Chapter 1984: Saintess

Luan Xiao'e knew Yaya was a Sun-Shedding cultivator, but she had no idea Yaya's power would be so immense after her recovery.

Onlookers couldn't clearly see the recent battle, but Luan Xiao'e and Yan Miao, who were in the thick of it, certainly could.

The power Yaya unleashed in that instant was far beyond what newly ascended Sun-Shedding cultivators like Luan Xiao'e and Yan Miao could match. Even with Yuan Du already preoccupied by them, Luan Xiao'e estimated that in a one-on-one fight, Yuan Du wouldn't last ten breaths against Yaya; being struck into the sea would have been inevitable.

In the past, when Yaya often played around Three Realms Island, Luan Xiao'e frequently looked after her. Lu Ye was rarely on the island, and Shui Yuan was always busy in the alchemy chamber, so Yaya often lacked close supervision. It was Luan Xiao'e, the former Grand Island Master, who spent a considerable amount of time with her.

Luan Xiao'e had always been fond of the little girl, even imagining that if she ever found a soulmate, she might have a child just like Yaya.

Before, Yaya had been quite close to her.

But at this moment, Luan Xiao'e sensed a dangerous aura emanating from Yaya, which caused her expression to falter.

Yaya then turned her head towards Lu Ye's position. Their eyes met, and she let out a cold snort. Her divine sense surged, sending a message: "Live well. Don't you dare die before I catch you!"

With that, she swiftly darted away, appearing to be in a great hurry.

Lu Ye frowned.

In just a dozen breaths, Yaya had transformed completely. Before her sealed power was released, she had specifically run over to hug him, clearly reluctant to leave. Yet, after the release, Lu Ye perceived a fierce glint in her eyes, a look of indignant shame recalling an unbearable past!

Then he recalled Yaya's earlier words...

Did she truly intend to catch him and beat him to death?

He sighed deeply. His long-held worries had come true. As a Sun-Shedding cultivator, Yaya indeed cared deeply about her past experiences. When she was a child, influenced by her sealed state, her nature was innocent and pure.

But after her recovery, everything was different. It made sense; no Sun-Shedding cultivator would easily accept what Yaya had gone through. It was a blemish on her life, and if it was a blemish, it naturally had to be erased!

However, on second thought, if Yaya truly cared so much about this blemish, she shouldn't have gone after Yuan Du after unsealing her power; she should have come for him first. Yet, she still dealt with Yuan Du...

From this perspective, Yaya was perhaps tough on the outside but soft on the inside, or conflicted.

Yet, one thing puzzled Lu Ye: why had Yaya fled so quickly? Her movements suggested she was trying to avoid something.

Just as he was pondering this, an extremely intense energy fluctuation suddenly erupted in the air nearby. Bright patterns emerged, rapidly expanding and intertwining to form an intricate and profound diagram.

Lu Ye frowned and gazed intently, immediately recognizing traces of Void Spirit Runes within the complex diagram.

This was...

A teleportation array constructed using Void Spirit Runes as its foundation? It was very different from the teleportation arrays he himself set up, yet Lu Ye could sense its remarkable sophistication.

Who had set this up?

And whether by coincidence or not, the array appeared precisely where Yaya had manifested her original form after unsealing her power, with remnants of her aura still lingering there!

The array's appearance was abrupt, massive, and conspicuous. Lu Ye saw it, and so did everyone else, who were momentarily astonished, assuming it was a tactic employed by Three Realms Island.

The next instant, a fleshless skeletal hand suddenly extended from the array. Though merely a hand, it exuded an immense aura that distorted space itself. Luan Xiao'e and Yan Miao, near the array, changed expressions and swiftly dodged away.

The skeletal hand twisted and writhed, causing the array to ripple intensely. Behind the hand, a figure was vaguely discernible, about to step through the array.

"Roar!" A furious roar echoed, and the array suddenly expanded. Amidst the distorted void, a colossal figure materialized above the Myriad Manifestations Ocean.

It was a skeletal frame devoid of any flesh, with two dark flames burning in its eye sockets. Its intense aura clearly belonged to the Sun-Shedding level, and it was no ordinary Sun-Shedding cultivator.

This was a Bone Race expert.

Another Sun-Shedding cultivator!

The expressions of the onlookers were blank. Sun-Shedding cultivators were rarely seen, yet today, for some reason, they were appearing one after another as if there were no cost to it.

Was this another hidden Sun-Shedding cultivator from Three Realms Island? Many wondered.

Just then, another figure emerged from the array, right after the Bone Race Sun-Shedding cultivator. This one was not Bone Race; it appeared to be a Demon Race member, with two dark, curved ram horns on its head and clad in a black robe.

Another Sun-Shedding cultivator! Moreover, the auras of both the Bone Race and this Demon Race individual were no less potent than those of Ma Bin and Hei Yun, who were currently clashing nearby. This undoubtedly meant they were experts on Hei Yun's level.

The Demon Race member, upon appearing, immediately grumbled, "Super long-distance teleportation is truly an unpleasant experience!"

There were numerous scars on his face and exposed skin, clearly a result of the forceful teleportation, but his powerful strength caused these wounds to vanish without a trace in the blink of an eye.

