Chapter 1994: People Can Leave, But Things Stay

The current situation is dire; countless Spirit Islands have been devastated by the invasion of the Boundless Palace, and innumerable cultivators have met tragic ends. All this responsibility falls upon the Myriad Manifestations Star System. Therefore, no matter how many enemies below the Sun-Exposed realm are killed, it will not appease the public's wrath. Only by slaying the enemy's Sun-Exposed cultivators can our star system regain its honor!

That's why Yuan Se immediately employed the Fire Gourd, aiming for a swift victory. A continuous rumbling sound echoed. In that short time, Shangchen Yue had been unable to evade the fire serpent's pursuit, constantly activating the power of various magic treasures. However, regardless of their quality, any treasure touched by the small fire serpent quickly melted and shattered.

The cultivators watching from all sides only then truly understood the terror of this world-suppressing treasure. Some, filled with righteous indignation, shouted loudly, cheering Yuan Se on. The scene became incredibly heated.

The small fire serpent was not only terrifyingly destructive; it also left behind dark marks in its wake, as if space itself had been scorched. An extremely dangerous aura emanated from those marks. Shangchen Yue clearly noticed this and had been strenuously avoiding contact with those marks. But by doing so, it played right into Yuan Se's hands. He controlled the small fire serpent, continuously blocking Shangchen Yue's movements and making the space he could maneuver in smaller and smaller. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before Shangchen Yue had no room left to evade, and then, if touched by the small fire serpent, he would surely die or be severely injured.

"Something's wrong!" Zhou Ye, Mu Qing's cultivation partner, suddenly spoke with a grave tone from behind Yuan Se.

Mu Qing, who had also been watching the battlefield with excitement, was startled by her partner's words. "What is it?" she asked.

"Look at them... do they show any concern at all?" As he spoke, Zhou Ye gestured towards the other Sun-Exposed cultivators of the Boundless Palace.

Mu Qing quickly turned to look and indeed saw that those Sun-Exposed cultivators all wore expressions of watching a good show, showing no concern whatsoever that Shangchen Yue was gradually falling into a predicament. This situation either meant they didn't care about Shangchen Yue's life or death, or it meant...

"'The Fire Gourd is truly formidable. This extraordinary fire, cultivated for many years, indeed cannot be resisted by ordinary means. I am no match for it!' Shangchen Yue's voice suddenly echoed."

Yuan Se frowned, vaguely realizing something was wrong. But at this moment, he couldn't afford to be distracted in the slightest. With another surge of his divine sense, the small fire serpent instantly straightened its body and shot towards Shangchen Yue, who had nowhere left to evade.

Yet even at this critical moment of life and death, Shangchen Yue showed no fear. He simply reached out and grabbed something in the void, and in his hand appeared a long sword. Lu Ye saw clearly that it wasn't a long sword at all, but merely a streak of sword light...

But the instant this sword light appeared, he suddenly felt a chilling sensation, as if immense danger was upon him. Moreover, the feeling this sword light gave him... was somewhat familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before.

"'Sword Qi of the Heavenly Pivot Sword!' A cry of alarm came from Yuan Se's side."

"'Good eyesight!' Shangchen Yue laughed loudly. 'Since I knew your Myriad Manifestations Star System possessed an affiliated treasure, how could I come here without any preparation? If you want to kill me, then you'll die with me!'"

As he spoke, his expression turned fierce, and the sword qi in his hand surged towards Yuan Se. In an instant, the sword qi split into two, then into four, then eight... An overwhelming rain of swords enveloped Yuan Se and the others. All six Sun-Exposed cultivators of the Myriad Manifestations Star System, without exception, had their expressions change drastically, and their spiritual power surged simultaneously.

Yet even so, the six felt no sense of security. The Heavenly Pivot Sword was a supreme treasure, and the sword qi it produced could also be considered the power of an affiliated treasure, no less formidable than the extraordinary fire cultivated for many years in the Fire Gourd! This sudden turn of events clearly portended a mutually destructive outcome. While Shangchen Yue certainly could not withstand the power of the extraordinary fire and would surely die, the six great Sun-Exposed cultivators of Myriad Manifestations Sea would likely also be obliterated on the spot by the power of the Heavenly Pivot Sword Qi.

Yuan Se, in the end, dared not perish with the enemy. Shangchen Yue was crazy, but he couldn't follow suit. Moreover, trading six for one was an unfavorable deal no matter how he looked at it. So he didn't hesitate at all and instantly recalled the extraordinary fire. The small fire serpent suddenly spread out, enveloping the area where the six were.

The boundless rain of swords struck. The fire light shattered and surged back into the Fire Gourd in Yuan Se's hand. The figures of the six reappeared, each with a look of apprehension. Yuan Se, in particular, was extremely pale, with blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, clearly having sustained some injuries.

"'Oh?' Shangchen Yue raised an eyebrow, a sneer playing on his lips, looking at Yuan Se contemptuously. 'So I'm still alive. Thank you, fellow daoist, for showing mercy!'"

Yuan Se's lips trembled, but he couldn't utter a single word. He had truly experienced Shangchen Yue's madness.

"'It seems I won?' Shangchen Yue spoke again."

Yuan Se remained silent but had to admit that Shangchen Yue had won the recent wager. Because the extraordinary fire had been repelled and its spiritual essence damaged, he would find it difficult to activate it again in a short time. And without the Fire Gourd, with only a few of them, they couldn't stop the enemy unless they were determined to fight to the death.

