Chapter 1285: Farewell

Winds Rise in Kyushu

A large number of cultivators from Kyushu, all above the True Lake Realm, poured into the Unrivaled Continent, transforming this once desolate realm into a bustling domain.

The current situation in Kyushu is clear. Spirit Stream Realm cultivators revel in the Spirit Stream Battlefield, while Cloud River Realm cultivators have the Cloud River Battlefield to expend their energy and compete. Upon reaching the True Lake Realm, cultivators can journey to the Unrivaled Continent to slay members of the Corpse Tribe, earning war merits for their cultivation.

A year has passed since the passage between the two realms opened. In that time, at least a hundred thousand True Lake Realm cultivators have poured from Kyushu into the Unrivaled Continent, and this number is bound to grow significantly as time goes on.

Thanks to Yue Xin's meticulous arrangements, Kyushu cultivators could teleport to the Unrivaled Continent using formations without significantly depleting Kyushu's own foundational energy. The only energy consumed was that accumulated by the transit formations located on several barren planets. This was not due to Yue Xin's benevolence. He had initially coveted Kyushu, intending to seize this rapidly developing realm, and thus would naturally avoid anything that could harm its foundation. Unfortunately, despite his thorough preparations, his efforts only ended up benefiting the Kyushu cultivators, as he was brutally slain by Yang Qing.

Currently, in the Unrivaled Continent, Kyushu cultivators have explored an area spanning hundreds of thousands of miles in every direction, centered around the formations Yue Xin left behind. While this is a considerable area, it is merely the tip of the iceberg compared to the vastness of the entire Unrivaled Continent. The Unrivaled Continent is exceptionally expansive, its full size hardly any smaller than Kyushu itself.

It is foreseeable that the Unrivaled Continent will keep Kyushu cultivators occupied for many years. As long as the Corpse Tribe there hasn't been completely eradicated, Kyushu cultivators won't need to worry about earning war merits. As for what happens hundreds of years from now, who can truly say? Perhaps by then, the situation in Kyushu will have undergone unexpected changes.

Finally, cultivators have a reliable place to earn war merits.

In a mountain hollow, a fierce battle was underway.

A towering, robust figure stood firm like a small mountain. No matter how fierce the assaults, they could not shake the formidable defense constructed by this body. Bare-chested, Ju Jia pressed his feet down, his entire body unmoving as if nailed to the ground, resisting wave after wave of furious assaults from the Corpse Tribe. Beside him, Xiao Xinghe wielded his long saber, cutting Corpse Tribe members in half, their blood spilling across the ground. On the other other side, Li Baxian's flying sword darted back and forth, its brilliant light wreaking havoc among the corpse horde. Dazzling spells cast by Feng Yuechan and Yiyi illuminated the scene. Within the corpse horde, a petite figure, Lin Yinxiu, appeared and disappeared, harvesting freely. When a tiger's roar shook the heavens, the majestic Amber leaped back and forth, and wherever its tiger claws struck, a Corpse Tribe member would perish.

The change in Kyushu's structure had impacted the Bingzhou Law Enforcement Division, which now existed in name only. Even its chief, Qian Wudang, had ascended to the Star Constellation Realm and left Kyushu. However, the configurations of various teams were still retained. Team Ding-Jiu was one such unit. Ordinarily, they hunted Corpse Tribe members individually on the Unrivaled Continent to earn war merits. Only when encountering large groups of the Corpse Tribe would Team Ding-Jiu reassemble and work together to eliminate the enemy.

This corpse horde was of considerable size, exactly the kind of prey Team Ding-Jiu favored. A few days prior, Lin Yinxiu had discovered its tracks and sent word to gather her scattered teammates. What followed was this fierce battle.

Currently, every member of Team Ding-Jiu possessed cultivation at the Divine Sea Realm. While their individual levels weren't extremely high, they could still unleash power beyond their normal capabilities, thanks to the might of the "United Spirit" formation disk.

The battle had begun before dawn, yet even now, the size of the corpse horde had only been reduced by half.

"Third Senior Brother, I think we should retreat for now!" Li Baxian shouted loudly amidst the fierce fighting.

Xiao Xinghe shared this sentiment. It wasn't that Team Ding-Jiu lacked strength, or that the corpse horde was too powerful. While there were many formidable Corpse Tribe members within the horde, some even individually stronger than them, their low intelligence made them not too difficult to deal with. The crucial point was that fighting the Corpse Tribe required constant activation of spiritual power to resist the invasion of corpse poison. Moreover, they had to be extremely careful not to get injured, as any invasion of corpse poison would quickly become very troublesome. This undoubtedly placed a heavy drain on every cultivator. Having dealt with half the corpse horde in one fierce struggle, they could rest, then return to finish the other half. This was the most suitable approach.

Just as he was about to respond, Xiao Xinghe suddenly sensed something and looked up in a certain direction. He saw a streak of light rapidly approaching, carrying an imposing aura. Xiao Xinghe's face lit up with joy, as he recognized a familiar aura from the approaching person. Amber's roars grew more excited, and even Yiyi's face showed delight. The streak of light rapidly drew near, immediately followed by a bolt of saber light, like a flowing ribbon, striking down. Without deviation, several of the strongest Corpse Tribe members were instantly cut in half, significantly easing the pressure on the defense line constructed by Ju Jia.

