Chapter 2103: Ghost Sedan Chair Reappears

Over the past few months, the four members of the team had been through countless battles. Du Qingsha had always been the primary combatant, while Lu Ye mostly served as a decoy, and Xu Rong and the Serpent Girl primarily offered long-range support. Because of their limited strength, they were prone to accidents if engaged in close combat with enemies. After hundreds of battles, both large and small, both Xu Rong and the Serpent Girl had consistently performed their duties well.

But this time, Xu Rong acted so unwisely, charging forward alongside Du Qingsha. And not just Xu Rong, but the Serpent Girl too! Lu Ye immediately realized that this wasn't their fault, but a consequence of that evil voice from earlier. Under the influence of that voice, even a Six-Path cultivator like himself had been overwhelmed with murderous intent, barely able to control himself, let alone Xu Rong and the Serpent Girl.

With more than half of his body shattered, Xu Rong was certainly beyond saving. In a moment of clarity just before death, he understood the foolishness of his actions. His peripheral vision caught sight of the Serpent Girl nearby, and he shouted, "Run!"

The Serpent Girl's already reddish eyes turned completely blood red. Overwhelmed by murderous intent, Xu Rong's death caused her to lose all reason. She roared, controlling her construct, and coiled it around the enemy's body. However, the Six-Path cultivator merely reached out, grabbed the serpent-shaped construct, and with a violent tug, it split into two pieces. Blood and internal organs spilled from the severed parts.

Lu Ye, who had been about to intervene and rescue the Serpent Girl, froze. He sighed heavily, realizing he was too late. He had not anticipated such an event. Having spent this time together, they had developed a certain camaraderie. Furthermore, with Du Qingsha stepping down as captain, these two were slated to become his teammates, barring any unforeseen circumstances. Yet now, they had been casually crushed like two insects.

"Pitiful!" the Six-Path cultivator scoffed, tossing the two halves of the construct aside.

"I'll make you pay!" Du Qingsha roared, as she propelled her construct toward the enemy. Her aura was fierce, and every move was perilous. Lu Ye, eyes downcast, also summoned his Mountain-Crushing Blade and charged into the fray. Unable to save Xu Rong and the other's lives in time, he could only exact revenge for them.

Channeling his Dao power, his blood surged, and in cooperation with Du Qingsha, they quickly pushed the Six-Path enemy into a precarious situation. The opponent clearly hadn't expected Lu Ye and Du Qingsha to be on par with him. Gone was his earlier disdain. He frantically channeled his Dao power for self-preservation, while simultaneously seeking an opportunity to flee. Unfortunately, there was no opportunity. In mere moments, he was covered in wounds. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the enemy would soon be slain.

However, the intense sounds of battle attracted nearby Star Abyss outsiders. Their state was no different from Xu Rong and the Serpent Girl earlier; they were clearly under the influence of that evil voice. Ignoring any disparity in strength, they all joined the fray, each one fearless of death. While Lu Ye and Du Qingsha could easily slay these weaker enemies, their presence also gave the Six-Path cultivator a moment to catch his breath.

A moment later, Lu Ye activated the Blood Sea Art, a vast sea of blood enveloping the entire area. This completely cut off any hope of escape for the Six-Path cultivator. After another combined effort with Du Qingsha, they finally slew him.

Before they could even catch their breath, two more Six-Path cultivators entered the Blood Sea in unison. The grueling battle continued without end!

Lu Ye had already manifested his Talent Tree clone. Although the Mountain-Crushing Blade wasn't available, with the enhancement of Dao power, even simple punches against the enemy could unleash immense power. Within the Blood Sea, the life essences of weaker Star Abyss outsiders constantly withered away. However, the enemies seemed endless. His Talent Tree clone had to be recalled and re-manifested because such intense combat had severely depleted his Dao power, quickly dropping below two hundred. If he didn't recall it, both his main body and the clone would only be able to wield Five-Path strength. After re-manifesting, his main body could still maintain Six-Path strength, but the clone, receiving less shared Dao power, could only maintain Five-Path strength.

He knew that continuing to fight like this was not a solution. The changes in the Star Abyss Gate seemed to be allowing more Star Abyss outsiders to enter this starfield. Currently, they were only encountering Six-Paths, but if it continued, there might be Seven-Paths, Eight-Paths, or even stronger cultivators. At that point, both he and Du Qingsha would surely die! Their only option now was to return to Thunder Fortress first, then consider other matters.

"Go!" Lu Ye shouted urgently.

Du Qingsha's voice replied, "You go first! I'll cover our retreat!"

"Stop talking nonsense!" Lu Ye retorted, grabbing her and fleeing out of the Blood Sea. At such close range, Du Qingsha noticed something unusual. She couldn't help but look Lu Ye up and down. "Why aren't you wearing any clothes?" Who fights until their clothes are gone?

Lu Ye did not want to answer. It was his Talent Tree clone dragging Du Qingsha at that moment, and in such a fierce battle, there was no time to ensure the clone was properly dressed. He could only make his vital energy surge to barely conceal his private parts. The clone and Du Qingsha fled together, while his main body maintained the Blood Sea to trap and kill enemies. Moments later, he suddenly withdrew the activation of the Blood Sea Void Spirit Rune, and teleported away.

