Chapter 2108: Gold Rice Bowl

It was ironic. While inside the ghost palanquin, upon hearing various tales of the Star Abyss, everyone harbored an intense desire to enter it. Now that they had arrived, all they wanted was to return.

Such was human nature. They had already grasped the path forward, and the Myriad Manifestations Sea Starry Sky could be invaded by the Star Abyss at any moment. If they, as Dao Realm cultivators, could return in time, their assistance to the entire Starry Sky would be immeasurable.

However, to return, they needed to find the ghost palanquin, which appeared and disappeared unpredictably. No one knew when it would reappear, or where it would take them if it did. So, when Lu Ye mentioned he might be able to take them back, the surprise and excitement among the group were palpable.

“It's just a possibility; I can't be certain!” Lu Ye said, raising his hand slightly. As he channeled his spiritual power, a peculiar mark suddenly appeared on the back of his hand. Being experienced individuals, almost everyone felt a vague sense of familiarity when the mark appeared, as if they had seen or heard of it before.

After a brief thought, Ziji reacted, “Is this the Reincarnation Tree mark?”

“Your insight is sharp, Demon Venerable. It is indeed the Reincarnation Tree mark!” Lu Ye nodded.

Chong Yue also understood, “So that's it. Brother Lu, you're relying on this mark to take us back?” Narcissus spoke softly, “I've heard that only those favored by the Reincarnation Tree are bestowed with such a mark. This kind of mark rarely appears, perhaps once every thousand or even several thousand years. Those who receive it invariably achieve great renown. And as long as they are in the Starry Sky, possessors of the mark can use it to teleport to the Reincarnation Tree!”

Su Wan's eyes also lit up. “This is the Star Abyss, isolated from the Starry Sky, so we definitely can't teleport back to the Reincarnation Tree. But since this mark was bestowed by Elder Tree, it must have a faint connection to his true form. If we follow that connection...”

Lu Ye looked at her. “It's very faint. I can only get a general direction.” He had sensed this connection a year ago. It was intermittent and almost imperceptible, but it still provided a direction.

Searching for the ghost palanquin was unrealistic; following the Reincarnation Tree mark's guidance was more practical. He had been waiting these past days for the others to forge their Dao Foundations, so that everyone would have sufficient self-preservation capabilities during their journey. Therefore, even without the potential threat from the nearby faction, Lu Ye was ready to lead everyone away. While others were concerned about the Myriad Manifestations Sea Starry Sky, so was he; all his relatives were there.

As for why he could still have a faint connection with Elder Tree via the mark while in the Star Abyss, Lu Ye had his own theories. If the Starry Sky were stable, there should be no connection. However, the Myriad Manifestations Sea Starry Sky had been eroded by the Star Abyss in ancient times, leaving inherent flaws throughout. Furthermore, the insectoids had previously opened a Star Abyss gate in the Myriad Manifestations Sea. Although the Star Constellation Palace later exerted its power to seal it, that part of the Starry Sky had indeed experienced problems. Given that the Reincarnation Tree was a supreme treasure, it was not surprising that the mark on Lu Ye's hand had a latent connection to it.

“A general direction is enough!” Chong Yue was invigorated.

“What are we waiting for then? Let's not delay; let's depart now!” Chen Li called out. Everyone looked at Lu Ye with anticipation.

However, Lu Ye said, “Before we depart, I want to pull off something big!”

“What do you mean?” Ziji raised an eyebrow.

Lu Ye slowly stated, “Hunt a Seven-Path!”

Ziji gasped, looking at Lu Ye as if he were a celestial being. The others were equally astonished beyond words.

Tens of thousands of miles away from the desolate, shattered star where they were hiding, there was a peculiar, bowl-shaped cosmic wonder of moderate size. From a distance, it glowed with brilliant golden light.

Lu Ye named it the Golden Rice Bowl. Once, out of curiosity, he came to investigate and encountered a Star Beast with Seven-Path strength there. Lu Ye engaged it briefly before leaving; although he could unleash Seven-Path strength in a burst, he couldn't sustain it for too long, so he naturally wouldn't risk his life unnecessarily. If it were just this Seven-Path Star Beast, it wouldn't be an issue. The crucial point was that when Lu Ye left, he discovered a peculiar tree. It wasn't a spiritual plant as he knew it; the entire tree shimmered with starlight, as if forged from it, and appeared to bear several fruit-like objects.

Later, Lu Ye investigated several more times, finding that the Seven-Path Star Beast consistently remained there, seemingly guarding the tree and its fruits. Although he didn't know what the tree was, Lu Ye knew that anything deemed worthy of protection by a Seven-Path Star Beast was certainly extraordinary!

The Star Abyss held treasures; if one didn't know about them, it was fine, but since he did, he certainly couldn't miss out.

Led by Lu Ye, the group eagerly headed towards the Golden Rice Bowl. Before they even arrived, they saw a chaotic burst of colorful lights in the distance and could feel the lingering aftermath of spiritual power clashes from afar.

Lu Ye's steps faltered.

“Why is someone fighting over there?” Chong Yue was utterly perplexed.

Lu Ye strained his vision to observe and found that one side of the conflict was the Seven-Path Star Beast, while the other comprised over twenty figures, led by a Flame Clan member enveloped in fire. Judging by the fierce clashes between this Flame Clan member and the Star Beast, this individual was clearly also a Seven-Path cultivator! Even with him pinning down the Star Beast, his Star Abyss cultivators had suffered significant casualties, and almost everyone still alive was injured.

