Chapter 1869: I Have Support!

Lu Ye dared not entrust his life to others, but the swift reaction of the other Sunlit Realm guardians of Wanxiang Sea exceeded his expectations. The sudden disappearance of the pressure from Yuandu’s aura was the best evidence, as the Sunlit Realm cultivators who appeared afterward were clearly confronting Yuandu, causing the pressure to suddenly vanish.

Lu Ye blinked, abandoning the idea of activating the red talisman. Of course, he remained prepared for any eventuality.

At this moment, Wanxiang Island was fraught with tension. Even without direct combat, the mere clash of auras among Sunlit Realm cultivators was astonishing, causing countless onlookers to gaze up in fear, none knowing what was happening.

Some even inexplicably recalled an incident years ago when a powerful cultivator stormed Wanxiang Island and forcefully killed a Sunlit Realm cultivator, leading them to wonder if history was repeating itself.

Yet, since that upheaval, the number of Sunlit Realm guardians in Wanxiang Sea had been increased from three to five. Who would dare to act so presumptuously here now?

Soon, however, the imposing confrontation among the Sunlit Realm cultivators abruptly ceased, and the terrifying pressure that had swept the area vanished without a trace.

Suddenly, several figures appeared before Lu Ye.

The first to appear was Yuandu. Lu Ye had met him years ago and recognized him instantly. However, that previous encounter had caused Yuandu to lose considerable face, directly leading to no other Spiritual Islands seeking patronage from him afterward.

As a Sunlit Realm cultivator who had suffered such a significant loss to a Moonlit Realm cultivator, how could Yuandu not harbor resentment? Constrained by the rules, he couldn't personally intervene; otherwise, he would have long since invaded Sanjie Island and killed Lu Ye.

Now seeing him again, old grudges lingered and new animosity brewed, causing sparks to seemingly fly from Yuandu’s eyes.

"Ancestor!" Yuan Cheng's face was extremely pale. He prostrated himself before Yuandu, trembling. Although Hu Xue's death had nothing to do with him, she had, after all, accompanied him. Now, while Shixin had been successfully retrieved, Hu Xue was dead.

Like fish caught in the crossfire, how could Yuan Cheng not be afraid? He had personally witnessed his ancestor's doting affection for Hu Xue.

"Useless!" Yuandu stared at Lu Ye, gnashing his teeth and shouting, but he was scolding Yuan Cheng.

Yuan Cheng remained prostrated, not daring to lift his head.

Lu Ye, however, was now looking to the other side, where three more figures had suddenly appeared: two in front, and one slightly behind them.

If he wasn't mistaken, one of them must have been the one confronting Yuandu just now.

The key was that all three were women, and Lu Ye recognized two of them.

Of the two women slightly ahead, the one on the left was Mu Qing, one of the five Sunlit Realm guardians of Wanxiang Island.

Lu Ye had seen her from afar when Western Fangcun Mountain descended upon Wanxiang Sea that day, and all five Sunlit Realm guardians had come out to greet them. He knew that Mu Qing hailed from the Kunyu Realm, a local star system.

Beside Mu Qing stood a woman who, though not particularly tall, was very curvaceous. However, her face was shrouded in light, preventing Lu Ye from discerning her features.

But anyone who could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Mu Qing here was undoubtedly a Sunlit Realm cultivator as well.

Lu Ye was immediately puzzled. Among Wanxiang Island's five Sunlit Realm guardians, only Mu Qing was female. Where did this woman come from? And for some reason, she gave him an inexplicable sense of familiarity, as if he had seen her before.

However, upon looking at the woman standing slightly behind the curvaceous woman, Lu Ye instantly understood the latter's identity.

Because he recognized the woman standing behind her.

It was Yue Yi, whom Chu Shen from Cheling Realm called "Aunt Yue." Lu Ye had interacted with Yue Yi several times; she had typically been the one to host him whenever he visited Cheling Realm.

With Yue Yi here, the woman's identity was obvious.

Jiuyan!

Upon carefully sensing the auras of both Mu Qing and Jiuyan, Lu Ye immediately realized that the one who had confronted Yuandu with her aura earlier was not Mu Qing, the Sunlit Realm guardian, but Jiuyan, the Realm Master of Cheling Realm.

Lu Ye suddenly understood. He had wondered how the Sunlit Realm guardians of Wanxiang Sea could be so selfless, willing to offend Yuandu to immediately step forward and uphold the rules. Now it seemed he had overthought things.

Even if these Sunlit Realm guardians had noticed Yuandu breaking the rules, they had no intention of appearing. Instead, it was Jiuyan who had stood up for him!

As his thoughts shifted, Lu Ye saw Yue Yi wink at him, giving him a reassuring look. Lu Ye's heart settled.

Right, Sanjie Island also had a Sunlit Realm backer!

Years ago, when Chu Shen brought a group of cultivators from Cheling Realm to Sanjie Island to cultivate, it signified one thing: Sanjie Island had pledged allegiance to Jiuyan of Cheling Realm!

Although Sanjie Island had never leveraged Cheling Realm's reputation over the years, and Chu Shen and the Cheling Realm cultivators on Sanjie Island only focused on their cultivation without involving themselves in other matters, their relationship was one of protector and protected.

Because their relationship was so informal, even Lu Ye usually overlooked it. But at this crucial moment, his backer had stepped forward!

Lu Ye immediately felt his back straighten considerably.

His thoughts shifted. Was it a coincidence that Jiuyan was on Wanxiang Island at this time? Clearly not...

