Chapter 1713: Rescue Reinforcements

Winds Rise in Kyushu

With his decision made, Lu Ye no longer hesitated. Such matters, if approached indecisively, would only lead to missed opportunities.

Before departing, Lu Ye instructed Qiu Wu to collect all fire-element treasures in the Yu Luo Realm. Only then did he take Ma Shangsi and leave quickly.

The starship rapidly swept through space, racing towards Kyushu.

After Lu Ye left, the many cultivators in Yu Luo watched the chaos at the wormhole with trepidation. Large numbers of Divine Sea Fiend Clan members continued to pour out, and after being eliminated, their corrupting power permeated the area. Although medical cultivators constantly used methods to disperse and purify it, their efforts were a world apart from Lu Ye's previous methods. Compared to the pervasive corrupting power, their efforts were merely a drop in the bucket.

Ma Shangsi also knew time was of the essence, so he desperately piloted the starship on this journey.

When the master and servant had previously departed from Kyushu, it took them ten days to reach the Azure-Li Dao Realm. From there, it took another half month to arrive at Yu Luo.

However, since the three great realms in this star system were arranged in a triangular formation, the return journey would not take as long.

Especially with Ma Shangsi traveling at full speed, they reached the location near Kyushu from which they could enter the Soul Clan ancestral land in just ten days.

Using the power of his Minor Flower Realm, Lu Ye took Ma Shangsi in, then began to connect with the Soul Clan ancestral land via the Seven-Colored Divine Lotus.

An hour later, Lu Ye's figure appeared in the Soul Clan ancestral land.

Without any delay, after briefly discerning his direction, Lu Ye headed straight for the lotus land where the Starry Sky Pond was located.

Upon seeing Lu Ye, Elder Xuyuan, who was on duty, was somewhat speechless. Throughout history, no one had entered and exited the Soul Clan ancestral land so frequently. Even the Soul Clan themselves rarely left this place.

Yet, recently, Lu Ye had come and gone, gone and come again, looking incredibly busy, though Elder Xuyuan had no idea what he was up to.

Elder Xuyuan asked, "Where have you come from this time?"

Lu Ye's expression was stern as he said, "I've come from my homeland. Elder, I have something I need your help with."

Xuyuan looked at him, "Are you out of Soul Jades again?"

Lu Ye waved his hand, getting straight to the point. "It's not about Soul Jades. Elder, do you know about the Fiend Clan?"

Xuyuan's expression turned serious upon hearing this. "Of course I know. Why? Have you encountered the Fiend Clan somewhere?"

"My home star system is experiencing a Fiend Clan invasion." Lu Ye briefly explained the situation there, pleading, "I implore you, Elder, to lend your assistance and help this star system overcome its disaster."

After listening to Lu Ye's account, Xuyuan's expression also grew solemn.

For any other matter, if Lu Ye had come to the Soul Clan to enlist help, Xuyuan might not have agreed. After all, cultivators face various dangers while traveling, and it's not the right mindset for a cultivator to expect the Soul Clan to intervene in every peril.

However, the Fiend Clan was different. The Soul Clan was also an extremely ancient race, possessing deep knowledge of the Fiend Clan. They had even clashed with them on a direct battlefield once, and there was a deep-seated, blood-feud level of hatred between the two races.

Furthermore, Lu Ye himself held a unique status within the Soul Clan. So, after a brief ponder, Xuyuan nodded and said, "The threat of the Fiend Clan indeed cannot be ignored. Very well, I will personally accompany you on this trip to resolve this trouble."

Lu Ye was overjoyed upon hearing this. "Elder, your benevolence is immense! On behalf of the billions of beings in my star system, I thank you!"

The Fiend Clan's first wave of attacks had completely failed, with over a dozen Moon Weavers dying in battle. Yet, such losses caused them no heartache whatsoever.

Ultimately, these losses were nothing to the Fiend Clan. Moreover, through the first probing attack, the Fiend Clan likely sensed the true foundation of the Yu Luo star system, which was why they persisted relentlessly.

However, if a Sunlit Realm cultivator were to intervene, the situation would certainly change. The Fiend Clan would undoubtedly have to re-evaluate Yu Luo's foundation, giving Yu Luo an opportunity to resolve this issue once and for all.

Lu Ye was willing to let the battlefield bear a certain degree of risk, eagerly rushing to the Soul Clan, simply to invite a Sunlit Realm cultivator to act. This was the only place where he had a chance to enlist Sunlit Realm reinforcements.

He had expected some complications, but he hadn't anticipated Xuyuan agreeing so readily.

Now, the problem was completely resolved.

Just as Lu Ye was rejoicing, Xuyuan poured a bucket of cold water on him. "However, unless absolutely necessary, I will not personally intervene."

"Huh?" Lu Ye was stunned.

If Xuyuan didn't act, how could the Fiend Clan be deterred?

Xuyuan sighed and explained, "Let me put it this way: if I were to act, the situation might become even more troublesome. My Soul Clan and the Fiend Clan share a profound, deep-seated enmity. If they don't detect the Soul Clan's aura, then fine. But if they detect the Soul Clan's aura, especially that of a Sunlit Realm cultivator like myself, they will undoubtedly become even more determined to conquer your star system."

Lu Ye was unsure what kind of enmity existed between the Soul Clan and the Fiend Clan, but since Xuyuan had stated it so, it was certainly no ordinary hatred.

"Since you know of the Fiend Clan, you must know about the Heavenly Frost Mirror. The wormhole through which the Fiend Clan descends is formed by the Heavenly Frost Qi freezing space."

