Chapter 2089: Deep Dive

Wind Rises in Kyushu

A short while later, Lu Ye stopped cultivating because he discovered that his spiritual power, accumulated from practicing in this place, contained many unrefinable impurities that would pollute him. This was clearly related to the Abyssal Star aura, and Lu Ye suspected that these impurities were the aura itself.

Given this problem, it was naturally impossible to continue cultivating, as it would only make his spiritual power increasingly murky and his strength weaker. His only option was to refine the Soul Suppressing Secret Art.

Two months passed in the blink of an eye.

Their hiding spot was good, and they weren't disturbed at all during these two months. However, there were several times when sounds of fighting emanated from nearby, but Lu Ye paid them no mind.

One day, Jiu Yan, who had been cultivating, slowly opened her eyes.

Lu Ye had a premonition and quickly turned to look.

Jiu Yan looked at him and slowly shook her head.

Lu Ye then knew that her cultivation hadn't made much progress in these two months. He comforted her, saying, "Take your time, there's no rush. According to the records in the jade slip, forming a Dao foundation is not a simple matter. Some people spent more than ten years to succeed, and the shortest recorded time was half a year. You've only been at it for two months, Senior Sister."

"That's true, but..." Jiu Yan felt a bit disheartened. During these two months of cultivation, she hadn't been without any gains. Following the records of the Crucible Method, her attempts to forge a Dao foundation had indeed shown some initial signs, but progress was extremely slow. At this rate, it would be years before she could achieve the level of 'body becoming a crucible' and 'integrating her full foundation.'

She and Lu Ye were now stranded here. Although Thunder Battlefort had accepted them, they were ultimately not cultivators of this Primeval Starry Sky and had no one to rely on. She wanted to become stronger as quickly as possible so that she could possess some self-preservation ability in this environment.

Her expression became firm. "Junior Brother, I want to go deeper."

Lu Ye pondered for a moment upon hearing this, then stood up and said, "Let's go then."

Jiu Yan, however, stopped him, looking earnestly into his eyes. "I'll go alone. You should return to Thunder Battlefort."

If Lu Ye's cultivation was the same as hers, both qualified to forge a Dao foundation, then they could naturally help each other. However, Lu Ye was currently only in the early Sun-Tier stage, still far from her level. How could she be willing to let Lu Ye accompany her into danger?

Lu Ye blinked. "Senior Sister, you're underestimating me. In terms of cultivation, I'm indeed not as good as you, but when it comes to means of dealing with enemies... I have two Subordinate Treasures."

Jiu Yan wanted to say more, but he was unwilling to listen. He took the lead and flew forward, calling out to Jiu Yan, "Let's go."

It was the first time Jiu Yan had seen such an overbearing side of Lu Ye. She was momentarily stunned. Seeing Lu Ye go further and further, she quickly chased after him. "Junior Brother, you don't have to take risks."

Lu Ye turned his head to look at her and smiled. "So, shall we part ways here? I'll go this way, where will Senior Sister go?"

"I'm being serious!" Jiu Yan was a little annoyed.

"Shhh... I hear something." Lu Ye suddenly put a finger to his lips.

Jiu Yan was startled and quickly scanned her surroundings, but found nothing. When she turned back, Lu Ye had already run far ahead, leaving her speechless and exasperated.

Due to their limited strength, for the next period, Lu Ye and Jiu Yan proceeded cautiously, so their advance was not quick. Whenever they detected signs of a struggle, they would immediately find a place to hide. This made Lu Ye sigh with a touch of melancholy. Since he began cultivating, he had truly never experienced such a tense and anxious period, fearing that an unmatchable powerhouse might suddenly emerge from nearby.

Fortunately, their luck was quite good. For a full half-month, they didn't encounter a single battle. Several times, even when they encountered enemies they could have fought, they still avoided them, simply out of fear that the aftershocks of a fight would attract stronger individuals.

Half a month later, the Abyssal Star aura in their current location was undoubtedly more than twice as dense as before. Abyssal Star strangers in the late Sun-Tier stage were already appearing here. Both Jiu Yan and Lu Ye knew clearly that this was their true limit. Going any further would be seeking death, as they might encounter a Dao foundation forger at any moment. Enemies of that level were simply beyond what they could contend with at their current stage.

Lu Ye found a floating landmass formed from a fragment of a star. It had a massive pit, which delved deep and branched out in all directions internally. It was a natural hiding place. Jiu Yan was clearly very satisfied with this place too. As before, she found a spot to cultivate. Lu Ye set up formations to conceal their presence and sat safely not far from her, ensuring that they could assist each other promptly if any problem arose.

Lu Ye didn't know how much progress Jiu Yan was making. He, himself, refined the Soul Suppressing Secret Art while pondering something. It was about Ma Bin.

Ma Bin had indeed forged a Dao foundation. Lu Ye didn't know how Ma Bin had managed to do it, because based on the information he currently possessed, it was impossible to achieve this without contact with the Abyssal Star aura. Yet Ma Bin had indeed accomplished it, which explained his great strength.

