Chapter 1003: Farewell Until We Meet Again

The marvel of the clone lay in the root tendril of the Talent Tree that remained within it. This tendril made the clone incredibly lifelike, almost indistinguishable from the real thing, and also maintained a strong connection between the clone and the main body, no matter the distance.

While the main body could activate its phantom and even form a twin-lotus within it, the Talent Tree had not extended any more root tendrils into the phantom to create another clone.

Lu Ye vaguely sensed that this was related to the extent of the Talent Tree's transformation.

The Talent Tree had undergone one transformation, which allowed it to split off a single tendril, but it couldn't split off a second. If the Talent Tree were to undergo more transformations in the future, the number of clones he could manifest would surely increase.

This also made him realize the preciousness of his current clone.

Previously, he had only instinctively felt that the clone should not be easily lost; the depletion of vitality, spiritual power, and divine sense was secondary. The real loss would be if the section of the Talent Tree root tendril within the clone was gone.

But now, it seemed that if the clone were truly lost, the consequences would be far more severe than he had imagined; it was highly probable that he would be unable to form a new clone again.

Time passed.

After Lu Ye had been trapped in this mystic realm for over two months, his cultivation had reached the seventh level of the True Lake Realm.

During this time, Yu Daiwei came again, still finding Lu Ye's clone meditating at the entrance, with Dao Thirteen quietly guarding beside him. After that, she never returned.

Presumably, she believed Lu Ye had resigned himself to his fate, making escape from the mystic realm impossible. Therefore, she saw no need to waste more time paying attention.

Another half a month passed in a flash.

One day, as Lu Ye was activating the power of the Talent Tree to absorb the spiritual vein energy, he suddenly felt a slight tremor. It was as if a muffled thunderous sound came from deep underground, followed by an earthquake.

He quickly opened his eyes, spreading his divine sense to carefully perceive his surroundings.

A moment later, his expression brightened.

After two and a half months of arduous cultivation and relentless absorption of spiritual vein energy, he was finally seeing results! The recent anomalies were the clearest sign.

At the entrance of the mystic realm, Dao Thirteen also noticed the anomalies. However, his mind was not sharp, so although his expression showed confusion and uncertainty, he didn't understand what exactly was happening.

If Yu Daiwei were there instead, she would undoubtedly investigate thoroughly. Even if Lu Ye had set up a concealing array above the pit, it might not have escaped her discerning eye.

As the unusual movements subsided, Dao Thirteen also calmed down, continuing to stand there like a wooden post.

The clone, which had been closely watching Dao Thirteen's movements, slightly relaxed. It had already decided that if Dao Thirteen made any unusual moves, it would immediately do something to attract his attention.

With the plan showing initial success, full success was not far off.

It had to be said, the spiritual vein energy in this mystic realm was very rich and abundant. If Lu Ye truly wanted to completely absorb the spiritual veins here, it would take a long time. However, he didn't need to absorb them completely; he only needed to bring the spiritual veins to a critical point, a point where they could no longer sustain the mystic realm.

If the mystic realm was a house, then the spiritual veins were its foundation. Lu Ye didn't need to destroy the entire foundation; damaging just a part of it would cause the house to collapse on its own.

Over the next few days, the anomalies in the mystic realm became more frequent. From time to time, humming sounds would emanate from deep underground, and each time, the entire mystic realm would shake violently.

Even the consistently clear sky of the mystic realm showed some unusual phenomena.

This was clearly a sign that the mystic realm was about to collapse. Dao Thirteen was affected; his emotions seemed off. After all, he was a Divine Sea Realm cultivator and subconsciously sensed danger, but he also had to obey Yu Daiwei's instructions to stay close to Lu Ye. Caught in a dilemma, his unsharp mind simply didn't know how to handle the situation.

Every time the clone opened its eyes and looked at him, it saw an anxious and uneasy expression, and from time to time, he would emit sounds similar to a beast's roar from his throat.

Finally, at a certain moment, a massive humming sound reverberated. The mystic realm experienced turbulent changes; the once clear sky suddenly shattered like a broken mirror, and even the scenery within the entire mystic realm began to twist and distort.

The mystic realm was about to collapse!

Having experienced a similar event in the Sword Sect's mystic realm before, Lu Ye was naturally not surprised by this.

Once the mystic realm collapsed, both he and Dao Thirteen would be free from this cage. His next steps were simple: first, recall the clone, and then get rid of Dao Thirteen.

At the same time, at the exit of the mystic realm, a portal flickered into existence.

Due to the imminent collapse of the mystic realm, the previously sealed exit also showed signs of opening. Through it, some scenery from outside was vaguely visible.

Dao Thirteen watched with bewildered uncertainty, completely failing to understand why this was happening.

The clone, meditating beside him, suddenly opened its eyes. Dao Thirteen immediately lowered his head and looked at it.

The clone gave him a faint smile and said, "We'll meet again!"

As it spoke, Lu Ye activated the power within its body, channeling it into the array beneath it.

