Chapter 1109, Vanguard

Translator: Jon

Translation Checker: Silavin

 

Of the nine major continents of Jiu Zhou, the Grand Sky Coalition and Thousand Demon Ridge respectively controlled three. Other than those, they were still fighting for the territories in Bing Zhou, Tian Zhou, and Ding Zhou. The two sides controlled half of each continent.

 

Therefore, the Vanguard members in Bing Zhou were made up of powerful cultivators from the two sides. Only during such a special period and in such a unique environment would the powerful cultivators from the two sides join forces. Such an incident was rarely seen.

 

On the third day since his return to Surging Waves Lake Pass, Lu Ye stepped out of his bedroom before the break of dawn.

 

Amber was crouching on his shoulder. Compared with a year ago, the tiger’s aura had become much stronger. In the past year, Amber had been cultivating its power ceaselessly and had consumed a lot of Mutant Cores, so its increase in power was significant.

 

It was a Spirit Beast, after all. Also, Yi Yi had been cultivating her power alongside the tiger. Although Amber’s cultivation speed wasn’t comparable to that of Lu Ye, it was much faster than what an average cultivator could achieve.

 

Even though Amber wasn’t a Spirit Beast in the Divine Ocean Realm yet, it would soon ascend to that Realm.

 

Lu Ye could draw some energy from Amber during the war as long as the tiger was by his side, so it was fine that the tiger was slightly weaker.

 

It was for this reason that Lu Ye decided to bring Amber with him. The war against the Insectoid Great Hidden Realm would take a long time, so any external power he could draw from was important.

 

He looked up and saw many Stars. There was no doubt the weather was wonderful.

 

He swept a glance over a certain area of the sky and discovered that a particular Star was much brighter than the last time he observed it. He wondered why that was.

 

But soon, he was attracted to the figure beside him. He took a look at the person and said in surprise, “Senior Sister Nian?”

 

He didn’t expect to see Nian Yuexian here, and it seemed that she was waiting for him.

 

“Are you ready to get going?” Nian Yuexian asked.

 

Lu Ye nodded. “I’m a Junior and the Pass Leader here, so I’d better not let the Seniors wait. That’s why I’ve decided to go there earlier. What are you doing here, Senior Sister Nian?”

 

“I’m also part of the Vanguard,” Nian Yuexian replied.

 

Upon hearing that, Lu Ye understood it was only sensible that Nian Yuexian was also part of the Vanguard, considering her power.

 

“Let’s go together, then,” Lu Ye suggested.

 

The two of them headed to the Sanctum of Providence and arrived at the chasm through the Teleportation Ward.

 

The hundreds of cultivators from the two Passes were still diligently carrying out their duties by killing the insectoids that emerged from the chasm. They were already skilful in their jobs, so the insectoids were destroyed as soon as they showed up.

 

There was still some time before the assembly. There were no other Divine Ocean Realm Masters apart from Lin Yue, who was in charge of this place.

 

Lu Ye approached Lin Yue and had some small talk with her before waiting patiently.

 

As the sky brightened, more and more powerful auras were coming over from different directions. They soon arrived and landed on the ground. There was no doubt they were the Vanguard members.

 

They were respectively from the Grand Sky Coalition and Thousand Demon Ridge. As these powerful people came together, the hundreds of cultivators from the two Passes felt immensely pressured, not daring to show any disrespect.

 

By the time the sky was fully bright, more than 200 Vanguard members had gathered, and the number was still growing.

 

Lu Ye was astounded as he sensed the auras of these people.

 

Although he had heard there were many hidden powerful cultivators in Jiu Zhou, it was different when he saw them with his eyes. None of the Vanguard members who had gathered here were below the Seventh-Order Divine Ocean Realm. Around 20 per cent of them were in the Ninth Order, which was a staggering figure.

 

As more people were coming, Lu Ye reckoned there were probably hundreds of Vanguard members.

 

Moreover, it wasn’t the entire heritage of Bing Zhou. There was no way all Divine Ocean Realm Masters in the Seventh Order and above were going to enter the insectoid passageway. Be it the Grand Sky Coalition or Thousand Demon Ridge, they had to let some people stay behind to ensure the stability of Bing Zhou.

 

One Zhou alone had such an ample heritage, so one could imagine how many powerful cultivators there were in the entire Jiu Zhou.

 

Lu Ye discovered something interesting. The powerful cultivators who had gathered here were not clearly divided. They weren’t hostile to each other as one might imagine. Although they were from different sides, they were friendly to each other when they met.

 

This wasn’t something that would happen between the weaker cultivators. When weaker cultivators came across each other, they would easily get into conflicts. On the other hand, the stronger and more experienced cultivators were amiable to each other.

 

Lu Ye felt many people examining him, intentionally or otherwise.

 

One of the reasons was that he was the weakest and youngest Divine Ocean Realm Master among them. Also, they had heard of some news.

 

Now, everyone knew he was the maker of United as One Ward Nexuses. He was also the one who had previously explored the Insectoid Great Hidden Realm and brought back the precious video. He had even invented the special refinement method.

 

It could be said that he played a key role in helping them have the chance to launch an attack against the Insectoid Great Hidden Realm.

 

Furthermore, he was already a Fourth-Order Divine Ocean Realm Master despite his young age. Anyone who wasn’t a fool would realise that regardless of what happened in the future, Lu Ye would be an important figure.

