Free Web NovelChapter 2014: Chapter 2012: But I’m Your Older Sister!
In the great upheaval of the All Phenomena Ocean, the one who benefited the most was undoubtedly Three Worlds Island. Now that it had gained the recognition of the Sun Blaze cultivators of the major Star Systems, it was, in name, the ruler of the All Phenomena Ocean, the rightful master of this treasured land.
Not only that, but the three top-class Spirit Islands—All Phenomena Island, Zixuan Island, and Winged Heaven Island—had all fallen into the hands of Three Worlds Island.
A single power, simultaneously holding sway over four top-class Spirit Islands—looking through the history of the All Phenomena Ocean, this had never happened before.
But given the foundation of the Three Worlds cultivators, there was simply no way they could digest so much territory.
Under these circumstances, handing All Phenomena Island over to Jiu Yan to manage was without doubt an excellent choice: first, it could ease the pressure on Three Worlds Island’s side; second, Jiu Yan could rapidly rebuild the All Phenomena Merchants Guild.
And once Jiu Yan was pulled into the fold, the remaining Sun Blaze cultivators of the All Phenomena Galaxy would no longer be a threat worth worrying about.
It was exactly because of these considerations that Lu Ye had been waiting for Jiu Yan’s return over this recent period.
Lu Ye’s proposal had indeed taken Jiu Yan by surprise, yet she had no way to refuse it!
If she were a lone ranger, she naturally wouldn’t need to think about so much—but she ultimately wasn’t.
After a brief silence, Jiu Yan suddenly spoke: "And the terms? What conditions do you have?"
Lu Ye was willing to hand All Phenomena Island to her; there was no way it could be for free. After all, he wasn’t a lone ranger either—there was a power standing behind him as well!
Their conversation at this moment, though based on personal friendship, was in truth a negotiation between two major powers, so some things still had to be spelled out clearly.
"Very simple." Lu Ye set down his teacup. "From now on, half of the net profits of the All Phenomena Merchants Guild will go to Three Worlds Island! The other half will be at Senior Sister’s own disposal."
Even if it was only half of the net profits, it would still far surpass the previous total income of Three Worlds Island. This was the advantage accumulated by the All Phenomena Merchants Guild over countless years; it wasn’t something a newly risen force like Three Worlds Island could casually replace.
"Reasonable enough." Jiu Yan nodded. She was clearly not surprised by this condition. One could even say that the terms Lu Ye put forward were quite generous.
"In addition..." Lu Ye changed the topic. "I want Yuan Se’s fire gourd. As long as he’s willing to hand the fire gourd over to me, all previous grudges can be written off!"
The instigator, Yuan Du, was already dead. Lu Ye had no great conflicts or clashes with the other Sun Blaze cultivators of the All Phenomena Galaxy, and he didn’t intend to exterminate them all.
But Yuan Se and Yuan Du were ultimately related, and the day Animitta Palace withdrew, Yuan Se had even tried to make a move against him. That account naturally had to be settled.
The uncanny fire nurtured within the fire gourd was something even the Talent Tree was interested in. If it could be devoured, it would surely provide the Talent Tree with a huge reserve of fuel. Moreover, the fire gourd itself was an affiliated treasure.
"The fire gourd..." Jiu Yan murmured, "That is the world-stabilizing treasure of Yiyuan World. It’s more important to him than his own life. If you want that treasure, Yuan Se likely won’t compromise."
Lu Ye raised a brow. "Is he not afraid I’ll slaughter my way to Yiyuan World?"
"That’s exactly why they have all gathered in Yiyuan World now, huddling together for warmth, to guard against you. After your supreme treasure expends its power, it must devour the seawater of the All Phenomena Ocean to replenish itself. Once you leave the All Phenomena Ocean, the power it can bring to bear is greatly diminished. That is no longer any secret."
Hearing this, Lu Ye pondered slightly before saying, "Then forget it. Let’s set this matter aside for now."
