Chapter 2241: Banquet Guests Can't Finish Eating

"They're gone," Lu Ye thought, finding it amusing. He recalled how, back then, this fellow hadn't paid any attention to You Die, but now he feared her like a tiger.

"You mentioned before that the Bifu were crafted from your scales, and, in conjunction with the trials in the ruins, could be used for selection. How many Bifu did you refine at that time?" Nine Infants pondered for a moment before replying, "The number wasn't huge, but there were certainly twenty of them." Even with its profound expertise in artifact refining, creating a single Bifu was challenging. Most of its scales were consumed in failed attempts, and it only managed to complete twenty.

"Twenty!" Lu Ye exclaimed, raising an eyebrow. "That number isn't right."

Currently, there are only four Bifu known: two with humanity, one with the giant race, and one hidden in the medicinal garden. That only makes a total of four.

That's a far cry from twenty.

This implies that many more Bifu are still unaccounted for.

The Bifu is a formidable weapon for those at the Dao Entry level. While it might not be as impactful against Dao Fusion masters, its significance on the battlefield should never be underestimated. In any war zone or battlefield, Dao Fusion experts are typically matched by equally powerful opponents, often resulting in a stalemate where victory can be achieved but life or death is rarely decided. At such a critical juncture, a Dao Entry expert wielding a Bifu could become unstoppable, using a minor advantage to turn the tide of the entire battlefield. Lu Ye had done exactly this before, and it had proven effective every single time.

However, throughout history, none of the three factions within the Splendor realm have easily deployed Bifu wielders onto the battlefield. Compared to slaying enemies on the battlefield, they bore a more crucial mission: exploring the ruins. But now, with no further need to explore the ruins, Bifu wielders can fully participate in combat. Over ten Bifu are still missing, and finding them would greatly benefit any faction.

"Can you find them?" Lu Ye asked.

Nine Infants chuckled. "Since the Bifu were refined from my scales, of course, I can find them. It's just that in my current state, I can't go searching." Then, a touch of curiosity entered its voice: "What do you need to find the Bifu for, young friend?"

Lu Ye possessed the power of a hundred Daos. While the Bifu was impressive, even if it were perfectly compatible with him, it wouldn't offer significant help.

"You don't need to concern yourself with that!" Lu Ye said, offering no explanation. "What you need to consider is how to locate those Bifu, given the current circumstances."

Nine Infants fell silent in contemplation, then after a moment, said, "If you insist, young friend, then I can only borrow your physical body for a while."

Lu Ye gave it a calm look. Nine Infants quickly added, "Young friend, please don't misunderstand. Since we are bound by an oath, I would never harm you. Furthermore, in my current state, I couldn't do anything to you anyway. But if you wish to find the Bifu, I can only borrow your physical body to sense their locations." Lu Ye nodded. "Will You Die discover it?"

If this wisp of Nine Infants' spirit occupied his body, it was highly likely that You Die would detect something unusual. Nine Infants clearly considered this as well, chuckling, "That will depend on how you explain it, young friend. Although that insect queen is formidable, she would never imagine that my true form hasn't completely perished, and that I'm getting along so well with you."

Lu Ye understood. "Alright, if she asks, I'll just come up with some excuse." He believed You Die wouldn't press for details, especially since she was currently utterly captivated by the burning power of the Talent Tree.

"Are there any other preparations needed?" Lu Ye asked again.

"No need."

"Then let's begin."

Nine Infants' expression turned serious. "Please, young friend, do not resist!"

Lu Ye composed himself, fully immersing himself in his spiritual sea and severing his connection with his physical body. The next moment, a peculiar aura enveloped Lu Ye. You Die immediately sensed it, her divine consciousness surging to probe in their direction. Nine Infants, however, showed no reservations or fear. It merely didn't want You Die to discover that it was still alive; it wasn't truly afraid of her. Bound by their oath, Lu Ye couldn't allow it to perish.

About fifteen minutes later, within the spiritual sea, Nine Infants' spiritual consciousness returned. Its originally ethereal form had become even more transparent, indicating a significant expenditure of energy.

"How was it?" Lu Ye quickly asked. "I did not fail my mission," Nine Infants replied, still looking very proud despite its weakness. Since the Bifu were refined from its scales and the Splendor realm was its Dao Armament, it could easily sense the precise locations of the Bifu as long as they remained within the Splendor.

"Tell me the locations of those Bifu!" Lu Ye quickly urged.

Nine Infants promptly began to recount them.

After listening for a while, Lu Ye raised a hand to stop it. "Never mind, you're not explaining it clearly this way. Just mark them on the star map for me." Indeed, the Bifu's locations couldn't be accurately conveyed by words alone.

"Good idea."

A moment later, Lu Ye took out a star map and, as Nine Infants described the locations, gradually marked them down. You Die had been secretly observing him; clearly, the recent anomaly had made her wary. However, she didn't press for details. A short while later, seeing no further anomalies from Lu Ye, she withdrew her divine sense.

After recording all the markings, Lu Ye took out his Alliance Guard token and sent out a message. He secretly felt fortunate that he hadn't destroyed the token back then, or he wouldn't have been able to contact anyone. His Alliance Guard token could currently only connect with one person: Yan Hong, whom he had recently encountered in the ruins.

Almost immediately after the message was sent, Yan Hong replied, "Brother Lu, is something wrong?"

Lu Ye replied, "I want to make a deal with the War Alliance!"

