Chapter 1700: Jade Conch

With everything settled, Wu Zhuo again ordered a banquet to be prepared as a welcoming feast for Lu Ye.

Lu Ye had initially wanted to head to the Jade Snail Realm as soon as possible, but Wu Zhuo's enthusiasm made it difficult to refuse. It was only for one night anyway, so he agreed. Besides, it would indeed take some time for the Azure Radiance Dao Realm to select its hundred representatives.

During the banquet, the three Moon Gazers raised their cups and drank heartily. When the revelry peaked, Wu Zhuo wiped his mouth, put an arm around Lu Ye's shoulder, and said, "Junior Brother, when you get to Three Realms Island, tell Tang Jun to come back and let me go there instead. What's a declining old man like him doing staying in a place like that? Tell him to come back and hold down the fort, and I'll go out and make a name for myself. I promise to secure a bright future for our realm's youngsters!"

"Alright, alright, I'll definitely pass on the message!" Lu Ye nodded repeatedly.

Tang Jun was indeed old and lacked ambition, but Wu Zhuo was different. He was in his prime. While he might not have acted without opportunity, now that a chance had arisen, he naturally wanted to seize it—not only for the future of the Azure Radiance Dao Realm but also for himself.

Unfortunately, the Azure Radiance Dao Realm only had two Moon Gazers. If Tang Jun wasn't there, Wu Zhuo would have to stay and oversee things.

Since Wu Zhuo had this idea, Lu Ye could certainly help convey it. As for what decision Tang Jun would make, that was not something Lu Ye needed to worry about.

The next day, as the Flower Realm portal opened, Wu Zhuo was immediately moved. "A small world?"

Lu Ye nodded and said, "It's more convenient for travel if they are stored in a small world."

Only then did Wu Zhuo understand why Lu Ye had come alone. He had assumed the three hundred cultivators from the Nine Provinces were en route, but it turned out Lu Ye possessed a small world.

No wonder Lu Ye had said yesterday that his capacity was limited and he couldn't bring too many people; it was due to the size constraints of the small world.

Under Wu Zhuo's command, over a hundred Star Constellations from the Azure Radiance Dao Realm passed through the portal one by one, entering the Small Flower Realm.

Lu Ye then sent a telepathic message, instructing the Nine Provinces' Star Constellations inside to make them welcome.

Staying inside the Small Flower Realm was not very comfortable. If only one person was accommodated, there would be some room to move around, but with so many people crammed in, there was little space. The Star Constellations from the Nine Provinces were mostly in a state of meditative cultivation.

Now, with over a hundred more cultivators from the Azure Radiance Dao Realm, it would be even more crowded. However, since Lu Ye had given the word, the Nine Provinces' Star Constellations would naturally welcome the Azure Radiance Dao Realm cultivators properly.

After all, everyone would be living on Three Realms Island in the future, and there would be times when mutual assistance was needed.

"Let's go," Wu Zhuo said.

He was preparing to accompany Lu Ye to the Jade Snail Realm, a matter settled at the banquet last night. Since Lu Ye had never been there before, and despite their existing cooperation, having someone familiar to both parties as a go-between would undoubtedly facilitate easier communication.

Ma Shangsi silently brought out his star-skiff. Lu Ye stepped onto it first, with Wu Zhuo following close behind.

"My lord, shall we depart?" Ma Shangsi asked. He didn't use the title "Sacred Venerable" as Lu Ye had requested.

The title "Sacred Venerable" was too grand and easily associated with the Blood Race. While Lu Ye himself wasn't afraid, Ma Shangsi's identity, after all, should not be exposed.

"Depart!" Lu Ye raised a hand.

Wu Zhuo sat not far from Lu Ye, his expression filled with surprise and uncertainty.

Last night, he had noticed that this Moon Gazer named Ma Shangsi seemed very respectful towards Lu Ye!

This was clearly not a friendship. From Wu Zhuo's observation, the two were practically in a master-servant relationship, with the one of lower cultivation serving as the master and the one of higher cultivation as the servant.

Wu Zhuo truly couldn't fathom what was going on.

If Lu Ye were truly the young master of some top-tier power, it might be understandable. However, the Nine Provinces Realm, where Lu Ye originated, was merely a large realm.

Where did he find such a servant?

Regardless of the relationship between these two, Lu Ye himself was a Moon Gazer, and with a late-stage Moon Gazer like Ma Shangsi, even if all the others were early-stage Star Constellations, the Nine Provinces Realm's overall strength would still be slightly superior to that of the Azure Radiance Dao Realm.

This gave Wu Zhuo a sense of crisis...

There were only three large realms in their galaxy. The Jade Snail Realm was the eldest, and the Azure Radiance Dao Realm used to be second. Now, suddenly, they had become third.

Wu Zhuo increasingly wanted Tang Jun to return and replace him in overseeing the realm so he could go out and strive. He had to fight for it; otherwise, he would lose his standing in the future.

Along the way, Wu Zhuo was preoccupied with his thoughts, occasionally chatting with Ma Shangsi. As for Lu Ye... he remained engrossed in cultivation and the deduction of spirit patterns.

The journey from the Azure Radiance Dao Realm to the Jade Snail Realm was not far. At the speed Ma Shangsi navigated the star-skiff, they arrived in just over half a month.

While traveling through space was indeed time-consuming for cultivators, the efficiency of travel gradually increased as one's cultivation grew stronger.

If Lu Ye could one day advance to Sunlit, he might be able to traverse the entire Jade Snail Galaxy in less than ten to fifteen days.

From a distance, the Jade Snail Realm appeared as a colossal, pale green star. In terms of sheer size, it was slightly larger than the Nine Provinces.

Even before they drew near, an extremely rich wood-attributed aura emanated from the Jade Snail Realm, imbued with vibrant vitality.

