Chapter 2786: Old House Though Dilapidated, Still Provides Shelter from Wind and Rain

"You're wondering why I stood by and did nothing, even though I've been here all along, aren't you?" Si Shengya spoke slowly.

Lu Ye remained silent, but the grim expression on his face clearly conveyed his thoughts. He hadn't been in the Origin Realm for long, and had only arrived on Changyun Island a few days prior after fleeing. Besides Xia He, he only knew Chu Li, and hadn't formed many connections or friendships. Yet, they were all humans. In this battle for Changyun Island, if he hadn't laid down hidden preparations for self-preservation, the island would surely have been ravaged by now. Millions of humans would have become prisoners, unable to escape their fate of being sacrificed. And Changyun Island was not the only human settlement above the Cage Sea!

Lu Ye couldn't comprehend why Si Shengya, a Half-Saint expert, would simply watch with indifference. His appearance, moreover, was only due to the Heavenly Origin Star Plate.

"In the Origin Realm, it's a rule that Half-Saints must not interfere in the conflicts between major races. If I were to act, Half-Saints from other races would certainly not stand by, and I would undoubtedly perish!" Si Shengya sighed again, his third sigh in the short time since he appeared, filled with helplessness. "Though this old house is crumbling, it still provides some shelter from the storm. If I were to die, the humans of the Cage Sea would become complete slaves to the various foreign races, left with no place to call their own."

Lu Ye fell silent for a moment, then nodded slightly. "I mostly understand your predicament, Honored Saint," he said. The human race only had Si Shengya as a Half-Saint. If a conflict between Half-Saints were to ignite for any reason, how could Si Shengya, isolated and outnumbered, possibly contend? Thus, no matter how dire the plight of the humans above the Cage Sea became, he could only watch, utterly powerless to intervene. This had been the reality for countless years. Despite it being his first encounter with this human Half-Saint, Lu Ye could distinctly sense the profound pain and helplessness within him, conveyed in just a few words.

"'You possess the potential to become a Saint. After this, many powerful individuals will undoubtedly take notice of you. Be careful,' Si Shengya cautioned. The Shattered Cloud Saber beneath his feet spun rapidly, transforming into a fiery light that enveloped him, and he vanished from sight."

Lu Ye remained standing, a frown creasing his brow. He then turned his gaze towards the direction Fei Heng had fled, a lingering sense of unwillingness still within him. But with things as they were, pursuing Fei Heng was out of the question. Even if he could catch up, what would be the point if he couldn't seize the Heavenly Origin Star Plate?

While the human race's situation in the Outer and Inner Realms wasn't ideal, it was in the Origin Realm where they truly faced constant constraints. For some inexplicable reason, Lu Ye felt a surge of unvented frustration, concluding that this world was utterly terrible.

He turned and flew back towards Changyun Island. By the time Lu Ye returned, the major battle on the island had already concluded. At this moment, on Changyun Island, numerous human cultivators gathered in small groups, all staring with a mixture of caution and suspicion at the toxic corpses around them, each shrouded in a greenish-black aura. No one knew what exactly had transpired. The change had occurred too quickly, and the situation was simply too bizarre.

Previously, when the island's defenses were breached and the foreign army poured in, all the humans believed their doom was inevitable. But unexpectedly, chaos suddenly erupted within the enemy ranks, and for some unknown reason, vast numbers of their lives withered away. Then, these toxic corpses appeared. They still bore the characteristics of the foreign races, but devoid of life, they resembled a race of animated corpses. Crucially, these toxic corpses were not hostile towards humans; instead, they furiously attacked their former comrades. After the foreign cultivators fell in battle, any whose bodies remained relatively intact also transformed into these same toxic corpses. In this battle, aside from a few powerful Upper Harmonization cultivators who sensed the impending doom and fled, the rest were either reduced to mangled remains or transformed into toxic corpses.

Once the fighting ceased, these toxic corpses simply stood silently in place. The human cultivators on the island had never witnessed such an unsettling spectacle. No one knew how to react. From the preceding events, these toxic corpses were undoubtedly allies, yet the fact that they were transformed from deceased enemies was simply preposterous.

As Lu Ye flew back, Chu Li promptly came forward to greet him. "'Brother Lu,' he said."

Lu Ye gave a slight nod. "What's the situation?"

Chu Li's expression was unreadable as he replied, "For some reason, many of the enemies turned into these toxic corpses. With their unexpected assistance, our island was defended." He added, "Not only was it defended, but in terms of casualties, almost the entire enemy force below the Upper Harmonization realm was wiped out. Even among the Upper Harmonization cultivators, many perished and transformed into toxic corpses."

"'We had the help of a master!' Chu Li suddenly lowered his voice. 'This poison couldn't have manifested out of thin air. A master must have made prior arrangements, allowing our island to make such a miraculous comeback at the critical moment.'" As he spoke, Chu Li's gaze was fixed intently on Lu Ye, clearly harboring suspicions.

Earlier, Lu Ye had insisted on returning to Changyun Island, citing the reason that he could negotiate with Zhao Ming and Fei Heng, as Changyun Island was their last remaining foothold above the Cage Sea. However, by the time they returned, Changyun Island's defenses had already been breached, making a return at that point an undoubtedly unwise decision. Yet Lu Ye had still rushed forward. Immediately afterward, the virulent poison and the reanimation of corpses erupted. The timing was simply too coincidental. Any intelligent person, like Chu Li, would have harbored suspicions. He just couldn't be certain, as such a method seemed too extraordinary. Furthermore, Lu Ye had only been on Changyun Island for a short time; how could he have possibly orchestrated something like this? It was well known that the millions of humans on Changyun Island had not been affected by the virulent poison in the slightest, whereas not a single one of the attacking enemies seemed to have avoided it.

