Chapter 1776: 冲虚

Lu Ye looked down at the Rainbow Divine Lotus beneath his feet, his heart filled with mixed emotions. On one hand, he was pleased by the power of the Rainbow Divine Lotus; on the other, he was heartbroken about missing out on the opportunity.

However, after thinking carefully, the Demon Eye's blink wasn't a one-time event. As long as he remained here, he would have another chance to encounter it in the future. This thought eased Lu Ye's heartache slightly. He secretly resolved that the next time he encountered it, he must seize the opportunity to observe it closely, or his Blood Eye would surely be broken again by the Rainbow Divine Lotus.

Regaining his composure, Lu Ye looked around. The surrounding environment seemed unchanged, but Lu Ye could feel that the interior of this wonder was different from when he first entered. This was undoubtedly a change brought about by the Demon Eye's blink. What puzzled Lu Ye even more was that during the Demon Eye's blink, he had distinctly felt a faint, tenuous connection with something within the wonder, but now, he couldn't feel it at all. When he had first noticed it, he was focused on investigating the changes in his Spirit Sea, so he hadn't paid much attention. But now, that connection had vanished. Lu Ye couldn't understand why.

Intense vital energy fluctuations emanated from afar. Lu Ye followed the direction and found that the source was precisely where the old man who had warned him earlier was located. After a brief contemplation, he had a rough idea. He quickly retracted the array flags he had set up around himself and hurried in that direction.

A short while later, Lu Ye returned to the area where the old man was. Looking up, he saw that, as expected, the vital energy fluctuations he had felt earlier were indeed coming from this spot. However, the source of these fluctuations was not the old man, but a humanoid creature with a pair of black wings.

A Winged Race member! Lu Ye had seen this race on the Myriad Manifestation Sea and naturally knew that the Winged Race was inherently belligerent and acted with extreme brutality. Compared to other major races, the Winged Race's reputation abroad was not very good, but it was far from being as universally despised as the Insect and Blood Races. In fact, because the Winged Race was naturally courageous and powerful, they often became the most sought-after mercenaries for major powers.

At this moment, this Winged Race member was furiously attacking the old man's location. However, because the old man had set up a grand array there in advance, the Winged Race member couldn't do anything for the time being. On the meteorite array, the old man sat cross-legged with closed eyes, channeling his vital energy to maintain the array's operation, his expression showing a hint of strain.

Lu Ye instantly understood what was happening. The Blood Eye that had appeared above his Spirit Sea earlier was undoubtedly a manifestation of the profound power within this wonder. Normally, the Blood Eye wouldn't invade a cultivator's Spirit Sea. However, whenever the Demon Eye blinked, that profound power would envelop the entire wonder, invade cultivators' Spirit Seas, and transform into a hovering Blood Eye, causing hallucinations while also affecting their mental state. All beings present were unavoidable targets: Lu Ye, the old man, and this Winged Race member alike.

The old man, having foresight, had settled here in advance and set up a grand array to protect himself. This Winged Race member evidently lacked such ability. At this moment, with its Spirit Sea eroded by the Blood Eye, it was likely experiencing rampant hallucinations. Furthermore, this race was naturally short-tempered, and under the influence of the Blood Eye's power, it had undoubtedly become even more enraged. It had discovered traces of the old man and then began attacking him. Perhaps it didn't even know what it was doing at this moment, or perhaps it retained a sliver of lucidity but couldn't fully control itself. This was why the information provided to Lu Ye by the Pygmy Race stated that conflicts and deaths among cultivators within the Illusory Blood Demon Eye mostly occurred during the Demon Eye's blink. At such times, many cultivators couldn't control themselves, and once they encountered each other, fighting was inevitable.

This Winged Race member's strength was undoubtedly formidable. The vital energy fluctuations it currently displayed were clearly at the late Moonfall Realm. Under its furious assault, the array set up by the old man actually began to totter. It must be said, the old man was somewhat unlucky. With the array protecting him, he could generally remain safe during the Demon Eye's blink, and that's how he had managed all this time. Even if a cultivator came to trouble him, he could protect himself with the array's defense. Yet, this time, the one attacking him was a Winged Race member whose strength was almost equal to his own! On one hand, he had to resist the Blood Eye's erosion and its effects on himself, while on the other, he had to maintain the array's operation. This made him feel somewhat overwhelmed.

Seeing that his array wouldn't last much longer, the old man could only pray for the Blood Eye to dissipate quickly. Otherwise, once the array was breached, he would have no choice but to fight this Winged Race member. Under the premise that both of them would be affected by the Blood Eye, it would inevitably end in a mutually destructive outcome. Amidst his worries, he suddenly noticed the Winged Race member's attack stopping without warning. Puzzled, the old man opened his eyes and saw the Winged Race member standing not far from the array, its back to him, looking forward. The old man's gaze swept past the Winged Race member, and he immediately saw Lu Ye's figure. He also noticed that Lu Ye was currently surging with his own vital energy, seemingly intentionally provoking it.

