Chapter 1694: Flower Realm Affiliation

It wasn't for any specific reason other than to simply make an appearance. Besides, Lu Ye had contributed immensely to Kyushu's development, and the Constellations remembered his generosity.

Seeing a beautiful woman by Lu Ye's side, the Constellations exchanged knowing glances. Lu Yiye was young, accomplished, and had a bright future. It was perfectly normal for him to bring a woman back, and there was no need for further inquiry.

After the better part of a day touring Kyushu with Lu Ye, Hua Qianying spoke up, "Now I believe what you said, fellow Daoist."

This truly was a large realm that had only recently been promoted. Every Constellation they encountered along the way was surprisingly in the early Constellation stage! This perfectly matched the profile of a realm that had only been promoted for about a dozen years. Lu Ye's Moon Shadow cultivation, however, seemed somewhat unusual, though he had already explained this to Hua Qianying beforehand.

"But… why is that?" Hua Qianying asked, perplexed. She sensed that Kyushu possessed an excellent foundation, far beyond what a realm promoted only fourteen years ago should have.

"Fellow Daoist, come with me," Lu Ye said, soaring into the sky.

Moments later, Hua Qianying stood in the starry sky, gazing back at Kyushu in utter astonishment. What shocked her was not merely the Blood Refining Realm adjacent to Kyushu, but also the peculiar connection between the two realms.

"Your realm... is devouring the foundation of that other realm?" Hua Qianying asked, startled.

Lu Ye nodded. "That's the Blood Refining Realm, inhabited by the Blood Race. About a dozen years ago, it drifted here from the starry void, and a war erupted between our two realms. We ultimately triumphed, eradicating the Blood Race of the Blood Refining Realm and then keeping the realm itself."

Hua Qianying found it hard to comprehend. According to Lu Ye, a mere dozen years prior, his homeland had been nothing more than a low-level realm, meaning cultivators could only reach the Divine Sea cultivation level at most. What capabilities could such a group of cultivators possess to not only annihilate the enemies of another realm but also retain that enemy realm as a resource for their own realm's advancement?

Although she struggled to understand, the evidence was undeniable. What particularly thrilled her was the realization that Lu Ye's homeland was not simply a newly promoted large realm; it was also a realm capable of rapid growth! Such realms, possessing the ability to devour the foundations of other realms and strengthen themselves, were exceedingly rare throughout the entire starry expanse. Hua Qianying could almost foresee that in the future starry sky, this realm would undoubtedly ascend to the pinnacle of the cosmos in the shortest possible time, becoming one of the premier top-tier realms!

Such a realm... was precisely the kind of entity the World King Flower had always yearned to attach itself to.

Turning, Hua Qianying gazed at Lu Ye with shining eyes. "Fellow Daoist," she urged, "please, you must allow the World King Flower to attach itself here!" To miss such an opportune moment, she feared, would mean never encountering its like again.

If the World King Flower could grow rapidly, then the cultivation levels of the Flower Race would also rise. The relationship between the Flower Realm and the Flower Race was not entirely similar to that between Kyushu and the Human Race. The strength of the Flower Race was directly tied to the Flower Realm's foundation. This differed from the Human Race in Kyushu, where once cultivators reached the Constellation stage and entered the starry void, their cultivation could continue to improve as long as they possessed sufficient aptitude and cultivation resources. Even if Kyushu remained a large realm in the future, Lu Ye and others still harbored hope of advancing to the Sun Illumination stage.

The Flower Race, however, was different. For them to advance to Sun Illumination, the Flower Realm itself had to first ascend to a top-tier realm. Of course, there was a trade-off: the Flower Race's cultivation was not as arduous as that of the Human Race. Indeed, once the Flower Realm attained top-tier status, the Flower Race would face virtually no bottlenecks in cultivating to Sun Illumination; they would merely need sufficient accumulation.

"That is indeed my wish!" Lu Ye smiled.

The matter of the World King Flower attaching to Kyushu was settled! This was undoubtedly a win-win situation. As for the name of Kyushu potentially being revealed to the Flower Race in the future, that was irrelevant. The Flower Race itself dared not easily expose its existence in the starry void. Furthermore, once the Flower Realm merged with Kyushu, their fates would be inextricably linked.

"But how should we proceed?" Lu Ye asked. Hua Qianying had guided him when he collected the World King Flower; now, she would also need to guide him in attaching it to Kyushu.

Hua Qianying then spoke with Lu Ye for a while. Lu Ye understood, and returned with her to Aoshan.

The next moment, a voice resonated in the ears of all Constellations and even Divine Sea cultivators still present in Kyushu: "I am Lu Yiye of the Blood Sect in Bingzhou. In half a day, a divine object will be placed within Kyushu. There may be unusual phenomena. All of you, please reassure your disciples and pacify the mortals in your territories; do not panic!"

One by one, the Constellations, and numerous Divine Sea cultivators, looked up towards the direction of Aoshan in Bingzhou. Currently, Lu Ye's renown was widespread throughout Kyushu. Even Spirit Stream cultivators who had just entered the cultivation world had almost all heard of him. They all knew he was a legend, Kyushu's current guide.

