Chapter 1975: Ma Bin Arrives

It would be best if Jiu Yan could be made to leave the Myriad Manifestations Star System. Otherwise, a Sun-Shedding cultivator travels too quickly; once they receive news, it would take no effort for them to rush over from the Cheling Realm.

At that point, he could act swiftly, using decisive force to destroy Three Realms Island. Even if Jiu Yan found out afterward, it would be too late to reverse the situation.

Once Three Realms Island is destroyed, he could not only acquire a ready-made, top-tier spiritual island but also gain control of a channel connecting to the Merfolk race!

Having previously soul-searched several Star Lords from Three Realms Island, he was well aware of the Merfolk’s existence. They were an extremely rare race, and controlling them would yield immense wealth. Furthermore, beneath the Myriad Manifestations Sea, where the Merfolk reside, lay an uncharted territory—a part of this star system untouched since ancient times. Within it were the wondrous Sky Conch Palace and a colossal spiritual jade mine!

Therefore, in his eyes, Three Realms Island represented not merely the value of a top-tier spiritual island, but a far greater temptation beyond its apparent worth.

He had not mentioned this secret to anyone.

After much deliberation, Yuan Du decided that a summons from an old friend was a good approach. Conveniently, he and Jiu Yan shared a mutual friend, a Sun-Shedding cultivator from another star system. If that person had a request, Jiu Yan would likely grant it out of respect.

With the plan set, it was time to put it into action.

On Three Realms Island, in the alchemy room, Lu Ye visited his Second Senior Sister. Although she was no longer required to refine elixirs to sustain the island’s livelihood, she still regularly stayed there. This was because, in addition to her cultivation, she needed to refine a large quantity of spiritual elixirs, all for personal use by their own people, not for sale.

After a brief chat, Lu Ye suddenly remembered something. "Where's Ya Ya?" he asked.

When he had left years ago, he entrusted Ya Ya to Shui Yuan. However, upon his return this time, he found no trace of the little girl, and it seemed her presence was absent from Three Realms Island.

This left him a little puzzled.

Shui Yuan replied, "Ya Ya is in the Merfolk territory. She seems to really like the environment there. One time she went and didn't come back. I visited her once and saw she was very happy, so I decided not to interfere."

Lu Ye understood. Come to think of it, he needed to visit the Merfolk territory himself.

When Ma Bin arrived, he would need to borrow their spiritual jade mine, so he absolutely had to greet the Merfolk beforehand.

Furthermore, since both Luan Xiao'e and Yan Miao had simultaneously advanced to Sun-Shedding, he indeed ought to congratulate them.

A short while later, Lu Ye retrieved his Azure Sea Conch from his Second Senior Sister, blew it, and opened the portal to the Merfolk territory.

The moment his figure entered the portal, he appeared outside the Sky Conch Palace.

Moments later, Lu Ye finally saw Yan Miao and Luan Xiao'e. On the surface, the two women showed little change, but their undeniable Sun-Shedding aura clearly indicated their powerful current cultivation.

This was normal, as they had only recently advanced. They had not yet stabilized their cultivation, but in a short while, they would be able to control their aura freely.

Both Luan Xiao'e and Yan Miao appeared very happy and were immensely grateful to Lu Ye.

Yan Miao's gratitude was entirely understandable; had Lu Ye not helped her resolve the bloodline curse poison back then, she would not have achieved Sun-Shedding. Now, not only had her cultivation vastly improved, but she was also no longer plagued by the curse poison and could leave the Myriad Manifestations Sea at will.

If the living conditions in the Merfolk territory had not been satisfactory, the entire race might have already been considering relocation.

As for Luan Xiao'e, had she remained in the Jade Snail Realm, she likewise could not have advanced to Sun-Shedding, lacking such a superior cultivation environment and abundant resources. Not to mention, she had consumed a significant number of top-grade Divine Refinement Pills over the years.

Both women were the first and only Sun-Shedding cultivators of their respective races. Having now "leaped over the dragon's gate," it was as if they had been reborn.

Lu Ye congratulated the two women for a few moments, then turned to Yan Miao. "Grand Elder," he began, "I have a request."

Yan Miao smiled, "Junior Brother, please speak freely; there's no need to 'request.' Our race's current prosperity is entirely due to your care. If there's anything here that catches your eye, feel free to take it."

Lu Ye nodded. "It's like this," he began, "a senior of mine was injured in a recent conflict..."

He briefly explained Ma Bin's situation, without mentioning his identity or anything about his Dao Foundation, as he himself didn't fully understand it. He simply stated he needed to borrow their spiritual jade mine for healing.

Yan Miao listened and immediately nodded in agreement.

Although the Merfolk revered their Queen, she was young, so Yan Miao had always overseen all tribal affairs. Such minor matters did not require reporting to the Queen.

Lu Ye also subtly hinted that the senior's cultivation was exceptionally high, likely at the peak of Sun-Shedding, and asked Yan Miao and Luan Xiao'e to take good care of him, suggesting he might be able to guide them on their future cultivation paths.

Both women were overjoyed, as this was undoubtedly what they most desired at the moment.

Lu Ye had originally intended to ask Luan Xiao'e about her future plans. After all, having advanced to Sun-Shedding, there was little point in her remaining in the Myriad Manifestations Sea, especially since she couldn't openly show herself. She could entirely return to the Jade Snail Star System and oversee the Jade Snail Realm.

However, seeing her expectant expression, he decided not to ask.

As they were speaking, a petite figure suddenly ran towards them, scattering a string of silver-bell-like laughter along the way, then plunged into Lu Ye's embrace. "Daddy!" she exclaimed.

