Chapter 1725: Encounter

As Lu Ye rushed towards Three Realms Island, his sound transmission artifact suddenly vibrated. He picked it up and found it was Luan Xiao'e sending a message, inquiring about their situation.

Lu Ye truthfully informed her.

Only then did Luan Xiao'e breathe a sigh of relief.

A moment later, Lu Ye and the two others met up with Luan Xiao'e and her junior martial brother.

Glancing at their current state, Lu Ye frowned, "What happened to you?" Luan Xiao'e and He Baichuan both had some injuries, clearly having been through a major battle.

"We were intercepted!" Luan Xiao'e said with a serious expression. "My junior martial brother He and I fought them. Just before I sent you the message, they suddenly retreated!"

Lu Ye frowned and asked, "How many people?" "Three!" Luan Xiao'e replied. And those capable of intercepting her and her junior martial brother were undoubtedly Yueyao cultivators.

After a brief contemplation, Lu Ye immediately understood, "Our Three Realms Island is being targeted!"

On his way back from Myriad Manifestations Island, Tang Jun was ambushed by two Yueyao cultivators and sent a distress signal. As a result, Luan Xiao'e and her junior martial brother were intercepted. Two on that side, three on this side—exactly five Yueyao cultivators. They were clearly working together, indicating a premeditated provocation. Therefore, it wasn't difficult for Lu Ye to deduce that Three Realms Island had been targeted by a certain force, which intended to start by attacking Tang Jun to weaken the island's defenses. If he and Ma Shangsi hadn't escaped so quickly, the three Yueyao cultivators who intercepted Luan Xiao'e and her junior martial brother would likely have confronted them instead. However, Ma Shangsi's Blood Escape Technique, activated after bursting his precious blood, was too fast; the opponents probably didn't react in time, which is why they intercepted Luan Xiao'e and her junior martial brother, who were behind them.

Three Realms Island had been promoted to a High-Grade Spirit Island a month ago. It was no surprise that such a lucrative asset would attract attention. Lu Ye even suspected that more than one force was eyeing Three Realms Island, though only one had made a move today.

"Let's head back first!" Lu Ye called out. They returned to the island, not letting their guard down on the way. Who knew if a few more Yueyao cultivators would suddenly appear to ambush them at such a time? Only after they returned to Three Realms Island did their tense nerves finally relax.

Tang Jun grumbled and went to Shui Yuan for healing. He had narrowly escaped death in that battle, and the cost was enormous. The few shattered defensive spirit treasures and a red talisman alone were worth nearly four million spirit jades; it was a huge loss. Although Lu Ye had killed one of their opponents, Tang Jun gained nothing to compensate for his losses.

Lu Ye went to the alchemy room to find Hua Ci. He had intended to do so when he first returned, but then he received Tang Jun's distress message about being ambushed and rushed to his rescue without delay.

Inside the alchemy room, Hua Ci already knew about Lu Ye's return, so she wasn't surprised to see him. She simply gave him a smiling glance.

"Daddy!" A small figure darted from the side and pounced into Lu Ye's arms. It was Ya Ya.

Lu Ye hugged her and gently tapped her little nose, "Have you been obedient?"

Ya Ya's eyes darted around, and she chirped, "I've been very good and very obedient!"

Lu Ye looked at Hua Ci, who nodded, "Ya Ya is very sensible. She doesn't fuss or cause trouble when you're away."

"That's really good!" Lu Ye pinched her soft, rosy cheek.

Ya Ya giggled.

"How is Elder Tang?" Hua Ci asked.

Lu Ye sat down with Ya Ya in his arms and replied, "He's injured, but it's nothing serious. Second Senior Sister is healing him."

Ya Ya leaned over, picked up the teapot nearby, poured a cup of water for Lu Ye, and handed it to him, saying sweetly, "Daddy, drink tea."

Lu Ye happily took it.

Just as he started to drink, Ya Ya asked, "Where's my mommy?"

Lu Ye spat out a mouthful of tea and quickly explained, "Oh, your mommy? She went back to her parents' home!"

Hua Ci chuckled meaningfully from the side.

Lu Ye immediately felt a headache coming on.

Ya Ya reached up and touched her little mouth, thinking seriously for a moment, looking slightly disappointed.

"She'll be back in a while," Lu Ye consoled her.

He sighed inwardly. He knew Ya Ya wasn't truly a child, but for some unknown reason, she had transformed into this state, and her mind was impaired, causing her to constantly act like a child. Yet, with every "Daddy" Ya Ya uttered, Lu Ye felt a heavy weight on his shoulders. Before, he had somewhat feared that if Ya Ya ever regained her full senses and remembered these experiences, his situation would be quite awkward. But now, he no longer thought that way. He even somewhat hoped Ya Ya could recover. After all, it was rather tragic for a dignified Sun-Grade cultivator to fall to such a state.

"You might have thought the situation in Myriad Manifestations Sea was too simple before," Hua Ci's voice resounded. "Now that you're back, you should communicate more with Elder Tang and the others. This ambush on Elder Tang actually had precursors."

"What do you know?" Lu Ye asked.

Hua Ci shook her head, "Second Senior Sister and I are responsible for the alchemy room. We've only heard a few simple things about external affairs and don't know much, so I won't mislead your thinking."

Lu Ye nodded.

After chatting with Hua Ci for a while longer in the alchemy room, Lu Ye received a message from Luan Xiao'e and then departed.

