Chapter 1536: Where Opportunity Lies

Lu Ye didn't recognize the cultivator, nor did he know which galaxy they were from. The streak of light they projected wasn't dangerous; it was just a jade slip.

Lu Ye reached out and caught the slip. Just as he was about to ask what was going on, the cultivator flew off without a word, leaving no opportunity for communication.

He frowned, then immersed his divine sense into the jade slip. It contained only one message:

"One month from now, at Sirius Star, the treasure awaits those destined for it!"

The message was signed by someone named Luo Shenzi! Lu Ye noted the peculiar name. The name sounded peculiar, and he wondered if it was a title or a person's actual name. The message was simple: it seemed to be a summons to a specific location, outside Sirius Star, in one month.

As a cultivator not from a nearby galaxy, Lu Ye had no idea where Sirius Star was located. Besides, he had no intention of getting involved in local matters; his priority was to continue his journey home. He had only completed about 20% of his journey and had no time for distractions. The person who delivered the message probably mistook him for a local cultivator, unaware that he had traveled all the way from the Myriad Forms Galaxy.

Lu Ye put away the jade slip and continued his journey at a relaxed pace. Within a few days, however, he noticed something interesting: many cultivators he encountered were now traveling in star-boats, moving with clear intent in the same direction as him, rather than traversing space on their own.

The young girl he had rescued from the misty dragon was still unconscious, and Li Shang was taking care of her, relieving Lu Ye of any immediate concerns.

One day, from a distance, Lu Ye spotted signs of a struggle ahead. Such conflicts were not uncommon in this desolate region. Lu Ye had previously witnessed several fierce, lively, but generally small-scale skirmishes between cultivators, mostly one-on-one duels. With cultivators from four different galaxies converging here, peaceful coexistence was naturally impossible.

This time, however, the situation seemed different. Lu Ye strained his eyes to look ahead and saw an intense battle: two cultivators were under siege by a pack of star beasts. He wondered what the two cultivators had done to attract such misfortune. Judging by their spiritual energy fluctuations, one was at the late Constellation stage, the other at the early Constellation stage. Nearby lay a gruesome corpse, clearly beyond saving. Five or six star beasts, resembling a pack of hyenas, were attacking them. Though star beasts, their coordinated assault made the cultivators' predicament increasingly desperate.

As Lu Ye watched from afar, his eyebrows suddenly shot up. He stared intently at the early Constellation stage cultivator, a surprised expression on his face. He realized he actually knew this person.

Even if it were a stranger, Lu Ye wouldn't hesitate to offer assistance and build good karma, much less for someone he knew. Just as he was accelerating his spirit boat towards the fray, he saw the late Constellation stage cultivator suddenly deploy a spirit talisman. As its power erupted, momentarily repelling the hyena-like star beasts, the cultivator seized the chance to leap out of the combat zone and rapidly flee into the distance.

He had actually abandoned his early-stage companion without a moment's hesitation. Already in a perilous situation, and now with his late-stage companion gone, the early-stage cultivator stood no chance. The pack of star beasts converged from all directions, opening their bloody jaws, poised to end his life.

Just then, a streak of silver light slammed into the scene, directly striking a star beast that had lunged at the cultivator. The immense impact not only sent the star-boat shuddering violently but also tore the star beast in half, sending blood spraying everywhere. The silver light streaked past the early-stage cultivator, its momentum unchecked. From within it, a figure leaped out, accompanied by the faint ring of a saber, followed by a dazzling flurry of saber gleams.

The early-stage Constellation cultivator hadn't yet processed what was happening; he only knew a large hand had gripped his shoulder. Guided by that hand, he narrowly avoided the star beasts' lunges repeatedly. At one point, a hyena's fangs came within an inch of his neck, making him break out in a cold sweat. By the time he regained his senses, all those seemingly formidable hyena-like star beasts lay dead.

Still pale with shock, he hadn't dared to hope for survival. He finally realized someone had saved him at the crucial moment. Turning his head, he saw a smiling, somewhat familiar face looking back at him. The cultivator was stunned, clearly not expecting to encounter Lu Ye here. Then, a look of great delight spread across his face as he exclaimed, "Brother Lu?"

"It's been a while, Brother Du Lang!" Lu Ye replied with a smile, the Pan Mountain Saber slowly sliding back into its sheath.

The person before him was indeed Du Lang, whom he had met in the Grand Beginning Realm. During the Divine Sea contention for the Reincarnation Tree, he had met a group of young cultivators from various realms. However, he hadn't deeply interacted with most of them, save for Du Lang and Yu Yaorao, with whom he had spent a significant period.

His first significant fortune in the Grand Beginning Realm was thanks to Du Lang, who had given him some Jade-eating Ants, which allowed him to mine a spiritual jade vein. Sadly, years had passed, and Lu Ye hadn't looked after those ants; the tiny creatures had long since starved to death.

