Chapter 1605: After the War

If the Blood Clan members lurking in the Tranquil Moon Star System aren't dealt with, they will undoubtedly pose a great threat to Tranquil Moon in the future. Moreover, the Blood Clan can implant blood seals into other beings, turning them into blood slaves.

Therefore, there might still be some human cultivators in the Tranquil Moon Star System who have secretly been turned into blood slaves by the Blood Clan. If these Blood Clan members and blood slaves aren't found, it will significantly undermine Tranquil Moon's stability.

However, the Blood Clan is deeply hidden, making them incredibly difficult to locate. If this issue isn't handled properly, it could lead to internal disunity and mistrust within Tranquil Moon. For other matters, the Grand Luo, Unfettered, and North Profound star systems could ignore it, as it would be Tranquil Moon's internal affair, and outsiders shouldn't interfere. But since it involves the Blood Clan, they cannot stand by idly.

The three Sundering Realm cultivators fell silent for a moment, unable to come up with a good solution.

Luo Xie then spoke again: "Regardless, Tranquil Moon must be informed of the situation here. Additionally, word of Daoist Chen Zong's death in battle must be sent to North Profound."

"I'll go!" Ning Bu'ao volunteered. As a body cultivator, his previous battle injuries, though significant, were less debilitating due to his robust physique. Consequently, his physical condition was slightly better than Luo Xie's and Li Guan's.

Luo Xie and Li Guan had no objections. Ning Bu'ao immediately set off. Given his powerful Sundering Realm cultivation, the journey wouldn't take him long.

Luo Xie and Li Guan remained to quietly recuperate from their injuries.

After a little less than half a day, the Divine-Travelers who had been singing and dancing on the battlefield gradually recovered. Another half day later, the Constellations also recovered.

After regaining control of themselves, many cultivators looked embarrassed. The remaining cultivators from the Four Quadrant Star Systems began to clean up the battlefield. In this battle, the Blood Clan and Insect Clan were completely annihilated, but their own side also suffered immense losses, with a staggering sixty percent of the Four Quadrant Star System cultivators killed in action. Such casualties were unprecedented.

The remains of the fallen cultivators needed to be collected, and their belongings gathered, all to be taken back for burial. And there were also the spoils of war left by the dead Insect Clan and Blood Clan members.

The cultivators from the Three Realms did not participate in the cleanup, quietly remaining on their warship.

Luan Xiao'e approached Lu Ye with a sigh: "More than sixty people died..."

A total of five hundred cultivators from the Three Realms had arrived this time. Over sixty died in the major battle, which was not many compared to the Four Quadrant Star Systems' losses. However, this was due to the combined efforts of Lu Ye and Luan Xiao'e after realizing the battle was going poorly. Had they not promptly regrouped the scattered Three Realms cultivators and had Lu Ye not activated the Blood Sea for protection, the losses would have been far greater.

Of the sixty-plus casualties, most were cultivators from the Azure Dawn Dao World and Jade Snail Realm. In contrast, fewer than ten cultivators from the Nine Provinces were killed in action.

Lu Ye felt a pang of pain. It was not easy for any cultivator from the Nine Provinces to reach this stage. After finally advancing to the Constellation Realm and venturing into the starry sky, filled with ambition to reach the magnificent Myriad Manifestation Sea, they had unexpectedly fallen short before even completing their journey.

But this was war, and casualties were unavoidable. However, cultivators from the Nine Provinces had experienced various conflicts since the beginning of their cultivation. Therefore, dying in battle was a fate that all Nine Provinces cultivators had long been psychologically prepared for.

Surviving such a calamity should have brought joy, but the atmosphere across the battlefield was heavy. Cultivators silently collected the remains of their comrades, and some female cultivators wept mournfully.

The cleanup lasted for two full days before the battlefield was finally cleared.

Luo Xie and Li Guan, having largely recovered from their injuries, personally came to Lu Ye's warship and expressed their profound gratitude. They stated that if Lu Ye ever needed their help in the future, he should not hesitate to ask, assuring him they would face any danger, even a mountain of blades or a sea of fire, without hesitation.

Lu Ye naturally didn't need their help at the moment, but after this world-saving battle, he knew his standing with the Four Quadrant Star Systems was now secure. Previously, their cooperation with the Four Quadrant Star Systems was based on mutual interest, as he possessed the star map and method to reach the Myriad Manifestation Sea, and they had a request of him. Any cooperation primarily driven by profit is inherently unstable.

But now it was different. Lu Ye had turned the tide in this battle, effectively giving new life to the entire Four Quadrant Star Systems. In particular, the Unfettered Star System was the closest neighbor to Jade Snail Realm, and while they were neighbors, Unfettered was significantly more powerful than Jade Snail, which inevitably caused some unease. With this battle, it was certain that as long as Lu Ye remained alive, Unfettered would harbor no improper ambitions towards Jade Snail.

Not seeing Ning Bu'ao, Lu Ye didn't know where he had gone and didn't ask further.

As they were speaking, several Divine-Travelers arrived together, reporting that everything was ready for departure.

Li Guan nodded slightly: "Then let's depart."

Just as the Divine-Travelers were about to leave, Lu Ye fixed his gaze on one of the women, raising his hand to call out: "Daoist friend, please wait!"

The Divine-Travelers all stopped simultaneously. After realizing Lu Ye was calling out to that particular woman, they turned to look at her.

