Chapter 2052: Affectionate and Righteous Ma Shangsi

"Excellent! Hahahaha!" Tian Yu laughed heartily, feeling incredibly good. Although countless Blood Clan members wished to follow him as a Saint Venerable, it was still extremely rare to gain a Sun-Illuminator like Ma Shangsi as a follower.

After all, there were only a limited number of Sun-Illuminators in the entire Blood Jade Realm. He secretly rejoiced that he had acted quickly, otherwise, if other Saint Venerables had encountered Ma Shangsi, he would have had no chance to intervene.

"Let's go, follow me back to my territory. Today is a good day!" Tian Yu waved his hand, leading Ma Shangsi and Lu Ye as they flew towards his territory.

All territories of the Blood Clan were essentially structured around Saint Venerables establishing their own domains. Every Saint Venerable who met the power requirements had their own territory, and Tian Yu, being at the peak of the Moon-Illuminator realm, naturally possessed one.

Ma Shangsi secretly glanced at Lu Ye, seeking his opinion. Lu Ye subtly nodded.

His main purpose for coming to the Blood Jade Realm was to investigate the situation of the Worm Nest. Tian Yu had just emerged from it, clearly knowing some inside information, making it a good choice to follow him now.

Having followed Lu Ye for many years, Ma Shangsi naturally understood his intentions. So, on the way to Tian Yu's territory, he proactively asked on Lu Ye's behalf, "Saint Venerable, what's the situation with that Worm Nest?"

The Worm Clan and Blood Clan did indeed have frequent interactions, but it was rare for a Worm Nest to be deployed next to a Blood Clan territory.

Tian Yu frowned upon hearing this, initially not wanting to say much. However, considering he had just taken Ma Shangsi under his wing, and Ma Shangsi was, after all, a Sun-Illuminator destined to become a capable subordinate, he patiently explained, "I'm not entirely clear on the specifics myself. I only heard from Father that this time the Worm Clan envoys are primarily here to discuss with our Blood Clan how to respond when the 'Grand Momentum' descends in the future."

"'Grand Momentum' descending?" Ma Shangsi looked astonished. Behind him, Lu Ye's expression shifted.

As for this 'Grand Momentum', he had seen fragmented records of it in the Haichuan Tower of the Celestial Asura Clan, but he truly didn't know what it actually was.

Yet now, the Worm Clan was coming to discuss this matter with the Blood Clan, which was clearly no small matter.

Tian Yu said, "I don't know the specifics very well. Perhaps Father knows something. You don't need to ask too much; you'll naturally find out when the time comes."

"Understood," Ma Shangsi replied helplessly. As a subordinate, with Tian Yu having said so, he naturally had to keep quiet.

Tian Yu suddenly spoke again, "This matter seems significant. In five days, many Sun-Illuminator Saint Venerables of our clan will gather at Tianya Pavilion to discuss this matter with the Worm Clan envoys. I should be qualified to attend, and I'll take you in to observe then."

This was undoubtedly Tian Yu's way of currying favor and showing his regard for Ma Shangsi.

Ma Shangsi adopted a pose of profound gratitude, saying, "Thank you, Saint Venerable!"

The rest of the journey passed in silence. The three soon arrived at Tian Yu's territory, which, surprisingly for a Moon-Illuminator Saint Venerable, was quite large.

Tian Yu settled Ma Shangsi on a spiritual peak, then departed in a hurry, appearing to have other urgent matters to attend to.

This spiritual peak had numerous buildings, likely one of Tian Yu's temporary palaces, which had now been bestowed upon Ma Shangsi. There were many Blood Clan members and blood slaves residing there.

While Ma Shangsi was settling in, over at Western Fangcun Mountain, Zhang Kun's eyebrows rose. "'Grand Momentum' descending?" he murmured.

He turned to look at the other Dwarf Clan Sun-Illuminators. "Have any of you heard of this?" he asked.

Everyone shook their heads; clearly, they had not heard of it. Only Lu Ye spoke up, "I once saw some similar records in one place, but they were vague. I only know that the 'Grand Momentum' descending signifies a catastrophe." As he spoke, he scanned the group, "And if I'm not mistaken, the battle where the Blood Ancestor shattered Fangcun Mountain was related to the 'Grand Momentum' descending!"

The fragmented information recorded in the Haichuan Tower mentioned this!

The Lu Ye sitting there was, of course, not his true self, but merely the Talent Tree clone he had left behind. This way, any intelligence obtained by his true self could be shared with the Talent Tree clone at any time.

Hearing him say this, all the Dwarf Clan Sun-Illuminators' expressions turned serious.

The Blood Ancestor shattering Fangcun Mountain was a historical turning point for the Dwarf Clan, and a great vendetta for their entire race.

Chen Xuanhai spoke, "If that's the case, then it's not surprising we didn't know."

The Dwarf Clan was also a race with a long history. With the protection of Fangcun Mountain, even after their split, they had not encountered any major disasters for many years and had records of many significant events and changes in the starry sky.

But the matter of the Blood Ancestor shattering Fangcun Mountain was too distant, traceable back hundreds of thousands of years. If such an event was related to the 'Grand Momentum' descending, how could they possibly know?

"In five days, the Blood Clan's Sun-Illuminators and the Worm Clan envoys will hold a meeting at a place called Tianya Pavilion. Perhaps we can gather some intelligence there," Lu Ye said. "And this is an opportunity."

Chen Xuanhai nodded, "Indeed, this is a good opportunity."

Originally, dealing with the Sun-Illuminators of the Blood Jade Realm would likely have required some effort. After all, these Sun-Illuminators were usually scattered across their own territories, making it difficult to capture them all at once.

