Chapter 1569: Are You Well Since We Last Met?

The starry sky was silent. On a small, desolate planet, several streaks of light suddenly shot out in succession, moving at astonishing speed but also appearing panicked.

Among them, one person exuded powerful vitality and had a commanding presence; another had chilling sword energy and a soaring sword intent. There was also a woman of exquisite beauty with flowing colorful sleeves, and a short man who, while fleeing, clutched his buttocks, with faint traces of blood visible between his fingers.

All four were cultivators at the early Heavenly Constellation stage. Judging by their lineup, it was clearly a combination of a body cultivator, a sword cultivator, a magic cultivator, and a ghost cultivator. Such a combination is quite conventional and practical, capable of handling most sudden situations in the starry sky.

However, their current appearance clearly indicated they had encountered an insurmountable problem and were fleeing in a hurry.

As soon as the four shot out from the desolate planet, a large swarm of rabbit-like star beasts gave chase. These star beasts resembled rabbits but were significantly larger than ordinary ones. Even more unsettling, their eyes glowed red, and their protruding fangs were incredibly sharp, gleaming with a chilling light.

The star beasts varied in strength, ranging from the True Lake to the Heavenly Constellation stage. Unfortunately, their numbers were overwhelming, and among the pack, there were even two or three beasts comparable to late Heavenly Constellation cultivators. How could the four possibly contend with them?

As they fled, the ghost cultivator wailed, "Meng Jie, you old brute! You're a body cultivator, yet you didn't stay behind to cover us. You let me do it! Are you even human?"

He had been just a tiny bit too slow earlier and got bitten, a piece of flesh ripped right off his buttocks...

As he spoke, a late Heavenly Constellation star beast in the pack suddenly burst forward, lunging behind the ghost cultivator like lightning, its massive maw wide open, ready to bite him.

The ghost cultivator screamed in terror, almost wetting himself. Just as he was about to be caught by the bite, a magnificent sword gleam suddenly cleaved down, striking directly towards the star beast's head.

However, the star beast seemed oblivious. It allowed the sword gleam to strike its head, which only resulted in a shallow superficial wound. This sight made the sword cultivator, who had launched the attack, grimace. The sword cultivator faction was known for its fierce combat prowess, arguably the strongest among all cultivators in terms of destructive power. Although his sword gleam was executed in haste, it only caused a flesh wound to the star beast, indicating the hardness of its bones. Of course, the primary reason was the significant power gap.

Just as the star beast was about to bite the ghost cultivator, a colorful ribbon suddenly uncoiled like a snake from the air, instantly wrapping the star beast into a tight bundle.

However, the very next moment, the ribbon suddenly shattered.

But this brief delay allowed the body cultivator to arrive as reinforcement. He unleashed a silent, brutal punch at the star beast's head. The explosive force, imbued with his powerful vitality, sent the star beast — which was comparable to a late-stage cultivator — stumbling back several steps.

"Go!" Meng Jie roared. The ghost cultivator maintained his speed, darting rapidly forward.

After forcing the star beast back, Meng Jie also quickly turned and fled, blood dripping from his fist.

The four figures were relentlessly pursued by the pack of star beasts, fighting as they retreated. They initially believed that once they escaped a certain distance, they would be safe. Over the years, they had encountered many star beasts and understood their typical behavior: generally, star beasts had little patience and would give up a chase if they couldn't catch their prey for a long time.

However, this time was clearly different; the pack of beasts continued to pursue them relentlessly. Just as the four were at a loss for what to do, the ghost cultivator, who was at the front, spotted something and cried out, "Someone's up ahead!"

Far ahead, a glimmer of light was moving, but it was too distant to discern who it was.

Yet, anyone appearing at this location at such a time would undoubtedly be a cultivator from their own realm.

Suddenly, a clear and resonant sword hum rang out, piercing through the silent starry sky for thousands of miles. It was the sword cultivator giving a warning. At such a distance and in the vacuum of space, shouting would be futile; this was the only way to warn the approaching person to leave.

To their astonishment, however, when the sword hum resonated, the person not only didn't flee but instead accelerated towards them.

The ghost cultivator exclaimed in frustration, "Which inconsiderate bastard doesn't know better? You should run! Why are you coming over here?!"

After muttering curses, the ghost cultivator's expression shifted to astonishment again, as the approaching figure's speed seemed unusually fast, far exceeding that expected of an early Heavenly Constellation cultivator.

In just a dozen breaths, the streak of light was close by.

"A starship!" The four finally recognized the true nature of the light. It wasn't the spiritual glow of a cultivator channeling spiritual power, but the radiance of a starship in motion.

At that moment, a young man stood tall and upright on the starship's bow. Dressed in practical clothes, with a long saber at his waist, he smiled as he looked at them.

"Junior Brother Lu!" The magic cultivator's beautiful eyes lit up. She couldn't believe they would encounter Lu Ye here.

"Senior Brothers and Sisters, it's been years. I hope you've all been well?" Lu Ye greeted them with a wide smile. He was back; truly back this time.

Even when he had entered the Jade Snail star system's territory earlier, Lu Ye hadn't felt truly home. A star system was vast, and his place within it was small. Only now, seeing these four familiar faces, did he truly feel at home.

