Chapter 1798: Source Consciousness

Seeing the figure of the old man suddenly appear in his Spiritual Sea, and recalling the gentle touch on his Spiritual Sea as if someone was knocking, Lu Ye immediately recognized the other party's identity: "Origin Consciousness?"

If he wasn't mistaken, the old man before him was an existence like Xiao Jiu and Hua Niang, a manifestation of a realm's will. The disturbance of his Spiritual Sea's defenses was undoubtedly the work of the other party.

The old man nodded slightly, "Indeed!" Then he asked, "From the Dao Tree lineage?"

"What?" Lu Ye frowned, somewhat confused.

The old man gave Lu Ye a deep look without offering much explanation, but Lu Ye clearly saw a hint of apprehension in his eyes, though he wasn't sure if it was his imagination.

Just as Lu Ye was about to ask something, the old man, as if discovering a new continent, stared at the seven-colored divine lotus beneath Lu Ye's spiritual body and exclaimed in surprise, "Soul Nurturing Lotus?" He examined it closely, then shook his head to himself, "Not quite right, it's just a clone. Young man, what is your relationship with the Soul Clan?"

"You could say I'm half a member of the Soul Clan," Lu Ye replied casually.

The old man's eye twitched visibly. What kind of answer was that? What did 'half a member of the Soul Clan' even mean? You either are or you aren't; there's no half. However, seeing such a divine lotus in Lu Ye's Spiritual Sea, he knew that Lu Ye's relationship with the Soul Clan was extraordinary. Otherwise, he couldn't possibly have such an item guarding his Spiritual Sea, as it wasn't something ordinary people could possess.

While he was pondering, he heard Lu Ye say, "Elder Fang, the Black Abyss Contest has begun. The people from Sacred Blood Peak should arrive to attack soon. We wish to use this battle to eliminate them completely. I wonder what assistance you can provide?"

Elder Fang could no longer continue his deep thoughts. The Origin, having been partially infected by the power of the Blood-Red Talisman Society, was like a patient who had fallen gravely ill. The saying 'illness strikes like a mountain, but leaves like unraveling silk' applied here.

"So, young man, strive to win this battle. Afterwards, I will join forces with you to find a way to deal with that drop of treasured blood." If it were anyone else, Elder Fang would never have appeared, as it would be meaningless. But Lu Ye was different; the inheritance of the Dao Tree lineage gave Elder Fang hope, because to the Dao Tree lineage, all things in the world could be refined, including the Blood Ancestor's treasured blood!

No one had ever addressed him in such a way, which momentarily surprised him, but he didn't dwell on it. Hearing the question, he slowly shook his head, "The Origin has been infected by the Blood-Red Talisman Society for many years. I have been fighting against it all this time. If not for your help today, I likely wouldn't have been able to appear here to meet you. And once the contest begins, all I can do is exert my full strength to repel the invading enemies. Besides that, I cannot provide any further assistance."

Lu Ye understood, feeling a slight disappointment, but he also knew he couldn't demand too much. The Origin had been infected by a part of the Blood-Red Talisman Society's power for so many years. Only with his assistance today could Elder Fang, the Origin consciousness, relax for a moment, but he couldn't remain relaxed indefinitely. Therefore, when it came to matters like the Black Abyss Contest, they still had to rely on themselves.

Lu Ye frowned. He didn't want to plan for the distant future; at present, he only wanted to decide the outcome in one battle. From Elder Fang's perspective, Lu Ye's desire to eliminate Sacred Blood Peak in a single battle was unrealistic; such things could only be achieved gradually. Moreover, the cultivators of Sacred Blood Peak, by jointly activating the Blood Sea Art, could attack when encountering enemies and defend when assaulted, making them truly difficult to deal with.

However, Lu Ye quickly thought of another matter: "Elder Fang, since the Blood Ancestor's treasured blood cannot enter, how was the Origin infected?"

"Naturally, it was infected by the sacred essence from the cultivators who died here in battle. This sacred essence, to put it simply, is an extension of the Blood-Red Talisman Society's power! The treasured blood's muddled consciousness has always aimed to encroach upon the Origin, so all sacred essence power would independently infiltrate the Origin."

Lu Ye suddenly realized that through generations of Black Abyss Contests, many cultivators from Sacred Blood Peak had surely died. Afterwards, the sacred essence within their bodies dispersed, gradually tainting the Origin. Elder Fang had detected Lu Ye's uniqueness, which was why he had specifically appeared to meet him.