"'Aren't you going to thank the fellow daoists of the Myriad Manifestations Star System for their hospitality? We're leaving now, and they've even come to see us off. How truly polite!' Shangchen Yue turned and instructed the cultivators of the Boundless Palace."

On Myriad Manifestations Island, a burst of laughter erupted, with some even shouting about Myriad Manifestations' hospitality and saying they'd return next time. Yuan Se was already mentally shaken, and with this provocation, he immediately spat out a mouthful of blood. The others also had grim expressions. But in the current situation, they were truly powerless. Yuan Se had been defeated, their own number of Sun-Exposed cultivators was less than the enemy's, and if conflict resumed, their star system would only suffer more losses.

"'If Jiu Yan were here...' Mu Qing clenched her fists, her face filled with humiliation."

If Jiu Yan were here, with her strength and the power of the treasure in her hand, how could Shangchen Yue be so arrogant? Unfortunately, just recently, Jiu Yan had left the Myriad Manifestations Star System and gone elsewhere. She hadn't paid much attention to this matter originally, but as Yuan Du later allied with Black Cloud to besiege Three Realms Island, she then understood that Jiu Yan's departure was no coincidence; she had been lured away by Yuan Du! With her heart full of powerlessness and pent-up frustration, Mu Qing's eyes reddened.

"'Third Palace Master, the formation has been set up properly and can be activated at any time. Please give your command!' A Moon Glimmer cultivator flew out from Myriad Manifestations Island and reported to Shangchen Yue from a distance, cupping their hands."

Shangchen Yue grinned. "'Then... let's head home!' He then turned to Yuan Se and the others. 'Fellow daoists, there's no need to see us off!'"

On Myriad Manifestations Island, countless Boundless Palace cultivators roared with laughter. The formation began to hum, and the portal was about to open, but Yuan Se and the others could only watch, filled with helplessness.

Just then, Shangchen Yue suddenly turned his head and looked in one direction. From that direction, a figure leisurely approached. He didn't seem old, appearing to be only in his twenties. A long saber hung at his waist. What was notable was that he was holding a gleaming golden toad in his arms. Shangchen Yue swept his divine sense over the newcomer and found that the person was likely a newly advanced military cultivator in the Sun-Exposed realm, as their aura had not yet fully stabilized. He immediately retracted his gaze, not paying much attention.

But who would have thought that this newly advanced Sun-Exposed cultivator, whom he completely disregarded, would now utter arrogant words: "'You can leave, but leave the items behind!'"

Shangchen Yue paused, startled, then looked at the newcomer again, a look of confusion on his face. He then turned to Yuan Se. "'Fellow daoist, you should manage your juniors properly. It wouldn't be good to cause any misunderstandings.'"

He clearly thought this newly advanced Sun-Exposed cultivator was from the Myriad Manifestations Star System. Throughout history, there have been many 'newborn calves unafraid of tigers,' but they generally don't live very long. Now that the conflict over Myriad Manifestations Sea had settled, he didn't want any more complications. A peaceful withdrawal would be best.

Yuan Se glanced at Lu Ye, frowning. He hadn't actually expected there to be another Sun-Exposed cultivator present in Myriad Manifestations Sea at this moment. Then he slowly shook his head. "'This is not a Sun-Exposed cultivator from our star system!'"

"'Oh?' Shangchen Yue raised an eyebrow. 'If he's not one of yours, then killing him shouldn't be an issue, right?'"

Yuan Se remained silent. He completely failed to notice Mu Qing's excited expression behind him. She hadn't expected that at such a critical moment, Lu Ye of Three Realms Island would suddenly appear. A newly advanced Sun-Exposed cultivator was indeed not worth much attention, but the beast companion in his arms was extraordinary. Mu Qing had previously witnessed with her own eyes how Lu Ye had slain two powerful Sun-Exposed cultivators of the Boundless Palace. Those two Sun-Exposed cultivators were quite strong, but once struck by that strange golden light, they were instantly immobilized, becoming fish on a chopping board. If it was him... Mu Qing's expectations suddenly rose. In the current situation, the star system's predicament couldn't get any worse, so any variable would not be a bad thing for it.

"'What's wrong?' Zhou Ye held her hand, feeling her shift in mood, and couldn't help but ask."

"'There's a good show to watch,' Mu Qing secretly transmitted."

Zhou Ye was puzzled. Among those present, except for her, no one else knew about the strange ability of the beast companion in Lu Ye's arms. Even Mo Wenli was unaware; previously, he had joined forces with Black Cloud to besiege Ma Bin, and his entire focus had been on Ma Bin, so he hadn't noticed anything else.

"'Ying, kill him!' Shangchen Yue ordered indifferently. He didn't need to personally intervene against a newly advanced Sun-Exposed cultivator. Moreover, controlling the Heavenly Pivot Sword Qi with his flesh and blood body, he appeared unharmed, but in reality, his consumption was immense, and his soul was in severe pain at that moment."

A petite woman suddenly stepped out from the ranks and headed straight towards Lu Ye. She was presumably the woman called Ying. Her aura was much more stable and potent than Lu Ye's, conservatively estimated to be that of a mid-stage Sun-Exposed cultivator. In terms of strength, she was quite similar to the impression Yuan Du had given Lu Ye at the time.

No one paid much attention to this battle. All Sun-Exposed cultivators believed that Ying had no possibility of failure. She herself thought the same. Her small figure wielded a huge long spear and attacked Lu Ye without a word. Lu Ye seemed oblivious, showing no sign of activating his spiritual power or defending himself. Only when Ying lunged to within close proximity did a golden light suddenly flash from his arms.