Chapter 1378: Situation Is Not Good

Advancement within the Star Constellation Realm is a subtle process, much like soft rain nourishing the earth or sand accumulating to form a tower. It's the culmination of long-term cultivation, meaning each minor realm's promotion doesn't bring about revolutionary changes for a cultivator. For instance, Lu Ye can currently feel that his strength is considerably greater than before, but he doesn't experience the profound elevation and purification that came with transcending a major realm in the past.

Ultimately, this is merely an advancement within the same cultivation realm.

The main difference, perhaps, is that Lu Ye no longer needs to worry about superficial injuries. While his strong physique and vigorous vitality always meant his flesh wounds healed faster than others, now any such injury can be mended with a mere thought, as he has refined the essence of his flesh and blood to its peak. Naturally, this instantaneous recovery still consumes his own power.

Freed from his predicament and having advanced to the mid-Star Constellation Realm, Lu Ye was in excellent spirits. He didn't linger long on the barren planet before once again surging into the starry sky.

He needed to return to Wushuang as quickly as possible. While he believed it highly probable that Kyushu's Star Constellation cultivators would have chosen to withdraw from Wushuang Continent after the battle, rather than senselessly tracking him and Tang Jun, he still needed to confirm it for himself.

Furthermore, a resolution had now been reached with Tang Jun, meaning Star Constellation cultivators from the Azure-Green Dao Realm would no longer invade Wushuang Continent. This allowed the True Lake and Divine Sea cultivators from Kyushu, who had previously withdrawn, to return to Wushuang for training. For them, it was currently the only way to quickly earn battle merits.

How to return was a problem for Lu Ye. If he possessed a star map of this particular region of space, he could naturally navigate by it. However, without one, he was forced to rely solely on his previous memories. Fortunately, Lu Ye had always had a fairly good sense of direction.

After a mere half-day, he returned to the location of the previous wormhole, where he had separated from Tang Jun.

Recalling the scene of the wormhole's appearance that day, Lu Ye quickly determined a direction. If he wasn't mistaken, flying along that path should lead him directly to Wushuang Continent, and once there, returning to Kyushu would be simple.

As he continued onward, Lu Ye's brow gradually furrowed.

He felt as if he had taken the wrong direction.

Earlier, when he was being pursued by Tang Jun, he hadn't had the time or inclination to observe the surrounding celestial phenomena, but he still retained some impression of them.

Yet, after flying for several consecutive days, the celestial phenomena around him felt completely unfamiliar. It was as if he had stumbled into an extremely foreign expanse of space.

Lu Ye immediately realized he was in trouble.

Losing one's way in the starry sky made finding the path back immensely difficult.

Just as he was desperately trying to discern the surrounding celestial phenomena and compare them with his memories, a murderous intent suddenly flared. The next instant, a meteorite streaking past him exploded violently, and a nimble figure burst forth from it, a cold glint of light shooting straight for his face.

Lu Ye had never imagined he would be ambushed in such a remote location. Subconsciously, he assumed Tang Jun had gone back on his word, but he quickly realized his mistake; the attacker only possessed mid-Star Constellation Realm cultivation.

Suddenly attacked, his body instinctively recoiled. Yet, before he could make a move, a violent surge of energy blasted towards him from behind. From the sensory feedback, it was clearly a powerful spell.

A pincer attack!

Not only that, but a third assailant activated the power of a spirit treasure from the side: a vast net that unfurled to cover the sky and earth.

This was clearly a premeditated assault; otherwise, the coordination between the three wouldn't have been so seamless. The first attacker, a warrior cultivator, drew his attention with a sudden burst of aggression. The spell cultivator behind him unleashed spells to assist, forcing Lu Ye into a difficult position. Meanwhile, the third assailant activated the large net spirit treasure. This setup ensured that even a slight delay or hesitation from Lu Ye would likely result in him being ensnared, leaving his life and death beyond his control!

The three worked in perfect synergy, clearly not their first time carrying out such an operation.

Faced with such a situation, Lu Ye had only one choice.

Almost the instant he sensed the spell attacking from behind, the Pan Mountain Saber was already unsheathed. His figure darted forward, charging directly at the warrior cultivator attacking from the front.

The warrior cultivator wielded a long spear that emitted a cold glint. Seeing Lu Ye charging towards him, he couldn't help but inwardly praise his opponent's decisiveness. Most victims were quickly overwhelmed and captured by their combined efforts, and he truly hadn't encountered anyone who acted with such resolve.

However, choosing him as the breakthrough point was clearly a mistake. Among the three, he was the strongest, merely a step away from entering the late Star Constellation Realm. In contrast, the other two consisted of a spell cultivator at the mid-Star Constellation Realm and a third individual who was only at the early stage.

His long spear vibrated, transforming into a deadly sheet of cold light that spread forward.

The next moment, the warrior cultivator's expression drastically changed. As his cold light extinguished, a figure boldly breached his defenses, attacking right in front of him in an instant, followed by a flurry of saber glints, like falling snowflakes.

The warrior cultivator only managed to block the initial few saber strikes before his stance was completely disrupted, as the opponent's speed and power were utterly beyond his ability to contend with.

