Sage of Humanity-Chapter 1572 - 1570: Returned
"Old, old, truly old!" on the starship, Wuchang muttered to himself.
Once upon a time, they were the powerful figures who dominated an era above the Nine Provinces. In their respective times, they were unrivaled across the Nine Provinces. It was under their leadership that their sects established the solid foundation of a 1st grade sect.
Later, when they were sent to the Blood Refinement World by the Nine Provinces Heaven's Augury, although the situation was somewhat difficult, those Blood Race cultivators were no more than a large crowd, and they were not afraid. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞
It was not until the Nine Provinces ascended to a large domain and set foot in stellar space that they truly realized their own insignificance.
Everything had to start from scratch. The many dangers in stellar space were unimaginable to their former selves. Not to mention, the beast group just now had chased the four of them into a desperate situation, yet this group of beasts that left them helpless was resolved by Lu Ye in three breaths.
In terms of age, each of them was much older than Lu Ye, and in terms of cultivation, they were originally much stronger than Lu Ye. Back in the Blood Refinement World, who among them hadn't taught Lu Ye?
But after a few years of not seeing him, Lu Ye's strength had become something they could only look up to.
However, none of the four felt depressed; instead, they were somewhat excited and expectant. For they had witnessed the majesty of great power firsthand. Anyone capable of dominating an era, even someone as aloof as Wuchang, was undoubtedly of high spirit and pride.
If Lu Ye could achieve such feats, they believed they too could one day do the same. All they lacked was the accumulation of foundation.
The crystal cores from the star beasts previously slain had been collected by the group, and the starship was heading towards the lair of the beast group. According to Wuchang, there were many spirit jades on that desolate planet, and it was while collecting spirit jade that they encountered the beast group attack.
Since it was on their way, Lu Ye took them along.
Halfway through the journey, Lu Ye inquired about the situation in the Nine Provinces over the recent years. He learned that after he disappeared back then, the Nine Provinces withdrew all the cultivators earning battle merit by slaying the Corpse Race in the Unparalleled Continent, leaving only a portion of constellations here to monitor the area. They were part of that portion.
Originally, they were on guard against retaliation from the Qingli Dao World, but no outsiders had been seen for several years. Since three years ago, the Unparalleled Continent had reopened. Many cultivators from the Nine Provinces were sent to the Unparalleled Continent for tempering, but the necessary vigilance remained in place, along with a set of emergency retreat plans. In case of constellation-level warfare on the Unparalleled Continent, the cultivators there could immediately return to the Nine Provinces.
At present, in the stellar space surrounding the Unparalleled Continent, there were quite a few Nine Provinces constellations, roughly about five hundred. Some had been here since earlier, while others slowly made their way here, which also served as a type of dispersion. After all, if everyone stayed in the Nine Provinces, the resources for cultivation would become scarce. A portion coming to the Unparalleled Continent could seek more spirit jade.
Among those Lu Ye was close to, the sect master, his master, the senior brother and his wife, and Nian Yuexian were all on the Unparalleled Continent. They seemed to have formed a team and were moving around together. However, because their exact location was not fixed, contacting them was not always possible and required going through several people for message transmission.
Lu Ye took out his audio talisman to check and found he couldn't reach the sect master and others, likely because they were out of range for the communication.
This aspect was not as good here on the Unparalleled Continent compared to near the Nine Provinces. Over there, with Number Nine, as long as cultivators weren't too far from the Nine Provinces, Number Nine could pinpoint their exact location, while here they could only rely on audio talismans.
Unable to contact them temporarily, Lu Ye wasn't anxious, merely asking Wuchang and others to help with reaching out.
Wuchang and the others then inquired about Lu Ye's experiences over the years, as he hadn't appeared since leading Tang Jun away, which was about six years ago now.
They too had searched for Lu Ye's tracks all around, but to no avail. Fortunately, news from the Nine Provinces confirmed that Lu Ye was alive, merely missing, which slightly eased everyone's minds.
Lu Ye briefly recounted the events of those years and spoke to the group about the grandeur of the All Phenomena Ocean, piquing Wuchang and others' interest.
Upon learning that Lu Ye planned to bring a group to the All Phenomena Ocean, everyone was excited and eagerly signed up.
Lu Ye asked, "If the news about the All Phenomena Ocean spreads, how many people do you think would be interested?"
Mong Jie thought for a moment and said, "I guess most people would be interested; I wouldn't guarantee more, but at least seventy percent would be."
"How many constellations are there in the Nine Provinces now?"
"About fifteen hundred people."
When Lu Ye left the Nine Provinces back then, the Nine Provinces constellations had just surpassed a thousand, but that was a special situation. The thick accumulation and thin eruption of the Nine Provinces, along with a significant buildup of Divine Sea Level 9 and the Nine Provinces itself ascending to a large domain, led to a mushroom-like burgeoning of constellations over those years.
