Chapter 2049: The Excited Xiao Jiu

Inside the Blood Extinction Realm, Lu Ye waited patiently.

Then, at a certain moment, he suddenly felt a slight anomaly within the entire realm. The reaction was so subtle that he might not have noticed it at all if he hadn't already had some resonance with the Blood Extinction Realm and was currently inside it.

Opening his eyes and looking towards the starry sky ahead, Lu Ye understood.

The unusual reaction stemmed from the continuous approach of the Blood Extinction Realm and the Blood Refining Realm. Both were fragments of the Blood Ancestor's body after his demise. Previously, separated by immense distances, they had no connection, but now that they were close enough, a peculiar resonance naturally arose between them.

This resonance was steadily intensifying as the two drew nearer.

This was to be expected. Lu Ye confirmed that the phenomenon was not harmful and paid it no further mind.

Many more days passed. When Lu Ye looked ahead again, he could already discern the distant outline of the Blood Refining Realm. By this point, the Blood Extinction Realm's forward speed was many times faster than before.

Initially, the movement of the Blood Extinction Realm and the southern part of Square Inch Mountain was solely due to the core's pull. While not slow, it wasn't particularly fast either.

However, things were clearly different now. Not only was the southern part drawn by the core, but the Blood Extinction Realm was also being pulled by the Blood Refining Realm, as if it was eager to merge with it.

Driven by these dual forces, the speed naturally became much faster than before.

It was time.

With a thought, Lu Ye retrieved a several-zhang-long, bronze-green staff from the Minor Flower Domain. This was the Blood Clan Ancestral Artifact he had captured from the Blood Extinction Realm back then.

In the past, the Blood Clan's Sun-grade cultivators of the Blood Extinction Realm could collectively harness the realm's power not purely through their own abilities, but largely due to the Ancestral Artifact's augmentation.

Now that the Ancestral Artifact was in Lu Ye's hands, its might was far greater than what the Blood Clan Sun-grade cultivators could achieve.

With the Ancestral Artifact in hand, as he channeled his magical power and a sacred Blood Clan aura permeated, Lu Ye clearly felt an extremely close connection with the Blood Extinction Realm. This vast domain seemed like a puppet on his strings, allowing him to command it as he wished.

The Six-Fingered Peak, which had been clenched like a fist, slowly opened, revealing the southern Square Inch Mountain held within its grasp. Lu Ye then directed the Blood Extinction Realm, causing its entire movement speed to suddenly slow down.

The next instant, the southern Square Inch Mountain detached from the Blood Extinction Realm and shot directly towards the core.

Meanwhile, Lu Ye piloted the Blood Extinction Realm, circling widely to ensure no obstacles lay ahead, before releasing his control over the domain.

Without his interference, the Blood Extinction Realm immediately surged forward, drawn by the Blood Refining Realm.

Lu Ye observed that the Blood Extinction Realm did not fly straight ahead. Instead, it made some self-adjustments on its path. By the time the entire domain approached the Blood Refining Realm, it had transformed into the shape of the Six-Fingered Peak facing outwards, then perfectly slotted into the left severed arm of the massive remnant body.

At the moment of their merging collision, both great realms hummed and trembled.

Four figures flew out of the Blood Refining Realm in a panic. They were none other than the Four Blood Attendants who had been cultivating in seclusion within.

They had no idea what was happening. After flying a considerable distance, they looked back, and the sight before them left them stunned.

The Blood Refining Realm now had a left arm. This change was so obvious that anyone who wasn't blind could see it.

Soon, they sensed Lu Ye's presence and converged towards him.

"Master!" the Four Blood Attendants saluted in unison.

"Master, what happened?" Xiang Yin asked in surprise.

"You should know how the various Blood Clan domains were formed. This is simply the integration of the Blood Ancestor's left arm with the torso," Lu Ye explained casually.

His explanation was simple, yet the Four Blood Attendants were all incredibly astonished.

Especially Ding Beifeng, who himself originated from the Blood Extinction Realm. He had never imagined he would one day see that domain again, especially in such a manner.

"I have other matters to attend to. Go and investigate if there are any issues after the merger of these two domains, then report back to me," Lu Ye instructed, turning to fly towards Square Inch Mountain.

The two great Blood Clan domains had merged, and prior to that, the southern part had already integrated with Square Inch Mountain's core. Lu Ye needed to go to Square Inch Mountain to check on the situation.

He flashed towards Square Inch Mountain, calmly entering the domain.

The moment he entered, Lu Ye immediately sensed some differences.

The entire territory of Square Inch Mountain had clearly expanded significantly, which was to be expected; a similar change occurred when the eastern part merged with the core years ago.

Furthermore, the spiritual energy within Square Inch Mountain had greatly improved, and this improvement was ongoing. Such an environment would undoubtedly be more beneficial for the growth of lower-tier cultivators.

At this moment, the two Sun-grade cultivators from the eastern part and the four from the southern part—all six of them—were gathered, each beaming with joy.

Although they could previously interact through special means, it was ultimately inconvenient and required some cost. Now, with the southern and eastern parts integrated with the core, only the western part remained. Once the western part also merged, Square Inch Mountain would achieve complete unification once more, restoring its ancestral glory.

This was the aspiration and direction of effort for countless generations of the Pygmy race. No one had expected it to be achieved in their lifetime.

