Chapter 1981: Ma Bin Takes Action

Upon sensing Yuan Du's arrival, Lu Ye immediately pushed the island's protective array to its absolute limit, rapidly depleting the spiritual energy accumulated over many years. Without this, Hei Yun's power alone would have shattered the array in just a few strikes.

Even then, the grand array wouldn't hold much longer. Lu Ye clearly saw its light barrier dimming at a visible rate, with tiny cracks appearing and vanishing in fleeting moments.

This was clearly the result of the array enduring attacks that surpassed its structural limits.

Lu Ye frowned, his divine sense surging as he transmitted a message to He Baichuan and others nearby: "Go!"

Yuan Du and Hei Yun had arrived with overwhelming force, and at this point, there was no turning back. Once the array fell, everyone would be like fish on a chopping block.

Therefore, they had to evacuate Three Realms Island before the array was breached.

Following his command, He Baichuan and the others left without the slightest hesitation, swiftly descending and vanishing in an instant.

At the alchemy room, the portal to the mermaid territory was wide open, and all the cultivators of Three Realms Island were rapidly evacuating in a tense yet orderly fashion.

However, with so many cultivators and only one portal, the evacuation would still require some time.

Lu Ye quickly calculated and realized that not all of the island's cultivators would manage to evacuate before the array was breached.

He would still need to use the red talisman!

With that thought, Lu Ye hesitated no longer. A brilliant red light erupted from his body, and his aura surged rapidly.

"A red talisman?" Yuan Du had been closely observing Lu Ye's every move. He had seen He Baichuan and the others leave and could roughly guess their destination, but he paid them no mind. His objective was simply to keep Lu Ye in sight. In other words, as long as Lu Ye remained, everyone else was insignificant.

Once Lu Ye was apprehended, the entire Three Realms Island, and even the mermaid territory, would be his!

Yet, Yuan Du was still taken aback when Lu Ye activated the power of an unknown red talisman. He knew Lu Ye had a seemingly good relationship with the Little People, but he never imagined it was strong enough for Lu Ye to possess a red talisman.

Just as Yuan Du pondered the type of red talisman this was and what power it might unleash, Lu Ye suddenly let out a low cry: "Merge!"

As his voice faded, the red light burst forth, striking the protective array of Three Realms Island and merging with it. Instantly, the entire protective array glowed a deep crimson. From a distance, the cultivators' defense area of Three Realms Island appeared as if shrouded by a blood-red curtain.

The protective array, which had been tottering under Hei Yun's onslaught, suddenly became much more solid.

"How benevolent of you!" Yuan Du remarked, looking at Lu Ye, having already discerned the power of the red talisman.

It was clearly a defensive red talisman, yet Lu Ye hadn't used it on himself. Instead, he had applied it to the protective array to boost its strength.

This was clearly intended to buy time for the other cultivators to escape.

But doing so was utterly meaningless...

"What are you prattling about? Attack!" Hei Yun growled. Since he had begun his assault, Yuan Du had merely stood by, observing coldly, even having the nerve to comment on Lu Ye's actions. Hei Yun couldn't fathom what he was thinking.

Didn't he understand that procrastination could lead to complications?

The protective array was on the verge of collapsing, yet with Lu Ye's red talisman, it could now endure for a while longer.

If Yuan Du had joined the attack earlier, Lu Ye would likely have been subdued by now, a fact that clearly displeased Hei Yun.

As Hei Yun's words ceased, Yuan Du stepped forward. Even at this moment, he didn't forget to proclaim loudly: "Lu Ye, a Blood Clan member, has been lurking in the Myriad Forms Sea, occupying Three Realms Island, and harboring malicious intent! Today, I, the Garrison Lord, shall apprehend you and deliver justice on behalf of the heavens!"

As he spoke, he raised his hand and pointed forward. A silent attack, yet it caused the light barrier, already empowered by the red talisman, to tremble violently.

Lu Ye involuntarily retreated a few steps. With two Sunlit Realm cultivators attacking in tandem, the protective array would likely not even last five breaths.

It was time to evacuate.

He didn't run towards the alchemy room. It was quite a distance away, and the portal opened by the Azure Conch had a limited duration. There were no auras remaining there, and Lu Ye was unsure if the portal had already closed.

If he were to arrive only to find the portal closed, he would be utterly helpless.

So he moved swiftly, quickly reaching the edge of a cliff, beneath which lay the dark and vast Myriad Forms Sea.

In the Myriad Forms Sea, he had never worried about facing significant danger, as he possessed a unique ability no one else had: the power to survive beneath its waters.

When he first arrived in the Myriad Forms Sea, Lu Ye had envisioned that should he ever encounter an unbeatable foe, he would simply leap into the sea to escape.

He had never faced such a predicament before, and he hadn't expected to be pushed to such a degree, even as a late-stage Moon Gazer.

Turning, he gazed at Yuan Du and Hei Yun, who were still fiercely assaulting the protective array in the distance. A cold glint flickered in Lu Ye's eyes.

Three Realms Island had not reached its current standing easily. Under the established rules, no one dared to provoke it. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Three Realms Island was poised to stand here for a millennium, ten millennia, or even longer, providing sustained and robust support for the development of the Jade Snail Galaxy.

Yet, rules, it seemed, were indeed made to be broken.

