Chapter 1651: Beyond Cognition

After two full months in the Cangyue Galaxy, Lu Ye finally reached a certain location under Li Shang's guidance.

The area was noticeably desolate, with no realms nearby and barely any cultivators in sight.

Upon arriving, Li Shang had Lu Ye find a dead star, and the starship entered it.

"Is the Soul Clan's Ancestral Land really in the Cangyue Galaxy?" Lu Ye was quite surprised, as to his knowledge, no one had yet discovered its exact location. He never expected this unknown secret to be revealed to him so openly.

Lu Ye was curious, eager to know what kind of place the Soul Clan's Ancestral Land truly was.

As if sensing Lu Ye's thoughts, Li Shang smiled and explained, "The Ancestral Land isn't here."

"Not here?" Lu Ye was stunned. If it wasn't here, why had they come to this place?

Li Shang explained, "The Ancestral Land exists outside the starry void, permeating everywhere yet not being in any single physical location. That's why no one has ever truly discovered it."

Lu Ye was confused by this explanation. After a brief pause, he asked, "A secret realm?"

Only a secret realm would possess such peculiar characteristics. However, to say it was 'everywhere' seemed an exaggeration; the starry void was vast and boundless, and no secret realm could encompass it all. Nevertheless, it was certain that the Soul Clan's Ancestral Land was another space existing outside the starry void, which explained why it had never been truly found.

"Similar, but not entirely," Li Shang said, raising a hand. A point of light slowly coalesced in her palm, quickly forming a pristine white bead.

Lu Ye stared at the bead. "Is that a soul bead?"

Star beasts had crystal cores, demon clans had demon cores, and the Soul Clan had something similar: soul beads! Lu Ye had only heard of them before. Even though he had known Li Shang for so long and experienced many dangers with her, he had never seen her soul bead.

This object was a treasure. The Soul Clan was coveted by certain individuals with ulterior motives in the starry void for two main reasons: first, their exceptionally unique soul-possession power, which could greatly enhance the strength of the possessed; and second, the soul bead itself. The bead contained extremely pure soul power, and if a cultivator could refine it, it would be immensely beneficial for the improvement of their soul.

It could be said that Li Shang's soul bead was infinitely superior to even the highest-grade Spirit Refining Pill. If not for her cultivation only being at the late-stage Star Constellation, meaning the soul bead's effects weren't very significant for Sunlit cultivators, the Sunlit powerhouse who captured her back then might even have killed her for it.

Yiyi could also be considered part of the Soul Clan, but the reason she couldn't use soul-possession techniques was precisely because she hadn't condensed her own soul bead. The Soul Clan had their own unique cultivation methods; only through these special practices could one condense a soul bead, and subsequently master the various secret techniques of the Soul Clan. It was precisely because she understood these things that Yiyi wanted to follow Li Shang to the Soul Clan's Ancestral Land.

Li Shang had never revealed her soul bead in front of Lu Ye before. Taking it out now clearly indicated she was about to make a significant move.

"Although the Ancestral Land is everywhere and has an unseen connection to every corner of the starry void, to deepen that connection and open a passage to it, we must use a soul bead!"

Lu Ye was astonished. "Are you saying that with a soul bead, any member of your Soul Clan can return to the Ancestral Land from anywhere in the starry void?"

"Exactly!"

Lu Ye was stunned! When Li Shang first said the Ancestral Land was everywhere, he hadn't felt much, assuming it was an exaggeration. But now, it seemed there was no exaggeration at all; the Soul Clan's Ancestral Land truly was everywhere, just unseen and unfelt by ordinary people. This had nothing to do with cultivation level.

So, what kind of place was the Soul Clan's Ancestral Land, really? Even the Reincarnation Tree, for example, could only extend its perception across the starry void by dispersing numerous clones. Moreover, this perception wasn't comprehensive; the Reincarnation Tree could only sense areas near its clones or their respective realms, not places where no clones were present. If the Soul Clan's Ancestral Land was truly everywhere, then in this regard, its method was significantly more powerful than that of the Reincarnation Tree.

Immediately afterward, Lu Ye recalled another question: "If having a soul bead allows you to deepen that connection and return to the Ancestral Land, then why did you bring me all the way here?" Theoretically, Li Shang could have returned from the Myriad Manifestation Sea; there was no need to waste time traveling.

Li Shang smiled. "Although any Soul Clan member can sense the Ancestral Land's existence with a soul bead, opening a passage to it isn't possible from just any location. Only certain special places allow it, like here!"

Only then did Lu Ye understand why she had come to this place. From this perspective, the Soul Clan's Ancestral Land was not located within the Cangyue Galaxy itself, but rather this specific area was unique, capable of opening a passage to it.

"My strength is insufficient, so communicating with the Ancestral Land's will might take some time. During this period, I'll need your protection," Li Shang said.

Lu Ye nodded. "Don't worry!"

Li Shang immediately sat cross-legged, closed her eyes, and her soul power began to fluctuate, apparently using her soul bead to communicate with the Ancestral Land.

