Chapter 1731: Chu Zhu Reborn

Zhou Chuang and Ma Shangsi guarded Lu Ye, waiting quietly for some time. Lu Ye then suddenly opened his eyes, his face slightly pale, and even his gaze appeared somewhat dim. This was undoubtedly the aftereffect of using the One Point Lingxi technique. Before him, Chu Zhu was undeniably dead, his physical body and spirit utterly ruined.

Lu Ye reached out, removed the storage ring from Chu Zhu's hand, and then put his body into the Small Flower Realm. Only then did he look at Zhou Chuang and said, "Thank you, fellow daoist, for your help this time." Zhou Chuang waved his hand, "I didn't do much. What are your plans next? Do you need Sifang Island's assistance?" He had previously discussed Sanjie Island's situation with several other Yueyao realm cultivators in their star system. Everyone agreed that if Sanjie Island needed help, they would do their best to assist. Previously, they avoided contact with Sanjie Island because they feared implicating it, having caused considerable trouble since arriving in the Myriad Manifestations Sea. However, now that Sanjie Island was already in trouble, there was no longer any concern about causing further implications.

"For now, there's no need. I'll handle the rest myself," Lu Ye said. A moment later, the three parted ways. Ma Shangsi swiftly carried Lu Ye towards the Myriad Manifestations Sea. The death of Chu Zhu could not be concealed for long. If someone from Baiyue Island attempted to contact Chu Zhu, they would immediately detect it, as sound transmission talismans cease to function when a cultivator dies. Lu Ye had previously used the feedback from such talismans to ascertain Tang Jun's life or death. Therefore, to conquer Baiyue Island, he had to act quickly. Once Baiyue Island discovered Hao Xing's death, there would be no room for his subsequent plan to unfold.

According to the original itinerary, before the real Yueyao returned, if he were to meet up with the other cultivators on the island to explain his situation in the Yiyuan Realm, the cultivators living on the island were mostly from the Baiyue star system. He clearly only had early-stage Yueyao cultivation, but at this moment, he displayed the might and mana fluctuations of a late-stage Yueyao!

Even if someone else possessed the ability to disguise themselves as Hao Xing, without the real Yueyao's memories, they wouldn't be able to act as conveniently as Lu Ye. As it stood, the effect was good. Of course, Lu Ye couldn't be sure if someone truly familiar with Hao Xing would spot any flaws.

However, his identity as a formation master undoubtedly made Lu Ye's actions more convenient. From Hao Xing's memory fragments, Lu Ye generally knew why he had been ordered to go to the Yiyuan Realm, though he couldn't discern the specific details. This wasn't unique to Baiyue Island; in fact, most high-grade islands in the Myriad Manifestations Sea were like this. Many forces had long been entrenched on a single high-grade island, maintaining their defenses watertight. After using the Mimicry and Thousand Faces techniques, Lu Ye began to bypass Hao Xing's personal restrictions. This bypassing process proved to be entirely without difficulty; it seemed his disguise had even fooled the restrictions themselves.

While heading towards Baiyue Island, Lu Ye was also fully digesting the various pieces of intelligence he had gleaned from Hao Xing. Lu Ye nodded, his steps unceasing, heading directly into the grand hall. At the same time, he commanded, "Activate the grand hall's formation! The island's protective array isn't running smoothly; I need to check the cause!"

Because during the process of using One Point Lingxi, the real Yueyao's divine soul was not completely intact, the intelligence Lu Ye obtained from him was not complete; many things were fragmented. It wasn't about seeing with the naked eye; if only spiritual sense was used, it would be almost impossible to discern that the aura belonged to Lu Ye.

A figure slowly approached from afar. Upon reaching the island's protective array, he took out a token and swayed it, causing the grand array to immediately split open a seam, and the figure flashed inside.

Maintaining the Mimicry technique, Lu Ye then activated the Thousand Faces Spirit Mark to empower himself. It was only at this moment that Ma Shangsi finally understood what his venerable master was planning. The 'Yueyao' was, of course, not the real Yueyao, but Lu Ye himself. The reason Lu Ye didn't use a star-boat was his own instruction; he needed the concealment of his sea of blood manifestation for his actions, which wouldn't be as convenient if he used a star-boat.

Time was short, so as soon as he entered Baiyue Island, he headed straight in one direction. Relying solely on the Mimicry and Thousand Faces spirit marks, it would have been impossible for Lu Ye to enter Baiyue Island so openly. A single grand protective array would have been enough to stop him outside. A Baiyue Yueyao realm cultivator, returning from outside, couldn't simply have the grand array opened for him; that would immediately expose a flaw.

The cultivators on duty noticed the commotion, looked up, and seeing it was Uncle-Master Hao Xing, averted their gaze. Hao Xing was human, and Lu Ye was also human, and their heights were not very different, which allowed for this transformation.

