Chapter 1133: Celebration Banquet

Winds Rise in KyushuWinds Rise in Kyushu

Lu Ye nodded, "We can go to the Blood Refinement Realm, and Senior Brother can also return!"

Qiu Min was clearly overwhelmed by the immense surprise. Even as a Divine Sea Realm cultivator, she was momentarily at a loss.

After a good while, she composed herself and looked earnestly at Lu Ye, "Your Senior Brother calls you Junior Brother, so I'll follow suit. Junior Brother, thank you for telling me all this."

Lu Ye said, "We're family, Senior Sister-in-law, no need to be formal. Actually, I came to tell you all this with a bit of a selfish motive."

"Tell me."

"You know about Fourth Senior Brother's situation, Senior Sister-in-law. Last time in the Blood Refinement Realm, I didn't dare mention it to Senior Brother. Now that I'm back in Kyushu, it's also awkward to talk about Senior Brother's affairs in front of Fourth Senior Brother, so..."

Qiu Min immediately understood, smiling faintly, "That's very thoughtful of you. Leave this matter to me. Your Fourth Senior Brother was practically raised by me. While I am formally his Senior Sister-in-law, if I were to ask him to call me 'Mother,' would he dare refuse?"

A weight lifted from Lu Ye's heart. "Then many thanks, Senior Sister-in-law."

The generational hierarchy was indeed becoming a bit messy...

However, cultivators, as a group, often cannot be bound by the ethics of mortals. When the time came, everyone would simply address each other as they saw fit.

Senior Sister Feng would still be Senior Sister Feng, and Senior Sister-in-law would still be Senior Sister-in-law.

Fourth Senior Brother and Feng Yuebi were childhood sweethearts, deeply affectionate. They couldn't be forcibly separated just because of generational issues. Fortunately, Senior Sister-in-law was reasonable, and Senior Brother likely wouldn't have many objections either.

After bidding farewell to Senior Sister-in-law, Lu Ye and Nian Yuexian began their journey back to Haotian City.

He had expected a period of leisure before the celebration banquet, but no sooner had he returned to Haotian City than Qian Wudang conscripted him, assigning him a reception duty.

Having no choice, Lu Ye joined other cultivators at the eastern side of Haotian City, welcoming guests arriving from all over Kyushu.

Haotian City instantly became exceptionally lively.

Due to varying distances, guests from different parts of Kyushu arrived at different times. Those from nearby provinces, especially cultivators affiliated with the Haotian Alliance, arrived earlier. Those from farther away were still en route but were expected to arrive soon.

All rooms in Haotian City were emptied to accommodate guests from all directions; even Lu Ye's small courtyard was requisitioned.

Following the final battle in the Great Insect Secret Realm, he had completely become famous throughout Kyushu, allowing the cultivation world to recognize his terrifying potential.

When guests who arrived were received by him, they naturally couldn't help but praise him, often showing signs of wanting to befriend him.

As a welcoming party member, Lu Ye became familiar with many senior Divine Sea Realm cultivators. In terms of connections alone, he had expanded his network significantly.

Gradually, Lu Ye felt that something was amiss. Too many people were arriving; he was so busy he barely had a moment to rest, having just settled one group before needing to greet the next.

When Qian Wudang came to inspect, Lu Ye asked for the reason. Qian Wudang immediately retorted impatiently, "It's all because of you!

"Originally, we estimated that if half of all invited guests came, that would be good. But now, not only has more than half arrived, almost everyone on the list has come... and they've brought their families too!"

"Why are you all such bigmouths!" Lu Ye exclaimed indignantly. Although some matters were destined to be announced, he had kept them quiet precisely to avoid causing too much commotion. News of the Blood Refinement Realm should have spread among Kyushu's high-ranking figures first, then gradually disseminated downwards to stabilize public sentiment.

"It's not my fault," Qian Wudang shrugged, clearing himself. "I didn't spread the word outside. But cultivators, who doesn't have a few close friends? And for such a major event, unless you tell absolutely no one, it's impossible to keep it secret."

Lu Ye knew he was right. From another perspective, this wasn't necessarily a bad thing. With more cultivators participating in the grand event and receiving firsthand information, there would be much less resistance when mobilizing them in the future.

The reception continued, and as the date of the celebration banquet approached, more and more people arrived.

Haotian City was now truly bustling with Divine Sea Realm cultivators everywhere.

Reluctantly, Haotian City had to change the venue for the celebration banquet. Originally, it was planned for a spacious hall that could comfortably accommodate several hundred people.

But now, it had to be held in the outdoor plaza.

Several days passed in a flash, and the day of the celebration banquet arrived. On the vast plaza, tables were neatly arranged. From late Mao Shi, people began arriving one after another, finding their seats. In just half an hour, the enormous plaza was completely filled.

Thousands of Divine Sea Realm cultivators, each representing a sect from a major province, mostly cultivators above the seventh layer, gathered together — what a grand event!

Although there were many people, it was not noisy. Those who were acquainted sat together, communicating only through spiritual sense. Others closed their eyes to meditate, sitting still. Cultivators had diverse personalities, naturally leading to different ways of conduct.

Everyone was waiting.

