Chapter 2097: Life and Death Are Unpredictable

Rise of Kyushu

For Starfall Cultivators, the most valuable spoils of war after slaying Star Abyss Strangers who have entered the Dao Realm are the Dao Foundations they leave behind. With these, Starfall Cultivators can recover their Dao power much more quickly. Compared to secluded cultivation, this is the primary method for Starfall Cultivators to consistently maintain their strength.

Although Lu Ye had killed many Star Abyss Strangers recently, he hadn't ventured deep enough into the battlefield. Therefore, the enemies he encountered lacked Dao Foundations, offering little value beyond some minor spoils. However, he knew that after joining Squad A-3, the enemies he would face would be on an entirely different level. He felt a faint sense of anticipation.

Gathering his thoughts, Lu Ye carefully examined the white bone in his hand, faintly discerning a subtle golden glow within it. He gripped the bone, activating the power of his Talent Tree, and in just a moment, he refined all the residual Dao power from within it. Upon observation, his own Dao power had increased by a little over four strands, which indeed compensated for his previous losses.

They sped along, traveling in silence. Even when they occasionally encountered Starfall Strangers, Du Qingsha paid them no mind, simply leading the way deeper into the battlefield. As if sensing Lu Ye's confusion, Xu Rong explained, "Our Squad A-3 is Thunder Fortress's sharpest blade. As such, we naturally focus on the most formidable enemies. Dao power is not easily replenished, and lesser foes will be handled by others. There's no need for us to waste our Dao power on them." Lu Ye understood.

Days later, the team had passed the deepest point Lu Ye had previously reached, continuing their advance. Several more days passed before Du Qingsha, who had been leading, stopped, looked around, and said, "This is far enough. Conceal yourselves." Xu Rong and the Serpent Woman immediately nodded. They each activated their magical artifacts, concealing their forms and aura, instantly vanishing from Lu Ye's sight. Du Qingsha then turned to Lu Ye: "Your mission is simple: just walk around casually, but don't be too deliberate. Stay alert!"

Lu Ye chuckled wryly, realizing Du Qingsha was using him as bait. However, among the four members of the team, no one was better suited to be bait than he was. His cultivation level was the lowest, and a cultivator of his level would typically not appear in such a location. Any Star Abyss Stranger discovering a cultivator like him would likely be tempted to strike. After instructing Lu Ye, Du Qingsha activated an unknown technique, and her figure swiftly disappeared.

Xu Rong's voice came from beside his ear: "Don't be afraid, brother. We're right by your side. At the slightest disturbance, we'll rush out to save you." Lu Ye had no fear. Since a plan was in place, he simply needed to do his part. Squad A-3 must have used this method to eliminate enemies before. After all, if all four of them appeared simultaneously, even the most simple-minded Star Abyss Strangers would know not to engage and would certainly flee.

Lu Ye walked and stopped, maintaining a vigilant posture. From time to time, he released his spiritual sense to perceive his surroundings, meticulously suppressing his aura. Yet, despite his efforts, when he activated his spiritual power, his cultivation level was fully exposed.

This was already considered the depths of the battlefield, and the density of Star Abyss Strangers was much greater than where he and Jiu Yan had been before. Thus, moments later, a Star Abyss Stranger took the bait. Unable to resist, it charged out. This creature appeared to have just survived a battle, its wounds not yet healed. It ferociously lunged at Lu Ye, who, at the opportune moment, feigned panic and turned to flee. The Star Abyss Stranger, suspecting nothing, pursued him closely.

However, the Serpent Woman's snake-like construct suddenly burst forth from an oblique angle. The woman's timing for the ambush was incredibly precise; after appearing, the serpentine construct, like a living creature, swiftly coiled around the Star Abyss Stranger, constricting it tightly and preventing its escape. Xu Rong's construct followed closely, and while the enemy was restrained, he delivered a fierce punch that exploded its head. The battle, from the Serpent Woman's appearance, concluded in just three breaths, marking the death of a Star Abyss Stranger who had entered the Dao Realm. The Serpent Woman released the enemy's corpse, and Xu Rong precisely removed a bone from it before putting it away. The two figures leaped, once again disappearing into the unknown.

The swiftness of their killing and looting suggested they had performed such operations countless times. Throughout the entire process, Du Qingsha's figure never appeared. "Well done. Let's move to another location!" Du Qingsha's voice reached Lu Ye's ears, acknowledging his excellent performance. Lu Ye followed her instructions.

Over the next few days, Squad A-3 continued to hunt Star Abyss Strangers in this area using this simple yet brutal method, with several battles erupting almost every day. During this time, Xu Rong and the Serpent Woman were primarily responsible for killing enemies. Du Qingsha only intervened once. The enemy they drew out on that occasion was formidable, possessing the power of three Daos. When Xu Rong and the Serpent Woman attacked together, they failed to defeat it in a single encounter; instead, they provoked its ferocity, allowing it to break free from the Serpent Woman's entanglement. However, with Du Qingsha's intervention, the battle quickly concluded.

