Chapter 1982: Mistaken Circumstances

Yuan Du’s heart filled with regret the moment he recognized Ma Bin. If he had known Ma Bin was on Three Realms Island, he would never have come seeking trouble. Was he tired of living?

His mind was seized, making it impossible to exert his full strength. He took a hit from Ma Bin the moment they met, sending him flying far away. Fortunately, he had summoned his protective artifact at the crucial moment; otherwise, he would have been severely injured by that blow.

As expected of Ma Bin, the Azure Devil King!

Yuan Du’s heart pounded as he secretly turned to look. He saw Ma Bin and Black Cloud locked in fierce combat. Their Sunseeker cultivation collided, causing powerful fluctuations that destabilized the surroundings in all directions. For a moment, it was an evenly matched battle.

“Black Cloud... that strong?” Yuan Du paused in surprise. He knew Black Cloud was more powerful than himself, but it was still quite unexpected that he could fight Ma Bin to such a degree.

However, he quickly realized why. Although Ma Bin’s aura was immense and every move contained vast power, it always gave a feeling of being less than fluid.

As a Sunseeker, he naturally possessed keen insight. His eyes lit up as he understood: Ma Bin was injured, which was why Black Cloud could hold his own.

Regardless of when or how Ma Bin was injured, it was ultimately good news for their side.

“What are you staring at? Go quickly capture that brat!” Black Cloud’s exasperated voice rang out. Ever since Zi Xuan suffered immense losses due to Yuan Du’s instigation years ago, Black Cloud knew he was unreliable. But he never imagined the man could be this unreliable.

The renowned Azure Devil King Ma Bin was hidden on Three Realms Island, and Yuan Du, the Sunseeker Guardian of Myriad Manifestations Sea, was completely unaware. As if that wasn’t enough, while Black Cloud was desperately contending with Ma Bin, Yuan Du was just standing there, lost in thought!

At a time like this, shouldn’t he be seizing the opportunity to capture Lu Ye as leverage?

Ma Bin had clearly appeared because of Lu Ye and Three Realms Island. If they could capture Lu Ye now, it would make Ma Bin hesitant to act decisively.

However, Black Cloud had to admit, the Azure Devil King was truly powerful!

Yuan Du could sense Ma Bin was injured, and Black Cloud, who was directly fighting him, naturally felt it too. Yet, even with Ma Bin injured, Black Cloud was only managing an even fight.

If Ma Bin were at his peak, how could Black Cloud possibly be his match?

After Black Cloud’s shouted command, Yuan Du immediately sprang into action.

On the cliff edge, watching Yuan Du charge towards him again, Lu Ye couldn’t help but sigh, his face a mix of helplessness and gratitude.

This time, fate was truly capricious...

He had made perfect arrangements to escape by jumping into the sea. Once he entered the Myriad Manifestations Sea, neither Black Cloud nor Yuan Du, no matter how powerful, would be able to catch him.

But plans often don’t keep up with changes. He hadn’t expected Ma Bin to suddenly emerge from the portal at such a critical moment.

This former senior from the Nine Provinces had been incredibly good to him. Upon sensing his presence in the Asura Realm, Ma Bin had immediately turned back to face the enemies, fighting four opponents alone, and even enduring damage to his foundational cultivation rather than implicating Lu Ye.

Today, seeing Lu Ye in trouble, Ma Bin had engaged the enemy despite his injuries.

From Ma Bin’s perspective, he had done nothing wrong. Lu Ye was on the verge of jumping into the sea; how could Ma Bin just stand by and watch? Naturally, he would charge out to support his junior.

However, he had disrupted Lu Ye’s plan.

The only blame lay with Yuan Du and Black Cloud for their sudden arrival. Lu Ye had only made arrangements for the island’s cultivators and hadn’t thought to inform Ma Bin in advance.

Through a series of unfortunate coincidences, the current situation had unfolded.

As Yuan Du charged towards Lu Ye, Lu Ye showed no panic, because he had once again sensed familiar auras from the portal.

Turning his head, he saw two figures burst forth from the portal, jointly moving to intercept Yuan Du.

“Hmm?” Yuan Du turned in bewilderment, only to see two beautiful women approaching, their surging auras impossible to ignore.

“How... two more Sunseekers?”

“Where did these two come from?”

He had no idea Three Realms Island concealed so much power.

Years ago, by using soul-searching techniques on some Three Realms Island cultivators, Yuan Du had learned many secrets he thought were unknown about the island. But only now did he realize that what he knew was merely the tip of the iceberg; Three Realms Island concealed far, far more.

With two Sunseekers attacking together, Yuan Du dared not be careless. However, upon closer inspection, the two beautiful women looked... familiar.

He harbored resentment towards Lu Ye and Three Realms Island, so he naturally paid close attention to the island. Thus, he quickly recognized the two: they were the previous two island masters of Three Realms Island.

A few years ago, they were both at the late Moonfall cultivation level: one was Luan Xiao’e from the Jade Snail Realm, and the other was Yan Miao of the Merfolk tribe.

These two had evidently returned to Three Realms Island with Ma Bin. Seeing Yuan Du about to attack Lu Ye, they naturally wouldn’t stand by.

“Just two newly ascended Sunseekers!” Yuan Du roared in anger.

He couldn’t afford to provoke Ma Bin, but two Sunseekers who had only ascended a few years ago? Could he not provoke them? Did they really think he had wasted all those years of cultivation?