Lu Ye nodded. Ma Shangsi had already mentioned this to him and the Yu Luo cultivators at the very beginning.

"The wormhole created by the Heavenly Frost Mirror is very unstable. When the wormhole first forms, the Fiend Clan members that can pass through are not strong. Only when the wormhole gradually stabilizes to a certain extent can Moon Weavers pass. Therefore, when the Fiend Clan invades a star system, it's usually a group of Moon Weavers who go first, then they find a way to completely stabilize the wormhole, and only then do Sunlit Realm cultivators descend." Xuyuan clearly had a thorough understanding of the Fiend Clan's situation, as he spoke of various details casually. "But if you think the Fiend Clan only has these means, then you are greatly mistaken."

Lu Ye's expression became solemn. "Please enlighten me, Elder."

"The Heavenly Frost Mirror is, after all, a supreme treasure of the starry sky. Under normal circumstances, the wormhole opened using Heavenly Frost Qi is indeed unstable. However, if the Fiend Clan pays a certain price to activate the Heavenly Frost Mirror's stronger power, they can stabilize the wormhole for a period of time. This duration won't be long, perhaps three to five breaths, or maybe a dozen breaths!"

Lu Ye's face hardened. Ma Shangsi had not mentioned this, and he was clearly unaware of it too.

"In other words, whether the wormhole created by the Heavenly Frost Mirror can be stabilized depends entirely on the Fiend Clan's choice. It's not that they can't, but whether they want to. Of course, doing so would incur a huge cost for the Fiend Clan, so generally, they won't do it. However, if there's sufficient reason, they won't hesitate to forcefully stabilize the wormhole."

Once they do that, in just three to five breaths, at least two Sunlit Realm cultivators could pass through. If that were to happen, it would undoubtedly be a catastrophe for the Yu Luo star system.

Xuyuan pointed to himself. "If my aura is revealed, the Fiend Clan will most likely forcefully stabilize the wormhole and dispatch at least two Sunlit Realm cultivators to descend."

Lu Ye finally understood why Xuyuan said he wouldn't personally act unless absolutely necessary. If his presence were exposed, it wouldn't bring benefits to Yu Luo; instead, it would cause even greater trouble.

Moreover, as Lu Ye knew, the Soul Clan was a very peculiar race with poor capabilities in direct combat. They cultivated only soul power throughout their lives, and even strong Sunlit Realm cultivators among them couldn't overcome this weakness.

Take Xuyuan, for example. If he were to face another Sunlit Realm expert and only use normal methods, he would certainly not be their match. All he could do was initiate a soul battle. Such battles were incredibly brutal, resulting in either the opponent's death or his own; there was virtually no other outcome.

Therefore, when the Soul Clan contended with enemies, they generally employed soul attachment techniques, possessing cultivators with fleshly bodies. This way, the possessed cultivator's strength would be greatly enhanced, and during combat, the Soul Clan could also use soul arts to harass the enemy, creating a two-on-one situation.

For all these reasons, the Soul Clan rarely engaged in direct combat themselves. Especially against the Fiend Clan, it was even more imperative for Xuyuan not to reveal his presence.

"But don't worry," he added, "I will bring a group of Moon Weavers to assist you. As long as the Fiend Clan suffers enough Moon Weaver casualties, they will most likely retreat on their own."

"In that case… that works too!" Lu Ye nodded.

The situation was somewhat different from his plan, but it wasn't a major issue.

"How many Moon Weavers do you have on your side?" Xuyuan asked.

Lu Ye silently calculated and reported a number. Xuyuan nodded, and his divine sense surged outwards in all directions.

Just moments later, Soul Clan Moon Weavers arrived from various parts of the ancestral land, looking at Lu Ye with curiosity.

Most Soul Clan members were aware of Lu Ye's existence, as he was the first being, apart from sacred beasts, to enter the Soul Clan ancestral land with a flesh-and-blood body throughout history.

However, not many Soul Clan members had actually seen Lu Ye in person.

Xuyuan briefly explained the situation, and all the Soul Clan Moon Weavers nodded. If it were to participate in other battles, they might not have much interest, but if it was to slay Fiend Clan members, no one in the Soul Clan would refuse.

After gathering his forces, Xuyuan turned to Lu Ye. "Point the way!"

Lu Ye quickly immersed his mind in the Starry Sky Pond, indicating the direction to the Soul Clan cultivators.

The next instant, numerous figures, led by Xuyuan, plunged into the Starry Sky Pond.

In the blink of an eye, numerous figures reappeared in the starry sky outside Kyushu.

Lu Ye released Ma Shangsi.

Upon seeing so many unfamiliar faces around Lu Ye, Ma Shangsi was visibly stunned. He hadn't been in Lu Ye's Minor Flower Realm for long and had no idea what Lu Ye had done to suddenly acquire so many Moon Weavers.

What astonished Ma Shangsi even more was that these Moon Weavers... were actually from the Soul Clan!

And there was even a Sunlit Realm cultivator!

Ma Shangsi couldn't fathom what kind of strategy his Holy Venerable was employing. He'd mentioned calling for reinforcements, but to bring so many at once was beyond comprehension.

Too many questions swirled in his mind, but he refrained from asking, dutifully summoning his starship to carry Lu Ye and the Soul Clan Moon Weavers towards the battlefield.

Ten days later, the group arrived at the battlefield.

From a distance, Lu Ye frowned. In just under a month, the area he had previously purified was once again filled with a vast expanse of corrupting energy, appearing much larger in scale than before.