Chapter 2843: Revisiting the Sea of Myriad Phenomena

The Wind Rises in Kyushu

"Lu Ye!" A soft cry rang out as Yiyi crashed into him.Lu Ye quickly sheathed his blade and wrapped his arm around her. Although Yiyi's spirit body lacked substance, her cultivation had reached the Dao Integration realm. If she wished, her spirit body could become almost indistinguishable from a physical one."It's over now," Lu Ye murmured, gently patting her back in comfort.Yiyi said nothing, but her arms, wrapped around Lu Ye's neck, tightened, as if she feared everything before her was just an illusion. During the life-or-death battle with the enemy just now, she had been terrified. What she feared was not her own death, but how heartbroken Lu Ye would be if she and Amber died. Fortunately, that hadn't happened, because she knew Old Tree was watching nearby and would inform Lu Ye of their situation in time. So, when the enemy launched a surprise return attack, she and Amber had focused solely on defense and delay, not offense.

Amber, panting softly, trotted back with the enemy's distant corpse in his mouth, then nudged his massive head against Lu Ye's leg, rubbing back and forth. After a long moment, Lu Ye gently held Yiyi's shoulders and positioned her in front of him. "Let me see you!"

After so many years, Yiyi hadn't changed much, though her eyes were red-rimmed. If she had a physical body, she would likely be weeping profusely at that moment."Still so tiny, aren't you?" Lu Ye said with a teasing expression.Annoyed, Yiyi playfully punched him near his eye. "Where are you looking?!"The punch held no force at all, and Lu Ye burst into laughter, reaching out to pat Amber's large head. "Amber, on the other hand, has grown quite a bit."Amber lifted his large head proudly.

"Come on, let's head back to Three Realms Island first!" Lu Ye called out.Yiyi sprang forward. "Carry me on your back!""Alright!" Lu Ye nodded, sweeping one arm behind him to support the bend of her knees as he moved swiftly.Yiyi lay on Lu Ye's back, her eyes curved in a smile, with Amber following closely by their side. Who could have imagined that the two people and one beast who met in the small Spirit Stream Battlefield all those years ago would walk together through so many years, remaining side by side even now?

On the way to Three Realms Island, Lu Ye did not ask Old Tree to exert his power. It had been unavoidable during the recent emergency, but it was unnecessary now. After all, every time Old Tree used his power, it consumed the foundations of Kyushu. With numerous Starry Sky Wormholes available, travel was convenient, and it wouldn't take much time to reach Three Realms Island. By the time Lu Ye, carrying Yiyi and accompanied by Amber, passed through several wormholes and once again saw the magnificent Myriad Manifestations Sea in the distance, only half a day had passed.

The Myriad Manifestations Sea held extraordinary significance for him; it was practically the place of his rise to prominence. Had he and Tang Jun not drifted to the Myriad Manifestations Sea back then, but to any other location, his growth would not have been nearly as rapid. The vast Myriad Manifestations Sea had provided him with too many conveniences for rapid growth.

A moment later, Lu Ye finally arrived at the Myriad Manifestations Sea. Looking up, he immediately spotted the Star Abyss Gate spanning across the sky above a certain spirit island. Originally, when the Star Abyss Gate first appeared, all cultivators in the Myriad Manifestations Sea had evacuated. After all, remaining there was extremely dangerous; no one could predict when Star Abyss beings might invade. At that stage, few cultivators in the starry sky could contend with Star Abyss beings. However, with the subsequent growth in the overall strength of starry sky cultivators, and then Lu Ye's placement of Banlan outside the Star Abyss Gate in the Illusion Extinction Galaxy, the minor crises in the starry sky were no longer a concern. The Star Abyss Gate here was guarded year-round by starry sky cultivators. Any invading enemies would be dealt with immediately. Consequently, the cultivators who had left gradually returned to the various spirit islands of the Myriad Manifestations Sea, making them lively once more.

At this very moment, cultivators of varying strengths were continuously departing through the Star Abyss Gate. Lu Ye even witnessed several Dao Integration cities moving towards this area. This clearly indicated that his massacre from half a day ago had taken effect, and the cultivators who had invaded from this Star Abyss Gate were now returning the way they came. Lu Ye observed from a distance, noting that the native cultivators of Myriad Manifestations Sea showed little fear towards these foreign cultivators. He knew Old Tree was right; the force that had invaded from this particular Star Abyss Gate had not caused much destruction in the starry sky. This made him even more curious: which force was this, and why was it so orderly and strictly regulated?

However, upon seeing a certain figure in front of the Star Abyss Gate, a possible answer immediately surfaced in his mind. He quickly swept towards that direction.

In front of the Star Abyss Gate, a figure stood silently. Many cultivators departing from there respectfully saluted him, but he remained calm, offering no response, seemingly just standing there to maintain order. Suddenly, he felt a stir and looked in a certain direction. Upon clearly seeing Lu Ye's face, he broke into a faint smile.

Lu Ye flashed before him. "Fellow Daoist Changming..."This person was, surprisingly, Changming, whom he had met in the snowy plains."Fellow Daoist Lu!" Changming nodded slightly. "It's been many years; you're a completely different person."Back in the snowy plains, if Lu Ye had possessed his current strength, Changming would likely have met an early demise."You're here, so does that mean the Star Abyss Gate connects to..."Changming replied, "Precisely, it's the domain of my Scarlet Refining City!"

