Chapter 1997: Robbers Get Robbed (Happy New Year)

The portal to Wuxiang Palace on Wanxiang Island had opened, and a large number of Wuxiang Palace cultivators gathered around it, yet no one dared to make any move. More than a dozen Sun-Rank strong cultivators from three factions confronted each other from a distance near Wanxiang Island.

Shangcheng Yue's face was grim as he realized one crucial thing: this invasion of Wanxiang Sea by Wuxiang Palace had been a complete failure. Their plan had been meticulously laid out, and its execution had been incredibly smooth. However, no one had anticipated that Lu Ye would emerge just as they were about to withdraw.

Shangcheng Yue glanced at Lu Ye, his eyes deep, as if to imprint his appearance in his memory, then turned to Ma Bin. "Fellow Daoist Ma, what is the relationship between you and this Fellow Daoist Lu?"

Ma Bin replied coolly, "Lu Ye saved my life. What do you intend to do?"

Shangcheng Yue sighed softly. "In that case, my Wuxiang Palace will grant Fellow Daoist Ma this favor!" With that, he lightly commanded, "Leave everything behind!"

Given the situation, Wuxiang Palace had no chance of turning the tables. Since they had to admit defeat, doing so to the renowned Azure Devil King Ma Bin was not humiliating. This was, in fact, a pretext Shangcheng Yue found for himself. Everyone understood, but no one exposed it.

At his command, though many Wuxiang Palace cultivators on Wanxiang Island looked reluctant, they still dropped the spatial rings filled with plundered resources onto the ground. In an instant, that area gained thousands of spatial rings, drawing countless gazes.

Only then did Shangcheng Yue look at Lu Ye. "Are you satisfied now?"

Lu Ye gazed at him. "All spatial rings must be left behind before you can go. If anyone dares to hide anything, don't blame me for being merciless!" As he spoke, he fixed his gaze on Shangcheng Yue's right hand.

Shangcheng Yue was startled, instinctively touching the spatial ring on his right hand. "This is mine..."

"That must be left too!"

Shangcheng Yue was so enraged he laughed. This was truly unprecedented; the plunderer was being plundered. Yet, he couldn't afford to completely fall out, as not only Lu Ye and Ma Bin were watching them, but also the six Sun-Rank cultivators of Wanxiang Sea were eyeing them like tigers. He was certain that Yuan Se and the others were eager for them to clash with Lu Ye and Ma Bin again, which would allow them to exert joint pressure, leaving Wuxiang Palace with no escape.

Suppressing his anger, Shangcheng Yue nodded slightly. "Alright, as you wish!" With that, he took off his spatial ring and tossed it into the pile on Wanxiang Island.

"And them too!" Lu Ye raised his Pan Mountain Saber, pointing at the other Sun-Rank cultivators beside Shangcheng Yue.

Each of these Wuxiang Palace Sun-Ranks looked utterly humiliated, but since Shangcheng Yue had already surrendered his spatial ring, how could they resist? Helplessly, they one by one removed their spatial rings and threw them down.

Countless cultivators watching from afar felt an immense sense of satisfaction, as if a great weight had been lifted. Regardless of their origin—which star system or realm—once they were in Wanxiang Sea, they were part of it, making a living there. The sudden invasion by Wuxiang Palace, treating them like livestock and slaughtering them at will, while Wanxiang Star System failed to protect them and was utterly powerless to resist. It was in this desperate situation that Lu Ye from Sanjie Island emerged, killing a Sun-Rank cultivator, intimidating all sides, and thoroughly quashing Wuxiang Palace's arrogance. Now, he not only forced these villains to abandon their stolen goods but also compelled them to surrender their own spatial rings. This was truly gratifying, and compared to the Wanxiang Star System's handling of this invasion, Lu Ye's actions were undoubtedly more popular.

"Can we leave now?" Shangcheng Yue asked, looking at Lu Ye.

Lu Ye's face remained cold and silent. From another direction, Yuan Se's gaze was fixed on him, a hint of expectation in his eyes, waiting only for Lu Ye's command to immediately lead the other Sun-Ranks to encircle and eliminate Wuxiang Palace. Now that the items had been returned, it was naturally time to annihilate them all.

However, to his regret, Lu Ye clearly had no such intention.

"Go back and inform your Wuxiang Palace Master: from now on, I call the shots in Wanxiang Sea. If you dare to disturb it again, I will kill as many as come. Now, get lost!"

Shangcheng Yue blinked at these words, then glanced at Yuan Se and the others nearby, before finally speaking, "Fellow Daoist, my Wuxiang Palace will remember this day's generosity!" As he spoke, his body drifted backward, reaching the portal in a few steps, and he commanded, "Go!"

Only then did the Wuxiang Palace cultivators, who had been waiting for a long time, hastily begin to retreat through the portal. The Star Host cultivators left first, followed by the Moon Disc cultivators, with Shangcheng Yue and a few Sun-Ranks bringing up the rear. He remained vigilant of Lu Ye and Ma Bin, but until the Sun-Ranks had successively entered the portal and disappeared, Lu Ye and Ma Bin made no move.

"I fell for it!" A thought flashed through Shangcheng Yue's mind. He could finally confirm one thing: the treasure that could emit golden light was indeed not without limitations. Lu Ye was no longer able to activate its power; otherwise, he wouldn't have let them leave so easily! With the strange power of that treasure, Lu Ye alone would have been enough to wipe them out. But confirming this now was meaningless. In other words, though he had suspicions before, this was something that could only be fully confirmed after their retreat, an unsolvable dilemma.

