Chapter 1992: All Out

A short while later, the sea of blood receded. On Five-Color Island, the surviving cultivators exchanged glances, their hearts still pounding with fear.

Lu Ye had already flown towards Myriad Manifestations Island.

He didn’t go to Quadrant Island because Luan Xiao’e had just sent a message reporting that Quadrant Island was safe, untouched by the recent upheaval. While many from the Boundless Palace had come, they primarily targeted top-tier spirit islands across the vast Myriad Manifestations Sea. Although some high-grade islands also suffered, most remained unharmed. Lu Ye instructed Luan Xiao’e and Yan Miao to stay on Quadrant Island and maintain vigilance against any unforeseen circumstances. Both women were ultimately less powerful and had already sustained injuries, so they were no longer needed for combat.

By the time Lu Ye arrived, Myriad Manifestations Island was already in dire straits. Its protective array had been breached, and numerous Boundless Palace cultivators had stormed the island, acting with impunity. Myriad Manifestations Sea was renowned, and the Boundless Palace had long heard of it, making Myriad Manifestations Island their primary target after their invasion. Other top-tier spirit islands were secondary objectives. For them, plundering Myriad Manifestations Island alone would constitute a successful invasion, given its immense accumulated wealth.

The protective array of Myriad Manifestations Island, with its long history, was arguably the strongest on the entire Myriad Manifestations Sea. Nevertheless, it could not withstand the assault of the Boundless Palace cultivators, especially since several Sun Glimmer cultivators were involved in the attack. The exceptionally rich Myriad Manifestations Commerce Guild was immediately plundered, and its various shops did not escape either. Any who resisted were mercilessly slain.

After breaking free from his struggle with Ma Bin, Mo Wenli rushed back to Myriad Manifestations Island to organize its defenses. Unfortunately, he was fighting a losing battle, forced to watch helplessly as the island’s defenses crumbled. At a crucial moment, if Mu Qing had not arrived to assist him, he might not have survived. After Mu Qing hastily rescued Mo Wenli, the two made an immediate decision to escape. With their departure, Myriad Manifestations Island fell completely into the hands of the Boundless Palace, with no resistance left.

At this moment, on Myriad Manifestations Island, Shang Chengyue, the Third Palace Lord of the Boundless Palace, and Jue Ren, the Fourth Palace Lord, stood side by side.

Shang Chengyue, a member of the Feather clan, had a pair of snow-white wings spread behind him. His figure was tall and slender, his face handsome, and his noble demeanor, combined with his unique appearance, made him seem like a divine being. Jue Ren appeared to be from the Shadow clan, his entire being a shifting shadow that obscured his true form. Even this shadow constantly twisted and changed shape. No one knew if Jue Ren was male or female; even the name Jue Ren was not real, merely a codename.

“Tian Yan, Ma Zhuo, and Kui Shan have all perished,” Shang Chengyue suddenly stated.

“How can that be?” Jue Ren asked, startled, his voice fluctuating unpleasantly. As he spoke, he quickly retrieved his communication talisman and confirmed that the three Sun Glimmer cultivators Shang Chengyue mentioned were indeed unreachable, their talisman imprints having dissipated. This undeniably indicated their deaths. Jue Ren was perplexed: “The Myriad Manifestations Sea itself is in turmoil, with Sun Glimmer cultivators either dead or injured, completely incapacitated. Who could have killed Tian Yan and the others?” He then suddenly recalled someone: “The Azure Devil King, Ma Bin?” Only a powerful cultivator like the Azure Devil King, Ma Bin, could slay Sun Glimmer cultivators so swiftly. The reason they dared to invade Myriad Manifestations Sea so recklessly was because they had detected the chaos through a portal, perceiving an opportunity. If Myriad Manifestations Sea hadn't experienced these events today, they truly wouldn't have acted.

Shang Chengyue shook his head. “It wasn't Ma Bin; he left chasing a demon earlier.”

“If not Ma Bin, then who could it be?”

Shang Chengyue looked up towards the distance. “It seems we all underestimated the underlying strength of the Myriad Manifestations Star System. Their reaction is also quite swift.” Jue Ren followed his gaze, sensing something, and nodded slightly. “We need to speed up as well.” Despite the loss of three Sun Glimmer cultivators, their overall invading force was still strong enough to not fear the Myriad Manifestations Star System. However, this incident had escalated significantly. If they delayed further, more than just the Myriad Manifestations Star System's Sun Glimmers might arrive; other star systems connected by wormholes might also send their own Sun Glimmers. At that point, even if they still had seven or eight Sun Glimmer cultivators, they would be outnumbered. The main objective of this invasion of Myriad Manifestations Sea was to plunder resources. Once that goal was achieved, their mission would be complete.

“Send out the call to gather,” Shang Chengyue ordered. “It’s time to leave.” This was much sooner than anticipated. He had originally thought they would have at least half a day more to plunder, but now they couldn’t wait that long. Fortunately, Myriad Manifestations Island had been secured.

Jue Ren's figure flickered and instantly vanished. The next moment, a series of messages were sent out, and Boundless Palace cultivators, who had been causing havoc on various top-tier spirit islands, swiftly converged towards Myriad Manifestations Island.

