Chapter 270

Chapter 270: Dominating the Eastern Ling Sea Area

Lou Yun now clearly understood that the Nine Clans had not yet acted against him personally precisely because they wanted to extract information about the Divine Weapon Emperor from him. They might even intend to use him as bait to lure the Divine Weapon Emperor out!

Lou Yun was not one to resign himself to being used as a pawn. Faced with this situation, he had to resist!

As soon as a little spiritual energy recovered within Lou Yun, he immediately opened his eyes. Almost simultaneously, countless ripples appeared on the sea surface amidst an eruption of frothing bubbles. An enormous water sphere emerged from the ocean.

Seawater streamed noisily down the outside of the water sphere. Yet, Lou Yun clearly saw numerous familiar figures inside it – Tie Sha, Xia Zhilan, Mei Yuanmu, and the others!

At that moment, Lou Yun finally let out a long breath and a smile spread across his face. Their safety was the best possible news!

Indeed, Mo Linsheng had wanted to kill them, but Shui Lingluo had utterly refused. She even threatened that if Mo Linsheng dared kill them without her consent, she would turn against him immediately.

Having witnessed Shui Lingluo’s water control ability firsthand, Mo Linsheng naturally dared not disobey her. Thus, he had only imprisoned them beneath the structures on the seabed.

During the intense battle on the seabed moments before, Wen Hou had detected Tie Sha’s aura because Tie Sha had opened his eyes, causing his powerful force to erupt once again!

However, wanting to protect the others whose magical weapons had all been sealed, Tie Sha did not attempt to leave the water sphere alone. He didn’t even dare break it. He merely released his aura so Wen Hou could detect them and rescue them.

Since Shui Lingluo decided to spare Tie Sha and the others for now, she naturally ensured the water sphere provided ample air for survival. The sphere also offered considerable protection. This shielded them from the devastating effects of the seabed battle, especially the massive destructive force generated during Lou Yun and Mo Linsheng’s duel, allowing them to emerge unscathed.

As the water sphere surfaced, the Heavenly Decree Leader, the Three Brothers of the Lu Family, and others also emerged from the sea. The sight of these forces caused the people of Domineering Island to completely abandon any thought of further fighting. They understood the overwhelming gap in strength; continuing the fight meant certain death, and who willingly embraces that?

Lou Yun didn’t need to worry about the subsequent matters. The four leaders, Mei Yuanmu, and Dong Jingwu were all capable and resourceful. Lou Yun trusted them to handle everything and took Xia Zhilan, Wen Hou, Tie Sha, and the others back to rest first.

The next day, Mei Yuanmu came to report the final outcome to Lou Yun. All the people from Domineering Island willingly surrendered, pledged allegiance to Lou Yun, and joined the Divine Weapon Alliance!

Thus, despite significant casualties among the magical weapons masters on Divine Weapon Island during the battle, with the addition of this group, the total number of magical weapons masters on the island actually increased rather than decreased, reaching a staggering six hundred!

Lou Yun didn’t need to worry about their loyalty either. Mei Yuanmu had abundant methods to verify it, though Mei Yuanmu hoped Lou Yun could win their genuine allegiance willingly.

Lou Yun understood this. However, his battle with Mo Linsheng had severely drained him. He was temporarily too weak even to move, let alone win their heartfelt loyalty. This matter would have to be postponed.

Since the Three Brothers of the Lu Family had already set up the Illusionary Sky Formation on Divine Weapon Island, everyone returned there to reside.

Moreover, after this battle, both Lou Yun’s name and that of Divine Weapon Island resounded thunderously across the entire Eastern Ling Sea Area!

Numerous smaller factions dispatched envoys to show goodwill to Lou Yun, or willingly pledged allegiance to him. In short, despite losing some brothers, Lou Yun leaped from obscurity within the sea area to become its true overlord!

…

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye. Lou Yun stood at the port of Divine Weapon Island surrounded by people. He had decided to temporarily leave the island and return to Yulu Mountain Manor to see his parents and clan. He intended to bring them back to the island and also settle some other matters.

Furthermore, Leng Cangqiong still hadn’t returned all this time, causing Lou Yun great concern. Though he knew Leng Cangqiong’s strength meant few opponents on Spirit Weapon Star could threaten him, worry lingered.

Divine Weapon Island was now formally under the Divine Weapon Alliance, serving as its headquarters. It was internally referred to as the "Root Weapon". Mei Yuanmu, the manager, now became its "Weapon Sire". Both Lou Yun and the four leaders, along with Dong Jingwu, fully trusted his competence.