That fellow Chu Shen, he was quite good at planning ahead. He'd have to thank him properly later.

"What's happening?" Mu Qing feigned ignorance and asked, "When did people start fighting and killing outside Wanxiang Island? How undignified!"

Although fighting was explicitly forbidden within Wanxiang Island and unrestricted outside, for so many years, no one had actually engaged in conflict so close to the island. Everyone who came to Wanxiang Sea to make a living would at least show some respect to Wanxiang Island.

She was aware of the feud between Sanjie Island and Yuandu and had long heard of Lu Ye's reputation. She had initially been puzzled why Jiuyan, with whom she had little interaction, had suddenly visited her two days ago. It wasn't until Yuandu suddenly made his move just now that she understood everything.

Jiuyan's visit was a pretense; waiting for this moment was the real purpose!

She suddenly felt a bit weary. On the Sunlit Realm level within their star system, they weren't very united, especially after the incident with Wushuang Island years ago, which had caused significant discontent in Cheling Realm. If today's matter wasn't handled well, Jiuyan certainly wouldn't let it go.

Among those present, Shixin was disheveled and listless, and Yuan Cheng lay prostrate, unable to rise. Lu Ye looked around and realized he seemed to be the only one who could respond. He immediately composed himself, clasped his fists, and said, "Lu Ye of Sanjie Island greets the esteemed guardians!"

Mu Qing nodded: "I know you. Tell me, what happened here?"

Lu Ye replied: "To the esteemed guardian, our island was recently attacking Zixuan Island and achieved considerable success. Zixuan's Grand Island Master Shixin fled, and I pursued him here. Unexpectedly, I was ambushed by a female demon here. Taking advantage of my unpreparedness, she summoned a combat platform. I engaged her in a fierce battle, fighting for eight hundred rounds, and ultimately slew her with my blade. Oh, and that female demon was from the Six-tailed Demonic Fox clan, likely having a deep connection with Zixuan, which is why she ambushed me here."

Although he already knew Hu Xue's fate was grim, upon hearing Lu Ye speak of fighting for eight hundred rounds and slaying her with his blade, Yuandu's eye still twitched in pain.

Lu Ye then changed his tone: "However, I don't know how I angered Guardian Yuandu, causing his formidable aura to descend from the sky, intending to suppress me!" As he spoke, Lu Ye's expression was stern, and his voice was clear and resonant: "Esteemed Guardian, please be my witness. Since the cultivators of my Sanjie Island arrived in Wanxiang Sea, we have always strictly adhered to the rules, never daring to overstep, nor daring to easily make enemies. Our attack on Zixuan was purely self-defense and counterattack. Guardian Yuandu, relying on his strength, tried to bully and suppress me. I refuse to accept this, and I implore the esteemed guardian to uphold justice!"

Years ago, when he faced Yuandu alone and impulsively provoked him with words, he was somewhat apprehensive, knowing that truly angering Yuandu and causing him to disregard the rules would have led to dire consequences. But today, that feeling was completely gone.

He felt utterly delighted. Having a powerful backer certainly made a difference!

Yuandu remained silent, allowing Lu Ye to speak, merely staring at him coldly. Given his status and position, Yuandu naturally wouldn't argue with Lu Ye; that would only be humiliating.

With Yuandu silent, Mu Qing felt uncomfortable. She didn't want to get involved in this matter. Lu Ye had openly criticized Yuandu in front of her, asking her to uphold justice. How was she supposed to do that? Scold Yuandu? Even if she had the authority as a fellow guardian, which was debatable, she wouldn't do it.

Emotionally, she naturally leaned more towards Yuandu.

But Jiuyan was standing right there, and Lu Ye had already asked her to uphold justice. She couldn't do nothing, especially with so many cultivators gathered around to watch.

Giving Lu Ye an annoyed glance, Mu Qing said blandly, "You were ambushed? And then you counter-killed them?"

"Precisely. Many fellow cultivators witnessed it," Lu Ye quickly nodded. "If esteemed Guardian doesn't believe it, you can ask Fellow Yuan Cheng over there. He knows exactly what happened from beginning to end."

Yuan Cheng, who was prostrate on the ground, shuddered. He looked up at Lu Ye, his eyes filled with innocence and anger. He was already lying there, too scared to move, and Lu Ye had actually called him out by name. Wasn't that pushing him into a fire pit?

Mu Qing turned and looked at Yuan Cheng, asking, "Yuan Cheng, is what he said true?"

Yuan Cheng's lips twitched. He dared not answer. If he said yes, it would be a blatant lie, and he would certainly face dire consequences, as he wasn't the only one who had witnessed the scene. If he said no, he wouldn't be able to get past Yuandu.

For a moment, he wished he could just faint right there.

He never imagined that merely coming out to assist Shixin would turn into such a mess. If he had known, he would never have allowed Hu Xue to come along. She was truly more trouble than she was worth.

"What? Have you gone mute?" Mu Qing's expression darkened in anger.

Yuan Cheng looked with pleading eyes at Yuandu's back.

Yuandu said coldly, "Speak plainly! What happened in broad daylight cannot be hidden."

As if granted a great pardon, Yuan Cheng quickly replied, "What Lu Ye said is true."

Mu Qing nodded and said, "Conflicts occasionally happen on Wanxiang Sea, and failed ambushes resulting in the attacker's death are not uncommon." She looked at Lu Ye: "Next time you have a conflict, try to stay further away from Wanxiang Island, so as not to affect visitors to the island."