A teleportation array had been set up beneath him, completed only yesterday. He hadn't dared to set it up earlier, fearing Yu Daiwei might suddenly appear and see it.

The process of setting up the array encountered no obstacles. Dao Thirteen was only responsible for watching him, following Yu Daiwei's instructions not to let him try to open the portal. He wouldn't care if Lu Ye was setting up an array or not.

The array activated, its powerful energy surging. In an instant, the clone vanished.

Dao Thirteen was stunned for a moment, then roared, a visible wave of air blasting from his mouth, reaching over ten meters. He quickly rushed to where the clone had vanished, frantically digging with both hands, instantly scooping out a large pit, but there was no trace of Lu Ye.

Only then did he remember to activate his divine sense, searching all around for Lu Ye's whereabouts, but still found nothing.

Where Lu Ye was located, there was a large concealing array. With the mystic realm in chaos and spiritual energy surging, even a Divine Sea Realm cultivator like Dao Thirteen couldn't hope to discover anything in a short amount of time.

More than a hundred meters underground, the clone returned via the teleportation array. Lu Ye raised his hand and pressed it onto the clone, activating the Talent Tree's power to recall it.

No sooner had he finished all this than the mystic realm dramatically collapsed. A massive rift suddenly appeared in the sky, deep as an abyss.

Lu Ye shot up into the sky, rushing towards the rift. As for how to get rid of Dao Thirteen, he would have to improvise. Regardless, it was better than remaining trapped in this mystic realm.

The moment he appeared, Dao Thirteen noticed him, let out a roar, and shot up from his position, chasing after Lu Ye.

At that moment, Lu Ye had already rushed into the rift, but in the next instant, his expression changed.

Because charging into the rift did not lead back to Kyushu as expected, Lu Ye instead felt as if he had fallen into a bottomless abyss, continuously plummeting downwards.

This feeling... was somewhat akin to teleportation, a long-distance one, as the entire process was an extremely unpleasant experience.

Amidst the disorientation, Lu Ye felt his consciousness infinitely ascending.

In a mysterious void, he seemed to find himself in an inexplicable space. Under normal circumstances, it couldn't be seen by the naked eye or perceived by the mind, yet there was a peculiar sight: a colossal gourd-shaped landmass, drifting through the void, coming from an unknown origin and floating towards an unknown destination.

It resembled a solitary boat sailing on a vast, boundless ocean, appearing desolate and lonely.

At first, Lu Ye didn't react to what it was, but he quickly startled, a realization dawning on him.

This colossal gourd-shaped landmass was, astonishingly, a world!

"Is this the true form of Kyushu?" he wondered.

He was slightly surprised. Was Kyushu really shaped like this? What puzzled him even more was how, by merely escaping during the collapse of the renowned mystic realm, his consciousness had ascended to a point where he could see the entire expanse of Kyushu.

But he was quickly startled, as he suddenly realized that this might not be Kyushu.

He hadn't seen a complete map of Kyushu, but he did possess a map of Bing Province.

Comparing the two, he couldn't find any familiar traces on the colossal landmass before his eyes.

This was very likely *not* Kyushu!

But if this wasn't the world of Kyushu, then what place was it?

Just as he was filled with doubt, the colossal gourd-shaped landmass slowly grew larger in his vision.

His inexplicably elevated consciousness abruptly returned to his body!

Only then did Lu Ye realize his predicament: he was plummeting at an extremely fast speed towards the gourd-shaped world, with meteorites falling from the sky alongside him. He was mixed among these falling meteorites, appearing utterly inconspicuous.

What astonished him even more was that an inexplicable force was protecting his body. Although the descent was incredibly fast, he felt no discomfort whatsoever.

Lu Ye's eye twitched slightly, and some conjectures formed in his mind.

His current predicament was likely the doing of Kyushu's Heavenly Secret!

The inexplicable force protecting him was the clearest evidence. This force couldn't have appeared out of thin air; he hadn't activated any of his own spiritual power. Other than the mysterious and unfathomable Heavenly Secret, who could have silently bestowed such a force upon him?

Having experienced the incident on the Peerless Continent before, Lu Ye naturally knew that there was more than just Kyushu in this world. Therefore, the colossal gourd-shaped landmass must be another world unknown to him.

But what he didn't understand was why the Heavenly Secret would send him here.

There had been no prior warning whatsoever. He had merely intended to escape from the renowned mystic realm. Instead of returning to Kyushu, he had arrived at this place, descending in such a manner.

It was utterly baffling.

However, considering all that had happened before, the Heavenly Secret never acted without purpose. His being sent here clearly meant the Heavenly Secret wanted him to accomplish something in this place.

There would always be a way forward; overthinking it now was useless.

Below was the rapidly approaching ground, and around him were intensely burning meteorites.

Seeing that he was only a hundred zhang above the ground, Lu Ye was about to activate his spiritual power to fly. However, as he tried to do so, he suddenly discovered that all his spiritual power was sealed within his body, unable to be activated.