Chapter 1686: I Don't Understand

A single drop of precious blood, refined from one's own essence, was almost equivalent to a drop of holy blood. What kind of powerful being could casually bestow such a treasure?

Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Ma Shangsi respectfully rushed towards Lu Ye.

The refinement of the precious blood wasn't fully complete, but the most dangerous phase was over. The rest was a slow, gradual process; once he fully refined that drop of precious blood, his bloodline would undergo a qualitative transformation.

Following Lu Ye's aura, he stopped a short distance away and respectfully declared, "Greetings, Honored Saint. Your humble servant has not failed your expectations; the precious blood has been refined!"

As he spoke, he subtly raised his gaze to examine Lu Ye.

Previously, obscured by the Blood Sea, he hadn't seen Lu Ye's appearance or even known his cultivation level.

But now…

To his perception, the powerful Honored Saint before him wasn't the formidable Sun-Illumination realm he'd imagined. Instead, he seemed to be merely at the early Moon-Glow stage?

Even accounting for the suppression of cultivation in this location, he would at most be mid-stage, or perhaps late-stage.

His cultivation level was surprisingly lower than Ma Shangsi's own.

Even so, Ma Shangsi dared not underestimate him. A single drop of precious blood from the Honored Saint had transformed him, and his future potential was clearly boundless. He wouldn't be so foolish as to disparage him based on his current cultivation.

Observing the Honored Saint's face again, he noted a youthful, human appearance.

This wasn't strange; to operate effectively in the starry void, the Blood Race had long ago developed secret techniques to alter their appearance. After all, parading around with distinct Blood Race features wasn't exactly practical.

The Insect Race, however, couldn't do this. Also one of the two scourges of the starry void, their characteristics were impossible to hide.

Yet, what puzzled Ma Shangsi was how familiar the Honored Saint's face seemed.

Had he seen it somewhere before?

A Moon-Glow's memory is naturally powerful, so after a brief moment of thought, he knew exactly where he had seen that face.

It was from an image!

An image brought back by a Moon-Glow who had once participated in the Divine Sea War of the Reincarnation Tree with his clan. The image showed the interior of the Reincarnation Tree, where powerful cultivators from various realms had gathered, and the young figure at the very center of that image had this exact appearance.

Based on that image, both the Insect and Blood races had even jointly issued a bounty.

That's right, Lu Yiye of the Nine Heavens! Ma Shangsi instantly remembered the name.

However, he quickly and fearfully dismissed the thought. How could such a powerful Honored Saint be connected to that human boy? It must be that the Honored Saint was merely using the boy's appearance to operate externally.

Yes, that had to be it!

"That's right, that's precisely it. I am the person you're thinking of!" Across from him, Lu Ye observed Ma Shangsi with amusement.

The other party had begun refining the precious blood; though not yet complete, he had passed the most perilous stage. Lu Ye, however, could already control his every action, and even his inner thoughts were under Lu Ye's scrutiny.

Ma Shangsi was visibly stunned, then looked at Lu Ye with a puzzled expression. "Honored Saint, I don't understand."

He genuinely didn't grasp the meaning of the Honored Saint's words. "I am the person you're thinking of"? No matter how he thought about it, it sounded odd.

Lu Ye stated calmly, "I am Lu Yiye of the Nine Heavens, the human that your Blood Race and Insect Race jointly issued a bounty to kill!"

Ma Shangsi was silent for a moment, then chuckled awkwardly. "Honored Saint, please don't jest with your humble servant."

How could such a thing be possible?

Lu Ye looked at the late-stage Moon-Glow before him with a hint of regret, feeling that the man seemed… a little slow-witted.

Lu Ye said no more, content whether Ma Shangsi believed him or not. The man was already his blood attendant and couldn't cause any trouble. Even if he couldn't accept the reality now, he would have to eventually.

"Let's go," Lu Ye said, signaling.

Ma Shangsi promptly summoned his starship. "Honored Saint, please embark!"

Lu Ye nodded and boarded the starship. Only then did Ma Shangsi ask, "Honored Saint, please instruct me where we should head next?"

Lu Ye considered for a moment. "Before entering, I saw a market outside. Let's go take a look there!"

He had originally intended to buy items to restore soul power there, but since he'd acquired the white-haired old man's inheritance, that was no longer necessary.

His next step was to return to Kyushu and settle the World King Flower there.

In the past, he wouldn't have been able to do this. The journey to and from Kyushu was too long; he couldn't have sustained himself for such an extended period without a large supply of soul jade or spirit elixirs to replenish his soul power.

But now, being half Soul Race, he hoped to find a convenient route back to Kyushu through the Soul Race's Starry Pool.

Lu Ye still recalled Xiao Jiu's reluctance when he last left Kyushu, and he also remembered promising Xiao Jiu to bring back treats upon his return.

Xiao Jiu was like a child, one known only to Lu Ye. With Lu Ye gone, vast as Kyushu was, it had no one left to communicate with. Its only task was to silently guard Kyushu, eagerly awaiting Lu Ye's return.

When adults enjoy themselves outside, they naturally bring gifts home for the children left behind, especially if promises have been made.

For a realm, "treats" undoubtedly referred to items that could enhance its inherent foundation.

For instance, the wondrous items within the Thousand Hills Tomb were greatly beneficial for a realm. However, Lu Ye currently lacked the ability to cause disruption there; his last success was entirely thanks to Qingniao.

