Chapter 2182: The Aristocratic Family

Zhou Gu smiled faintly. "Then what brings you here again, my dear Yun?"

"Who are you calling 'my dear Yun'? Don't just throw names around!" Sun Yun glared fiercely at Zhou Gu, her tone quite hostile.

Due to some special circumstances, she had received news of the Ant Colony immediately, so she had rushed here from her homeworld. Who would have thought that no sooner had she arrived than Zhou Gu followed right behind her? Where did this guy get the news? Could there be a mole in the clan?

The two descendants of aristocratic families stared at each other for a moment, each understanding the other's intentions. Zhou Gu was the first to look away, giving Lu Ye a warm cupped-hand salute. "Zhou Gu, a pleasure to meet you, Fellow Daoist Lu." He knew that getting into a dispute with Sun Yun here was pointless. The real key today lay with Lu Ye.

Zhou Gu's attitude was amiable, so Lu Ye naturally couldn't be cold in return; he returned the salute.

"Fellow Daoist, it's too public here. Could we speak inside?" Zhou Gu asked.

The commotion just now had drawn the attention of many nearby cultivators, who were now observing from a distance.

Lu Ye pondered for a moment, knowing he couldn't refuse, and merely nodded. "Please come in."

"Excuse the intrusion," Zhou Gu said with a smile, stepping forward. Sun Yun snorted coldly and quickly followed. Although Lu Ye disliked the woman, he could only ignore her, given that a Fusion realm cultivator was accompanying her.

A short while later, in the first-floor living room, the host and guests were seated. Jiang Yuning, with her meticulous nature, served tea and then slowly withdrew.

Lu Ye knew that both of them were here for the Ant Colony. Although he had previously intended to hand the Ant Colony over to the Yan family because of Yan Hong, he hadn't been able to contact Yan Hong in the past few days and hadn't had a chance to bring it up. Now that people from the Zhou family and Sun family had proactively sought him out, since he couldn't turn them away, there was no harm in listening to what they had to say. If the terms were truly suitable, he could consider it.

"Brother Lu, do you know that you've really made a name for yourself this time? Even on the homeworld, I've heard of your great reputation. To slay a Fusion realm cultivator as an Incipient realm cultivator—not to mention in Balian, it's probably extremely rare in the entire Star Abyss. Meeting you today, Brother, truly confirms your extraordinary nature." Zhou Gu didn't mention anything else, first showering him with praise, addressing him as "Brother Lu" and "Brother" repeatedly, sounding very cordial.

Lu Ye shook his head. "Slaying the Fusion realm cultivator was not my sole achievement. Fellow Daoist Yan Hong contributed greatly, and the Blood Clan cultivator underestimated us. I merely seized an opportunity." This matter needed to be clarified. Fortunately, he had been prepared when confronting that Blood Clan Fusion realm cultivator earlier.

Zhou Gu smiled. "While Brother Yan Hong is certainly formidable, he ultimately only commands a dozen or so threads of power. Without you, Brother, how could a Fusion realm cultivator have been slain? Therefore, you still deserve the primary credit for this battle."

Lu Ye frowned inwardly, feeling that this fellow simply wasn't listening to reason.

As the two conversed, Sun Yun found herself unable to interject. Her temperament was perverse, so naturally, she couldn't be as smooth-tongued and flattering towards Lu Ye as Zhou Gu was to win his favor. Moreover, she had already made a first impression upon their initial meeting, and improving it was virtually impossible.

Seeing that Zhou Gu was about to speak again, she quickly said in a cold voice, "Enough of the pleasantries, Lu Ye. You should know why I'm here this time. In a word, if you're willing to hand the Ant Colony over to my Sun family, I can take you back to the homeworld and have my family help you ascend to the Fusion realm."

Any other Incipient realm cultivator hearing these words would undoubtedly be overjoyed. Ascending to the Fusion realm was no easy feat, involving not only the accumulation of vast amounts of Dao Power but also the integration of Dao patterns. With the assistance of a top aristocratic family like the Sun family, the chances of success would surely increase significantly.