 

Considering the current situation, it could be said that everyone in Jiu Zhou owed him a favour. As such, even though they were examining him, they were not hostile.

 

Even if some of them were wary of him, they didn’t dare to show any hostility in this place.

 

“Hahaha! I’m sorry for being late.” Someone was heard guffawing loudly. Following that, a figure was coming over from Dark Moon Forest Pass. He was followed by more than ten powerful cultivators.

 

“City Lord!” The cultivators of Thousand Demon Ridge saluted him. Even the cultivators from the Grand Sky Coalition cupped their fists.

 

Lu Ye recognised that this person was the City Lord of Thousand Demon City in Bing Zhou, Long Bai. He was equivalent to Pang Zhen of the Grand Sky Coalition.

 

Lu Ye himself had never seen this person, but when Long Bai led the Vanguard members to get some rest in Dark Moon Forest Pass the day before, he had summoned Li Taibai.

 

As the most brilliant rising Star of Thousand Demon Ridge in the current generation, Li Taibai was valued by the higher-ups of Thousand Demon City. Long Bai generously complimented the Soul Clone, which gave Lu Ye a chance to understand his temperament.

 

After some small talk, Long Bai turned to look at Lu Ye and laughed. “I’m sure you are Lu Yi Ye, little friend. You indeed look brilliant.”

 

Lu Ye saluted him. “Greetings, City Lord Long.”

 

“I’ve been keeping tabs on what’s going on with you. If you’re not happy being a member of the Grand Sky Coalition one day, you’re welcome to join Thousand Demon Ridge anytime.” As Long Bai spoke, he winked at Lu Ye, hinting at something.

 

Yu Huajin was willing to betray the Grand Sky Coalition so that she could use the power of Thousand Demon Ridge to destroy Lu Ye. The incident happened right in Dark Moon Forest Pass. As the City Lord of Thousand Demon City, Long Bai was naturally aware of it. He was even the one who made all the decisions regarding that matter and ordered Lin Yue to give a heads-up to Lu Ye so that the latter could keep his guard up.

 

Upon hearing that, many people from the Grand Sky Coalition furrowed their brows. Although they knew Lu Ye wouldn’t agree to it, they found Long Bai despicable for trying to make Lu Ye join their side in public.

 

Just then, someone was heard saying from a distance, “Don’t speak if all you spout is nonsense. You’d be better off by keeping quiet!”

 

Several figures had landed on the ground by the time he finished speaking. They were Pang Zhen, Tang Yi Feng, and other people.

 

Long Bai guffawed. “You’re late, Old Pang.”

 

Pang Zhen nodded. “We were held up by some matters.”

 

One of them was the City Lord of Thousand Demon City while the other was the Deputy Coalition Leader of the Grand Sky Coalition. They had the same power and status. They were also in charge of the war against the Insectoid Great Hidden Realm.

 

When they met up, they briefly discussed the matter.

 

A moment later, Pang Zhen said loudly, “It has been three years since the insectoid plague broke out, causing cultivators like us to be exhausted and the commoners to suffer miserably. We’ve gathered together as the Vanguard members who will storm into the insectoid passageway and attack the Insectoid Great Hidden Realm. It’s an important task, so we must succeed. There’s no need to bring up past grudges, and we should be united despite coming from different sides. I hope all of you will work together to destroy the insectoids!”

 

All of them were long-time Divine Ocean Realm Masters in the Seventh Order and above, so they didn’t need anyone to boost their morale. When they received the order, they already knew what they would be facing. As such, Pang Zhen quickly ended the talk and distributed the insectoid blood.

 

Everyone was given a jar, including Lu Ye.

 

“Don’t go anywhere else.” After receiving her jar of insectoid blood, Nian Yuexian flew into the distance.

 

Besides her, all female cultivators did the same.

 

The main reason was that they had to fully cover themselves with the insectoid blood, so the female cultivators couldn’t do that in front of so many men.

 

After the female cultivators were gone, the male cultivators could paint themselves with the insectoid blood without worries. They were soon covered in emerald blood from head to toe.

 

An hour later, all of them gathered again. Lu Ye swept a glance over them and saw many green figures. He found the sight amusing.

 

Certainly, he looked ridiculous to other people as well.

 

“Let’s set off!” Pang Zhen ordered and entered the chasm along with Long Bai. The others followed them soon after. The place was bustling with noise at that moment.

 

The insectoids which were climbing out of the chasm were unlucky. Wherever the Divine Ocean Realm Masters went, all the insectoids were destroyed.

 

Lu Ye was wedged between many people, and Nian Yuexian was beside him. He felt bored at that moment.

 

Given the number of powerful cultivators, he didn’t need to make a move in such a situation.

 

All he had to do was wait for the people in front of him to capture insectoids in the Divine Ocean Realm so that he could enslave them.

 

The light above their heads slowly disappeared. They soon arrived at the entrance of the insectoid passageway. Once again, Pang Zhen and Long Bai were the first to enter it, and they were followed by other people.

 

Having explored the insectoid passageway before, Lu Ye was familiar with it.

 

These hundreds of people were swift to storm into the insectoid passageway. Due to the passageway’s small size, they couldn’t move forward at the same time. Instead, they formed a rather short line-up.

 

Lu Ye was asked to stay near the head of the group because he had to enslave the insectoids. It would be difficult for him to do that if he were at the back of the formation.

 

Nian Yuexian was responsible for ensuring his safety, so she stayed by his side all the time.