It wasn't just the Nine Provinces; every newly promoted large domain went through such a boom period. However, over time, the number of constellations emerging each year would stabilize, with the specific amount depending on the domain's foundation strength.
One thousand five hundred people, even if it's just seventy percent, that's still a thousand people.
Although Lu Ye planned to take some of the Constellations to the All Phenomena Ocean, he didn't intend to take that many. The Nine Provinces still need to have Constellations stationed, and besides, the All Phenomena Ocean is not a peaceful place; you can't put all your eggs in one basket.
If some close acquaintances wish to go to the All Phenomena Ocean, Lu Ye would naturally take them, but with so many Constellations in the Nine Provinces, most of whom he's unfamiliar with, how to select those who want to go poses a problem.
It must be carefully considered.
Just as well, since Wuchang and a few other seniors were present, Lu Ye sought their opinions, asking them to reflect on it as well.
"This person is..." Lady Moon had noticed Lih Shang, who was with Yaya, for a while now and had some speculations but wasn't certain. She had hoped Lu Ye would take the initiative to introduce them, but since he showed no signs of doing so, she had to ask.
Seeing Lady Moon's expression, Lu Ye immediately realized she must have misunderstood and quickly explained, "This is Fellow Daoist Lih Shang. She has some matters I asked her to assist with, so I invited her to return with me."
Only then did Lady Moon come to an understanding. She looked at Lih Shang, then at Yaya, unsure if she believed it.
While they were speaking, the starboat had already arrived at the desolate planet, where indeed, many spirit jades were formed. It seems like the beast group had sensed the stellar space energy gathering here and settled down, only to be wiped out by Lu Ye.
After a round of gathering, they obtained over two thousand spirit jades, making Wuchang and the others beam with joy. They intended to divide the spoils into five parts, but Lu Ye declined, so the four of them split it evenly.
"On the side of Qingli Dao World, no one will come to cause trouble anymore, and you need not worry about Unparalleled either. Please help spread the word about what we discussed earlier, and inform the Fellow Daoists." On the starboat, Lu Ye said while taking out some items, "These are what I brought back from the All Phenomena Ocean. Please gather the Constellations from Unparalleled here and discuss the distribution."
Lu Ye originally planned to make a trip to the Unparalleled Continent, but since he happened to meet Wuchang and the others, there was no need to waste time. His journey was meant for the Nine Provinces, using the Unparalleled Continent merely as a transit point.
He had already discussed the matters of the All Phenomena Ocean with Wuchang and the others, asking them to help spread the news, saving him from explaining it to more people later. Once he returned to the Nine Provinces, he could act according to plan.
After bidding farewell to Wuchang and the others, Lu Ye piloted the starboat towards the direction of the Nine Provinces.
Years ago, Lu Ye had hurriedly made his way from the Nine Provinces to rescue Unparalleled, using the Silver Fish given by Su Yuqing, which took over a month. Now at the Constellation Late Stage, his speed was much faster, estimating it would take only half a month.
After he left, Wuchang and the others examined what exactly Lu Ye had left behind.
"Isn't this the As-Close-As-Siblings Array Disc?" Wuchang pulled an array disc out of his storage ring, looking puzzled.
Even though many forces in the All Phenomena Ocean can now refine this disc, its price remains high. However, this toy is something the Nine Provinces cultivators had long moved past.
The array discs Lu Ye made back then mostly catered to the needs of Divine Sea Realm cultivators during combat, with limited coverage range, which is why Nine Provinces cultivators rarely used them after attaining the Constellation level. Wuchang wondered why Lu Ye had left behind these discs.
"It's a bit different!" Lady Moon also picked up an array disc for a closer look, injecting spirit force into it and indeed feeling the difference.
"Yiye must have improved it. Since he left these, they should meet the needs of Constellation cultivators!" Jian Guhong mused thoughtfully.
Whether it meets the needs or not, trying it out would reveal the answer.
A moment later, their expressions were all elated.
Just as they had surmised, the discs Lu Ye left this time truly meet the combat needs of Constellation cultivators. The range covered by the disc's power is much larger than before. Not only for those at the Constellation Early Stage like them, but even those at the Constellation Late Stage might not find it an issue for maneuvering.
"If we had these discs earlier, we wouldn't have been in such a sorry state before." Wuchang rubbed his behind, which still hurt a bit.
But it's not too late now. The biggest issue in the Nine Provinces is that Constellation cultivators generally have low strength, all at the Constellation Early Stage. During exploration in stellar space, they often encounter star beasts at the Constellation Mid-Stage or even Late Stage, generally only able to run for their lives in such situations. But now, with the aid of these discs, they have a fighting chance against previously unbeatable star beasts. Consequently, cultivators can explore more areas, leading to greater gains.
"And there's this." Wuchang said, retrieving another item from the storage ring, which puzzled everyone as it looked like a starboat, but its design was more menacing, resembling a shark.
Wuchang infused it with spirit force, and the shark-like starboat enlarged rapidly as they all filed inside.
