Chapter 1090, Discussion

Translator: Jon

Translation Checker: Silavin

 

“Even commoners know that sufficient resources have to be provided during a war. We’re doing our best to fend off the insectoid plague, and they have to ensure the supply of resources. What’s the problem with that?” Lu Ye said matter-of-factly. Then, he picked up the two Storage Bags that contained Fire Spirit Stones and materials for making ward nexuses and kept them.

 

After giving it some thought, he asked, “Have you compiled the list of the soldiers who lost their lives during the war?”

 

“Yes, and their corpses have been sent to Grand Sky City,” Yu Huang replied.

 

“Find out if their family members are still alive. If they are, we’ll give them some resources as compensation.”

 

Yu Huang was startled. “Compensation? There isn’t such a rule.”

 

Soldiers were ordered to go to the front line and kill the enemies. There was no doubt it was a dangerous task. However, as cultivators, they had to face different kinds of danger all the time. While destroying the enemies, they were also earning cultivation resources for themselves. If they were killed, they could only blame themselves for being weak or unlucky.

 

“Well, there’s this rule from now on. We can’t possibly use so many resources anyway. You’ll handle this matter.”

 

“Yes,” Yu Huang replied and bent his back. “I’d like to express my gratitude on behalf of all the soldiers in the Pass.”

 

Lu Ye waved his hand and went to the Vault of Providence while carrying two Storage Bags. He purchased some Golden Amulets from the Hall of Battle Points before returning to his bedroom. While using the Amulets to cultivate his power, he was also making Explosive Fire Spirit Stones and United as One Ward Nexuses.

 

With the help of his Soul Clone in Dark Moon Forest Pass, his efficiency had been enhanced significantly.

 

Yu Huang and other Ninth-Order Real Lake Realm Masters would deal with the miscellaneous matters at the Pass, so they usually wouldn’t bother Lu Ye. Only when the soldiers came across insectoids in the Divine Ocean Realm would they ask for his help.

 

Time went by peacefully as three months passed in the blink of an eye.

 

During this period, Lu Ye had been cultivating his power without a break, which allowed him to ascend to the next Minor Realm. He was now a Third-Order Divine Ocean Realm Master.

 

He quickly summoned his Soul Clone and made a new one. Then, he let the Soul Clone appear in front of Lin Yue. When Lin Yue saw that Li Taibai’s cultivation had improved again, she was elated and valued him even more now.

 

Lu Ye knew he had to quickly increase his power as he was worried about those in Blood Refinement Boundary.

 

Previously, the Heavens of Jiu Zhou sent him to Blood Refinement Boundary and let him see what was going on there. Then, after the Blood Race members’ failed attempt to occupy Crimson Blood Holy Land, he was sent back to Jiu Zhou. It was apparent that the Heavens wanted him to increase his power quickly.

 

The Heavens wouldn’t say anything, so Lu Ye had to figure things out on his own. However, there were some clues for him.

 

For example, why was he sent to Blood Refinement Boundary at that point? Blood Race members were about to besiege Crimson Blood Holy Land at that time. If not for his United as One Ward Nexuses, the Holy Land would’ve been destroyed.

 

This showed that the Heavens were willing to protect Humans regardless of whether they were from Jiu Zhou or Blood Refinement Boundary.

 

Therefore, Lu Ye had to return to Blood Refinement Boundary before Blood Race members besieged Crimson Blood Holy Land again. He also had to bring some helpers with him. Only then would they have a chance to save Crimson Blood Holy Land, which was the only safe place for Humans in Blood Refinement Boundary.

 

As for how he could go back there, he didn’t have to worry about it. The Heavens would make an arrangement, so he just had to wait.

 

However, Jiu Zhou was in turmoil now. They had yet to solve the insectoid plague, and all the places lacked manpower. How was he supposed to look for helpers and bring them to Blood Refinement Boundary?

 

Solving the insectoid plague in Jiu Zhou before he headed to Blood Refinement Boundary would be the best outcome, but he wondered if it was even achievable.

 

He had always stuck to the principle that he would do his best while letting fate decide the outcome. Regardless, he had to try his hardest to achieve his goal.

 

Now, he was the Pass Leader of Surging Waves Lake Pass, and his Soul Clone was the Deputy Pass Leader of Dark Moon Forest Pass. It could be said that a radius of a thousand kilometres around this area was controlled by him.

 

The insectoid plague that had been troubling the entire Jiu Zhou might be too severe for him to solve, but he could try to bring the insectoids under control within the area he was in charge of.

 

Three months had passed since the last insectoid attack. Lu Ye stepped out of his bedroom. He didn’t bring Amber and Yi Yi with him as they had been focused on cultivating their powers during this period. With a continuous supply of Golden Amulets, their powers had increased rapidly.

 

He scanned the surroundings with his Divine Ego and soon found Yu Huang. Then, he told him to look after the Pass before he shot into the sky and flew towards the North.

 

He had considered many things when cultivating his power in the past three months, and he reckoned he should try to carry out his plan. If it turned out to be successful, he could stabilise the situation, though he might not be able to destroy all the insectoids. In that case, he would have more time to do his things.

 

He flew forward at the speed of lightning and soon arrived at Dark Moon Forest Pass.

 

He had no intention of concealing his presence. When Lin Yue detected his arrival, she hurriedly flew towards the gates and landed atop a wall. She was followed by Li Taibai.

 

Lu Ye hovered in the air that was 300 metres away from Dark Moon Forest Pass and swept a glance over them. Although he found it awkward, he still cupped his fists at his Soul Clone. “Brother Taibai.”