Lu Ye thought to himself, 'So it is.' Changming was practically Ni Chilian's personal guard. This man had once been a powerful Cosmic-tier City Lord but had ultimately pledged allegiance to Ni Chilian, serving her devotedly. He had previously speculated whether the Star Abyss Gate here connected to the territory of one of the Ten Great Dao Integration Cities. After all, Illusion Extinction connected to Senluo City, so it wasn't strange for a similar situation to occur in Myriad Manifestations Sea. However, two of the current Ten Great Dao Integration Cities were gone. Dragon City and Phoenix Nest were impossible, as was Senluo City, leaving only the other five. Lu Ye had never imagined such a coincidence: after the Outer and Inner Realms merged, the location connected by the Star Abyss Gate had actually been integrated into Scarlet Refining City's domain. Therefore, all the foreign cultivators in Myriad Manifestations Sea belonged to Scarlet Refining City. No wonder they were so cooperative. It wasn't just fear of Lu Ye's immense strength, but also his relationship with Yuan Xi. After the anomalous projection appeared half a day ago, Scarlet Refining City would naturally cooperate immediately, ordering their cultivators to withdraw from the starry sky.

"Are your City Lord and Vice City Lord well?" Lu Ye asked.Changming chuckled. "The City Lord and Vice City Lord are currently on Three Realms Island. Why don't you ask them in person, Fellow Daoist Lu?"Lu Ye was slightly taken aback. "They're here too?""They've been here all along!"

At Three Realms Island, when Lu Ye returned with Yiyi and Amber, a sweep of his divine sense immediately detected the auras of Ni Chilian and Yuan Xi. These two were indeed here, and surprisingly, they were with Jiuyan. It wasn't surprising; Jiuyan and Chongyue had been the ones guarding Myriad Manifestations Sea back then. Now that Jiuyan had reached the Dao Integration realm, it was only natural for her to host Yuan Xi and Ni Chilian. He didn't alarm too many people. After setting Yiyi down and giving her a couple of instructions, he moved swiftly, soaring into a tall building.

Inside the elegant room, as Lu Ye's figure appeared, several gazes immediately converged on him."Speak of the devil," Ni Chilian said with a faint smile."Great Commander, long time no see!" Yuan Xi, beside Ni Chilian, smiled radiantly.Gazing at Yuan Xi, Lu Ye felt a slight daze. Although he had known it was possible, he truly hadn't expected to meet her here after their separation all those years ago."Greetings, City Lord, and greetings, City Lord Ni!" Lu Ye saluted with clasped fists. If only Yuan Xi were present, there would be no need for such formality, but with Ni Chilian, it was different. After all, she was one of the Ten Great City Lords.

Yuan Xi rose and walked to Lu Ye's side, patting his shoulder. "Why are you being so formal? Besides, I'm no longer the City Lord; you are Yuan Xi City's City Lord now."Lu Ye replied earnestly, "City Lord will always be City Lord. Without your guidance, I wouldn't be where I am today." Lu Ye had always been grateful to Yuan Xi and felt fortunate that she was the first powerful individual he encountered upon entering the Inner Realm. Otherwise, his journey in the Inner Realm would not have been so smooth and successful. It was precisely because Yuan Xi founded Yuan Xi City and took him on various expeditions that he gained the foundation to establish himself in the Inner Realm and gradually strengthen himself. Had it been any other powerful figure, even if they hadn't killed Lu Ye that day, they would never have taken him under their wing and treated him with such trust and openness. Every cultivator encounters various people on their path to growth: some are enemies, and some are benefactors. For Lu Ye, Yuan Xi was his benefactor.

"Alright, sit down, let's talk. I haven't even apologized to you yet," Yuan Xi sighed. "When I left back then, I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye.""Please don't concern yourself with it," Lu Ye shook his head. He naturally knew about what happened back then. In the snowy plains, Changming, acting on Ni Chilian's orders, had made various attempts to breach Yuan Xi City and force Yuan Xi to return. When that failed, Ni Chilian herself appeared. Under duress, Yuan Xi made a pact with Ni Chilian: if her city ever advanced to Cosmic-tier, Yuan Xi would return to Scarlet Refining City. Yuan Xi's thinking was simple: as Yuan Xi City's City Lord, wasn't it her decision when the city advanced to Cosmic-tier? If she didn't wish it, Yuan Xi City could remain at the Flood-tier indefinitely. However, during the Starry Sky Chessboard battle, Yuan Xi had no choice but to elevate her city to Cosmic-tier, seeking greater power to resolve the crisis. Afterward, Lu Ye was taken away by the Phoenix Lord, and Yuan Xi, true to her word, returned to Scarlet Refining City. Lu Ye only learned of this from You Die after returning from the Phoenix Nest.

As he spoke, Lu Ye turned his head and glanced at Jiuyan beside him. Their eyes met. Jiuyan's eyes were slightly red-rimmed, as if she had a thousand words to say, but the setting wasn't appropriate, so she could only suppress them. Lu Ye, however, disregarded the circumstances. He walked forward and pulled her into a hug. "Senior Sister!"Jiuyan instantly froze, her face flushed crimson."Oh wow!" Yuan Xi couldn't help but widen her eyes, staring unblinkingly. This truly surprised her, as she hadn't realized Lu Ye had such a relationship with the woman before her. Jiuyan had never mentioned it during their many previous conversations.