Inside the pavilion, Black Cloud gazed deeply at him, unsure of what he was thinking, but ultimately, he did not make a move. Instead, he pointed at Lu Ye with his finger and said, "You should be grateful it’s me this time. If it had been any of my fellow seniors, you might not have survived after saying those things."

Lu Ye replied, "The Demon Venerable should also be glad it was you who came."

Black Cloud couldn’t argue. In fact, when the situation at Zixuan Island was reported back to the Zixuan Demon Planet, many Demon Venerables were furious. It was only through Black Cloud’s strenuous persuasion that they were pacified, and he came personally to handle the matter.

He understood those Demon Venerables well; they had a hot temper and would only make matters worse if they were sent to deal with it.

So Lu Ye’s statement was entirely accurate.

He knew well what consequences would follow if Zixuan Sun Blaze acted and killed Lu Ye here.

Lu Ye sipped his tea calmly and said lightly, "There’s no need for the Demon Venerable to feel wronged. This is a pretty good deal."

Black Cloud sneered repeatedly, "What’s so good about it?"

Setting aside the hundred billion spirit jades, which Zixuan can afford, the key issue was Lionheart’s life. This demand was something he absolutely could not agree upon. As Zixuan Sun Blaze, if he agreed to this condition, how would he justify it to the others on Zixuan Demon Planet when he returned?

The Lionheart tribe holds significant power on Zixuan Demon Planet.

Lu Ye said, "A top-class Spirit Island, a Spirit Jade Vein that yields thirty million spirit jades annually—if the Demon Venerable thinks this is not advantageous enough, then what value does your domain’s reputation hold? The Demon Venerable should realize it’s not just Zixuan Island at stake, but the face of a top-tier domain. A hundred billion spirit jades and the life of one Moon Jade to reclaim these—isn’t that worth it?"

Black Cloud was rendered speechless. Indeed, in comparison to reclaiming Zixuan Island itself, the reputation of Zixuan Demon Planet was the primary concern. Reclaiming Zixuan Island would regain lost face; failing to do so would forever mark Zixuan Demon Planet as the first top-tier power to lose an island on All Phenomena Ocean, and this would be talked about for tens of thousands of years, if not longer.

Who could bear such a burden?

Black Cloud felt exhausted. Although he anticipated before coming that their side was at an absolute disadvantage in this negotiation, he didn’t expect Lu Ye to be so hard to deal with.

"I demand Lionheart’s life to give the local island cultivators an explanation. I also understand why the Demon Venerable is unwilling—it’s all about reputation."

The fact that Lionheart sought refuge on All Phenomena Island was no secret. If Zixuan handed over Lionheart, it would damage their reputation, making it seem to the world that Zixuan feared Three Worlds Island, thus abandoning Lionheart. This was something Zixuan Demon Planet could never accept.

"Since you understand, you should realize that this second condition is impossible for me to agree to," Black Cloud said with a stern face.

Lu Ye said calmly, "Lionheart had already sacrificed his demonic pill in a desperate gamble. Although he miraculously survived, the pill is surely damaged. As far as I know, he had no hope of reaching Sun Blaze and could only hone his skills at the Moon Jade Realm. Now, with his demonic pill damaged, his future looks even bleaker. There are many Moon Jades in your domain, so why cling to just one Lionheart?"

Black Cloud replied, "Then why did Three Worlds Island raise a war over just one Wey Po?"

Lu Ye blinked, unwilling to get entangled in this matter with him. He shifted the topic: "Your domain’s reputation issue can indeed be resolved; it all depends on whether the Demon Venerable is willing. I only want Lionheart’s life, not to kill him in front of everyone."

He paused and then added, "Taking a step back, Lionheart, as Zixuan Island Lord, lost the foundation that Zixuan Demon Planet’s ancestors had worked thousands of years to build. I believe Zixuan must be very angry about this. Wouldn’t they hold him accountable afterward? For his grave mistake, Lionheart can hardly escape the guilt of a thousand deaths!"

Black Cloud stared into Lu Ye’s eyes for a long moment before pointing at him, "Your mouth... must be poisonous!"

Lu Ye did not respond.

After pondering for a while, Black Cloud raised his hand and flicked an audio talisman towards Lu Ye.

Lu Ye understood Black Cloud’s intention, handing his own audio talisman to Black Cloud so they could exchange audio talisman markings.

Without a word, Black Cloud stood up.

Lu Ye respectfully saw him off.

A moment later, Black Cloud soared into the sky, disappearing quickly, while Lu Ye stood there watching him leave.

Even though Black Cloud never gave a definitive answer until the end, his willingness to exchange audio talisman markings was a promising start.

Perhaps Black Cloud was still hesitating, or maybe he had already made up his mind; either way, it was not for Lu Ye to speculate.

The two conditions from Three Worlds Island had been stated. If Zixuan Demon Planet wanted to reclaim Zixuan Island, they must agree to these two conditions. Otherwise, over time, Lu Ye could consider finding another buyer for Zixuan.

If that happened, it would certainly be uncomfortable for Zixuan.

