Chapter 1692: Blood Ancestor

Everything in Kyushu was getting on track, and Lu Ye was pleased. Who wouldn't want their homeland to flourish, especially when their own efforts contributed to such change? It was foreseeable that as Kyushu grew, many Moon-Grade and even Sun-Grade cultivators would emerge in the future. At that point, it was uncertain whether the Jade Snail Realm could maintain its leading position in this star system. However, even if that time came, the Jade Snail Star System couldn't easily be renamed, as the name Kyushu couldn't be casually exposed.

Little Nine chattered endlessly to Lu Ye, like a motor-mouth, recounting trivial matters happening within Kyushu: which sect had produced a promising genius, which Star-Grade cultivator had ventured deep into space and made significant discoveries, and so on. Lu Ye knew it had been cooped up for too long. No one in Kyushu currently knew of its existence, so sometimes it couldn't find anyone to talk to. With Lu Ye's rare return, it couldn't stop talking once it started. Lu Ye showed no impatience, listening and casually responding to Little Nine.

“Ah!” A sudden exclamation broke through Lu Ye and Little Nine's lively chat. Lu Ye looked up, glancing disapprovingly at Ma Shangsi, who was piloting the starship. He reprimanded, “What’s with all the fuss?!” He was already a late-stage Moon-Grade cultivator, yet still so excitable. Ma Shangsi quickly turned around, respectfully saying, “Your Holiness, please forgive me. It’s just that I witnessed an incredible sight, and my mind was so stirred, I couldn’t control myself!”

Lu Ye didn't understand. “What incredible sight?”

Ma Shangsi, his expression excited, looked up and gazed ahead. “The Blood Ancestor’s body! That’s the Blood Ancestor’s body!”

Lu Ye followed his gaze and realized they were not far from Kyushu, as the Blood Refinement Realm was already visible. The speed of a late-stage Moon-Grade cultivator was indeed fast. Of course, it was also due to his return location not being far from Kyushu; in just a few days, they were almost there. As for the Blood Ancestor’s body Ma Shangsi mentioned, it was undoubtedly the Blood Refinement Realm!

“Blood Ancestor?” Lu Ye’s heart stirred. He instructed, “Explain in detail!”

Ma Shangsi cautiously looked at Lu Ye. After spending these days together, he had now confirmed one thing: The Holiness before him was the target of the bounty issued by his clan—Lu Yiye of the Nine Heavens, who had once annihilated all Blood Clan descendants in the Grand Beginning Realm! Honestly, when he confirmed this, Ma Shangsi was almost devastated. He simply couldn't understand how such a powerful Holiness could be Lu Yiye of the Nine Heavens himself! He had many conjectures in his mind but never dared to ask.

It wasn't until now, when Lu Ye asked about the Blood Ancestor, that Ma Shangsi mustered his courage and cautiously began, “May I ask about Your Holiness’s origins…” He wanted to ask if Lu Ye was human or Blood Clan, because if he were Blood Clan, there was no reason a Moon-Grade cultivator wouldn't know about the Blood Ancestor. The words were on his tongue, but he dared not continue, fearing an undesirable answer. Though he didn’t ask, Lu Ye knew what he was thinking and simply smiled at him.

Ma Shangsi shivered and quickly explained, “The Blood Ancestor is the origin of our Blood Clan. Legend says that the Blood Ancestor was born with the cosmos, and after a great battle with an unknown powerful entity, was dismembered and died. Currently, several of the most powerful realms occupied by our Blood Clan were formed from parts of the Blood Ancestor’s body. However, the most important part has not yet been found.”

Lu Ye understood. “The Blood Ancestor’s torso?”

“Precisely!” Ma Shangsi nodded. He had never imagined he would see such a legendary item in this place. Even from a great distance, Ma Shangsi could feel a connection in his bloodline to the enormous body-transformed realm spanning across the starry sky. Thus, he was certain it was the Blood Ancestor’s torso!

Lu Ye wore a pensive expression. Speaking of which, the Blood Clan’s reproduction wasn't solely through their own kind; they could also use human women to conceive blood fetuses. Lan Qiyue was a victim of this practice. This showed that the Blood Clan's bloodline inheritance was very powerful, and their reproduction wasn't difficult. Lu Ye had only previously speculated that the Blood Refinement Realm was the body of a female powerhouse, but he hadn’t known this powerhouse had such a remarkable origin. The Blood Ancestor, born with the cosmos, the origin of the Blood Clan! What could have possibly slain such a powerful being?

He couldn't help but recall that when Yang Qing first saw the Blood Refinement Realm in space, he had an eager expression and directly stated that if it were alive, fighting it would be incredibly thrilling...

“You said the other realms formed from parts of the Blood Ancestor’s body are now all top-tier realms?” Lu Ye asked.

Ma Shangsi nodded. “There are five realms in total, each a top-tier realm, teeming with countless powerful cultivators. The sacred blood of our clan’s Holinesses mostly originates from these five great realms.” As he spoke, Ma Shangsi suddenly realized why the Holiness before him possessed such intense and potent sacredness. A single drop of precious blood bestowed by him was comparable to a drop of sacred blood. With the Blood Ancestor’s body here, sacred blood would naturally not be hard to find.