“It's that faction from nearby!” Lu Ye immediately deduced. He had previously wondered why, with a faction nearby, they hadn't come to the Golden Rice Bowl to hunt the beast and seize the treasure. He had initially thought the faction lacked powerful cultivators, but now it seemed otherwise. Since it wasn't a matter of strength, then it was a matter of timing. The Star Abyss cultivators from this faction hadn't acted before because the time wasn't right. Now that the opportune moment had arrived, they couldn't hold back.

At this thought, Lu Ye's heart stirred. This truly was a case of arriving coincidentally rather than early.

“Stay hidden. Do not act unless I do!” Lu Ye instructed, then led the way, approaching the battlefield. The others followed closely, each concealing their aura.

The battle at the Golden Rice Bowl raged intensely. No one noticed that at such a tense moment, another group had arrived at the edge of the battlefield, secretly observing. The Seven-Path Star Beast resembled a sphere covered in countless dense eyes. With every flicker of its eyes, dark beams of light shot out. Its attacks had virtually no blind spots, which meant that although the Flame Clan had a significant number of members, they couldn't quickly defeat the beast and had to rely on a war of attrition.

Lu Ye immediately realized that if the battle continued this way, even if they managed to kill the Seven-Path Star Beast, they wouldn't gain much, as the beast would undoubtedly exhaust all its Dao power upon death. However, the Flame Clan's objective was likely not the Star Beast itself, but rather the fruits on that tree!

Lu Ye looked around. Both warring parties, with unspoken understanding, avoided the area around the tree, clearly fearing that the aftershocks of their battle might destroy it. Should he sneak in and pluck the fruits now? If he did, it would probably be easy to succeed. Lu Ye pondered this but quickly dismissed the idea, knowing that such an action would undoubtedly make him a target for both sides. While he himself wouldn't mind, the other seven members lacked his strength. Furthermore, regardless of which side won this battle, the other would suffer heavy losses, which might present an opportunity.

The battle was still raging fiercely, and the number of casualties among the Flame Clan's subordinates was steadily rising. Yet, their leader seemed unconcerned. At times, even when presented with an opportunity to rescue his subordinates, he ignored it, seemingly allowing them to die. Under such fierce engagement, the Seven-Path Star Beast's Dao power was being depleted rapidly. As fellow Seven-Path cultivators, the Flame Clan leader had subordinates assisting, so his Dao power depletion was much less than the Star Beast's.

After less than half a day, the Star Beast grew increasingly weak, beginning to sustain injuries. As time passed, its wounds became more numerous and severe. Until a certain moment, the Flame Clan leader unleashed a punch, and fierce flames enveloped the Star Beast. Amidst a series of sharp shrieks, the Star Beast's life force dissipated.

Such a prolonged and arduous battle had undoubtedly exhausted the Flame Clan leader significantly, especially after his final blow, leaving him visibly fatigued. Of the Star Abyss cultivators he had brought, fewer than ten remained. Those who survived such a fierce battle were certainly not mediocre; through Lu Ye's observation, most were at least Four-Path cultivators, and one was even suspected to be Six-Path! Although the losses were immense, the Flame Clan leader showed a look of satisfaction after killing the Seven-Path Star Beast. He turned to look at the distant fruit tree, and just as he was about to issue orders, he suddenly sensed something. He turned his head and saw two identical figures suddenly appear: one empty-handed, while the other wielded a long saber. They streaked forth, closing in on the Six-Path cultivator among his subordinates.

“Watch out!” the Flame Clan leader roared, moving to provide assistance immediately.

The Six-Path cultivator also sensed the danger and frantically channeled power to protect himself, simultaneously attempting to retreat. However, it was too late. Lu Ye's true form and his clone, working together like a pair of shears, swept past the Six-Path cultivator. Blood splattered, and in an instant, he was slain on the spot!

Over this long period, Lu Ye had accumulated over seven hundred points of Dao power. Therefore, even after sharing it, his true form could still unleash Seven-Path strength, while his clone possessed Six-Path strength. In contrast, the opponent was in a relaxed state after winning the major battle. How could they survive a long-planned ambush?

The sudden change caught the other surviving Star Abyss cultivators off guard. No one had expected to witness a "mantis stalks cicada, oriole behind" scenario. When they abruptly came back to their senses, they were horrified to discover that there were more than just two attackers.

Immediately after Lu Ye made his move, Ziji and the others also charged out, each with a solemn expression. Chong Yue led the charge, his burly, robust figure like a towering mountain, instilling a strong sense of security. Shadow had already merged with the surrounding environment; no one could detect his presence before he launched his sudden assault. The remaining individuals employed their various techniques, launching fierce attacks at the enemies.

Lu Ye's true form confronted the Seven-Path Flame Clan leader, while his Talent Tree clone turned and streaked towards the enemy group. Midway, a burst of blood-red light erupted, and a sea of blood unfurled! The priority in eliminating the suspected Six-Path individual was to achieve a quick victory. In terms of overall strength, the enemy was not inferior to their own side, and even after a tough battle, keeping that Six-Path cultivator alive would still be a problem. Now, things were different. With Lu Ye's true form engaging the Flame Clan leader and his clone spreading the sea of blood to assist the others, the remaining Star Abyss cultivators stood no chance of survival.