Chapter 1965: Goodbye Ma Bin

The boundless starry sky stretched out as Lu Ye traveled alone, his eyes flickering.

Originally, he had planned to hand Yu Yaorao over to Jiuxuan and then set off for the passage that led to the Soul Clan's ancestral land. However, the recent battle had led to some unexpected discoveries. This made him somewhat concerned, prompting him to make a decisive choice: bid farewell to Yu Yaorao and act alone.

By leveraging the power of Liao left on the Moon Illuminators from Fanggu by the Panshan Blade, Lu Ye could easily track their precise locations. Therefore, even knowing there was a Sun Illuminator among their ranks, he believed he could remain safe as long as he was careful. His only concern now was the incredible speed of a Sun Illuminator; if Fanggu's Sun Illuminator were to pilot a starship, Lu Ye might not be able to keep up. Fortunately, this concern proved unfounded. The opponent's movements were unhurried, not exceeding the speed of a Moon Illuminator. Lu Ye consistently trailed far behind the group of Fanggu cultivators.

After several days, Lu Ye suddenly noticed that the residual power of Liao on one of Fanggu's Moon Illuminators had vanished without a trace. He understood that the Sun Illuminator had intervened to neutralize the power that had invaded their body. Lu Ye couldn't tell which specific individual it was. Among the dozen or so Moon Illuminators who had attacked earlier, he had wounded all but a few, leaving residual Liao power on them. This left him feeling helpless, yet he had no way to stop it. If all the residual Liao power on the Moon Illuminators were to be neutralized, he would be unable to continue tracking them. Moreover, after the previous battle, if he got too close and Fanggu cultivators detected his presence, he would undoubtedly face dire consequences. He could only hope now that the Sun Illuminator wouldn't act too quickly.

Over the following period, almost every few days, the residual Liao power on another Moon Illuminator would disappear. In less than a month, Lu Ye completely lost track of the Fanggu cultivators. He became even more cautious, not even daring to operate his starship. Instead, he traversed the starry sky physically, constantly maintaining the blessings of concealment and aura-restraining spiritual runes. After such a long time, he roughly discerned the direction the Fanggu cultivators were heading. If his guess was correct, that direction should lead to the Fanggu star system. Without being able to pinpoint the exact location of the Fanggu cultivators, he could only infiltrate the Fanggu star system and then act according to the situation.

One day, as Lu Ye was quietly proceeding, he suddenly felt something. He swiftly moved towards a nearby shattered floating landmass, then found a hidden spot to conceal himself. A moment later, a starship flew in from that direction, with a figure standing upright on its deck. Lu Ye initially paid little mind, but upon closer inspection, his face immediately lit up with joy. He promptly activated his divine sense slightly. The approaching starship halted. The cultivator on board glanced left and right, quickly spotted the floating landmass where Lu Ye was hidden, and swiftly flew over.

As the cultivator settled his stance, Lu Ye emerged from his hiding place. Their eyes met. The newcomer's face showed a complex expression, while Lu Ye felt a wave of relief.

If Sun Zheng had been there, he would undoubtedly have been greatly puzzled, for the arriving individual was none other than one of the Fanggu Moon Illuminators who had previously attacked them. This cultivator's cultivation was not high, only at the early Moon Illuminator stage, making them an inconspicuous presence among the dozen or so Moon Illuminators. However, the expressions on Lu Ye and the newcomer's faces clearly indicated they knew each other.

"Fellow Daoist Zhu, long time no see," Lu Ye greeted, cupping his hands.

Zhu Yuan. Back when Lu Ye had just arrived at the Myriad Manifestations Sea, he was concerned about making a living. On Zhao Lai Island, he accepted a task to transport supplies, hoping to earn some spirit jades to get by. Zhu Yuan was part of that mission. Lu Ye had assumed it would be an extremely simple task, but unexpected events unfolded mid-journey. Zhu Yuan led him and a few other cultivators who had accepted the task to a desolate planet. The others met tragic deaths on the spot, but only Lu Ye survived. It was on that desolate planet that Lu Ye encountered a wounded Ma Bin!

At that time, it was shortly after Ma Bin had ambushed a Sun Illuminator on Myriad Manifestations Island. As Ma Bin fled from the island, he detected Lu Ye's presence, which was why he had Zhu Yuan lead Lu Ye to that desolate planet, using the opportunity to ascertain Lu Ye's background. Since then, Lu Ye had never seen Ma Bin again, nor Zhu Yuan. Thus, he had never imagined that he would encounter Zhu Yuan again, of all places, among the Moon Illuminator team attacking Jiuxuan!

When his eyes met Zhu Yuan's, both were momentarily stunned, clearly not expecting to meet in such a place. However, they shared a deep understanding, neither showing any outward reaction, and there was no secret communication between them. This was because Sun Illuminators from both sides were fighting nearby, so everyone was extremely cautious. Back then, in the Myriad Manifestations Sea, Ma Bin was able to act through Zhu Yuan, indicating that Zhu Yuan was someone Ma Bin trusted.

Now, it was clear that Zhu Yuan was a cultivator from the Fanggu star system. What about Ma Bin? Could it be that he was also in the Fanggu star system? Nan Lian had said that Ma Bin's injuries this time were likely severe. The reason he chose to turn back and fight was to avoid implicating Lu Ye, his junior from Kyushu. Fundamentally, Ma Bin had been injured because of Lu Ye. If there had been no clues about Ma Bin whatsoever, it would have been acceptable, as he couldn't interfere with matters involving Sun Illuminators. But since he had discovered some faint traces, Lu Ye naturally couldn't ignore them. This was why Lu Ye had hastily left Jiuxuan's team and secretly tracked the Fanggu cultivators. And Zhu Yuan's sudden solo return at this moment... was certainly intriguing.

