Chapter 1527: Soul Devouring Aphid

Li Shang gazed at him, then asked, "You participated in the Divine Sea Competition of the Reincarnation Tree, didn't you?"

Li Shang had suspected as much ever since learning that Lu Ye possessed the Reincarnation Tree's mark. The Reincarnation Tree typically bestows its marks upon cultivators who demonstrate exceptional prowess during the Divine Sea Competition in the Grand Beginning Realm.

This method allows the Reincarnation Tree to select individuals it deems worthy.

Lu Ye's possession of the Reincarnation Tree's mark clearly indicated an outstanding performance in the Divine Sea Competition.

"That's correct," Lu Ye affirmed with a nod, still unclear about the connection to the Divine Sea Competition.

Li Shang explained, "The Grand Beginning Realm is the birthplace of the Reincarnation Tree and one of the oldest realms in existence. The spiritual energy cultivated there holds profound mystical power. It not only strengthens your foundation after you advance to the Constellation Realm but also grants you the ability to withstand the suppressive forces of most celestial anomalies in this world."

"Is that true?" Lu Ye exclaimed, greatly astonished, as he had never heard of such a thing before.

In the Divine Sea Competition of the Grand Beginning Realm, the hundred victorious participants were all rewarded with profound spiritual energy to aid their advancement to the Constellation Realm. Naturally, the higher one's ranking, the greater the amount of spiritual energy received. As the first-place winner, Lu Ye had received the largest portion.

He had only known that the spiritual energy from the Grand Beginning Realm was more potent than that cultivated in ordinary realms, helping cultivators solidify their foundations after reaching the Constellation Realm. A portion of his current unparalleled strength among his peers was indeed attributable to that spiritual energy.

However, he was genuinely unaware that this spiritual energy possessed any other effects.

Yang Qing had never mentioned this to him.

It wasn't that Yang Qing didn't know; it was clearly that he couldn't be bothered to explain.

Lu Ye couldn't help but recall an incident: over two years ago, when the Constellation Palace opened, he had journeyed with Puck and Ghost to its location. Upon entering the area, both Puck and Ghost visibly struggled, as if resisting some form of pressure, yet he himself had felt absolutely nothing.

While he found it somewhat strange, he had no time to inquire back then.

Only now did he realize that Puck and Ghost had been resisting the suppressive force of a celestial anomaly, a unique suppression he hadn't perceived at all.

Li Shang added, "All victors of the Divine Sea Competition gain a certain degree of resistance to the suppressive forces of celestial anomalies. However, the lower their ranking, the weaker their resistance. This is precisely why, despite the extreme dangers of the Divine Sea Competition, the powerful figures from various realms are very eager to bring their talented descendants to participate. If they succeed, they will gain a significant advantage in exploring celestial anomalies as they mature."

"Exploring celestial anomalies?" Lu Ye asked, somewhat surprised. "They are so dangerous, why would anyone explore them?"

Li Shang nodded. "While celestial anomalies are indeed perilous, it is said that their interiors hold many profound benefits, including even dormant celestial treasures. If one were to acquire just one or two, they could easily serve as foundational artifacts for an entire realm. Many influential figures are keen on exploring celestial anomalies, and some have indeed reaped substantial rewards from them."

Lu Ye finally understood. He had wondered why, given the extreme danger of the Divine Sea Competition, the powerful individuals from those realms were so eager to participate, bringing their most exceptional descendants along. So, there was this underlying reason.

Beyond the benefit of the profound spiritual energy from the Grand Beginning Realm solidifying a cultivator's foundation, what those powerful figures undoubtedly valued more was the ability to resist the suppressive forces of celestial anomalies.

Just as Li Shang described, any cultivator entering the environment of a celestial anomaly would feel as though they were a mortal immersed in water. Yet, he himself had felt no pressure whatsoever.

However, Lu Ye's current cultivation level was still insufficient for exploring celestial anomalies. Most celestial anomalies are extremely dangerous internally. The Fog Dragon, while one of the rare exceptions without inherent internal dangers, still made it incredibly difficult for anyone who entered to escape.

Lu Ye retrieved a section of the Reincarnation Tree's branch from his storage ring. As he raised his hand, a ball of flame ignited in his palm. He then held the branch to the flame. Strangely, the section of the Reincarnation Tree immediately caught fire, resembling a torch.

The torch's light illuminated an area of about three zhang around them, causing the surrounding mist to disperse wherever the light reached.

To navigate out of the Fog Dragon's interior, they would have to rely on the power of the Reincarnation Tree's branch. Only by doing so could they avoid getting lost; without the torch's illuminating glow, they would simply wander in endless circles within the mist.

"Stay close to me!" Lu Ye instructed.

Li Shang followed closely behind Lu Ye. Lu Ye, leading the way, didn't know which direction to take, so he simply chose a random path and started walking forward. As long as they didn't get lost, any direction would eventually lead them out.

They walked for about half a day, yet the mist still enveloped them. Celestial anomalies were generally immense, not places one could simply walk out of with ease.

However, according to the Reincarnation Tree's markings on the star map, the Fog Dragon was considered relatively small among celestial anomalies. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, they should be able to exit within ten to fifteen days.

Another half-day passed when Lu Ye suddenly halted, his expression grave as he gazed ahead.

