Chapter 1459: Qinghai Conch

A short while later, they arrived at the Star Palace.

Inside the hall, Lu Ye immediately saw at least a hundred male merfolk gathered, evidently the workforce Yan Miao had assigned earlier.

Upon Yan Miao's arrival, one of the male merfolk respectfully stepped forward to report to her. After listening, Yan Miao spoke a few words.

Then, turning to Lu Ye, she said, "Young friend, let's go out and see."

"Alright," Lu Ye agreed readily. He was curious to understand why Yan Miao mentioned the merfolk couldn't get close to the temple's perimeter.

Soon, a large group of merfolk exited the Star Palace and gathered outside.

At Yan Miao's command, the merfolk fanned out, attempting to approach the Star Palace from various directions. However, Lu Ye clearly observed that the closer any merfolk got to the palace, the harder it became for them to move. It was as if an invisible force field emanated from the entire Star Palace, repelling them.

Nearly all the merfolk stopped about three zhang away from the Star Palace, their faces showing strain as they struggled against this unseen force.

This was peculiar. Lu Ye had been clearing weeds here for some time and had never encountered anything like it.

Surely, nothing had changed in the Star Palace during his absence of a few days? If so, that would be problematic.

With that thought, he quickly flew forward. To the astonishment of the merfolk, he effortlessly pressed himself against the wall of the Star Palace, encountering no resistance whatsoever.

He then tried removing some seaweed from the palace wall, which also posed no issue.

Observing this, Yan Miao also moved closer, but like the other merfolk, she found herself unable to approach the Star Palace.

A moment later, Lu Ye and Yan Miao returned inside the Star Palace. Yan Miao shared her observations: "Young friend, the temple seems to strongly resist our presence. I sense that forcing our way closer could lead to unpredictable consequences."

Yet, paradoxically, they could enter the Star Palace directly.

"I understand," Lu Ye nodded. "Great Elder, please take your clansmen back. I can manage things here on my own."

"My apologies," Yan Miao said, looking regretful. "My clan was unable to assist with this matter, despite what I had promised you..."

"This is not your fault," Lu Ye replied. He suspected the Star Palace was deliberately causing him trouble; otherwise, there was no logical reason for it to repel the merfolk while allowing him to approach effortlessly.

Therefore, it was truly not their fault. Yan Miao had already shown great sincerity by sending over a hundred clansmen to help.

Yan Miao then departed with the merfolk. Before leaving, she reminded Lu Ye that if he ever grew bored, he was welcome to visit the merfolk territory, as their doors would always be open to him.

After their departure, a frustrated Lu Ye resumed clearing weeds.

He had initially hoped that with the merfolk's assistance, he could finish his task sooner and return in time for the ranking battle. However, it now seemed that plan was ruined, and he would have to handle everything himself.

"What exactly do you want?" Lu Ye wondered, his spiritual sense stirring as he continued to clear weeds.

The Star Palace possessed its own will, and Lu Ye was certain it could hear him. What frustrated him, however, was that it offered no response to his inquiries.

Lu Ye racked his brain, unable to recall any way he might have offended the Star Palace. Since its opening, he had merely participated in various competitions like any other cultivator. Why, then, had he been singled out and turned into a laborer?

His only current concern was whether his supply of fire-attributed treasures would suffice, as the consumption of Talent Tree fuel was exceptionally high beneath the Myriad Manifestation Sea.

Furthermore, weeding in this environment was painfully slow, and since he couldn't leave, Lu Ye had no choice but to work diligently without complaint.

After much consideration, he concluded that if push came to shove, his only option would be to ask Yan Miao to escort him, to see if he could swim directly out of the Myriad Manifestation Sea. Yan Miao possessed a conch that could repel Moon-Glimmer star constellations, meaning there would be little danger unless they encountered a Sun-Illuminated star beast along the way.

His routine became: clearing weeds, resting, and then allowing the Talent Tree to absorb the power of fire-attributed treasures to replenish its depleted fuel.

Lu Ye's days were dull and monotonous.

After several days of this routine, Lu Ye, while replenishing the Talent Tree's fuel inside the grand hall, suddenly remembered an item and quickly retrieved it.

It was a conch, the size of a baby's fist and entirely blue, precisely the item he had taken from the Sky-Conch Palace.

When he had first retrieved it, he immediately saw Yan Miao and the other merfolk waiting outside the Sky-Conch Palace. With no time for a close inspection, he had simply put it away, so until now, he hadn't known exactly what he had taken from the Sky-Conch Palace.

Now, upon closer inspection, Lu Ye suddenly noticed that this conch was virtually identical to the one Yan Miao possessed, differing only in color.

His spirits lifted!

Could this item possess the same function as Yan Miao's? If so, he might finally have a way to leave this place.

