CHAPTER 1399: CHAPTER 1397: TIANZHOU HUMAN EMPEROR SECT, MA BIN

In the mountain cave filled with darkness, a burst of laughter rang out, and Lu Ye felt as if his eardrums were vibrating.

The surrounding darkness receded like a tide with the laughter, and gradually, a dim light seeped in, allowing Lu Ye’s vision to slowly recover.

He finally saw what had stopped his Boulder Mountain Saber—it was actually being pinched lightly between two of the man’s fingers, making it impossible for him to pull it out.

He further realized what his kick had landed on... It was the old man’s face!

At this moment, as the darkness dissipated, he maintained the posture of having swung his saber and then kicked, his stance rigid.

He wasn’t sure why the other was laughing, but he knew that if the opponent wanted to kill him, he would have done so a hundred times over. The big foot obscured the other’s full appearance, but the vague outline gave him a strange sense of familiarity.

A slight repulsion came from the blade, and Lu Ye naturally withdrew his saber and took two steps back.

A slightly aged face with graying hair and beard came into view; the man sat there, smiling at him, as if a mighty lion assessing its prey, with a touch of inexplicable taste.

"You..." Lu Ye’s expression turned to surprise and suspicion, because he recognized the man.

It wasn’t that he knew him personally, but he had seen him from a distance.

Nearly three months ago, when he was fishing with Piao Ke on Angling Island, a supreme strongman had caused havoc at All Phenomena Ocean, killing a Sun Blaze of the All Phenomena Galaxy on the spot, and when he fled, he passed by Angling Island, where Lu Ye had caught a glimpse of him from afar.

No wonder he felt a sense of familiarity earlier, because the old man in front of him was the very one who had escaped from All Phenomena Ocean back then!

After the incident that day, the All Phenomena Ocean quickly calmed down, and nothing happened thereafter. Though Lu Ye knew that the All Phenomena Galaxy wouldn’t just let it slide, matters at the Sun Blaze level were beyond what a Constellation could investigate, so he merely inferred that the killer must have escaped; otherwise, the All Phenomena Galaxy would have made an announcement.

He never imagined that the man was hiding here!

It was certain that the powerhouses of the All Phenomena Galaxy were searching for this man’s whereabouts, likely turning the entire domain upside down to find him. How this old man avoided being tracked down was evidently a testament to his skills.

At this moment, one might think that the entire All Phenomena Galaxy believed the old man had already fled the galaxy. By staying here, he had ingeniously hidden in plain sight.

What Lu Ye couldn’t understand was why this man, hiding so well, would have Zhu Yuan bring him here.

By now, he had begun to piece some things together.

The four had come together; including Zhu Yuan, three had been killed, while he, the one with the lowest cultivation, remained alive. If the old man had no intentions for him, Lu Ye would find it hard to believe.

But why him?

Was it just because of a fleeting glance on Angling Island?

Back then, he hadn’t detected any sign that the man noticed him, but considering the man’s extraordinary cultivation, it was entirely possible for him to notice Lu Ye observing him.

It couldn’t be because the man wanted his life. If he wanted to kill him, there wouldn’t be a need for such complexity, nor would he risk exposure by staying here.

And it couldn’t be because Lu Ye had seen his face; the old man wasn’t hiding his identity, and surely there were many who had seen his face.

What on earth was the reason?

As he pondered, with thoughts swirling, Lu Ye remained clueless about the situation.

However, it was the old man’s subsequent words that instantly startled him.

"Nine Provinces cultivator, still as tough as ever!" The old man looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze, as if an elder surveying a junior, with a hint of appreciation.

Lu Ye controlled his emotions, showing no trace of his inner thoughts, and feigned confusion: "What do you mean, senior? This junior doesn’t understand!"

"Are you not from the Nine Provinces?" The elder’s expression remained unchanged, intriguing, yet even with his keen eyes, he couldn’t detect any unnatural changes in Lu Ye’s demeanor.

Lu Ye slowly shook his head: "I’m from the Unparalleled Continent!"

About his origins from the Nine Provinces, even Tang Jun was unaware, so how could a Sun Blaze he only glimpsed once know? But Lu Ye knew in his heart that if the man dared to ask, he must have noticed something. Yet what flaw could have allowed him to see through it?

This was no small matter.

Yang Qing had specifically warned him in the past: when walking the stellar space in the future, never mention the Nine Provinces, and when he was taken to the Reincarnation Tree, he acted under the Nine Heavens’ name.

The reason was that the powerful figures from the former Nine Provinces era made many enemies; even after thousands of years, such grudges are hard to dissolve once rooted, especially those domain powerhouses who had invaded the Nine Provinces, likely harboring intense sensitivity to the mention of the Nine Provinces.

So Lu Ye wanted to understand how the old man in front of him deduced that he was from the Nine Provinces.

As he was contemplating how to subtly probe the matter, the old man smiled slightly: "If you’re not from the Nine Provinces, then why do you carry the aura of the Heaven’s Augury Compass on you?"

Lu Ye’s pupils constricted slightly, finally realizing where the problem lay!

So it was the Heaven’s Augury Compass.

Every cultivator from the Nine Provinces, even those independent cultivators without any sect, possess a battlefield marking. Only with this marking can one enter the Spirit Stream battlefield and the Cloud River battlefield, gather merits and battle accomplishments, and communicate conveniently with others...