Li Shang sensed something amiss. Her gaze followed his, and her eyes involuntarily narrowed.

Ahead, they saw a figure seated cross-legged, appearing to be human. However, there was no trace of life on the body, which had clearly been dead for an unknown duration.

There were no visible wounds on the body, only a face severely aged, indicating death not from injury but from being trapped here until old age.

Both Lu Ye and Li Shang felt a shiver of dread. While they were aware of the eerie nature of the Fog Dragon and understood that anyone who entered could not easily escape, actually seeing someone trapped here until they died of old age still deeply affected them.

Without the star map provided by the Reincarnation Tree, Lu Ye would have never dared to enter such a place.

He slowly approached the corpse and examined it. Lu Ye's expression grew even more solemn. "This was a Moon瑤!" he stated.

"How can you tell?" Li Shang asked, puzzled.

Lu Ye touched the garments on the body. "This is a spirit artifact-grade robe!" he explained. "However, due to the immense passage of time and the corrosive properties of the mist within the Fog Dragon, this artifact-grade robe has lost its efficacy." With just a slight pull from Lu Ye, the robe crumbled.

He then looked at the two storage rings on the corpse's hand. Reaching out, he removed them and briefly sensed their contents, noting the restrictive seals. Lu Ye put them away, bowed to the corpse, and murmured quietly.

Li Shang leaned in, catching only Lu Ye's low murmurs about "taking your rings and burying your body."

Lu Ye then collected the corpse before him, intending to find a suitable burial place for it once they exited the Fog Dragon.

They continued their journey.

Throughout history, numerous beings had ventured into the Fog Dragon, but most met unfortunate ends. Apart from a fortunate few who managed to escape, the majority remained trapped within until they perished from old age.

Before even exiting the Fog Dragon's confines, Lu Ye had collected five more corpses, each in a different state. Some, like the first human Moon瑤, had died peacefully in a cross-legged position, while others had struggled desperately before their demise, ultimately to no avail.

After several more days, a sudden cry from Li Shang behind him startled Lu Ye.

When he turned to look, he saw Li Shang contorted in extreme pain, as if undergoing immense torment. Her entire form flickered, and she was frantically channeling power, seemingly battling something unseen.

"What's wrong?" Lu Ye quickly asked. He hadn't detected any dangerous aura himself and was unsure why Li Shang was being attacked.

Li Shang's expression was utterly terrified. "Soul-devouring aphids! There are soul-devouring aphids here!"

Lu Ye frowned.

He didn't know what these "Soul-Devouring Aphids" were that could cause Li Shang such distress. However, the name alone indicated they were nothing good, likely targeting the soul.

He quickly extended his divine sense, probing in all directions, but found nothing. "Where are they?" he asked, puzzled.

"They've already invaded my body!" Li Shang's expression turned to despair. If there was one thing the Soul Clan feared most in the entire starry sky, Soul-Devouring Aphids would undoubtedly rank among the top three. These creatures were quite literally the bane of the Soul Clan's existence. Once, Soul-Devouring Aphids appeared in the Soul Clan's homeland, nearly causing their annihilation. Ultimately, the clan's powerful figures had to sacrifice many lives to seal the aphids away.

Lu Ye quickly focused his attention on Li Shang, activating his insight spiritual patterns to observe her carefully. Initially, he didn't detect anything unusual, but soon Lu Ye became aware of something.

Within Li Shang's body, there were now tiny, almost imperceptible insects. These creatures were frantically devouring her soul essence, causing Li Shang excruciating pain, yet she was powerless to repel them.

"Enter my Divine Sea!" Lu Ye urgently commanded.

"No!" Li Shang vehemently shook her head, her ankle-length hair swaying. "Soul-Devouring Aphids are specifically designed to counter souls! Even if you were a Sunlit cultivator, let alone a Constellation, if they enter your Divine Sea, you wouldn't escape death! Li Taibai, do me a favor. If you ever have the chance to meet other members of the Soul Clan, please..."

"Stop wasting time! Quickly enter my Divine Sea; I have a way to deal with them!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shang paused, then, without hesitation, joyfully plunged into Lu Ye's Divine Sea.

On the calm surface of the Divine Sea, Li Shang's figure manifested, and Lu Ye quickly materialized his own soul spirit body.

Strangely, as Li Shang entered Lu Ye's Divine Sea, the Soul-Devouring Aphids that had invaded her body voluntarily detached themselves. Clearly visible, a cluster of black mist, roughly the size of a baby's fist, drifted away from Li Shang's form — it was a congregation of these aphids.

Individually, these creatures were minuscule, almost indiscernible to the naked eye, but when clustered together, they became easier to observe.

Like cats drawn to the scent of fish, these Soul-Devouring Aphids swarmed into Lu Ye's Divine Sea, leaving Li Shang utterly stunned.

This phenomenon undoubtedly indicated one thing: Lu Ye's soul power was significantly more refined and potent than hers, making it more attractive to the Soul-Devouring Aphids.

Li Shang was undeniably shocked. As a member of the Soul Clan, her people were known to be superior to any other race of the same rank in terms of soul power. Yet, the aphids' reaction now clearly showed that Lu Ye's soul power far exceeded hers; otherwise, such a dramatic shift wouldn't have occurred.

But then Li Shang became terrified, shouting at Lu Ye, "Don't let them enter your Soul Sea!"