Chapter 2051: Blood Jade Realm

For the Western Immeasurable Peak, which was being pulled by the core, to pass through that wormhole, Lu Ye's direct intervention was essential. No one else could accomplish this.

Having understood the general situation, Lu Ye did not hesitate. He immediately immersed himself, establishing a connection with the Western Immeasurable Peak.

A moment later, the Western Immeasurable Peak, which had been rapidly traversing the starry sky, gradually slowed down and eventually came to a halt. This was clearly the result of Lu Ye severing the connection between the core and the Western Peak, combined with his personal control over it.

The Western Immeasurable Peak did not remain stationary for long. After a brief pause, Lu Ye redirected it, and it began moving towards the wormhole's location.

Throughout the uneventful journey, Lu Ye focused on his cultivation. Without the core's pull, he only needed to occasionally adjust the Western Peak's direction and perform routine checks, requiring minimal effort.

While cultivating, Lu Ye also continuously nurtured special flames using his Fire Gourd, feeding them to the Talent Tree to accelerate its transformation.

However, after several months, most of his fire-elemental resources were nearly depleted, yet the Talent Tree still showed no signs of transformation.

Three months quickly passed. On this particular day, Lu Ye, having received a message, swiftly appeared outside the Immeasurable Peak, standing atop it and gazing forward.

Ahead, a colossal wormhole stretched across the starry void. Upon closer inspection, it was clearly unstable, and its age was unknown.

The dangerous aura emanating from within it was almost comparable to the state of the wormhole between Kyushu and Myriad Forms when Su Yiming first ventured to the Myriad Forms Sea.

Traversing such a wormhole in the flesh would be utterly unsafe for anyone below the Sun-Illuminated realm.

Nevertheless, it was passable, and since the Western Immeasurable Peak was part of a supreme treasure, there was no concern about it sustaining damage.

With a slight pull, the Western Immeasurable Peak accurately plunged into the wormhole. Lu Ye remained standing on the Peak, traveling with it, to ensure he could make timely adjustments should any unexpected circumstances arise.

The passage was uneventful. The chaotic void turbulence within the wormhole, powerful enough to severely wound Peak Moon-Illuminated cultivators, had no discernible effect on either him or the Western Peak.

Emerging from the wormhole, they found themselves in a different star system.

Holding the star map provided by Zhang Kun, Lu Ye scanned the surrounding cosmos to pinpoint their location. He quickly made further directional adjustments to ensure the Western Peak was on a direct course for the Blood Jade Star System before returning to his cultivation.

All that remained was to wait. On the Western Peak, numerous Sun-Illuminated cultivators were honing their skills, while the six Sun-Illuminated cultivators from the now-merged Eastern and Southern Peaks were also prepared to teleport over as reinforcements at any moment.

Two more months elapsed, and finally, the Western Peak arrived in the Blood Jade Star System.

This vast star system encompassed more than just the Blood Jade Realm; it also contained five or six other realms, inhabited by numerous different races. However, star systems under Blood Race rule shared a common characteristic: all beings not of the Blood Race were merely their blood slaves. To maintain their dominion, the Blood Race strictly prohibited the rise of any powerful individuals among their subjects.

Consequently, throughout the Blood Jade Star System, despite the presence of multiple realms, all genuine powerhouses originated from the Blood Race. Even if other races were permitted to cultivate, their cultivation levels were rigorously controlled, solely to ensure their subservience and convenience for the Blood Race.

Most beings controlled by the Blood Race led incredibly miserable lives, constantly uncertain when disaster might strike. Sometimes, even for a Blood Race celebration, tens of millions of beings would be slaughtered purely to acquire sufficient blood sustenance.

The Western Immeasurable Peak steadily drew closer to the Blood Jade Realm.

As expected, this region of space was bustling with Blood Race activity. On one occasion, a Constellation-level Blood Race even landed on the Western Immeasurable Peak to rest.

However, the Western Immeasurable Peak visually resembled an ordinary meteorite in space. Since Lu Ye had also completely sealed the Western Peak, the Constellation Blood Race failed to detect any anomalies and departed swiftly after a short stop.

After another period, the Western Peak finally reached the outer reaches of the Blood Jade Realm's star system. However, upon observing the situation there, the Sun-Illuminated cultivators from the Western Peak discovered something utterly unexpected.

Outside the Blood Jade Realm, a peculiar, massive object was clearly visible. At first glance, it resembled an oval wasp nest, largely semi-enclosed except for a few entrances and exits.

“A worm nest!” Zhang Kun exclaimed, his eyebrows rising in extreme surprise. He clearly hadn't anticipated finding a worm nest standing next to the Blood Jade Realm.

Upon reflection, however, it wasn't entirely surprising. Both the Worm and Blood Races were infamous throughout the starry sky, universally despised. Had it not been for their formidable strength, they would have long since been eradicated by the combined might of the major races.

Perhaps due to their shared pariah status, the two races frequently interacted and often colluded.

Since this was the Blood Jade Star System, it was quite normal for a worm nest to drift here for a period of recuperation.

“We've hit the jackpot,” Weng Xiong grinned, his spirits high for battle. This expedition was originally planned to target the Blood Jade Realm, but with a worm nest conveniently located here, dealing with it as well would be no extra trouble. The Dwarf Race harbored no goodwill towards either the Blood Race or the Worm Race.

“We must not be careless,” Ran Dongsheng stated gravely. “This worm nest is quite large, so there must be Sun-Illuminated cultivators within. We just don't know how many.”

If their numbers were few, the Dwarf Race could ignore them, but a large number would pose a problem.

