Chapter 2787: Sevenfold Perfection

Many human cultivators watched with bated breath as the army of poisonous corpses gathered in one place, vast in scale and formidable in formation. This was undoubtedly a force capable of leveling Changyun Island. Fortunately, none of the poisonous corpses made any unusual movements.

Suddenly, at one moment, everyone's gaze turned towards a single direction. Amidst the dense army of poisonous corpses, a figure soared into the sky. Dressed in white like snow, wearing a white windbreaker with a hood covering his face, his true appearance was obscured. Yet, he was unmistakably alive. Everyone's spirits lifted, and they immediately realized one thing: this white-robed figure must be the mastermind behind this army of poisonous corpses. Otherwise, how could he emerge from among them?

In the crowd, Chu Li, who had already received Lu Ye's instructions, approached with a strange expression, accompanied by many human powerhouses.

"Brother Taibai!" Chu Li said, cupping his fist slightly as he got closer.

The white-robed cultivator immediately returned the greeting, "Brother Chu, it's been many years; your demeanor remains as impressive as ever."

A subtle twitch appeared at the corner of Chu Li's mouth. Hearing the white-robed cultivator's words, others would surely assume they were old acquaintances. Yet, Chu Li knew full well that he had never met this Brother Taibai before; today was their first encounter, and he was here following Lu Ye's instructions. His gaze subtly shifted to the side, where Lu Ye stood quietly among the crowd.

Chu Li was filled with doubt. Could it be that the master of poison control was truly the person before him, and not Lu Ye? Because, in his perception, this individual's strength was unfathomable, definitely not a clone or a dharma body.

"Many thanks for your assistance, Brother Taibai, in resolving our island's crisis," Chu Li said with a solemn bow. "On behalf of the island's millions of inhabitants, I express our gratitude, Brother Taibai. We, on this island, will never forget this great kindness!"

At his words, many cultivators beside him also bowed in unison, "Thank you, Fellow Daoist Taibai. We will never forget this great kindness today." The sound spread, extending in all directions, a ripple of gratitude that resonated across the entire Changyun Island. And through Chu Li's words, everyone finally confirmed one thing: this individual named Taibai was indeed the master of poison control, and the owner of the current army of poisonous corpses. Immediately, the gazes directed towards him were filled with gratitude and awe.

Taibai nodded slightly and said, "You humble yourselves too much. In the Canghai, our human race is treated like mere animals. As a human, encountering such a calamity, I naturally rendered assistance to the best of my ability... By the way, may I ask where the island master of this island is? Why has he not shown himself?"

Chu Li's expression darkened. "I heard that when the island's defenses were breached, the island master fled in a hurry and has not been seen since."

Upon hearing this, Li Taibai couldn't help but snort coldly. "In the Canghai, Changyun was considered quite a figure; I've heard of him for a long time. Yet, I didn't expect him to be such a cowardly, fame-seeking opportunist."

At his words, countless cultivators around them showed expressions of shame and indignation. They had lived on this island for many years, already considering it their home, and had previously held Changyun in high esteem. But at such a crucial moment, Changyun had fled alone, which they found truly unacceptable.

Amidst the silence, a cultivator next to Chu Li spoke up, "Commander Chu, as the saying goes, 'A nation cannot be without a ruler for a day, and an island cannot be without a master for a day.' That old dog Changyun ran away, but the island's millions of inhabitants are still here and will need to survive in the future. Without protection, they will sooner or later become sacrificial offerings for foreign races. Commander Chu, you currently hold the highest prestige on this island; please take up the position of island master!"

Beneath the white hood, Li Taibai's eyebrow subtly arched. He discreetly glanced at the speaking cultivator and immediately recognized him as one of those who had survived the previous battle against Zhaoming. He had just been wondering whether to bring up the topic himself, but someone had beaten him to it. However, this approach would undoubtedly yield better results.

After this cultivator finished speaking, many immediately echoed his sentiments.

"That's right, Commander Chu," "The position of island master cannot be vacant. With Changyun gone, this island can only rely on you.""Please, Commander Chu, succeed him as island master.""We greet the Island Master!"

Amidst the clamor, Chu Li's identity as the island master was thus solidified. He hastily waved his hand, saying, "You think too highly of me, gentlemen. You all know my strength. How can I possibly be worthy of succeeding as island master?"

The cultivator who had spoken first said, "During the previous battle, Changyun, as island master, didn't even show his face. What good is such an island master, no matter how strong he is? In contrast, Commander Chu led from the front, fighting enemies in all directions—we all witnessed it. If anyone other than Commander Chu succeeds as island master of this island, I will not be convinced!"

"Exactly! The position of island master rightfully belongs to Commander Chu!""As for strength, with Fellow Daoist Taibai's army of poisonous corpses, the island's defensive capabilities are far superior to before. Even if powerful enemies attack again, there will likely be no need for the island master to act.""That's absolutely right!"

Li Taibai smiled faintly and said, "Brother Chu, you have the popular support, so please don't decline. In these perilous times, decisive action is necessary."

