"I’ve always found the name Lu Ye somewhat familiar; it’s only now I realize you are that Lu Yiye of Nine Heavens from back then." Black Cloud said with a slight smile, his gaze somewhat scrutinizing, "Your cultivation has progressed remarkably fast. You were only at Divine Sea back then, but now you are at Moon Jade Mid-Stage, and even Lion Heart is no match for you."

"Just a stroke of luck," Lu Ye responded, signaling with his hand, "Please, Demon Venerable!"

Black Cloud nodded, still with his hands behind his back, and stepped onto the bamboo building.

Shortly thereafter, host and guest seated themselves. Black Cloud continued to glance around, seemingly curious about everything. However, Lu Ye’s bamboo building was rather simple, with nothing more than a few pieces of furniture, so Black Cloud couldn’t discern much from his surroundings.

Since the visitor was a guest, and furthermore, since the visitor was a Sun Blaze who came through a formal request for an audience, Lu Ye certainly could not neglect etiquette. He took out a tea set from his storage ring and slowly began to brew the tea.

As the fragrance of the tea spread, Black Cloud suddenly spoke, "I’ve always been curious about something, Island Master Lu. Could you enlighten me?"

"What is it the Demon Venerable wishes to know?"

"During that Divine Sea clash in the Taichu Realm, how did you manage to wipe out all those Blood Race individuals? Did you have some means to precisely locate them?"

"More or less." Lu Ye nodded. To be honest, he picked up the Blood Resonance Technique on the fly from a Blood Race member back then, otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to find the other Blood Race members.

"Being able to find them and then eradicate them is a power rarely seen within the Divine Sea. During that time in the Taichu Realm, the Blood Race could easily congregate using their unique bloodline. That means even then, you possessed the ability to be unrivaled at your level, able to take on many at once. Now, having reached Moon Jade and retained that ability, the talent of the human race is truly terrifying and enviable."

"I wouldn’t dare call myself unrivaled; the Demon Venerable flatters me." Lu Ye responded cautiously. The one across from him was ultimately a Sun Blaze, and no matter how amicable and harmless the person appeared, Lu Ye dared not let his guard down.

Even though he was there as the Talent Tree Avatar, so that even if something happened, it wouldn’t affect the true self, caution is never misplaced.

"There’s one more thing that puzzles me." This time, Black Cloud didn’t seek Lu Ye’s input but directly asked, "What means did you use to break through the protective array of Zixuan Island?"

More than two months have passed since Three Worlds Island captured Zixuan. Black Cloud arrived upon receiving the news and naturally learned the entire account from Lion Heart.

Setting aside the powerful personal strength Lu Ye demonstrated from start to finish, what really baffled Black Cloud was why, at that critical moment, Zixuan’s protective array failed, giving Lu Ye an opening.

Was it merely a coincidence? That seems too much of a coincidence.

But if not a coincidence, there doesn’t seem to be another explanation available.

If Zixuan’s protective array hadn’t failed, even given a hundred years, Three Worlds Island wouldn’t have breached it! The sudden collapse of the protective array was the fundamental reason for Zixuan’s downfall.

All the cultivators observing that battle at All Phenomena Ocean regarded it as a coincidence, but Black Cloud sensed something amiss.

"Zixuan’s protective array had issues; it wasn’t me who breached it. I was merely at the right place at the right time." Lu Ye certainly wouldn’t admit to anything specific; if the secret of the Small Constellation Palace were revealed, there would be no place for him in the entire All Phenomena Ocean.

Today he could use the Small Constellation Palace to break Zixuan; tomorrow, could he breach All Phenomena Island?

How then could the defenses of other top-class Spirit Islands be considered impregnable?

"Please have some tea, Demon Venerable." Lu Ye offered Black Cloud a cup of tea.

Black Cloud nodded, was about to speak further, but was directly interrupted by Lu Ye.

"If the Demon Venerable wishes to reclaim Zixuan Island, Three Worlds Island has no objections. However, the local island has two conditions!"

No matter even if the other party was a Sun Blaze, Lu Ye couldn’t let them hold the initiative in the conversation.

The question of Zixuan’s ownership was his trump card; having raised this topic, Black Cloud had no choice but to respond, unless he didn’t want Zixuan Island anymore.

Black Cloud clearly realized how tough Lu Ye was; the effort to keep things light-hearted and easy-going was shattered the moment those words were spoken.

Taking up the teacup, he sipped lightly, smiling slightly, "Go on."

Staring at him solemnly, Lu Ye said, "The first condition is that Three Worlds Island demands Zixuan to compensate a hundred billion spirit jades or resources of equivalent value!"

As Black Cloud opened his mouth to speak, Lu Ye interrupted him again, "Let me explain to the Demon Venerable why this compensation is necessary. The other day, I received an invitation from Zixuan and went to attend a banquet. During the fever-pitched feast, the demon cultivators of your island intended to conduct a Blood Food sacrifice, and the sacrifice offered was a newly promoted Moon Jade from Three Worlds Island! To protect his life, I negotiated with Hu Guang and arranged for a ransom of ten billion spirit jades. Hu Guang agreed, promising that once the ten billion spirit jades were handed over, we could safely leave with the local island cultivator. The Demon Venerable can have this verified—many people witnessed it that day. I immediately had someone gather assets worth ten billion spirit jades and sent them over to Zixuan Island. Hu Guang received them but turned around and reneged, embezzling those assets. This loss needs to be borne by Zixuan. Does the Demon Venerable see any issues with that?"

