Chapter 1720: Old Tang Is Ambushed

He Baichuan clutched his head, his face filled with grievance. "Senior Sister, we are both Moonfall cultivators, and there are others watching. Please give me some face."

"What face do you want?" Luan Xiao'e seemed to be in a significantly good mood because her junior brother had arrived. She turned her head and looked at Ma Shangsi, who was standing behind Lu Ye. "This is..."

She could sense that this stranger was very powerful, possibly a peak Moonfall cultivator, just like herself.

Ma Shangsi stepped forward, cupped his fists, and said, "Ma Shangsi greets fellow Daoist."

Luan Xiao'e did not dare to slight him and quickly returned the greeting. Feeling a little puzzled, she glanced at Lu Ye.

Lu Ye stated directly, "He's one of us."

Luan Xiao'e's eyes lit up.

The commotion quickly drew out two more figures: Yan Miao, the Great Elder of the Merfolk, and Cheng Xin, the Fourth Elder. Lu Ye wasn't very familiar with the Fourth Elder, but he had met her numerous times, and it was his doing that allowed her people to leave the Myriad Manifestation Sea by burning away their Bloodline Curse Poison. They exchanged greetings.

Not seeing Tang Jun, Lu Ye asked, "Where's Old Tang?"

Luan Xiao'e replied, "He went out to handle some business and will be back soon." She didn't elaborate with Lu Ye, planning to explain the details to him later when there was an opportunity.

Lu Ye nodded, then sensed the situation on Three Realms Island, raising an eyebrow. "It's a high-grade spirit island now?"

Compared to when he left a year ago, the island's energy was far denser, clearly indicating its promotion to a high-grade spirit island. This speed was slower than that of Unrivaled Island in its day, as Unrivaled Island was smaller in scale than Three Realms Island. Furthermore, when Lu Ye had set up the Minor Star Constellation Hall here previously, he had deliberately made some adjustments precisely to prevent Three Realms Island from transforming too quickly. For Three Realms Island to become a high-grade spirit island in just one year was much faster than he had anticipated. It seemed his initial adjustments hadn't been entirely correct.

"It transformed about a month ago," Luan Xiao'e explained.

"Excellent! A high-grade spirit island is already qualified to attract merchants to settle," Lu Ye said, pleased. "Has no one approached you about this?"

He recalled that Unrivaled Island's development had been extraordinarily swift. Under Chu Shen's management, it quickly became a famous spirit island throughout the Myriad Manifestation Sea, with merchants from various powers settling there and earning vast profits. If the Heavenflame Realm hadn't used deceitful tactics to forcibly attack Unrivaled Island, Lu Ye wouldn't have to worry about spirit jades for cultivation at all right now. The annual dividends he received from Chu Shen alone would have been enough for him to spend lavishly.

Luan Xiao'e shook her head. "Not yet."

Lu Ye was puzzled. "That's strange." Logically speaking, the rise of a high-grade spirit island should certainly attract various powers, eager to get involved. After all, such a favorable opportunity wasn't common throughout the Myriad Manifestation Sea, and the earlier they entered, the greater the benefits they could reap. Not to mention, the locations of the shops in Three Realms Island's commercial district varied in desirability. Engaging with them earlier would allow for a wider selection.

Luan Xiao'e gave a wry smile. "When Tang Jun gets back, let him tell you about it." Old Tang knew more about these underhanded dealings than she did.

Lu Ye glanced at Luan Xiao'e, vaguely sensing something, but didn't press further. He said, "This trip back to Jade Dew, I've brought another five hundred Star Constellation cultivators. I'll have to trouble Senior Sister to oversee their arrangements." As he spoke, he opened the portal to the Minor Flower Realm, releasing the five hundred Star Constellation cultivators who had been housed within.

As they appeared, sensing the superior environment around them, everyone showed excited expressions. In such conditions, even without spirit jades, one could rapidly improve their cultivation. The Myriad Manifestation Sea truly was a treasure land!

Luan Xiao'e became busy, calling over many of the first batch of Three Realms cultivators to help lead the newcomers to their accommodations. Everyone had acquaintances, and they gathered in groups of three to five. Moreover, thanks to the efforts of the first batch of cultivators who arrived, the newcomers didn't need to build their own residences. There were already plenty of vacant houses on the island, so they only needed to find one each. Suddenly, Three Realms Island became lively.

Seeing Luan Xiao'e and He Baichuan chatting happily, Lu Ye went over to greet them. "When Old Tang gets back, have him come find me. I'll go rest for a bit first."

Luan Xiao'e understood immediately and reminded him, "Hua Ci and Shui Yuan are in the alchemy room."

Lu Ye immediately changed direction and headed towards the alchemy room, with Ma Shangsi following closely behind. However, after only a few steps, Luan Xiao'e suddenly called out from behind him, "Junior Brother!"

Lu Ye turned his head and saw Luan Xiao'e looking panicked. "Tang Jun sent a message! He's been ambushed!"

Lu Ye's expression darkened, and he quickly asked, "Location!"

Luan Xiao'e clutched a sound transmission talisman, clearly trying to contact Tang Jun for his location, but after a few breaths, there was no reply. Lu Ye immediately understood that Tang Jun was in a bad situation; otherwise, he wouldn't be unable to even send a reply. He promptly asked, "Where did Old Tang go earlier?"

Luan Xiao'e anxiously replied, "He went to Myriad Manifestation Island!"

Lu Ye turned to give Ma Shangsi a look, then shot up into the sky, his voice trailing back, "I'm going to intercept him!"

Luan Xiao'e also knew there was no time to waste and quickly told He Baichuan, "You come with me!" Then she looked at Yan Miao and Cheng Xin. "Please guard Three Realms Island, both of you!"