The wounds Zhu Yuan had sustained from Lu Ye's earlier attack were now gone, and the residual Liao power had undoubtedly been neutralized, likely by Fanggu's Sun Illuminator.

"Indeed, long time no see. Fellow Daoist, your power has increased at an astonishing rate. You truly live up to the Master's high regard," Zhu Yuan said with a sigh of wonder. He recalled that when they first met in the Myriad Manifestations Sea, they were both merely Star Constellations, and his cultivation had been considerably higher than Lu Ye's. Now, Lu Ye was already at the late Moon Illuminator stage, while he was only at the early Moon Illuminator stage. The recent battle had made him personally feel the gap in their strength.

"Master..." Lu Ye's heart stirred. "That would be..."

Zhu Yuan pondered for a moment, then said, "If it's you, it should be fine. Come with me." As he spoke, he turned and led the way, with Lu Ye leaping onto his starship. As if sensing Lu Ye wanted to ask something, Zhu Yuan spoke first: "No need for questions. You'll know once we arrive."

They traveled in silence for over ten more days until Zhu Yuan suddenly changed direction, heading towards a desolate, lifeless planet. A moment later, in a part of the desolate planet rife with sandstorms and devoid of any sign of life, Zhu Yuan and Lu Ye descended from the starship. Zhu Yuan put away his starship and searched the vicinity, eventually finding an entrance leading deep underground. The two entered one after another. Lu Ye keenly noticed the lingering scent of blood, which made his heart tighten.

They continued deeper for about half an hour until they reached an extremely deep underground location. Here, a natural grotto was adorned with several luminous pearls, whose soft light filled the small space. In the center of the grotto, a figure sat cross-legged, like an ancient, mighty pine tree. Hearing the sound, the figure slowly opened their eyes. The sharp gleam in their pupils was like a flash of lightning piercing the darkness, illuminating the surroundings for an instant.

"You..." the figure slowly began, looking at Lu Ye, "Why are you here?"

Lu Ye quickly stepped forward and bowed respectfully: "Lu Ye greets Senior!"

The person before him was indeed Ma Bin, and Zhu Yuan's solo return after leaving the Fanggu team was clearly to see Ma Bin. Behind him, Zhu Yuan knelt on one knee: "Your subordinate is late. Please forgive me, Master!"

Ma Bin seemed unconcerned. He understood his subordinate's situation: ostensibly a Moon Illuminator from the Fanggu star system, under the direct supervision of a Sun Illuminator, often unable to act freely. Zhu Yuan had secretly sent him a message earlier, informing him that the local Sun Illuminator had gathered a team to attack Jiuxuan.

"How did you two end up together?" Ma Bin asked, relaxing his posture. Despite his burly physique and somewhat aged appearance, as he sat cross-legged, he still gave Lu Ye the feeling of an unassailable mountain. Ma Bin naturally knew Lu Ye was in this Asura Domain; he had sensed him from afar earlier. Zhu Yuan was also here, so theoretically, they could have met, but the probability was too low. Clearly, something Ma Bin didn't know had happened to connect the two.

"It happened like this..." Zhu Yuan briefly explained the course of events.

Ma Bin then understood. He looked at Lu Ye and nodded slightly: "You've shown great care." This junior from Kyushu had evidently spotted Zhu Yuan and then secretly tracked him all the way, seeking clues about Ma Bin. Coincidentally, Zhu Yuan encountered Lu Ye on his way back after leaving Fanggu's team.

"Senior, how are your injuries?" Lu Ye asked with concern. Nan Lian had mentioned his injuries were severe, but she likely didn't know the exact details. Ma Bin's current state didn't seem to indicate any major problems, yet Lu Ye felt his aura was somewhat erratic. For a top-tier Sun Illuminator to have an erratic aura was undoubtedly no small matter.

"I won't die," Ma Bin chuckled loudly. "Just a minor injury..." No sooner had the words left his mouth than he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his body swaying precariously.

"Master!" Zhu Yuan exclaimed in alarm, rushing forward to support him.

Lu Ye's expression tightened. Only then did he notice numerous patches of dried blood on the ground. Ma Bin's injuries... seemed very severe! He quickly rummaged through his storage ring, taking out all the healing elixirs he possessed and placing them before Ma Bin: "Senior, please see if any of these might be useful to you."

The healing elixirs he carried were all brought from Three Realms Island, produced by the Danhu alchemy process. They were all of supreme quality, their medicinal effects many times superior to those bought externally.

Ma Bin steadied his breath, nodded, and picked up a jade bottle to examine it. A moment later, his eyebrows rose: "Good stuff." Unfortunately, it seemed useless to him. He picked up another bottle, showing slight surprise, then put it down and examined the next.

A moment later, Ma Bin looked at Lu Ye in confusion: "Where did you get so many good things?" All these elixirs were, unexpectedly, of supreme quality. It seemed his junior had done quite well for himself in the Myriad Manifestations Sea over the years. One must know that ordinary people don't possess such wealth, and even if they did, without the right connections, they couldn't acquire so many varieties of supreme-grade elixirs.