He would have to consider other methods instead.

Lu Ye estimated that he would need to cultivate to at least the Sun-Illumination level before he could even consider taking advantage of the Thousand Hills Tomb, and he'd also need to have a thorough discussion with Qingniao.

Another option was to visit the external market and see if there were items like World-Devouring Beast crystal cores, which could also serve as snacks for Xiao Jiu.

Ma Shangsi received the command and piloted the starship outward. It moved with impressive speed and remarkable stability.

Lu Ye couldn't help but marvel; having subordinates certainly made things easier. He didn't even need to exert himself for travel, a simple command sufficed.

Furthermore, Ma Shangsi, being a late-stage Moon-Glow, was undoubtedly much faster at traveling than Lu Ye himself. In terms of inherent strength, Ma Shangsi was far superior to the white-haired elder from the Divine Wind Star Pirate Group.

This was evident from the suppression within the Yin-Yang Grand Millstone: at similar depths, the white-haired elder's cultivation was suppressed to only the early Moon-Glow stage, while Ma Shangsi could still display mid-Moon-Glow power. This highlighted the elder's weaker foundation.

The elder's cultivation, Lu Ye surmised, was likely accumulated entirely through external means.

Just a few days later, they left the area enveloped by the Yin-Yang Grand Millstone. After passing through an invisible barrier, they emerged into the starry void.

The market wasn't far; Lu Ye had spotted it from a distance during his earlier escape.

Ma Shangsi, being perceptive, activated a secret technique to conceal his Blood Race characteristics, adopting a human appearance.

While still tall, he now looked considerably more handsome, and his apparent age was not old, perhaps around thirty.

Outside the Yin-Yang Grand Millstone, Ma Shangsi's cultivation instantly reverted to the late Moon-Glow stage. To Lu Ye, he appeared no weaker than Yan Miao, the Mermaid Great Elder.

This fellow was clearly at the peak of the Moon-Glow realm!

Now that he had received Lu Ye's precious blood, if he was diligent enough and encountered further opportunities, he might even ascend to the Sun-Illumination realm.

This blood attendant, taken on a whim, was truly quite good; his future looked promising.

Lu Ye was quite pleased with Ma Shangsi, but Ma Shangsi himself was currently bewildered.

He had initially assumed Lu Ye was a mid-stage Moon-Glow. However, even after leaving the Yin-Yang Grand Millstone and the ancient environment's suppression, Lu Ye remained at the early Moon-Glow stage.

What was going on?

Nevertheless, as a late-stage Moon-Glow with considerable experience, he quickly deduced what the white-haired elder had previously considered.

He couldn't help but be greatly excited, for if his perception wasn't flawed, the Honored Saint who bestowed the precious blood upon him must have emerged victorious from the Divine Sea War of the Reincarnation Tree and refined the Primordial Spirit Light. Otherwise, there was no logical reason for him to be unaffected by the ancient environment's suppression.

The Blood Race achieving victory in the Primordial Realm wasn't unprecedented. In previous Divine Sea Wars, both the Blood and Insect races typically secured some winning slots, as the Blood Race could use secret techniques to locate their kin and then collaborate.

However, the last Divine Sea War had been completely annihilated by Lu Yiye of the Nine Heavens…

The thought of Lu Yiye of the Nine Heavens, coupled with the Honored Saint's earlier words, made Ma Shangsi uneasy. For days, he had been unable to decipher the true meaning behind the Honored Saint's statement.

Yet, he dared not ask.

The market was quite lively. Many cultivators who came to hone themselves in the Yin-Yang Grand Millstone used it as a temporary stopover to replenish their resources.

The number of Constellation cultivators here was relatively small; Moon-Glows were more prevalent.

Not every Constellation cultivator dared to venture deep into a starry void wonder to temper their body as Lu Ye did. Generally, Constellation realm cultivators operated within their home realm's galaxy and rarely ventured outside it.

Naturally, unique environments like the Myriad Phenomena Sea were exceptions; that place offered too many opportunities, and Constellations were quite willing to visit if circumstances allowed.

Therefore, even if some cultivators had specific goals, they would typically wait until they reached the Moon-Glow stage before acting, as it was safer.

Lu Ye casually browsed the various stalls.

It wasn't that there were no good items—what Moon-Glow cultivators offered for sale was certainly not bad. However, Lu Ye had few personal needs; as a blade cultivator, his Pan Shan Blade was sufficient.

For cultivation, he possessed spirit jade and spirit crystals. As for wondrous elixirs… he had no immediate need, as the entire Myriad Phenomena Sea served as his ultimate elixir.

Seeing Lu Ye search around without finding anything to his liking, Ma Shangsi asked, "What does the Honored Saint wish to purchase? Perhaps I can also help keep an eye out?"

Lu Ye nodded. "Items like World-Devouring Beast crystal cores, things that can enhance a realm's foundation."

Ma Shangsi understood. "Then, Honored Saint, I will browse this area. If I find any, I'll purchase it."

"Go ahead," Lu Ye nodded. He mused that Ma Shangsi, being a late-stage Moon-Glow, must have considerable wealth. Should he make him hand it over?

After a moment's thought, Lu Ye decided against it for now. He could always address it later if he found himself in need of funds.