 

The Soul Clone saluted him back. “Brother Yi Ye.”

 

Everyone knew that the two of them had collaborated to kill the great insectoids, and they were now known to be the Two Geniuses of Bing Zhou. As such, it was fine for them to address each other in this way. If other people did that in public, they would be accused of treachery.

 

Lu Ye then glanced at Lin Yue. “Greetings, Cultivator Lin. I’m Lu Ye of Surging Waves Lake Pass.”

 

Lin Yue elegantly saluted him with a smile. “What brings you here, Cultivator Lu?”

 

“There’s something I need to discuss with you and Brother Taibai. May I go in?”

 

Lin Yue was startled for a moment before nodding. “Sure. This way, please.”

 

Without hesitation, Lu Ye entered Dark Moon Forest Pass while cultivators of Thousand Demon Ridge looked at him.

 

This was probably the first time a cultivator so confidently entered an opposing Pass ever since the two sides started going against each other.

 

Lin Yue couldn’t help but think that this young man was bold. An old Divine Ocean Realm Master from the Grand Sky Coalition would never enter the Pass on his own.

 

Anyway, due to the insectoid plague, the tension between the two sides had been mitigated. Moreover, the two Passes relied on each other for survival. Lin Yue naturally wouldn’t try to harm Lu Ye.

 

A moment later, they became seated in the Guest Hall. A female cultivator presented tea to them. She was glad to have a chance to take such a close look at the legendary Annihilator of Sects.

 

Lu Ye took a sip of tea. Since the Soul Clone had worked for Lin Yue for half a year, he was familiar with the woman. As such, he decided to cut to the chase by saying, “Cultivator Lin, our two Passes are respectively located in the South and the North of the front line. In the past, we didn’t have a choice but to get into conflicts. But now, both parties have the same enemies. Why don’t we collaborate?”

 

Lin Yue asked, “How are we going to do that?”

 

“The insectoids within a radius of a thousand kilometres around this area crawl out from the chasm in the middle between the two Passes. That’s the source. Therefore, as long as we can stop them from the source, the insectoid plague within this area will be under control. If we can do that, the soldiers no longer have to go everywhere to kill the insectoids. Brother Taibai, you, and I no longer have to exert ourselves to lend the soldiers a helping hand.”

 

Lin Yue asked meditatively, “Are you saying that we should deploy some soldiers to the chasm?”

 

“Yes.” Lu Ye nodded.

 

“That’s a good idea.” Lin Yue smiled faintly. “To be honest with you, the higher-ups of Thousand Demon City have considered that as well, but there are many obstacles if we want to do that. As such, we could only give up on the idea.”

 

“Obstacles? Please elaborate on that, Cultivator Lin.”

 

“First of all, the two sides have been going against each other for years, so there are a lot of feuds between us. Now that the insectoid plague has spread across the entire Jiu Zhou, the tension between the two sides has been alleviated. Although there has never been a declaration, cultivators of the two sides would avoid getting into conflicts when they come across each other in the wilderness. However, this is only limited to chance encounters. If we deploy soldiers to the chasm, both sides surely have to send some people over. If they stay together in the same place for a long time, we can’t guarantee there won’t be conflicts.”

 

Lu Ye nodded. “It’s not difficult to solve this problem. We just have to give out orders respectively. I believe cultivators of the two sides can see the big picture.”

 

Lin Yue said with a smile, “It’s indeed not difficult to solve this problem. However, how many soldiers are we supposed to send? We only have around 300 soldiers at Dark Moon Forest Pass now. It’s not like we can send all of them to the chasm. Some of them have to stay here and protect the Pass. There’s a distance of several hundred kilometres between the chasm and the Pass. We already lack manpower in the first place, so we can’t split up the soldiers this way. Otherwise, if a crisis breaks out at either the chasm or the Pass, we can’t get some immediate help.”

 

Lu Ye nodded slightly. “That’s a valid concern. Is there anything else?”

 

Lin Yue said worriedly, “What if some great insectoids emerge from the chasm? The soldiers won’t be able to deal with them. By staying in the Pass, we can defend ourselves even though it’s still dangerous. At the chasm, we can’t use the environment to our advantage. Considering all that, even though the current arrangement isn’t the best, it can ensure the safety of our soldiers. We can’t simply send some people to the chasm.”

 

Lu Ye explained, “The current arrangement is indeed advantageous, but there are downsides as well. No one is there to monitor the chasm, so we can’t immediately know when the great insectoids emerge. In the past few months, our soldiers would come across insectoids in the Divine Ocean Realm from time to time. Although they could ask for help, it would take me some time to go there. If I arrived late sometimes, the soldiers’ lives would be at risk. I don’t know about your Pass, but more than ten people from Surging Waves Lake Pass lost their lives in the past three months.”

 

The situation at Dark Moon Forest Pass was the same. Cultivators would form groups and go around to kill the insectoids. If they were unlucky, they would bump into insectoids they couldn’t defeat. That would be dangerous.

 

Even if Lin Yue immediately set off after receiving calls for help, sometimes it might be too late when she arrived.

 

Back then, Ying Wuji and his team were almost destroyed. Fortunately, Lu Ye had come to the rescue in time. Otherwise, Lin Yue would’ve seen their corpses by the time she arrived.

 

“Therefore, the best solution is to deploy some soldiers to the chasm. As for your concerns… I can build a Teleportation Ward in Dark Moon Forest Pass directly connected to the chasm. That way, if there’s danger over there, you or Brother Taibai can go over immediately. Also, with the Teleportation Wards around, the soldiers at the Pass and the chasm can look after one another. Regardless of which place falls into danger, they can quickly help out.”