Chapter 2046: Jade Conch Also Wants to Merge Realms

A minor accomplishment in the Soul-Calming Secret Art brought Lu Ye another benefit: his spirit cultivation instantly leaped to the mid-Sun Gazer stage!

Yet, his spiritual power was still only at the early-Sun Gazer stage.

This was quite a comical situation.

Across the entire starry sky, for Sun Gazers, improving spirit cultivation was always far more challenging than enhancing spiritual power. Typically, Sun Gazers would first meet the requirements for their spiritual power before seeking ways to elevate their spirit.

But in Lu Ye's case, it was the reverse.

This was undoubtedly thanks to the unique nature of the Forest of Heroic Souls.

Now, Lu Ye only needed his spiritual power to catch up, and he would surely reach the mid-Sun Gazer stage. For him, with his Talent Tree, this was no difficult task at all. His cultivation source was already complete, greatly boosting his cultivation efficiency. He simply needed to store enough fuel in his Talent Tree and then dive into the Myriad Manifestations Sea.

A moment later, Lu Ye returned.

For two years, his physical body had remained seated there, perfectly still.

If an ordinary person were to separate their body and spirit for such an extended period, problems would likely arise. But for a Sun Gazer like Lu Ye, it was not a major issue.

He re-entered his body and slowly stood up.

Xu Yuan, who was nearby, noticed and looked up, asking, "How was it?"

"Thank you for your guidance, Elder. I gained a lot..." Lu Ye replied. He found his body felt a bit uncoordinated, and his speech seemed slightly slurred, likely an effect of the prolonged body-spirit separation. However, that discomfort quickly faded away.

"That's good," Xu Yuan smiled slightly. He didn't ask Lu Ye what he had chosen for the Soul-Calming Secret Art. Everyone had their own convictions and choices; he had guided Lu Ye, but the final decision was Lu Ye's alone.

"Elder, since things here are settled, I'll return to Kyushu first. I'll visit again another day," Lu Ye said.

Having not left the place for two years, it was only natural for him to go back and check.

Xu Yuan seemed to have expected it and wasn't surprised. He nodded and said, "Go."

Lu Ye immediately headed for the Starry Sky Pool. He suddenly paused when he looked down, because the Starry Sky Pool before him seemed a bit different from what he remembered.

He concentrated and observed, gradually realizing, "Elder, why have there been so many large realms added to the starry sky in recent years?"

The Starry Sky Pool reflected the state of the entire starry sky: realms, dead stars, any external changes were all manifested within it.

For instance, ordinary realms and large realms appeared differently. Large realms were much brighter points of light in the Starry Sky Pool, while ordinary realms were dimmer.

Lu Ye had entered and exited the Starry Sky Pool many times. Even if he hadn't specifically observed it, he would still notice if the changes were too obvious.

Xu Yuan smiled slightly. "In recent years, for some unknown reason, the spiritual energy of the starry sky has become much more active, which is why many realms have been promoted to large realms."

"Spiritual energy of the starry sky..." Lu Ye suddenly remembered Xiao Jiu mentioning this previously. The spiritual energy near Kyushu had become active, which was good for Kyushu, as Kyushu had always been absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy to strengthen its own foundation.

However, Lu Ye hadn't expected that this change wasn't limited to Kyushu. Judging by the current feedback from the Starry Sky Pool, this transformation seemed to have affected the entire starry sky.

"Elder, has anything like this happened before?" Lu Ye asked.

Xu Yuan thought for a moment and said, "I haven't encountered it during my time stationed here."

"Then, Elder, do you think this is a good thing or a bad thing?"

Xu Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Whether it's good or bad, who can say for sure? Sometimes good things can turn bad, and sometimes it's the other way around..."

Lu Ye looked at Xu Yuan, speechless. The Elder didn't used to speak like this.

Xu Yuan smiled again. "Don't overthink it. Regardless of how the outside world changes, for a cultivator, self-improvement is the true path."

"That's true," Lu Ye nodded and plunged into the Starry Sky Pool.

After Lu Ye left, Xu Yuan's expression slowly turned serious. He let out a long sigh: "A great change is imminent, a grand trend is descending. Is it good, or is it bad?"

Even the long-lived Soul Clan had never experienced such a grand trend. It could be said that throughout the entire starry sky, no living being of flesh and blood had ever gone through it, because the last time such a grand trend descended was tens of thousands of years ago, and even powerful Sun Gazers had limited lifespans; the Demon Race couldn't live that long either.

Only the Soul Clan, due to their unique environment, had some records concerning this, but even those were unclear.

As for understanding this grand trend, perhaps only those supreme treasures that coexisted with the starry sky truly knew. Some treasures had developed their own sentience, such as the renowned Reincarnation Tree; that venerable elder must surely know something.

The widespread activation of the starry sky's spiritual energy was a sign preceding the grand trend's descent. This was recorded in the Soul Clan's ancient texts; the last time a grand trend descended, there had been such a sign.

In fact, this sign had been present for many years, but ordinary people couldn't detect it at all. Soul Clan Chief Hun Que had been investigating this matter outside.

It was rumored that when the grand trend descended, no one in the entire starry sky would be spared, not even special spaces like the Soul Clan ancestral land.

For some, the grand trend would be a carnival, but for many others, it would bring catastrophe.

