Chapter 1665: Half a Soul Clan

Hun Que said, "Since you returned with Li Shang, you must have seen how she communicated with the ancestral land to open its passage.""I have," Lu Ye nodded.Hun Que continued, "Every Soul Clan member possesses this ability. Our people use the power of their Soul Orbs. You are human, so naturally, you don't have a Soul Orb. However... your Seven-Colored Divine Lotus can perform a similar function in its place!"Lu Ye immediately realized, "So, I can also enter the Soul Clan ancestral land from here, just like Li Shang?""Give it a try!" Hun Que replied.

Lu Ye was greatly excited. When he couldn't stop Yi Yi from entering the Soul Clan ancestral land before, his greatest regret was not being able to visit her whenever he wished. With this separation, he didn't know when they would meet again. But if he possessed the abilities of the Soul Clan, it would be much more convenient to enter their ancestral land in the future. Then, whenever he wanted to visit Yi Yi, he could simply find a suitable location, connect with it using the Seven-Colored Divine Lotus, and enter.

Carefully recalling Li Shang's actions when she connected with the Soul Clan ancestral land, Lu Ye summoned his Seven-Colored Divine Lotus. Soul power surged, pouring into the divine lotus. Soon, he noticed that the strange connection grew increasingly stronger. After about an hour, the void ahead suddenly rippled like water, followed by the space blurring and twisting. This situation was identical to when Li Shang had used her Soul Orb to communicate with the ancestral land.

However, Lu Ye's process was much faster than hers. Li Shang had taken a full half-day to connect with the ancestral land, but he only needed an hour. In terms of efficiency, Li Shang was undoubtedly no match for him. This clearly demonstrated the marvel of the Seven-Colored Divine Lotus. Although it wasn't a Soul Orb, its effect when connecting with the Soul Clan ancestral land was undoubtedly far superior to that of a Soul Orb from a Soul Clan member of the same cultivation level.

If he encountered any crises in the future, perhaps he could use this method to escape! However, an hour was still a bit long. If he faced a truly powerful enemy from whom he couldn't break free, this method wouldn't work. Moreover, there were specific requirements for the location to connect with the ancestral land; it couldn't be just anywhere. Therefore, using this method to escape would largely depend on luck.

The distorted, blurred space resembled a swirling mist. Soon, numerous colors bloomed from within the mist, just as Lu Ye had seen last time. A lotus blossomed from the mist, its stamen enshrouded in fog, leading to an unknown destination. Hun Que watched silently from the side, nodding slightly. It seemed the Seven-Colored Divine Lotus had indeed granted Lu Ye the ability to communicate with the ancestral land, and in only an hour... This speed was comparable to many Moon-Yaos.

"Go in," Hun Que said. Without hesitation, Lu Ye flashed and entered the stamen. When he found his footing again, he realized he had indeed returned to the Soul Clan ancestral land. As far as his eyes could see, there were colorful lotus-like lands of varying sizes. However, this was not where the Star Pool was located; it must be just some random part of the Soul Clan ancestral land. Thus, Lu Ye deduced that entering the Soul Clan ancestral land from the outside would result in appearing at a random location. Hun Que followed him in, standing beside him.

Several figures swiftly approached from a distance. They were the Sunlit Elders, including Xu Yuan, who had clearly rushed over after sensing the commotion. All of them cast inquiring glances at Hun Que, who nodded. It truly worked! The situation was quite extraordinary. No flesh-and-blood being had ever been able to enter the ancestral land since ancient times. Not only had a human youth entered, but he had also triggered the ancestral land's will, causing it to issue instructions. Now, he had even obtained a Seven-Colored Divine Lotus, an artifact only possessed by previous Sacred Beasts. Crucially, he could also use this lotus to travel to and from the ancestral land... Having lived for so many years, the Sunlit Elders had never witnessed anything so bizarre. Yet, upon reflection, all these peculiarities were based on the ancestral land's special favor towards him. Without the ancestral land's will permitting it, none of this would have happened.

Elder Xu Yuan's eyes darted about, then he burst into laughter. "Young man, from now on, you can be considered half a member of our Soul Clan." Although he was human, possessing the abilities unique to the Soul Clan and being able to enter the ancestral land made it fair to call him half a Soul Clan member. Moreover, someone so specially favored by the ancestral land's will was worth recruiting for the Soul Clan. Lu Ye was momentarily stunned, then nodded and bowed, saying, "Then I ask for your continued care, Elders!""Of course, of course," Xu Yuan chuckled. "It seems you don't yet know the greatest benefit of your Seven-Colored Divine Lotus."

Lu Ye pondered. The Seven-Colored Divine Lotus undoubtedly had a tremendous effect on nourishing the soul. Besides that, it allowed him to enter the Soul Clan ancestral land from suitable locations in the Starry Sky. However, judging by Xu Yuan's words, there seemed to be other benefits. He quickly asked humbly, "Please enlighten me, Elder."Xu Yuan explained, "Our Soul Clan members can use Soul Orbs to connect with the ancestral land and return from suitable locations in the Starry Sky. But don't forget the Star Pool. With the Star Pool, our Soul Clan can also travel to specific places in the Starry Sky. Young man, do you understand now?"