Chu Li nodded slightly, his expression firm. He cupped his fist and said, "Since you brothers think so highly of me, then today, I, Chu, will assume the position of island master. In the future, I ask for your strong support in jointly safeguarding the peace of this island!"

"We greet the Island Master!"

After Chu Li assumed the position of island master, many orders were immediately issued. The first priority was to repair the island's protective grand array and the magic arrays along the defensive lines. The hunt was not yet over. Although Changyun Island had overcome one major challenge, no one could guarantee there wouldn't be a second. If there were a second attack, the invading enemy forces would likely not be on the same scale as before. Having suffered a setback, the enemy would undoubtedly dispatch even stronger forces.

He then ordered the island's treasury to be opened and a large quantity of cultivation and healing resources to be distributed based on merit. Unfortunately, after Changyun's sweep, there wasn't much left of value in the island's treasury. This made Chu Li hate Changyun fiercely. It was bad enough that the fellow fled when the island's defenses were breached, but he even absconded with all the valuable items from the treasury. This made it difficult to rebuild the island's defensive lines now. Fortunately, with the addition of the army of poisonous corpses, this army could be dispersed to fill some gaps in the defensive lines, making the island's protection even stronger than before.

At this time, in a mansion, Lu Ye was simultaneously engraving Dao Marks within his small world and deciphering the restrictions on storage rings. In front of him, storage rings were piled almost into a small mountain! These were all his spoils of war. The reason for such a large quantity was partly from killing enemies, but that was a small portion. The bulk of his gains came from the army of poisonous corpses. Each of those poisonous corpses had its own storage ring, which had been collected by his clone and sent to his main body. Anyway, the poisonous corpses no longer needed these items. The wealth of cultivators in the Source Realm was indeed richer than in the Inner Realm. Accumulating little by little, like grains of sand forming a tower, it could be said that Lu Ye's fortune skyrocketed after this battle. Even Dao Fish, he didn't know how many he would acquire.

At one point, with the engraving of a Dao Mark, Lu Ye's spirit was instantly invigorated. The Inner Heaven Secret Art, the seventh level, was finally perfected. This meant he could no longer engrave more Dao Marks unless he cultivated the Small World Secret Art to the next level. Without needing too careful an inspection, Lu Ye could clearly discern that the perfection of the seventh level of the Inner Heaven Secret Art had brought him a foundational strength increase of 4,500 Dao! Compared to when he first arrived in the Source Realm, his foundational strength had increased by a full 1,000 Dao. This meant that if he unleashed his full power now, he would possess over 6,300 Dao of strength!

Compared to orthodox cultivation systems, the Inner Heaven Secret Art brought an immense increase to his own strength. The first few levels didn't show much; the first level only gave 100 Dao, the second 300, and the third only 600. But the higher the cultivation level, the greater the continuous increase in power. This is only the seventh level. What about the eighth? How much of an increase would it bring upon perfection?

While the strength increase was significant, the consumption was also considerable. Engraving each Dao Mark in the Inner Heaven required almost ten thousand Dao Power. This increase of 1,000 Dao in strength meant a consumption of over ten million Dao Power. Had Lu Ye not previously sold several attribute treasures and acquired a batch of Dao Fish from those families, he truly wouldn't have been able to afford it. Furthermore, with the assistance of the Talent Tree, even with Dao Fish, he wouldn't have had the capacity to refine them so quickly. It could be said that the complementary relationship between a large number of Dao Fish and the Talent Tree was what led to his rapid increase in strength.

He suddenly thought of that fellow, Xue Jiu! Since their parting that day, he hadn't known where Xue Jiu had gone. If they were to meet again, Xue Jiu would surely be greatly surprised, because Lu Ye estimated his current strength was completely on par with, if not superior to, his own.

For now, there was no room for further progress in cultivation because Lu Ye did not have any Dao-Integration Bead fragments. Within his Inner Heaven, the quality of the Dao-Integration Bead was above 'Flood' level but below 'Cosmos' level. If the Dao-Integration Bead's quality did not improve, he could not cultivate the Inner Heaven Secret Art further. He wondered if there were any Dao-Integration Bead fragments in this Source Realm!

Lu Ye then took out another item: a giant bronze hammer-shaped attribute treasure, which was left behind after Zhaoming and Feiheng's offspring died in battle. It had originally been in Chu Li's possession. However, the day before yesterday, Chu Li had sent someone to deliver this treasure. Perhaps because there were no other special benefits to offer Lu Ye, and seeing Lu Ye previously selling attribute treasures to gather Dao Fish, Chu Li made this gesture. Moreover, this attribute treasure was completely useless in Chu Li's hands, so it was better to give it to Lu Ye to foster a closer relationship. In his opinion, no matter what relationship Li Taibai had with Lu Ye, Lu Ye seemed to be the dominant figure between them, so getting on good terms with Lu Ye could only be beneficial. He still needed to rely on the power of these two to protect the island.

This attribute treasure was rather unconventional; it was useless to Chu Li, and also useless to Lu Ye. Therefore, he decided to make an attempt. He wanted to see what would happen if he allowed the Talent Tree to devour an attribute treasure, transforming it into nourishment for the fruits on the tree.