Chapter 1664: Connection with the Ancestral Land

Lu Ye's respectful attitude earned nods from several Soul Clan Sun-Exposers. Aside from everything else, this human boy's demeanor was quite extraordinary; one could tell at a glance that he was no ordinary person.

They had all traveled extensively and encountered many talented individuals from other races, so they had some discernment when it came to judging people.

Then again, if he were truly an ordinary person, he wouldn't have stirred the Ancestral Land's will and received such special attention from it.

"Don't be nervous," Elder Xuyuan said kindly. "We only called you here to ask you a few questions."

Lu Ye nodded. He wasn't nervous.

"What would you like to ask, honored elders?"

Hun Que directly asked, "Could you summon the divine lotus you've refined and let us see it?"

He was genuinely curious if Lu Ye's situation was indeed as they suspected.

After speaking, he added, "Of course, it's fine if you'd rather not."

Lu Ye pondered for a moment. Since the divine lotus was obtained from the Soul Clan, and his entry into the Lotus Pond was granted by these Sun-Exposers, it would be difficult to refuse their request to see it.

He then nodded and said, "If you wish to see it, honored elders, then there's naturally no problem."

As he spoke, he extended a hand, and soul power surged. The next moment, a seven-colored radiance bloomed, and a magnificent divine lotus, appearing as if sculpted from beautiful jade, materialized in his palm.

The Soul Clan Sun-Exposers were greatly astonished, each staring in disbelief at the seven-colored divine lotus. Although they had already guessed, they still found it hard to believe when it was confirmed!

The female elder gasped in surprise, "Seven colors!"

While they had vaguely suspected that the divine lotus Lu Ye refined might evolve to a higher quality after he had previously summoned a five-colored one, they never imagined it would evolve into a seven-colored one in just three days!

They had thought six colors would be the limit.

After their shock, their gazes gradually turned to fascination, because even they, as Sun-Exposers, did not possess a seven-colored divine lotus!

Their Divine Seas only contained five-colored ones.

The female elder composed her complex emotions and asked, "So, the divine lotus you refined in the Lotus Pond can indeed merge and evolve into a higher quality?"

"That's right!"

The Sun-Exposer elders suddenly felt a subtle, somewhat sour feeling.

Oh, Ancestral Land, you're too biased! They, as Sun-Exposers, could only possess five-colored ones, yet a human boy who appeared out of nowhere could have something they longed for but couldn't obtain.

A moment of silence fell over the scene.

"Very good!" After a long moment, Hun Que slowly spoke, looking at Lu Ye. "This is your fortunate encounter; don't fail to live up to it in the future."

He paused, then continued, "Since ancient times, only Holy Beasts among our Soul Clan have been able to possess a seven-colored divine lotus. You are the first non-Holy Beast to have one. With the aid of this divine lotus, I believe it will be much easier for you to ascend to the Sun-Exposer realm when your strength is sufficient in the future."

He was afraid Lu Ye might not realize the preciousness of this seven-colored divine lotus, so he intentionally told him more.

Lu Ye showed a look of surprise. "You elders don't have seven-colored divine lotuses either?"

He had assumed all Sun-Exposers certainly possessed them.

Elder Xuyuan couldn't help but glare at Lu Ye.

Hun Que clearly didn't wish to dwell on that topic and continued, "The five-colored divine lotus already possesses extremely potent effects, and yours, being seven-colored, will only be more powerful. However, remember one thing: do not neglect the improvement of your cultivation. You are, after all, a being of flesh and blood, unlike our Soul Clan. For humans, overly strong divine souls are not necessarily a good thing. If, one day, your cultivation cannot match the strength of your divine soul, it might even become a problem."

Lu Ye's expression became solemn, and he said, "Please enlighten me, Patriarch!"

Hun Que explained, "Let's put it this way: for you humans, the physical body is the vessel for the divine soul. As cultivation improves, this vessel gradually expands, so even if the divine soul also strengthens with cultivation, the vessel can still contain it. However, if your cultivation stagnates while your divine soul continues to grow, eventually the vessel will be burst open. At that point, it will indeed be trouble."

This was the first time Lu Ye had heard such a notion, but since it came from the Soul Clan patriarch, it must be correct.

It was likely that no creature in this world would ever possess a divine soul so powerful it could burst its physical vessel, as improving one's divine soul was never easy for any creature. However, now that Lu Ye had the seven-colored divine lotus, if he didn't diligently cultivate and improve his strength, such a situation might indeed occur.

That was why Hun Que had specifically cautioned him. Although he observed that Lu Ye appeared young and already had late-stage Constellation cultivation, his talent was undoubtedly exceptional, and such an individual's cultivation progress would certainly not be slow.

"I've learned a valuable lesson!" Lu Ye nodded seriously.

Elder Xuyuan chuckled from the side, "Even if that day truly comes, it's alright. You can come to our Soul Clan then; you'll still have a great future here."

