Chapter 2107: Hunting

After a discussion with Ziji, Lu Ye departed. He left behind a Talent Tree clone to guard his original position. Because the shared Dao power wasn't substantial, the clone could only wield the strength of five Daos. This meant that, including Ziji, two five-Dao powerhouses were guarding the location. As long as no excessively strong individual came to disturb them, there wouldn't be any major issues. Furthermore, as long as his main body maintained contact with the clone, he could return at any time using the Void Spirit Mark, providing timely support if real danger arose.

The aura of the Star Abyss was incredibly mysterious, greatly suppressing cultivators' spiritual senses. This suppression could only be dispelled by activating Dao power to enhance their spiritual senses. However, doing so invisibly consumed Dao power. Therefore, in the Star Abyss, cultivators would not waste their hard-earned Dao power in such a manner unless absolutely necessary. In this environment, weaker individuals could undoubtedly hide themselves more easily.

Lu Ye continued his journey, occasionally encountering creatures from the Star Abyss. However, after several skirmishes, he discovered that the Star Abyss was not entirely populated by powerful beings. At least, the ones he killed lacked Dao bones and could only wield one or two wisps of Dao power.

After less than half a day, he finally obtained his first spoils of war. This prize came from a colossal Star Beast that possessed the strength of three Daos. With Lu Ye's current capabilities, such a Star Beast was naturally insignificant to him. He extracted the Dao bone, held it in his palm, and activated the power of the Talent Tree to refine it.

Over the next few days, Lu Ye acquired more spoils, refining all of them. His own Dao power accumulated steadily and rapidly. Only after his own Dao power surpassed four hundred units did Lu Ye transmit the acquired spoils via the Void Spirit Mark to his Talent Tree clone, which then passed them to those who had entered the Dao Realm, helping them accumulate their own power. Of the spoils obtained thereafter, he sent ninety percent back and kept only ten percent for himself.

One day, Lu Ye sensed a sharp aura lingering in an area ahead, immediately putting him on alert. Creatures in the Star Abyss were generally very cautious, and it was rare to encounter such brazen individuals. This was because the Star Abyss was fraught with dangers everywhere; no one knew if they might encounter someone stronger than themselves, and if they did, the outcome was usually dire. However, the aura emanating from ahead could be clearly felt even from a great distance, undoubtedly indicating the opponent's strong confidence in their own strength.

Lu Ye pondered for a moment, then cautiously moved closer, suppressing his own aura as much as possible. Although he hadn't truly engaged the opponent and their strength remained unknown, Lu Ye wasn't overly concerned thanks to his clone ready for support in the distance. If real danger arose, he could simply escape using the Void Spirit Mark, unless the opponent possessed the ability to instantly kill him with a single strike. Given his current strength, an instant kill would require at least an eight-Dao powerhouse. Lu Ye felt he couldn't be that unlucky.

A moment later, he finally saw the owner of the aura. It was an Winged Race member with pure white wings. The Myriad Manifestations Star Sea also had Winged Race members, but this was not a large clan, and their numbers were not many. Lu Ye had seen a few in the Myriad Manifestations Star Sea. As he got closer, Lu Ye understood why this individual's aura was unleashed so recklessly. The Winged Race member's aura was not only sharp but also exuded a chaotic and disordered feeling.

This fellow... seemed to have some mental issues. Lu Ye blinked, recalling the days when he hunted Star Abyss outsiders with Du Qingsha and others in Squad C3. They had encountered several Star Abyss outsiders with mental problems, varying in strength. Cultivators from the Mechanist Starfield called these mentally afflicted individuals 'Lost-minded Ones'! They were consumed by slaughter; any living creature that entered their sight became their enemy. The number of Lost-minded Ones was not excessively high, but certainly not few. This indicated that it was a persistent phenomenon in the Star Abyss, though no one knew why they suffered from mental derangement. This Winged Race Lost-minded One should be quite strong; its specific Dao level would only be known after engaging in combat.

He continued to approach silently. The Winged Race member stood quietly in place, seemingly unaware. Until a certain moment, it suddenly turned its head, looking towards Lu Ye's position.

Even the most careful concealment had its limits. Almost simultaneously with the Winged Race member turning its head, Lu Ye darted forward, pouncing on his opponent. The Winged Race member's reaction was also extremely fast. While its head was still turned backward, its body had already begun to move. Its eyes were bloodshot, a clear symptom of a Lost-minded One. Its body suddenly spun sideways, its two wings acting like fan blades, emitting wisps of white light that swept towards Lu Ye like rain and a waterfall. Its figure followed closely behind the white light, radiating immense power.

Uncertain of the opponent's strength, Lu Ye dared not be negligent. He immediately channeled the power of six Daos into his spiritual energy to protect his body. Just as he had anticipated, after his cultivation advanced to the mid-Sunlit stage and his foundation improved, he was now a true six-Dao cultivator. Unlike before, when wielding the power of six Daos still imposed a heavy burden, now such a situation only occurred when he forcibly channeled the power of seven Daos. In other words, he currently possessed seven-Dao combat strength, but that state could not be sustained for long.