"'Then we should certainly give our heartfelt thanks to that master,' Lu Ye responded casually."

Chu Li stared at him for a moment, then blinked. "Indeed, we should thank them properly. But the difficulty now is that no one knows who this master is; they never revealed themselves."

"Regardless of who it is," Lu Ye replied, "since they aided our island, they must be one of our own people."

Chu Li nodded. "Brother Lu, your mindset is truly broad. However, there's still one pressing issue: what should we do with these toxic corpses?"

Lu Ye glanced around and said, "I've noticed that these toxic corpses are quite docile and obedient. The hidden master likely has a plan for them, so Brother Chu, you needn't concern yourself with them. If they remain here, they can serve as an asset to our island should enemies attack again."

Chu Li's mouth twitched involuntarily at this remark. How could these toxic corpses, shrouded in greenish-black hues, with terrifyingly grotesque faces and some with incomplete bodies, possibly be described as docile and obedient? However, from another perspective, setting aside their appearance, after the battle concluded, they had indeed remained rooted to their spots like countless wooden stakes, appearing remarkably docile and compliant.

"'Where is Changyun?' Lu Ye asked in a deep voice." He and Changyun had no prior grievances, but regardless of why Changyun had betrayed him, this animosity was now set. With the battle concluded, it was naturally time for vengeance for wrongs and retribution for grievances.

Chu Li sighed. "I haven't seen him since we returned. He must have fled the moment the island's defenses were breached. His spatial formation wasn't damaged and was still operational."

Lu Ye said, exasperated, "I should have destroyed that formation earlier!" But at that moment, as soon as the twenty of them appeared, they were surrounded by Zhao Ming and her forces, leaving no time to consider anything else.

"'Brother Lu...' Chu Li's expression was hesitant. 'Regardless, Changyun did protect our island for thousands of years and made significant contributions to our race. If the opportunity arises in the future... please give him a swift end.'"

Lu Ye tilted his head to look at him. For the first half of Chu Li's sentence, he had assumed Chu Li would plead for Changyun. However, it now seemed that even Chu Li found such an act of betrayal unforgivable. If Changyun had truly remained to fight alongside the island until death, it might be a different matter. But he fled using the spatial formation the moment the island's defenses were breached. For someone like that, no matter how significant his past contributions, they cannot compensate for this betrayal.

"'Consider it done!' Lu Ye nodded." If he didn't encounter him, so be it. But if he did, Lu Ye would show Changyun absolutely no mercy.

The battle with Zhao Ming had actually carried considerable risk. The Blood and Feather races she brought with her must have come from elsewhere, not drawn from Changyun Island, as they were entirely unaffected by any poison. At that point, Lu Ye couldn't even utilize the power of the Myriad Poison Fruit and had to rely solely on his own strength to defeat his enemies. Zhao Ming's mistake lay in leveraging the power of the Blood race. Had she truly brought hundreds of Feather race Harmonization cultivators, with the bizarre nature of her treasured Sky Weaving Needle, Lu Ye might have found an opportunity to escape, but Chu Li and the others would certainly have faced a grim fate. Instead, she chose to bring the Blood race to spread their sea of blood, which inadvertently provided Lu Ye with an opportunity to unleash his full potential.

"'One more matter,' Chu Li said, his expression suddenly solemn. He clasped his hands and bowed respectfully. 'At present, our island is without a leader, and its defenses are shattered. Therefore, I would like to ask Brother Lu to take charge of our island and protect the safety of our people.'"

Lu Ye shook his head. "Without proper authority, one cannot command respect. I have only just arrived. To rashly assume such a high position would undoubtedly cause unrest. At this critical juncture, the responsibility of Island Master can, I believe, only be borne by you, Brother Chu."

Chu Li replied earnestly, "Others may not know, but I am well aware that Brother Lu's strength far surpasses my own. If Brother Lu is willing to assume the role of Island Master, I and the other commanders of this island will undoubtedly offer our full support. As for being a newcomer, that is absolutely no issue."

"Brother Chu," Lu Ye stated, "I truly have no desire for the position of Island Master, so there's no need to try and persuade me further."

"'But...'" Chu Li was about to speak further when Lu Ye raised a hand to stop him. "'Brother Chu, do you perhaps feel your own strength is insufficient? What if someone else were to support you?'"

"'Of course, I know Brother Lu would support me,' Chu Li replied with a wry smile."

"'Not just me, what if that master of poison control were to support you?'"

"'Hmm?' Chu Li was puzzled, thinking, 'Aren't you that master of poison control? What kind of talk is this?'"

An incense stick's time later, countless human cultivators on Changyun Island erupted into an uproar. The toxic corpses, which had been standing silently in place since the battle concluded, suddenly moved in unison as if responding to a command, gathering towards a single location. Gradually, more and more toxic corpses converged in that area, forming a dense, sprawling army. It could be said that almost eighty percent of the foreign cultivators who had come to attack Changyun Island had transformed into toxic corpses and were now standing there. The sight was both spectacular and deeply unsettling. Simply put, if such an army of toxic corpses were to suddenly launch an assault, Changyun Island, in its current state, would be utterly indefensible.