Chapter 1447: True Star Lodge

Under the sea, it was completely dark, with not a trace of light. However, Lu Ye was, after all, a Star Dweller, and even in such profound darkness, he could vaguely discern things, provided they weren't too far away.

Naturally, this ability was ineffective over long distances.

Relying on his divine sense was even less reliable. He had tried it before; in the waters of the Myriad Manifestations Sea, his divine sense could not extend more than three inches from his body. The pure and dense spatial energy there had an overwhelming suppressive effect on divine sense.

He attempted to activate a Discernment Spirit Pattern to enhance his vision, hoping to see more clearly. When active, the Discernment Spirit Pattern allowed him to observe the flow of energy, revealing things invisible to the naked eye. Since the seawater itself was condensed from extremely pure and dense spatial energy, activating the Discernment Spirit Pattern resulted in a dazzling, blinding light that almost prevented Lu Ye from opening his eyes.

He quickly deactivated the Discernment Spirit Pattern.

He swam a short distance away, then turned to look back, curious about the appearance of the grand hall where he had first emerged.

In the dark, murky water, the indistinct outline of something massive entered his view, but he couldn't discern it clearly.

Just then, a school of faintly glowing fish swam past. Using their weak luminescence, Lu Ye finally got a clear look at the grand hall.

He was momentarily stunned.

From the outside, the hall’s design gave him a strong sense of familiarity; he had definitely seen this grand hall somewhere before.

Then it dawned on him: Wasn't this the Star Dweller Hall?

A few months prior, when the Star Dweller Hall opened, he had accompanied Puck the Specter to it and observed it from the outside.

From its appearance alone, this deep-sea grand hall was identical in both size and structure to the Star Dweller Hall he had seen a few months earlier.

The only difference was their location: one in a specific region of the Myriad Manifestations Star System, the other deep underwater.

Another crucial difference was that one was ethereal, and the other was tangible!

The Star Dweller Hall, into which numerous Star Dweller cultivators poured, seemed to be an ethereal projection. It remained in that area of space year-round, visible to any passing cultivator. However, its gates would only open when it activated, allowing cultivators to enter and compete. Ordinarily, even if a cultivator passed through it, they would encounter no resistance.

In contrast, the grand hall before him was a tangible, real structure. It had lain dormant in these deep waters for an unknown period. Its surface was mottled, seemingly from the erosion of time, but upon closer inspection, Lu Ye realized the mottled appearance was due to clinging seaweed.

The entire grand hall was enveloped by strange seaweed, as if covered in a layer of fuzz.

Gazing back at the grand hall, which looked identical to the Star Dweller Hall, Lu Ye's heart pounded.

Could this... be the true Star Dweller Hall?

This speculation stemmed from something Puck had mentioned to him when they were on their way to the Star Dweller Hall.

Puck had mentioned that some speculated the Star Dweller Hall cultivators entered was merely a projection, which explained its ethereal, illusory appearance. When not activated, anyone could pass right through it.

If that Star Dweller Hall truly was a projection, then a real one must exist. Powerful cultivators had once attempted to trace its origin through the projection, searching for the true Star Dweller Hall, but without success.

This led to the later theory that the Star Dweller Hall was a spatial supreme treasure that had not fully evolved, hence its ethereal form.

However, if this deep-sea hall was the true Star Dweller Hall, then it must have fully evolved, truly being a spatial supreme treasure. Its location in the unreachable depths of the sea meant its traces would naturally remain undiscovered.

The more Lu Ye considered it, the more he felt his speculation might be true.

This was the true Star Dweller Hall, its projection cast into a certain region of space within the Myriad Manifestations Star System, providing an opportunity for Star Dweller realm cultivators to enter and compete.

If the grand hall before him was the true Star Dweller Hall, then where exactly was this place? It couldn't possibly be the Myriad Manifestations Sea, could it?

As he pondered this, another school of fish swam past him. Lu Ye's gaze was immediately drawn to them, as the fish looked remarkably familiar.

For more than half a year previously, he had been engaging in a battle of wits and courage with these very fish, earning his first fortune in the Myriad Manifestations Star System!

White Spirits! And this was a massive school, numbering at least a hundred thousand. Even if each White Spirit was valued at just three thousand spirit jades, the total value of this school would exceed three hundred million spirit jades!

He had painstakingly laid out such a grand scheme, selling so many array disks, yet had only gained a little over one hundred million spirit jades. In terms of value, that was only slightly more than 30% of this fish school's worth.

While Lu Ye was momentarily stunned, the school of White Spirits had already swum away.

His expression grew extremely solemn.

He realized that this place very likely was the Myriad Manifestations Sea!

The Myriad Manifestations Sea contained White Spirits, and they were here too. Such a coincidence seemed impossible.

Furthermore, while the Myriad Manifestations Star System was vast, the only place even powerful Sunlit cultivators could not enter was the Myriad Manifestations Sea!