As Team Ding-Jiu members looked up, Lu Ye gazed at them with a smile, asking, "Everyone, do you need any help?"

Li Baxian laughed, "Little Junior Brother, don't intervene! These are all war merits!"

"Retreat!" Xiao Xinghe shouted, raising his arm. Amber was the first to turn and rush out of the battlefield. Before leaving, it didn't forget to rush to Yiyi and Feng Yuechan, gently securing them and tossing them onto its back. Lin Yinxiu's figure vanished from sight, only faint ripples in the air marking her movement. After ascending to the Divine Sea Realm, her ghostly cultivation techniques had become even more mysterious and unpredictable. Li Baxian unleashed a long river of sword qi and departed on his sword, while Xiao Xinghe also made a swift retreat. Finally, only Ju Jia remained, briefly resisting the corpse horde's assaults. He then turned around, allowing numerous attacks to land on his sturdy back with thudding sounds, and with wind beneath his feet, he quickly ran far away.

A moment later, Team Ding-Jiu gathered in a wilderness a hundred miles from the battlefield.

Yiyi joyfully leaped into Lu Ye's embrace. Amber, now cat-sized, leaped onto his shoulder and rubbed its head against his cheek.

Li Baxian clicked his tongue in wonder, "It's been a year, and Little Junior Brother's strength has become even more profound." When Lu Ye arrived earlier, his spiritual power fluctuations had already reached the ninth layer of the Divine Sea Realm, just one step away from breaking through to the Star Constellation Realm. Such cultivation speed was truly enviable. He recalled that his and Feng Yuechan's cultivation levels used to be significantly higher than Lu Ye's, and Xiao Xinghe's even more so, but now they had all been left far behind by Lu Ye.

Compared to other cultivators, everyone present was a genius of exceptional talent, but next to Lu Ye, they paled in comparison. There was no resentment, no jealousy. The faster Lu Ye grew and the higher he stood, the happier they were. Each individual had their own destiny. The only person one should compare themselves to on their cultivation journey was not others, but themselves. Only by constantly surpassing themselves could they become stronger and go further. This was clearly understood by them.

"You're about to ascend to the Star Constellation Realm," Xiao Xinghe remarked, eyeing Lu Ye up and down.

Lu Ye gently rubbed Yiyi's small head and smiled faintly, "Within a month." Precisely because he was about to ascend to the Star Constellation Realm, he had specifically come to the Unrivaled Continent to seek out his friends. Because once he ascended to the Star Constellation Realm, he would have to leave Kyushu and venture deep into the starry sky. By then, meeting old friends would likely not be so easy. At the very least, before leaving Kyushu, he wanted to bid farewell to his few friends and relatives.

"That's truly fast!" Xiao Xinghe couldn't help but feel a touch of melancholy.

Lin Yinxiu, still as carefree as ever, greeted Lu Ye enthusiastically, "Captain!"

Ju Jia was also the same as ever, simply giving Lu Ye a guileless smile.

After a few pleasantries, Lu Ye winked at Li Baxian, "I brought good wine!"

Li Baxian licked his lips and couldn't help but glance at Feng Yuechan, then disingenuously said, "Senior Brother, I've quit!"

Feng Yuechan couldn't help but roll her eyes, "A little won't hurt!"

Li Baxian was overjoyed.

So, the group sat down in a circle. Lu Ye took out the fine wine and fruits he had brought and laid them out. Everyone drank heartily and chatted freely, as if they had returned to their carefree days when their cultivation was still low.

Everyone shared their recent experiences on the Unrivaled Continent. Lu Ye spoke of Yang Qing taking him to the Primordial Realm of the Reincarnation Tree to compete, which sparked a longing in everyone's hearts. Unfortunately, the Primordial Realm only opened once every hundred years, and each realm had only one slot, so it would never be their turn.

This drinking session lasted from dusk till dawn, then from dawn till dusk, and then until the next dawn. Only when the last drop of wine was consumed did Xiao Xinghe stand up and smile, "Little Junior Brother, go on ahead. There's plenty of time. We'll surely meet again in the starry sky someday."

He extended his hand, holding it mid-air. Everyone rose and placed their hands on his. Lu Ye said, "Then I'll go ahead and scout the way, awaiting the arrival of all you Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters!"

It's hard to meet, and hard to part, but no banquet lasts forever. Team Ding-Jiu still had to deal with the remaining half of the corpse horde, and Lu Ye still needed to find one more person.

Yiyi didn't show much reluctance this time. Even Amber seemingly casually walked away with Yiyi. Both the spirit and the tiger understood that to fight alongside Lu Ye again, they would have to cultivate diligently. Not necessarily to catch up to him, but at least not to be left too far behind; otherwise, they would have few chances to interact in the future. Long before, Yiyi and Amber had already come to this realization. As their cultivation levels gradually diverged, separation was an inevitable situation they had to face. But they both believed that this situation was only temporary. As long as they worked hard enough, someday they would once again stand by Lu Ye's side and fight powerful enemies with him!

The rising sun shone as Lu Ye set off towards the morning sun. He watched the figures waving their arms, their backs to him, and the faint trace of worry and reluctance in his heart eased considerably. Yiyi and Amber had such resolve; there was no reason he couldn't either!

After bidding farewell to Team Ding-Jiu, only one more person remained. The question now was... where should he find her?