Chapter 1562: Follow Me

"Sect Master, Zhu Yue is awake!" The medical cultivator's startled cry suddenly rang out from nearby.

Zhu Shang hurried forward to check. True enough, Zhu Yue slowly opened her eyes. She showed no signs of fatigue or weakness; in fact, her eyes sparkled with vitality.

"Yue'er, how do you feel?" Zhu Shang asked anxiously.

"I feel alright," Zhu Yue replied. "Who saved me just now?" Although her consciousness had been somewhat hazy, as a cultivator, she had still been able to sense things faintly, knowing that her rescuer was not from the Righteous Yang Sect.

"It was this fellow cultivator..." As Zhu Shang spoke, he looked back, but Lu Ye was nowhere to be seen. No one had noticed when Lu Ye disappeared, just as no one had noticed his sudden arrival.

In front of a street stall, Lu Ye rushed back to pay the vendor. Only then did he start strolling around with Li Shang and Ya Ya.

With a good number of spirit stones in hand, he wasn't worried about them spending freely. As they walked by different stalls, Li Shang bought many small trinkets for Ya Ya, dressing her up beautifully. She also bought her several new outfits, and after changing into them, Ya Ya looked even more adorable.

Lu Ye trailed behind them, feeling utterly bored. He almost wished a Moonlit Starbeast would suddenly appear ahead so he could have a good fight.

After a short while, Lu Ye's eyes brightened. Someone had blocked their path ahead—it was an elder from the Righteous Yang Sect. Judging by his posture, he had clearly come specifically to find Lu Ye.

"Is something wrong?" Lu Ye asked.

The elder bowed first before speaking. "Forgive my presumption in disturbing you, fellow cultivator. Our sect master is deeply grateful for your life-saving kindness earlier and specifically instructed me to find you. Please do us the honor of visiting our sect's residence for a brief stay."

Lu Ye was inwardly pleased; the Righteous Yang Sect had arrived at just the right time. He nodded and said, "Since your sect master has extended an invitation, please lead the way."

He looked at Li Shang. "Going together?"

Li Shang snorted softly. "You go by yourself. I'll take Ya Ya for more shopping!" With that, she took Ya Ya's small hand and squeezed into the crowd.

Lu Ye simply couldn't understand what was so appealing about strolling around a True Lake level area!

The Righteous Yang Sect elder chimed in, "Please rest assured, fellow cultivator. I will immediately dispatch female disciples to accompany your wife and esteemed daughter. The Righteous Yang Sect will bear all their expenses within Qingfeng City!"

Lu Ye nodded. "That's very thoughtful of you."

They were clearly showing goodwill and had helped him out of a sticky situation, so Lu Ye saw no reason to refuse.

The elder immediately took out a communication device and gave a few instructions. Then, he led Lu Ye towards the Righteous Yang Sect's residence, displaying great humility along the way.

Lu Ye figured they must have sensed something. Although he had deliberately not activated his spirit energy to avoid revealing his cultivation, they weren't fools and couldn't have been entirely oblivious.

Originally, when Zhu Shang learned of Lu Ye's acceptance, he had immediately ordered a banquet to be prepared. However, Lu Ye had no intention of attending.

As a Constellation realm cultivator, he truly had little to discuss with a group of True Lake realm cultivators. It wasn't disdain, but rather a difference in cultivation realms and experiences, which made it hard to connect. He felt it would be more productive to refine some spirit jades during that time. He only requested that the Righteous Yang Sect prepare a quiet room for him.

The Righteous Yang Sect dared not be negligent and quickly escorted Lu Ye into a quiet room.

The people from Qingli Dao Realm would only arrive in three days. Lu Ye decided to enjoy three days of peace here. As for Li Shang and Ya Ya, there was no need to worry; he could simply send a message if he wanted to find them.

Refining spirit jades and deducing spirit runes, two days passed in a flash. Li Shang had sent no word, likely engrossed in playful activities with Ya Ya.

Outside the quiet room, a young woman hesitated; it was Zhu Yue, whom Lu Ye had saved.

When she had awoken earlier, Lu Ye was already gone. Now, knowing that her rescuer was here, she naturally wanted to thank him personally.

However, Lu Ye was in seclusion, and she didn't want to disturb him. So, after each competition, she would wait there, hoping for an opportunity.

She wondered, *Is the person inside truly a Grand Cultivator from the Upper Realm?*

She had this thought not because she had discerned anything herself, but due to Zhu Shang's conjecture. Although Qingfeng Realm was only a True Lake level domain, it was a subordinate realm of Qingli Dao Realm. Many cultivators from this realm had been brought into Qingli Dao Realm, so cultivators here were not entirely ignorant of higher-level cultivation matters.

Earlier, to help Zhu Yue recover quickly, Lu Ye had specifically taken out a healing spirit pill and scraped off a bit of its powder. Zhu Shang, observing this, remained outwardly calm but was inwardly extremely shocked.

The spirit pill Lu Ye produced was remarkably similar to the ones rumored to be used by Constellation realm cultivators.

Combined with Lu Ye's miraculous methods, Zhu Shang naturally had his suspicions.

Under normal circumstances, Grand Cultivators from the Upper Realm were expected to arrive in Qingfeng Realm only tomorrow. However, there was no strict rule about their arrival time; a few days earlier or later was quite normal.