After their parting at the spiritual jade vein, Lu Ye continued in the Divine Sea contention, but Du Lang had withdrawn early, knowing his strength was insufficient to win and choosing not to take the risk. Lu Ye only knew that Du Lang hailed from a realm called Crimson Sky Continent, but he was unsure which galaxy that realm belonged to. He certainly never expected to encounter him here. This suggested that the Crimson Sky Continent was situated in one of the four nearby galaxies. In the vastness of the starry sky, to meet again after such a long separation was truly a matter of fate.

"You... how are you already at the late Constellation stage?" Du Lang could barely believe his eyes. Back then, they were all merely at the Divine Sea stage. Even if Lu Ye had secured first place, for him to reach the late Constellation stage in just a few years, leaving Du Lang far behind in cultivation, was truly astounding. It was truly incredible.

"Just good luck, I stumbled upon some favorable opportunities."

Du Lang naturally understood it wasn't merely a matter of opportunities, but his question had been an instinctive reaction to the shock. Realizing it might be inappropriate, he didn't press further, remarking with admiration, "Brother Lu is truly impressive. Even during the Divine Sea contention, I could tell you were no ordinary person. It seems my judgment back then was quite good."

"Who was that person earlier?" Lu Ye inquired. Du Lang had apparently been traveling with him, but at a critical juncture, that individual had abandoned Du Lang and fled alone, without so much as a word of warning. It was truly outrageous.

"Ah, it's a long story," Du Lang sighed, turning to gaze at the corpse beside him, his expression somber. He bowed respectfully to the mangled body, then, with red-rimmed eyes, he collected the remains. It was clear the deceased cultivator had been close to Du Lang, perhaps a fellow disciple.

Seeing Lu Ye showed no interest in the star beast carcasses, Du Lang asked, "Brother Lu, if you don't mind, may I collect these?"

"Suit yourself," Lu Ye nodded. Star beast corpses did hold some value, particularly their core crystals, but having experienced considerable wealth himself, Lu Ye didn't prioritize such things.

Du Lang collected the star beast corpses, then boarded the star-boat at Lu Ye's invitation. The star-boat was primarily for travel, but fortunately, the one Lu Ye had purchased was of good quality, so despite the powerful collision, it remained undamaged.

Seeing Li Shang attending to the unconscious girl, Du Lang bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Sister-in-law. I am Du Lang of Crimson Sky; it's a pleasure to meet you!"

His misunderstanding was understandable; the trio's arrangement strongly resembled a family of three. As Du Lang offered his respects, he mused to himself, "Brother Lu's child is already so grown after just a few years! How capable!" Li Shang couldn't help but blush at his words. She didn't bother to correct him, merely glancing at Lu Ye.

Lu Ye quickly interjected, "Brother Du Lang, you've misunderstood. This is Fellow Daoist Li Shang."

Du Lang looked embarrassed and bowed again. "My apologies, Fellow Daoist Li Shang; I spoke rashly." Li Shang remained silent, clearly bearing no ill will towards Du Lang.

"Which way are you heading?" Lu Ye asked. Though eager to return home, encountering an acquaintance here was a rare opportunity, and giving Du Lang a ride was no trouble at all.

Du Lang's response was a bit odd. "Brother Lu, aren't you going to the treasure hunt?"

"What treasure hunt?" Lu Ye asked, bewildered. He quickly recalled the jade slip he'd received a few days prior from Luo Shenzi, which spoke of a treasure for the 'destined one.' He surmised that Du Lang's mention of a "treasure hunt" was related to the information in that slip.

"Brother Lu doesn't know?" Du Lang asked, surprised, frowning. "Given your presence here, I assumed you were part of the treasure hunt. Which galaxy are you from, Brother Lu?"

"I'm from the Jade Snail Galaxy, not a local."

"Jade Snail..." Du Lang pondered, then shook his head. "I haven't heard of it." He was only at the early Constellation stage and hadn't been an advanced cultivator for long, so he wouldn't know about the Jade Snail Galaxy. But if Lu Ye was from the Jade Snail Galaxy, why was he in this region? Du Lang found himself genuinely puzzled.

"Which galaxy are you from, Brother Du Lang?" Lu Ye inquired.

"Our Crimson Sky Continent is located in the Undetermined Galaxy!" Du Lang replied.

Lu Ye raised an eyebrow. What a coincidence! He was actually planning to traverse the entire Undetermined Galaxy. The star map from the Reincarnation Tree indicated that to return to Kyushu from the Myriad Forms Sea, he needed to pass through two galaxies: Long Cloud and Undetermined. In that case, escorting Du Lang back would be conveniently on his route.

He had been concerned that, as an outsider, traversing the Undetermined Galaxy might attract unwanted attention. After all, cultivators within the same galaxy likely possessed means to verify each other's identities, and if he were mistaken for a malicious individual, it would be difficult to explain. While he could cautiously navigate the Undetermined Galaxy alone, he eventually intended to bring a large fleet of people from Kyushu through, a massive undertaking that could easily lead to misunderstandings. If he could use Du Lang to communicate with the powerful cultivators of the Undetermined Galaxy in advance, he could avoid these unnecessary complications.