Chapter 1950: The Reward of the Heavenly Asura Clan

The experiences of Yao Nuan and the others at Great Wind Mountain were arguably the most crucial part of the test. The mountain bandits had been wiped out, leaving only twenty frail women. If Lu Ye had not cared for them at that time and had left them alone, the Heavenly Asura clan might not have dared to bring him over so casually.

Even knowing that Yao Nuan and the others were merely phantoms, Lu Ye was still willing to lend a hand, sparing no effort to escort them to Ding'an. This clearly demonstrated his benevolent nature.

It could be said that the moment Lu Ye decided to take Yao Nuan and the others along, the Heavenly Asuras saw the dawn they had awaited for countless years.

"Young friend," Mi Shi said solemnly, "I humbly represent my entire clan and earnestly request that you save our people from this sea of suffering. If you are willing, our clan is prepared to offer some compensation."

"What can you offer?" Lu Ye asked, narrowing his eyes slightly.

Mi Shi replied, "That depends on what you need, young friend."

Lu Ye raised an eyebrow. "What if I want that affiliated treasure of the Asura Field?"

Mi Shi pondered for a moment, then nodded. "That can be arranged!"

It truly could be arranged! But upon reflection, it wasn't surprising. The Heavenly Asura clan controlled the Asura Field, and everything in the Asura Treasure Vault could be considered their property. Even if that affiliated treasure was worth tens of billions of Asura Marks, there was no issue with giving it away.

"I also want all the treasures in the vault that can refine the quality of Dharma Origin!" Lu Ye spoke again.

This time, Mi Shi did not agree immediately. He explained with some difficulty, "Young friend, the situation is this: while it's true that the Asura Field, a supreme treasure, requires our clan's bloodline to control, it also demands immense power as a foundation. For many years, our clan has been plagued by the bloodline curse poison, with no Sun-blessed cultivators being born, and only occasional new Moon-blessed ones. Therefore, even our clan has somewhat limited control over the Asura Field. This is why we had to wait for you, young friend, to start a new trial before we could bring you here, because our clan's hidden dwelling place is itself a special scene created by the Asura Field. Under normal circumstances, we wouldn't be able to forcibly bring you in."

Lu Ye was stunned and quickly understood. "In other words, you can control the Asura Field, but not completely?" He also gathered from Mi Shi's words that their degree of control wasn't very high.

If that were the case, his previous ideas would be unachievable. He had assumed that since the Heavenly Asura clan controlled the Asura Field, they could simply take whatever they wanted from the treasure vault.

"That's right!" Mi Shi nodded in agreement. "Currently, in the Asura Field, as the clan leader, I possess the highest authority. If you want the affiliated treasure of the Asura Field, I can directly give it to you using my authority. However, if you desire more… it will not be free."

"I'll need to exchange them myself with Asura Marks?" Lu Ye asked.

"Yes, but I can make a few adjustments," Mi Shi replied. "I'll try my best to allow you to exchange those resources at the lowest price, granting you the same treatment as our clan members."

"Oh?" Lu Ye was somewhat surprised. "Your Heavenly Asura clan members also need Asura Marks to obtain resources from the treasure vault?"

"Naturally," Mi Shi nodded. "The original purpose of the Asura Field was to temper our clan members and help them grow rapidly. No benefit is gained without effort. Even our clan members must participate in trials to earn Asura Marks and then exchange them for the resources they need from the vault. It's just that the exchange prices are a bit different from yours."

"How big is the difference?" Lu Ye asked.

"Our clan members get about a fifty percent discount when exchanging resources."

A fifty percent discount… that meant his current Asura Marks could be used as if they were worth double their value.

He could tell that Mi Shi was not being deceitful in this regard, as there was no need for it. If an affiliated treasure worth tens of billions of Asura Marks could be given away, why would they impose restrictions on other resources?

Mi Shi allowing him to enjoy the same treatment as Heavenly Asura clan members was already a clear sign of sincerity.

"Young friend, this is all our clan can offer as compensation," Mi Shi said, looking at Lu Ye with some trepidation. "What are your considerations?"

Although he felt that Lu Ye probably wouldn't refuse, this matter concerned the future of his entire clan, and he couldn't help but feel anxious.

Lu Ye did not answer immediately. After a slight pause for thought, he asked, "How many members does your esteemed clan currently have?"

This question related to how much time he would need, as resolving bloodline curse poison for others was quite time-consuming.

Mi Shi sighed. "Our clan faces difficulties in reproduction; currently, our population is just over ten thousand. I understand your concern, young friend, but please rest assured that not all clan members need their bloodline curse poison resolved. Most who lack sufficient aptitude do not need to be addressed. You, young friend, only need to help resolve the curse for fifteen hundred individuals."

With these fifteen hundred individuals as a foundation, the Heavenly Asura clan could then continue to reproduce without being troubled by the bloodline curse poison. Once the lifespan of the clan members increased, the clan would slowly grow stronger, and it might even be possible for them to regain their ancestors' glory in the future.

