"Did the great cultivators of the Pre-Kyushu Period leave you any trump cards when they crafted you? Do you have any attack capabilities?" Lu Ye suddenly had a fanciful thought.

Lu Ye wasn't quite sure about the level of the Heavenly Machinery Disk, nor did he ask Number Nine about such things. But, after all, it was crafted through the joint effort of many great human cultivators from the Pre-Kyushu Period, even capable of teleporting an entire domain. Clearly, it's not an ordinary treasure. If it had attack capabilities, dealing with a Sun Blaze Realm would be a piece of cake.

Currently, the situation is such that the Nine Provinces human race is powerless against the visitors. The only way to avert disaster is through external force, but what can the Nine Provinces rely on? There's only Number Nine.

Number Nine felt somewhat aggrieved: "My capabilities aren't centered around destruction..."

Lu Ye then knew that he couldn't count on it.

Unlike cultivators, the abilities of treasures are often concentrated in a particular area. For instance, the Boulder Mountain Saber is a weapon of destruction, while the Crimson Dragon Battle Suit is a protective spirit treasure.

The main ability of the Heavenly Augury Compass is teleportation, followed by concealment. Its capabilities don't touch on destruction at all.

"So what you're saying is, we just wash our necks clean and hope for other people's mercy?"

Number Nine's voice was weak: "That's not entirely accurate. We still have a way in the Nine Provinces to deal with him... Well, maybe."

Lu Ye was furious, "If there's a way, just say it. Why the ambiguity and secrecy?" He was anxious, thinking that this time the Nine Provinces was truly in deep trouble.

Number Nine felt even more aggrieved: "It's not that I don't want to say, but the method isn't very reliable. We might hurt ourselves before hurting the enemy."

"Don't worry about hurting the enemy or ourselves; given the current situation, if there's any method, we have to use it to find out who gets hurt. If we don't use it, the entire Nine Provinces will end up in someone else's pocket. That guy might discover your presence and refine you, and you'll be too late to cry."

"Don't scare me!" Number Nine was about to cry.

"Enough with the nonsense, quickly tell me what the method is, and what do I need to do?" Lu Ye urged, sensing that no matter what this method was, he would probably be entangled in it, which was why Number Nine contacted him promptly after that strong individual left.

But he was curious, what on earth could the Nine Provinces do nowadays to resist a Sun Blaze Realm? If not for Number Nine mentioning it, it seemed utterly unreliable.

"Actually, it's not so much a method as it is a very powerful being!"

Lu Ye was startled: "There's a strong being from the Pre-Kyushu Period still hiding in the Nine Provinces?"

"Well, saying that wouldn't necessarily be wrong, but things aren't as you think. Have you forgotten? You have communicated with it, and even made a pact with it."

"I've communicated and made a pact with it?" Lu Ye was baffled. How could I not know about such a thing?

But then he thought about it and realized he had indeed made a pact with a mysterious and powerful being once. The other party seemed to suggest that once he was strong enough and understood the truth of the world, he should come find it.

As Lu Ye's cultivation improved and he encountered more events, he gradually forgot about this, and if not for Number Nine's reminder now, he might have remembered much later.

Suddenly, he understood: "Spirit Stream Battlefield?"

"Yes! It's the Spirit Stream Battlefield!"

The Spirit Stream Battlefield, under Hundred Peaks Mountain lies Dragon Spring, and within Dragon Spring there's a Dragon Shadow!

When Lu Ye was in the Spirit Stream Realm, by chance, he participated in the Dragon Spring Meet, obtaining a piece of dragon scale. Later, in the Cloud River Realm, he ventured into the Spirit Stream Battlefield again, revisited Hundred Peaks Mountain, and got a few more dragon scales from the Dragon Shadow. The pact was made at that time.

You could say, the power that Lu Ye used to initially refine his body when he started cultivating largely came from those dragon scales. Even Amber and those close to him benefited from them.

Through his encounters with the Dragon Shadow, Lu Ye vaguely sensed that for some unknown reason, it was trapped beneath Hundred Peaks Mountain. It likely hoped to entrust its escape to him by offering dragon scales. But back then, Lu Ye's cultivation was too low, and his perspective too shallow, so he could only make a pact.

He knew the Dragon Shadow was strong, but didn't expect it to be this powerful. According to Number Nine, the Dragon Shadow might be capable of opposing a Sun Blaze Realm?

Now understanding the potential of this method, Lu Ye became cautious because this method really wasn't something that could be casually deployed. He feared driving away one danger only to usher in another. In the current Nine Provinces, such chaos couldn't be endured.

"Why is it trapped?" Lu Ye asked.