The little head burrowed happily into Lu Ye's arms.

Lu Ye held Ya Ya, stroking her head. "Why did you run over here?" he asked.

"It's fun here," Ya Ya replied, looking up and smiling at Lu Ye with narrowed eyes.

Lu Ye also looked up, seeing Bai Lu hurrying over behind Ya Ya, with Ghost accompanying her.

It appeared Bai Lu had been caring for Ya Ya all this time; otherwise, it wouldn't be such a coincidence that they were together.

Bai Lu was still the same, showing no significant changes. She offered a gentle smile upon seeing Lu Ye. "Senior Brother," she greeted.

Lu Ye nodded. "I've caused you trouble," he said.

Ghost looked displeased. "If you know she's trouble, take the child away quickly."

Bai Lu had been occupied with Ya Ya during this period and hadn't had time to cultivate with Ghost, which made Ghost quite unhappy.

"Hmm?" Ya Ya, still in Lu Ye's arms, suddenly turned her head and glanced at Ghost.

Ghost's neck instinctively recoiled, and she tried to hide behind Bai Lu. She couldn't explain what was truly going on with Lu Ye's daughter, but she instinctively sensed that the little girl was not normal. After all, outwardly, the child showed no signs of cultivation, yet if that were truly the case, how could she be present in such a place?

Furthermore, she seemed to recall having suffered a setback at the child's hands on one occasion, though she couldn't remember the specifics, which she found very unsettling.

It was particularly unsettling considering that she was now a Moon-Splitting cultivator, and any means capable of interfering with her memory and thoughts would be far from ordinary.

Amidst the lively atmosphere, as Lu Ye had not visited the Merfolk in a long time, Yan Miao immediately arranged a banquet. It served both to entertain Lu Ye and to celebrate her and Luan Xiao'e's simultaneous advancement to Sun-Shedding.

The entire Imperial Conch Palace was filled with joy.

Lu Ye stayed with the Merfolk for several days, primarily waiting for the cooldown period of the Azure Sea Conch to elapse. After the banquet, he went to the location where Hua Ci was sealed in amber and remained by her side.

Several years had passed, and Hua Ci showed no signs of waking, causing Lu Ye to feel a surge of worry. In all his years of cultivation, this was the first time he truly understood fear—the fear that Hua Ci would remain sealed indefinitely, never to awaken.

He spoke to himself, rambling to Hua Ci about many things, unconcerned that he received no response.

Several days later, Lu Ye departed. He had initially intended to take Ya Ya with him, as her staying with the Merfolk wasn't ideal, but Ya Ya was unwilling to leave, and Bai Lu spoke up in her favor. Thus, Lu Ye could only let her remain.

Upon returning to Three Realms Island, Lu Ye left a Precious Blood clone to oversee the island.

His true self quietly departed, finding an opportunity to dive beneath the sea in a remote, uninhabited location to begin his own cultivation.

While his cultivation was indeed at the late Moon-Splitting stage, he hadn't properly cultivated since his advancement years ago. As the issue with his Dharma Source could not be quickly resolved, he naturally had to prioritize cultivation.

After several years of accumulation and refinement, his late Moon-Splitting cultivation had long been stable.

For the period that followed, the winds were calm and the waves still. Three Realms Island remained as prosperous as ever, with nothing out of the ordinary occurring. Lu Ye himself remained immersed in cultivation, disregarding external affairs.

It was not until two months later that the Precious Blood clone overseeing Three Realms Island received a message. It promptly rushed out to greet someone and indeed found a familiar figure in the guest hall.

"Fellow Daoist Zhu!" Lu Ye greeted, clasping his fists.

"Fellow Daoist Lu," Zhu Yuan replied, returning the greeting.

Ma Bin was nowhere to be seen, but Lu Ye knew he had arrived.

Ma Bin seemed to possess a unique ability to inhabit others' bodies. Lu Ye had personally witnessed him diving into Zhu Yuan's body and vanishing. It was precisely this method that allowed Ma Bin to safely depart the Myriad Manifestations Star System despite its heavy blockade.

"At Fellow Daoist Lu's invitation, I, Zhu, have arrived," Zhu Yuan said, with a hint of deeper meaning.

Lu Ye dared not show any hint of abnormality. When he had first invited Ma Bin, he never imagined Jiu Yan would come to Three Realms Island. Now that she was here, no one knew if she was secretly observing something, and any unusual behavior might be detected by her.

"Follow me!" Lu Ye called, leading the way outside.

Though Zhu Yuan did not understand his intention, he nevertheless followed.

Just as the two made a move, Lu Ye felt a figure flash before him, followed by a rush of fragrance. He looked up to see a voluptuous figure standing before them, her face shrouded in light, her true appearance indiscernible.

Zhu Yuan was startled and quickly assumed a defensive posture.

Lu Ye blinked, then quickly bowed. "Greetings, Senior Jiu Yan," he said. "Is there... anything you need?"

Jiu Yan did not reply. Even though Lu Ye could not discern her features, he could sense that she was currently scrutinizing Zhu Yuan.

Was a Sun-Shedding cultivator's perception truly so keen? Lu Ye was secretly alarmed.

Jiu Yan wouldn't have come over without reason; she had clearly detected something.

However, upon reflection, something didn't quite add up. If a Sun-Shedding cultivator's perception was truly that keen, then Ma Bin would not have been able to escape the Myriad Manifestations Star System so smoothly back then.

From this perspective, either Jiu Yan's personal strength was exceptional, or Ma Bin was currently injured, causing some of his aura to leak.