The attacks, resembling white light, struck Lu Ye, all blocked by his protective spiritual energy. In an instant, the two figures clashed. His long blade descended, unleashing the full might of six Daos. Under the Dao Obliteration, the Winged Race member's protective spiritual light shattered, and the sharp long blade directly severed one of its arms, along with the wing on that side.

Passing by, Lu Ye felt a pang of regret. If his previous strike had been faster, he should have killed the opponent with a single blow. However, despite its impaired sanity, the creature's instincts remained, allowing it to instinctively shift its body at the crucial moment, thereby narrowly escaping death. Through this brief exchange, Lu Ye also discerned the opponent's strength: Five Daos! Weaker than himself.

Lu Ye's mind settled. He turned and attacked again. Severely wounded, the Winged Race member roared in fury. Had it still possessed reason, it would have known it was no match and fled. But now, instead of fleeing, it adopted a stance of fighting Lu Ye to the death, which undoubtedly hastened its demise.

A moment later, the battle ceased. Lu Ye retrieved a Dao bone from the Winged Race member, sent it back to his clone via the Void Spirit Mark, and calmly departed. This was the first five-Dao cultivator Lu Ye had encountered so far. Although the opponent was a Lost-minded One, their strength was genuine. Jiu Yan had already successfully forged her Dao foundation. This Dao bone from a five-Dao cultivator should allow her to accumulate a considerable amount of Dao power in a short time.

Days passed, and almost every day, Lu Ye sent back spoils of varying quantities. Half a year of hunting allowed him to gain a complete understanding of the environment within a hundred thousand li. During this time, he encountered danger several times, each instance facing powerhouses he couldn't contend with, only saving his life by hastily using the Void Spirit Mark. This subtly made him realize something: the area where the Ghost Sedan had brought them was not overly dangerous; otherwise, it wouldn't have been peaceful for so long.

Lu Ye didn't know how vast the Star Abyss truly was, but he knew for certain that there were individuals even more powerful than any he had encountered. Take the Mechanist Starfield, for example: there were once eight-Dao powerhouses who ventured into the Star Abyss and never returned. It was evident that there were beings stronger than eight-Daos within the Star Abyss. If he were to encounter such a powerhouse, Lu Ye felt he probably wouldn't even have the chance to conjure the Void Spirit Mark.

Such a long period of hunting also made Lu Ye realize that while most creatures in the Star Abyss were solitary and acted alone, there were indeed established factions. There was one such faction nearby, where many Star Abyss cultivators gathered. Lu Ye's hunting in this area seemed to have already drawn their attention. Lu Ye knew in his heart that this place could no longer be stayed in for long.

Approximately one year after the Ghost Sedan brought the group to the Star Abyss, Chen Li successfully forged his Dao foundation, and all eight individuals had entered the Dao Realm! Among them, Ziji, Chong Yue, Jiu Yan, and Su Wan were at the five-Dao level, while Shuixian, Meiying, and Chen Li were at the four-Dao level. This revealed the Ghost Sedan's strict selection criteria. If Shengyuanzi and Wuchen hadn't died, they would have likely achieved at least the four-Dao level after forging their Dao foundations.

Over this long period, Lu Ye's efforts had paid off. Every person present had accumulated a substantial amount of Dao power, essentially several dozen Daos each. Even Chen Li, who was the last to advance, had accumulated nearly a dozen wisps of Dao power. Ziji, the Great Demon Venerable, had even attempted to refine his second Dao bone once, but unfortunately failed, leaving him deeply disheartened.

In the large karst cave where they had first arrived, nearly a year later, the eight individuals gathered once more. Compared to their confusion and helplessness upon first arriving a year ago, the group now radiated significantly more vigor. For cultivators like them, as long as there was a path to growth and strength, hope remained even in the harshest environments. In contrast, their future in the Myriad Manifestations Star Sea had been bleak, even when they lived a pampered life and dominated a region.

The eight sat in a circle, and only Lu Ye's voice echoed. He recounted all his discoveries from the past days, emphasizing the existence of a faction nearby. After he finished, Ziji immediately understood, saying, "So, we can no longer stay in this place."

Lu Ye nodded. "Indeed. I don't know how strong that faction is, but recently they've had cultivators outside, searching for my traces. Although our hiding place is concealed, they will eventually discover it, and when that happens, conflict is inevitable."

"Then we must leave!"

"Where should we go?" someone asked.

The group exchanged glances, none able to offer a clear answer. Since arriving in the Star Abyss, they still had limited information and no idea where to go.

"If you have no direction, then follow me," Lu Ye said. "Perhaps... I can find a way back!"

Everyone was startled.

Chong Yue looked at him. "A way back? Brother Lu, you know how to return?"

The others' expressions also brightened. If they could truly return, that was certainly what they desired.