Lu Ye quickly calculated that with his current ability, resolving one person's bloodline curse poison would take no more than two or three hours. To be generous, he could resolve it for at least three people a day, meaning fifteen hundred people would take less than two years.

Spending this time would gain him an affiliated supreme treasure worth tens of billions, along with the convenience of exchanging treasure resources just like the Heavenly Asura clan.

This deal was very worthwhile.

Especially that affiliated treasure; he had originally given up on it entirely because the price was too high for him to ever accumulate. But now, there was hope of obtaining it.

With this, the problems on the Kyushu side could be smoothly resolved, and Little Nine would no longer have to worry.

"Agreed!" Lu Ye immediately nodded.

Mi Shi was overjoyed. "Thank you, young friend. In that case, I will sign an Asura contract with you, to serve as written proof!" As he spoke, he waved his hand, and an Asura contract appeared before them.

It seemed that while the Heavenly Asura clan knew some characteristics of the Dao Tree, they were unaware that the Asura contract could be burned by it.

Lu Ye did not point this out. He had no intention of violating the contract, and with such an agreement in place, it would ensure that the Heavenly Asura clan would not break faith with him.

Although this possibility was small.

Mi Shi handed the Asura contract to Lu Ye for examination.

A moment later, Lu Ye nodded. "No problem, but I want to add a clause."

"Please state it, young friend."

"I want to receive the affiliated treasure of the Asura Field first!"

Mi Shi pondered for a moment and quickly agreed. "No problem, young friend, please wait a moment!"

As he spoke, his figure flickered, and he vanished from the spot. There was no cultivation power activated, no trace of movement, nor any spatial displacement. He simply disappeared out of thin air.

This was clearly the power of the Asura Field.

After Mi Shi left, Lu Ye began to examine his Asura Token. It had been active just now, and without a doubt, it was Apolo and Gu Sheng sending him messages.

A quick check confirmed it was indeed messages from Apolo and Gu Sheng, asking him where he was now.

Lu Ye sighed. How should he explain this? The three of them had agreed to join forces and enter that special trial scene to explore information about the Asura Field. Yet, the other two had entered, while he had been brought here by the Heavenly Asura clan.

He had broken his promise!

But he couldn't really be blamed for this. How could he have known that such a peculiar encounter would happen this time, or that the Heavenly Asura clan, long rumored to be extinct, still had a group of ten thousand living in seclusion in a specific scene?

Lu Ye suddenly remembered: since the Heavenly Asura clan had not been exterminated, and Mi Shi could even somewhat control the Asura Field, what exactly were the powerful cultivators who had come here throughout history, searching for the whereabouts of the Asura Field, truly looking for?

No matter how hard they searched, it would ultimately be in vain.

And the clue Gu Sheng had obtained—in hindsight, even if the three of them had combined their strength to defeat that powerful automaton, it would ultimately have been a futile effort.

But now Apolo and Gu Sheng were constantly sending him messages; how should he reply?

Just as he was in a dilemma, A Qiduo suddenly spoke. "Are you thinking about how to reply to Apolo and Gu Sheng, Senior Brother?"

Lu Ye looked up at her in surprise. A Qiduo smiled and explained, "I have been observing you, Senior Brother, so I also know about the agreement you had with them. They should have already entered that scene by now…"

As she spoke, she flipped her hand, and a mirror-like object appeared. She then stepped forward and placed it in front of Lu Ye.

Lu Ye focused his gaze and immediately showed a surprised expression, for the mirror was reflecting the figures of both Apolo and Gu Sheng.

Water-like ripples flowed across the mirror's surface, causing the image to be somewhat distorted, but it was clear that both Apolo and Gu Sheng were agitated at the moment.

The three of them had clearly entered together, but Lu Ye had inexplicably disappeared and couldn't be contacted via message, which was very strange!

The scene reflected in this mirror must be what Apolo and Gu Sheng were currently experiencing. Lu Ye finally understood how the Heavenly Asura clan had been secretly observing him earlier.

"Still no contact?" Apolo asked, looking at Gu Sheng.

"No response," Gu Sheng said, shaking his head. "What about your side?"

"Same!" Apolo said, rubbing his bald head. "What's wrong with that kid? Why isn't he replying to messages? He couldn't have run into any danger, could he?"

Gu Sheng shook his head. "The greatest danger in this scene is only that automaton. You and I both know Lu Ye's strength; he couldn't possibly be in danger unless he deliberately sought out that automaton."

"That makes no sense," Apolo countered. "We have a contract. What good would it do him to go after the automaton by himself? Even if he got a clue and earned a bounty, it would have to be split among the three of us. Besides, he's not that kind of person."

Gu Sheng was also puzzled. "I used that special item to bring both of you in with me. Logically, he should already be here, but I don't know why I can't sense his aura."

"So frustrating!" Apolo said, somewhat agitated. "Is it you who's unreliable, or is it that kid?"

Lu Ye silently observed. He sighed and finally decided not to reply to their messages, as he couldn't explain the situation. As for whether they would encounter any danger in this scene—Gu Sheng could survive alone, and now that he was allied with Apolo, surviving would definitely not be an issue.