However, wandering worm nests typically don't house many Sun-Illuminated cultivators. After all, Sun-Illuminated cultivators are rare, not common. It's improbable that this particular nest would conceal a dozen or more; at most, one to three would be stationed there, possibly even just one.

Zhang Kun turned to Lu Ye: “Junior Brother, shall we proceed as planned?”

Lu Ye nodded. “I will first bring the Senior Brothers and Sisters over.”

The Blood Jade Realm housed a significant number of Blood Race Sun-Illuminated cultivators. The six from the Southern Peak alone might not be sufficient to achieve complete success, so they would need to summon the Sun-Illuminated cultivators from the Eastern and Western Peaks for support.

Moments later, the Western Immeasurable Peak registered the presence of five additional Sun-Illuminated auras.

With the exception of Wu Qimo, who remained to oversee, all five others from the Eastern and Southern Peaks had arrived.

After a quick discussion and planning, Lu Ye and Ma Shangsi departed the Western Immeasurable Peak, soaring directly towards the Blood Jade Realm.

The original plan required no probing; with Lu Ye's current power and the Dwarf Race's heritage, conquering the Blood Jade Realm was well within their capabilities. However, the sudden appearance of the worm nest introduced an unforeseen variable. After some deliberation, Lu Ye decided that for safety's sake, it would be best to first enter the Blood Jade Realm to gather intelligence and assess the situation with the worm nest.

At this juncture, Ma Shangsi played a crucial role. He was, after all, originally from the Blood Jade Realm, had wandered for many years, and was now returning in glory as a Sun-Illuminated cultivator — a truly triumphant homecoming.

Lu Ye followed closely behind him, adopting the posture of a servant to a master, which made Ma Shangsi uneasy. He transmitted a message: “My Lord, I apologize for putting you through this.”

Lu Ye calmly replied, “If we’re going to act, we must act convincingly. Don’t be so timid. You are a Sun-Illuminated cultivator now; show some presence!”

Ma Shangsi immediately straightened his posture.

The two figures swept past near the worm nest. From a distance, they could discern Worm Race cultivators guarding the nest, their auras notably strong, all at the Moon-Illuminated level.

Suddenly, another figure soared out of the worm nest and headed towards the Blood Jade Realm. However, this individual was clearly a member of the Blood Race, not the Worm Race.

Ma Shangsi’s gaze met the other’s, and the Blood Race member instantly uttered a surprised, questioning sound: “Ma Shangsi?”

He clearly recognized Ma Shangsi. After calling out his name, he immediately flew towards them.

Ma Shangsi’s heart tightened. They were too close for him to transmit an explanation to Lu Ye, so he could only halt and wait.

In an instant, the Blood Race member stood before Ma Shangsi, scrutinizing him intently. He was slightly surprised, having sensed that Ma Shangsi had actually reached the Sun-Illuminated realm.

He then glanced at Lu Ye, who was behind Ma Shangsi, but paid him little mind. Lu Ye had activated Thousand Faces to alter his appearance and used the Mimicry Spirit Array to disguise himself as a Moon-Illuminated cultivator.

This was unavoidable; the Blood Race had long targeted Lu Ye. Even when he was in the Constellation realm, they had issued a bounty on him. Thus, some disguise was certainly necessary for this expedition.

“You actually advanced to Sun-Illuminated?” The Blood Race member exclaimed, his face a picture of astonishment, as if witnessing something impossible. “I never knew you possessed such good fortune.”

He, of course, knew Ma Shangsi’s background. It was no easy feat for a Blood Race member without sacred blood to advance to the Sun-Illuminated realm.

Despite being a Moon-Illuminated cultivator facing a Sun-Illuminated one like Ma Shangsi, he displayed no respect; instead, his tone carried a hint of mockery.

Ma Shangsi, however, feigned ignorance, offering a forced smile. “Pure luck,” he replied.

The Moon-Illuminated chuckled, his expression suddenly darkening. “What, you’ve ascended to Sun-Illuminated, yet forgotten your proper etiquette? Have you forgotten how I once instructed you?”

Ma Shangsi’s expression shifted. He quickly lowered his head, respectfully clasping his fists. “Greetings, Heavenly Oracle Holy Venerable!”

Within the Blood Race, only those possessing sacred blood are designated as Holy Venerables, a noble status independent of cultivation level. Heavenly Oracle, despite being a Moon-Illuminated cultivator, could admonish Sun-Illuminated Ma Shangsi precisely by leveraging his esteemed position as a Holy Venerable.

Seeing Ma Shangsi’s deferential posture, Heavenly Oracle finally nodded. “Good, at least you haven't forgotten your place after all these years abroad.” He stroked his chin, pondering for a moment. “Now that you are Sun-Illuminated, you are indeed worthy of following me. From now on, you shall serve this Venerable. In a few years, when this Venerable advances to Sun-Illuminated, and depending on your performance, I might even consider transforming you into a Blood Servant!”

His condescending tone, in the past, would have undoubtedly filled Ma Shangsi with overwhelming gratitude. Becoming a Holy Venerable's Blood Servant was a dream for many Blood Race members, and it had once been his own ambition. Since sacred blood was unattainable for him, he had aimed for the next best thing.

But today…

Feeling utterly disgusted, Ma Shangsi could only feign gratitude. “Thank you for your benevolence, Holy Venerable. Ma Shangsi is honored to follow you, to give my all, and serve you faithfully.”

Moreover, compared to Heavenly Oracle’s vague promise, Lu Ye’s generous bestowal had already brought about a complete transformation in him.