Lu Ye looked thoughtful. Five realms—that would correspond to the four limbs and the head, exactly five parts. But it was astounding that these five realms were all top-tier realms. The Blood Clan was not just ordinarily wealthy! Then why was the Blood Refinement Realm, formed from the torso, so low-tier? When the Blood Refinement Realm first attacked, it hadn’t even been promoted to a large realm yet. Back then, the Blood Refinement Realm was far from being a top-tier realm; any Star-Grade cultivator could have annihilated Kyushu. It was precisely because it was only a low-tier realm that Kyushu was able to annex it.

“What are you thinking about?” Lu Ye suddenly noticed some peculiar thoughts in Ma Shangsi’s mind and quickly asked.

How would Ma Shangsi dare to conceal anything? He quickly replied, “Your Holiness, I once saw ancient texts left by my ancestors, which stated that if the separated body parts of the Blood Ancestor could be reassembled, the Blood Ancestor might be able to resurrect!”

Lu Ye was startled. Resurrection from the dead! This wasn't the first time he had heard this concept. Back when he refined the sacred blood and received the Blood Clan's inheritance, he knew that if the Blood Ancestor's legacy was cultivated to its peak, one could achieve resurrection from a single drop of blood. Of course, resurrection from a single drop of blood seemed a bit far-fetched, but actual resurrection from death might not be impossible? If even Ma Shangsi knew about this, then the powerful cultivators of the Blood Clan surely did as well.

The Blood Ancestor’s body was divided into six parts. Currently, the Blood Clan only occupied five of them, with one torso located here in Kyushu. Didn’t this mean that if the news got out, the Blood Clan would undoubtedly spare no effort to seize the Blood Refinement Realm? It wouldn't matter much if the Blood Refinement Realm was taken, but if the Blood Ancestor truly resurrected, that would be a grave situation. Lu Ye couldn't even imagine the strength of a being with such an enormous body. Currently, the Blood Clan’s situation in the starry sky was not good; they were essentially targets for everyone. If given the chance, they would certainly want to resurrect the Blood Ancestor, thus gaining a sufficiently powerful backer.

Many thoughts spun in his mind. Lu Ye knew that even if the Blood Ancestor’s resurrection seemed unreliable, once the Blood Clan learned there was a Blood Refinement Realm here, Kyushu would inevitably face a catastrophe. As for why the other five realms were top-tier while the Blood Refinement Realm was only a low-tier one, Lu Ye didn't understand, only vaguely feeling there might be some secrets involved.

“Your Holiness, please allow this subordinate to cultivate inside. This subordinate feels that if I could cultivate in that place, perhaps…”

“Don’t even think about it!” Lu Ye immediately refused him. Although theoretically, he could control the life and death of a Blood Servant, if the power gap between them was too great, Lu Ye wasn't sure what the outcome would be. Ma Shangsi was at the peak of Moon-Grade. If he truly advanced to Sun-Grade, would Lu Ye still be able to fully control him? If not, Kyushu's current foundation couldn't withstand it. Lu Ye would absolutely not allow such a potential crisis to emerge. Of course, if his own strength became formidable in the future, he might not rule out letting Ma Shangsi try.

Ruthlessly rejected by Lu Ye, Ma Shangsi's expression fell. He could feel that his opportunity to break through to Sun-Grade lay within that realm formed from the Blood Ancestor’s body. But since His Holiness disallowed it, he could only obey, not daring to resist, or even harbor any dissatisfaction in his heart.

As they spoke, they drew closer to Kyushu.

“Who goes there? This is Kyushu airspace, unauthorized entry is forbidden!” A voice echoed from afar. Several figures shot out from nearby asteroids, encircling them. These were the Star-Grade cultivators stationed in Kyushu’s nearby space. Every large realm had such arrangements, primarily to guard against asteroids striking the realm and the potential threat of star beasts. Although most star beasts had little interest in realms, it wasn’t an absolute rule. Just like the Celestial Desire Demon Spider Lu Ye had encountered before, once it invaded a realm, it brought disaster.

They recognized Kyushu’s own starships, so they wouldn’t obstruct their own people returning. However, the starship Ma Shangsi piloted looked unfamiliar, so they naturally had to intervene. Of course, because Kyushu had been interacting with the Azure Dawn Dao Realm and the Jade Snail Realm in recent years, they all assumed these were visitors from those two realms. But the closer they got, the more surprised and suspicious the Kyushu Star-Grade cultivators became, because the aura emanating from the starship was clearly that of a Moon-Grade cultivator! While Kyushu certainly had interactions with the other two realms, these were primarily between Star-Grade cultivators. No Moon-Grade cultivator had ever visited Kyushu before. For a moment, the Kyushu Star-Grade cultivators couldn't ascertain the newcomers' origin and secretly heightened their vigilance.

Just then, a familiar voice entered their ears: “Don’t be nervous, I’m back!”

The Kyushu Star-Grade cultivators were momentarily stunned, then immediately reacted. The leader incredulously said, “Lu Yiye?” Lu Ye had already stood up, revealing himself. Seeing him, the several cultivators realized it truly was Lu Yiye. They all grinned widely and hurried over, quickly landing on the starship.

How could they not be happy! The last time Lu Ye returned, he took three hundred people with him, saying they were going to the most prosperous Myriad Phenomena Sea in the starry sky. Too many people had missed that opportunity and could only wait for the next. But now, just over three years later, Lu Ye was back again! This immediately presented them with an opportunity.