Chapter 1380: Starry Sky Wonder

Winds of Kyushu

This method is more troublesome, but it's better than waiting here for the wormhole to stabilize. Whether this wormhole in front of us can stabilize is uncertain. Even if it does, who knows how many years we'd have to wait? It could be a few years, a dozen years, or even hundreds or thousands of years. There's no way to tell for sure.

"I heard there's a Myriad Phenomena Sea here, a gathering place for cultivators from all directions!" Tang Jun said. "We need to find someone to ask for directions to the Myriad Phenomena Sea. Let's go there first." If we want to gather information, it's naturally easier to go where there are more people.

Lu Ye casually tossed him a star map. Tang Jun took it, glanced at it, then turned to stare at Lu Ye, speechless. They had only arrived in the Myriad Phenomena Star System a few days ago, and even he, a Moon Splendor cultivator, didn't have a star map of this system. Yet Lu Ye did. This was quite intriguing. And judging by Lu Ye's demeanor, he probably had more than one star map. How long had it been? Had this kid already started killing?

He composed himself, carefully examined the star map, then turned to face a certain direction. "It should be this way. Let's go." With that, he flew off first, with Lu Ye following close behind. After a moment, Lu Ye finally asked, "Old Tang, we're not going to fly all the way there like this, are we?"

Tang Jun turned to look at him. "So, you'll carry me? I'm old, and my legs aren't what they used to be. You're young and strong, so it's only right for you to exert yourself more." Lu Ye resisted the urge to draw his blade. "Don't you have anything that can speed up our travel, like a starship or something?" Tang Jun huffed in annoyance. "You took my storage ring! Where would I get a starship?"

Lu Ye said nothing, just stared fixedly at him. Lu Ye simply didn't believe the old man had no starship; even Zhao Tianmu, a late-stage Constellation cultivator, had one. After flying for a while longer, Tang Jun probably realized that flying like this was a huge waste of time. He then put on a show of sudden realization: "You didn't mention it, and I actually forgot! My memory isn't what it used to be in my old age!" As he spoke, he tossed out a starship. Its design resembled a silver fish, though it wasn't as large as the Silverfish, with a maximum capacity of only three to five people. Tang Jun boarded first, with Lu Ye following closely behind.

Lu Ye touched it here and there, looking around. The Silverfish was currently with Nian Yuexian, and he had no other starships. It would be inconvenient to navigate the Myriad Phenomena Star System in the future without something to speed up travel. "Old Tang..." "Don't even think about it! This is the only one I have!" "You're a grand Moon Splendor cultivator, and you're still stingy over such a small item?" Tang Jun was amused and exasperated. When they were adversaries, he thought Lu Ye was ruthless, but now, bound by fate, he discovered the young man's shamelessness. His calculations were so blatant, even people in the Jade Snail Star System could probably hear them. "In any case, forget about it. I can't give it to you," Tang Jun said firmly. Lu Ye pouted, walked to the side, and sat down cross-legged. Tang Jun faintly heard him muttering something about being stingy.

As they continued their journey, the surrounding airspace gradually became livelier. They frequently encountered cultivators passing by, some flying through the air, others rapidly gliding past on spirit boats. Most traveled in groups; rarely was anyone alone. The myriad strange shapes of the spirit boats dazzled Lu Ye. The further they advanced, the busier the surrounding starfield became. Furthermore, everyone they saw was at least a Constellation stage cultivator, and occasionally, auras of Moon Splendor cultivators swept past. This star system truly had Constellation cultivators everywhere and Moon Splendor cultivators as common as dogs. The sheer gathering of cultivators was an eye-opener for Lu Ye and Tang Jun, two "country bumpkins" from a remote backwater. And this was only the outer perimeter of the Myriad Phenomena Sea. They couldn't imagine what the scene would be like inside the legendary Myriad Phenomena Sea.

When there are many people, trouble easily arises, especially since the cultivators coming and going here were from hundreds or thousands of different star systems. All of them lived by the sword, so fighting and contention were inevitable. Along the way, they encountered at least a dozen skirmishes and battles, big and small. Tang Jun sensed them from afar and skillfully maneuvered his starship to avoid them. This was common sense for traveling in space: if you encounter a conflict, do not approach rashly, as it could easily provoke hostility from both parties. If they were to be ganged up on, the situation would become grim.

From a distance, the two saw a wondrous sight in the starry sky! In the distant cosmos, a vast area was enveloped in a brilliant blue, resembling an enormous ocean suspended in space—a truly magnificent spectacle. The Myriad Phenomena Sea had been reached!