The four leaders and Dong Jingwu had departed Divine Weapon Island long ago with their subordinates. Currently, the island housed nearly six hundred magical weapons masters, with over forty or fifty above Earth level. Combined with the Illusionary Sky Formation covering the entire island, it couldn’t be called impregnable, but any faction attempting to attack would find it extremely difficult! This security was precisely why Lou Yun wanted to bring his clan here.

Accompanying Lou Yun on his departure were Wen Hou, Tie Sha, and Xia Zhilan. Though Lou Yun tried earnestly to make Wen Hou and Tie Sha stay, they insisted on leaving. They were part of Tianjiao and had their own missions to complete. Lou Yun couldn’t press them further but secretly resolved to urge Chang Xiang to quickly devise a method to help them control their energies.

Lou Yun already considered Wen Hou and Tie Sha his closest brothers.

After bidding farewell to the others, the four soared into the sky riding three magical weapons. Xia Zhilan couldn’t fly her own weapon yet and rode Lou Yun’s Dream Emperor Sword.

Throughout the journey, except for Tie Sha’s customary silence, Lou Yun and Wen Hou talked almost incessantly. As Binhai City appeared not far ahead, Wen Hou smiled slightly and addressed Lou Yun and Xia Zhilan: "We part here!"

Lou Yun nodded, smiling in return. "Alright. When you have time, visit Divine Weapon Island. Even if I’m not there, treat it as your home!"

"Goodbye for now!" Wen Hou waved with a laugh. Tie Sha merely closed his eyes and nodded at Lou Yun and Xia Zhilan. The two then steered their magical weapons and flew off in another direction.

Only after they left did Lou Yun notice Xia Zhilan had wet rims around her eyes. Evidently, after spending so long together, Xia Zhilan had also come to cherish these two friends. Seeing them depart now naturally brought her a sense of loss and sadness.

Lou Yun smiled and gently ruffled Xia Zhilan’s hair. "Don’t worry. We’ll definitely meet them again very soon."

Xia Zhilan nodded softly. Once her emotions settled a little, she asked, "Brother Lou, where do we go first?"

"How about I escort you home first?" Lou Yun asked, smiling at her.

"Ah! Really?! That’s wonderful!" Xia Zhilan instantly cheered excitedly, but her expression suddenly froze. "Escort me home? Brother Lou, aren’t you taking me to meet your parents?"

Watching her adorable expression, Lou Yun couldn’t help but laugh heartily. "Of course I am! I was teasing you! We’ll first go with you to see your grandfather. Then, I’ll take you to my home! Okay?"

"Okay!"

Since Xia Zhilan had been captured by the Nine Clans, she’d had no contact whatsoever with the Ancient Weapon Academy. Xia Guanqiu and the others were surely frantic with worry. That’s why Lou Yun decided to get Xia Zhilan home first, to report her safety and relieve their anxiety.

After buzzing with excitement for a while, Xia Zhilan inquired again, "Brother Lou, you mentioned you had things to handle on this trip. Besides escorting me, is there anything else?"

"Hmm," Lou Yun nodded. "I need to find some people. That includes finding two of my disciples. I also want to see Wan Huier. And… Big Brother still hasn’t sent any word; I don’t know what’s happened."

Lou Yun had long since told Xia Zhilan everything concerning Yi Jinguan, Zuo Mingyang, and Wan Huier. So now, she showed no concern about them and even comforted him: "Alright. I’ll ask grandfather to help look for news of Brother Yi and Old Brother Zuo when I return. As for Sister Huier, she should be with Granny Bai Cao. We can visit her when time permits!"

"And Big Brother Leng? You definitely don’t need to worry about him! With his skills, unless he causes trouble for others, those others should consider themselves lucky! Who would dare cause trouble for him!"

"Heh, I know. I’m not overly worried!" Lou Yun replied with a smile. Though his words were reassuring, an undefinable unease lingered inside him. He felt certain Leng Cangqiong must have encountered some problem, hence failing to visit Divine Weapon Island. Anything Leng Cangqiong couldn’t resolve was bound to be extraordinarily difficult!

However, Lou Yun kept these thoughts buried deep within. He said nothing and let no trace show on his face, not wanting to make Xia Zhilan worry.

The journey that followed felt almost like a leisure trip for Lou Yun and Xia Zhilan. When tired, they would find a town to rest in, stroll the streets, and observe people. Once refreshed, they would resume their journey.

Stopping and going this way, they finally reached Tianrang City. The Ancient Weapon Academy wasn’t far now. The sight of the city invoked shared memories for the pair. They exchanged a knowing smile and, without lingering, flew directly toward the academy.

But upon their arrival at the Ancient Weapon Academy, the sight that greeted them instantly silenced their easy conversation. The smiles vanished from their faces in an instant, freezing into expressions of shock.