Chapter 2246: Occupation of Another's Nest

Lu Ye's voice was not particularly loud, but propelled by his Sun-Illumination power, it reverberated in layers, rapidly spreading outwards until it covered the entire Myriad Manifestations Sea.

In just a brief moment, all the cultivators throughout the Myriad Manifestations Sea heard his proclamation.

At the edge of the Myriad Manifestations Sea, the six Sun-Illuminated cultivators from their home galaxy, who had fled there in a panic, all abruptly turned their heads.

"How dare he!" Mo Wenli gnashed his teeth and growled. "This is clearly an attempt to usurp our control!"

The Myriad Manifestations Sea had always belonged to their home galaxy. While there had been several crises before, no one had ever managed to overturn their home galaxy's dominant position—until today...

Three of the original five Sun-Illuminated guardians had died. Although four more had arrived as reinforcements, no one could defend against that strange golden light. Now they were fleeing in panic, having lost all face.

Furthermore, they had been powerless when faced with the formidable might of the Formless Palace. Yet, Lu Ye had forced the Formless Palace to leave behind all the looted resources.

Countless cultivators witnessed such a stark contrast. The current situation made it clear that Lu Ye was far more capable than them of safeguarding the interests of the Myriad Manifestations Sea and better protecting its cultivators against powerful external invaders.

If Lu Ye truly intended to usurp control and seize dominion over the Myriad Manifestations Sea, their home galaxy would genuinely have no recourse.

"Recall Jiuyan!" Yuan Se transmitted a message as his divine sense surged, his expression ashen.

Given the current situation, they were already powerless. They could only recall Jiuyan and have her handle the matter. They had heard that Jiuyan had always had a good relationship with Three Realms Island; perhaps if she intervened, there might still be room for maneuver. Otherwise, if someone else truly seized the Myriad Manifestations Sea, their home galaxy would become a complete laughingstock in the entire cultivation world.

Lu Ye's voice rang out again: "All resources plundered by the Formless Palace will be temporarily stored on this island. Each major spirit island should tally its own losses. In ten days, you may come to this island to claim the corresponding looted resources."

As soon as he finished speaking, on a distant reef island, Mang Dang's eyes darted, and he immediately shouted, "Is Island Master Lu's word true? Are you truly willing to return the plundered resources to the major spirit islands?"

He had an expression of excitement, as if he had suffered immense losses in the previous incident. But in reality, he had foresight: long before the Formless Palace attacked Five-Color Island, he had already left with a large amount of resources and cultivators. Although Five-Color Island had sustained some damage, the losses were actually not significant.

His current declaration was undoubtedly in agreement with Lu Ye's words, as he had vaguely perceived Lu Ye's intentions.

For a grand island master of a top-tier spirit island like him to voice his agreement would undoubtedly facilitate the unfolding of Lu Ye's plan.

Not just him; throughout the entire Myriad Manifestations Sea, countless cultivators revealed expressions of pleasant surprise at that moment.

After this incident, countless people had died, and all the major top-tier spirit islands, as well as some high-grade ones, had suffered calamity.

The dead could not be brought back to life, and they hadn't given much thought to the plundered resources, even though Lu Ye had already forced the Formless Palace members to leave everything behind.

No one had expected that Lu Ye would actually be willing to return them; this was undoubtedly a pleasant surprise.

Intelligent individuals could discern that this was Lu Ye's move to win over hearts. If he wanted to control the Myriad Manifestations Sea, he would naturally need the support of the forces behind the major spirit islands. Paying some price to gain the support of numerous forces would undoubtedly make it easier and more effective to establish control over the Myriad Manifestations Sea.

Compared to the benefits he would gain in the future, what did these current expenditures amount to? Moreover, these items were originally acquired by him from counter-looting the Formless Palace.

Even knowing this, Lu Ye's action still generated widespread goodwill. Many secretly praised Lu Ye for his broad vision, believing that if someone with less foresight had been in his position, they would likely have already claimed all the resources for themselves.

"Naturally, it is true!" Lu Ye nodded slightly, his voice spreading in all directions. He then continued, "Furthermore, after this incident, forces behind the various large and small spirit islands may send Sun-Illuminated cultivators to investigate the situation. I ask that you all inform your respective Sun-Illuminated cultivators: upon arriving in the Myriad Manifestations Sea, please report and register at Three Realms Island immediately. And do not cause any further trouble. The rules of the Myriad Manifestations Sea remain the same as before. Any who dare to violate them will not be easily spared by Three Realms Island!"

To be fair, the previous rules of the Myriad Manifestations Sea were quite effective. Under their various constraints, they ensured that even if conflicts broke out in the Myriad Manifestations Sea, they wouldn't escalate significantly, making governance and control very convenient.

While admittedly some rules were rather unfeeling, they had been in place for countless millennia and were deeply entrenched. Lu Ye did not intend to change them too much. Since Three Realms Island had only just taken over the Myriad Manifestations Sea, some matters could not be rushed; thus, continuing to use the previous rules was the best approach.

Thousands of storage rings were collected by Lu Ye into his Small Flower Realm. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he gave a signal, and several figures followed closely behind him, sweeping towards Three Realms Island.

After he left, more news was disseminated by individual cultivators to various locations.