Greatly alarmed, he wondered how such a vast difference in strength could exist between two cultivators both in the mid-Star Constellation Realm.

Two breaths later, Lu Ye's figure brushed past the warrior cultivator just as the spell struck, exploding into a massive burst of light that engulfed the battlefield.

Immediately after, the large net spirit treasure also descended, ensnaring a section of the void.

As the chaotic spiritual energy fluctuations gradually subsided and the light receded, the spell cultivator's eyelids couldn't help but twitch when he looked closely. Within the large net spirit treasure, only his companion's figure remained; the warrior cultivator they had ambushed had vanished.

What horrified him even more was that his warrior cultivator companion was now decapitated!

He had met his match. The spell cultivator, a decisive individual himself, immediately realized he had provoked someone he shouldn't have and instantly turned to flee.

However, just then, an unremarkable imperial artifact, seemingly devoid of power, suddenly brushed past him. As he turned his head to look, his vision blurred, and a young face with a cold expression suddenly appeared before his eyes.

Who else could it be but the warrior cultivator they had ambushed?

The man's appearance was incredibly ethereal; the spell cultivator hadn't even grasped how he had materialized.

Startled, he quickly tried to activate his spiritual power to unleash a technique. But how could Lu Ye give him that chance? With a raise and fall of his saber, he struck with a single blow.

A spell cultivator, cornered so closely by a warrior cultivator, could hardly expect a favorable outcome, especially with Lu Ye having just advanced to the mid-Star Constellation Realm, his strength considerably greater than before.

One strike shattered his protective spiritual energy, and another decapitated him. Only then did Lu Ye look up towards the last remaining assailant.

This fellow, however, was clever. Witnessing the demise of his two companions, he disregarded even his own large net spirit treasure and desperately activated his spiritual power to flee far away. By the time Lu Ye looked his way, he had already escaped hundreds of miles, and his speed was still accelerating.

A streak of crimson light enveloped Lu Ye as he activated the Blood Escape Technique, transforming into a blood-red line that pursued the man.

Just over a month ago, he had been relentlessly pursued by Tang Jun. A month later, he was the one doing the pursuing.

However, this man's luck was clearly poor. Not long after fleeing, he crashed headfirst into a meteorite. As the meteorite shattered, the impact left him dazed and covered in blood, unable to escape further.

This was the inherent danger of flying at a speed exceeding one's own maximum in the starry void.

Lu Ye arrived but made no threatening moves, simply watching him silently.

Knowing there was no escape, the man ceased his futile efforts, his face etched with bitterness.

At close range, the man's face held a sinister cast, immediately indicating he was not a good person. Moreover, his complexion was extremely pale—a paleness that seemed inherent rather than a result of the recent collision, giving off a distinct impression of excessive indulgence.

A moment later, Lu Ye slowly spoke, "I ask, you answer. Understood?"

"Understood!" The pale-faced man nodded repeatedly. His two mid-stage companions had been like defenseless chicks before this man, killed with virtually no chance to retaliate. He understood what kind of formidable individual he had provoked, secretly speculating that the person before him was likely a monstrous talent from a top-tier realm, as no one else could possess such overwhelming strength. The pale-faced man inherently felt a sense of dread, and given the current unfavorable circumstances, he dared not resist.

"From the Azure-Green Dao Realm?" Lu Ye asked.

Only individuals from the Azure-Green Dao Realm would ambush him. Lu Ye needed to clarify whether Tang Jun had failed to properly convey their previous agreement or if the other party simply had no intention of reconciling with Kyushu.

To Lu Ye's surprise, the man shook his head. "No!"

Lu Ye frowned. "Which realm are you from?"

"The Ancient Cold Realm!"

He hadn't heard of it. However, it was normal for numerous realms to exist within the same star system. Before interacting with the Azure-Green Dao Realm, Kyushu itself hadn't even been aware of its existence, so it was only natural that the star system Kyushu belonged to encompassed more than just the Azure-Green Dao Realm.

"Where is the Ancient Cold Realm?" Lu Ye asked again.

"The Ancient Cold Realm... is in the Void Cave Star System."

Lu Ye was startled, a deeply unsettling feeling suddenly rising within him. Could it be... "Is this the Void Cave Star System?" Otherwise, how could he possibly encounter someone from the Ancient Cold Realm?

This explained why, despite his memory of the direction being correct, the celestial phenomena he encountered along the way were utterly unfamiliar! This wasn't a matter of him simply taking the wrong direction; it was a matter of him arriving in an entirely unfamiliar star system!

The wormhole!

He had escaped confinement using the Void Beast's core, thinking he had returned to the place where he was previously trapped. Now, it was clear that was not the case at all; he must have arrived at the other end of the wormhole!

Even with Lu Ye's resolute character, his body couldn't help but sway slightly. This trouble... was immense! "This isn't the Void Cave Star System..." The pale-faced man looked at Lu Ye with a strange expression, unable to comprehend why Lu Ye, despite being right there, didn't know his own location.

"Then where is this?" Lu Ye pressed, a sliver of hope mixed with apprehension in his voice.

"This is the Myriad Phenomena Star System."

All hope was utterly shattered!