There was no loud drumming or fluttering banners. Cultivators were, after all, different from mortals; they didn't require such grand spectacles.

Then, at a certain moment, a figure soared into the air and settled. Instantly, thousands of pairs of eyes converged on him.

Even though Lu Ye was mentally prepared, he couldn't help but feel a momentary daze.

The people he faced were arguably the most elite group of powerhouses in Kyushu's cultivation world. For a less stable cultivator, even standing there would likely be a challenge.

He circulated the spiritual power throughout his body, resisting the invisible pressure.

His cultivation at the fifth layer of the Divine Sea Realm was almost at the bottom compared to the entire gathering, but at this moment, he was genuinely the focus of everyone's attention.

No one was surprised, as the spread of certain unverified rumors meant that the cultivators gathered here largely knew that this celebration banquet was merely a pretext to assemble the Divine Sea Realm cultivators of Kyushu. The true purpose was the rumored monumental event that could affect Kyushu's future.

And the source of this news was the greatest contributor to the counterattack on the Great Insect Secret Realm. If he didn't appear, who would?

Everyone was curious about what this momentous event was. Lu Ye clasped his hands and bowed to all directions. His voice, amplified by spiritual power, echoed: "This junior, Lu Ye of the Bloodfiend Sect, greets all esteemed seniors and sages. Your gathering today is a grand event for Bing Province and for all of Kyushu. Taking advantage of this assembly, this junior wishes to announce something. This matter concerns Kyushu's future, and more importantly, Kyushu's very survival!"

At his words, everyone's expression turned solemn.

The news they had received only stated that Lu Ye's announcement concerned Kyushu's future, not its survival.

They immediately understood that the gravity of the situation Lu Ye was about to announce might exceed their imagination.

But what in the world could concern Kyushu's survival? After all, even the insect plague had been quelled.

Despite their internal questions, no one interrupted. They merely listened, which was the most basic etiquette and a display of the Divine Sea Realm cultivators' steady composure.

"Before announcing this matter, this junior would like to share an experience with all of you," Lu Ye spoke fluently. "It was several years ago. At that time, this junior was only a fifth-layer True Lake Realm cultivator. By chance, I ventured into a realm called the Blood Refinement Realm. Seniors, you have cultivated for a long time, and your knowledge and experience far surpass mine. You must also know that in this vast starry sky, there are other realms besides Kyushu."

Lu Ye then briefly recounted his various experiences in the Blood Refinement Realm.

The hardships of human survival in the Blood Refinement Realm, the cruel lawlessness of the Blood Tribe, and the struggle for survival of the Bloodfiend Sacred Land in the Divine Palace Sea – a general picture of this foreign realm slowly unfolded in the minds of the listeners as Lu Ye spoke.

Many Divine Sea Realm cultivators listened with exclamations of wonder, as even with their extensive knowledge and experience, they had never encountered such bizarre tales.

Looking back now, it was no coincidence that Lu Yiye of the Bloodfiend Sect achieved such accomplishments at a young age. In terms of experience alone, he surpassed ninety-nine percent of the cultivators present.

Soon, Lu Ye finished his brief exposition of the Blood Refinement Realm's situation.

The vast plaza was silent. Everyone was pondering Lu Ye's intention in recounting this matter.

A ninth-layer cultivator seated in the front row spoke, "Young Friend Lu, as you said, the Blood Tribe in the Blood Refinement Realm is vast in number, with many strong individuals. Especially those 'Sacred Seeds,' each possesses strength surpassing an ordinary ninth-layer cultivator.

"With such powerful forces, how could the Bloodfiend Sacred Land possibly resist?"

Lu Ye turned his head and recognized the speaker as He Xiong, the head of Myriad Devil Ridge in You Province.

During the final battle in the Great Insect Secret Realm, Lu Ye had used the Blood River to help the ninth-layer cultivators kill enemies, and through his overall coordination, he had interacted with many of them to varying degrees.

You Province was territory directly controlled by Myriad Devil Ridge. As the head of a province, although He Xiong's status was comparable to Pang Zhen's, the forces under his command were much stronger.

After all, in Bing Province, the Haotian Alliance and Myriad Devil Ridge each held half the territory.

Lu Ye smiled faintly: "The Bloodfiend Sacred Land could resist for two reasons. Firstly, they occupied a geographical advantage. Situated within the Divine Palace Sea, the Blood Tribe would have to cross the sea to attack the Bloodfiend Sacred Land. The blood-water in that sea is like poison to ordinary Blood Tribe members; once they fall in, they either die or are severely injured. In such an environment, the Blood Tribe's performance is greatly restricted. Secondly, naturally, because the Bloodfiend Sacred Land also has quite a number of strong individuals, and those strong individuals... are not strong in the ordinary sense. Any one of them possesses strength comparable to a Sacred Seed!"

Upon these words, the entire assembly erupted in an uproar.

According to Lu Ye's description, few of the ninth-layer cultivators present could contend with the so-called Sacred Seeds. Yet, the Bloodfiend Sacred Land astonishingly had a group of human cultivators comparable to Sacred Seeds, which seemed quite unbelievable.

"If the Blood Refinement Realm is the domain of the Blood Tribe, and humans are merely their blood sustenance, how could so many human powerhouses be born there?"