Roughly two months had passed since he departed from the Azure Dawn Realm, and this was with Lu Ye piloting the starship at full speed.

Years ago, he had used the Soul Guidance divine pattern on a cultivator from the Azure Dawn Realm, gleaning much information about it from their mind, including the route from the Azure Dawn Realm to the Peerless Continent. Thus, when he left the Azure Dawn Realm, he followed that very route towards the Peerless Continent.

Now, not far from the Peerless Continent, Lu Ye had been searching for traces of cultivators from the Nine Provinces. Indeed, he found some activity here. Upon investigating, he immediately recognized familiar faces.

Meng Jie, Jian Guhong, Yue Ji, and Wuchang — these four were considered the grand senior brother's four top powerhouses back in the day.

He wondered how they had provoked this pack of beasts. They clearly seemed to be under pursuit. While the other three appeared relatively unharmed, Wuchang was clutching his bleeding buttocks, evidently injured.

"Do you need any help?" Lu Ye asked with a smile.

"Quick, quick, quick!" Wuchang swiftly boarded the starship, followed closely by the other three. "Run!"

The group was no stranger to starships. When Lu Ye left back then, he had left behind the 'Silver Fish,' which was now in the Nine Provinces Garrison Hall. For years, the artificers of the Nine Provinces had diligently researched whether they could craft starships to facilitate travel for Heavenly Constellation cultivators in the starry sky. Unfortunately, progress had been minimal. It wasn't due to a lack of skill on the artificers' part but primarily an issue with materials. As a newly ascended large realm, it was difficult for the Nine Provinces to find materials suitable for Heavenly Constellation use within its borders. Without external catalysts, it would require a long period of accumulation and evolution.

Thus, to this day, the entire Nine Provinces possessed only one starship.

Their individual speeds were somewhat inferior to the star beasts, but they all knew the speed of a starship. Once aboard, their hearts immediately settled.

However, the starship showed no intention of moving. Watching the beast pack rapidly close in, Wuchang's face turned pale, and he urged, "Yi Ye, run!"

If he could control the starship, he would have piloted it himself at that moment.

Lu Ye looked at the pursuing star beasts, his gaze falling upon the one with the strongest aura at the front. He smiled faintly. "No need!"

With that, he leaped out of the starship, raising his hand to grip the hilt of his Mountain-Shattering Saber.

Meng Jie and the others' expressions turned to astonishment. They had no idea what Lu Ye intended, but his stance suggested he meant to face the beast pack alone?

The beast pack arrived extremely quickly, especially the largest one at the front. It lunged close almost simultaneously with Lu Ye leaping from the starship. Its eyes were blood-red, its massive mouth agape, and its protruding fangs as sharp as swords.

A clang suddenly rang out, followed by a continuous succession of saber hums, merging into a single, rolling sound.

The astonishment on Meng Jie and the others' faces instantly transformed into shock, because the moment Lu Ye made his move, they finally sensed his cultivation level.

Late Heavenly Constellation stage!

If that alone wasn't enough, what truly stunned them was the continuous saber light rolling forward, becoming as vast as a sea in an instant.

What greeted their eyes seemed to be a tidal wave formed by saber light, each wave stronger than the last, and what they heard was the surging sound of the tide.

The leading star beast, a late Heavenly Constellation equivalent, had its blood-red eyes and ferocity still unyielding, when suddenly it disintegrated into countless fragments of flesh scattered across the sky.

The saber-light tide crashed forward, engulfing the beast pack charging towards them. In that instant, countless lives began to perish.

In just three breaths, the sea-like saber cascade abruptly vanished. Lu Ye stood still, slowly sheathing his saber. Before him, there was not a single living creature; all the pursuing star beasts had been annihilated within those three breaths, not one remaining.

Meng Jie and the others' expressions froze. They gazed at the gruesome scene of scattered corpses and blood, as if trapped in a dream.

Not only them, but even Li Shang, who had been by Lu Ye's side for years, watched in utter amazement. Over the past few years, she had felt Lu Ye's strength grow exponentially. As a late Heavenly Constellation cultivator herself, compared to Lu Ye, she felt utterly insignificant.

Her knowledge was actually limited, as the Soul race rarely revealed themselves among other beings. Therefore, she couldn't understand if many Heavenly Constellation cultivators outside were like this, or if it was unique to Lu Ye.

Lu Ye returned to the starship, seeing Meng Jie and the others staring at him intently. Even Wuchang had forgotten the pain of his injuries.

"Why are you all looking at me like that?" Lu Ye asked, a mix of amusement and helplessness on his face.

The others remained silent.

After a long moment, Yue Ji finally hesitated, "Are you… truly Lu Yi Ye?"

"It's me, no doubt about it!" Lu Ye puffed out his chest.

"I don't believe it!" Yue Ji shook her head. "You're not Lu Yi Ye. Tell us, what kind of monster are you?"

Wuchang also nodded. "Exactly. While Yi Ye is talented, he couldn't have become this powerful in just a few years. You must be an imposter."

Lu Ye said with a chuckle, "Then how would you like me to prove myself?" He could tell that Yue Ji and Wuchang weren't genuinely doubting him; the recent display had simply been too incredible, and they probably needed some time to process it.