Chapter 2081: Unmeasurable Realm Narcissus

In the confined space of the Ghost Palanquin, various figures sat quietly, some alone, others in small groups of two or three, their divine senses flowing as they exchanged whispers.

Including Lu Ye, there were nine individuals in total, each with a distinct aura. Among them were two women, six men, and one individual whose gender was indistinguishable. This powerful figure, who originated from the Ghost Clan and called themselves Phantom, was a swirling, shapeless apparition, twisting and shifting like water. Not only was their form genderless, but their voice was also impossible to tell whether it was male or female.

However, through Jiuyan's introduction, Lu Ye learned that this Phantom was, in fact, the current leader of the Ghost Clan!

Among these nine, Lu Ye was the only early-stage Sun-level cultivator, making him quite unique among such a group of powerful individuals.

Since there were only two women, the other female cultivator, Su Wan, naturally grew close to Jiuyan. Su Wan was the fifth person to be captured and brought into the Ghost Palanquin. She exuded an aura of purity, possessed remarkable beauty, and had a graceful, curvaceous figure.

Despite her pure demeanor, she seemed shrouded in mystery. None of the many powerful individuals present knew her origin or background. It was as if this top-tier Sun-level cultivator, who should not have been unknown, had suddenly appeared from nowhere. Jiuyan had also secretly warned Lu Ye to be wary of Su Wan, clearly believing that this woman was not simple.

One day, with nothing else to do, Lu Ye was chatting with one of the powerful individuals. They connected easily because this person, named Chongyue, hailed from the Five-Colored Domain and was a strong member of the Stone Clan. On the Myriad Manifestation Sea, Three Realms Island and Five-Colored Island were on good terms, and Lu Ye also had a personal friendship with Mang Dang; this was no secret. Over the years, the Five-Colored Merchant Association had reaped immense profits on the Myriad Manifestation Sea, partly due to the contributions of Three Realms Island. The cultivators from the Five-Colored Domain had naturally long heard of Lu Ye, the Master of the Myriad Manifestation Sea. There had even been Sun-level cultivators from the Five-Colored Domain who specifically came to visit Lu Ye to express their gratitude. With such a natural connection, Lu Ye and Chongyue naturally found much to talk about.

As they were talking, Chongyue suddenly turned his head towards the Ghost Palanquin's door, raising an eyebrow. "Oh? Are we getting another newcomer?" As the seventh person to be captured and brought into the palanquin, he naturally knew what it meant when the door opened. He had witnessed this scene twice before. Initially, he had also wanted to use such an opportunity to escape, but after learning about Chen Li's fate, he gave up. Since the Ghost Palanquin had captured them, it clearly wouldn't let them leave easily.

The others also noticed the abnormality at the door and turned to look. A red silk ribbon appeared out of thin air, retracting, and a figure tumbled into the palanquin, rolling awkwardly on the ground before quickly standing up and warily surveying their surroundings. Then the person froze... This was an awkward situation almost all newcomers faced. The interior space of the palanquin was already small, and with so many powerful cultivators gathered there, the new arrival, stared at by so many formidable gazes, would likely be terrified, no matter how strong their cultivation, thinking they had fallen into some perilous den.

"Oh, finally another sister!" A joyful voice rang out. It was the mysterious Su Wan, who was sitting not far from Jiuyan. She stood up and enthusiastically waved to the new cultivator. "Sister, come over here! Don't be afraid, you can't fight here."

The newcomer was a female cultivator with an exceptionally delicate demeanor, like a flower battered by a storm. Anyone who saw her couldn't help but feel a pang of pity. Sensing Su Wan's warmth, she looked around and saw that although there were many powerful individuals present, they were only observing her, none showing any malice. She immediately realized that Su Wan had not lied to her.

Just as she was about to approach Su Wan, a voice came from a corner. "Is that Fellow Daoist Shuixian from the Boundless Realm?" The speaker was named Sheng Yuanzi, and it was clear from his demeanor that he knew the newcomer, Shuixian. Shuixian looked towards the voice, her face brightening. "Fellow Daoist Sheng Yuanzi?" She quickly walked towards him. Suddenly appearing in such a place would leave anyone at a loss, so naturally, upon seeing someone she knew, she went to inquire about the situation. Soon, Shuixian arrived next to Sheng Yuanzi, and their divine senses flowed as they exchanged information.

"What a pity," Su Wan said, smiling and shaking her head. There were already few female cultivators here, and it was rare for one to join. She had hoped to get closer to her.

Lu Ye, however, had a slight change in expression. Shuixian from the Boundless Realm... If he wasn't mistaken, wasn't she Su Yuqing's close confidante? When he had departed from Fangcun Mountain for the Asura Field, Su Yuqing had given him a jade token, saying it belonged to Shuixian from the Boundless Realm. Since Shuixian was in the Asura Field, Su Yuqing instructed him that if he encountered trouble there, he could seek Shuixian's help. However, during that trip to the Asura Field, Lu Ye hadn't met Shuixian and didn't know how to contact her, so he had let the matter drop.

Was this Shuixian the same Shuixian? Lu Ye felt a doubt in his heart. Logically speaking, there should only be one Shuixian from the Boundless Realm; it was unlikely there would be so many with the same name, especially at this level of cultivation. After a moment's thought, he rummaged through his storage ring and quickly found the jade token Su Yuqing had given him back then.