Black Cloud smirked, just about to speak when Lu Ye added, "A hundred billion may be a lot, but I believe Zixuan can come up with it. Demon Venerable, there’s no need to haggle. The conditions I’ve laid out are the bottom line of Three Worlds Island. This is merely asking Zixuan to repay tenfold. If I truly wanted to give the Demon Venerable room to negotiate, I could easily open with two hundred billion, three hundred billion, or even more."

Black Cloud frowned. For the first time since meeting Lu Ye, he had lost his usual air of nonchalance.

A hundred billion spirit jade or equivalent resources is no small amount, even for Zixuan.

He raised his eyes to Lu Ye and said, "But as far as I know, after you conquered Zixuan, you should have recovered that amount of spirit jade. Not only that, but there should be more to surrender from the treasure vault."

Lu Ye replied calmly, "As you said, Demon Venerable, that was war spoils! Our Three Worlds Island deployed troops, and cultivators fought. Do we not need to expend resources? If Demon Venerable mixes the spoils with the previously paid ransom, that’s entirely unreasonable." His tone was serious, "Only when the first condition is met can we continue the discussion!"

Black Cloud stared at Lu Ye for a long time before saying, "You’re quite rude, young man. After all, I am a Sun Blaze!" implying that Lu Ye was not showing the due respect of Moon Jade to Sun Blaze.

Lu Ye appeared unfazed, "Demon Venerable, we’re negotiating, not chatting. I believe you came prepared for this."

Black Cloud snorted lightly. He was prepared, but he didn’t expect Lu Ye to dare make such outrageous demands.

After pondering for a while, Black Cloud finally said, "I agree to the first condition. Tell me the second one!"

Having lost the Spirit Island battle and Zixuan Island, regaining it requires Three Worlds Island’s cooperation. Therefore, if Three Worlds Island insists, he has no choice but to agree to this condition.

Lu Ye’s eyes flickered with killing intent, "I want Lion Heart’s life!" Lion Heart had escaped into All Phenomena Island, a thorn in his heart that he must remove. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Initially, Lu Ye considered selling Zixuan back not just because they could offer a high price. If it were purely for spirit jade, he didn’t need to sell it back to Zixuan. Even if other factions offered less, Lu Ye could accept it.

Killing Lion Heart was the primary reason.

Lion Heart escaped into All Phenomena Island. As long as he stays there, Lu Ye would never have the chance to kill him.

Of course, Lion Heart couldn’t hide in All Phenomena Island forever, but neither could Lu Ye watch him forever. To kill Lion Heart, he needed an external plan.

Black Cloud’s voice was stern, "Don’t be too presumptuous, young man!"

Lu Ye leisurely responded, "Let me tell you why I want Lion Heart’s life, Demon Venerable."

Black Cloud found these words familiar....

"On that day, Hu Guang refused to admit receiving the ransom from our Three Worlds Island. Then Lion Heart, without a word, swallowed our newly promoted Moon Jade, Wey Po, alive. A life for a life, blood for blood — is that not right?"

Black Cloud said, "You lost a Wey Po at Three Worlds Island, but Zixuan’s losses were far greater than yours. How do you explain that?"

"If it hadn’t been for Lion Heart swallowing Wey Po, there wouldn’t have been subsequent conflicts. Zixuan’s losses were the result of the war and entirely self-inflicted. How can that be compared to Wey Po’s death?" Lu Ye argued reasonably.

"Fine!" Black Cloud also became stubborn, "Ignoring the casualties from battles, as I understand, Zixuan captured that Wey Po because he first attacked and killed a Zixuan demon cultivator."

Lu Ye couldn’t help but sneer, "Demon Venerable, do you believe that? Zixuan, with such great reputation, surely knew who to provoke and who not to. Even if he did pass near Zixuan, he’d likely avoid it from afar. How could he possibly kill a Zixuan demon cultivator nearby? You could ask Lion Heart about the situation. If you’re pretending ignorance, we don’t need to continue. I believe you know better than anyone why my junior brother Wey Po was captured. Zixuan Island served as someone’s pawn targeting our Three Worlds Island. Can they blame anyone for their situation? It’s a pity for my junior brother Wey Po, newly advanced to Moon Jade, with a bright future, turned into a pawn in Zixuan’s game against our island. What fault did Wey Po have?"

"You’re being outrageous!" Black Cloud could no longer hold back, "Do you really think because your doppelganger is here, I won’t act against you?"

Lu Ye blinked, "I may have an avatar, but since meeting the Demon Venerable, I wouldn’t act irresponsibly. If the Demon Venerable wishes to strike, then go ahead."

It’s possible Black Cloud could see through the Treasure Blood Avatar, but the Talent Tree Avatar was here. Lu Ye was confident that even Black Cloud wouldn’t see through its facade. Those words were merely a test under the guise of anger.

He wished Black Cloud would really attack. If that happened, at worst, he’d lose a Talent Tree Avatar. Later, he’d only need to collect the roots split off from the Talent Tree and would be back in form.

But if Black Cloud really did take action here, in this vast All Phenomena Ocean, there would be no place for Zixuan Demon Planet to stand.

.

. Due to some matters today, there will only be one update; please understand.