Upon his last return, he had led a group to the Myriad Phenomena Sea. Now, he was about to place some "divine object." Even the numerous Constellations couldn't help but feel curious, wondering what sort of item Lu Ye would refer to as divine. They soon learned, however. A tremendous hum reverberated, a fresh floral fragrance permeated the air, and then, an incredible sight appeared in everyone's vision across all of Kyushu.

A phantom-like flower materialized out of thin air, then rapidly expanded, growing until it overshadowed the sky and earth, finally enveloping the entirety of Kyushu. Across Kyushu, billions of gazes watched, none knowing precisely what this phenomenon was. Had Lu Ye not given prior notice, widespread panic would surely have ensued. But with his warning, various sects naturally dispatched their disciples to help pacify the confused mortals.

From the starry void, at that moment, a colossal flower would have been visible at Kyushu's location. Kyushu itself lay at the very center of the flower, like a brilliant, dazzling pearl.

This grand phenomenon arrived swiftly and departed just as quickly. In mere tens of breaths, the colossal floral silhouette vanished without a trace. Cultivators at or below the Divine Sea stage perceived nothing, but the Constellations distinctly sensed that Kyushu had undergone some wondrous transformation. Yet, no one could pinpoint precisely what had changed. It seemed then that only Lu Ye, the one who initiated this, understood the nature of the phantom flower. Still, no one directly inquired, for they all trusted that whatever Lu Ye did was for Kyushu's benefit, and what they needed to know would naturally be revealed in due time.

Within Aoshan, Lu Ye's face was slightly pale, and Hua Qianying was no better, almost completely exhausted. Not only her, but all members of the Flower Race within the Flower Realm were similarly drained. While placing the World King Flower into Kyushu sounded simple and the process unfolded without major complications, it was by no means as effortless as it appeared. Although Lu Ye expended a great deal of energy, he felt a distinct sense of relief. The World King Flower had, after all, been continuously draining his soul power. Now that it was freed, it felt as though a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders, making him considerably lighter.

"From now on, we are family. If you need anything, fellow Daoist, just say the word," Lu Ye said.

Hua Qianying smiled in response. "I certainly won't stand on ceremony with you, fellow Daoist. I'll go check on the Flower Realm now; it seems there's some internal upheaval after its initial placement." With that, Hua Qianying opened the portal to the Flower Realm and plunged inside.

Lu Ye considered for a moment and decided he should inform the Kyushu Constellations about the Flower Realm. After all, they would essentially be coexisting from now on, and frequent interaction was inevitable. He also needed to make a trip to the Defense Hall in Tianzhou.

As he thought this, Lu Ye suddenly felt as though something was missing. He looked down to find that Xiao Jiu, who had been nestled in his arms, had vanished without him even noticing its departure.

"Xiao Jiu?" Lu Ye called out.

The next moment, Xiao Jiu's voice echoed in his mind: "Something's come up. I'll tell you later."

Lu Ye was bewildered. What could this creature be up to, prompting such a hasty exit? And why did its tone sound so excited? Lu Ye vaguely suspected that Xiao Jiu's sudden departure was connected to the Flower Realm; otherwise, the timing wouldn't be such a coincidence. He didn't inquire further, knowing he would learn once Xiao Jiu was finished.

He turned to look outside Cui Zhu Peak. At that moment, two figures approached the grand formation guarding Cui Zhu Peak from the foot of the mountain and came to a halt. Neither appeared particularly old. One was slightly older, seeming to be in his late thirties or early forties, while the younger one looked to be around twenty. Both, however, possessed considerable cultivation, having reached the Divine Sea realm. The elder was already at the seventh level of Divine Sea, while the younger had attained the fifth level.

The younger Divine Sea cultivator appeared quite nervous, glancing around with an uneasy expression. He whispered, "Sect Master, I need to use the restroom."

The man he addressed as Sect Master turned to him. "You're already a Vice Sect Master," he reprimanded, "why are you still so flustered when you speak?"

The young man grimaced. "I don't want to be a Vice Sect Master! You all forced me into the position. What if I resign now?"

"The Vice Master of a sect isn't something you can just quit on a whim!" the Sect Master chided.

The young man sighed. "But I'm nervous right now. Can I just go to the restroom first?"

The Sect Master tried to reassure him. "Don't be afraid," he said, "Senior Brother doesn't eat people. And aren't you the one who reveres Senior Brother the most? You always talk about making him your goal. Why are you shrinking back now that you're about to meet him in person? And it's not as if you haven't seen him before."

The young man looked somewhat dejected. "I've only met him once," he admitted, "and I was young then, merely a Spirit Stream cultivator. I didn't understand anything, so naturally, I was fearless due to my ignorance."

"You're not old now! Pull yourself together, stand tall! You are now considered the most outstanding rising star of our sect. Senior Brother endured such immense difficulties back then and led our sect to its current prominence. Your current cultivation environment is far superior to what it was then. If you don't perform well, I'll deal with you later!"

"Who are you going to deal with?" a voice suddenly rang out. Immediately, the grand formation before them opened, revealing Lu Ye's figure, who smiled as he regarded the two unexpected arrivals.