Now, with a Grand Cultivator from the Upper Realm already present in Qingfeng Realm, and having specifically come to save Zhu Yue, Zhu Shang couldn't help but misunderstand. He wondered if this Grand Cultivator had taken a liking to Zhu Yue herself or her aptitude, and wished to bring her into the Upper Realm, which was why he had offered assistance.

Regardless of the situation, establishing a good relationship with him in advance was always beneficial. Therefore, he had instructed Zhu Yue to find an opportunity to thank Lu Ye in person.

Unfortunately, ever since Lu Ye arrived, he had remained in the quiet room without showing himself, making it impossible for Zhu Yue to meet him even if she wanted to.

After waiting for a while longer, seeing that the next round of the competition was about to begin, Zhu Yue prepared to leave.

But just then, the door of the quiet room suddenly opened, and an unfamiliar young face appeared in her vision.

Zhu Yue's eyes lit up, and she quickly bowed gracefully. "Zhu Yue of the Righteous Yang Sect greets you, Dao Brother. Thank you for your assistance earlier."

Lu Ye glanced at her and said, "Follow me!"

With that, he stepped out and walked away. Although Zhu Yue was bewildered, she followed closely.

They quickly exited the main hall where the quiet room was located. Lu Ye activated his spirit energy, enveloped Zhu Yue, and shot into the sky.

Zhu Yue let out a gasp, her face showing alarm. She finally confirmed that this young man, who seemed even younger than herself, was indeed a Grand Cultivator from the Upper Realm. The spirit energy fluctuations emanating from him were unlike anything she had ever felt—immensely profound and solid. Even a top True Lake realm cultivator like herself felt as insignificant as an ant before him.

This commotion also startled the people of the Righteous Yang Sect. But by the time they came out to investigate, Lu Ye and Zhu Yue were nowhere to be seen. After some inquiries, they learned that the two had, for some unknown reason, soared into the sky.

In mid-air, Lu Ye swiftly flew in one direction. Protected by his spirit energy, Zhu Yue was in no danger, yet the astonishing speed still left her heart pounding.

"Has anything unusual happened at the location three thousand five hundred li from here?" Lu Ye asked as he flew.

The reason he had suddenly emerged from seclusion was that he had detected some abnormality.

Just moments ago, he had suddenly felt the entire foundation of Qingfeng Realm rapidly draining away! And from deep underground, strange movements were emanating.

Due to the vast distance, True Lake cultivators of this realm would find it difficult to detect, but a Constellation realm cultivator like himself could sense it.

He wasn't sure what was happening. Seeing Zhu Yue at the entrance, he had brought her along, intending to ask her. As a cultivator of this realm, Zhu Yue should have some understanding of the situation there.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yue pondered briefly before replying, "Nothing unusual has happened, but there is a deep abyss at that location."

"An abyss? Is there anything special about it?"

"It doesn't seem to be particularly special. Cultivators from this realm have ventured deep inside to investigate, but they found nothing abnormal."

The investigations by True Lake realm cultivators couldn't be considered accurate. After all, their strength was limited, and the deep underground was an area where the primordial magnetic field ran rampant. The deeper one went, the greater the suppression on cultivators. It was likely that the cultivators of this realm could only investigate to a limited depth.

"Have the people from Qingli Dao Realm investigated it?" Lu Ye asked.

"No abnormalities have appeared, so we dared not trouble the Grand Cultivators from the Upper Realm," Zhu Yue replied.

Lu Ye nodded, asking no further questions. However, he was certain there was an abnormality there, because when he first arrived in Qingfeng Realm, Ya Ya had mentioned that something was at that location.

But at the time, the topic had been diverted, and Lu Ye hadn't delved into it.

Zhu Yue glanced at him and cautiously asked, "Dao Brother, are you not a high-level cultivator from Qingli Dao Realm?" Lu Ye's previous questions had made her realize something.

"Just passing through," Lu Ye casually explained.

They arrived at the three thousand li distance in a short while. Indeed, they found a massive abyss, like a gaping rift spanning the earth.

Zhu Yue had not yet recovered from the sensation of rapid flight when she realized they had already reached their destination. Only then did she truly grasp the terrifying extent of Lu Ye's cultivation.

"Wait here," Lu Ye instructed. He then leaped directly into the abyss, descending rapidly.

Zhu Yue dared not venture in rashly and waited obediently there. Just then, her communication talisman vibrated. A quick check revealed it was a message from her father, Zhu Shang, asking what had happened.

Zhu Yue briefly explained. Zhu Shang replied with a bitter laugh, "So, you're saying he's a high-level cultivator, but not necessarily from the Upper Realm?"

"He said he was just passing through!"

"Then it's over."

"What's over, Father?"

"The grand competition has already begun. How will you make it back in time?"

Zhu Yue was stunned. She suddenly realized she had likely missed the competition! For a moment, she was filled with anxiety. Three thousand li was nothing to Lu Ye, but for her, a True Lake realm cultivator, it was a considerable distance. Even if she rushed back now, it would be too late to participate.

Inside the abyss, Lu Ye continued his descent. Gradually, all light vanished, and the primordial magnetic field grew denser. However, Qingfeng Realm's foundation was ultimately limited, so the magnetic field here wasn't overwhelmingly strong. Even ordinary Constellation realm cultivators wouldn't experience excessive suppression, let alone Lu Ye, who had the protection of his talent tree.

The sounds from below became increasingly distinct. It seemed like drumming, but upon closer listening, it resembled a strange, continuous heartbeat: *thump-thump-thump*.