Chapter 1107: Star

Winds Rise Across Kyushu

The Sect Leader's recent message was mainly to inquire about Lu Ye's desired reward. Having rendered such distinguished service, the Haotian Alliance naturally had to show its appreciation. Without any gesture, morale would surely plummet.

"Rewards?" Lu Ye pondered. "What do I lack right now?" For ordinary cultivators, battle merits and achievements were scarce, but for him, he genuinely wasn't short of either. His accumulated battle merits had already reached several millions and were steadily progressing towards the ten-million mark. If this were to be known, probably no one would believe it.

With his current accumulation of battle merits, if he were to seek a promotion in military rank at the Ministry of Personnel, he could probably become a Camp Commander, let alone a Guardian. However, Lu Ye wasn't overly concerned with military ranks right now, so he hadn't bothered. A promotion would only mean a slight increase in his monthly stipend. "Then I'll take Fire Spirit Stones," Lu Ye stated his request, "and also monster cores from demonic beasts, especially venomous ones."

Although he could obtain a certain proportion by refining Exploding Fire Spirit Stones, his Talent Tree was a bottomless pit; it could devour any amount of Fire Spirit Stones entirely. It was always a good idea to stock up more. Furthermore, he always felt that his Talent Tree showed signs of another transformation. This was because, over this period, the Talent Tree had consumed many Fire Spirit Stones but showed no signs of activating new spirit patterns.

As for the monster cores, they were mainly for Amber. The venomous cores, however, were for Hua Ci. This woman had left the Cloud River Battlefield and lacked a suitable cultivation environment. Providing her with more venomous cores would help her grow faster.

No sooner had he finished communicating with the Sect Leader than his guard token reacted again. Lu Ye checked and found it was an order from Tianmen Pass, instructing them to collect as much insect blood from True Lake Realm and above as possible.

This was clearly to prepare raw materials for refining insect blood. It wasn't a troublesome task; cultivators at the two major passes in the Rift had been slaying insects, so collecting some insect parts along the way wouldn't be an issue. Moreover, this order wasn't exclusive to their side; it was likely sent to all major passes on the front line.

However, there were specific requirements for collecting insect blood. Ordinary insect blood was of little use due to its low quality, yielding nothing valuable when refined. Only insect blood from True Lake Realm and above could serve as raw material for refinement; blood from Divine Sea Realm insects would naturally be even more effective.

Lu Ye relayed the order to the Rift and didn't interfere further. He continued his cultivation.

The entire Kyushu entered a state of intense preparation. All cultivators awaited the arrival of that crucial moment. In this atmosphere, Kyushu presented a unique appearance; even ordinary mortals, who knew nothing of cultivation, noticed subtle changes.

The insect plague had swept across Kyushu for over three years, causing immense hardship for the common people throughout the land. Although cultivators protected mortals, preventing excessive casualties, for over three years, no one could see hope, and no one knew when these days would end.

But now, things were different. All cultivators understood that a counter-offensive against the Insect Race's Grand Secret Realm had been put on the agenda. It wouldn't be long before this suffering ended, and Kyushu would return to its former state.

The night breeze blew gently as Lu Ye stepped out of his cultivation chamber. Tonight, there was no moon, only a sky full of stars.

He wasn't someone who could cultivate in seclusion for extended periods; he was still too young and lacked the patience for it. So, after each period of closed-door cultivation, he would casually step out for a walk to relax his mind.

Cultivation emphasized a balance of relaxation and discipline. His cultivation speed was already very fast; ensuring a more pleasant and comfortable state of mind also allowed for better cultivation.

The sound of two people talking drifted from nearby. They were cultivators on duty at the pass's city wall, seemingly arguing about something.

There were only about fifty cultivators permanently stationed at the pass. However, Lu Ye largely led a reclusive life, using teleportation arrays for travel, so he had little contact with his subordinate soldiers. The only people he was familiar with were Yu Huang and a few others. With a flicker of his figure, he soared to their side.

The two cultivators were startled. Upon recognizing Lu Ye, they quickly saluted, "Sir."

Lu Ye responded, hands clasped behind his back, and asked curiously, "What are you two arguing about?"

One of them replied, "Sir, it's like this: Xiao Lou said there's an extra star in the sky, and I said there are so many stars, how could he be sure one was added or removed? So he started arguing with me."

"An extra star?" Lu Ye looked up at the sky. The younger cultivator, Xiao Lou, blushed and insisted, "There really is an extra one, Sir! I'm on duty here every night, and when I have nothing else to do, I watch the stars. Although I don't know how many stars there are in the sky, I can tell if one has been added or removed."

"Where?" Lu Ye asked curiously.

Xiao Lou pointed in a direction, "Sir, look over here. There should have only been seventeen stars here, but now there's one more. I vaguely noticed it a few days ago, but I wasn't quite sure then. Looking again today, this extra star is clearly brighter."

Lu Ye followed his direction and indeed saw eighteen stars there, but he couldn't tell which one was the extra one. However, he found it difficult to comment on such a matter. The number of visible stars also depended on the observation conditions. Perhaps Xiao Lou hadn't noticed it before, or perhaps that star had been obscured by clouds—all were possible. It was simply bored cultivators on duty finding something to pass the time. Without lingering, he said, "Argue all you want, but don't let it spoil your camaraderie."

