Chapter 1987: Swallowing Everything

Outside Three Realms Island, over a hundred cultivators at the Moon Splendor level gathered, their expressions a mix of surprise and confusion. They had been summoned by Yuan Du; a small portion were from One Origin Realm, while the majority were Moon Splendor realm island guardians from various spirit islands.

However, since they were willing to answer Yuan Du's summons, they all had some connection to him.

Among the hundred Moon Splendor cultivators, Yuan Cheng was the leader.

Yuan Du's original intention in bringing these people was to use their combined power to break through Three Realms Island's protective array. As a Sun Splendor cultivator, he didn't need to personally handle the trivial task of array breaking.

However, when the Blood Clan unexpectedly defected, Black Cloud intervened decisively, forcing Yuan Du to cooperate and swiftly dismantle Three Realms Island's grand array.

Afterward, one Sun Splendor cultivator after another joined the fray, rendering the more than a hundred Moon Splendor cultivators completely ineffective.

Despite this, they did not leave, choosing instead to remain outside Three Realms Island and observe.

The current situation was bizarre: Ma Bin was fighting Black Cloud and Mo Wenli, who had teamed up; Luan Xiao'e and Yan Miao were battling Mu Qing; Yuan Du was severely wounded, his condition unknown; and both Chen Xuanba and Gu Xi had vanished without a trace into the sea of blood after being struck by a golden light.

Yuan Cheng gazed at the churning, writhing sea of blood, filled with a deep sense of dread, almost overwhelmed by an urge to flee the scene immediately. He had a vague feeling that this incident had escalated far beyond Yuan Du's initial expectations.

Yet, he was Yuan Du's descendant. If he fled now, he would have no place to stand in the Myriad Manifestations Sea ever again. So, after a moment of hesitation, he gritted his teeth and shouted, "Fellow Daoists, join me! Let's kill Lu Ye and rescue the guardians!"

As he spoke, he was the first to charge into the sea of blood.

Most of the hundred-plus Moon Splendor cultivators followed suit after a brief moment of thought. Though a few hesitated, given the circumstances, they had no choice but to press forward. Lu Ye of Three Realms Island was indeed renowned, and he was now displaying a Blood Sea secret art of immense scale. However, he was still just a single Moon Splendor cultivator. Could a hundred of them working together not defeat him?

Furthermore, there were still three Sun Splendor cultivators within that sea of blood. They didn't believe these three had completely lost their ability to resist; even if they were incapacitated by the mysterious golden light, it wasn't easy for a Moon Splendor cultivator to kill a Sun Splendor. Perhaps Lu Ye of Three Realms Island had already been subdued by one of the Sun Splendor cultivators. They just needed to make a show of it now and would later gain the friendship of the Sun Splendor guardians.

Hundreds of figures, one after another, plunged into the sea of blood, like stones sinking into the ocean, without even a ripple.

Inside the sea of blood, Lu Ye held Chen Xuanba's body. The Sun Splendor realm expert, who had been so arrogant just moments ago, now resembled a dried fish, his vital energy, spirit, and essence completely devoured. His life force dissipated, following Gu Xi and Yuan Du into oblivion.

It was indeed not simple for a Moon Splendor cultivator to kill a Sun Splendor. Setting aside other factors, Sun Splendor cultivators possessed unparalleled physical resilience. When Lu Ye had fought Lionheart years ago, it had taken considerable effort precisely because of Lionheart's powerful physique. Yuan Du and the others had achieved Sun Splendor status many years ago, and their physical strength was undoubtedly far superior to Lionheart's. Even if they were incapacitated and unable to resist, Lu Ye would still need to use techniques like Drawing Blade Slash or Great Windmill secret art with his Panshan Blade to kill them.

However, the Talent Tree's consumption was beyond reason; even a powerful physique could not stop the encroachment of its roots.

At this moment, Lu Ye's eyes were closed. After consecutively devouring three Sun Splendor realm cultivators, he vaguely sensed some abnormalities within his body. Upon inspection, a look of surprise appeared on his face.

On the Talent Tree, at a fork in one of the branches, a flower had bloomed at some unknown time. The flower was already wilting, and a small black fruit was forming where the blossom had been. For some reason, an inexplicable unease stirred within Lu Ye when he saw the black fruit. Without any clear reason, he knew one thing: once this black fruit fully matured, something terrible would happen to him.

He recalled Chao Nian, the previous inheritor of the Dao Tree. It seemed Chao Nian must have also gone through this stage, and his drastic change in disposition was likely related to this black fruit. The Dao Tree could refine all things in the world, yet it could not refine the seven emotions and six desires of living beings. These unrefinable elements accumulated on the Talent Tree, flowered, and bore fruit. Once mature, they would completely twist a person's disposition.

Even now, with the black fruit only just formed and far from maturity, Lu Ye already felt some changes in his temperament, as if he was more prone to anger and more brutal. During his previous training in the Asura Arena, he had experimented with this, devouring many shadows. However, that training had not caused significant lasting effects on him, leading Lu Ye to believe the rumors were either mistaken or exaggerated. Only today did he realize that devouring shadows was entirely different from devouring true living beings. This made him slightly cautious.