In the Three Realms Island Council Hall, all the current Yueyao cultivators were gathered. From the Jade Snail Star System, there were four Yueyao cultivators: Luan Xiao'e, He Baichuan, Tang Jun, and Lu Ye. From the Mermaid Clan, there were Grand Elder Yan Miao and Fourth Elder Cheng Xin. Additionally, there was the Blood Attendant Ma Shangsi. In total, Three Realms Island now boasted seven Yueyao cultivators. Compared to when they first arrived, their strength had significantly increased, with Luan Xiao'e, Yan Miao, and Ma Shangsi all at the peak of Yueyao, and He Baichuan and Cheng Xin also in the late stage of Yueyao. This lineup, combined with a thousand Star-Grade cultivators, meant that Three Realms Island's defenses were initially complete. For any force, such a rapid pace of development was somewhat incredible, considering Three Realms Island cultivators had only arrived in Myriad Manifestations Sea a little over a year ago.

Of course, due to the rules of Myriad Manifestations Sea, if a battle for a spirit island truly broke out, the seven Yueyao cultivators couldn't all participate. Doing so would be a provocation to the local star system, and the Sun-Grade cultivators stationed on Myriad Manifestations Island would certainly not stand by idly.

After Shui Yuan's treatment, Tang Jun's injuries were no longer serious, though he still looked somewhat weak.

Everyone took their seats, and Lu Ye was the first to speak: "Which force attacked Three Realms Island today?"

Silence fell among the group; clearly, no one knew. Luan Xiao'e's expression was slightly awkward as she explained, "We haven't been here long, so we don't have a clear understanding of the Yueyao cultivators from the various major forces. However, to deploy five Yueyao cultivators at once, all of considerable strength, they must not be a small force." For over a year, Three Realms Island had been focused on its own development. With numerous major forces entrenched in Myriad Manifestations Sea and Three Realms Island's limited connections, it was indeed impossible to determine which force was attacking them, especially since the opponent was operating in the shadows. This situation was frustrating, as they didn't even know whom to seek revenge against.

Lu Ye lightly tapped his fingers on the table, then suddenly looked at Tang Jun, "Elder Tang, what were you doing on Myriad Manifestations Island today?"

Hearing this, Tang Jun replied, "Paying respects!"

"Paying respects?" Lu Ye frowned, looking bewildered, "Paying respects to what?"

Tang Jun said helplessly, "You only focus on your cultivation, of course you wouldn't understand the many hidden complexities of Myriad Manifestations Sea."

"Then tell me," Lu Ye straightened his posture, adopting a listening stance.

Tang Jun thought for a moment and then asked, "You know that there are Sun-Grade cultivators stationed on Myriad Manifestations Island, right?"

"I know that," Lu Ye nodded. Even if he were more ignorant, he had heard this common knowledge, and he knew that more than one Sun-Grade cultivator was stationed on Myriad Manifestations Island.

"The Sun-Grade cultivators stationed in Myriad Manifestations Sea serve two purposes: deterrence and management, right? If any force breaks the rules, the Sun-Grade cultivators have to step in to resolve it. Normally, Sun-Grade powerhouses are too high-tier and have their own pursuits; they wouldn't bother wasting time on such trivial matters. However, in reality, being stationed in Myriad Manifestations Sea is a highly competitive post among the local star systems. Sun-Grade cultivators from the local star systems are quite eager to take on this role."

"How so?" Lu Ye raised an eyebrow.

"Of course, there are benefits, and significant ones at that!" Tang Jun looked at him. "Currently, on the surface, the local star systems only occupy one top-tier spirit island in Myriad Manifestations Sea. But in reality, almost every top-tier and even high-grade spirit island has intricate connections with the Sun-Grade cultivators of the local star systems. Behind those top-tier and high-grade spirit islands, there's always the shadow of a local Sun-Grade cultivator!"

Lu Ye frowned, "You're confusing me."

Tang Jun explained, "It's simple. Let's not mention the Low-Grade and Mid-Grade spirit islands; Sun-Grade cultivators don't care for those. But High-Grade spirit islands are different. Take our Three Realms Island, for example. The cultivation environment here is excellent; cultivating here greatly increases efficiency. Sun-Grade cultivators don't need such environments themselves, but which Sun-Grade cultivator doesn't have juniors or disciples who need guidance? These individuals require superior cultivation environments! The number of cultivators in the Myriad Manifestations local star system is vast, and Myriad Manifestations Island alone cannot accommodate them all. Therefore, other top-tier and high-grade spirit islands become their choice."

After a pause, Tang Jun continued, "They won't forcibly occupy these spirit islands because they need to maintain appearances, and they established the rules themselves, so they naturally won't break them. Therefore, the leaders of these spirit islands need to be astute enough to 'pay their respects' themselves."

Lu Ye began to understand, "In simple terms, you align with a certain Sun-Grade cultivator, and then that cultivator arranges for some people to cultivate on those spirit islands?"

Tang Jun nodded, "That's exactly it. This is an unwritten rule that has been passed down through Myriad Manifestations Sea since ancient times. The local star systems of Myriad Manifestations also use this method to embed their cultivators on various spirit islands. Of course, these cultivators won't gain many substantial benefits from the spirit islands themselves; they merely occupy certain quotas, allowing them to enjoy a better cultivation environment!"

As he spoke, Tang Jun raised a hand and tapped the table, "This is what 'paying respects' means. It's a kind of unspoken cooperation between a spirit island and a certain Sun-Grade cultivator, allowing the island to receive a certain degree of protection at certain times."