Chapter 1479: Eight Hundred Watchful Eyes

A storm is brewing across the Nine Provinces.

In the cave, Lu Ye handed a storage ring to Chu Shen.

Chu Shen solemnly took it, and his divine sense probed inside. He was overjoyed, “Brother, isn’t this a bit too much?”

He had expected to borrow around several hundred thousand spirit jades from Brother Fa. To his surprise, Brother Fa casually gave him five million spirit jades.

This was ten times more than he had anticipated.

Lu Ye calmly said, “If we're going to set up a formation, let’s set up the best grand formation. Don’t worry too much about the initial expenses.”

Currently, Lu Ye could freely travel between the Myriad Manifestations Ocean and the merfolk territory, having completely established his own exclusive financial channel. Although he hadn't yet gained any direct benefits from the merfolk, if he ever needed spirit jades in the future, they would likely not be stingy.

Moreover, with such abundant resources under the sea, as long as he found a method, things like star beasts and sea grass could all be converted into spirit jades.

Five million spirit jades truly wasn't much to him.

“Then I’ll sign an IOU with you, Brother. Consider this a loan, and I'll return it with interest later,” Chu Shen said.

Lu Ye shook his head, “No need. Consider this my investment.”

Chu Shen readily agreed, saying cheerfully, “Alright.” There was no need to be overly polite with Brother Fa. Although Unrivaled Island was currently nominally under Chu Shen's authority, it was actually Brother Fa who had first occupied the place. Without Brother Fa's permission, he wouldn't have stayed, so Unrivaled Island rightfully belonged to Brother Fa as well.

“Oh, and Brother, there’s another matter I wanted to discuss with you.”

“What is it?”

Chu Shen said, “In the past few days, someone representing a certain power has contacted me, wanting to bring our Unrivaled Island under their jurisdiction. If we agree, they can provide us with some resources and personnel support. What do you think, Brother?”

Lu Ye said, “You are the island master of Unrivaled Island. You can make these decisions yourself; you don't need to ask me.”

Chu Shen nodded, “Then I know what to do.”

A moment later, Chu Shen departed.

Although he didn't explicitly state what he would do, just from him coming to borrow spirit jades, Lu Ye knew that Chu Shen would never agree to the demands of those powers.

After all, he originated from Che Ling World. Even if he were to cooperate with any power, he would only choose a local power from the Myriad Manifestations Star System. Why would he collude with other powers?

Moreover, he was new to the scene, eager to achieve great things. If he were to agree to cooperate with other powers, he would inevitably be constrained and controlled everywhere in the future. His personality was one that preferred to be a big fish in a small pond rather than a small fish in a big pond. How could he tolerate such a thing happening?

The construction of Unrivaled Island continued. The preliminary form of the protective grand formation had already been set up. With the protective grand formation covering the island, the leakage of stellar energy generated by the reversal of seawater in the Small Stellar Temple was further reduced, leading to an even faster accumulation of stellar energy on Unrivaled Island than before.

This change was clearly felt by every cultivator on Unrivaled Island, and everyone was thrilled.

Lu Ye was waiting for the time when he could use the Azure Sea Conch.

Although he could now enter the main Stellar Temple through the portal of the Small Stellar Temple, doing so would require him to travel from the main Stellar Temple to the merfolk territory. In an underwater environment, without a seahorse mount, swimming would be very slow.

So, it was best to use the Azure Sea Conch to arrive directly in front of the Heavenly Conch Palace.

After several more days, the time finally came to use the Azure Sea Conch.

Lu Ye didn't immediately activate the conch's power. Instead, he first went under the sea to check if the portal of the Small Stellar Temple was still stable.

After confirming that the portal was fine and showed no signs of closing, Lu Ye quietly returned to the cave. Concealed by various restrictions and formations, he blew the Azure Sea Conch.

A portal opened, and he stepped through it.

Upon returning to the front of the Heavenly Conch Palace, Lu Ye immediately sensed several gazes fixed on him. One was particularly sharp, but soon, these gazes softened.

Lu Ye looked around and noticed many merfolk, both openly and hidden. In the direction of the sharp gaze, there was a particularly robust male merfolk. Judging from his aura, he was a Moonlight Realm cultivator.

This was clearly a precaution taken by the merfolk after the last incident, to prevent Lu Ye from attracting other powerful figures and catching them off guard.

"Li Taibai!" A familiar voice rang out. Lu Ye looked in the direction of the sound and saw Bailu approaching.

She was undoubtedly waiting for him specifically, as Lu Ye had told her he would return in a few days, and she knew the properties of the Azure Sea Conch.

"How was it?" Lu Ye asked. He had left before the battle ended last time, so he didn't know the final outcome. However, before he left, he had seen that mid-Moonlight Realm cultivator being suppressed by the merfolk elders, so it was highly likely the enemy had been dealt with.

"That Moonlight Realm cultivator is dead," Bailu explained, handing him several storage rings. "These are all his belongings. The elders asked me to give them to you."

