Ye Ju heard Steward Zhu's voice in the space and immediately flashed out of the spaceship.
"Master, the spaceship has been attacked," Little Purple reported to Ye Ju as soon as she emerged. The spaceship was currently hovering above a mountainous area, having already left the sea.
Ye Ju looked down at the masked figures in purple fighting Steward Zhu. Three figures in purple were besieging Steward Zhu. Ayou and Xiao Wangyou were supporting each other, clearly injured.
Ye Ju, having reached the Nascent Soul stage, could condense spiritual energy into silk ribbons to pull the two over. She then set up a barrier to protect the Purple Bamboo Boat and flew into the fray herself, intercepting a cold sword aimed at Steward Zhu.
"Fairy, these three are all Nascent Soul cultivators, very powerful!" Ye Ju's arrival immediately reduced Steward Zhu's pressure. If the Fairy had been any later, he would have been defeated. Fighting three against one at the same cultivation level was downright bullying.
Ye Ju faced two opponents, both skilled sword masters. Her movements were natural and fluid. Her defensive weapon, Yu Shou, transformed into Qingtian Sword in an instant, soaring into the air. The technique "One Sword Becomes Ten Thousand Swords" was unleashed, sending thousands of sword rain towards the two purple-clothed individuals. Steward Zhu's assessment of their strength was not an exaggeration. The two purple-clothed figures joined their two swords together, forming a golden shield of light to block the sword rain. The clash of metal created a resounding clang!
Ye Ju followed up by fusing ice and fire spiritual energy, condensing them into a massive ice-fire ball that hurtled towards the shield. As it exploded, she swiftly scattered a handful of Shen Xian Zui. Even the strongest shield of the purple-clothed figures couldn't withstand two consecutive fierce attacks. One of the purple-clothed figures wearing a jade crown felt a sinking feeling in his heart. They had misjudged. The master of the Nine-Tailed Fox was exceptionally strong. They knew this from the first encounter. Not only was she powerful, but she was also a combat genius! She had attacked with the most ferocious sword techniques right from the start, giving them no time to prepare. While they had blocked the myriad sword rain, they were alarmed to see the powerful energy ball hurtling towards them. The two quickly dodged, and Ye Ju seized this opportunity. The blast, carrying the colorless and odorless Shen Xian Zui, dispersed…
The two purple-clothed figures, flying in mid-air and caught off guard, suddenly lost consciousness. They were shocked, wondering how it happened. They had been drugged! When was the knockout drug administered? How insidious! They gnashed their teeth in hatred. How was it possible? To be incapacitated by such a potent knockout drug at the Nascent Soul stage?
But no one would provide them with answers. They fell from the sky, only to be bound securely by Ye Ju's spiritual energy turned silk ribbons and dragged before her. Qingtian Sword flew back to Ye Ju, transforming back into Yu Shou. Yu Shou flashed twice rapidly, and with two dull thuds, it struck each of them, rendering them even more deeply unconscious.
Ye Ju…
Eh… alright, this way is more secure.
The one fighting Steward Zhu, who was being forced into a defensive stance by Steward Zhu's abacus beads, saw his two companions taken down by the blue-clothed woman in a single exchange. His hands, holding the sword, almost faltered with panic, and he harbored thoughts of retreating.
Seeing the blue-clothed woman stroll casually towards their battleground, he cast a reluctant glance at his two unconscious companions. With a feigned attack, he instantly flashed away, a thousand miles distant. Running was his specialty.
Neither Ye Ju nor Steward Zhu pursued. They carried the two unconscious purple-clothed figures onto the spaceship.
"What happened?" Ye Ju took out spiritual tea from her space and poured a cup for Steward Zhu. Ayou, supporting Xiao Wangyou, came over. They had taken healing medicine and were already fine. Ayou's mastery of medicine was exquisite; a simple internal injury could be healed with a single Qi Shang Dan.
