Chapter 2020: Qin Yi's Shock

Seeing Lu Ye's unhurried demeanor, Qin Yi was beside herself with anxiety, glaring at him irritably: "Do you have any idea that the Purple Vortex Demonic Star is coming for you? They're already on their way and will arrive in a few days. And this time, Purple Vortex has dispatched ten Demonic Venerates, all Sun-Lit cultivators!"

"Ten... that's quite a lot," Lu Ye said, gesturing with his hand. "Please, Senior Sister, let's talk as we walk."

Qin Yi looked at him, "Why aren't you worried at all?"

She hadn't expected to encounter Lu Ye on this trip. In her mind, Lu Ye was still in the Myriad Manifestations Sea and wouldn't be in Jade Snail. She had imagined that after she delivered the news, the cultivators in Jade Snail would be in a panic. She had even prepared to personally rush to the Nine Heavens Realm, Lu Ye's home, to assist the cultivators there in evacuating. Although her individual strength was limited, she intended to at least take Lu Ye's relatives out of the Nine Heavens to avoid the impending disaster.

"Panicking... won't help," Lu Ye said with a smile, leading Qin Yi forward swiftly. "Senior Sister, please tell me the details."

Before this, he had actually considered a possibility: that the Purple Vortex army, attacking Jade Snail, would surely pass through the Four Directions Star System on their way. Back then, Black Cloud alone could remain concealed and pass through the Four Directions Star System unnoticed. But this time was different; with ten Sun-Lit cultivators leading such a formidable force, it would be impossible for the Four Directions Star System not to notice. From the perspective of the Four Directions Star System, they naturally wouldn't welcome such an external force encroaching on their territory. However, the Purple Vortex Demonic Star's reputation was too great; even if the Four Directions Star System was unwilling, they probably couldn't stop them. Furthermore, if Purple Vortex were to forcibly conscript cultivators from the Four Directions Star System into their ranks, they would have little room or leverage to resist, forced to endure the humiliation. This was the prestige of a top-tier power, against which ordinary forces had no means to contend. If such a situation truly arose, then the friendship between Jade Snail and the Four Directions Star System would end, even if they were compelled to act. However, to Lu Ye's surprise, Qin Yi had come to deliver the news first.

"I really don't know what you're thinking!" Qin Yi exclaimed, looking at Lu Ye with a disappointed but resigned expression. Even though he had now advanced to Sun-Lit, in Qin Yi's impression, he was still the same Constellation Realm cultivator he once was. She vaguely felt that Lu Ye didn't fully understand the situation, so she could only explain everything in detail.

As Lu Ye had expected, when the Purple Vortex army passed through, the Four Directions Star System immediately detected them. However, upon learning that they were demonic cultivators from the Purple Vortex Demonic Star, they felt somewhat helpless. Their fists weren't as big as the others, so even on their own territory, they couldn't afford to be too aggressive. Thus, led by Luo Xinghe, the Realm Master of the Grand Luo Star System, and Jiang Shang, the Realm Master of the Indeterminate Realm, several Sun-Lit cultivators from the four star systems gathered to meet the Purple Vortex Demonic Venerates and gather information. At the very least, they needed to know whether the visitors were just passing through or targeting the Four Directions Star System.

The encounter wasn't pleasant. Purple Vortex was a mighty force, and they looked down on anyone not from a top-tier power. The Four Directions Star System, lacking strong foundations, was naturally held in disdain. Although the process was unpleasant, what reassured Luo Xinghe, Jiang Shang, and the others was that they confirmed Purple Vortex's target was not the Four Directions Star System! But soon they discovered a new problem: Purple Vortex's target wasn't the Four Directions Star System, but rather the Jade Snail Star System, Lu Ye's home!

This made Jiang Shang and the others' hearts clench; for a moment, they didn't know what to do. Frankly speaking, during the war against the two Bug and Blood races, if Lu Ye hadn't turned the tide, the Four Directions Star System would now be a wasteland of death. Even if some of their Sun-Lit cultivators miraculously survived, they would be forced to wander the cosmos, homeless. Cultivators below the Sun-Lit realm would have been powerless to resist such a massive force of the Bug and Blood races. In such a scenario, the realm's foundations would be depleted, and enslavement would be the only outcome for its inhabitants. In that battle, Lu Ye's kindness to the Four Directions Star System was immense. When Lu Ye left, they had even proclaimed to all cultivators that Lu Ye was the benefactor of the Four Directions Star System, its eternal friend! In the Myriad Manifestations Sea, Lu Ye had often looked out for the Four Directions Star System. Now, learning that Purple Vortex's target was actually Jade Snail, this news terrified everyone. They didn't know how Jade Snail had offended Purple Vortex. The Myriad Manifestations Sea was too far, and information transfer was inconvenient, so many details hadn't been relayed back. However, it certainly involved some conflict in the Myriad Manifestations Sea; otherwise, how could a behemoth like Purple Vortex target a remote place like Jade Snail?

Now, what they had to decide was how to handle this matter. Becoming enemies with Purple Vortex was beyond the Four Directions Star System's capability and confidence. Letting the matter go, however, would violate their sense of righteousness. After a brief discussion, a decision was made: the Four Directions Star System would step forward, hosting a banquet for the Purple Vortex army in the Indeterminate Realm under the guise of fulfilling their duties as hosts. Meanwhile, Qin Yi would seize the opportunity to depart early and rush to Jade Snail to deliver the news. At the same time, she was also entrusted with a mission: to quickly reach the Nine Heavens Realm and escort everyone connected to Lu Ye to safety in advance. This was the only thing the Four Directions Star System could think of and accomplish. They couldn't, and didn't have the capacity to, concern themselves with the fate of other people in Jade Snail. Interfering too much and offending Purple Vortex would bring severe repercussions upon the Four Directions Star System. If Purple Vortex could dispatch troops to Jade Snail today, they could attack the Four Directions Star System tomorrow. Therefore, the only thing they could ensure was the safety of Lu Ye's friends and family. This could be considered a small repayment for Lu Ye's immense kindness back then. And to entertain the Purple Vortex army, the Four Directions Star System made significant sacrifices this time. Only by giving enough could they pique the interest of the Purple Vortex demonic cultivators, causing them to linger and thus achieve the goal of delaying them.

