Chapter 1614: Return to the Sea of Myriad Phenomena

In the great hall, after listening to Fan Li's explanation, Luo Xie said, "Then I wish your star system success in your endeavors."

Fan Li replied with a smile, "I'll take that as a good omen!"

As the two spoke, Luo Xie subtly winked at Lu Ye.

Lu Ye cupped his fist and said, "If senior has no further instructions, I will take my leave now."

"You've worked hard," Fan Li nodded slightly.

Lu Ye turned and departed, flying out from the temporary palace and returning to where the cultivators of the Three Realms had gathered. The sect master came over to inquire, and Lu Ye truthfully informed him.

A moment later, Luo Xie also flew out from the temporary palace, stopped in mid-air, and cupped his fist, saying, "Fellow Daoist Fan, we shall meet again!"

"We shall meet again!" came Fan Li's voice from within the temporary palace, which then rapidly shot through the air and away.

After Fan Li's temporary palace had disappeared into the distance, Luo Xie let out a soft huff, flicked his sleeve, and commanded, "Board the ships, set sail!"

Everyone quickly returned to their positions. Thirty-one star-ships and five Tiger Shark warships swiftly ascended, and the fleet departed once more.

On the leading star-ship, Lu Ye looked at Luo Xie and said, "Elder Luo, you seem a bit displeased?"

Luo Xie angrily retorted, "That Fan Li must be obsessed with money. Do you know what terms he originally proposed to me?"

"What terms?" Lu Ye asked. It appeared Luo Xie and Fan Li had been negotiating for a while before he returned, and Fan Li had clearly made an unreasonable demand, which had upset Luo Xie so much.

"Five thousand spirit jade!" Luo Xie spread out one palm.

"What?!" Lu Ye was completely bewildered.

"A toll!" Luo Xie fumed. Just as Lu Ye was thinking that five thousand spirit jade wasn't much, Luo Xie added, "Per person!"

Calculated per person, that meant five thousand spirit jade for each individual!

With fifteen hundred people, that would amount to a staggering seven to eight million spirit jade!

While the Four Directions Star System could certainly afford it, spirit jade wasn't meant to be spent in such a manner.

"If we didn't have to borrow their path, I wouldn't bother enduring his nonsense; I'd have slapped him already," Luo Xie said, raising his palm and making a slapping motion as if actually striking Fan Li's face, which visibly cheered him up.

"Elder Luo, calm down. We have no choice but to borrow their path," Lu Ye quickly comforted him.

Luo Xie sighed, "I only regret that my Four Directions Star System doesn't have a direct wormhole to the Myriad Manifestations Star System!" He turned to Lu Ye. "I heard your Jade Snail Star System has one, but it hasn't stabilized yet?"

Lu Ye nodded. "That's correct!"

"When it stabilizes, remember to inform my Four Directions Star System. Our cultivators can then use your path and won't have to grovel to others!" After calming himself, Luo Xie continued, "However, I've negotiated with Fan Li that if any of our people need to borrow this path again in the future, we just need to notify them upon arrival!"

Although wormholes connected them, due to places like the Mist Dragon, the Long Cloud Star System and the Four Directions Star System were destined to have limited interaction. Traversing the Mist Dragon required igniting a clone of the Samsara Tree, and neither side possessed the significant resources to do this frequently, thus preventing regular travel between their territories.

This time, Fan Li had obtained a section of a Samsara Tree clone, which he treasured. Luo Xie seized the opportunity to discuss future arrangements, and Fan Li readily agreed.

"That's excellent!" Lu Ye nodded.

As the fleet proceeded, cultivators from the Long Cloud Star System soon began appearing nearby. However, they kept their distance, merely observing for a few days before departing.

This surveillance, however, continued without interruption, with one group replacing another.

It was likely that the Long Cloud cultivators had received instructions from Fan Li to do this.

After all, the fleet's size was considerable—fifteen hundred people, over thirty star-ships, and even a Sun-rank cultivator in command. No matter which star system they entered, others would not take them lightly, making such accompanying surveillance necessary.

Crossing the entire Long Cloud Star System was the longest leg of their journey. With Luo Xie overseeing the fleet, Lu Ye didn't need to worry about anything.

He spent his days sparring with Wang Xiu in the Azure Hall. After being "killed" by Wang Xiu numerous times, he gradually began to understand some of the subtleties. Although he still couldn't completely block the explosive power of Wang Xiu's blade, he could at least react when his opponent made a move, unlike at first, when Wang Xiu's blade meant instant death for him.

This was a form of progress, and his sparring with Wang Xiu was different from his encounters with previous seniors. In the future, Lu Ye would have more experience in dealing with such explosive attacks.

Passing by the location where the Great Fortune Wheel had once appeared, Lu Ye specifically went to check and found that it had indeed vanished. This left the Three Realms cultivators, who had been full of anticipation, somewhat disappointed. After all, such rare celestial treasures, which offered benefits with minimal risk, were uncommon throughout the entire star system; encountering one was a stroke of luck.

Having missed it this time, they might never get a second chance in their lifetime.

A few days after passing the former location of the Great Fortune Wheel, a massive wormhole became visible, stretching across the starry sky in the distance.

Although they had experience traversing a wormhole in the Mist Dragon, that particular wormhole was ultimately unstable and looked completely different from the one before them.