Today's battle had turned the Myriad Manifestations Sea upside down. This treasure trove, governed by their home galaxy for countless years, had completely changed hands. Such a major event was rare across the entire starry sky, and the forces behind the top-tier and high-grade spirit islands naturally needed to obtain firsthand intelligence.

And this battle today was destined to be recorded in history. After all, seven Sun-Illuminated cultivators alone had fallen. In a single battle, the local galaxy suffered severe damage, the Formless Palace was humiliated, while the Grand Island Master of Three Realms Island, who had only recently advanced to the Sun-Illumination stage, reaped immense benefits.

The fact that Lu Ye controlled a golden light artifact with powerful sealing abilities, even against Sun-Illuminated cultivators, also rapidly spread as the news circulated. While a newly advanced Sun-Illuminated cultivator was not particularly remarkable, such a strange and difficult-to-defend-against artifact was something no one could take lightly.

The crucial point was that such an artifact had been activated multiple times during just one day of fighting!

And it was precisely this artifact that gave a newly advanced Sun-Illuminated cultivator the confidence to declare dominion over the Myriad Manifestations Sea.

Three Realms Island. Lu Ye and the others returned.

Ma Bin immediately entered the spirit jade mine to recover and heal. This battle not only negated more than a year of his previous healing efforts but also significantly worsened his injuries. Before, in front of outsiders, he had forcibly suppressed them, but now that he had returned to Three Realms Island, he could no longer suppress them.

Lu Ye personally escorted him into the spirit jade mine and only felt relieved after seeing him enter a state of recovery.

Coming out, Lu Ye saw Luan Xiao'e and Yan Miao waiting outside. He glanced at Yan Miao and instructed, "Grand Elder, I trouble you to return and bring back the Azure Seashell. Also, inform the cultivators on this island of the changes here."

Previously, when Three Realms Island cultivators evacuated, the Azure Seashell had been taken to the Mermaid territory by Second Senior Sister. If they wished to return now, they would first need to bring the Azure Seashell back and blow it on this island to open the portal to the underwater realm.

This task was not difficult for Yan Miao, who had already advanced to the Sun-Illumination stage. It should only take a few days.

"Understood!" Yan Miao immediately nodded in agreement, flashed out of Three Realms Island, and plunged into the sea, disappearing from sight.

"Junior Brother, what do I need to do?" Luan Xiao'e asked.

Lu Ye looked at her, then at Hua Ci, who was standing not far away. He said, "There's nothing specific you need to do for now. I trouble you, Senior Sister, to look after Hua Ci."

Although he had established his reputation in today's battle, it was not primarily through his own abilities but rather by relying on the golden light power of the Pixiu.

His own strength was actually not enough to occupy or even rule the Myriad Manifestations Sea.

Although it was unlikely anyone would come to Three Realms Island to cause trouble at the moment, some precautions still had to be taken. Hua Ci was the Pixiu's master, so absolutely nothing could happen to her.

With Luan Xiao'e personally protecting her, it would be more reassuring.

He actually wanted to have a good talk with Hua Ci, because from this encounter, she seemed a bit off; she seemed to have truly lost her memory.

But now was not the time; he still had problems of his own to solve.

In front of the spirit jade mine entrance, Lu Ye sat down cross-legged. Currently, Three Realms Island's protective formation had not yet been rebuilt, leaving the entire spirit island in an undefended state. This was also the most vulnerable time for external invasion. By guarding this spot, he could better protect Ma Bin, who was recovering.

Immersing his consciousness, he felt the changes within himself.

After advancing to the Sun-Illumination stage, his spiritual power, physical body, and even soul power had all increased significantly. This was a complete transformation brought about by a major realm advancement.

Furthermore, as his realm gradually stabilized, this growth would slowly continue for a period, though not as intensely as initially.

Currently, in his cultivation of the Three Flowers, he had already condensed the Flower of Body and the Flower of Qi. His next step was to condense the Flower of Spirit when he reached the peak of the Sun-Illumination realm.

This should not be too difficult for him, because the Seven-Colored Divine Lotus had continuously nurtured his soul, causing his soul power to constantly grow. Moreover, he could enter sacred places like the Ancestral Land of the Soul Clan at any time.

Cultivating soul power in such places would definitely yield twice the results with half the effort.

Looking at the entire Three Flowers cultivation process, only the condensation of the Flower of Qi required significant effort and time. Once past this hurdle, the rest would be smooth sailing.

Lu Ye greatly anticipated what changes would occur within him once the Flower of Spirit condensed, and what secrets the Three Flowers truly held. But that was still a long time away.

Right now, he had an urgent problem that needed to be resolved...

As his consciousness sank deeper, he could clearly see a black fruit hanging on the branch of his Talent Tree. He could feel a chilling and ominous aura emanating from within the fruit.

If he listened carefully, he seemed to hear faint wails emanating from within.

In a calm state of mind, this black fruit seemed to have no effect on him. But Lu Ye knew that once his emotions fluctuated, the fruit would cause a tremendous distortion in his disposition...

Several times today, during his confrontations, his heart had been filled with brutality. When he captured the Sun-Illuminated cultivator from the Formless Palace, he even felt an impulse to devour them—a greedy craving and addiction, having tasted the essence.

Fortunately, he didn't actually do it...

But he could resist this time. What about next time, or the time after that?

Lu Ye did not want to become a second Chao Nian, so he had to find a way to deal with this black fruit.