Chapter 1948: I Need an Explanation

Several days later, three figures gathered in Lu Ye's cave dwelling. Besides Lu Ye, the other two were Abulo and Gu Sheng, who had rushed over after receiving his message.

"Are you all ready?" Gu Sheng asked.

Abulo clenched his fists and bumped them together in front of him. "Let's go!" he declared. "After this, we'll live in luxury."

Gu Sheng looked at Lu Ye, who nodded slightly.

"Then let's go," Gu Sheng said, taking the lead and soaring upwards. Lu Ye and Abulo followed on either side.

A moment later, an object suddenly appeared in his hand. It was a square, crystal-like piece that Gu Sheng had obtained from a special trial scenario. This item had only one purpose: to allow Gu Sheng to re-enter that specific trial.

According to him, this item also granted him two more opportunities to enter that scenario.

As his magic power surged, the crystal piece suddenly erupted with dazzling light, enveloping all three of them. Immediately after, their figures vanished.

Boundless darkness enveloped everything, and at that instant, Lu Ye lost all perception of Gu Sheng and Abulo's presence.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths...

He frowned. "Again?"

Why had things been so strange since arriving at the Asura Arena? Except for his first normal entry into a trial scenario, all subsequent times had been peculiar.

He had initially thought there would be no problems this time. After all, he wasn't alone; he was allied with Gu Sheng and Abulo, and they were entering a specific trial scenario, guided by that special item.

But now, it was clear he had encountered the same situation as before, which made him feel helpless.

"Brother Abulo?" Lu Ye tried calling out.

"Brother Gu?"

There was no response. He released his divine sense but could not detect any trace of aura or life. In this boundless darkness, it felt as if he were completely alone.

During his last trial, he had waited two full days in this darkness before escaping. How long would he have to wait this time?

Were Gu Sheng and Abulo experiencing the same thing?

Having experienced this before, Lu Ye was not alarmed. He simply stood in place and waited.

A moment later, his expression subtly shifted. He turned his head and looked in one direction. Faintly, he seemed to hear sounds similar to wind.

But upon closer listening, it didn't sound like wind. Instead, it resembled a faint, elusive call...

It was calling his name!

Lu Ye frowned, secretly channeling his magic power to protect himself. With a hand resting on the hilt of his Panshan Saber, he considered for a moment, then walked towards the source of the sound.

This encounter seemed somewhat different from the previous ones.

After walking for a moment, the sound suddenly became much clearer. Ahead, a blurry light gate inexplicably appeared. On the other side of the gate, a distorted, shifting shadow, like flowing water, stood there.

Faintly, he could discern that the shadow was a woman's figure, seemingly waving to him. The calling sound was also coming from that direction.

Lu Ye grew even more vigilant. In such a strange place, encountering such strange things, no one would dare to lower their guard.

He stopped ten zhang from the light gate. At this distance, the woman's figure outside the gate became significantly clearer, and her voice was much more distinct.

"Come this way, Senior Brother Lu," she called. "Come here, don't be afraid, it's me."

Lu Ye listened carefully. The voice seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn't recall where he had heard it before.

He turned his head to look back the way he came, but saw nothing but endless darkness.

Steeling his resolve, he strode forward. There was no sure-death situation in the Asura Arena trials, and he wanted to see what kind of evil spirits or monsters lay ahead!

As if sensing his approach, the woman behind the light gate retreated a few steps.

In the final zhang, Lu Ye slipped through the light gate. The instant a clang rang out, the Panshan Saber was unsheathed, chopping down fiercely ahead of him.

The next instant, Lu Ye's movements halted. His Panshan Saber, enhanced by Divine Edge, was poised at the long, fair neck of a woman. Her smile and anticipation turned into astonishment, and after a brief moment of hesitation, she felt the relief of a narrow escape. She forced a strained smile at Lu Ye: "Senior Brother..."

Lu Ye stared at her in astonishment, momentarily wondering if he was hallucinating. "Junior Sister Duoduo?"

The woman who had called him from beyond the light gate was actually A Qiduo, whom he had met during his trial in the Final Gloom Realm!

It was precisely because he recognized her face in time that Lu Ye abruptly stopped. Otherwise, if that strike had landed, A Qiduo would likely have perished.

"Wait!" Lu Ye suddenly realized something.

"What did you call me?" he asked.

A Qiduo was merely a shadow, a condensation of traces left by cultivators who had undergone trials countless years ago. Under the rules of the Asura Arena, she could appear in the Final Gloom Realm, taking the form of someone from the Yunluo Holy Land; she could also appear in other trial scenarios, assuming different identities.

After leaving the Final Gloom Realm scenario and entering this strange place, even if he did encounter A Qiduo again, she shouldn't recognize him!

"Senior Brother... it's me, Duoduo!" A Qiduo looked at Lu Ye with a sincere expression. "I was injured before, and you helped heal me, and also with my bloodline issue."