The true form of the Star Dweller Hall had always been hidden deep within the Myriad Manifestations Sea, which was why its whereabouts had never been discovered.

If this was true, then two of the Myriad Manifestations Star System's three great spatial wonders would be in the same location, or rather, one would be situated within the other.

This was certainly a discovery that could shock the world, but Lu Ye felt little joy, as it held little significance for him. In fact, his current situation was somewhat unfavorable.

Not lingering in the deep sea, Lu Ye swam back towards the Star Dweller Hall. Moments later, he returned to its interior.

He needed to sort things out.

He had killed General Drybone with Puck the Specter, shared the spoils, and found a White Spirit among the loot. That White Spirit had brought him here, and now he realized this place was very likely the true Star Dweller Hall, located in the deep waters of the Myriad Manifestations Sea.

What should he do? He had no idea.

There were no treasures here, nor any enemies, only an empty grand hall.

After a moment's thought, Lu Ye spoke: "Are there any instructions?"

If the Star Dweller Hall was a spatial supreme treasure, it must possess its own sentience, like the Cycle Tree. While its sentience might not be as fully developed as the Cycle Tree's, it should nonetheless exist. Thus, Lu Ye thought it better to simply ask directly rather than explore and speculate on his own.

Perhaps he could gain some insights and answers.

But after he asked, there was no response; the Star Dweller Hall seemed to lack its own sentience.

He spoke again: "Is there anything you need me to do?" Still no response.

Lu Ye frowned, and spoke once more: "I want to withdraw!" He couldn't. It was as if the Star Dweller Hall's rules no longer applied, similar to his experience in General Drybone's grand hall.

Lu Ye naturally knew this wasn't because the Star Dweller Hall's rules no longer applied—this was the main Star Dweller Hall; how could its own rules not apply? Rather, the Star Dweller Hall simply wasn't letting him leave.

From this, it seemed the Star Dweller Hall indeed possessed its own sentience, but for some reason, it wasn't responding to his inquiries.

Lu Ye didn't mind. If anyone else were trapped here, and the Star Dweller Hall wouldn't let them go, they might truly have no choice but to wait for death.

But he didn't necessarily have to rely on the Star Dweller Hall's rules to leave. He could simply swim out!

If this truly was the Myriad Manifestations Sea, he could simply swim in one direction and surely escape. It would merely take some time.

Of course, doing so would consume a large amount of his Talent Tree's fuel. Fortunately, his current reserves of Talent Tree fuel were abundant, and he had also spent over ten million spirit jades previously to purchase a large quantity of fire-elemental treasures, so it shouldn't be a significant problem.

At the moment, he was only glad he hadn't saved spirit jades before, but instead had gone on a massive shopping spree at Grand Hall No. 88. Otherwise, he wouldn't have such confidence now.

"If there are no instructions, I'll be leaving," Lu Ye said. Seeing that the Star Dweller Hall still showed no reaction, he decisively exited the main door.

Then, choosing a direction, he quickly swam towards it.

As he swam, he also looked around to see if he could encounter any more White Spirit schools. They were all spirit jades, and even catching a few could fetch a good price. Especially since it was currently the fish dormancy period, their price would certainly be higher than usual.

As he was swimming leisurely, a sudden warning arose in his heart. He turned to look in one direction and saw a dark shadow rapidly rushing towards him, its momentum aggressive, clearly indicating hostile intent.

Just as Lu Ye was about to draw his blade, he suddenly remembered that this was the Myriad Manifestations Sea. If he summoned his Crag Blade, it would likely be corroded and damaged very quickly.

He immediately abandoned the thought of drawing his blade. Clenching his fist, he launched a punch in the direction of the approaching shadow.

He wasn't skilled at fighting with his fists, being a blade-wielding soldier cultivator. But his fundamental strength was undeniable, and such a punch, under normal circumstances, would possess considerable power.

But this was the deep sea. As he threw the punch, Lu Ye felt something was off. The dense seawater enveloped his fist, and before its full power could be unleashed, the force of the punch was diminished by a third.

Immediately after, he saw a gaping, bloody maw lunging at him.

In his haste, his outstretched fist shot upwards, striking one of the fangs in the gaping mouth. Immense power erupted, causing the seawater to churn. Lu Ye recoiled, and the dark shadow was temporarily forced back.

But Lu Ye quickly realized there wasn't just one dark shadow, but several. He had just repelled one when the others already swarmed him.

Lu Ye struggled to cope.

In this environment, his combat effectiveness was severely hampered. Ordinarily, he could have dispatched such opponents with a few slashes of his blade, but here, he found himself in precarious situations.

For a moment, he felt the frustrating sensation of a dragon struggling in shallow waters, harassed by shrimp.

After a period of entanglement, Lu Ye not only failed to kill any of the dark shadows but was also bitten when one seized an opportunity.

He finally got a clear look at what these dark shadows were: they were actually shark-like spatial beasts.