Chapter 1872: Want it or not?

A moment later, inside the spiritual jade ore vein, Lu Ye walked around, observing.

Zixuan was a top-tier Spirit Island, and naturally, it possessed its own spiritual jade ore vein, a common hallmark of such islands. This wasn't his first time in a spiritual jade ore vein; he had explored one previously at the core of Fangcun Mountain. He had also seen the merfolk's spiritual jade ore vein countless times.

Although called an "ore vein," a spiritual jade ore vein differs significantly from typical mineral veins. Ordinary veins contain numerous by-products and associated materials that make extraction complicated, as they must be removed, and the raw minerals extracted often vary in purity, requiring further refinement. Spiritual jade ore veins, however, are different.

Spiritual jade forms through the convergence and condensation of cosmic energy. Once this energy reaches a certain saturation point, it solidifies into spiritual jade. Consequently, the spiritual jade ore vein on any top-tier Spirit Island is always the most energy-dense location on that island. Cultivators can preemptively carve suitably sized indentations within the vein. Then, they simply wait for spiritual jade to condense in these hollows, collecting it when ready. Alternatively, they can leave the jade untouched without significant consequence.

In a unique environment like the Myriad Manifestations Sea, as long as the sea itself does not deplete, the spiritual jade veins on all top-tier Spirit Islands are inexhaustible. This is because, fundamentally, the spiritual jade collected is simply the reconvergence and condensation of diffused energy from the Myriad Manifestations Sea water.

The spiritual jade vein on Zixuan Island was quite substantial, though it paled slightly in comparison to the one within Fangcun Mountain's core.

When Lu Ye arrived, Luan Xiao'e, He Baichuan, and Yan Miao were already there, observing with keen interest. Luan Xiao'e and her junior brother were undoubtedly entering a spiritual jade vein for the first time and were momentarily filled with wonder. Yan Miao, on the other hand, was quite accustomed to them, as the spiritual jade veins in the merfolk territory were considerably larger than this one.

Apart from these three, many other Constellation cultivators who had heard the news also came to observe the spectacle. Hailing from places like the Jade Snail Star System, none of them had ever encountered such a rare phenomenon as a spiritual jade ore vein before.

Sensing Lu Ye's presence, Luan Xiao'e turned and waved him over, saying, "Junior brother, over here."

Lu Ye walked over, surveyed the surroundings, and then asked, "Grand Elder, what's the output of this spiritual jade ore vein like?" Yan Miao was undoubtedly the most knowledgeable person present regarding spiritual jade ore veins, so Lu Ye naturally directed his question to her.

Having observed for a while, Yan Miao already had an estimate. She replied, "Roughly thirty million annually."

"Thirty million spiritual jade?" He Baichuan asked.

"Indeed," Yan Miao nodded.

"That's not much," He Baichuan mumbled, pursing his lips, his interest significantly diminished. He had expected such a spiritual jade ore vein to be far more productive, only to find it yielded a mere thirty million spiritual jade per year. Three Realms Island's annual income far exceeded this amount. Compared to that, this spiritual jade ore vein seemed valuable, but perhaps not immensely so.

Luan Xiao'e couldn't help but glare at He Baichuan. "Have you forgotten your past hardships after just a few days of comfort?" she chastised. "Isn't thirty million a lot, especially when it's free?"

Thirty million spiritual jade was no small sum for any cultivator below the Sun-lit realm; one could even purchase an eighth-star magic treasure and still have some left over.

"And this is just one year's income," she added. "Zixuan occupied this place for tens of thousands of years; imagine how much they profited from it."

He Baichuan gave an awkward laugh. "I was just saying that casually," he mumbled.

Having said that, if it weren't for Three Realms Island, this thirty million spiritual jade would indeed be an enormous sum for the cultivators of the Three Realms. For instance, when Lu Ye turned the tide and helped the Four Directions Star System decisively defeat the combined forces of the Insect and Blood tribes, the thank-you gift they offered was only twenty million spiritual jade. It wasn't stinginess on their part, but rather that their collective reserves were limited, preventing them from giving more. Similarly, the spiritual jade and resources provided by Giant Blade Island when Three Realms Island extorted them last time were also valued at merely twenty to thirty million spiritual jade combined.

So, thirty million spiritual jade annually was certainly not a small amount; it merely seemed insignificant when He Baichuan compared it to Three Realms Island's current income. And with Zixuan having occupied this place for tens of thousands of years, it was difficult to fathom how much they had profited and how many cultivators that immense amount of spiritual jade had helped them nurture. Most importantly, this was indeed a free gain.

For a top-tier Spirit Island, a spiritual jade ore vein, while important, was not considered fundamental. This was because every power occupying a top-tier Spirit Island was backed by a top-tier realm, and their own realms already contained spiritual jade ore veins, invariably larger in scale than those found in the Myriad Manifestations Sea. For powers hailing from top-tier realms, the Spirit Island itself was what they truly valued, as the unique cultivation environment within a Spirit Island was something no realm could replicate. Therefore, the spiritual jade ore vein here was not the primary reason for top-tier powers to occupy the island; it was merely an incidental benefit.

Suddenly, murmurs of discussion arose nearby. Many Constellation cultivators gathered at one spot to observe, and soon someone shouted, "Senior brothers and sisters, there are spiritual crystals here!" Lu Ye and the others looked in the direction of the sound, then walked over, and indeed found spiritual crystals there.