Ultimately, his power wasn't strong enough!

Having lost Matchless Island years ago, and now on the verge of losing Three Realms Island, Lu Ye felt both furious and profoundly helpless.

He still needed to be truly powerful. If his strength were sufficient, he wouldn't have to abide by rules set by others; he could become the one who set them!

"This is bad!" Yuan Du exclaimed, meeting Lu Ye's gaze. Though he didn't know Lu Ye's intentions, he instinctively felt a foreboding. He intensified his assault significantly. Under the furious onslaught of both him and Hei Yun, the entire protective array of Three Realms Island quickly shattered like a mirror, countless cracks spreading across its surface, and the red talisman's power was utterly extinguished.

A crisp, shattering sound resonated in all directions.

The grand array was utterly breached.

Two figures lunged towards Lu Ye's position almost simultaneously, moving with incredible speed.

Lu Ye's expression remained calm. He merely stared coldly at Hei Yun and Yuan Du, as if to etch their grotesque faces deep into his memory, before preparing to leap into the sea.

But just then, he suddenly turned his head and looked towards the alchemy room.

At the alchemy room's location, where no aura had been present before, a powerful and imposing aura suddenly materialized.

What was this?

Lu Ye's expression involuntarily shifted. At that moment, the character "舛" (misfortune or difficulty) that had appeared on the Dice of Destiny earlier inexplicably flashed through his mind.

This was truly...

Ma Bin had been in the mermaid territory for over a year, recuperating in the spiritual jade mine. The effects were significant; while he was still far from fully healed, the injuries to his Dao foundation had at least stabilized and would no longer worsen.

As long as he continued his recovery, he would eventually regain his full strength.

However, just today, he suddenly detected an anomaly: the area around the Heavenly Snail Hall had become unusually lively, as if many cultivators from Three Realms Island had arrived.

While there had always been frequent exchanges between Three Realms Island and the mermaid race, such a large influx of people at once was unprecedented.

Initially, Ma Bin didn't pay much attention, but gradually, he sensed that something was amiss.

His divine sense was incredibly powerful, so a brief investigation was enough for him to grasp the full situation.

The cultivators from Three Realms Island were here seeking refuge.

Yuan Du, disregarding all rules, had personally intervened, allying with a Purple Jade Demon Venerable to fiercely assault Three Realms Island's protective array. Three Realms Island was powerless to resist and could only temporarily retreat from their onslaught.

At this point, Ma Bin could no longer remain idle. He emerged from his recuperation chamber and went to the Heavenly Snail Hall. After making inquiries and learning that Lu Ye was still remaining behind on Three Realms Island, his concern deepened.

He Baichuan and the others insisted that Lu Ye had made prior arrangements and there was no need to worry about his safety; he had his own method of escape once everyone from Three Realms Island had withdrawn.

Ma Bin suppressed his impatience and waited by the portal...

He waited...

Yet, Lu Ye's figure never appeared.

Finally, he could wait no longer. Disregarding the others' dissuasion, he stepped through the portal, preparing to go to Three Realms Island himself to assess the situation.

Lu Ye had sheltered him and given him hope for recovery. As a junior from Kyushu whom he held in high regard, how could Ma Bin stand idly by when he faced such difficulties?

Although his current condition wasn't optimal, setting everything else aside, if Lu Ye truly faced danger, he could certainly provide protection.

The very moment he stepped onto Three Realms Island, the protective array shattered. Lu Ye stood at the edge of the cliff, appearing desperate and on the verge of leaping into the sea, while Yuan Du and Hei Yun lunged at him with lightning speed, seemingly determined to annihilate him.

Ma Bin erupted in fury, his peak Sunlit Realm power exploding as he roared, "You are courting death!"

The alchemy room crumbled, and Ma Bin transformed into a streak of rainbow light, instantly appearing before Hei Yun and Yuan Du. His formidable magical power surged, enveloping both of them.

Hei Yun and Yuan Du were both stunned, utterly unprepared for such a powerful expert to suddenly emerge from Three Realms Island.

But soon, Yuan Du's expression changed drastically, and he cried out in alarm, "Azure Demon King Ma Bin?"

How was this possible? How could this harbinger of death be on Three Realms Island? And appear at this exact moment!

My life is forfeit!

As a Sunlit Realm expert from the local star system, Yuan Du had never interacted with Ma Bin, yet he was deeply aware of his formidable power. In fact, his current position as Garrison Lord in the Myriad Forms Sea was a direct result of Ma Bin's actions. Had a Sunlit Realm expert not been forcibly slain by Ma Bin years ago, the number of Sunlit Realm Garrison Lords here would not have increased, and he would never have gotten the chance.

He had single-mindedly focused on Lu Ye and Three Realms Island, confident that the situation was entirely within his grasp. Yet today, complications had arisen repeatedly, with the current one being the most devastating: the Azure Demon King Ma Bin had actually appeared.

Had this person been hiding on Three Realms Island all this time? But that couldn't be right; Jiu Yan had been stationed on Three Realms Island previously. If Ma Bin had been here, how could Jiu Yan not have discovered him?

These two couldn't possibly have any personal ties. Ma Bin had killed a Sunlit Realm expert from the local star system; if Jiu Yan had encountered him, she certainly wouldn't have let it slide.