Chapter 1397: Tianzou Human Emperor Clan, Ma Bin

The Wind Rises in Kyushu

In the dark cave, a loud laugh echoed, making Lu Ye’s eardrums tremble.

Amidst the laughter, the surrounding darkness receded like a tide. Gradually, a hazy light permeated the space, slowly restoring Lu Ye's vision.

He finally saw what had stopped his Pan Shan Saber: it was a pair of fingers, so lightly clamping the blade that he couldn't even pull it free.

He also realized what he had kicked – the old man's face!

At this moment, as the darkness dissipated, he remained frozen in the posture of striking down with his saber and kicking out, his body rigid.

He didn't know why the man was laughing, but he knew that if the man had wanted to kill him, he would have been dead a hundred times over. The obstruction of his foot prevented him from fully seeing the man's face, but the blurred outline gave him a strange sense of familiarity.

A slight repulsive force emanated from the saber, and Lu Ye instinctively retracted it, stepping back two paces.

A slightly aged face, with dishevelled hair and beard, came into view. The man sat there, smiling as he observed Lu Ye, like a lion scrutinizing its prey, yet with an unreadable expression.

“You...” Lu Ye's expression turned to one of surprise and confusion, for he recognized the man. Not that he knew him personally, but he had seen him from a distance.

Nearly three months ago, when he and Pu Ke were fishing on Fishing Island, a supreme expert had caused chaos in the Myriad Manifestations Sea, killing a Sun-Illuminated cultivator from the Myriad Manifestations Star System on the spot. As the expert fled, he passed by Fishing Island, and Lu Ye had caught a fleeting glimpse of the man’s appearance from afar.

No wonder he had felt a sense of familiarity just now; the old man in front of him was precisely the one who had escaped from the Myriad Manifestations Sea that day!

After the incident, the Myriad Manifestations Sea quickly returned to calm, and there was no further commotion. Although Lu Ye knew that the Myriad Manifestations Star System couldn't just let it go, matters at the Sun-Illuminated level were beyond what a Constellation cultivator could investigate. He merely deduced that the killer must have escaped, otherwise the Myriad Manifestations Star System would have announced it.

He never expected that the man would be hiding here!

It was certain that the experts of the Myriad Manifestations Star System were searching for the man’s whereabouts; perhaps the entire star system's airspace had been turned upside down. As for how this old man had eluded their pursuit and search, that was clearly his own capability.

At this very moment, the experts of the Myriad Manifestations Star System probably all believed that this old man had already fled their star system. His remaining here was a clever act of "hiding in plain sight."

But what puzzled Lu Ye was why, if this man was hiding so well, he would have Zhu Yuan bring him here?

By this point, he was slowly piecing things together.

All four of them had come together, and three, including Zhu Yuan, had been killed. Only he, the one with the lowest cultivation, remained alive. Lu Ye couldn't believe that this old man had no ulterior motive towards him.

But why him?

Just because of that fleeting glimpse on Fishing Island?

At the time, he hadn't noticed any signs that the man was paying attention to him, but given the man’s profound cultivation, it was normal for him to be noticed while observing the other.

It shouldn't be about taking his life; if he wanted to kill him, it wouldn't need to be so troublesome, nor would he need to risk exposure by staying here.

Nor could it be because Lu Ye had seen his face; this old man didn't act secretively, and many people must have seen his appearance.

Why then?

In a flash of thoughts, Lu Ye pondered much but found no clues.

Instead, a single sentence from the old man immediately made him feel on edge.

"A cultivator from Kyushu, still so stubborn!" The old man smiled at him, his gaze like an elder examining a junior, with a hint of appreciation.

Lu Ye tried his best to control his emotions, showing no hint of a flaw, only feigning confusion: "What are you saying, Senior? I don't understand!"

"You're not from Kyushu?" The old man's expression remained unchanged, enigmatic, yet even with his keen eyesight, he couldn't detect any unnatural change in Lu Ye's expression.

Lu Ye slowly shook his head: "I am from Wushuang Continent!"

Even Tang Jun was completely unaware of his Kyushu origin. How could a Sun-Illuminated cultivator, whom he had only seen once, possibly know? But Lu Ye knew in his heart that since the man dared to ask, he must have noticed something. But what weakness could he possibly have that allowed the man to perceive a flaw?

This was no small matter.

Yang Qing had specifically cautioned him then, telling him never to mention Kyushu when traveling the starry sky in the future. When she took him to the Reincarnation Tree, she even acted under the name of the Nine Heavens. This was because the strong cultivators of the former Kyushu era had made too many enemies. Even after ten thousand years, hatred, once rooted, is hard to erase, especially for those powerful cultivators from realms that had attacked Kyushu, who would undoubtedly be extremely sensitive to the words "Kyushu."

So, Lu Ye wanted to understand why this old man in front of him could determine that he was from Kyushu.

Just as he was wondering how to discreetly probe, the old man smiled faintly: "If you're not from Kyushu, why do you carry the aura of the Heavenly Mystery Plate?" Lu Ye's pupils constricted slightly. He finally understood where the problem lay!

It was the Heavenly Mystery Plate.