Although called a "sea," something existing in space was naturally not a true ocean. According to the Little People's jade slips, the Myriad Phenomena Sea was the foremost of the Myriad Phenomena Star System's three great cosmic wonders, and the very reason the star system was renowned throughout the entire star domain. In the boundless cosmos, there were countless wonders, each with its own unique form, and the Myriad Phenomena Sea was merely one of them. From a great distance, the Myriad Phenomena Sea didn't seem particularly large, but as they drew closer, its immense grandeur became increasingly apparent. Such a wonder encompassed an unknown number of billions of miles, and its sheer existence accounted for nearly ten percent of the entire Myriad Phenomena Star System's size, showcasing its immense scale. Compared to other cosmic wonders, however, the Myriad Phenomena Sea was actually not that large. Lu Ye had read in the Little People's jade slips that some cosmic wonders were vast enough to cover an entire star system, or even several; a Constellation stage cultivator entering one would need to fly for several years, even with a starship like the Silverfish, just to traverse it.

An old man and a young man stood side-by-side on the starship, silently sensing the oppressive aura emanating from the colossal ocean. "Young Friend Taibai!" Tang Jun suddenly spoke. "I've thought about it, and I believe we should still split up. That way, we can secretly look out for each other. Even if one of us encounters trouble, the other can provide assistance. What do you think, young friend?" Lu Ye pondered for a moment. "I think what you said makes sense!"

Arriving suddenly in this unfamiliar place, which was also a gathering point for powerful cultivators, it was indeed not ideal to act together. Separating would be more efficient, and as Tang Jun said, if one of them ran into trouble, the other could provide covert assistance. Staying together made them easy targets to be wiped out. "Let's exchange voice message talismans for easier contact if something happens," Tang Jun said, taking out his talisman and handing it to Lu Ye. Lu Ye did as instructed. A moment later, he retrieved his talisman and leaped off the starship. "If there's any news, I'll inform you immediately, young friend. I'll go on ahead," Tang Jun's starship receded into the distance, only a single sentence drifting back. Lu Ye watched his starship disappear from sight, then calmly headed towards the Myriad Phenomena Sea himself. Tang Jun wanting to separate likely had his own reasons; the one he stated was probably only part of it. The most probable reason was that he feared Lu Ye would implicate him. Tang Jun must have sensed something from the star map Lu Ye gave him. For an old man with one foot in the grave, stability was paramount, and being with a young man who was prone to fighting and killing naturally made him uncomfortable. Lu Ye didn't call him out, because separating was indeed more effective. Besides, while both originated from the same star system and were now bound by fate in this foreign land, their relationship wasn't close enough for them to truly act as companions.

As he flew, Lu Ye touched his right wrist. He actually had a way to leave the Myriad Phenomena Star System: activating the mark the Reincarnation Tree had bestowed upon him. This would allow him to directly enter the Reincarnation Tree's domain. He could then inquire about Kyushu's location from the Reincarnation Tree, which should lead him home. If there was any entity that understood this star domain best, it was the Reincarnation Tree; its avatars were spread across the boundaries of various star systems, knowing each one intimately. However, Lu Ye didn't know how far the Reincarnation Tree's location was from Kyushu, or how many star systems he would have to traverse. Even if he found the way home, spending hundreds or thousands of years on the journey wouldn't be worth it. Lu Ye kept this method as a backup. In comparison, Tang Jun's suggestion was the quickest: gather information on star systems adjacent to the Jade Snail Star System, and then use their wormholes to return more swiftly.

After flying for several more days, he gradually approached the Myriad Phenomena Sea. The vast Myriad Phenomena Sea, being a three-dimensional entity, could, in some sense, be entered from any direction by Lu Ye. However, things weren't that simple in reality. It was a convergence of stellar energy. If it were merely that, then this place would undoubtedly be a cultivation treasure trove for Upper Three Realm cultivators, as their cultivation required absorbing and refining stellar energy. Spirit jades and spirit crystals could also be seen as condensed forms of stellar energy. But the Myriad Phenomena Sea's "waters" contained more than just stellar energy useful to cultivators. As a cosmic wonder born in ancient times, it operated under its own unique set of rules. Simply put, the "waters" here were far more corrosive than ordinary stellar energy, an erosion that even Upper Three Realm cultivators could not withstand. Therefore, if one rashly delved deep into its "waters," even an Upper Three Realm cultivator wouldn't last long. Once too many impurities eroded their bodies, it would inevitably impact their foundation, leading to severe vital energy depletion at best, or a drop in cultivation at worst. This meant that despite the magnificent Myriad Phenomena Sea gathering stellar energy highly coveted by Upper Three Realm cultivators, no one dared to venture deep into it easily. Cultivators all entered from above the Myriad Phenomena Sea.

Lu Ye swept in from the edge of the Myriad Phenomena Sea and, from afar, observed the scattered islands dotting its surface. These islands were born alongside the Myriad Phenomena Sea itself. Each island had withstood countless ages of erosion from its "waters," proving incredibly resilient; even a Sunlit stage powerhouse couldn't easily destroy them. Cultivators from all corners of the star domain established themselves on these islands. Over countless ages, generations of cultivators here had continued the legacy, maintaining the prosperity of this place.