Lu Ye said, "These are your spoils of war; you don't need to give them to me. I should be thanking your esteemed clan for helping me a great deal."

Bailu took his hand and placed the storage rings in his palm. "These storage rings have restrictions on them. The elders aren't skilled at breaking them and didn't dare to move them rashly, so it's better for you to handle them."

Lu Ye thought for a moment and nodded, "Then I'll give them to you once I've unlocked the restrictions."

Bailu added, "Also, the elders said that if you encounter any troublesome individuals you can't resolve in the future, just lead them here, and we'll help you deal with them. Furthermore, don't say thank you, and don't be polite. You've helped us a lot, so it's only natural for us to help you."

What more could Lu Ye say? He could only nod. However, this time was pure luck; that mid-Moonlight Realm cultivator was lured over. A cautious person might not have been lured in. Besides, the portal was right there; if someone entered and sensed something was wrong, they would surely retreat immediately.

So, this kind of thing was fine once, but it was best not to do it a second time. There were too many uncontrollable factors.

"What about that Ghost Cultivator?" Lu Ye asked. Although he had instructed Bailu before he left, what if the merfolk, in their killing frenzy, had also eliminated the Wraith? That would be too unjust for the Wraith.

"Follow me!" Bailu said, leading Lu Ye in a certain direction.

Mid-way, Lu Ye activated his Thousand Faces Spirit Pattern, changing his appearance to that of Fa Wuzun.

Bailu watched, clicking her tongue in wonder. Lu Ye had also used Fa Wuzun's appearance when he came last time. Although the facial features were different, the temperament and physique couldn't be changed, and only Lu Ye could enter this place via the Azure Sea Conch, so Bailu still recognized him at a glance.

"You don't want her to know your true appearance?" Bailu asked.

Lu Ye nodded, "She's seen my true face, so I need to meet her with a different appearance."

Bailu understood.

The Wraith was currently confined in a prison-like area of the Royal Conch Palace. This place was originally used to detain merfolk who had committed errors and didn't have strong defenses. However, when Lu Ye saw the Wraith, he found her slumped on the ground like a pile of mud, completely motionless.

Her aura was very faint, as if she had lost all her spiritual power.

A few days ago, she had used some unknown technique to directly repel an attack from that Moonlight Realm cultivator. Even if the opponent hadn't used their full strength at the time, it was remarkably difficult for someone of the Stellar Realm to achieve this. For this, the Wraith had paid a huge price, becoming listless at that time.

Today, her condition seemed even more severe than before.

However, it was certain that the Wraith was not dead.

Mainly, the merfolk were unsure how to deal with the Wraith. Lu Ye had told Bailu that this individual was neither an enemy nor a friend, so the merfolk could only temporarily house her this way.

"Is she seriously injured?" Lu Ye asked.

Bailu said, "We checked, and there were no severe injuries. However, it seems that because she used power that didn't belong to her, she became weak and deficient in qi. The Fourth Elder also placed a restriction on her, so she can't recover or use her spiritual power."

Lu Ye understood, staring at the Wraith who lay motionless on the ground as if asleep. His gaze flickered.

"Open the door," Lu Ye said.

Bailu turned and gestured to the male merfolk guarding the place. He immediately stepped forward, removed the restrictions, and opened the cell door.

Lu Ye, however, did not enter. In fact, when Bailu was about to go in, he pulled her back and moved to the side.

Just as Bailu looked bewildered, an unexpected change occurred.

The Wraith, who had been seemingly weak with all spiritual power lost, suddenly sprang up as if injected with a stimulant. She shot out of the cell like lightning, and in the next instant, her figure vanished.

Only a triumphant voice drifted from all directions, "You think you can trap me? In your next life! Fa Wuzun, sooner or later, I'll settle this score with you!"

"She..." Bailu was shocked, never expecting that the restriction the Fourth Elder had placed on her would fail, and that she had recovered her strength without anyone knowing.

She wanted to give chase, but Lu Ye held her back.

Turning to look at Lu Ye in confusion, Lu Ye shook his head, then softly said in the direction the Wraith had departed, "I'll wait for you here. When you've thought it over, come back yourself!"

If this were any other place, the Wraith might have truly escaped. Putting aside her other abilities, her stealth and escape techniques were top-notch. The merfolk territory might not be able to hold her.

But this was under the Myriad Manifestations Ocean. Besides the Royal Conch Palace, where else could she go? Deeper into the Myriad Manifestations Ocean? That would be seeking death.

For the Wraith to escape now, only Lu Ye's nod of approval would suffice.

"You knew she was faking it?" Bailu asked. Otherwise, why would Li Taibai have pulled her aside when opening the cell door earlier, clearly making way for her?

Lu Ye shook his head, "I didn't actually see through it, but someone like her has eight hundred tricks up her sleeve. Even if she's under a restriction, she shouldn't be so weak. When dealing with her, it doesn't hurt to be overly cautious."

Bailu seemed to understand, yet not quite. "You humans are so complicated..."

"She's not human; she's from the Ghost Clan."