Fifth-Rank treasure ships, and they’ve been clearing out spirit islands along the way. It’s clear they intend to dismantle the Starfire Island’s formation anchors 1 by 1."

Witnessing this, Lyra (Person Name) took a deep breath and declared, "It seems the demonic race truly intends to lure our main forces away, seizing the chance to breach 1 of the primary array eyes."

"Fortunately, we didn't deploy too many reinforcements to support Serpentis Island, otherwise we might not have held our ground either."

The old clan leader also nodded before speaking, "Then how should this battle be fought?"

"Since the demon race intends to capture our Starfire Island, they must possess substantial strength." Eldrin pondered briefly before speaking: "We should stall for now. Once our allies assemble, we'll seek the right moment to engage."

"Let’s seize this chance to first gauge their strength before making a move."

Having made his decision, Eldrin immediately issued orders to the 7 fifth-tier spirit islands under the jurisdiction of Starfire Island, then personally flew toward the front lines to gather intelligence.

With the Yin Yang Void Mirror in his possession, his escape capabilities were exceptionally formidable. Moreover, the Astral-Viewing Tower concealed his aura and shielded him from divination, so he had no fear of being trapped by the Outer Demons.

Just 3 days later, Eldrin returned to Sun-Moon Island, his expression grave as he addressed the crowd. "This demonic tribe belongs to the 6-Winged Demon clan. They possess 20-3 fifth-grade treasure ships, with 40-6 heavenly demons above the Nascent Soul stage."

Among them were 5 late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, whose strength could not be underestimated.

Upon hearing this, everyone’s expressions shifted slightly. Across the entire Starfire Island region, there were only a mere 30-some late-stage Nascent Soul True Lords among the human cultivators.

As for True Monarchs at the late Nascent Soul stage, there were now only the Sect Master of Heavenly Abode and the Sect Master of Heavenly Wastes. Even with the addition of Eldrin and Lyra, there were merely 4 in total.

Dealing with opponents whose overall strength was at least 1-third greater than 1's own was already enough to completely sway the outcome of a battle.

Kael surveyed the assembly and declared without preamble, "Over these past few days, we've lost 30-7 spirit islands. If we don't deploy our forces to confront them directly, we'll be left watching helplessly as each island falls 1 by 1."

The Sect Master of Tianlu wore a solemn expression. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "My Di Fire Xuan Jing Sword has already been deployed to set up the formation. If I were to go out and intercept them now, I’m afraid I would be at a disadvantage."

Everyone fell silent upon hearing this. The forces of the Outer Demons were formidable; engaging them in open battle beyond the Spirit Island would be like throwing an egg against a rock.

If left unchecked, as each spirit island falls, Star Sun Island will eventually be besieged by enemy forces.

At this thought, Eldrin asked, "Can the surrounding Star Abode Spirit Islands spare any troops for reinforcement?"

The Patriarch of the Celestial Path Sect shook his head and said, "I contacted Elder 9 Rivers not long ago. The Zhangyue Deer Archipelago where he resides has also come under attack by the demonic tribe. However, without knowing the exact number of enemy troops, he dares not act rashly."

"Then we'll have to stall for time."

Kael declared, "Our strategy is to hold fast on the Eldrin Island and bide our time for a more opportune moment."

The Starfire Archipelago comprised over 7 100 islands. If the demonic forces refused to divide their troops, conquering them 1 by 1 would require at least several years. Yet should they choose to split their forces, this might very well become our opportunity.

However, if this dragged on, even if they emerged victorious, it would be a pyrrhic victory. For every fourth-order spirit island that fell, they would lose at least several 1000 cultivators, with perhaps not a single soul left alive.

At this thought, Eldrin pondered for a moment before speaking: "On the Starfire Island, we've deployed a quasi-divine soul-level formation using the 2 Polarities Treasure Lotus and the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss. Its offensive and defensive capabilities are exceptionally formidable."

"Why not temporarily abandon those fourth-rank spirit islands and concentrate our forces to make a stand against the demonic race at Starfire Island?"

Everyone was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, never expecting Eldrin would make such a decision.

Observing the expressions of the crowd, Eldrin spoke again, "A prolonged defense will inevitably crack. Even if we buy time, it would severely deplete our strength. Better to clench into a single fist, concentrate our elite forces, and strike the enemy when they least expect it."

The Sect Master of Tianlu hesitated for a moment, unable to resist asking, "Would abandoning hundreds of spirit islands be too great a price to pay?"

Eldrin shook his head, then spoke with a faint smile: "Preserve land at the cost of lives, and both shall be lost; preserve lives at the cost of land, and both shall be gained."

"They want to pick off our affiliated spirit islands 1 by 1, then breach 1 of the Star Constellations Formation's anchor points, don't they?"

Eldrin spoke with a detached tone, a sudden flash of killing intent gleaming in his eyes, "I'll let them try to breach Starfire Island. We shall see whether the island falls or they shatter themselves against its defenses."

There was 1 thing Eldrin didn’t say—he was not 1 to entrust his fate to another’s hands.

Currently, the situation at the Evian Island remains uncertain, and the spiritual islands of the other major Star Palaces may not hold. Should any of the other astral islands fall, it would deal a severe blow to both morale and the Star Formation Array.

Rather than being gradually eroded by the opponent, it would be better to break the stalemate swiftly to create opportunities for outnumbering tactics and shifting the battle's momentum.

Lyra was well aware of Eldrin's temperament and remarked, "Though we've lost the support of several 100 spirit islands, the Starfire Island's defensive formations will only weaken by 30 to 40 percent."

"But with the 2 Forms Earthfire Sword Formation in our hands, combined with the Star Constellation Grand Array, we might truly have a chance at victory."

Watching Eldrin and Lyra finalize their plan, the Heaven’s Abode Sect Master declared, “In that case, summon the Heaven’s Desolation Sect Master and the others. We must prepare for battle at any moment.”

Once the decision was made, Eldrin issued the command, ordering all cultivators across the spirit islands to abandon their posts and begin converging upon the Starfire Island.

Thanks to Eldrin's prior orders, each fourth-rank spirit island was garrisoned by only a modest number of cultivators, allowing the evacuation to proceed with astonishing speed.

A mere few 1000 cultivators resided on a single spirit island. A single fifth-grade treasure ship could evacuate dozens of such islands in 1 day. In less than 10 days, every cultivator across the spirit islands had been completely evacuated.

In order to concentrate their forces, Eldrin even mobilized over a dozen spirit islands guarded by celestial clans from major continents like the Tianhuang Sect, relocating them all to Starfire Island.

For a time, Starfire Island gathered 18 fifth-grade treasure ships and over 20,000,000 human cultivators, including as many as 30-7 Nascent Soul True Monarchs.

While this level of strength still slightly fell short of the 6-Winged Demon Race (Demon Beast), when combined with the formations of Starfire Island, it could be said to be on equal footing.

When the 6-Winged Demon Race (Demon Beast) received the news, their leader sneered coldly, "The humans governing Starfire Island are truly worthless. To abandon nearly a 1000 spirit islands and let me claim this heaven-defying merit—what utter fools."