This appeared to be a very healthy realm. If the Nine Provinces was a toddler just learning to walk, then the Jade Snail Realm was a robust young adult.

It possessed a long lifespan and promising prospects. With a fortuitous chance in the future, it might even be able to advance to a top-tier realm. Of course, the chances were slim; in the starry sky, top-tier realms capable of nurturing spirit jade veins were limited, and not every large realm could reach that level.

"Are there few cultivators in the Jade Snail Realm?" Lu Ye asked.

The main reason he asked was that this was already the near-space region of the Jade Snail Realm, yet Lu Ye hadn't seen many active cultivators.

"Not at all, any large realm will have a considerable number of Star Constellations, as they are the foundation of a large realm. Perhaps something is happening," Wu Zhuo explained.

Even if there were few, as the star-skiff gradually approached, the trio's presence was detected by the Jade Snail cultivators.

Wu Zhuo was a familiar face here, so the Jade Snail cultivators who came to inquire quickly relayed the news into the realm.

A short while later, the star-skiff slowly descended in front of a grand hall atop a spiritual peak in the Jade Snail Realm.

Wu Zhuo was the first to leap off, with Lu Ye following closely. Ma Shangsi put away the star-skiff and stood quietly behind Lu Ye.

In front of them, an old man with white hair and beard stood quietly, his large sleeves flowing. He exuded an air of immortal grace and dignity. However, having seen too many sect masters, Lu Ye couldn't shake the feeling that this old man might suddenly burst out of his robes at any moment, revealing a muscular physique.

"Realm Master Qiu!" Wu Zhuo clasped his fists and bowed. "My apologies for the intrusion."

On the way, Wu Zhuo had already told Lu Ye some things about the Jade Snail Realm, so Lu Ye had a basic understanding of the Moon Gazers there.

Upon hearing Wu Zhuo's address, he immediately knew that this elder was Qiu Wu, the Realm Master of Jade Snail, who was at the peak of the Moon Gazer stage.

Although Qiu Wu was at the peak of the Moon Gazer stage, he was already old, in a similar condition to Tang Jun, and thus had no hope of reaching Sunlit in this lifetime. In this regard, he was inferior to Ma Shangsi.

Ma Shangsi, despite also being at the peak Moon Gazer stage, still hoped to advance to Sunlit, and he could feel that his opportunity lay in the Blood Refining Realm.

Unfortunately, Lu Ye did not allow him to go, which made him quite helpless.

"Hall Master Wu!" Qiu Wu smiled warmly, returned the bow, and then looked past Wu Zhuo at Lu Ye. "This must be Lu Yiye of the Nine Heavens, correct?"

Lu Ye stepped forward: "Greetings, Realm Master Qiu, and greetings to all Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters!"

The three Moon Gazers beside Qiu Wu returned the greeting, all looking at Lu Ye with some curiosity.

During their last collaboration, Lu Ye hadn't come to the Jade Snail Realm at all; Wu Zhuo had handled things for him. However, the fact that Lu Ye, a mere Star Constellation, could establish a route from their galaxy to the Myriad Phenomena Sea naturally sparked considerable interest among these Moon Gazers.

In any galaxy striving for advancement, the value of such a route was immeasurable.

The Jade Snail Realm actually held the Myriad Phenomena Sea in high regard. Although only a hundred people were dispatched, all of them were mid to late-stage cultivators, with not a single early-stage one among them, and even a late-stage Moon Gazer like Luan Xiao'e leading the team.

If they hadn't valued it, they wouldn't have sent such a powerful lineup.

Ever since Luan Xiao'e led her team away that year, there had been no news. The Jade Snail Realm had actually wanted to know the subsequent situation but had no opportunity to inquire.

Today, Lu Ye had actually come with Wu Zhuo, so all the Moon Gazers still in the Jade Snail Realm had gathered here. First, to meet Lu Ye, and second, to inquire about the current situation of their realm's cultivators.

"Indeed, a hero emerges from the young," Qiu Wu's eyes flashed as he praised.

The other Moon Gazers had undoubtedly also noticed that Lu Ye's cultivation was no longer at the Star Constellation stage but had reached the Moon Gazer level!

Originally, they had come with the mindset of meeting a junior. However, if they were all at the same cultivation level, that mindset would no longer be appropriate.

They exchanged glances, then looked at Wu Zhuo... The Nine Heavens Realm had only been a large realm for a little over ten years; how had a Moon Gazer suddenly appeared from it?

"Realm Master Qiu, you flatter me. I am young and inexperienced, and I still need much guidance from all you Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters."

Everyone likes flattery, and Lu Ye was naturally not stingy with a few pleasing words.

"Junior Brother Lu is too humble. At your age, I had barely reached the Divine Sea stage," a bald, burly man to Qiu Wu's right said, rubbing his head and smiling. "Junior Brother's future is promising; you are sure to achieve great things!"

"I hope so!"

Qiu Wu then turned his gaze to Ma Shangsi, who was standing behind Lu Ye. "And this fellow Daoist is...?"

He could sense that this seemingly quiet, unassuming individual was no weaker than himself in strength; he was definitely a peak Moon Gazer.

Where did he come from? There was no one like him in their galaxy.

This time, without waiting for Lu Ye to introduce him, Ma Shangsi spoke himself: "Ma Shangsi, household servant to Lord Lu. Greetings to all lords!"

Lu Ye's eyes flickered. He understood Ma Shangsi's thoughts and did not deny it.

Ma Shangsi's reasoning was simple: his deference to Lu Ye was impossible to hide. Wu Zhuo had already noticed some discrepancies, realizing that their relationship was not merely that of friends. Since that was the case, it was better to state it openly than let others speculate.