Sweeping his divine sense around, the Demon Race member raised an eyebrow. "This is... the Myriad Manifestations Ocean?" He glanced around again, nodding slightly. "Quite lively, isn't it?"

Then, as if no one else were present, he smiled at his surroundings. "Don't be nervous. We're just passing through. Please, carry on."

After speaking, he casually reached out to the side, as if grasping something, and brought it to his nose, sniffing lightly. "Let's see," he murmured, "which way did our Saintess flee!"

He closed and opened his eyes, immediately looking in the direction Yaya had fled. "This way!"

"Roar!" The Bone Race Sun-Shedding cultivator let out a furious roar, transforming into a streak of light and darting forward. The Demon Race Sun-Shedding cultivator followed closely, and both figures instantly vanished.

Watching this scene silently, Lu Ye's expression shifted.

He finally understood why Yaya had departed so hastily.

She was clearly evading these two suddenly appearing Sun-Shedding cultivators.

"Saintess?" Lu Ye recalled the Demon Race member's words, and a question arose in his mind. What kind of power did Yaya truly come from? If she was the Saintess of this power, why was she evading her own Sun-Shedding cultivators?

The only thing Lu Ye could deduce was that this power must be incredibly strong, as such ultra-long-distance teleportation was not something just anyone could perform; it surely required the full backing of an entire faction.

As for why this teleportation array appeared here... Lu Ye vaguely guessed it was related to Yaya's unsealing.

Before she unsealed her power, this formidable faction couldn't detect her presence at all. But today, after being forced to unseal, her whereabouts were exposed, so they quickly constructed the ultra-long-distance teleportation array using the remnants of her aura as a source.

If Yaya hadn't fled quickly, she would surely have encountered these two enigmatic Sun-Shedding cultivators, and her fate would have been uncertain.

Seen this way, Yaya could have recovered her strength much earlier, but she chose not to, instead living on Three Realms Island in the form of a child because it allowed her to remain better hidden.

Only today, sensing danger to Lu Ye, did she unseal her power and lend him a hand.

But that was all she could do; after dealing with Yuan Du, she immediately fled!

With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Lu Ye knew it was time to retreat.

The situation in Myriad Manifestations Ocean was now chaotic. The ultra-long-distance teleportation array still existed, and who knew if more powerful cultivators would arrive? This was a place of trouble, and he couldn't stay long.

He didn't need to worry too much about Luan Xiao'e and Yan Miao. Yan Miao possessed a golden conch shell that could partially shield them from the waters of the Myriad Manifestations Ocean. Lu Ye and Yan Miao had once swum all the way out of the Myriad Manifestations Ocean from the mermaid territory, and it was thanks to the conch's shielding that they succeeded. Thus, she could take Luan Xiao'e and escape by jumping into the sea.

That left only Ma Bin. This was not difficult; Hei Yun was evenly matched with him, and if Ma Bin insisted on jumping into the sea, Hei Yun wouldn't be able to stop him.

Once underwater, he could meet Ma Bin and then rendezvous with Yan Miao. Together, they could return to the mermaid territory from beneath the waves. As for Ma Bin being eroded by the Myriad Manifestations Ocean's waters as a result, Lu Ye could help resolve that.

Just as Lu Ye was making these plans, another unexpected change occurred.

With a splashing sound, a figure leaped out of the Myriad Manifestations Ocean below: it was Yuan Du, who had been struck down into the water earlier.

At this moment, he was enveloped in black mist, as if poisoned. His formerly clear spiritual power had become turbid and chaotic, and his aura had significantly dwindled...

His eyes filled with venomous resentment, he ignored everyone else upon reappearing and furiously charged towards Lu Ye's location.

He utterly hated Lu Ye...

His plans had been going so well, but now he was constrained at every turn. Moreover, when he was struck into the Myriad Manifestations Ocean earlier, although his powerful cultivation saved his life, he had been corroded by its waters in that short time. Such a degree of corrosion was something he could never reverse in his lifetime.

In other words, from now on, he not only had no room for advancement but might not even retain his current cultivation level. As time passed, he might even fall from the Sun-Shedding realm.

Therefore, he now had only one thought: to kill Lu Ye and vent his hatred!

If not for Lu Ye, he would not have been humiliated in the first place. If not for Lu Ye, he would not have continuously targeted Three Realms Island, and thus would not have suffered his current predicament. Therefore, all of this was Lu Ye's fault!

As Yuan Du charged, Lu Ye remained motionless, simply watching him with an impassive expression.

Compared to before, Yuan Du's Sun-Shedding spiritual power was horribly polluted, and the might of his attacks was less than a third of what it once was. Lu Ye even had a feeling that he could barely handle Yuan Du in this state.

However, there was no need for him to act personally. Luan Xiao'e and Yan Miao had already advanced together. With their surging spiritual power, Yuan Du immediately spewed blood and was struck down to a certain spot on Three Realms Island, barely clinging to life.

He lay on the ground in disarray, a large indentation in his chest and another on his head. Had it not been for the powerful life force of a Sun-Shedding cultivator, such injuries would have surely been fatal.