"Why is the arrangement of these spiritual crystals so peculiar?" He Baichuan asked, a puzzled expression on his face after a quick glance. He observed that the crystals radiated outwards from a central point; the closer they were to this center, the brighter their luster, becoming dimmer further away, eventually transitioning into lower-grade spiritual jade.

"A vein source!" Yan Miao slowly revealed.

"What?" He Baichuan asked, looking at her in confusion.

"The fundamental reason for the existence of a spiritual jade ore vein is a vein source," Yan Miao explained. "This is a marvel that cannot be detected by the naked eye or even divine sense. It's precisely because of a vein source that cosmic energy converges towards its location, subsequently condensing into spiritual jade. And the closer to the vein source, the more easily spiritual crystals are formed. A spiritual jade ore vein usually has more than one vein source. Look around; there should be others."

The Three Realms Island cultivators immediately began searching around and, sure enough, found several more vein sources. In total, this entire spiritual jade ore vein contained roughly ten vein source points, running from one end of the vein to the other. Lu Ye attempted to perceive them with his divine sense but detected no abnormal presence. The so-called vein sources were formless and intangible, utterly undetectable. However, the formation of spiritual crystals near these points was undoubtedly the best evidence of their existence.

A group of Three Realms Island cultivators observed the spectacle within the spiritual jade ore vein for a while before finally beginning to collect. The condensation of spiritual jade and spiritual crystals resembled the growth of fruit; as cosmic energy continuously converged and infused them, they gradually grew larger and fuller. If it were their own spiritual jade ore vein, they would naturally wait for the "fruit" to mature before harvesting. However, since this vein had been conquered, the Three Realms Island cultivators were less particular. They collected everything, regardless of its maturity. While the unformed spiritual jade and crystals were smaller, this did not hinder their use in cultivation.

While everyone was still busy, they heard that Tang Jun had arrived. Including Lu Ye, several Moon-tier cultivators were startled by the news and quickly walked out. From a distance, they saw Tang Jun looking around nearby.

Lu Ye quickly went to greet him. "Has something happened at the main island?" he asked.

Tang Jun shook his head. "No!"

"Then why did you come running over?" Lu Ye grumbled. On second thought, he realized that if something had indeed happened at the main island, Tang Jun would surely have sent a message immediately, rather than coming in person.

"Something to discuss!" Tang Jun said, his expression turning serious. "Something important!"

Lu Ye blinked, vaguely realizing the implications, and said, "Let's find somewhere to talk."

A moment later, in a grand hall on Zixuan Island, several Moon-tier cultivators from Three Realms Island were all seated. The hall was quite grandly built, with a rugged overall style, characteristic of the demon race.

Once everyone was seated, Tang Jun spoke. "Before we discuss anything, Lu Ye, give me a straight answer: Do you want Zixuan Island or not?"

Lu Ye thought to himself that it was indeed as he had guessed; otherwise, Tang Jun would never have asked such a question. Though he already had some insight, he still countered, "What if I do, and what if I don't?"

Tang Jun calmly replied, "If you want it, there's a way to proceed; if not, there's a different approach to take. Let's say you want it. According to the rules of Myriad Manifestations Sea, the same power cannot occupy two Spirit Islands. So, we would have to move, relocating from Three Realms Island to Zixuan and abandoning Three Realms Island. Alternatively, we could split up. After all, we are a union of three realms; if one realm were to occupy Zixuan, that would be permissible by the rules."

"How can Three Realms Island be abandoned?" He Baichuan asked. Although Three Realms Island was a superior-tier Spirit Island and Zixuan was a top-tier Spirit Island, if he had to choose, he would definitely pick Three Realms Island over Zixuan. The only advantage Zixuan had over Three Realms Island was its significantly superior cultivation environment. However, when considering Three Realms Island's ability to accumulate wealth, how many Spirit Islands in the Myriad Manifestations Sea could truly compare? What the Three Realms cultivators currently lacked was not a cultivation environment; the main island's environment was perfectly sufficient, and even a slightly better one wouldn't offer much additional help. What they urgently needed was to earn more spiritual jade, as everyone had their own realms backing them, and their demand for spiritual jade and cultivation resources was immense.

Tang Jun nodded. "Yes, I also think Three Realms Island cannot be abandoned. So, if we want Zixuan, we would have to split up, assigning one or two realms to occupy Zixuan."

"Unsuitable, unsuitable," He Baichuan immediately shook his head. Even united, the Three Realms cultivators' overall strength wasn't particularly strong. After splitting up, they would certainly not be qualified to occupy a top-tier Spirit Island on their own. Currently, their ability to stably occupy Three Realms Island was due first to the prestige gained from conquering Baiyue back then, and second, to the secret support from the Chime Realm. Among these factors, Lu Ye's role was irreplaceable. Without him, no one on their side could establish a firm footing on either Three Realms Island or Zixuan. Thus, splitting up was utterly useless. Whichever side Lu Ye was on would be stable, while the other side would surely be coveted by countless forces.

Luan Xiao'e slowly spoke from the side, "I also thought about this before. Now that Zixuan has been conquered, I'm afraid we won't be able to hold onto it. So, this Zixuan... I'm afraid we can't take it."