Lu Ye thought about it, and his eyes suddenly lit up. Right, the profound mystery of the Star Pool was undoubtedly another immense benefit he gained from the Seven-Colored Divine Lotus. He had been so engrossed in the wonder of his Seven-Colored Divine Lotus being able to replace a Soul Clan's Soul Orb that he hadn't considered this aspect. Now, upon careful thought, if he wanted to travel to a certain place in the Starry Sky in the future, he could completely use the Star Pool to achieve his goal. Even if he couldn't directly reach his destination, he would certainly be able to travel to nearby areas, saving a significant amount of travel time.

For instance, when he wanted to return to Kyushu previously, it took him several years to travel from the Myriad Phenomena Star System. However, if he could use the Star Pool, he might have been able to arrive directly at the Jade Snail Star System or a location near it, completely eliminating the need to waste all that travel time. Lu Ye's eye twitched. If only he had known this sooner, he would have sent Li Shang back before returning to Kyushu. But at that time, he wasn't particularly familiar with Li Shang, nor could he have foreseen gaining such benefits in the Soul Clan ancestral land. Naturally, he couldn't have made such a decision. At the time, he was still counting on bringing Li Shang back to Kyushu to solve the issue of Xian Yuan City. Moreover, that journey had actually indirectly resolved a future crisis for the Jade Snail Star System. If he hadn't intervened to help the Four Directions Star Systems, including the Indefinite Star System, deal with the allied forces of the Insect and Blood clans, then once the Four Directions Star Systems were captured, the Jade Snail Star System would have been next to suffer. Considering all this, it wasn't a loss!

"Patriarch," Xu Yuan said, looking at Hun Que, intending to further entice Lu Ye, "since he's considered one of us, doesn't he also qualify to choose a lotus land of his own?" Lu Ye's performance had truly astonished them. Someone like him would undoubtedly become extraordinary as he grew, and bringing him closer in advance would be beneficial for the Soul Clan. Hun Que clearly understood Xu Yuan's intention and nodded slightly. "Naturally." He looked at Lu Ye. "If you wish, you may choose a five-colored lotus land to reside in!" Li Shang had been able to choose a five-colored lotus land because she brought back the Sacred Beast, which was enough to offset her violation of clan rules. Lu Ye's qualification, however, was due to his various displays and, more importantly, the ancestral land's direct instructions. As for a seven-colored lotus land... those were only for Sunlits to choose, and Lu Ye's cultivation was currently too low to make use of one.

Lu Ye expressed his gratitude and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Patriarch and Elders. However, I am not truly a Soul Clan member, so I don't intend to stay here permanently. My entry into the ancestral land this time was also an accident, and I will be leaving in a few days." He still needed to rush to the Yin-Yang Great Millstone; how could he possibly stay here indefinitely? Hun Que had also said that he needed to focus on improving his cultivation in the future. While staying here would be comfortable and would quickly boost his soul power, it would only intensify the conflict between his physical body and his soul.

Upon hearing this, Hun Que was not surprised. He nodded and said, "You are human; indeed, you should venture out more. In that case, your qualification to choose a lotus land will be reserved. You may claim it whenever you wish in the future.""Thank you, Patriarch!"

The Sunlits did not linger and soon departed under Hun Que's lead. Before leaving, Xu Yuan told Lu Ye, "Whenever you wish to depart, find me, and I will take you to the Star Pool!" He was the elder on duty for the Soul Clan for the past hundred years, and this matter was his responsibility.

Watching the Sunlits leave, Lu Ye excitedly sped towards the lotus land where Li Shang resided. It took him quite some effort to find it. Mainly, he was not very familiar with this place.

Li Shang and Yi Yi were anxiously waiting there. After the Lotus Pond Contest concluded, all the Soul Clan members dispersed. However, Lu Ye had been detained by the Patriarch and the Sunlit Elders. Li Shang and Yi Yi didn't know what had happened, so they were naturally worried. Seeing him return safely now, they both breathed a sigh of relief.

"Lu Ye, are you okay?" Yi Yi asked, looking at him nervously."I'm fine," Lu Ye replied with a smile, shaking his head and gently rubbing Yi Yi's small head. To be honest, it was good news. He could already imagine Yi Yi's surprised expression the next time he suddenly came to visit her. He decided not to tell her about the Seven-Colored Divine Lotus's ability to replace a Soul Orb for now. He would give her a surprise later.

"What did the Patriarch and the others want with you?" Li Shang asked curiously.Lu Ye replied, "Oh, nothing much, just chatted a bit and told me to visit more often when I have time." Li Shang's eye twitched; she naturally didn't believe Lu Ye's nonsense. However, she didn't know that Lu Ye was actually telling the truth. With the Seven-Colored Divine Lotus, he wouldn't be able to come here anytime he pleased in the future, but it wouldn't take much effort whenever he desired.

His mood was excellent. Lu Ye did not linger long. Since traveling to and from the Soul Clan ancestral land would be convenient in the future, there was no need for a tearful farewell. Yi Yi, however, despite her firm decision to return with Li Shang, had red eyes when it was time to part. If her soul body could shed tears, she would probably have been weeping profusely. She had waited for so many years in Kyushu for Lu Ye's safe return, only to find that after just a few years together, they had to separate again. Yet, this was ultimately her own choice, because only by staying here could she truly walk the path of the Soul Clan, and only then would she have the ability to fight alongside Lu Ye in the future. Otherwise, the gap between them would only grow wider.