Lu Ye finally understood the origin of Yan Miao's conch; she had evidently received it as a reward from the Sky-Conch Palace as well. However, hers was a golden conch, while his was blue.

It appeared, then, that the countless multicolored glows within the Sky-Conch Palace each represented a conch. Cultivators who successfully passed the trials inside could claim one as a reward.

He handled it for a moment, then brought the conch to his lips and blew gently.

A low sound emerged, but it was merely an ordinary sound, devoid of any peculiar power.

Lu Ye considered for a moment, then began blowing into the conch while channeling his spiritual energy into it.

This time, a wondrous power began to surge forth.

Lu Ye clearly saw the tip of the conch begin to glow with a blue light, which intensified as he continued to pour his spiritual energy into it.

He understood now. His blue conch was likely different from Yan Miao's golden one; it didn't possess the power to repel Moon-Glimmer star beasts. Its true capabilities remained unknown for now.

A moment later, as the conch's tip reached its maximum luminescence, a burst of blue light shot forth, settling a short distance in front of Lu Ye. The light then spread, as if a splash of blue ink had dyed the entire space before him.

Lu Ye gazed at the scene with a peculiar expression, for the area bathed in blue light undeniably resembled a portal leading to an unknown destination.

However, Lu Ye sensed that the portal was not yet stable enough; forcing his way through it would surely trigger unpredictable dangers.

He continued to puff out his cheeks and blow, while ceaselessly channeling spiritual energy into the conch.

The blue hue grew more solid, and the portal visibly stabilized.

It wasn't until dozens of breaths later that Lu Ye stopped, staring blankly ahead.

It was indeed a portal, with swirling blue light and a vortex at its center. Lu Ye tried to sense the aura within, but detected nothing.

Now, only one question remained: where did this portal lead?

Lu Ye had a bold hypothesis.

After a brief hesitation, he stepped through. To verify his hypothesis, he had to investigate personally. Before entering, however, Lu Ye had already gripped the Mountain-Stabilizing Blade at his waist, his spiritual energy fully prepared for any unforeseen circumstances.

His body paused for a moment, as if passing through a thin membrane. His vision blurred, and when it cleared, Lu Ye realized he was no longer in the Star Palace.

He turned his head and looked around; the surroundings felt somewhat familiar.

Looking back, it was precisely as he had surmised: the portal led directly to the entrance of the Sky-Conch Palace!

Lu Ye didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He had only left the merfolk territory a few days prior, and here he was, back again.

Had he known, he would have tested the blue conch's function before leaving, saving himself a significant amount of time.

The sound of merfolk speaking drifted from nearby. Lu Ye scratched his head, feeling a little like he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't have.

Last time he had been invited, but this visit was unannounced, which felt somewhat improper.

Then again, Yan Miao had told him when she left the Star Palace that he was welcome to visit if he grew bored, and the merfolk's doors would always be open to him. So, perhaps it didn't matter if his visit was uninvited.

Furthermore, if the blue conch indeed possessed such an unusual ability, he would genuinely need to inform the merfolk. Otherwise, his sudden, phantom-like appearances might lead to misunderstandings.

He glanced back at the spot he had emerged from. A portal, identical to the one in the Star Palace, remained open. Lu Ye felt he could likely return to the Star Palace through it.

Had he accidentally created a void passage connecting the Star Palace to this location? Did the blue conch truly possess such a peculiar power?

Two merfolk came into view, apparently passing by. Both paused in surprise upon seeing Lu Ye, but quickly recovered and hastened forward to bow.

When Lu Ye had visited previously, Bai Lu had given him a tour, and he had met many merfolk. Thus, even if these merfolk hadn't seen Lu Ye personally, they were aware that their tribe hosted a human guest.

After a moment's thought, Lu Ye asked, "Could you help me call Bai Lu?" Of course, the merfolk didn't understand. Both looked at him with confusion and replied with something Lu Ye couldn't comprehend.

Unfortunately, both merfolk were male; otherwise, he could have cast an enlightenment spell on them to facilitate communication.

Fortunately, they were not unintelligent. Unable to communicate themselves, they knew to find someone who could. One remained, while the other hurried off, clearly to fetch Bai Lu, Yan Miao, or another elder.

Lu Ye waited patiently, but within moments, he noticed something amiss: the portal before him was becoming unstable, as if on the verge of collapse.

Lu Ye glanced at the portal, hesitated briefly, then quickly told the remaining merfolk, "When Bai Lu arrives, tell her I'll return later to explain the situation."

Without waiting to see if they understood, he darted back through the portal. He needed to verify his idea while the portal remained stable.

The sensation of passing through a thin membrane returned, his vision blurred once more, and Lu Ye found himself back in the Star Palace, just as he had expected.