Chapter 1398: Previous Nine Provinces' Strongmen

A gust of wind sweeps across the Nine Provinces.

Lu Ye nodded, understanding immediately. He had wondered why everything was so convenient and smooth. Cao Xiang had just gathered intelligence about Jade Snail, and then he went to Recruitment Island and happened to see cultivators from the Heavenly Derivative star system recruiting people. He had easily negotiated remuneration with Zhu Yuan and accepted the recruitment.

He had also wondered why Zhu Yuan didn't even want to visit Central Island before leaving. In Zhu Yuan's opinion, among the three recruits, whether the other two were good or bad, they were certainly doomed, so visiting Central Island made no difference.

All of this was merely a setup, a trap designed to lead him here to meet Ma Bin.

He had even gotten two thousand Spirit Jade from Tang Jun for travel expenses...

"Senior, you went to such great lengths to bring me here. Do you have any instructions?" Lu Ye composed himself and asked.

Since the previous intelligence was false, returning to Jade Snail by way of Heavenly Derivative was no longer realistic. He would have to gather new information.

However, Ma Bin had Zhu Yuan lead him here, and Lu Ye didn't know his purpose. He wasn't worried about being harmed, but it was difficult for a Star Lord like him to interfere in Sun-Glow level matters. He feared he might disappoint the elder senior.

"I just wanted to meet you," Ma Bin said with a slight smile. "To be honest, the plan to move the Nine Provinces ten thousand years ago was decided in a hurry. No one could guarantee its success. But if we hadn't moved it, the Nine Provinces would have faced the fate of a realm's destruction and annihilation. So, we had to take a gamble. But moving a realm was something no one had ever done before; more often, they didn't dare, because there was a great risk. One slip, and the entire realm would collapse, and all living beings within it would perish. From the current perspective, it was a success, wasn't it?"

If it hadn't succeeded, there would be no Nine Provinces now. Lu Ye sitting here, perfectly fine, undoubtedly indicated something. Lu Ye nodded, "It was very successful. Over these ten thousand years, although the Nine Provinces hasn't been entirely peaceful, the cultivation atmosphere has been excellent. Cultivators have thrived, and the realm's foundation has steadily increased. Until a few years ago, it was promoted to a large realm."

Ma Bin seemed surprised, "Logically speaking, the Nine Provinces shouldn't have grown so fast. The seniors at that time were even prepared for the Nine Provinces to lose its qualification as a cultivation realm. Because executing that plan would severely deplete the realm's foundation, it was highly likely that the Nine Provinces would never recover, its foundation would dissipate, spiritual energy would vanish, and it would become an ordinary realm, slowly losing its cultivators."

Compared to the outcome of the realm being destroyed, this result was acceptable. Regardless, the living beings of the Nine Provinces could continue to survive, even if they couldn't cultivate.

In the starry sky, there were many such realms without cultivators.

But the moment he saw Lu Ye, Ma Bin knew that the Nine Provinces had already advanced to a large realm, because only a large realm could nurture Star Lord stage cultivators.

Lu Ye said, "I dare not comment on whether the elder seniors' predictions about the Nine Provinces' outcome were accurate, but the foundation of the Nine Provinces did indeed weaken for a time. The level of cultivators within the realm was not high. Its current development owes a great deal to the Heavenly Mystery Compass. Senior may not know, but many years ago, the Heavenly Mystery Compass coincidentally developed a spirit, an artifact spirit integrated with the Nine Provinces' Heaven and Earth origins, possessing strong independent thought. Over the years, the Nine Provinces has developed under its management."

"Oh?" Ma Bin's eyes lit up. "The Heavenly Mystery Compass's artifact spirit is so marvelous?"

This was something the elder seniors of that time hadn't predicted, and it was an unexpected joy. Then again, even if their cultivation was as strong as Sun-Glow, it was impossible to account for every possibility.

The powerful cultivators of the Pre-Nine Provinces era had made the worst-case plans and the best responses. They were powerless to worry about the rest because they had all rushed to the starry battlefield and died in battle.

At that time, Ma Bin had just advanced to Star Lord stage, and precisely because his cultivation was not high, he was not taken seriously by the enemy, and he coincidentally escaped a calamity.

Seeing Ma Bin's interest, Lu Ye said, "Senior, if you wish to hear, I can tell you more about the Nine Provinces?"

"Yes, I want to hear," Ma Bin shifted his body, adopting a more comfortable posture, and looked at Lu Ye with keen interest.

Lu Ye couldn't speak about events too far in the past; he could only recount what he had experienced and knew.

He spoke of the two major factions' confrontation in the Nine Provinces, of the Spirit Stream Battlefield, the Cloud River Battlefield, and the frontier passes where they faced off. Then he spoke of Little Nine's concealment of the Nine Provinces' existence, allowing it to safely pass these ten thousand years, and how Little Nine, like a scavenger, picked up various floating lands and shattered realms from the starry sky, transforming them into various secret realms, allowing Nine Provinces cultivators to experience the different sceneries of other realms in advance.

There was also the insect plague, the first time the two major factions ever cooperated sincerely, jointly entering the insect race's secret realm and eradicating the insect nest.

And the mighty army that launched a distant expedition to the Blood Refinement Realm, descending like divine soldiers, routing the Blood Race and liberating the human race of that realm.