After reuniting with the clone, Lu Ye immediately recalled it. He and Du Qingsha continued to flee in the direction of Thunder Fortress. However, shortly after they fled, Lu Ye felt a tightening around his waist, as if something had bound him. He looked down, startled to see a red silk ribbon wrapped around his waist, appearing from nowhere. This thing... it looked familiar! As the thought crossed his mind, his body was uncontrollably pulled in one direction.

Du Qingsha was utterly astonished. She looked up and saw that in that direction, a strikingly festive sedan chair had appeared out of nowhere. Lu Ye was entirely enfolded by a red silk ribbon extending from within the sedan chair, and pulled inside.

"Run! Don't stop!" Lu Ye shouted, and as he looked back, he saw numerous figures pursuing Du Qingsha. Although she had advanced to Six-Path, the previous grueling battle had severely depleted her Dao power. She simply couldn't sustain a protracted battle.

Du Qingsha had no idea what was happening. But after Lu Ye shouted, he vanished, and the suddenly appearing red sedan chair vanished with him. Without time to ponder, Du Qingsha continued her escape.

With a series of tumbling sounds, Lu Ye rolled several times, then clumsily got to his feet. He immediately saw several familiar figures standing nearby. Jiuyan was prominently among them. Seeing Lu Ye, Jiuyan visibly relaxed and stepped forward. "Are you alright?" she asked.

Lu Ye shook his head. His gaze swept over their faces, and he realized, "Are we captured by the Ghost Sedan again?"

"Exactly!" Chen Li said with an exasperated expression. "I was still in seclusion, forging my Dao Realm, when I was suddenly seized by the Ghost Sedan. Alas, if it weren't for this, I might have succeeded by now!" Currently, inside the sedan, besides Lu Ye and Jiuyan, were Chen Li, Meiying, and Narcissus. Out of the ten, five were still missing.

Narcissus slowly began, "I wasn't in seclusion. When I was captured, I was still battling enemies on the battlefield. It seems Junior Brother Lu was in a similar situation?"

Lu Ye looked extremely disheveled at the moment. Having continuously wielded Six-Path power against enemies, he had incurred a massive burden. Thus, he was covered in blood, and his exposed skin was covered in cracks, though they were rapidly healing.

"Indeed," Lu Ye nodded, a realization dawning on him. "It seems the other five fellow Daoists will return as well." The Ghost Sedan had captured ten of them and brought them to this Yuan Starfield. Now, it appeared to be bringing them back, one by one, without fail. But the timing... He wondered how Du Qingsha was doing. However, with her strength, she should be able to escape back to Thunder Fortress even without him. As for the future of this starfield, it was beyond his control.

After a moment of thought, he spoke, "Over these past few days, I presume you've all noticed something?"

The others remained silent for a moment, before Chen Li sighed. "Who would have thought that our starfield isn't unique? This is another starfield entirely, and their current plight is a glimpse into the future of our own starfield. It's truly worrying." After they parted ways that day, everyone had intended to return to their original territories. However, as time passed and they gathered information, they discovered they had arrived in an entirely different starfield. The shock they felt was simply indescribable.

Like Lu Ye and Jiuyan, they had all entered various battlefield strongholds. This was no coincidence; it was their only option. As cultivators at the peak of Sun Illumination, if they wished to forge their Dao foundations, they could only go to places permeated with Star Abyss aura. Lu Ye and Jiuyan had entered Thunder Fortress, while the others were scattered among different strongholds.

"There are still five more fellow Daoists," Lu Ye began. "Let's discuss everything once everyone is gathered. I believe there are many matters we need to sit down and talk through properly."

No one raised any objections.

Lu Ye and Jiuyan moved to the side and sat down. As he cleaned the grime from his body, he quietly asked, "How have things been on your end, Senior Sister?" Jiuyan lowered her head and slowly shook it, her expression downcast. Although he had already suspected it, given that Lu Ye hadn't sensed any Dao power from Jiuyan, he was still surprised to confirm that Jiuyan had failed to forge her Dao foundation. Indeed, forging a Dao foundation was not easy. However, Jiuyan had already entered the Enlightenment Pool, yet she still hadn't succeeded, which felt unusual. Her aptitude and foundation shouldn't be so poor. Lu Ye wasn't sure about the specifics of the Enlightenment Pool, but according to Du Qingsha, it could significantly increase a cultivator's success rate in forging their Dao foundation.

Composing himself, he offered comfort, "Don't worry, there will be other opportunities." If the Star Abyss invasion truly began, then cultivators at the Sun Illumination realm in the Myriad Manifestations Sea Starfield would indeed find a path forward. However, while it might be an opportunity, it would more often bring calamity.

Inside the Ghost Sedan, everything remained exceptionally stable. As they waited, Su Wan, Ziji, and Chong Yue were all captured and brought in. Not long after Chong Yue entered, Lu Ye's face suddenly registered a look of astonishment. Because at that very moment, he once again felt a familiar binding force settle upon him. It rendered him immobile and sealed all his power within his body.

This was... the Ghost Sedan's punishment for his defiance against Changfeng in the past. Hadn't it already ended? Why again?!