The other Sun-Exposers heard this and thought, *that's actually a viable option*. If Lu Ye also became a Soul Clan member, he would be one of their own. With the seven-colored divine lotus, his future growth would certainly not be inferior to theirs. In that case, if he were Soul Clan, the Ancestral Land's will showing him special care would be entirely appropriate.

"Thank you for your kind offer, Elder." Lu Ye's mouth twitched. He secretly resolved to prioritize improving his cultivation and absolutely prevent the situation Hun Que described from happening.

"Oh, Patriarch," Lu Ye suddenly remembered something. "After obtaining this seven-colored divine lotus, I feel as if I have some strange connection with this space. What's going on?"

After recalling his three Precious Blood clones and merging all the divine lotuses, which then evolved into seven colors in his Divine Sea, Lu Ye gained this connection. Just now, while speaking, he had subtly sensed it and found that this connection was indeed real and very strong.

The divine lotus was conceived in the Ancestral Land's Lotus Pond, so it was understandable that refining it would create a connection with the Ancestral Land's space.

However, he didn't understand what this connection signified, so he took this opportunity, with many Sun-Exposers present, to ask for clarification.

"A connection? What kind of connection?" Hun Que was startled.

Lu Ye then described it in detail, but as he did so, he noticed the Sun-Exposers' expressions becoming increasingly strange.

After Lu Ye finished his description, he couldn't help but ask somewhat nervously, "Honored elders, is this... a good thing or a bad thing?"

Mainly, the Sun-Exposers' expressions were too odd, as if they knew something but found it difficult to say directly.

"Come with me!" Hun Que suddenly said. As he spoke, soul power surged, enveloping Lu Ye, and his figure flickered.

Lu Ye felt a brief disorientation, and when he reappeared, he was no longer by the Lotus Pond but on a lotus continent.

Judging by the feel of this lotus continent, it was certainly a seven-colored one, as its cultivation environment was much superior to Lishang's five-colored lotus continent.

After Lu Ye steadied himself, he noticed that the other Sun-Exposer elders had also followed, looking as if they were watching a spectacle.

Elder Xuyuan even chuckled, "Don't panic. If things are truly as we suspect, it will be a good thing for you!"

Lu Ye nodded in response, but looking at Elder Xuyuan's smile, he couldn't shake the feeling that things weren't that simple.

Soon, however, his attention was drawn to a pond in front of him.

The pond wasn't large, but its interior was dotted with shimmering lights. At first glance, it seemed nothing special, but upon closer inspection, Lu Ye was surprised to find that these tiny points of light resembled starlight.

This small pond actually looked like a miniature galaxy.

"This is the Starry Sky Pond, the most central place of our Soul Clan. It is through this Starry Sky Pond that the Ancestral Land can connect to various parts of the cosmos," Hun Que briefly explained, without elaborating much further. Then, without waiting for Lu Ye to ask, he channeled soul power, enveloped Lu Ye, and propelled him into the Starry Sky Pond.

The small pond suddenly expanded rapidly in Lu Ye's vision. In an instant, he felt as if he wasn't plunging into a pond but into an entire starry sky.

The extremely tiny specks of light rapidly transformed into enormous celestial bodies, their brilliance dazzling.

By the time Lu Ye regained his senses, he was standing in a section of the starry sky.

Hun Que stood not far away, with his hands clasped behind his back.

Lu Ye sensed his surroundings slightly, his mind trembling. Although he had learned some of the mysteries of the Soul Clan's Ancestral Land from Lishang when she returned, and had just heard Hun Que's explanation, experiencing it firsthand still made it difficult to conceal his inner astonishment.

It was certain that this was no longer the Soul Clan's Ancestral Land; it was a location within the vast starry sky!

In other words, after Hun Que had brought him into the Starry Sky Pond, they had used the pond's mysteries to travel from the Soul Clan's Ancestral Land to this place.

The Starry Sky Pond could almost be considered a complex wormhole connecting various parts of the cosmos!

However, while ordinary wormholes connect to fixed locations, and the Starry Sky Pond was also considered fixed, using it offered more than just one destination option.

Within the small Starry Sky Pond, there was more than one location in the starry sky that could be reached!

Lu Ye turned his head and looked around, finding this part of the starry sky very unfamiliar. He was sure he had never been here before.

But... why had Hun Que brought him here?

Just as Lu Ye was puzzled, Hun Que's voice rang out, "Connect your mind with the seven-colored divine lotus in your Divine Sea and see if you have any special feelings."

Although Lu Ye was still perplexed, he followed the instruction, connecting his mind to the seven-colored divine lotus. The next moment, his expression froze slightly.

This was because after arriving here, the peculiar sensation he had experienced earlier in the Soul Clan Ancestral Land had vanished. However, as he re-established the mental connection with the seven-colored divine lotus, that peculiar sensation reappeared.

Yet, comparatively, it was much fainter than when he was in the Soul Clan Ancestral Land.

Seeing his change in expression, Hun Que confirmed his own thoughts: "Just as I thought!"

"Patriarch, what... what's going on?" Lu Ye asked.