For the Nine Provinces cultivators, the battlefield marking is essential.

The battlefield marking is bestowed by Number Nine, who is the Artifact Spirit of the Heaven’s Augury Compass and the embodiment of the Nine Provinces’ Origin. Therefore, every Nine Provinces cultivator with a battlefield marking naturally carries the aura of the Heaven’s Augury Compass.

According to the information Lu Ye obtained, during the era preceding the Nine Provinces, when they were being besieged by many formidable enemies, the Heaven’s Augury Compass had not yet been created. It was only after the Nine Provinces’ powerhouses sensed the situation was irreversible that they combined their forces to forge the Heaven’s Augury Compass. Leveraging its power, they moved the Nine Provinces from its original location to escape disaster and have since remained at a secluded corner of the Jade Conch Galaxy for ten thousand years, disconnected from the stellar space.

In other words, those enemies attacking the Nine Provinces likely did not know of the Heaven’s Augury Compass’s existence; only the native Nine Provinces cultivators knew of this divine object.

With this realization, Lu Ye felt a stirring in his heart and looked at the old man, asking, "Senior, you are..."

The old man’s expression turned solemn: "I am Ma Bin of the Human Emperor Sect from Tianzhou!"

Tianzhou...

Human Emperor Sect...

As these once familiar words echoed in Lu Ye’s ears, all his doubts were suddenly clarified.

Yet never did he imagine that he would one day meet a powerhouse from the pre-Nine Provinces era!

Based on the intel and battle displays Number Nine had provided him, in that fateful battle, all cultivators of the pre-Nine Provinces era who were qualified joined the stellar space battle. In other words, anyone with the cultivation of a Constellation or higher entered the battlefield.

The final outcome of that battle was unknown to Lu Ye, nor to Number Nine, because when the final decisive battle ignited, the power of the Heaven’s Augury Compass was activated, and the Nine Provinces was moved away.

However, clearly, the situation was unfavorable. With a home world to retreat to, pre-Nine Provinces cultivators could withdraw to recuperate and heal. Without a home world, it would be a fight to the death!

Even total annihilation of the army was not impossible.

Lu Ye always believed that the powerhouses of the pre-Nine Provinces era perished in battle. Even if they didn’t, after all these years, they would have died of old age.

According to the current Cultivation System, Constellations have a lifespan of two thousand years, Moon Jades four thousand, Sun Blazes eight thousand. Longevity may grant a few more years, but living ten thousand years is exceedingly difficult.

Of course, these figures are theoretical. In reality, cultivators frequently battle others and sustain injuries, which is commonplace. Despite recovery, such experiences impact their lifespan. This is why Tang Jun is approaching his life’s end soon.

How Ma Bin has lived until now remains a mystery; what methods he used or sacrifices he made are unknown.

Of course, there is a chance he is lying, but Lu Ye feels there is no need for it. With such a powerful Sun Blaze in front of him, if Ma Bin truly wished to extract information, he surely had other means beyond falsely claiming to be from the pre-Nine Provinces.

Most importantly, Ma Bin mentioned the Heaven’s Augury Compass.

This should be a secret known only to those with ties to the pre-Nine Provinces, a secret that in the current Nine Provinces era, only Lu Ye knows.

To be sure, Lu Ye asked, "What is the Heaven’s Augury Compass?"

Ma Bin chuckled, "Stop pretending. I participated in its creation back in the day; its aura is as familiar to me as an old friend! It’s just that, after all these millennia, I hadn’t sensed it and thought I was imagining things when I did recently."

No further probing was needed. Sighing, Lu Ye composed himself, sheathed his Boulder Mountain Saber, and solemnly saluted the old man before him: "Lu Ye of the Righteous Blood Sect from Bingzhou, pays respects to Senior!"

"You’re from Bingzhou? Good! There was a Righteousness Sect in Bingzhou long ago, every one of them as steadfast as you!"

"Nowadays, Bingzhou has the Righteousness Gate, but no Righteousness Sect," Lu Ye replied.

"Perhaps the legacy was left behind. Over ten millennia, much has changed," Ma Bin mused, gesturing with his hand, "Sit!"

Lu Ye obediently sat cross-legged before him, pondering a moment before asking, "Did you notice me that day?"

He was naturally referring to three months ago, regarding the event on Angling Island.

Ma Bin nodded, "Indeed, having sensed the aura of the Heaven’s Augury Compass on you, I paid attention and had others investigate you, finding a way to bring you here."

This confirmed that Zhu Yuan was indeed Ma Bin’s associate, acting upon Ma Bin’s instructions.

Lu Ye frowned slightly, "Does that mean Zhu Yuan isn’t from the Tianyan Star System, and the mission to transport supplies was entirely fabricated?"

Ma Bin replied, "Correct! However, Zhu Yuan took great care in his actions. Fearing your suspicion, he specifically recruited two others to assist."

"And the intel claiming a route through Tianyan to Yunshang, leading to Jade Conch..."

"Fabricated, spread by someone he hired. Though traveling through Tianyan does indeed allow entry to Yunshang, and Yunshang cultivators do use this method to reach the All Phenomena Galaxy."