"It's a long story," Number Nine sighed. "The Dragon Race was once a companion of a certain powerful individual from the Pre-Kyushu Period. This strong individual discovered the being injured while traveling in stellar space and brought it back to the Nine Provinces to recuperate, forming some affection. However, the Dragon Race has a particular trait—it's extremely promiscuous. Apparently, it made some mistakes in this aspect, and was suppressed. Originally, it wasn't meant to be suppressed for so long; maybe just three to five hundred years, a minor punishment to teach a lesson, and then it would be released. But as you might guess, during the Pre-Kyushu Period, they faced invasion from foreign enemies and were forced to craft the Heavenly Augury Compass, relocating the Nine Provinces from its original position. As the world's reserves were severely depleted, no cultivators of a higher tier were left. Thus, there was nobody able to release it, and it's been suppressed to this day."

"Has it been over ten thousand years?" Lu Ye's heart turned cold.

"Almost, I guess." Number Nine felt a twinge of sorrow as well.

A dragon had been suppressed for so long without being able to escape. To say it harbors no resentment is impossible. Under such circumstances, once it's released, the consequences are unpredictable. Even if it might chase away that Yueh Xin, it would likely unleash its fury on the current Nine Provinces, worsening the situation.

Lu Ye couldn't help but rub his temples, a headache, difficult to handle.

"But speaking of which, how do you know about these things?" Lu Ye asked, reasoning that Number Nine shouldn't be aware of these matters because it hadn't been born yet when the dragon was suppressed.

"It told me, you see. It's been asking me to let it out. I didn't dare to agree, of course, I lied and said I couldn't do it." Its tone was filled with satisfaction, making Lu Ye's head throb even more.

It could be certain that a dragon couldn't be fooled by Number Nine; its pure spiritual intelligence is unfooling. Just because the dragon seeks help from Number Nine and doesn't expose it.

Later, when it met Lu Ye, it saw hope in Lu Ye and targeted its attention there.

"My responsibility is to guard the Nine Provinces, protect the human race. Now the human race faces great hardship, with a challenging road ahead. Ultimately, how to decide must be settled by yourselves, humans. If you decide to release the counterpart, I will fully cooperate. If not, then continue to suppress it. All I can do is offer you a method."

"There's a problem; are you sure that dragon can handle a Sun Blaze Realm foe? If freed and still can't defeat it, then it's all for naught."

"That's a dragon, probably... maybe it can?"

Even it hadn't witnessed the dragon's might. Though it often chatted with the one below the Hundred Peaks Mountain, it wasn't aware of the other's true strength.

Since it could team up with a powerhouse from the past Nine Provinces era, its strength likely wouldn't be lacking.

"Yiye, something big has happened!" The sect master suddenly spoke gravely; he had learned the details of the event from various messages. The sudden appearance of a Sun Blaze Realm cultivator greatly impacted the existing system of the Nine Provinces, leaving everyone deeply powerless against the absolute disparity in strength.

"Disciple is aware." Lu Ye nodded; he too, had received much information, mostly from the elders.

The recent collective fight against Yueh Xin nearly ended in a devastating defeat. Fortunately, Yueh Xin didn't strike for the kill, but injuries were inevitable.

Now everyone was agreeing to go to Haotian City, to collectively discuss the next strategy.

Resignation? Naturally impossible, but to resist seemed to have no chance of victory. Time was tight, and even seasoned veterans were momentarily bewildered, not knowing where to go.

They could only discuss.

The reason Lu Ye had received the messages was because everyone thought that if rebellion was planned, Nine Provinces Heaven's Augury's power would be essential, and Lu Ye, as the mediator, was indispensable.

Flying at full speed without stopping.

A few hours later, Lu Ye and the sect master reached Haotian City. Scanning with Mental Consciousness, they immediately sensed many strong yet weak auras within Harmony Light Hall and swiftly altered their course towards it.

Upon arriving, Lu Ye saw that nearly all the cultivators who had ascended to the Constellation were present, almost everyone injured and looking pale.

Only a few were uninjured, mainly those who returned to Nine Provinces later and didn't make it to the battle against Yueh Xin in time. Because they had initially fled further, even receiving the message and returning took them longer.

The atmosphere was silent and oppressive. For these Nine Provinces cultivators, who had just set foot into stellar space, intending to make their mark, the arrival of a Sun Blaze Realm cultivator was an unexpected encounter and blow.

Everyone realized one problem: compared to the vastness of stellar space, they were merely like infants just freeing themselves to toddle.

In the heavy silence, suppressed, more was anger and frustration until Lu Ye walked in, brightening everyone's eyes a little, all looking at him expectantly.

They weren't counting on his own strength but the Nine Provinces Heaven's Augury standing behind him!

Everyone believed that Heaven's Augury must have Insights into the crisis facing Nine Provinces, and if there were any measures and coping strategies, Lu Ye should already have some idea.

In the gaze of all present, Lu Ye walked straight to the top position, cupped his hands, and opened: "Time is tight, the unwelcome guest may return at any time, I shall take the liberty once. I somewhat understand the current situation, what I have to say is, there exists in Nine Provinces now, a force potentially capable of dealing with that unwelcome guest!"

With these words, everyone's spirits lifted!