The fire gourd was something he was determined to obtain. The uncanny fire nurtured within it was useful to the Talent Tree, and Lu Ye also wanted to know what benefits there would be when all seven treasure gourds were gathered.
Since Jiu Yan said Yuan Se would not compromise, he wouldn’t startle the snake for now. When the opportunity arose in the future, he’d personally take a trip to Yiyuan World and have a good talk with Yuan Se.
Jiu Yan gave him a long, deep look, clearly having seen through what he had in mind. She wanted to advise him a bit, but in the end she only sighed and held her tongue.
"When does Senior Sister plan to start on the rebuilding of the All Phenomena Merchants Guild?" Lu Ye asked.
"I’ll do it as soon as possible." Jiu Yan rose to her feet and headed outside.
Lu Ye hurriedly stood as well to see her off. When they reached the hall entrance, Jiu Yan suddenly turned her head to glance at him. "In that previous battle, Yuan Du, Guk Xi, and Chen Xuanba were all slain by Animitta Palace cultivators. Our All Phenomena Galaxy and Animitta Palace now share an irreconcilable blood feud. If you obtain any leads on Animitta Palace in the future, remember to tell me."
Lu Ye blinked and nodded. "I will."
"No need to see me out." As her words fell, Jiu Yan had already soared into the sky.
Lu Ye watched her figure disappear from his sight, feeling a twinge of emotion. She truly was an old-brand Sun Blaze—just a single sentence had magnified and then minimized the grudges between his side and All Phenomena.
No one had seen whose hands Yuan Du, Guk Xi, and Chen Xuanba had died under, because when Lu Ye killed them, it was all carried out within the Blood Sea, and that was right at the very beginning of Animitta Palace’s invasion, when the entire All Phenomena Ocean was in chaos.
Although no one had witnessed it with their own eyes, the few Sun Blaze cultivators of All Phenomena all knew very well whose hands those three had died by.
Knowing was one thing; whether they had the ability to avenge them was another matter entirely.
With a single phrase, Jiu Yan had pinned the deaths of those Sun Blaze cultivators on Animitta Palace, clearly striving to downplay the grudge between Lu Ye and All Phenomena. After all, she had already agreed to take over All Phenomena Island. If these grudges remained out in the open, awkward situations would inevitably arise in the future.
But it was different once the deaths of those three Sun Blaze cultivators were framed on Animitta Palace. Once this news spread, Yuan Se and the others would definitely not step out to refute it; they would only do their utmost to help cover it up.
For the All Phenomena Galaxy as it stood now, they had indeed lost their rule over the All Phenomena Ocean, but they could at least still obtain half of the profits from All Phenomena Island. Even though Jiu Yan might have to share out a portion of that half, as the side that had lost in this struggle, such a result was barely acceptable.
The matter of the All Phenomena Ocean could be considered properly settled...
It was time to return to the Nine Provinces.
The ten Demon Venerable-level powerhouses from Zixuan were leading an army to the Nine Provinces. Counting the time, they probably hadn’t arrived yet, but neither the Nine Provinces nor Jade Conch had ever experienced a war on this level. They were bound to need some preparation time.
So he had to hurry back in advance to make arrangements. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
But before that...
With a soft "bang", Lu Ye braced one hand against the wall, forcing Hua Ci into the corner of the room.
He was half a head taller than Hua Ci; in such a posture, they were close enough to share breath, and he was looming over her from above.
Hua Ci crossed both arms in front of her chest. In her bright eyes faint golden light flickered; her bearing was pure and austere, yet her face was a mess of panic and confusion.
"What are you doing, I’m your big sister!" Ever since the day they exchanged a few words, she had been insisting on this big-sister identity these past days.
"Alright, alright, so this is how you want to play it now?" Lu Ye raised his other hand and lightly hooked a finger under her smooth chin. Their eyes met; their breaths mingled.
Hua Ci hurriedly turned her head aside, panting roughly, her face full of rejection. "You can’t..."