But if they gathered together, it would be much more convenient.

And the Worm Clan's Sun-Illuminators!

"Shall we act in five days?" Lu Ye asked.

"We will act in five days!" Chen Xuanhai nodded.

"Alright, I'll summon you all there then."

With the Talent Tree clone here, as long as the true self could reach a suitable location, they could catch the Blood Clan off guard. And as long as they eliminated the Blood Clan's Sun-Illuminators in the shortest possible time, the Blood Jade Realm would be completely under their control!

In Tian Yu's temporary palace, Ma Shangsi began recounting his grievances with Tian Yu.

They were considered Blood Clan cultivators of the same era. Ma Shangsi's talent had always been considerably superior to Tian Yu's; before reaching the Constellation realm, Ma Shangsi's cultivation had always been higher.

Unfortunately, Tian Yu had a powerful father...

His father was one of the top three Sun-Illuminator Saint Venerables in the entire Blood Jade Realm. After Tian Yu advanced to the Constellation realm, under his father's arrangements and protection, he refined a drop of Sacred Blood, achieving the status of a Saint Venerable. This completely widened the gap in their statuses.

Years of rivalry had led Tian Yu to harbor animosity towards Ma Shangsi. After becoming a Saint Venerable, he naturally subjected Ma Shangsi to considerable humiliation.

A large part of why Ma Shangsi left the Blood Jade Realm back then was due to this.

Saint Venerables were supreme. Within the realm, with such a Moon-Illuminator Saint Venerable disliking him, Ma Shangsi naturally didn't dare to stay. Furthermore, with his connections, it would have been impossible for him to obtain Sacred Blood without the patronage of a powerful figure. So, he left the Blood Jade Realm and wandered for many years.

He hadn't expected to encounter Tian Yu the moment he returned. If not for fearing it would affect Lu Ye's plan, he could have instantly killed the other man with a single palm strike.

Don't let his recent promotion to Sun-Illuminator fool you. In this vast Blood Jade Realm, if it came to a one-on-one fight, there was probably no other Sun-Illuminator who could be his match. The richness of his sacred essence was something no ordinary Blood Clan Saint Venerable could compare to.

He spoke unhurriedly, while Lu Ye listened quietly.

After he finished speaking, Lu Ye finally spoke, "When we make our move later, you can deal with Tian Yu yourself."

Ma Shangsi was overjoyed, "Thank you, Master!" The thought of finally repaying the humiliations he had endured from Tian Yu for so many years filled him with immense anticipation.

After a moment's thought, he suddenly asked, "Master, are you interested in subduing more Blood Attendants?"

Seeing Lu Ye turn to look at him, Ma Shangsi quickly explained, "I still have a few friendly clan members in this realm, especially one of them. His talent is extraordinary; he had already advanced to the Sun-Illuminator realm when I left the Blood Jade Realm back then."

"Oh?" Lu Ye immediately became interested. He naturally knew how difficult it was for a Blood Clan member who hadn't refined Sacred Blood to advance to the Sun-Illuminator realm. If Ma Shangsi's friend possessed such qualifications, he would be considered top-tier across the entire starry sky. If such a candidate were taken as a Blood Attendant, their future achievements would certainly not be low.

However, Lu Ye still asked, "You've been away from the Blood Jade Realm for many years. Wouldn't they have been granted Sacred Blood by now?"

If he wanted to subdue a Blood Clan member as a Blood Attendant, the necessary condition was that they were not a Saint Venerable. He could not transform Blood Clan members who had refined Sacred Blood into Blood Attendants. Although the sisters Xiang Yin and Xuan Yu were nominally considered original Blood Clan members, they had not refined Sacred Blood, which was why Lu Ye could transform them.

Ma Shangsi sighed, "Master, you may not know this. In fact, not just in the Blood Jade Realm, but in several other Blood Clan territories as well, there are quite a few individuals like my friend who possess extraordinary talent but remain unrecognized and disheartened. Currently, the amount of Sacred Blood in our clan is limited, and it's mostly controlled by certain high-ranking figures. Ordinary clan members simply cannot obtain it. My friend, in all likelihood, is still not a Saint Venerable, because his talent is too outstanding, and the Saint Venerables of this realm might not be without apprehension towards him."

If they truly harbored apprehension, how could they bestow Sacred Blood upon him?

Furthermore, for the Blood Clan, Sacred Blood, besides enhancing one's bloodline, primarily served to suppress members of their own clan. When dealing with external enemies, whether one had Sacred Blood or not made little difference; a Sun-Illuminator without Sacred Blood could still display their full strength.

"If Master is interested, I can help inquire!" Ma Shangsi said.

"Then ask!" Lu Ye nodded.

"Should I only ask him, or should I ask the others too?" Ma Shangsi asked cautiously, looking at Lu Ye.

Lu Ye secretly chuckled. Ma Shangsi truly cared about his friends. He knew the impending fate of the Blood Jade Realm and feared his few close friends would suffer unjustly. If they could gain Lu Ye's approval, they could naturally be spared from the catastrophe.

"You decide on nine candidates yourself," Lu Ye said with a wave of his hand. He only had nine drops of precious blood in total.

Ma Shangsi was immensely grateful, "Thank you, Master, for your compassion! Your subordinate guarantees they will be loyal to you in the future. If they ever show disloyalty, your subordinate will present his head to you!"

Lu Ye, of course, wasn't worried about his Blood Attendants harboring ulterior motives. Once they refined his precious blood, they would be his people forevermore.

The reason he was so generous was, firstly, that Ma Shangsi had asked. Secondly, he had originally intended to acquire a few more Blood Attendants on this trip. He valued not their strength, but their cooperative potential in certain aspects!