Chapter 1756: That Then Let's Set Off

In the guest hall of the Myriad Hues Sect in Cheling World, Lu Ye had been sitting for a while.

An hour ago, Lu Ye had arrived outside Cheling World. After stating his purpose, he was allowed to enter and came to this very spot.

However, apart from a female disciple who had just served him tea, he hadn't seen anyone else since.

This trip to Cheling World was not to find Chu Shen; Lu Ye's true objective was to meet Jiuyan.

While Mang Dang's intervention had created an opening for Three Realms Island's current predicament, it was far from enough. After much thought, Lu Ye concluded there were only two ways to fully resolve the situation.

One was to draw in a few more major powers, which was extremely difficult. Mang Dang had agreed to establish a Five-Color Merchant Guild branch on Three Realms Island because Lu Ye had saved his life; within his authority and capabilities, he was willing to reciprocate.

Three Realms Island had no existing relationships with other major powers, and without exceptionally lucrative benefits, no one would be willing to wade into such troubled waters.

Therefore, he could only seek the patronage of a Sunlit Realm cultivator through a formal visit. The five Sunlit Realm cultivators stationed on the Myriad Manifestations Sea were not good options, so Lu Ye thought of Jiuyan.

If Three Realms Island could establish a connection with Cheling World, combined with Five-Color Island's position, the predicament would undoubtedly be resolved.

Lu Ye wasn't confident, but it was always worth a try; after all, there would be no loss even if he failed.

Strictly speaking, formally visiting Jiuyan was not the conventional approach. Although Jiuyan was a native Sunlit Realm cultivator of Myriad Manifestations, she was not a guardian of the Myriad Manifestations Sea. No other power had ever formally sought patronage from a Sunlit Realm cultivator outside the appointed guardians before, making this a rather irregular matter.

However, the conventional path was no longer viable for Three Realms Island, so he had no choice but to take an unconventional route.

Regardless, Jiuyan was still a native Sunlit Realm cultivator!

Thanks to Chu Shen, Lu Ye had some understanding of Cheling World. The rise of this realm was somewhat legendary. Before Jiuyan's ascension to the Sunlit Realm, Cheling World was merely an obscure realm within the Myriad Manifestations Star System, with a weak foundation and limited territory. There were many such realms in the star system.

It was only after Jiuyan's rise and ascension to the Sunlit Realm that she led Cheling World out of its obscurity, making it renowned throughout the entire star system. Currently, Cheling World is one of the most powerful realms in the Myriad Manifestations Star System.

As a native Sunlit Realm cultivator, even without being stationed on the Myriad Manifestations Sea, Jiuyan was still entitled to her share of benefits from the Myriad Manifestations Merchant Guild. What she received would likely be sufficient to cultivate her disciples, but further advancement would be difficult.

Lu Ye believed that a high-grade spirit island wouldn't hold much appeal for a Sunlit Realm cultivator, but a top-grade spirit island would be a different matter entirely.

Three Realms Island had risen in just over a year, transforming from a barren island into a high-grade spirit island. Who could say it wouldn't become a second Peerless Island?

Thus, Lu Ye believed that if he could just meet Jiuyan, he still had a good chance of establishing a connection with her.

It all depended on how he would "persuade" her...

Moreover, with the Minor Star Palace, Three Realms Island was bound to transform into a top-grade spirit island eventually. This was an inevitable development, so what he was about to say wasn't entirely deceptive.

As he sat in the great hall, contemplating what to say when he met Jiuyan, a figure suddenly rushed in, exclaiming excitedly, "Big Brother!"

Lu Ye looked up and immediately saw Chu Shen.

He was pleased, yet also a little helpless...

He was pleased because even after a long time apart, Chu Shen's enthusiastic demeanor towards him hadn't changed.

His helplessness stemmed from the fact that he didn't want to see Chu Shen at this particular moment.

His primary purpose for this visit was to formally meet Jiuyan—to be precise, he wanted Three Realms Island and Cheling World to establish a cooperative relationship, ideally one based purely on mutual benefit, with no other entanglements.

Otherwise, Lu Ye would have contacted Chu Shen immediately upon his arrival. His lack of initiative was precisely because he didn't want Chu Shen to get involved in this particular matter.

Yet, Chu Shen appeared of his own accord.

This fellow must have been in secluded cultivation; for him to know of Lu Ye's arrival, someone must have informed him.

Cheling World arranging for Chu Shen to appear at this moment... Lu Ye's thoughts stirred, and he sighed softly, realizing his trip was likely in vain.

Jiuyan's intention was clearly to have Chu Shen dismiss him!

"Big Brother!" Chu Shen swept up to Lu Ye, grinning, "Long time no see!"

Lu Ye smiled back. "Not too long." He appraised Chu Shen, then nodded slightly. "Not bad, you've reached the mid-stage of the Star-Host Realm."

Ever since the incident at Peerless Island, Chu Shen had been deeply affected. He had fully realized that in the cultivation world, even powerful backing wasn't foolproof; one's own strength had to be paramount. If he had been strong enough, Peerless Island, to which he had poured all his efforts, would not have been conquered!

During this time, he had been in secluded cultivation, completely oblivious to external affairs. With his excellent aptitude, ample resources, and sufficient accumulation during the early Star-Host stage, he had naturally advanced to the mid-stage.

"Heh heh!" Chu Shen grinned proudly. He was clearly very pleased with his cultivation speed, having deliberately circulated his spiritual power to show Lu Ye his progress. Now, receiving Lu Ye's approval, he was undoubtedly delighted. "What about Big Brother? You must have ascended to the Moon-Core Realm by now, right?"