Lu Ye suddenly frowned and transmitted a message, "Yiyi, did Li Shang just mention the Ancestral Land's 'will'?" He hadn't paid much attention earlier, only now realizing it with a jolt. The Soul Clan's Ancestral Land had a will! This was extraordinary. The Nine Provinces also had a will, but that was Little Nine's will. Many realms also possessed their own heaven-and-earth wills, but those weren't clearly defined entities, entirely different from Little Nine. He wondered what kind of existence the Soul Clan Ancestral Land's will was. If it was like Little Nine, that would be incredible.

"Did she?" Yiyi clearly hadn't paid much attention. She then looked pitifully at Lu Ye. "Lu Ye, can I really not go to the Soul Clan Ancestral Land with Sister Li Shang?"

"No, you can't. You'll stay with me after Li Shang leaves!"

Yiyi pouted and said nothing, but her eyes darted around mischievously, clearly plotting something.

Turning his head, Lu Ye scanned their surroundings. Although the place was remote and unlikely to be disturbed by cultivators, it was always best to be prepared. After a moment's thought, Lu Ye flicked his finger. Three streaks of blood-red light shot out, instantly transforming into three figures. Yiyi looked closely and was immediately astonished, because these three figures were all Lu Ye! In her perception, she couldn't distinguish them at all; even their auras were identical to Lu Ye's.

These three figures were naturally formed from three drops of his precious blood. Over the past two months, during their journey, Lu Ye had been refining his precious blood whenever he wasn't talking with Yiyi. Besides the one drop of precious blood that had naturally formed after he tempered his physique to its peak, Lu Ye had condensed two more drops in these two months. It wasn't that he was being lazy; rather, even with his foundational strength, refining precious blood was an incredibly difficult task. Currently, he only possessed these three drops of precious blood.

"Lu Ye, Lu Ye, there are so many of you!" Yiyi exclaimed excitedly, grabbing Lu Ye's arm. She knew Lu Ye had clones, but she had never seen so many.

"Impressive, right?" Lu Ye said smugly.

Yiyi nodded her head vigorously like a pecking chick. What kind of marvelous technique was this? She wanted to learn it too! However, she quickly realized that these clones were related to a cultivator's essence blood, so she probably couldn't learn it.

Soon, the three clones dispersed in different directions under Lu Ye's command, taking up guard positions.

Watching the three clones leave, Yiyi tilted her head, daydreaming, "Lu Ye, next time you have to leave for something, can you leave one behind for me to play with?"

Lu Ye chuckled. "They're clones, not just any pets! Besides, clones can't stray too far from me, or they'll become useless." There was a significant difference in distance limitations between the precious blood clones and Talent Tree clones when it came to their main bodies. He wondered if this would improve with increased cultivation.

Yiyi immediately looked disappointed, suddenly finding these clones not so amazing after all.

The three clones guarded three different directions, ensuring Lu Ye would know in advance if anyone approached. Fortunately, the place was indeed desolate. Not to mention cultivators, not even a shadow of a star beast could be seen.

Li Shang remained seated, using her soul bead to communicate with the Ancestral Land's will, her soul power fluctuating rhythmically. After a good half-day, a sudden change occurred.

When Lu Ye turned to look, he saw the void in front of Li Shang ripple like water. The space then blurred and twisted, instantly transforming into a mist-like entity. The mist continued to twist, then refracted dazzling, multicolored light. Moments later, a blooming lotus flower appeared in Lu Ye's vision. The lotus flower seemed real, radiating supreme, ethereal light, utterly magnificent. As it appeared, Lu Ye even felt an instinctive craving rise from his soul, like the scent of cooking meat to a hungry stomach. He immediately understood that this lotus-like entity had a profound effect on the growth of one's soul.

The lotus bloomed fully, with the initial mist swirling at its pistil, leading to an unknown destination. Lu Ye suppressed his instinctive craving and carefully sensed the surroundings. He could vaguely feel the power of the void surging within the pistil. It was somewhat similar to what he felt in a wormhole.

He was moved. While the lotus's appearance was peculiar, at its core, it was a wormhole! A wormhole leading to the Soul Clan's Ancestral Land! What was the true nature of the Soul Clan's Ancestral Land, to possess such mystical power? One must know that wormholes were generally naturally occurring. Even an existence like the Reincarnation Tree couldn't create wormholes out of thin air, only facilitating travel through the connection between its main body and clones. Yet, Li Shang had merely communicated with the Soul Clan's Ancestral Land, and a small wormhole had simply appeared. This was somewhat beyond comprehension!

Almost at the same moment Lu Ye was struck with awe, Yiyi, who had quietly slipped away from his side, suddenly darted towards the lotus flower. But as soon as she moved, a large hand gripped the back of her neck.

Yiyi turned her head, saw Lu Ye behind her, and started flailing, "Lu Ye, let go of me!"

"Don't even think about it!" Lu Ye snorted.