In this battlefield, it was always better for cultivators to end a fight as quickly as possible. If a battle devolved into a war of attrition, the depletion of Dao power would be unbearable for anyone. For this very reason, even though Du Qingsha was powerful, she still required the assistance of several teammates. Furthermore, the sooner a battle ended, the more residual Dao power remained in the spoils, increasing their value.

On a dead star that had shattered into several fragments, the four members of Squad A-3 found a secluded spot to rest and divide their loot. They sat in a circle, with a dozen or so Dao bones before them, all acquired from killing enemies in the past few days. Du Qingsha swept her spiritual sense over them, picked out two, and tossed them to Lu Ye, saying, "These are yours." She then selected two more for herself, keeping them, and pushed the remainder towards Xu Rong and the Serpent Woman. Xu Rong cheerfully collected all the Dao bones.

Du Qingsha looked at Lu Ye and said, "Don't think you're getting too little. The distribution of spoils depends on your contribution during the kill. Since your contribution wasn't much, you'll receive less!" "Understood," Lu Ye nodded. In the past few days, he had barely taken action, serving primarily as bait. Receiving two Dao bones was already quite good. Although Du Qingsha also took two, the quality of hers was undoubtedly superior, as they contained more residual Dao power.

Dao bones needed to be refined promptly, as the Dao power within them would gradually dissipate over time. Therefore, once a certain amount of spoils had accumulated, they were quickly distributed to avoid waste, and also for cultivators to recover their strength.

Xu Rong, with an arm around the Serpent Woman, cheerfully stood up and called out to Lu Ye, "Brother, care to join us?" "What?" Lu Ye looked up, puzzled. Xu Rong patted the Serpent Woman's shapely rear and grinned, "Life and death are impermanent; one must enjoy oneself while one can!" The Serpent Woman also cast a seductive glance at Lu Ye, extending her tongue like a snake's flicking out to lick her red lips, exuding charm. Lu Ye's eyelid twitched involuntarily. He politely declined, "Thank you for the offer." "Hahaha, no worries! Perhaps we can 'exchange notes' another time!" Xu Rong laughed heartily, then, with his arm around the Serpent Woman, walked in a certain direction and soon disappeared from view.

Long after they left, Lu Ye hadn't fully recovered. He couldn't help but ask, "Captain, those two... aren't they Dao companions?" Du Qingsha looked unfazed: "What if they are Dao companions? The Starfall is collapsing; no one knows when they'll die. Why bother with so many scruples? The erosion of human nature and the collapse of morality are trivial matters compared to the future of the Starfall." Lu Ye frowned, lost in thought.

The current state of this Starfall was a glimpse into the future of the Myriad Manifestations Sea Starfall. Would the Myriad Manifestations Sea Starfall also descend into such chaos one day? He had no way of knowing. Looking up at Du Qingsha, Lu Ye asked, "What about you, Captain?" "Me?" Du Qingsha's lips curved into a smirk. "I just want to slaughter all those Star Abyss monsters!" *This* was the normal reaction, Lu Ye thought, nodding inwardly.

Unexpectedly, Du Qingsha changed the subject: "Actually, there's something — two things, rather — I'm very curious about." Without waiting for Lu Ye to speak, she directly asked, "You only have early Divine Realm cultivation, so how did you form a Dao Foundation?" She had wanted to ask Lu Ye this question for a long time but hadn't had the chance. Lu Ye shook his head and said, "I haven't formed a Dao Foundation!" Du Qingsha's expression turned utterly astonished: "You haven't formed a Dao Foundation? Then how can you wield Dao power?" And not just ordinary wielding; from their previous tests, Lu Ye was at least a three-Dao cultivator. This was a capability unique to Star Abyss creatures; there had never been such a case among Starfall Cultivators.

Lu Ye, of course, couldn't explain. He could only say, "I'm not sure either. Perhaps my physique is unique." Du Qingsha frowned, appearing skeptical. If not for the absence of the unique aura of Star Abyss Strangers on Lu Ye, she might genuinely suspect he had come from the Star Abyss. "What's the second thing?" Lu Ye changed the subject. Du Qingsha regained her composure: "Why is your origin a mystery? At this stage, the background of any cultivator can be traced, and it's fully recorded during registration. I've never seen anyone like you in the records."

Lu Ye pondered for a moment, then said, "Regarding this, Captain, you can ask the Fortress Lord. He is very clear about it." It was ultimately difficult to explain that he and Jiu Yan came from another Starfall. As the captain of the hunting camp, Du Qingsha should have access to the Fortress Lord of Thunder Fortress. If the Fortress Lord was willing to tell her, he naturally would. "Chen Wulei, huh..." Du Qingsha murmured, then glanced at Lu Ye thoughtfully. "It seems you have quite a significant background." Otherwise, how could he be connected to such an important figure as the Fortress Lord? Yet, she also felt somewhat puzzled. If Lu Ye truly had such a significant background, why would he need her recommendation slot?

Lu Ye offered no explanation. He held the two Dao bones he had received and activated the power of his Talent Tree to refine them. Soon, several more strands of Dao power appeared on the Talent Tree's leaves, clearly on the verge of breaking past a hundred once more.