Especially the eldest, Yu Qinglou, who had thought he would never see this hope fulfilled, but now, witnessing this day firsthand, he was momentarily overcome with old tears.

When Lu Ye arrived, all six Sun-grade cultivators turned their gaze towards him.

Chen Xuanhai nodded, "You've worked hard, Junior Brother."

Lu Ye waved his hand, saying, "It's my duty, Senior Brother. You exaggerate." He then asked, "Were there any anomalies in this merger?"

Chen Xuanhai replied, "No, the various parts of Square Inch Mountain were originally one. They were merely shattered by the Blood Ancestor years ago. Merging them again like this should cause no issues."

"That's good," Lu Ye nodded.

With the two parts reunited, the Pygmy race's strength greatly increased, which in turn significantly enhanced the safety of the Nine Provinces.

Throughout Square Inch Mountain, countless members of the Pygmy race rejoiced, and an atmosphere of celebration pervaded the entire domain.

After this merger, the Pygmy race would likely celebrate for quite some time, but this was not the end; the integration of the western part was the final crucial step.

Lu Ye did not stay long; he was still thinking about the two great Blood Clan domains outside.

A moment later, Lu Ye exited Square Inch Mountain. Just as he was about to fly towards the Blood Refining Realm, Little Nine's voice entered his ears: "Lu Ye, Lu Ye, why didn't you tell me about such a big event beforehand?"

Lu Ye feigned ignorance: "Oh? What big event happened?"

Little Nine chuckled, "Never mind if you don't know. Anyway, I don't care, I'm going to 'eat' that domain!" Its 'eating', of course, wasn't literal consumption but rather devouring the Blood Extinction Realm's essence. This was simple for Little Nine; it just needed to place some Heavenly Machine Pillars within the Blood Extinction Realm.

That was how it had devoured the essence of the Blood Refining Realm years ago, helping the Nine Provinces ascend to a large-scale domain.

However, now that the Nine Provinces had grown significantly, devouring the Blood Extinction Realm's essence would be much faster and more efficient than before.

"Go ahead and eat," Lu Ye smiled.

The primary reason he had thought of bringing the Blood Extinction Realm back in the first place was for Little Nine to 'eat' it. Furthermore, the process wasn't troublesome. If he truly had to pilot the entire domain back himself, he certainly wouldn't have done it; it would have been too time-consuming.

But by utilizing the southern Square Inch Mountain's pull from the core, he only had to make a few arrangements to get the Blood Extinction Realm to follow the southern part, saving both time and effort.

Of course, Lu Ye had another thought at the time: he wanted to know if the Blood Ancestor's fragmented body could be reassembled.

The result was clear: he didn't need to assemble anything himself; these fragments of the Blood Ancestor's body could easily re-merge once they drew near each other.

This outcome actually quite surprised Lu Ye.

However, the Blood Ancestor was a terrifyingly powerful being capable of shattering Square Inch Mountain. Even if he had been dead for countless years and his soul had long perished, it wasn't entirely unacceptable for his fragmented body to still possess incredible power.

If that were the case, wouldn't bringing over the remaining Blood Clan domains make the Blood Ancestor's body complete?

Lu Ye found himself somewhat tempted.

He had experience controlling the Blood Extinction Realm; it felt as if the entire domain had transformed into a war machine draped over him. He could control the Blood Extinction Realm with his own power, and the offensive capabilities at that level were something no ordinary powerful cultivator could withstand.

If one Blood Extinction Realm was like this, imagine if he could control the complete body of the Blood Ancestor...

He dared not imagine what kind of world-destroying, terrifying abilities he could unleash in such a scenario.

One must remember, the Blood Ancestor was an entity capable of contending with supreme treasures of the starry sky. His strength far surpassed Lu Ye's current level. Even if only piloting a mere shell, its power would be incomparable to that of ordinary subordinate treasures.

Furthermore, each Blood Clan domain possessed profound and dense foundations, which Little Nine could devour to enhance the Nine Provinces...

If all the other Blood Clan domains were brought over for Little Nine to devour, could the Nine Provinces then ascend to a top-tier domain?

As this thought arose, Lu Ye's heart was greatly stirred.

While he was thinking this, Lu Ye suddenly felt something, looked in a certain direction, and raised an eyebrow: "Oh? Has the opportunity finally appeared?"

That direction was precisely where Ma Shangsi was cultivating in seclusion.

Ma Shangsi was Lu Ye's first Blood Attendant, the first he subdued. For all these years, he had followed Lu Ye closely, working diligently by his side and remaining fiercely loyal.

Lu Ye had always sensed that this fellow was close to advancing to the Sun-grade. However, the hurdle from Moon-grade to Sun-grade was difficult to overcome; breaking through it meant rapid progress, but failing to do so would lead to stagnation.

It wasn't just Ma Shangsi; the sisters Xiang Yin and Xuan Yu were also at this stage, though Ding Beifeng, who was subdued last, was somewhat behind.

In fact, Lu Ye had always thought that the sisters Xiang Yin and Xuan Yu would be the first to advance to Sun-grade, as their minds were in sync, and they possessed special cultivation methods, giving them an advantage in this regard.

Yet, unexpectedly, it was Ma Shangsi who took this step first!