Xu Yuan didn't tell Lu Ye too much, simply because Lu Ye's current cultivation wasn't high enough. Knowing these things was meaningless; just as he had previously taught Lu Ye, some things would become clear once one's cultivation reached a certain level, and knowing in advance would only add to his troubles.

In the vicinity of Kyushu, Lu Ye returned.

He immediately sensed something was off; the entire Kyushu had visibly expanded.

Kyushu was a spherical realm. From space, a slight expansion might not seem significant, but in reality, such a change vastly expanded Kyushu's territory.

Lu Ye's heart stirred, and he had a faint suspicion. As he flew towards Kyushu, he messaged Xiao Jiu to inquire about the situation.

Soon, he received a reply from Xiao Jiu. Sure enough, it was as he had thought: over the past two years, the integration with the Azure Radiance Realm had been completed.

All living beings from the Azure Radiance Realm had migrated into Kyushu. Not only that, but the entire Azure Radiance Realm had merged into Kyushu.

This was the fundamental reason why Kyushu had expanded, as the current Kyushu was a merger of two realms!

Lu Ye didn't know how Xiao Jiu managed to do this; ordinary realms couldn't possess such an ability. But the result was right before his eyes, and it was undoubtedly a good thing.

Upon closer observation, the entire landscape of Kyushu had undergone significant changes; the positions of some mountains and rivers he remembered had altered.

Lu Ye was amazed. Simple realm integration might not be much, but to ensure the safety and stability of the living beings within Kyushu during the integration process—that was no easy feat.

But Xiao Jiu had done it.

The treasures left by the ancestors of the former Kyushu for this era had been protecting Kyushu for over ten thousand years and continued to play an irreplaceable role to this day.

Soon, Lu Ye noticed something else amiss. "Xiao Jiu, didn't you say the integration was complete? Why are there still so many people migrating? Where are they all coming from?"

In his perception, there were open portals created by Heavenly Secret Pillars all over Kyushu. At that very moment, many mortals, carrying their families and bundles of belongings, were emerging from those portals, some even bringing numerous livestock.

"The integration with the Azure Radiance Realm is complete. We are now preparing for the integration with the Jade Snail Realm!" Xiao Jiu replied.

"Jade Snail Realm?" Lu Ye was startled. "Why is the Jade Snail Realm also integrating? What happened?"

Lu Ye could understand why the Azure Radiance Realm was willing to integrate. This realm had issues: although it could produce Constellations, those Constellations couldn't advance to Moon Gazer, leaving them with no future.

Wu Zhuo and Tang Jun couldn't solve this problem. Now that Kyushu was growing stronger, integrating into Kyushu was undoubtedly an excellent choice.

What was the situation with the Jade Snail Realm?

"That's not my business," Xiao Jiu chuckled. "They came to us and requested it themselves."

"Who?"

"Luan Xiao'e, and that realm's Qiu Wu."

Lu Ye swept his divine sense and didn't find Luan Xiao'e in Kyushu; she must have returned to the Myriad Manifestations Sea. However, he spotted Qiu Wu somewhere in Ding Province.

He quickly flew over and soon found the busy Qiu Wu. This large area was likely allocated to the sect led by Qiu Wu; more than ten Heavenly Secret Pillars stood there, opening portals from which people continuously emerged.

"Realm Lord Qiu," Lu Ye called out.

Qiu Wu turned around and said with pleasant surprise, "Fellow Daoist Lu, I've finally seen you."

"Realm Lord, do you need something from me?" Lu Ye asked.

Qiu Wu replied, "It's nothing major. It's just that I will be settling in Kyushu from now on, and I'll have to ask for your continued care, Fellow Daoist Lu."

"Of course, of course," Lu Ye nodded. "But why did the Jade Snail Realm choose to integrate?"

Qiu Wu smiled slightly. "What's wrong with that? Kyushu is now the strongest realm in this star system, with boundless prospects. If my Jade Snail Realm integrates, it will also achieve better development in the future. Furthermore, since the Azure Radiance Realm integrated, there's no reason why my Jade Snail Realm shouldn't."

"That's true," Lu Ye began, "but the Azure Radiance Realm..."

Qiu Wu nodded and said, "Of course I know the reason. It's just that the previous attack by Zi Xuan was alarming. There are too many powerful individuals outside. Although my Jade Snail Realm has now produced a Sun Gazer, we are far behind, not to mention compared to top-tier realms, but even compared to the few realms in the Quadrant Star System. If the Jade Snail Realm encounters danger one day, what do we have to resist with?"

Hearing him say that, Lu Ye immediately understood his meaning.

The Jade Snail Realm had not only encountered Zi Xuan once; even earlier, there was an invasion by the Defilement Clan!

These external enemies were simply beyond their ability to cope with. Since they had no means to defend themselves, integrating into Kyushu was the solution. Kyushu, with its Asura Arena within and Mount Fangcun outside, was no less safe than those top-tier realms.

Qiu Wu said with a smile, "I understand your concern, Fellow Daoist. We also discussed this matter for a long time before making a decision. Perhaps there will be some initial discomfort or adaptation issues in the short term, but after two or three generations, this issue will no longer be a problem. In the future, there will be no more Jade Snail Realm, only Kyushu."

Since he had said all that, Lu Ye naturally found it difficult to say anything further.

Moreover, the integration of the Jade Snail Realm brought even greater benefits to Kyushu.

It's just that... if the Jade Snail Realm is gone in the future, then this Jade Snail Star System will probably have to be renamed the Kyushu Star System.