However, Lu Ye remained unmoved. His situation was different from that of typical Incipient realm cultivators. Given his current cultivation progress, ascending to the Fusion realm would take an unknown amount of time—who knew how long? How could he possibly return to the homeworld with Sun Yun? Moreover, Sun Yun's words were merely an oral promise. Perhaps she could represent the Sun family, perhaps not. Lu Ye had no way of guessing how much weight a statement from a mere descendant of an aristocratic family carried. If the Sun family's Fusion realm cultivators didn't honor the agreement later, could Lu Ye really stand up to the Sun family?

Seeing Lu Ye's indifference, Sun Yun couldn't help but add, "You're a Ninth-level cultivator, so you've probably learned about Fusion realm matters through different channels. You must know that Dao patterns are key to ascending to the Fusion realm. Our homeworld has a Dao Pattern Pavilion. Ordinary people need to spend a huge amount of battle merits to enter, but my Sun family has recommendation slots and can send you in for a look."

Lu Ye, of course, knew that Dao patterns were crucial for ascending to the Fusion realm. The Azurebird had mentioned this when he first met her.

Dao patterns were indeed marvelous things; they could also be described as some of the most fundamental rules, presented simply in the form of Dao patterns.

There were many types of Dao patterns. The most primordial Dao patterns always originated from various Starry Sky Wonders. Cultivators would enter these wonders, comprehend their profound mysteries, and gain enlightenment on Dao patterns. Therefore, for cultivators in the Star Abyss who wished to ascend to the Fusion realm, the essential path was to enter a Starry Sky Wonder for comprehension, or to receive teachings from their predecessors. The major top aristocratic families on the homeworld had inherited their legacies for countless years, naturally accumulating countless Dao patterns. The Dao Pattern Pavilion itself was built through the combined efforts of four families. Incipient realm cultivators aligned with the Human Battle Alliance who wished to ascend to the Fusion realm had to visit the Dao Pattern Pavilion, and entering it required a vast amount of battle merits.

Choosing different Dao patterns also resulted in different focuses for Fusion realm cultivators. Some Fusion realm cultivators were incredibly fast, having chosen speed-related Dao patterns, while others struck with immense force, having chosen strength-related Dao patterns. Therefore, clashes between Fusion realm cultivators weren't solely determined by the amount of Dao Power. If one's chosen Dao patterns were countered by the opponent's, victory would be difficult even with greater Dao Power.

The two Fusion realm cultivators Lu Ye had slain so far, whether Man Shan or Pei Dan, had only recently ascended. Their cultivation in Dao patterns wasn't profound enough, so he hadn't perceived much difference. However, if he were to face a stronger Fusion realm cultivator, the true power of Dao patterns would become evident.

"The conditions the Sun family can offer, my Zhou family can offer as well," Zhou Gu said with a smile. He didn't raise his offer, confident that even if the conditions were identical, Lu Ye wouldn't choose Sun Yun. This woman had already made herself unlikable. At present, he had a natural advantage.

Sun Yun glared at Zhou Gu in annoyance, then gritted her teeth and said, "My Sun family manages the registration of battle merits. If you can hand the Ant Colony over to my family, we can offer some conveniences when registering battle merits in the future. You should know the importance of battle merits within Balian."

The registration of battle merits could sometimes be flexible. For example, Lu Ye's current feat of partnering with Yan Hong to slay a Fusion realm cultivator was a great achievement. The exact amount of battle merits to be registered would depend on the discretion of the merits official in charge of the matter. In contrast, submitting useless Dao Bones yielded fixed battle merits that could not be altered.