In the starry sky, Yan Hong was flying swiftly. Since leaving the ruins, he had been on his way back to his home planet. There was no longer any need to explore the ruins. Huang Zhihuan of the Huang family was already in seclusion, preparing for his advancement to the Dao Fusion realm, and Yan Hong intended to do the same. He had only recently parted ways with Lu Ye, so receiving such a sudden message from him, especially about making a deal with the War Alliance, struck him as rather odd.

Beside him, a middle-aged man was escorting him—Yan Yong, whom Lu Ye had met before. Noticing Yan Hong's odd behavior, Yan Yong gave him a curious look. "Who's contacting you?"

"Brother Lu Ye," Yan Hong replied, not hiding anything. His relationship with Yan Yong was excellent; Yan Yong had even escorted him all the way to the ruins on this trip, and he had reported every detail of his meeting with Lu Ye in the ruins previously.

"What does he want with you?" Yan Yong asked, raising an eyebrow. "Could it be related to the ruins?" There were undoubtedly secrets within the ruins, and Lu Ye certainly knew something. Unfortunately, Yan Hong hadn't been able to uncover any information, which had left Yan Yong feeling quite vexed. So, naturally, he had his suspicions.

Yan Hong shook his head. "No, Brother Lu said he wants to make a deal with the War Alliance." "Make a deal with the War Alliance?" Yan Yong frowned. What kind of transaction would require the War Alliance's direct involvement? Moreover, Lu Ye's identity was currently very sensitive. If one claimed he was a spy for the Blood Insects, he had previously killed two of their Dao Fusion masters. Yet, if one claimed he was loyal to humanity, his actions remained secretive.

It was acceptable for Yan Hong to contact him privately, but if too many people became aware, it could impact the Yan family. However, cutting off contact with Lu Ye was also difficult, as the Yan family still hoped to glean secrets about the ruins from him. Furthermore, the Yan family had previously traded with Lu Ye for a Bifu, which had seemed highly profitable at the time. Yet, now, it appeared less so, perhaps even a loss, because the ruins no longer held any exploration value, diminishing the Bifu's importance. Nevertheless, it was undeniably still a formidable Dao artifact. The Military Affairs Department had also made a deal with Lu Ye, acquiring the "Connected Spirit" Dao pattern.

"Ask him what kind of deal he wants to make," Yan Yong said after a moment's thought. There was no harm in asking. Lu Ye, this Dao Entry expert, gave him a strange impression; the only two transactions they'd made clearly indicated that whatever he offered was extremely valuable. Now that he wanted to trade with the War Alliance, it suggested he possessed something of significant interest to them.

Yan Hong had already asked and immediately replied, "Brother Lu said the item he wants to trade is Bifu!"

Yan Yong's eyes lit up. "Ask him the price. If it's reasonable, my Yan family will take it; there'll be no need to involve the War Alliance." Although the ruins no longer held exploration value, the Bifu was still a valuable item. While Yan Hong already possessed one, no one would ever complain about having more such treasures.

A few moments later, Yan Hong gave a wry smile. "He said the Yan family couldn't 'take it all'!"

Yan Yong was stunned. "It's just one Bifu. How could we not take it? This kid is really underestimating my Yan family."

Yan Hong's expression was strange as he stared blankly at his uncle. "He said it's not just one!"

"What do you mean?" Yan Yong asked, bewildered.

The Human Race War Alliance had previously speculated that Lu Ye possessed a Bifu with an exceptionally high degree of compatibility, reasoning that otherwise, even Huang Zhihuan wouldn't have been his match. However, recent events had led many high-ranking War Alliance officials to realize that Lu Ye's immense strength seemed unrelated to the Bifu; he could even slay Dao Fusion masters of the fifth and sixth stages, which was beyond the capability of a single Bifu. Moreover, this time, Yan Hong had even met Lu Ye inside the ruins. Yan Yong was now completely unsure of Lu Ye's true cultivation level. If he was Dao Entry, his strength was absurdly powerful. If he was Dao Fusion, how could he have entered the ruins? After Yan Hong emerged from the ruins, Yan Yong specifically tried to enter himself but found he couldn't.

Bifu had always been rare; there were only a handful in the entire Splendor realm. How many could Lu Ye possibly possess?

"Brother Lu said that if the War Alliance is willing to trade with him, ten Bifu are no problem."

"How is that possible?" Yan Yong exclaimed. Ten Bifu—this number undoubtedly made Yan Yong incredulous.

Yan Hong gave a wry smile. "Brother Lu shouldn't be lying to me," he said, though he himself could barely believe it.

Yan Yong's expression turned grim. Ten Bifu—if that were truly the case, the Yan family really couldn't handle such a transaction. But why did this situation feel so inexplicable?

"Ask him the price. And how does he want to conduct the transaction?"

Yan Hong sent the message as instructed.

Inside the insect nest, Lu Ye looked at Yan Hong's message and hesitated for a moment; he wasn't entirely sure about the price of Bifu. He had previously traded one Bifu with the Yan family and received considerable benefits, though the most useful aspect for him was the monthly supply of two hundred Dao Bones. But times had changed. After the ruins lost their exploration value, the Bifu's importance had also diminished; it was now merely a powerful Dao artifact. He also recalled his previous experience within the Hunter Hawk, where a top-grade Dao artifact was valued at eight hundred Dao Bones. Bifu were superior to top-grade Dao artifacts, so their price would surely be higher. With a plan in mind, he sent a message.