"We can't delay them for long," Qin Yi said, her face full of urgency. "Ten days at most, and the Purple Vortex army will surely attack! This time, Purple Vortex has ten Demonic Venerates, all Sun-Lit cultivators, leading an army of over ten thousand. I observed that there are nearly a hundred Lunar Shapers among them alone. Such a force would be more than enough to sweep through our Four Directions Star System. How will your Jade Snail defend against them?"

Lu Ye nodded continuously. Finally, he had precise intelligence on the Purple Vortex army. Before, he only knew there were ten Demonic Venerates, but the exact number of demonic cultivators was unknown. Thanks to Qin Yi delivering the news, his confidence in this battle grew stronger.

"Are you even listening?" Qin Yi asked, looking at him somewhat helplessly.

"I am listening," Lu Ye replied. As he spoke, he raised a hand and swiped, and an invisible barrier opened. "Senior Sister, please come in."

Qin Yi looked at the meteorite before her, momentarily perplexed. However, she faintly sensed some wondrous aura emanating from it, immediately realizing that the meteorite was likely just a disguise. She instantly flashed into it, muttering, "What trick are you playing?"

As her words fell, her vision blurred, and a majestic realm aura rushed towards her—an aura and foundation far more profound than any realm she had ever encountered.

"This is..." Qin Yi was stunned. Indeed, as she had just thought, the meteorite was merely a disguise; the truth was that it concealed a realm. An item she had only heard about in legends involuntarily surfaced in her mind, so similar to her recent experience. She blurted out, "What does this place have to do with Mount Fangcun?"

Lu Ye smiled. "Senior Sister has sharp eyes. This is indeed Mount Fangcun."

"Impossible!" Qin Yi looked at Lu Ye, as if trying to find a playful expression on his face. How could the renowned Mount Fangcun be here? And allow her to enter and exit freely? Yet, she saw no hint of a joke on Lu Ye's face. Immediately after, she turned her head to look in a certain direction, where the Immortal Spirit Peak was located. Her expression became solemn, because at that moment, she sensed the aura of Sun-Lit cultivators emanating from that direction. Not just one, or two or three, but many... many!

"Lu Ye, do we have a guest?" a gentle voice suddenly rang out. "Since it's a guest, why not invite them over to meet us?"

Lu Ye nodded in agreement and beckoned to Qin Yi: "Senior Sister Qin, follow me!"

Qin Yi, feeling somewhat dizzy, followed Lu Ye towards the Immortal Spirit Peak. She suspected her senses were mistaken because even if this truly was Mount Fangcun, it was impossible for so many Sun-Lit cultivators to be gathered. She had heard rumors of the Little People and knew that Mount Fangcun had long since split, with each fragmented part only having a handful of Sun-Lit cultivators.

Along the way, she also saw numerous cultivators gathered in scattered groups, and crucially, these cultivators came from various backgrounds. Most were human, but she also saw vibrant Flowerfolk, tall Treantfolk, and strange races with colorful mushrooms growing on their heads—if she wasn't mistaken, those must be Sporefolk. There were also some peculiar races with human upper bodies and fish tails; the women were all beautiful and glamorous, while the men were incredibly ugly and ferocious-looking. Could these be the legendary Merfolk, thought to be extinct?

As she walked and observed, Qin Yi felt as if she had entered an extraordinary place; everything she saw and heard brought a tremendous impact.

Finally, upon reaching the summit of Immortal Spirit Peak and stepping into the grand hall, Qin Yi's hair stood on end. This was because over twenty gazes converged from both sides, each gaze substantial and palpable. A dignified and full-figured woman approached her, smiling as she looked. Meeting her gaze and sensing her aura, Qin Yi immediately made a judgment: this woman... was stronger than her, much stronger! Not only her, but more than half of the over twenty people in the hall had cultivation levels surpassing her own. Only a handful were weaker than her, while the rest were at least on par with her! Where did so many Sun-Lit cultivators come from? Qin Yi couldn't comprehend it.

"Lu Ye, this is..." Su Yuqing spoke softly.

Lu Ye quickly introduced: "This is Senior Sister Qin Yi from Beixuan. She rushed here specifically to deliver news!" He then introduced Su Yuqing to Qin Yi: "This is Su Yuqing of the Little People, my Dao Companion. Senior Sister Qin, please don't be a stranger."

"Dao Companion... Little People..." Qin Yi's mind was somewhat bewildered. This woman, whose cultivation far surpassed her own, was actually Lu Ye's Dao Companion, and a Little Person at that? Is this truly Mount Fangcun?

Suppressing her thoughts, Qin Yi quickly exchanged greetings with Su Yuqing.

A moment later, Qin Yi sat down, still feeling somewhat surreal. However, looking at the formidable lineup before her, her worries and urgency of the past few days finally vanished. She realized that Lu Ye's side had long been prepared for Purple Vortex's attack. Otherwise, how could so many Sun-Lit cultivators be gathered here? And for an unsuspecting Purple Vortex to plunge into such a lineup... the thought alone was tragic.