However, hearing Sun Yun's words, Lu Ye understood why she had received news of the Ant Colony so quickly. The merits official responsible for registering battle merits belonged to the Sun family. After this major battle, Ziying must have sent a report back to the homeworld requesting commendations for Lu Ye and Yan Hong. If so, it would certainly have mentioned Lu Ye and Yan Hong, as Incipient realm cultivators, slaying a Fusion realm cultivator, as well as the Ant Colony. If the merits official knew about it, then it was tantamount to the Sun family knowing.

Zhou Gu smiled faintly. "My Zhou family manages the military armory. Brother, if you need to exchange for any supplies or anything else in the future, you can let me know in advance."

"Zhou Gu, you're looking for death!" Sun Yun was furious, feeling that Zhou Gu was deliberately trying to sabotage her this time. No matter what conditions she offered, he would counter her directly.

Zhou Gu's expression remained calm. "Why so angry, my dear Yun? It concerns the Ant Colony; we're simply using our own methods."

Outside the pavilion, dozens of feet away in mid-air, two figures were concealed. One was none other than Ziying, accompanied by her trusted adjutant.

"Has the message been sent?" Ziying asked.

The adjutant nodded. "It has been sent. They should be arriving soon. Are you worried they'll start fighting, my lady?"

Ziying snorted coldly. "I'm worried they *won't* fight! The main army is attacking the star, and I sent word to the homeworld for reinforcements, yet not a single Fusion realm cultivator came. Now, these two useless aristocratic descendants have Fusion realm cultivators guarding them constantly! If they're not going to fight on the battlefield and kill enemies, then what's the point of reaching the Fusion realm?!"

The adjutant broke into a cold sweat, realizing Ziying's intentions. "My lady, isn't this inappropriate? If the homeworld blames us later..."

"Then let them revoke my garrison commander position!" Ziying retorted, her eyes cold. "Aren't these two Fusion realm cultivators as well? Let them take charge instead!" She was truly angry. Her previous pleas for reinforcement had gone unanswered, yet these two clueless aristocratic descendants had Fusion realm guards accompanying them constantly. If those two Fusion realm cultivators had come to assist that day, perhaps she could have even held Fielian, and then they could have pushed straight to the Blood Cloud War Star and even destroyed the Motherworm.

In the living room, Sun Yun and Zhou Gu stared at each other, neither willing to yield. Zhou Gu had an air of having Sun Yun thoroughly outmaneuvered. Sun Yun clearly couldn't offer better terms. While she ostensibly represented the Sun family this time, she was ultimately just a Sun family descendant with limited authority. The benefits she could offer would indeed make ordinary Incipient realm cultivators flock to her, but Lu Ye seemed utterly unmoved.

Realizing her glares had no effect on Zhou Gu, Sun Yun turned her attention to Lu Ye. She turned her head and said, "Think carefully: do you want to give the Ant Colony to my Sun family or not? If I return empty-handed from this trip, my elders at home certainly won't be pleased!"

Lu Ye, who had kept his eyes lowered, suddenly looked at her. "Are you threatening me?"

"You can take it that way!" Sun Yun sneered repeatedly, and the Fusion realm cultivator behind her also stared coldly at Lu Ye.

Lu Ye looked at Zhou Gu. "Fellow Daoist Zhou, are you also going to threaten me? If so, please tell me what you have in mind."

Zhou Gu shook his head. "Even if a deal isn't made, goodwill remains. Threats are just empty words meant to scare children, Brother. You needn't pay them much mind."

Comparing their attitudes, the superiority of one was immediately apparent. But Lu Ye knew that Zhou Gu was doing this on purpose. It was laughable that Sun Yun, despite her good looks, had such questionable intelligence and was repeatedly provoked by him. What Lu Ye could be sure of was that Sun Yun hadn't gained the Sun family's full endorsement. She must have been acting privately or following instructions from a close elder. Otherwise, if the Sun family had any sense, they wouldn't have sent someone like her to negotiate. As for Zhou Gu, Lu Ye couldn't tell.

"Threatening what? Who's threatening whom?" As a somewhat weak voice sounded, a figure stepped inside.