His figure flickered, and he summoned an artifact to protect himself, immediately engaging the two women in battle.

Outside Three Realms Island, countless spectating cultivators watched in stunned silence.

Indeed, the Myriad Manifestations Sea had seen much excitement in recent years, especially concerning Three Realms Island. Whether it was the conquest of Baiyue or the decisive defeat of Zi Xuan, the battles had been exceptionally fierce and thrilling to watch.

Yet, cultivators had never imagined there could be an even more exciting spectacle.

Yuan Du and Demon Venerable Black Cloud had arrived together, and it was assumed that Three Realms Island would be powerless to resist, left only to be slaughtered. However, now the Azure Devil King Ma Bin had burst out, fighting Demon Venerable Black Cloud to a standstill, and two newly ascended Sunseekers had intercepted Guardian Yuan Du, engaging him in fierce battle.

Wasn’t it said that on the Myriad Manifestations Sea, no Sunseeker, other than the designated Guardian, could remain for long?

Three Sunseekers had suddenly appeared on Three Realms Island in such a short time. This was simply outrageous, and what’s more, Guardian Yuan Du seemed to have been completely unaware of it beforehand.

The Moonfall cultivators who had been summoned by Yuan Du and followed him here all had solemn expressions.

They secretly felt fortunate that Demon Venerable Black Cloud had come along. Otherwise, if Yuan Du had led them to attack Three Realms Island alone, they might have been utterly wiped out by now.

In the crowd, Zhao Yunqi from Giant Blade Island trembled all over. He felt this was no place to stay for long. Taking advantage of Yuan Du being preoccupied, he quietly left the crowd and quickly fled.

Even if Yuan Du held him accountable later, he couldn’t care less.

On the cliff edge, Lu Ye watched calmly.

The situation had developed to a point where it had deviated from his initial plan. After today, Three Realms Island would likely find it difficult to maintain its standing in the Myriad Manifestations Sea. Apart from anything else, simply harboring Ma Bin was something the Myriad Manifestations Star System would absolutely not tolerate.

However, it wasn’t a huge problem. Three Realms Island had profited significantly here over the years, and the cultivation of its cultivators would not be an issue in the short term.

Furthermore, he had always had a slight concern: he would soon ascend to Sunseeker cultivation.

At that point, he certainly wouldn’t be able to remain on Three Realms Island.

The prestige of Three Realms Island largely stemmed from his reputation. If he didn’t personally oversee Three Realms Island, it would be difficult for the cultivators of Three Realms to defend such a desirable prize with their current foundation.

Taking this opportunity to withdraw gracefully might not be a bad option.

With this thought, Lu Ye’s mood lightened considerably.

At this very moment, beneath the Myriad Manifestations Sea, in the merfolk territory, a sealed amber suddenly began to crackle.

Inside the amber, Hua Ci’s eyes, closed for many years, slowly opened. A faint golden light flashed within them, and upon closer inspection, the golden light took the shape of an ancient coin.

A slight curve appeared at the corner of her lips as she softly murmured, “My unfaithful man is in trouble.”

For all these years, she seemed to be in slumber, but in reality, she hadn’t lost her perception of the outside world. Thus, she was aware of everything that had transpired around her.

It was just that after her pet swallowed that strange ancient coin, some unusual changes occurred, putting even her, its master, into a peculiar state.

In this state, and placed in a suitable environment by Lu Ye, both her and her pet’s cultivation speed had become incredibly terrifying.

If this state weren’t interrupted, it would have continued indefinitely.

But today, the Celestial Conch Palace had become too lively, not only disturbing Ma Bin, who was recuperating, but also stirring Hua Ci, who had been in a sealed state.

She had originally planned to unseal herself after ascending to Sunseeker cultivation, but since Lu Ye was in trouble, she had no choice but to unseal herself prematurely.

While she was sealed, Lu Ye often came to visit her, rambling on about various things beside her. She had heard many things that made her angry!

The unfaithful man thought she had no perception and spilled many secrets, unaware that she could hear him, silently committing them to memory...

Crackle, crackle...

The amber shattered, and Hua Ci stepped out. Her entire demeanor had undergone a tremendous change compared to before; her beauty was even more striking, and even her black hair subtly shimmered with strange golden light.

“Gu...” A strange sound emerged.

Hua Ci looked down at the golden toad she held in her arms. This creature, which used to be bumpy and unsightly, had also been reborn alongside its master.

It possessed Pixiu bloodline. Now, it was no longer its former ugly self; its entire body glowed golden, and its skin bore impressions resembling ancient golden coins, making it appear noble and extraordinary.

“Right? You also think he deserves a good scolding!” Hua Ci nodded slightly.

“Croak...”

A moment later, at the entrance of the Celestial Conch Palace, Shui Yuan looked at the suddenly appearing Hua Ci with joyful surprise: “Junior Sister, you’re awake?”

On the entire Three Realms Island, Shui Yuan had the deepest bond with Hua Ci. Both women hailed from the Jade Blood Sect, were senior and junior sisters, and both were medical cultivators. It could be said that Shui Yuan was not only Hua Ci’s senior sister but also her teacher, having taught her many things.

In response to Shui Yuan’s question, Hua Ci merely glanced at her, silently blinked, and then expressionlessly walked towards the portal that was about to disappear.

Shui Yuan couldn’t help but be stunned. For some reason, the look in Hua Ci’s eyes felt incredibly unfamiliar to her.