The portal slowly dissipated, clearly closed by Wuxiang Palace. This invasion war concluded with the retreat of the Wuxiang Palace cultivators.

However, before the cultivators watching from afar could cheer in triumph, another change occurred.

"Act!" With Yuan Se's command, four of Wanxiang Sea's six Sun-Rank cultivators attacked Ma Bin, while Yuan Se, along with Yan Guyi from the Tianyan Realm, assaulted Lu Ye from either side. No one knew why such a thing was happening, as just moments ago, the Wanxiang Star System had seemingly allied with Lu Ye to pressure Wuxiang Palace. But as soon as Wuxiang Palace retreated, they instantly turned hostile. This sudden change left everyone stunned, only able to marvel at how quickly Sun-Rank cultivators' intentions and allegiances could shift.

"I knew you wouldn't be content!" Lu Ye turned to Yuan Se, his expression incredibly stern, yet he showed no surprise at the actions of Wanxiang Sea's six Sun-Ranks, instead appearing to have expected it all along.

Yuan Se scoffed, "Wanxiang Sea is not for you to dictate!" An old fox like him, who had lived for countless years, was incredibly difficult to fathom, but undeniably, such veteran Sun-Ranks possessed extremely keen insight. Shangcheng Yue had confirmed at the last moment of retreat that Lu Ye could no longer activate the golden light from his treasure, and Yuan Se naturally also realized this. What they feared was nothing more than that strange golden light; as for Lu Ye, a newly promoted Sun-Rank… without that treasure, who would spare him a second glance?

There was also another fact: Ma Bin was an enemy of the Wanxiang Star System! Back then, he had forcibly entered Wanxiang Island and killed a Sun-Rank guardian. And today's deaths of Yuan Du, Gu Xi, and Chen Xuanba—Yuan Se had already confirmed their demise on his way here, initially thinking they had most likely fallen victim to Wuxiang Palace. But after witnessing Lu Ye's methods and hearing Mu Qing's report, Yuan Se immediately concluded that Yuan Du and the others were killed by Lu Ye! Mu Qing had witnessed Yuan Du being injured and Gu Xi and Chen Xuanba being immobilized by golden light, and at that time, Wuxiang Palace had not yet invaded.

Both Lu Ye and Ma Bin had deep animosity towards this star system. Previously, when facing Wuxiang Palace, the invader, Yuan Se could stand on the same side as them. But once Wuxiang Palace left, this fragile alliance instantly shattered. What truly solidified Yuan Se's decision was a single sentence from Lu Ye. He had said that he would call the shots in Wanxiang Sea from now on—this clearly meant he intended to seize control of Wanxiang Sea! And with his power today, riding on the tide of resolving the Wuxiang Palace invasion, if he were to step forward, he would likely gain more support than the Wanxiang Star System itself.

Wanxiang Sea had always belonged to the Wanxiang Star System. When did it become an outsider's place to dictate? If Lu Ye wasn't dealt with today, the local star system would completely lose control over this valuable territory. It was true that the local star system had handled this foreign invasion very poorly, and if Lu Ye hadn't emerged in the end, all the plundered resources from Wuxiang Palace would have been taken away. However, this did not mean the local star system should be grateful to Lu Ye. His actions and words had already touched upon the fundamental interests of the local star system. This was what Yuan Se could not tolerate.

Lu Ye was highly likely unable to activate the golden light of that treasure again, and Ma Bin… according to Mo Wenli, he had been injured previously, and now, having expended immense effort to kill the Great Demon Venerable Hei Yun, his condition must be even worse. It could be said that there was no better time to eliminate Lu Ye and Ma Bin. As long as they succeeded, Wanxiang Sea could return to the control of the local star system.

The battle resumed. To quickly take down Lu Ye, Yuan Se even personally attacked, with Yan Guyi assisting him. Although he was certain Lu Ye could no longer activate the treasure's power, it was always wise to be cautious. What if he could still activate it? With two of them working together, they could ensure at least one would be able to subdue Lu Ye.

However, to his extreme astonishment, facing their joint assault, Lu Ye, after uttering that sentence, plummeted straight down into Wanxiang Sea, only a single sentence reaching their ears: "You all just wait for me!"

With a splash, water sprayed everywhere. Yuan Se was dumbfounded, and Yan Guyi was also dumbfounded. They had anticipated many possible scenarios, even including Lu Ye reactivating the golden light, but they had never expected Lu Ye to voluntarily jump into Wanxiang Sea when facing their attack! Was Wanxiang Sea so easy to jump into? A Sun-Rank like Yuan Du had been badly corroded after only a brief moment in the sea, his spiritual power turbulent. Lu Ye, a newly promoted Sun-Rank, would fare even worse.

Yuan Se was first delighted, pleased that his judgment was correct—Lu Ye indeed could no longer activate the golden light; otherwise, he wouldn't have jumped into the sea. Then his expression became bewildered and uncertain. No one would actively seek death, especially a Sun-Rank cultivator. If they couldn't win, they would at least try to fight; it wouldn't be too late to jump into the sea then. Moreover, Lu Ye had left those words, clearly not intending to let this go. Could he solve the problem of Wanxiang Sea's corrosive water? Otherwise, why would he jump into the sea to escape?