"Don't worry, Sir," the older cultivator responded, "we're like brothers here. We're used to bickering, so please forgive our triviality."

Lu Ye nodded slightly, then flashed away towards the Heavenly Secret Hall, intending to use the teleportation array to go to the Rift for an inspection.

He returned over an hour later, having stretched his limbs and slain some insectoids in the Rift, then resumed his cultivation.

Kyushu's preparations took a full three months.

This was unavoidable because a sufficient quantity of insect blood needed to be gathered, which couldn't be collected in a short time.

Once the insect blood reserves met the requirements, the counter-offensive against the Insect Race's Grand Secret Realm was immediately put on the agenda.

Lu Ye received a summons and rushed from Jinglan Lake Pass to Haotian City.

Upon arriving at the Sect Leader's small courtyard, he found the Sect Leader waiting.

Lu Ye was puzzled, "With a cultivation level like mine, why would I be asked to attend the Grand Council?" On the way, he had asked the Sect Leader and learned that Pang Zhen wanted him to attend the Grand Council. The Grand Council was always the highest-level meeting of the Haotian Alliance in Bingzhou, only eligible for those like the Sect Leader, who were part of the Elder Council, or heads of departments like Qian Wudang. Even ordinary Divine Sea Realm cultivators at the eighth or ninth level were not qualified to attend, yet Lu Ye, a mere fourth-level Divine Sea Realm cultivator, was specifically named, which made him feel somewhat overwhelmed.

As the Sect Leader led him towards the Hall of Harmonious Light, he explained, "Because you once ventured deep into the Insect Race's Grand Secret Realm, you understand the situation there best. Although you brought back images from within, it's ultimately not as clear as seeing it firsthand, so we need you to provide some explanations. Additionally, you might be needed as a vanguard. Of course, no one will force you; you can decide for yourself whether to accept."

"A vanguard?" Lu Ye frowned. Being a vanguard was never easy, especially in such a large-scale operation. "What's your opinion, Sect Leader?"

The Sect Leader paused, then said, "If you can guarantee your safety, you can accept this. But if not, simply refuse. There's no reason to make a young person like you bear too much."

Lu Ye nodded slightly.

Following the Sect Leader to the Hall of Harmonious Light, Lu Ye stepped inside, and instantly, pairs of eyes turned to them.

One must know that those seated here were the highest-ranking figures of the Haotian Alliance in Bingzhou, all of them Divine Sea Realm cultivators at the ninth level. There were only about a dozen or so of them in total. They were the leaders of the Haotian Alliance in Bingzhou; it could be said that their every word and action determined the overall direction of the Alliance.

Some regarded him with scrutiny, some with interest, and some clearly showed admiration. Lu Ye followed closely behind the Sect Leader, approaching the side of the table. The Sect Leader took his seat and gestured, "You sit too." Lu Ye obediently sat beside him.

His battle imprint suddenly stirred. Lu Ye quietly checked it and found a message from Qian Wudang: "Don't be so nervous. One day, you'll walk in here on your own. Just consider this a preliminary familiarization."

He looked up and saw Qian Wudang smiling at him from across the table. Lu Ye pretended not to see him, as it wasn't appropriate to reply.

From the head seat, Pang Zhen tapped the table: "Everyone is here. I have an announcement: After discussions between the high-ranking officials of both major factions, a full-scale counter-offensive against the Insect Race's Grand Secret Realm will be launched in three days!"

The others had clearly received this news through various channels beforehand, so they didn't react with much surprise. Now gathered, they were to discuss the concrete action plan.

This was a large-scale joint operation involving all of Kyushu. What kind of people were qualified to participate, how many personnel each faction would deploy, and how to allocate them—all needed careful consideration.

They couldn't simply issue an order and have everyone rush in haphazardly; that would only lead to chaos.

Due to the limited scale of the insect tunnels, only cultivators at the True Lake Realm and above were permitted to participate in this counter-offensive. Cultivators below the True Lake Realm did not need to get involved.

This was not only due to the limited size of the insect tunnels but also a consideration of strength. The Insect Race's Grand Secret Realm was fraught with danger; cultivators with insufficient strength would only cause trouble and increase casualties. In such an environment, only cultivators at the True Lake Realm and above could be effective.

This single requirement would exclude ninety percent of Kyushu's cultivators. However, the sheer number of cultivators in Kyushu was immense, and even if only True Lake Realm and above cultivators participated, a truly vast number would undoubtedly be gathered, sufficient to handle the Insect Race's Grand Secret Realm.

Although the time was set, maintaining the unity of action was also a challenge.

Therefore, cultivators from the Nine Provinces would need to enter from various rifts, maintain constant communication, advance simultaneously, and then continuously converge until they reached the portals at the end of the insect tunnels.

They would then wait outside the nine portals to gather, and then attack the Insect Race's Grand Secret Realm simultaneously. Only in this way could they sweep through it in one fell swoop, clearing the Insect Race's Grand Secret Realm.