Chapter 1134: Token

Wind Rises in Kyushu

If one were to consider the Blood Tribe's perspective, they would absolutely not allow humanity significant room for cultivation advancement. This makes it incredibly difficult to believe or comprehend how the Jadeblood Holy Land could possess so many powerful cultivators comparable to Saint-level practitioners.

Lu Ye looked at the speaker. "Senior, your insight is sharp, and you've asked an excellent question. I spent two years in the Blood Refinement Realm. All the humans I saw there were struggling to survive, and indeed, no truly powerful cultivators could emerge. But what if... these powerful individuals in the Jadeblood Holy Land were not born in the Blood Refinement Realm?"

The cultivator who spoke couldn't help but frown. "Young friend, what do you mean by this?" Lu Ye proclaimed loudly, "This junior can enter the Blood Refinement Realm from Kyushu. Naturally, others before me could also achieve this." He suddenly turned, looked at a certain position in the front row, and tossed an object in that direction. "Sword Master Mu, do you recognize this item?"

Mu Suifeng, the Sword Master of the Northern Profound Sword Sect, raised his hand and took the object between his fingers. After only a brief glance, he revealed a look of surprise. "This is... a Sword Token?"

A Sword Token, in essence, is a sword tip containing the profound sword intent of the Northern Profound Sword Sect. It has always been used by the Northern Profound Sword Sect as a Sword Master's symbol of authority. Currently, throughout the entire Northern Profound Sword Sect, only Mu Suifeng himself is qualified to issue such a Sword Token, bestowed upon friends who have made great contributions to the Northern Profound Sword Sect. The holder of this Sword Token can request the Northern Profound Sword Sect to undertake any task within its capabilities.

Since its establishment, the Northern Profound Sword Sect had issued a total of two such Sword Tokens. One remained unused, while the second was activated. That time, eight hundred sword cultivators of the Northern Profound Sword Sect descended Mount Tian, creating a significant upheaval.

The Northern Profound Sword Sect and the Jadeblood Sect are both located in Bingzhou and maintain good relations. Mu Suifeng himself holds Lu Ye in high regard, and with the connection to Li Baxian, they can be said to be natural allies of the Jadeblood Sect.

Yet, even as an ally, when it came to something as crucial as the Sword Master's Token, Mu Suifeng could not afford to be careless. He was certain that in the past four hundred years, the Northern Profound Sword Sect had not issued any such token.

This left Mu Suifeng very confused as to where Lu Ye's Sword Token came from.

What surprised him even more was that, upon sensing it, the profound sword intent contained within the Sword Token was indeed the authentic Northern Profound heritage, and its power even surpassed his own.

In all the lands, only one person's sword cultivation could possibly surpass his, the Northern Profound Sword Master:

That Fifth Generation Sword Master, Jian Guhong!

But even he couldn't determine the life or death of that senior. Since it was a seclusion that often ends in death or enlightenment, it was naturally a matter of succeeding or perishing. Therefore, even during the previous counterattack on the Insectoid Great Secret Realm, Mu Suifeng didn't dare to disturb Jian Guhong's seclusion spot.

A realization dawned upon him at this thought. Mu Suifeng looked up at Lu Ye, who nodded slightly, confirming what he had begun to suspect.

Mu Suifeng's expression shifted, disbelief mixed with an undeniable acceptance.

"Vice-Alliance Master Pang." Lu Ye looked at Pang Zhen again and tossed out another object.

Pang Zhen took it, examined it carefully, and his expression also grew solemn. He spoke slowly, "If I'm not mistaken, this should be the token of my Righteous Sect's Third Generation Sect Master. Our Third Generation Sect Master has remained in seclusion for many years. Lu Yiye, where did you obtain this object?"

Lu Ye replied frankly, "Naturally, Senior Meng Jie personally handed it to me."

Pang Zhen's eyes narrowed involuntarily, and a similar inexplicable feeling arose within him, mirroring Mu Suifeng's.

Lu Ye spoke again. "Which senior from the Ten Thousand Laws Sect is here?" Somewhere on the square, an old man paused in surprise, then immediately stood up. "I am Gongsun Miao of the Ten Thousand Laws Sect!"

Lu Ye tossed a token to him. "Senior Yue Ji said that the Ten Thousand Laws Sect is declining with each successive generation. You should work harder and not tarnish the reputation she built back then."

Gongsun Miao caught the token and immediately began to examine it with the other Ten Thousand Laws Sect cultivators who had come with him.

Lu Ye continued, "Is anyone from Medicine King Valley here?" Immediately, someone stood up. "Over here."

Another token was tossed out—a small alchemy furnace—accompanied by a message: "Granny Jiu said she doesn't have many years left. This alchemy furnace has been with her for many years, and she leaves it to her descendants as a memento."

"Where is Canglang Sect?"

"Which senior from Heavenly Dao Sect has graced us with their presence?"

"Is anyone from Qingxuan Sect here?"

One sect after another was called out, and one token after another was displayed. The originally quiet grand banquet hall began to grow noisy. The cultivators who received the tokens were all verifying their authenticity, while simultaneously sending urgent messages back to their sects for verification.

The cultivators from sects that had not been called out all looked eagerly at Lu Ye, as if expecting something.

Soon, people realized that all the seniors mentioned by Lu Ye, who had bestowed these tokens, were powerful individuals who had been dominant figures of their respective eras. It could be said that the eras they belonged to were marked by the influence of these names, long forgotten by the world.