As Lu Ye flew towards Myriad Manifestations Island, he suddenly felt something and turned his head to look in a certain direction. His eyebrows lifted the next instant: “Not bad.” In that direction, he sensed the auras of several Sun Glimmer cultivators rapidly approaching Myriad Manifestations Sea. Coming from that direction, they were likely native Sun Glimmer cultivators from the Myriad Manifestations Star System. They had clearly learned of the situation and were rushing to provide assistance. Having been in Myriad Manifestations Sea for so many years, Lu Ye had a general understanding of the native star system's strength. In earlier years, the Myriad Manifestations Star System publicly claimed to have eleven Sun Glimmer cultivators, a considerable number, especially when compared to the combined total of the Quadrant Star System. However, after Ma Bin killed one, only ten remained. Five of them were stationed in Myriad Manifestations Sea, while the other five remained in their respective domains, Jiu Yan being one of them, along with four others. The four Sun Glimmer auras Lu Ye sensed at this moment undoubtedly meant that today's events in Myriad Manifestations Sea had drawn out all the remaining native Sun Glimmer cultivators. Of course, Lu Ye didn't know if there were more hidden Sun Glimmer cultivators in the native star system; this was, after all, a secret of Myriad Manifestations, not something an outsider like him could know. Four additional Sun Glimmers, plus the surviving Mo Wenli and Mu Qing, made a force of six, which was quite substantial.

Lu Ye's thoughts shifted, and he slowed down. He had originally intended to go directly to Myriad Manifestations Island, but now that the native Myriad Manifestations Sun Glimmers were mobilizing, it was better to let them engage the Boundless Palace first. He could then act as opportunity arose. Having made up his mind, his expression became more leisurely. He turned to look at Hua Ci beside him. Noticing his gaze, Hua Ci's beautiful eyes turned towards him. "What's wrong?"

Lu Ye felt a headache coming on. “Stop playing around.” Meeting Hua Ci again this time, she was like a completely different person, even claiming not to know him. During their half-day together, Lu Ye could feel her immense sense of unfamiliarity towards him. But Lu Ye had a strong feeling this wasn't real; Hua Ci was just teasing him, as she always did. Hearing him say that, Hua Ci paused for a moment before speaking, "What was I like before? What was our relationship? Why do I not feel much aversion to your touch, and why do you feel so strongly familiar to me?"

Lu Ye thought for a moment and said, "You used to be... very gentle, very compliant, you listened to my every word. Whatever I said, that's what it was; whatever I told you to do, you did it." Hua Ci blinked, looking at him with some confusion. "Is that really true?"

“Absolutely true!” Lu Ye said with a serious expression. "As for our relationship... what kind of relationship do you think we have?"

“I don’t know, probably very close?”

“Of course, very close!” Lu Ye nodded heavily. “I am your only indispensable kin in this world. Even if heaven and earth perish, and the cosmos turns upside down, it won't separate us!”

Hua Ci lowered her head, deep in thought, then suddenly realized, "I understand now, you're my little brother!" Lu Ye squinted at her, his eye twitching, instantly losing the desire to brainwash her. “Play however you want.”

He composed himself and looked up towards Myriad Manifestations Island. It was still a bit far, so he couldn't see the situation clearly, but his senses told him that the Sun Glimmer auras there were chaotic, with at least ten gathered! It seemed the native Sun Glimmer cultivators of the Myriad Manifestations Star System had already confronted the people from the Boundless Palace. This was likely to be an intense clash. The Myriad Manifestations Star System's Sun Glimmer cultivators had maintained their position in Myriad Manifestations Sea for so many years and had never suffered such a great loss. Facing the Boundless Palace invasion, they naturally could not tolerate it. So, no matter what, they had to take action, otherwise, where would their authority be in the future? And for the Boundless Palace, since they had already invaded, they would not fear the Myriad Manifestations Star System.

Lu Ye was only curious about one thing: the Boundless Palace people had come through that portal before, so how would they retreat? They couldn't possibly use the wormhole; if they did, a large number of Sun Glimmer cultivators would surely pursue them. He concealed his aura, and further activated spirit patterns to mask his and Hua Ci's presence, silently approaching Myriad Manifestations Sea. Even before they arrived, conflicts had already erupted there, appearing incredibly fierce. However, this confrontation did not last long, quickly subsiding. He was unsure of the situation.

A moment later, Lu Ye finally arrived at a reef island near Myriad Manifestations Island. Scattered across the island were many cultivators, many looking dishevelled. Lu Ye and Hua Ci found a spot to land. His gaze swept around, and he surprisingly spotted Mang Dang. Mang Dang was clearly injured, surrounded by numerous cultivators, many of whom were from the Stone clan—they were likely the personnel he had brought from Five-Color Island. Lu Ye quickly stepped forward, and after greeting Mang Dang, he learned of his experience. Mang Dang had previously called upon the cultivators of Five-Color Island to accompany him to Myriad Manifestations Island for refuge, but before they even reached their destination, they heard that Myriad Manifestations Island was under heavy assault and its protective array was on the verge of collapse. Now, there was no need to seek refuge on Myriad Manifestations Island; it was far from safe. Unable to go to Myriad Manifestations Island, Mang Dang didn't know where else to go. Along the way, they encountered another group of Boundless Palace cultivators and fought a battle. Fortunately, there were no significant casualties.