The woman looked at Lu Ye with confusion: "Does Daoist Lu have any instructions?"

Lu Ye shook his head: "I wouldn't presume to give instructions. I merely wish to ask which star system you are from."

The woman replied: "I am from the Tranquil Moon Star System."

Lu Ye thought, 'Just as I expected.'

Luo Xie chuckled beside him: "Sister Feng is one of Tranquil Moon's three great beauties. Young friend Lu, have you perhaps taken a liking to her?"

Upon hearing this, the woman named Feng blushed slightly and playfully chided Luo Xie: "Brother, please don't joke. Daoist Lu must have something important to discuss."

"Indeed, it is important!" Lu Ye nodded, not looking at her but at Luo Xie and Li Guan: "Do you two trust me?"

Luo Xie was puzzled by Lu Ye's sudden question, but instinctively nodded: "Without you, young friend, everyone here would have perished today. Of course, I trust you."

Lu Ye stated: "In that case, please, Elder Luo, kill her!"

Luo Xie was stunned, barely believing his ears: "What?"

The other Divine-Travelers who had arrived with the woman named Feng to report also stared at Lu Ye in astonishment. However, they soon seemed to understand something, and their gazes towards the woman named Feng became filled with suspicion and uncertainty.

Luo Xie frowned: "Young friend, is there something amiss?" He wasn't foolish; there was no reason for Lu Ye to suddenly ask him to kill someone, especially such a delicate-looking woman. Given the prior discovery of numerous hidden Blood Clan members in Tranquil Moon, he naturally made a connection.

"Are you certain?" Li Guan turned to Lu Ye, his expression solemn.

Lu Ye simply nodded.

Li Guan's expression faltered for a moment, then his gaze towards the woman named Feng instantly sharpened with resolve.

The woman named Feng's expression changed dramatically. While secretly channeling her spiritual power, she tearfully pleaded: "Daoist Lu, I haven't offended you, have I? Why would you ask Senior Brother Luo to kill me?"

Lu Ye merely watched her calmly. Although he was certain of her Blood Clan origin, he had no intention of seeking proof, as mere words would be useless in such a situation. No one would expose their true form just by being questioned, and even using force wouldn't compel her to reveal herself.

A sword hum suddenly resonated as a streak of sword light shot out from before Li Guan, attacking the woman. The woman named Feng's face turned pale with horror, and she cried out, attempting to retreat. However, the gap in power between a Divine-Traveler and a Sundering Realm cultivator was immense. Furthermore, Li Guan was a sword cultivator renowned for his lethal attacks. At such close range, how could she possibly evade his sudden strike?

As the sword light dissipated, Li Guan remained standing still, as if he hadn't moved. Yet, the woman named Feng wore a look of bitter agony, staring down at her chest. On her pristine white robe, a patch of crimson slowly bloomed like a blood-red flower, and her powerful life force rapidly waned.

Luo Xie's heart pounded. Although he had roughly guessed Lu Ye's intention in asking him to kill, he was still hesitant to act without absolute confirmation. After all, the woman named Feng was from Tranquil Moon, and he was from Grand Luo; it wasn't appropriate for him to overstep.

He hadn't expected Li Guan to be so decisive. Truly worthy of being a sword cultivator known for his swift and sharp actions, Luo Xie felt ashamed of his own lack of decisiveness compared to her. Of course, it could also be seen as reckless. If they had killed the wrong person, he wouldn't know how to explain it to Tranquil Moon later.

Under the intense scrutiny of many gazes, the woman named Feng's life force completely vanished, turning her into a corpse.

Soon, the expressions of several Divine-Travelers and even Luo Xie changed, as the woman named Feng's body showed no signs of alteration, maintaining its appearance from before her death.

Luo Xie's heart immediately sank. They had truly killed the wrong person!

Logically, if the woman named Feng had indeed been a Blood Clan member disguised by a secret technique, her true form should have been revealed upon death, as Blood Clan secret techniques cannot be maintained once the practitioner dies, thus exposing their true appearance. But the woman named Feng still maintained her appearance from before death, which implied that this was her original form and not a disguise created by a Blood Clan secret technique. This indeed meant they had killed the wrong person.

Lu Ye also showed a puzzled expression. He quickly moved forward, came before the woman named Feng, and examined her carefully for a moment. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he reached out to remove a necklace from her neck. The chain of the necklace was pristine white, made of an unknown material, but the pendant was a heart-shaped, blood-red object.

As the item was removed, the woman named Feng's corpse rapidly transformed. Her figure became much more slender, her exposed skin turned crimson, and her ears became pointed.

The group watched, their expressions grim. During the previous battle, some Tranquil Moon cultivators had revealed their true forms, leading everyone to believe there were no more disguised Blood Clan members. Who would have thought there were still others? This was undoubtedly a case of "blind spot under the lamp." After all, no one expected that with the Blood Clan and Insect Clan having held a significant advantage, there would still be Blood Clan members in hiding.

Had Lu Ye not seen through her disguise, no one would have believed that the woman named Feng was also from the Blood Clan. After all, she held a high reputation in the Tranquil Moon Star System, and Luo Xie's comment about her being one of Tranquil Moon's three great beauties was not a jest, but a factual statement.

Lu Ye examined the heart-shaped pendant in his hand. He could confirm it was a treasure, likely one that helped the wearer maintain a human form. Therefore, with this item close to her, the woman named Feng's true form wasn't revealed even after death.