Thus, Three Worlds Island was not in a hurry for results; it was Zixuan who should be anxious.

The Talent Tree Avatar continued to hold down the fort on this island, while Lu Ye greedily cultivated beneath All Phenomena Ocean.

He Baichuan also knew that Lu Ye had always been the kind to delegate, so after Luan Xiao’e entered seclusion, he had taken full charge of all matters, big and small, on Three Worlds Island, with Tang Jun assisting him. As a result, there would hardly be any major issues on the island, and any minor ones would quickly be resolved.

After the great victory over Zixuan, many Constellations of Three Worlds Island cultivated diligently every day aside from their duties, and even the newly promoted Moon Jade cultivators were no exception.

Although being promoted to Moon Jade is not the beginning, it is also not the end. Who doesn’t hope their cultivation can advance further?

In a flash, another two months passed by.

One day, the Talent Tree Avatar stationed on this island suddenly felt vibrations coming from the audio talisman.

The Avatar quickly checked it. The message within the audio talisman was simple, just one location, and upon seeing the source of the information, he immediately understood.

In the next moment, Lu Ye himself, who had been underwater for four months, slowly opened his eyes, rose, and silently emerged from the sea, heading towards a direction.

Several days later, a starboat glided leisurely through the stellar space.

This starboat is completely sealed, meaning its interior cannot be seen from the outside. Such starboat designs are quite common in the stellar space, so they do not attract much attention.

Inside the starboat were two figures, one piloting the starboat, the other sitting cross-legged at the back.

In comparison, the figure sitting at the back appeared tall and burly, though the aura seemed somewhat unstable, and his broad face was full of pallor.

Suddenly, the burly figure opened his eyes full of doubt: "Fellow Daoist, is there any commotion outside?"

The cultivator piloting the starboat replied, "There was just a fight nearby, no need to panic."

In the All Phenomena Galaxy, confrontations occur frequently. Hearing this, the burly figure slightly relaxed. In the past, within this vast All Phenomena Ocean, there was truly no one he feared. He was of noble lineage and formidable strength; without Sun Blaze, no one could match him.

However, the battle several months ago shattered his confidence. Until then, he hadn’t realized that there was someone stronger than him at the Moon Jade level!

Critically, the opponent wasn’t even Moon Jade Late Stage, just Moon Jade Mid-Stage.

On that day, he fled to All Phenomena Island, and if Hu Xue hadn’t emerged to use the combat arena to trap that person at the crucial moment, he would have likely died!

Surviving till today, he was full of disgrace and unwillingness, yet the thought of seeking revenge never crossed his mind, only wanting to leave All Phenomena Ocean, the farther the better.

Black Cloud arranged his departure, which he naturally complied with, and the one escorting him was Yuan Cheng, a well-planned arrangement indeed.

He deeply understood the intense killing intent Lu Ye from Three Worlds Island had towards him. As long as he remained here, he’d never find peace. However, if he could return to Zixuan Demon Planet alive, he’d have nothing to fear anymore.

"Fellow Daoist, let’s speed up." With thoughts swirling in his mind, he urged once.

"Alright!" Yuan Cheng, piloting the starboat, responded, outwardly calm yet inwardly fearful, knowing what would happen next.

Before setting off, Yuan Du had secretly instructed him, though he was reluctant to get involved in such matters. But looking throughout All Phenomena Island, he was indeed the only suitable person to escort Lion Heart away, and with Yuan Du’s orders, he had no grounds for refusal.

The starboat gradually sailed to a remote location, places even cultivators of various star systems rarely visited, because the space here is unstable, seemingly indicating the birth of a new Insect Path.

Nobody knows when this Insect Path will emerge, but if it does and happens nearby, they could easily get sucked in.

Hence, usually, everyone stays far from these areas.

In the All Phenomena Galaxy, there are several such remote locations, all places rarely visited by people.

Upon arrival here, Yuan Cheng’s heart couldn’t help but race, becoming incredibly tense. This state was detected by Lion Heart behind him, no matter how he tried to cover it.

Initially, Lion Heart didn’t realize, but gradually he sensed something was off; Yuan Cheng was clearly fearful of something.

After a brief contemplation, he quickly took out a star map to investigate, and upon realizing his current position, his face changed.

Because this location was not on the return path to Zixuan Demon Planet at all.

Returning to Zixuan Demon Planet from All Phenomena Ocean requires passing through an Insect Path, crossing another Star System to enter the one Zixuan Demon Planet resides in.

But now, the starboat’s position was far from the correct route.

He instinctively assumed Yuan Cheng harbored ill intentions, intending to harm him, but upon further thought, it seemed unlikely since Yuan Cheng was merely Moon Jade Early Stage, and even though he himself was not in peak condition, his strength significantly reduced, Yuan Cheng still couldn’t possibly be his match.

In his mind appeared all of the emphatic warnings Demon Venerable Black Cloud gave him before departing All Phenomena Island.

Lion Heart’s panicked expression gradually calmed down, as he roughly understood what was happening.