"That consciousness is not fully formed; it should have emerged from the Blood Ancestor's will that remained in her treasured blood. Therefore, its sentience is somewhat muddled, like a newborn child. Furthermore, this is the Origin Space; it cannot enter here. Only cultivators like yourselves can."

Lu Ye understood. He had always been curious about the essence of the blood moon and had entertained some conjectures. Now, after hearing Elder Fang's words, he was almost certain that the blood moon was indeed formed from the Blood Ancestor's treasured blood. Elder Fang said that the Blood Ancestor's treasured blood could not enter here. As for the reason, Lu Ye was unclear, but if Elder Fang said so, it must be true. In other words, that treasured blood had always been outside... Lu Ye immediately thought of the blood moon suspended in the sky!

The Blood Ancestor had died untold years ago, and her remaining body had been divided into many pieces. Yet, a single drop of her treasured blood, left behind here, had given birth to an consciousness. Just one drop of the Blood Ancestor's treasured blood had left Fangcun Mountain's core consciousness in such a predicament. How powerful must the Blood Ancestor have been back then? And who could have been capable of dismembering the Blood Ancestor? For now, since that consciousness was born from the Blood Ancestor's lingering will in her treasured blood, it must have inherited many of her traits. Could this be considered a form of rebirth?

Lu Ye continued to press his hand on the Origin, activating the power of the Talent Tree to continuously refine the treasured blood's power within the Origin. The crisis within the Origin had only been slightly weakened and not completely resolved. Achieving that would not be possible in a single day. The more he refined, the lighter the pressure on the Origin consciousness would become.

"The divine sense of a Sun-illuminating cultivator!" In the Spiritual Sea, Elder Fang's figure dissipated. The old man was momentarily stunned, then realized that the address 'Elder Fang' was meant for him, undoubtedly stemming from the name Fangcun Mountain.

Ancestor Bao Xue was somewhat apprehensive. Although he had been convinced by Lu Ye earlier, now that it had come to this, he couldn't help but feel nervous. Their side didn't have many people and couldn't withstand too much turmoil.

"Wait for it," Lu Ye replied. In his perception, the positions of all Blood Attendants throughout the entire Origin Space were clear at a glance. This was a perception based on bloodline, not divine sense, so its range was extremely vast.

Ancestor Bao Xue then flashed beside Lu Ye, "Little brother, the people from Sacred Blood Peak are coming. According to the plan, we need to hide the Origin."

At Ancestor Bao Xue's call, several cultivators immediately swept in from left and right to set up a grand concealing formation near the Origin. Hidden on an asteroid, using a formation to conceal his aura, and simultaneously activating the Concealing Aura Spirit Rune, Lu Ye instantly detected a powerful divine sense sweeping in from a certain direction. Without exception, this must be Li Tian himself.

It wasn't until several days later that this space suddenly began to tremble incessantly. The spatial tremor continued incessantly, only ceasing after nearly half a day.

Not long after, Xiang Yin cried out, "Prepare for the enemy!"

The cultivators from Sacred Blood Peak were, as always, out in full force. They always did this, but each time they returned defeated. This contest had been going on for untold years, from ancient times until now. Soon, the many cultivators from Sacred Blood Peak, under Li Tian's command, dispersed into small teams.

In another space, Ancestor Bao Xue and eight others, including the Xiang Yin sisters and two other Blood Attendants whom Lu Ye had previously taken under his wing, a team of ten, were moving openly toward a certain direction. The Xiang Yin sisters led the way, holding their sound talismans, constantly communicating with Lu Ye to determine the direction. Their search was also a process of mutual strategizing. Ancestor Bao Xue's main objective was undoubtedly to buy time, but under the unchanging premise of that overarching goal, eliminating as many enemies as possible was also a necessary means.

This time, however, was different. After a discussion with Ancestor Bao Xue, Lu Ye changed his previous strategy, opting for a more aggressive approach. He had always felt that such matters were too ephemeral, but now it seemed he had been short-sighted.

The others in the team looked up, only to see a vast sea of blood rapidly sweeping ahead, meticulously searching every passing space, attempting to locate the Origin. Although such a hidden state could not be maintained for too long and would eventually be discovered by the cultivators of Sacred Blood Peak, as the defending side, buying time was undoubtedly a valid strategy.