Hearing this, Lu Ye subtly circulated his magic power.

Chu Shen looked as if it was only natural. "As expected of Big Brother! It seems I still need to work harder!"

If anyone else had ascended to the Moon-Core Realm so quickly, Chu Shen would surely have been baffled, thinking, 'It's impossible for anyone in this world to cultivate faster than me!'

But when it came to Lu Ye, Chu Shen remained completely unfazed. In fact, he even considered it perfectly normal, believing it would be abnormal if Lu Ye hadn't progressed so quickly!

"How's Old Tang? How are Little Dai, Little Wai, Cai Yue, Cai Xing, and Lucky Star doing lately?" Chu Shen asked with concern, settling into a chair beside Lu Ye.

Lu Ye briefly explained the situation of Old Tang and the others, but he didn't reveal anything about Three Realms Island to Chu Shen. It was good that the young man had settled down and was striving for self-improvement; this state was best maintained. Thus, Lu Ye didn't want to tell him too much about outside affairs, so as not to disturb him.

After some casual conversation, a female cultivator suddenly entered from outside, clasped her fists, and announced, "Young Master, everything is ready, and everyone has gathered!"

The female cultivator was exquisitely beautiful with an elegant figure, but her demeanor was as cold as ice. Her cultivation was also impressive, having reached the late Star-Host Realm.

Lu Ye, however, had never met this female cultivator.

Although Cheling World wasn't vast, it was still a major realm. Within it, besides Jiuyan, the Sunlit Realm cultivator, there were also Moon-Core and Star-Host cultivators.

Hearing this, Chu Shen stood up, looking enthusiastic. "Then let's go."

Lu Ye was stunned for a moment. "Where are you going?"

Chu Shen turned to look at him, looking even more bewildered than Lu Ye. "Aren't we going to Three Realms Island with Big Brother?"

"Huh?" Lu Ye was utterly bewildered, completely unable to grasp what was happening.

Chu Shen explained, "Aunt Yue told me to take some people with you to Three Realms Island for cultivation. She said the cultivation environment there is better than in Cheling World and would allow me to improve my cultivation faster. What? Didn't Big Brother know?"

The "Aunt Yue" Chu Shen referred to was Chen Yue, whom Lu Ye had met several times.

But... what did this mean?

His purpose in coming was to formally visit Jiuyan, hoping to leverage her power to change Three Realms Island's predicament. If all went smoothly, Cheling World would indeed dispatch a group of cultivators to reside on Three Realms Island, just as the Sunlit Realm guardians did.

Cultivators under their command would reside on the spirit island, not participating in any internal affairs, but simply enjoying the benefits the island's environment offered for cultivation. This arrangement allowed Sunlit Realm guardians to, at times, provide some care for the spirit island without violating their principles or the rules of the Myriad Manifestations Sea. The outside world would then also know that this spirit island had sought the patronage of a particular Sunlit Realm cultivator.

From the perspective of the outcome, with Chu Shen taking people to Three Realms Island, Lu Ye's objective for this trip had been directly achieved...

Yet, he hadn't even met Jiuyan, or even Chen Yue... The entire sequence of events was completely different from what he had envisioned.

His thoughts raced, and Lu Ye suddenly understood.

The events on the Myriad Manifestations Sea clearly couldn't be hidden from Cheling World; after all, the Battle of Baiyue had been quite intense. Perhaps as soon as he arrived, Jiuyan had already known his intentions.

Lu Ye found it difficult to fathom the thoughts or plans of a Sunlit Realm cultivator, but Jiuyan's arrangement for Chu Shen to appear, coupled with Chen Yue's instructions to him, undoubtedly indicated Cheling World's stance!

So, despite the confusion, achieving his objective for this trip was ultimately a good thing for Lu Ye.

He couldn't refuse, and neither could Three Realms Island.

He immediately nodded. "I know."

"Then let's go!" Chu Shen was impatient.

As Chu Shen walked out of the hall, Lu Ye's gaze swept across the area, revealing a group of people standing outside. All were Star-Host cultivators, not many in number; including Chu Shen, there were exactly twenty individuals.

Chu Shen was full of vigor, like a great general about to embark on a campaign. Gazing at the familiar figures before him, he waved his hand grandly. "Depart!"

At his command, the previously cold woman raised her hand and tossed something. A star-boat was summoned, growing with the wind and transforming into a towering vessel.

Its design wasn't particularly unusual, but on the hull of the ship, there was a massive "车" (chē) character!

This undoubtedly signified that the ship belonged to Cheling World!

Lu Ye felt grateful, yet there was no one to thank.

Everyone boarded the ship, and the star-boat sped away from Cheling World.

On the deck, Lu Ye turned and bowed deeply towards the Myriad Hues Sect. Jiuyan's help was truly immense!

High above the hall where Lu Ye had previously sat in the Myriad Hues Sect, two figures stood, watching the towering ship depart.

Both were women: one petite and well-proportioned, yet with a dignified bearing; the other stunningly beautiful, with an ethereal aura. They were Jiuyan and Chen Yue.

The two had been standing there all along, but due to the immense difference in cultivation levels, Lu Ye had not detected their presence at all.

Seeing Lu Ye bow, Chen Yue smiled faintly. "This young man is quite sensible."

"Hmm," Jiuyan responded expressionlessly. Even Chen Yue didn't notice that Jiuyan's gaze towards Lu Ye was complex, containing even a faint, imperceptible hint of murderous intent.