Ye Ju glanced at them with concern, truly feeling that their injuries were almost completely healed. She also took out spiritual tea and invited them to sit down. This tea had been brewed when they were preparing to drink it after eating in the space. It was still warm after the battle. A benefit of the island becoming a space was that anything taken out from the space remained exactly as it was. Warm meals from the space, no matter how long had passed, would emerge warm outside the space, preserving both freshness and temperature.
The only drawback was that Steward Zhu and others could not enter the space. Only Little White, Little Ink, Zhi Meng, and others could. Their common characteristic was that they were beasts, not mortals. Ye Ju was also puzzled by the space's settings. However, Uncle Long San had said that it was because her cultivation was too low that the island had become a space, and its level was too low. As the owner's cultivation increased, the space would upgrade and could accommodate more people.
Ye Ju agreed with Uncle Long San's words. When she was a God Venerable, her spiritual space was almost like a world in itself, indistinguishable from the real world. Now, only the island transformed from the Heart of the Divine Wood remained, a truly isolated land. The Heart of the Divine Wood had merged with the spiritual space by chance, and at that moment, the spiritual space was not solely hers; it was also the origin point of the Divine Wood Realm.
The Divine Wood Realm was inhabited by ancient beings: divine beasts, elves, spirit beasts, demon beasts… Perhaps this was why the space could not accept Steward Zhu and the others. Ye Ju felt she had guessed the truth. Had Long San already guessed this reason? After all, the Divine Wood Realm was his homeland.
"Master, Wangyou and I went to check the mountain area for spiritual plants and to practice with the Snow Beast. Little Purple stayed hovering in the sky to wait for us. Who knew we would encounter these three purple-clothed individuals. We were injured before we could even defend ourselves. Fortunately, Steward Zhu came to our rescue." Ayou felt a bit guilty. If he hadn't said he wanted to go to the snowy mountains to find Ice Qin Grass, this incident wouldn't have happened.
"Fairy, that is precisely what happened. My divine sense scanned the area, and I found no suspicious individuals, which is why I stopped the ship. I also failed to be vigilant," Steward Zhu bowed to Ye Ju.
Ye Ju quickly helped Steward Zhu up. How could he be blamed? These purple-clothed individuals might have been targeting her. The purple spaceship's unique design was easily recognizable! It seemed they needed to disguise the ship.
"Master, I can transform. Leave it to me," the ship spirit Little Purple suddenly spoke up, volunteering after sensing her master's thoughts.
"Alright, Little Purple, I'll trouble you to change your appearance. It would be best if you could become invisible in the future." Ye Ju indicated that children needed encouragement. She never imagined that because of her words, Little Purple, after swallowing that core ship, would achieve this, becoming undetectable even to the most divine immortals.
"Steward Zhu, even the most meticulous plans can have flaws; you cannot be blamed for this. Ayou, neither can you. We cannot be afraid of enemies and always hide on the ship. Let this be a form of training. We will kill any enemies we encounter; we do not seek trouble, but we do not fear it!" Ye Ju's voice was clear and cold. At this moment, she recalled her time as a God Venerable, facing tens of thousands of enemy troops, her sword point leading the charge, invincible!
Ye Ju drank her spiritual tea and walked towards the two unconscious purple-clothed figures, tearing off their masks. Their faces were unfamiliar, and their features were quite handsome.
"Steward Zhu, have you seen these two?" Ye Ju observed their luxurious attire. Although both wore purple, one person's purple robes were embroidered with invisible golden threads, and the jade in his crown was also quite rare. This suggested a certain status. It seemed they had caught a big fish.
Steward Zhu came closer to examine them carefully, recalling the attire of various sects and some talented disciples. He had no recollection.
"Fairy, I have not seen them. However, judging by these two, the person on the left seems to be the leader, initiating the fight, while the other two act more in accordance with his cues!"
Now Ye Ju knew. They had indeed caught a big fish. Catching someone who had cultivated to the Nascent Soul stage was not a common occurrence…