In Ma Shangsi's view, Lu Ye's Mimicry was flawless. This was because Ma Shangsi himself wasn't particularly familiar with the real Yueyao. However, if Lu Ye encountered someone truly familiar with Hao Xing, he would still need to be extremely careful. But Lu Ye was not the real Yueyao; he didn't know what the real Yueyao had said to whom in the Yiyuan Realm, or where he would have gone to meet other Yueyao realm cultivators.

Having been without conflict for four hundred years, the protective grand array had accumulated immense power. It was clear how strong this island's defenses were. However, Lu Ye possessed not only these two spirit marks but also a large number of memory fragments obtained from the real Yueyao, making his entry into Baiyue Island no difficult feat at all.

Of course, even without that specific reason, given that he was issuing orders in Yueyao's identity, the Star Constellation realm cultivators below him wouldn't say anything.

Among all the information Lu Ye obtained from Hao Xing, the most advantageous piece was that Yueyao also cultivated the path of formations. Therefore, he was qualified to make adjustments and inspect Baiyue Island's protective grand array.

Upon hearing this, the Star Constellation realm cultivators immediately opened the entrance to Baiyue Island without hesitation.

Baiyue Island's territory wasn't considered vast, but it wasn't small either, barely sufficient for the cultivators of the Baiyue star system for their own cultivation. Thus, it was not a commercial island, and no merchants had settled there.

They quickly arrived at their destination: a grand hall. Both inside and outside the hall, cultivators stood guard, clearly indicating it was a vital location. Lu Ye was in a hurry, and Ma Shangsi naturally didn't dare to delay. The massive sea of blood manifestation had now condensed into a small sphere, enveloping both his and Lu Ye's figures, their speed pushed to the limit.

This was also why disputes rarely occurred over high-grade islands in the Myriad Manifestations Sea. Firstly, there were Daylight realm cultivators coordinating behind the scenes, and secondly, without sufficiently overwhelming power, it was impossible to breach the protective grand arrays of these high-grade islands.

But very quickly, Ma Shangsi, who had been focused on traveling, showed a look of surprise and doubt. He turned to look beside him, as he suddenly noticed that his venerable master's aura was rapidly changing, no longer resembling his own. With the Mimicry and Thousand Faces techniques, Lu Ye beside him was the very image of a Yueyao reborn!

"Does it look like him?" Lu Ye suddenly asked.

Ma Shangsi quickly nodded, "It's identical!" However, the situation with Lu Ye was undoubtedly perplexing to Ma Shangsi; Lu Ye's aura had fundamentally changed.

Because the feeling Hao Xing (Lu Ye disguised as Hao Xing) gave him at that moment was too much like that unlucky fellow, Yueyao. That island had been a high-grade island for thousands of years and had undergone little change to date. The Baiyue star system had conquered this island four hundred years ago and had been its masters ever since.

In the preceding battle, Lu Ye had personally tormented Yueyao with a series of knife blows, not merely to destroy his physical body, but also to thoroughly familiarize himself with his aura during the fight, preparing for this very moment's Mimicry technique.

Lu Ye remained noncommittal. The Mimicry spirit mark, refined by the talent tree, was undoubtedly more effective than before. Previously, Mimicry could only alter Lu Ye's personal presence, but his aura couldn't change much. Now, however, the current Mimicry could even alter his aura.

Baiyue Island, looking across the entire Myriad Manifestations Sea, was a valuable treasure. And that was quite sufficient.

As soon as Lu Ye appeared, the cultivators guarding outside the grand hall immediately came forward, respectfully saying, "Greetings, Uncle-Master!"

At least from Ma Shangsi's perspective, there was not a single flaw to be found.

There were four such array cores throughout Baiyue Island. Taking Baiyue Island as an example, to break its protective grand array, at least ten Yueyao realm cultivators would need to continuously launch a frenzied assault for one or two days to even have a chance.

A short while later, he took out a set of Hao Xing's everyday clothes from his storage ring and changed into them. He then restyled his hair, put away his Pan Shan Blade, and altered his voice. He chatted idly with Ma Shangsi for a few moments, striving to perfect his disguise.

But would Baiyue Island give others such an opportunity? When under attack, they could retaliate. The numerous arrays and magical artifacts deployed on the island were not mere decorations. His purpose in coming here was precisely to avoid contact with other Yueyao realm cultivators as much as possible. Ma Shangsi also didn't know what Lu Ye truly intended to do and wouldn't even dare to ask. What surprised him even more was yet to come: as the aura changed, Lu Ye's presence also began to escalate.

Ma Shangsi's jaw dropped, remaining unclosed for a long time. He truly couldn't fathom what kind of miraculous technique his venerable master had employed. It was undeniably incredible; every cultivator possessed their unique aura, especially when channeling their power. Although such an aura might undergo subtle changes at times, fundamentally, it wouldn't alter significantly.