From the perspective of Sun-Glow cultivators, these were all trivial matters, but Ma Bin listened with great relish, even showing a yearning expression, only regretting that he couldn't have participated himself.

Ten thousand years is an incredibly long span of time. Even a powerful cultivator like him felt homesick.

But for all these years, he had never actively sought any information about the Nine Provinces, nor had he searched for it. He didn't even know if the Nine Provinces still existed.

Because his target was too large, once he acted, he could easily be targeted by his enemies. If that were to bring disaster to his homeland, he would truly be unforgivable.

The current Nine Provinces was preserved by the spilled blood of countless predecessors from the Pre-Nine Provinces era. He couldn't help the Nine Provinces, but he absolutely could not do anything to harm it.

Upon hearing that the Nine Provinces' foundation improvement was related to absorbing from the Blood Refinement Realm, Ma Bin's expression grew serious: "So, the current Nine Provinces is a realm that can grow rapidly?"

"It should be," Lu Ye nodded. "Speaking of which, the Nine Provinces was previously targeted by a Sun-Glow cultivator, not long after it was promoted to a large realm and connected to the starry sky."

Ma Bin's expression turned cold, radiating killing intent: "What was that Sun-Glow's name? Where did he come from?"

From his demeanor, it seemed he was about to strike the person down immediately.

"I'm not sure where he came from, but his name was Yue Xin. But senior, don't worry, under Little Nine's guidance, I found Senior Yang Qing and helped him escape. That Yue Xin has already been killed by Senior Yang Qing."

"Yang Qing..." Ma Bin paused, then reacted: "Right, he's the Sect Master's old friend. Because he made some mistakes, he was sealed by the Sect Master, but it seemed to be just a formality, and he was released quickly. But when strong enemies from the Nine Provinces attacked, at the most critical time, this senior wanted to escape and help, but the Sect Master didn't allow it, so he wouldn't suffer with us! His strength is very high, it's normal for a Sun-Glow to be killed by him. So, in our homeland now, is Senior Yang Qing in charge?"

Lu Ye shook his head: "After Senior Yang Qing escaped, he took me to the Reincarnation Tree to participate in the Sea of Consciousness conflict. When we returned, he left alone. As for where he went, he didn't say, and I don't know."

Ma Bin's eyes flickered, as if he realized something.

Speaking of the Reincarnation Tree, Lu Ye suddenly remembered something: "Senior, the Reincarnation Tree has a clone in the Nine Provinces. It should know that the Nine Provinces is intact and its specific location. Didn't you inquire there?"

Ma Bin shook his head: "Outside the Reincarnation Tree, there are powerful cultivators lurking in the shadows. If I show my face, I will inevitably be unable to hide my tracks. I also thought about going to the Reincarnation Tree to inquire, but unfortunately, I never had the opportunity."

Lu Ye felt a little disappointed, because if Ma Bin had inquired about the Nine Provinces from the Reincarnation Tree, he might have known its exact location, and Lu Ye could have learned the specific path back to the Nine Provinces here. But since Ma Bin hadn't inquired, there was no way to find out.

"Then how did you come to the Myriad Forms star system? Since you're here, why don't you know the way back, and have to ask the Myriad Forms Merchant Association for intelligence?" This point especially puzzled Ma Bin.

However, it was also fortunate that Lu Ye sought intelligence from the Myriad Forms Merchant Association, otherwise Zhu Yuan wouldn't have had the chance to lead him here.

"It's a long story," Lu Ye sighed, simply explaining how Yue Xin had set up a large array to connect the Peerless Continent with the Nine Provinces, making Peerless an important training ground for the Nine Provinces' True Lake and Sea of Consciousness realms. Then he spoke of the Star Lords from the Azure Dawn Dao Realm invading, how he used the red talisman to kill a Moon-Glow, and finally how he was pursued by Tang Jun, which triggered the formation of the蟲道 (insect pathway).

"Tang Jun and I were trapped in the insect pathway. Finally, relying on a treasure, we escaped. When I came to my senses, I was already in the Myriad Forms star system. That insect pathway had just formed and was unstable, so I couldn't return."

Even a Sun-Glow like Ma Bin found the twists and turns of this story amazing. As for what the treasure that helped them escape the insect pathway was, Lu Ye didn't elaborate, and Ma Bin didn't ask.

However, he was very interested in another matter: "How do you have a red talisman from the Little People race?"

Logically speaking, the current Nine Provinces has just advanced to a large realm, and everything about the starry sky is unknown to them. The Little People's red talismans are extremely valuable. Where did Lu Ye get one?

"Senior also knows that as soon as the Nine Provinces advanced to a large realm, we Star Lords began exploring the surrounding starry sky. I accidentally saved a Little Person, then entered Mount Fangcun, and helped them a great deal. That red talisman was bestowed by a Little Person Sun-Glow."

"That must have been a significant help. You are a person of great fortune!" Ma Bin said with admiration, then seemed to recall something interesting. "When you first entered the starry sky, you must have felt very shocked, right? When I first entered the starry sky, I was dumbfounded. Luckily, my senior brothers and sisters were with me, otherwise I wouldn't even have found my way back."

Speaking of these anecdotes, a reminiscent look appeared in his eyes. Unfortunately, ten thousand years had passed, and those familiar voices and faces had long vanished. Recollecting them now only added to the sadness.

He shook his head: "Continue telling me about yourselves. The old man's stories are dreary; you young people have vitality!"

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