"It's this young man..." The old man undoubtedly recognized Lu Ye and couldn't help but feel a touch of regret. He had reminded Lu Ye more than half a day ago. Although he hadn't spoken too clearly, anyone who wasn't a fool should have understood his meaning. But now, seeing Lu Ye coming to his side, he knew the other party hadn't taken his words to heart. He feared Lu Ye was now like the Winged Race member, already affected and eroded by the Blood Eye. Otherwise, why would he jump out so recklessly? The Winged Race member stopping its attack was undoubtedly because it had found a better target. Despite his regret, the old man was still pleased, as this meant he would be safe and sound.

Sure enough, under Lu Ye's intentional provocation, the Winged Race member suddenly let out a furious roar. With a flap of its black wings, it darted towards him like lightning, its face contorted with ferocity and killing intent. Lu Ye turned and fled. The Winged Race member pursued relentlessly, and they vanished from sight in an instant. This scene, however, startled the old man. If Lu Ye had truly been affected by the Blood Eye, he should have fought the Winged Race member without hesitation. This sudden turn and flight was clearly not right!

"This young man... could he have resisted the Blood Eye's erosion?" The old man's thoughts spun, and he was greatly surprised. There were cultivators who could resist the Blood Eye's erosion; he himself could resist it slightly. However, he did so by leveraging the power of his array and a soul artifact in his Spirit Sea, and he still couldn't completely ignore it. Lu Ye's vital energy fluctuations were at the mid-Moonfall Realm, indicating that his condition was clearly not deeply affected by the Blood Eye. The other party definitely possessed a high-quality soul artifact, and his own spiritual cultivation must be incredibly profound. The old man made an instant judgment.

In any case, a potential crisis had been averted. Moreover, the old man had realized that Lu Ye had deliberately lured the Winged Race member away, which was undoubtedly an intentional act to help him. With these thoughts, the old man focused on resisting the Blood Eye's erosion. Such resistance actually offered some benefits to cultivators: it could promote the growth of their souls. In the future, if they encountered practitioners of soul arts employing illusory techniques during combat, they would possess a natural resistance.

Half an hour later, the old man opened his eyes again and saw Lu Ye, who had lured away the Winged Race member, had returned. He was sitting cross-legged on a meteorite slightly further away. The old man nodded slightly at him as a gesture of gratitude. Lu Ye understood and waited patiently. He had lured the Winged Race member far away and hadn't engaged in combat with it. Although killing that Winged Race member wouldn't be difficult with his current strength, there was no need to deliver a killing blow since they had no grievances. The Winged Race member's actions were due to the Demon Eye's influence, not its true intention.

About an hour later, Lu Ye, who was waiting calmly, suddenly noticed the surroundings inexplicably darken for an instant. He immediately understood that the Demon Eye had blinked again. This also meant that the other side of the Demon Eye's cycle had passed, returning to the state it was in when he first entered this place.

The old man stirred. He first withdrew the array flags he had set up around himself, then stood up and walked towards Lu Ye. Lu Ye noticed him and looked up. The old man landed directly on the meteorite where Lu Ye was, cupped his fists, and bowed. "Tianqing Chongxu, greetings, fellow Daoist. Thank you for your assistance."

He recalled their first meeting: he had only given Lu Ye a brief hint because he didn't want the other party wandering around his active area, and at the time, he hadn't bothered to say much. Who would have thought that less than a day later, he would owe the other party a favor? Had Lu Ye not appeared and lured away the Winged Race member, he would most likely have had a fierce battle with it. Although both would return to normal after the Demon Eye blinked again, with their strength being similar, an irrational fight would very likely lead to unavoidable negative consequences; a mutually destructive outcome would be considered fortunate. Moreover, after Lu Ye returned, he simply waited quietly, showing no intention of disturbing him, clearly harboring no ill will.

"Jade Snail, Lu Ye!" Lu Ye returned the bow. In chance encounters like this, one's origin was typically stated by their star system. Both mentally calculated and realized they had never heard of each other's star systems, which was normal. With so many star systems in the starry sky, let alone Moonfall, even Sunblaze cultivators wouldn't dare claim to know the names of all of them.

Chongxu smiled faintly, "Fellow Daoist, despite your youth, to possess such cultivation and resilience truly makes this old man feel ashamed."

"You flatter me, Daoist Brother," Lu Ye humbly replied. "I merely relied on the power of a soul artifact; I cannot compare to your foresight!"

Chongxu's expression showed understanding; indeed, Lu Ye had relied on a powerful soul artifact to resist the Demon Eye's erosion. He instantly thought that Jade Snail must be an extremely powerful star system, otherwise, it couldn't possess such a valuable treasure. He simply admitted his own ignorance for not having heard of it.

"Fellow Daoist, you're waiting here, I presume you have something to ask?" Chongxu asked, smiling at Lu Ye. Hearing this, Lu Ye no longer beat around the bush and said directly, "Indeed. I actually want to know if you, Daoist Brother, have the ability to sense when the Demon Eye will blink."

Chongxu thought to himself, "It's as I expected." His previous warning to Lu Ye had undoubtedly made an impression. Within such a wonder, possessing the ability to foresee events would undoubtedly allow one to better protect themselves.