Was it really that A Qiduo?

Lu Ye's mind stirred. "Is this the Final Gloom Realm?"

Had he returned?

"This is not the Final Gloom Realm," A Qiduo replied, glancing at the Panshan Saber at her throat. "Senior Brother, could you please remove your saber first?"

"My apologies!" Lu Ye quickly retracted his Panshan Saber.

A Qiduo then drew back her neck, reaching up to touch the spot that had been cold moments before. There was no sign of injury. Although she knew Lu Ye was powerful, it was difficult to truly appreciate that power without experiencing it firsthand.

She was also a Moon-Glimmer cultivator, but when Lu Ye struck with his saber just now, she had no time to react.

Lu Ye was currently observing his surroundings. This was a valley filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers. A small wooden house stood nearby, and the entire valley was adorned with colorful blossoms, forming a sea of flowers. Looking back, there was no trace of the light gate he had passed through.

But all his recent experiences were not illusions. Beyond that light gate, the one who had called him and led him here was undoubtedly A Qiduo.

Combining this with what he saw and heard now, he gradually realized something: A Qiduo... was likely not a shadow, but a cultivator from this era, just like him!

He turned to A Qiduo. "I need an explanation!"

Even if A Qiduo was truly a cultivator from this era, why did she have the ability to lead him to this place? He should currently be in that special scenario with Gu Sheng and Abulo.

A Qiduo nodded. "Of course, I will explain everything to Senior Brother."

A moment later, outside the small wooden house, the two sat opposite each other at a round table. A Qiduo was brewing fragrant tea, its rich aroma filling the air. Her movements were elegant.

Soon, the tea was ready. A Qiduo poured a cup for Lu Ye, then looked at him and said, "Senior Brother, let me tell you a story first."

Lu Ye remained silent.

A Qiduo continued, "A long, long time ago, there was an exceptionally powerful race. They controlled a supreme cosmic treasure, which served as their foundation for continuous development and growth. As time passed, this race's power expanded outwards, conquering one star system after another. According to ancient records, at the peak of their power, hundreds of surrounding star systems were their territory."

"If nothing unexpected had happened, they might have conquered even more star systems, expanding their territory indefinitely. But then, an earth-shattering war suddenly erupted. This race encountered extremely formidable enemies, and they battled each other for an untold number of years. Ultimately, this race repelled the invaders; though they paid a huge price, they did win the final victory!"

"They thought they had won..." A Qiduo's expression suddenly became strange, seemingly sad, seemingly regretful. "But in reality, those powerful enemies had planted an insurmountable hidden danger within this race. All members of this race were afflicted with a cursed poison, a strange substance passed down through their bloodline. Normally, this cursed poison posed no danger and did not affect cultivation or daily life. The only thing it affected was the lifespan of the race members! Since then, the lifespan of the new generation of clan members did not exceed two hundred years. As the older generation of powerful individuals gradually withered and died, and the new generation was unable to take their place, the decline and eventual weakening of the race became inevitable."

"Many years ago, on the eve of the death of the last powerful individual in the clan, he foresaw the ultimate fate of their race. Therefore, he made some arrangements, leading the outside world to believe that this race had been completely annihilated. After all, this race had made many enemies during its period of external conquest. Thus, by leveraging the power of that supreme treasure, they hid in a secret place, surviving from generation to generation, barely clinging to existence."

"Until today!"

The story was finished; it wasn't complicated.

Lu Ye's mind was, however, deeply shaken. Before departing from Kyushu, he had learned some information about the Asura Arena and related matters from Su Yuqing. Now, everything A Qiduo said resonated with that information, as well as his experience helping A Qiduo burn away the bloodline cursed poison in the Final Gloom Realm...

The situation was now clear.

"You are from the Heavenly Asura race?"

A Qiduo stood up, her black hair suddenly turning silver. Even her eyes flashed with silver light, and her entire demeanor instantly transformed from gentle to incomparably cold and glamorous. With a solemn fist-and-palm salute, she said, "Heavenly Asura A Qiduo pays her respects to Senior Brother Lu!"

Although he had already suspected it, and A Qiduo had personally admitted it, Lu Ye still looked her up and down with astonishment.

He had once asked Su Yuqing what the Heavenly Asura race looked like, but Su Yuqing didn't know. This was because the Heavenly Asura race had been extinct for too long, and there was no information available to verify.

Only now did he realize that, outwardly, the Heavenly Asura race actually didn't differ much from humans. Furthermore, this race had not been extinguished at all; they had been hiding in a concealed location.

As for A Qiduo's silver hair and silver eyes, Lu Ye didn't know if they were unique to her or a common trait.

No wonder... When he was in the Final Gloom Realm, Lu Ye had already noticed A Qiduo's exceptional talent. He had initially thought she was a mere shadow left by a monstrous talent from some ancient era in the Asura Arena. He never expected her to actually be a member of the Heavenly Asura race.