Combining this with everything Lu Ye had said before, a bold and exhilarating conjecture gradually surfaced in everyone's minds.

Dozens of tokens, dozens of sects; distribution was completed in less than fifteen minutes. Although the time was brief, some things could already be confirmed.

Many cultivators who received the tokens sent messages to their sects' remaining cultivators, instructing them to open their ancestors' seclusion sites. The result was that the sites were empty; neither living nor deceased individuals were found.

The ancestors who were supposed to be undergoing life-and-death seclusion had long since vanished without a trace.

This commotion lasted for a long time. Lu Ye stood quietly in mid-air, waiting. He knew that some matters, even for cultivators, would have a profound impact and require time for them to digest.

Until a shout rang out: "Silence!"

Only then did the noise subside, and thousands of eyes once again focused on Lu Ye, waiting for him to provide an answer.

Lu Ye's expression was solemn. "As you all suspect, those human cultivators in the Blood Refinement Realm who possess Saint-level strength all came from my Kyushu! Within the past two hundred years, they went to the Blood Refinement Realm at different points in time, and the Jadeblood Holy Land was also established through their combined efforts, serving as the sole sanctuary for humans in the Blood Refinement Realm. It is thanks to them that the Jadeblood Holy Land has remained intact."

Although they already had suspicions, when Lu Ye personally confirmed this conjecture, it still sent a jolt through everyone.

Someone even shouted excitedly, "Heaven be praised! Our Sixth Generation Former Sect Master is still alive! Your unworthy descendants have brought shame upon you!"

The person who shouted this was a True Lake Ninth-Layer cultivator from a fifth-grade sect, one that Lu Ye had specifically added to the invitation list.

Before, no one knew why he did this, but only now did they understand the deeper meaning. Thinking carefully, the dozens of sects he had specifically instructed to invite were exactly those he was now revealing.

This sect had also experienced a time of great glory, precisely when that Sixth Generation Former Sect Master was active in Kyushu. The sect's rank once rose to first-grade. However, after that Sixth Generation Former Sect Master gradually retired from prominence, the sect's talent pool diminished, and its rank slowly fell to fifth-grade. Currently, there isn't even a Divine Sea Realm cultivator within the sect. Now, upon suddenly learning that their former sect master was still alive, they were naturally overwhelmed with emotion and wept tears of joy.

Not just the members of this fifth-grade sect, but even major sects like the Righteous Sect and the Northern Profound Sword Sect, which still stood among the first-grade ranks, upon hearing that their own ancestors were protecting humanity in another realm and enduring suffering, couldn't help but feel indignant and emotionally stirred. They wished they could return to their sects immediately, rally their forces, and rush to the Blood Refinement Realm to assist their ancestors and fulfill their filial piety.

Long Bai mused, "Lu Yiye, is this what you want to announce? This is, after all, a matter of another realm. What does it have to do with my Kyushu, and how can it determine the future and survival of my Kyushu?"

Lu Ye cast a grateful glance at Long Bai; the other party had asked the right question at the right time.

"Indeed, as Senior Long said, this is ultimately a matter of another realm. Logically, it should have nothing to do with Kyushu. But have you all considered why those dozens of seniors with peak cultivation were gradually sent to the Blood Refinement Realm? If there truly was no connection at all, all their efforts in the Blood Refinement Realm would be meaningless. The defenses of the Jadeblood Holy Land already have a breach, and the next large-scale attack by the Blood Tribe will certainly break through the Jadeblood Holy Land. At that time, those seniors will have no defenses left, and even if their cultivation defies nature, they cannot avoid the fate of being besieged to death. Therefore, everything concerning the Blood Refinement Realm is related to my Kyushu, because... it has arrived!"

Long Bai's eyelids twitched. "Who has arrived?" The statement was vague and perplexing.

Although a vague idea popped into his mind, it seemed utterly impossible no matter how he thought about it.

But Lu Ye's next words shattered the faint hope in Long Bai's heart. "The Blood Refinement Realm has arrived!" He pointed to a certain direction in the sky. "Although we don't yet know how far it is from Kyushu, it is undeniably drawing closer to Kyushu."

Everyone's faces changed!

Even the many Ninth-Layer cultivators felt their spiritual energy surge involuntarily, and in an instant, the spiritual energy throughout the entire grand banquet hall became utterly chaotic.

What Lu Ye said was simply too shocking, too unbelievable, almost like deceptive heresy.

Many people turned their heads to look at the Sect Master's position, as if to imply, "Your disciple has lost his mind; why don't you go up and rein him in?" But the Sect Master merely sat in place, calmly resting with closed eyes.

Honestly, when Lu Ye first told him about this, his reaction was no better than that of the Divine Sea Realm cultivators present. He asked Lu Ye for confirmation several times, and Lu Ye vowed with absolute certainty each time; it was only then that he believed what was said.

After the sudden chaos came complete silence. If Lu Ye had revealed such a thing from the very beginning, no one would have believed it. An entire realm approaching Kyushu—who would dare to believe such a thing?

However, with all the previous build-up, what Lu Ye said now had some credibility. But for such a significant matter, mere words from Lu Ye wouldn't be enough for everyone to simply believe.

"This matter is of great importance, and verbal claims are not enough. Lu Yiye, you say the Blood Refinement Realm is approaching Kyushu. Do you have any evidence?"