"Interesting!" Lu Ye laughed heartily. Something restless stirred deep in his chest. The Hua Ci before him was like a spirit fruit he had never seen before, exuding an enticing fragrance that made him want to swallow her in one bite.
Especially after this recent retreat, Hua Ci’s temperament had changed a great deal. The old her had been gentle and soft; the current her gave off a noble, inviolable, sacred aura.
That unique temperament, placed in this kind of posture, created an extremely sharp visual contrast, giving Lu Ye a very novel feeling.
He could be sure of one thing: Hua Ci had definitely not lost her memories...
This was actually easy to verify. If anyone in this world knew Hua Ci best, it was him. No matter how good her act was, there were always some tiny details she couldn’t cover up.
"There’s nothing you can’t do, so stop resisting!" Lu Ye pinched her chin, forcibly turning her head back. Under Hua Ci’s watery gaze, he slowly leaned down toward her.
This wicked woman dared to toy with him. He hadn’t had the time earlier, but now that he was free, of course he had to give her a good lesson and let her know what it meant for the husband to be the head of the wife!
The distance between them grew smaller and smaller. Hua Ci’s eyes went wide; tears even welled up in her eye sockets. Her whole expression was that of someone about to suffer humiliation yet unable to resist.
Lu Ye was shouting "this is so satisfying" in his heart.
"Ribbit..." A frog’s croak suddenly sounded beside them.
Lu Ye’s movements halted. The next instant, he caught a flash of golden light out of the corner of his eye.
"Crap..." He had just opened his mouth, hadn’t even had time to dodge, when the golden light struck him squarely. In an instant, his Mana was imprisoned and his whole body went rigid.
Right in front of him, at arm’s length, the about-to-cry Hua Ci’s eyes turned, and all that previous frailty vanished. The corners of her eyes curved, her gaze slitted in a smile. She raised a finger and poked Lu Ye’s chest, lightly biting her red lips. "Having fun, are we? Little! Bro! ther!"
Her other hand twisted hard at Lu Ye’s waist.
Lu Ye could only look at her helplessly and sent an audio transmission: "Weren’t you the one who’s been playing me for so many days?"
Having personally experienced the terrifying might of the Three Treasure Wishing Coins, Lu Ye finally realized just how unsolvable this supreme treasure was. Right now, aside from still being able to stir his Psyche Force, he couldn’t even speak.
"Because I feel like it!" Hua Ci lifted her chin, giving him a sideways look.
"Just tell me already—how exactly did I offend you, that you have to torment me like this?" Lu Ye sighed.
These past days, he had occasionally tried to figure out just where he’d offended Hua Ci, but no matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t find any clue.
"How would I dare, how would I dare. The dignified Island Master of Three Worlds Island, the current co-ruler of the All Phenomena Ocean, talent that shakes the heavens, a dragon among men—so young and promising, whatever you do is right. How could there be any way you’ve offended me? A pitiful little woman like me, with no one to rely on and no kin to turn to—even if I suffer, I can only swallow my tears in silence..." As she spoke, she actually covered her face and began to sob.
With her being this sarcastic, Lu Ye became even more certain that he had indeed offended her somehow. A terrifying thought surged in his heart, and his expression grew a bit guilty.
Hua Ci was still talking about her hardships when Lu Ye suddenly cut her off with an audio transmission: "I’m going back to the Nine Provinces!"
Hua Ci’s voice stopped abruptly. She lifted her eyes to look at him, a faint smile blossoming. "We’ve only been apart for such a short while, and you’re already missing your Yuqing?"
Bad! So it really was that.
Lu Ye almost wanted to slap himself.
In those years when Hua Ci had been imprisoned, he would occasionally go visit her, sometimes talking to her as if to himself. Perhaps out of guilt, or perhaps to provoke Hua Ci into waking up sooner, he had said a lot of things he shouldn’t have—among which, Su Yuqing was far from the only topic...