Shuixian, who was speaking with Sheng Yuanzi, suddenly turned and looked at him. Sheng Yuanzi also spoke up. "Those two over there are Lu Yiye, the Master of the Myriad Manifestation Sea, and Jiuyan, the Lord of Myriad Manifestation Island. You might have heard of them. They know the most about this Ghost Palanquin because the incident originated in the Myriad Manifestation Sea, and they were the first to arrive here. If you wish to know more, you might want to ask them."

"Thank you for the guidance, Senior Brother," Shuixian said, rising and bowing gracefully. "Then I will go and ask."

"Go ahead," Sheng Yuanzi nodded.

Shuixian then walked directly towards Lu Ye. Upon reaching him, Shuixian first bowed, and her soft voice emerged, "Greetings, Fellow Daoist Lu."

Lu Ye nodded in acknowledgment. By this point, he had confirmed that the Shuixian before him was indeed Su Yuqing's friend, as her aura completely matched the residual aura in the jade token. Shuixian looked at the jade token in his hand, understanding dawning in her mind. "Did Sister Yuqing give you this?" She had only ever given this jade token to Su Yuqing, and now it was in Lu Ye's hands, making the situation quite clear.

"Yes, I once went to the Asura Field, and before I departed, Senior Sister Su entrusted this to me, telling me that if I needed anything, I could ask for your help!"

Shuixian asked, "May I ask what your relationship is with Sister Yuqing...?" Unless their relationship was intimate, Su Yuqing wouldn't have given her jade token to another. However, her last meeting with Su Yuqing had been many years ago, and she had never heard Su Yuqing mention Lu Ye.

Lu Ye blinked. "We are dao companions." This was no secret on the Myriad Manifestation Sea.

Jiuyan, who had been curiously observing Shuixian, immediately shot a glare at Lu Ye upon hearing this. Su Wan noticed, looking at Jiuyan, then at Lu Ye, as if she had discovered something amusing, her eyes brightening considerably.

"Ah?" Shuixian couldn't help but cover her red lips with her hand. "Sister actually found a dao companion?" She couldn't help but scrutinize Lu Ye, wanting to see what was so special about him that could capture Su Yuqing's heart. However, she couldn't discern much no matter how she looked, which made her recall Sheng Yuanzi's earlier introduction. The Master of the Myriad Manifestation Sea – that was no small title! Having cultivated in seclusion in the Boundless Realm for so many years, she was indeed unaware of the changes in the Myriad Manifestation Sea. No one had ever mentioned this to her, as interactions between the Boundless Realm and the Myriad Manifestation Sea were not convenient, lacking many direct mutual interests.

"It's true," Lu Ye nodded. "Senior Sister Shuixian, please forgive my impoliteness; I'm being punished by the Ghost Palanquin and cannot stand up."

Only then did Shuixian realize, understanding why Lu Ye had been casually sitting there all along; there was a reason for it. "The Ghost Palanquin... is that strange sedan chair?" Shuixian asked. She had evidently seen the Ghost Palanquin before being captured.

"Precisely," Lu Ye nodded.

Shuixian frowned for a moment, then simply sat cross-legged in front of Lu Ye. "This matter is too bizarre, and I have many questions. Could Junior Brother enlighten me?" Her demeanor was so delicate that a slight frown evoked boundless pity; not just Lu Ye, but even Su Wan, another female cultivator, felt a tremble in her heart upon seeing it.

"Of course."

A moment later, Shuixian understood everything that had happened. "So, you speculate that this Ghost Palanquin will eventually take us to a place called the Star Abyss, and that place will provide us a way to forge our own Dao Foundation?" Shuixian asked.

Before Lu Ye could finish, Su Wan interjected, "That's right. Otherwise, why do you think everyone is waiting here quietly? It's great that Senior Sister Shuixian has arrived; now we have three female cultivators. We should get to know each other better from now on."

Shuixian gave her a kind smile, then looked back at Lu Ye. "This deduction makes some sense, but it doesn't seem to have any solid basis."

When others asked, Lu Ye naturally wouldn't say too much, but since Shuixian was Su Yuqing's good friend, it wouldn't hurt to elaborate a bit more. "If there was no basis initially, then there is now."

"What do you mean?"

"Those captured by the Ghost Palanquin and brought here are all peak Sun-level cultivators, the strongest in their respective regions." Seeing Shuixian look at him confused, Lu Ye explained, "I'm an exception here; I'm not included in that."

Jiuyan, sitting nearby, sighed. Although she hadn't seen it herself, she was certain that Lu Ye must have done something after she was captured by the Ghost Palanquin, which was why he was dragged in as well. In a way, she had implicated him.

"Actually, after Fellow Daoist Chen Li, another person named Changfeng was also captured. At the time, he was being pursued by an even stronger individual, yet the Ghost Palanquin only captured him, completely ignoring the more powerful pursuer."

"Why is that?" Shuixian asked, puzzled. "According to Junior Brother, shouldn't the Ghost Palanquin choose the stronger person to capture?"

"That's right," Lu Ye nodded. "But what if that stronger individual had already forged their own Dao Foundation? That's probably the only explanation for why the Ghost Palanquin didn't choose him."