However... Ma Bin didn't seem to possess the strength he should have. Taking this front-line battlefield as an example, a powerhouse who had forged a Dao foundation would simply crush starry sky cultivators who didn't even possess Dao power. The latter would be like ants before the former, utterly powerless to resist. But applied to Ma Bin, this didn't quite fit. Strong as he was, he seemed to be only slightly stronger than individuals like Chang Feng and Jiu Yan. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been injured when faced with the siege of Chang Feng and three others back then.

Lu Ye pondered for a long time, and felt that it was still a matter of Dao power. Ma Bin had indeed forged his own Dao foundation, but he might not have much Dao power. Thus, his strength was even inferior to that bull demon from before. Although that bull demon didn't have a Dao foundation, he had Dao power! With this thought, Lu Ye vaguely felt that a Dao foundation was more like a container—a container for Dao power! Ma Bin had this container, but it was empty, so he couldn't unleash his full potential.

But after this container was damaged, why could it only be repaired in a Spirit Jade ore vein? Logically, if a Dao foundation was damaged, only Dao power could repair it. Was there Dao power in Spirit Jade ore veins? Lu Ye had entered and exited Spirit Jade ore veins more than once. Now, recalling carefully, he suddenly remembered something. Vein sources! Every Spirit Jade ore vein had its own vein sources, and more than one. The larger the Spirit Jade ore vein, the more vein sources it contained. The formation of spirit jade and spirit crystals occurred near these vein sources. He had investigated vein sources before, and they seemed to conceal an extremely profound power—a power he couldn't comprehend.

Perhaps... that was Dao power?

So that was it. Dao power also existed in normal starry skies, but ordinary cultivators simply had no chance to come into contact with it. Even if one could, like Lu Ye, their insufficient level prevented them from comprehending it. Furthermore, vein sources shouldn't be the only places where Dao power existed in the starry sky. Supreme Treasures and Subordinate Treasures should all possess Dao power! Earlier, when Lu Ye unleashed the power of the Sword Gourd to attack the bull demon, although it was blocked, Lu Ye still remembered a sentence the bull demon had said. The bull demon had been very annoyed then, exclaiming something like, "How dare you damage my Dao power..." Therefore, the power unleashed by Subordinate Treasures also contained Dao power. This explained why the power of Subordinate Treasures was so immense, something ordinary Sun-Tiers couldn't possibly withstand. If Subordinate Treasures were like this, true Supreme Treasures must be even more so, after all, Subordinate Treasures were merely derivatives of Supreme Treasures. Supreme Treasures... were the embodiment of the Dao! Lu Ye had an epiphany.

Suddenly, a violent tremor shook the area. Lu Ye's thoughts were interrupted. He quickly scanned his surroundings, and his expression immediately fell when he understood what was happening. Powerful individuals were clashing nearby. Judging by the circulating aura, both combatants were at the late Sun-Tier stage, similar to, or even stronger than, the bull demon he had encountered before. An ordinary late Sun-Tier clash couldn't generate such massive aftershocks, so Lu Ye immediately concluded that both of them possessed Dao power. They weren't starry sky cultivators; they were two Abyssal Star strangers engaged in a bloody battle!

This was quite common. According to the observations of this starry sky's cultivators over the years, the Abyssal Star strangers did not live in peace with each other. Their internal struggles and killings were even more frequent and bloody than their conflicts with starry sky cultivators. In fact, of all the Abyssal Star strangers who had died in this front-line battlefield, at most only thirty percent were casualties inflicted by starry sky cultivators. The remaining seventy percent were due to their infighting. The Abyssal Star's aura was malicious. Beings born from the Abyssal Star seemed to be inherently bloodthirsty and brutal. They were the embodiment of destruction.

Jiu Yan also opened her eyes. In the darkness, they exchanged glances. Each suppressed their aura to avoid being detected by the two clashing Abyssal Star strangers. Over these past few months, similar situations had occurred several times, but none had ever affected them.

However, their luck from the past few months seemed to have run out this time. The fierce aftershocks of the battle drew closer and closer, and soon reached the floating landmass where they were hiding.

"Let's go!" Lu Ye knew they couldn't hide any longer. Once this floating landmass shattered, they would be exposed anyway. They might as well leave immediately.

The moment he spoke, he and Jiu Yan flew out together. But it was already too late. The battle between the two Abyssal Star strangers swept over the floating landmass. Under the brutal force, the floating landmass shattered. Lu Ye and Jiu Yan desperately channeled their spiritual power, yet struggled to maintain their balance, tossing and turning amidst the violent aftershocks.

Jiu Yan, at the right moment, grabbed one of Lu Ye's hands, preventing him from being separated from her. She desperately surged her own power, and with great effort, finally stabilized their bodies. When she looked up again, Jiu Yan's eyes immediately filled with despair.

At some point, an additional figure had appeared in front of them. It was clearly an insectoid. Although this creature had a humanoid body, it possessed a gruesome proboscis. Its entire body was covered in bloodstains, and its thick carapace showed numerous signs of breakage. In its hand, it held a limp, bloody, and mutilated body. Evidently, the recent struggle had been to the death, and this insectoid had emerged victorious. The corpse in its hand was its trophy.

The insectoid's face had two pairs of eyes. Beneath its normal eyelids were a pair of narrow, slit-like eyes. It sinisterly stared at Jiu Yan and Lu Ye, then lifted the corpse in its hand to its mouth and began to rip at it with large bites, its mouth becoming completely smeared with blood.