He withdrew his consciousness to sense his own Dharma Source. It was not yet perfect, but close; the essence from the three Sun Splendor cultivators had significantly improved its quality. At this rate, if he could devour two more Sun Splendor cultivators... This thought arose, proving somewhat difficult to suppress.

Just then, Lu Ye suddenly felt many life forces entering his sea of blood. The sea of blood was an extension of his own vital essence and blood, so no subtle change within it could escape his detection. After a brief moment of contemplation, Lu Ye knew what was happening.

"This is truly..." Lu Ye dropped Chen Xuanba's corpse, took a step, and vanished from his spot. They chose to barge into hell when the path to heaven was open!

"Ancestor! Ancestor, where are you?" Yuan Cheng repeatedly called out in the sea of blood, his face filled with panic and unease. He had led a hundred Moon Splendor cultivators in, but now he couldn't see a single person around him. The viscous sea of blood around him made movement difficult, and even the flow of his spiritual power felt much more sluggish. But it was alright, he believed Yuan Du was still alive and must be somewhere. As long as he could reunite with Yuan Du, he would be safe.

Moreover, Gu Xi and Chen Xuanba, both Sun Splendor guardians, were also in this sea of blood. Lu Ye of Three Realms Island was merely a Moon Splendor cultivator and would never be capable of killing three Sun Splendor cultivators. He didn't know what that golden light, capable of incapacitating Sun Splendor cultivators, was, but the Sun Splendor guardians would surely break free quickly. Then, they could easily shatter the sea of blood and restore this corner of the world to daylight.

As he searched around, he suddenly stepped on something and quickly looked down. At first glance, his expression turned from surprise to terror, for on the ground lay a corpse—a desiccated one, whose face faintly resembled Chen Xuanba's, and whose clothes were those Chen Xuanba had worn earlier.

"No! Impossible!" Yuan Cheng stumbled back several steps, completely unwilling to believe what he saw. Chen Xuanba was a Sun Splendor cultivator; how could he have died so silently and utterly?

Suddenly bumping into something, Yuan Cheng spun around to see a figure standing silently behind him in the sea of blood, staring at him with crimson eyes. That gaze... was like a hungry wolf spotting delicious food.

"Lu Yiye!" Yuan Cheng cried out in alarm, immediately attempting to activate his spiritual power. However, the figure in front of him flickered, a sharp pain shot through his body, and his consciousness grew hazy. He had only recently ascended to the Moon Splendor realm; how could he be a match for Lu Ye? The next moment, an indescribable agony radiated from every part of his body, forcing a pained cry from Yuan Cheng.

A few breaths later, the sound faded. Lu Ye discarded Yuan Cheng's corpse, his form disappearing into the sea of blood, and muttered in dissatisfaction, "Too weak!"

He had discovered a pattern: the stronger the cultivator, the greater the benefits he gained after devouring them. The three previous Sun Splendor cultivators had provided a clear boost to his Dharma Source. However, the Moon Splendor cultivators who subsequently entered the sea of blood were far less effective. For someone like Yuan Cheng, who had only recently advanced to the Moon Splendor realm, the improvement to the Dharma Source was almost negligible. This likely related to the quality of their own Dharma Sources; the higher the quality of the devoured Dharma Source, the greater the enhancement for Lu Ye. Devouring Moon Splendor cultivators was less effective than Sun Splendor, but fortunately, there were many of them.

The hundred-plus Moon Splendor cultivators were scattered throughout the sea of blood; they could find neither enemies nor allies. Their only recourse was to continuously unleash their power, blasting in all directions. This was indeed the best way to counter the sea of blood. At its core, the sea of blood was a secret art, and as such, it had a limit to what it could withstand. If that limit was broken, the art could be dispelled.

Initially, Lu Ye's sea of blood was indeed turbulent and surging under the frenzied attacks of numerous Moon Splendor cultivators, appearing as though it might shatter at any moment from the outside. But after enduring the most dangerous initial period, as time passed, the sea of blood grew increasingly stable and gradually calmed.

Silently, one Moon Splendor cultivator after another's life force faded, and the cultivators who had charged into the sea of blood with Yuan Cheng perished. In their place, Lu Ye's Dharma Source steadily approached perfection. The continuous devouring made him utterly oblivious. Initially, he still remembered to check the changes in the black fruit on the Talent Tree and remained vigilant. However, as his Dharma Source continuously perfected and the pleasure of the devouring process deepened, he forgot everything. Only one thought remained in his mind: devour everything!

He didn't know how much time had passed, but there was no longer a single living creature in the sea of blood. Just as Lu Ye was about to follow the nearest and densest life force, his body suddenly jolted, and he froze in place. At that instant, something incredibly subtle seemed to change within him. It was this change that caught his attention and interrupted his instinctive plan.

Suddenly alarmed, he realized his state just now... was very wrong! Upon re-examining the Talent Tree, the original flower had long vanished. The black fruit had grown to the size of a fist, its black color had deepened considerably, and it even had a sheen to it. This thing was not far from maturity!

A wave of fear washed over him. Fortunately, the change in his own body brought him back to his senses. Otherwise, if he had continued, he might have followed in Chao Nian's footsteps, going down a path of no return. That was something he absolutely could not accept.

He could not devour any more! He silently made up his mind, and only then did he have the leisure to investigate what exactly had changed within him.