At this crucial moment, Tang Jun had been ambushed. This was clearly not an accidental skirmish; whoever attacked him was likely prepared. Luan Xiao'e couldn't quite understand. Old Tang's cultivation wasn't particularly high, but he was wise with age, and he had used some disguise methods when going to Myriad Manifestation Island. Logically, he shouldn't have been exposed. Yet, Tang Jun had only just finished transmitting his message, and in such a short time, he had been ambushed. A chill ran down Luan Xiao'e's spine.

Immediately after Lu Ye and his retainer departed, Luan Xiao'e and He Baichuan also quickly left.

Hundreds of miles outside Three Realms Island, a figure lay in wait. Sensing the aura of several Moonfall cultivators there, his brow furrowed. He couldn't understand why Three Realms Island suddenly had so many Moonfall cultivators. This was clearly not a good sign, so he quickly took out a sound transmission talisman and sent a message.

At this very moment, Lu Ye's expression was grim. Standing on Ma Shangsi's star-boat, he shook his head. "Too slow! Explode your treasure blood, Blood Escape technique!"

Having interacted with Ma Shangsi for so long, Lu Ye naturally knew what he was capable of. He possessed treasure blood, and so did Ma Shangsi, who was, after all, a peak Moonfall cultivator. However, unlike Lu Ye, Ma Shangsi's treasure blood couldn't directly transform into a clone, nor did it possess the same potency as Lu Ye's. If Ma Shangsi wanted his treasure blood to transform into a clone, he would need to cultivate another blood clan secret art, refining a drop of treasure blood for a long period. Lu Ye speculated that this was likely due to the significant difference in their sacredness. His treasure blood's ability to directly transform into a clone was probably because of its potent sacredness, indicating his much greater mastery of blood clan secret arts compared to Ma Shangsi. Although there was a difference in their treasure blood, exploding it to aid the Blood Escape technique could still greatly enhance the technique's power!

Lu Ye had no idea about Tang Jun's current situation after being ambushed, but Tang Jun was only a mid-stage Moonfall spell cultivator and not particularly strong in foundational power. Since the enemy had launched a surprise attack, Tang Jun's plight would certainly not be good. Lu Ye had to rush to his aid as quickly as possible, otherwise, he might only be able to collect Old Tang's corpse. Upon his return this time, he clearly felt that Luan Xiao'e hadn't told him some things, not to hide them, but to explain them in detail later. Tang Jun's ambush was likely connected to these matters.

At Lu Ye's word, Ma Shangsi didn't hesitate at all. He immediately retracted his star-boat, and a drop of treasure blood burst open, transforming into a blood mist that enveloped both himself and Lu Ye, propelling them forward like a bolt of lightning. Luan Xiao'e and He Baichuan, who had rushed out of Three Realms Island right after Lu Ye and his retainer, instantly lost sight of them.

Luan Xiao'e was greatly astonished. "What is the background of Fellow Daoist Ma?" She could finally confirm that Ma Shangsi was indeed a peak Moonfall cultivator, with an even stronger foundation than hers.

He Baichuan's expression was solemn. "You might not believe it, but Fellow Daoist Ma claims to be Fellow Daoist Lu's family retainer!"

"Family retainer?" Luan Xiao'e's expression was a mix of confusion and disbelief. A peak Moonfall cultivator as a family retainer? What, then, was Lu Ye's background? She suddenly found that she couldn't quite fathom Lu Ye anymore.

"Alas," He Baichuan sighed. "Some time ago, Jade Dew also faced a crisis. When I have time, I'll tell you about it."

Within the blood mist ahead, Lu Ye's divine sense spread out, searching for Tang Jun's whereabouts, while continuously trying to contact him with a sound transmission talisman. Unfortunately, there was no reply, so he still didn't know Tang Jun's exact location. However, since Tang Jun was coming from the direction of Myriad Manifestation Island, the search difficulty wasn't too great. The only good news was that the sound transmission talisman message could still be sent, which meant Tang Jun was not dead. If he were, his talisman would be rendered useless, and messages couldn't be transmitted.

At the same time, Lu Ye took out a star map of the Myriad Manifestation Sea to try and ascertain Tang Jun's current area. Whoever ambushed Tang Jun must be a Moonfall cultivator, and very likely more than one. Although Tang Jun's foundation wasn't strong, he was still a mid-stage cultivator. Moreover, after the occupation of Unrivaled Island, he had become more careful and bought many protective artifacts. He knew his own weaknesses and had tried to compensate for them as much as possible after acquiring spirit jades. Therefore, as long as he didn't encounter an overly powerful enemy, he should be able to protect himself for a short time.

Such a battle wouldn't be quiet, and those who ambushed Tang Jun would likely avoid the areas around spirit islands occupied by major powers to prevent misunderstandings. This narrowed down the search area. Lu Ye's only concern now was if Tang Jun wasn't heading directly back to Three Realms Island.

Fortunately, his worry was unfounded. After rushing for nearly an hour, Lu Ye suddenly turned his head to look in one direction, from which the distinct sounds of Moonfall cultivators clashing could be heard.

"That way!" Lu Ye quickly said.

Ma Shangsi immediately changed direction.

A moment later, Lu Ye finally spotted Tang Jun. At first glance, a surge of fury filled him! At this moment, Tang Jun was protected by a faint light barrier on his body, but he was covered in blood, his face pale, clearly seriously injured. Beside him, two figures were fiercely assaulting him: one a mid-stage Moonfall cultivator, and the other a late-stage Moonfall cultivator, pushing Tang Jun to the brink of collapse.