Every Kyushu cultivator, even a wandering one without a sect, carries a battlefield mark. This is because only with a battlefield mark can one enter the Spirit Stream Battlefield and Cloud River Battlefield, check and obtain merit points, and conveniently communicate with others. For Kyushu cultivators, the battlefield mark is essential.

And the battlefield mark is bestowed by Xiao Jiu. Xiao Jiu is the combination of the Heavenly Mystery Plate's artifact spirit and the origin of Kyushu. Since Kyushu cultivators have battlefield marks, they naturally carry the aura of the Heavenly Mystery Plate.

According to the information Lu Ye had obtained, the Heavenly Mystery Plate had not yet been born when the former Kyushu era was besieged by numerous powerful enemies. It was only when the Kyushu experts realized that the situation was irrecoverable that they combined their strength to create the Heavenly Mystery Plate. Using its power, they relocated Kyushu from its original position, escaping the catastrophe. For ten thousand years, it had remained in a remote corner of the Jade Snail Star System, disconnected from the starry sky.

In other words, the enemies who attacked Kyushu most likely did not know of the Heavenly Mystery Plate's existence. Only native Kyushu cultivators would know of this divine object.

With this thought, Lu Ye's heart stirred. He looked at the old man and said, "Senior, you..." The old man's expression became solemn: "I am Ma Bin, from the Human Emperor Sect of Tianzhou!"

Tianzhou...

Human Emperor Sect...

When these familiar names resonated in Lu Ye's ears, all his doubts suddenly cleared.

But he never expected that he would one day meet a powerful cultivator from the former Kyushu era!

Because according to the information Xiao Jiu had provided him and the battle situations she had shown, in that battle, all cultivators from the former Kyushu era who were qualified to participate had rushed into the starry sky to fight. In other words, anyone whose cultivation reached the Constellation realm had entered the battlefield.

Lu Ye didn't know the final outcome of that battle, nor did Xiao Jiu, because when the final decisive battle began, the power of the Heavenly Mystery Plate was activated, and Kyushu was relocated. However, the situation was clearly not optimistic. With their home realm as a retreat, the cultivators of the former Kyushu era could fall back, recuperate, and recover. Without their home realm as a retreat, it was a fight to the death!

It was not impossible that they were completely annihilated.

Lu Ye had always assumed that the powerful cultivators of the former Kyushu era had all died in battle, or if not, they would have died of old age by now.

Because according to the current cultivation system, a Constellation cultivator's lifespan is roughly two thousand years, a Moon-Evolved four thousand, and a Sun-Illuminated eight thousand. Long-lived individuals might live longer, but surviving ten thousand years is very difficult.

Of course, these numbers are theoretical. In reality, cultivators often engage in combat during their growth and survival. Injuries are commonplace, and even if they recover, it can affect their lifespan, which is why Tang Jun was nearing the end of his lifespan.

How Ma Bin managed to live until now, and what means he used or price he paid, is unknown.

Of course, it's also possible that the other party was lying, but Lu Ye felt it was completely unnecessary. A Sun-Illuminated cultivator of such stature would have many ways to extract information from him, so there was no need to falsely claim to be from the former Kyushu.

Most importantly, Ma Bin mentioned the Heavenly Mystery Plate.

This should be a secret known only to cultivators from the former Kyushu; in the current Kyushu era, only Lu Ye knows it.

To be safe, Lu Ye still asked, "What is the Heavenly Mystery Plate?"

Ma Bin chuckled: "Don't pretend. I participated in the crafting and refining of the Heavenly Mystery Plate back then. Its aura is something I'm intimately familiar with! It's just that I hadn't sensed it for ten thousand years. When I detected it the other day, I thought I was hallucinating."

There was no need for further probing. Exhaling, Lu Ye composed himself, put away his Pan Shan Saber, and bowed solemnly to the old man: "Lu Ye of the Crimson Blood Sect, Bingzhou, greets Senior!"

"From Bingzhou? Good! Bingzhou used to have a Sect of Righteous Qi; every one of them was as stubborn as you!"

"Bingzhou now has the Gate of Righteous Qi, but not the Sect of Righteous Qi," Lu Ye said.

"Perhaps it's a legacy from before. Ten thousand years have passed; many things have changed," Ma Bin said with a sigh, gesturing: "Sit!"

Lu Ye obediently sat cross-legged before him. After a moment of thought, he said, "Senior, did you discover me that day?"

He was naturally referring to the events on Fishing Island nearly three months ago.

Ma Bin nodded: "It was precisely because I sensed the aura of the Heavenly Mystery Plate on you that I took notice of you. Then I had someone investigate you and found a way to lead you here."

In that case, Zhu Yuan was indeed Ma Bin's subordinate, acting under his instructions.

Lu Ye frowned and said, "So, Zhu Yuan is not from the Tianyan Star System, and this trip to transport supplies was completely fabricated."

Ma Bin said, "That's right! But Zhu Yuan was very meticulous; he feared you might be suspicious, so he specifically recruited two more people to accompany him."

"And the so-called information about passing through Tianyan to reach Yunshang and then Yuluo..."

"Fake. He had someone spread it, but it's true that one can pass through Tianyan to reach Yunshang. Cultivators from the Yunshang Star System also use this method to come to the Myriad Manifestations Star System."