Such a magnificent and wondrous sight left all the Three Realms cultivators awestruck.

Beside the wormhole, a colossal palace floated in the starry sky. It was clearly an outpost for Long Cloud cultivators, and the palace was no ordinary structure; it resembled a formidable warship shaped like a palace.

Before the fleet even approached, a voice echoed from the distant palace, "Halt!"

Simultaneously, almost everyone in the fleet felt a chill run through them. Subtly, a great threat seemed to descend. Lu Ye clearly saw that almost as soon as the voice sounded, numerous treasures embedded as array cores on the palace-shaped warship's exterior locked their attack trajectories onto the fleet.

They weren't actually intending to attack but were merely taking precautions, which was to be expected. Thus, even Luo Xie showed little change in expression.

However, if the fleet were to ignore the warning and continue forward, it would undoubtedly face an attack.

"Elder Luo, I'll go," Lu Ye offered, genuinely reluctant to see a Sun-rank cultivator like Luo Xie humble himself before others.

Luo Xie nodded and handed Lu Ye a token. This token was the pass he had obtained from Fan Li earlier, allowing passage through the wormhole.

Taking the token, Lu Ye darted out of the star-ship, held the token aloft, and flew toward the palace.

He quickly arrived before the palace, where a figure stood. Lu Ye found the person somewhat familiar at first glance, and upon getting closer, realized he had indeed met them before.

It was the Moon Jade cultivator he had encountered when Tang Jun first brought him here.

Lu Ye didn't know the person's name, only that their surname was Zhang, and they seemed to be on good terms with Tang Jun, addressing each other as brothers.

Since it was an acquaintance, things would be easier. He stepped forward and greeted, "Greetings, Senior."

The Moon Jade cultivator apparently didn't recognize Lu Ye. After glancing at the fleet in the distance, he asked Lu Ye, "Do you have a pass?"

Lu Ye promptly presented the token.

The other party took it, examined it carefully, and nodded slightly. "The token is correct. You may proceed!"

He must have already received a message from Fan Li, so he only needed to verify the token's authenticity.

Inside the palace, the power of the numerous treasures in the array cores slowly receded.

Lu Ye thanked him, "Many thanks, Senior Zhang!"

The Moon Jade cultivator was slightly surprised. "You know me?" From Fan Li's message, he understood that this fleet was jointly formed by the Four Great Star Systems and was supposedly their first journey to the Myriad Manifestations Sea, so he wondered how Lu Ye recognized him.

Lu Ye replied, "I saw you before, when Elder Tang Jun brought me here."

The Moon Jade cultivator surnamed Zhang scrutinized Lu Ye from head to toe before realizing, "Oh, I remember now! When you came here, you happened to encounter the Great Fortune Wheel's appearance!"

"That's right!"

The Moon Jade cultivator surnamed Zhang nodded, showing no further interest in conversation with Lu Ye.

Lu Ye said, "If Senior has some free time, you're welcome to visit Wushuang Island. I believe Elder Tang will be delighted." Although he disliked engaging in pleasantries, maintaining good relations with the Long Cloud Star System was essential. As long as the Jade Snail wormhole remained unsafe for use, borrowing the Long Cloud's path to enter the Myriad Manifestations Sea was the only option for Kyushu cultivators.

Upon hearing him mention Wushuang Island, the Moon Jade cultivator surnamed Zhang's expression suddenly turned peculiar. "Wushuang Island..." He stopped mid-sentence, then waved his hand. "Never mind, I suppose you wouldn't know."

Lu Ye paused, then couldn't help but ask, "What happened to Wushuang Island?"

The Moon Jade cultivator surnamed Zhang had no intention of explaining further. He merely said, "Whatever happened to Wushuang Island, as a Star-rank cultivator, you can't do anything about it. You should go now."

Returning from the palace, Luo Xie saw Lu Ye looking troubled and couldn't help but frown. "Did they make things difficult for you?"

Lu Ye shook his head. "No. Let's depart. Once we pass through this wormhole, we'll enter the Myriad Manifestations Star System."

Luo Xie was puzzled, wondering why Lu Ye looked that way if no one had made things difficult for him.

The fleet began to move forward, gradually approaching the wormhole, and one ship after another sped into it.

The star-ship Lu Ye was on was the first to emerge from the wormhole. On this side, there was also a Moon Jade cultivator from the Long Cloud Star System stationed to prevent unauthorized entry into their star system. However, they generally paid no mind to those exiting their own star system.

Those who came from their own star system would possess a pass.

So, despite being surprised by the large number of star-ships and the unfamiliar faces of the cultivators on board, the Moon Jade cultivator on this side didn't ask many questions, merely observing them for a few moments.

The leading star-ship stopped nearby, waiting for the rest of the fleet to pass through. On board, figures stood by the ship's edge, gazing from afar at the massive, ocean-like expanse that filled their vision. Even from a great distance, they could feel its grandeur and immensity, leaving them utterly awestruck.

Some even shouted excitedly, "Myriad Manifestations Sea, here I come!"

This prompted a group of people nearby to cheer loudly, their excitement clearly visible.

Lu Ye also looked towards the Myriad Manifestations Sea, but an unsettling feeling persisted in his heart. Remembering what the Moon Jade cultivator surnamed Zhang had said, he wondered if something had happened to Wushuang Island during his years of absence.