Chapter 2110: Star Fruit on the Star Tree

Inside the Golden Bowl, two battle groups were locked in a fierce struggle. Lu Ye, forcibly wielding the power of seven Daos, launched an assault against the Flame Clan member. For a time, they were evenly matched, with Lu Ye even subtly gaining an advantage. The opponent had just been through a major battle; although they still had Dao power available, they were severely depleted and not at their peak.

On the other side, in the sea of blood, the Talent Tree clone assisted everyone in eliminating the Flame Clan's subordinates.

The sea of blood surged. Chong Yue, relying on his thick skin and flesh, fearlessly confronted a Five-Dao cultivator, unleashing broad and sweeping moves. Grand Demon Venerable Zi Ji had already revealed her true form: a colossal purple eight-tailed demon fox whose sharp claws seemed capable of rending the heavens. Jiu Yan's silver spear darted back and forth, wreaking havoc in the sea of blood and seeking opportunities to kill enemies. Su Wan held a long sword, her body merged with sword light, moving without a trace. Just by looking at her usual appearance, no one would have guessed she was a sword cultivator renowned for her lethality.

Shui Xian and Chen Li, though slightly weaker, each managed to contain a Four-Dao enemy.

Mei Ying's figure flickered in and out of sight in the sea of blood, delivering a fierce attack to the enemy at the most opportune moment every time she appeared.

With such a lineup, even without Lu Ye's clone, they could generally fight the enemy to a standstill. Now, with Lu Ye's clone assisting, the situation was almost entirely one-sided.

It's worth noting that even the Talent Tree clone could now display the strength of a Six-Dao cultivator!

As a scream emanated from the sea of blood, their side's advantage quickly expanded like a snowball. Scream after scream continuously echoed until, with only the last Four-Dao enemy remaining, the clone sharply shouted, "Spare his life!"

Their side knew nothing about the situation here. He didn't know what the giant tree, seemingly forged from stars, and the fruits on it were for, but these enemies surely did. It would be good to keep one alive to inquire.

While the battle here was intense, Lu Ye's main body was also fiercely clashing with the Flame Clan member. The Flame Clan member wasn't foolish; sensing the continuous deaths of his subordinates, he immediately knew the situation was dire and instantly wanted to flee.

How could Lu Ye let him escape? A surge of the sea of blood cut off his hopes of escape.

A moment later, another sea of blood, under the clone's control, merged with the sea of blood here. Zi Ji and others hiding within seized the opportunity to attack.

Except for Su Wan, who guarded the Four-Dao cultivator who no longer had much combat power, everyone else gathered around the Flame Clan member.

The Flame Clan member clearly knew there was no escape this time, roaring repeatedly and assuming a desperate stance.

After all, two fists can't contend with four hands. With Lu Ye's main body confronting him directly, a single round of concentrated attacks from the others broke through his protective Dao power. Lu Ye seized the opportunity to attack, severely wounding him with a single saber strike.

After similar scenes repeated three times, Lu Ye finally found an opportunity and completely slew the Flame Clan member.

The sea of blood receded, and Lu Ye took the opportunity to withdraw the Talent Tree clone.

In this major battle, everyone had expended energy, but Lu Ye's side had the greatest consumption. His main body and clone together consumed almost a hundred strands of Dao power.

But encountering an evenly matched opponent in the Star Abyss, such consumption is unavoidable. This was still with the help of companions; if there were none, the situation would only be more severe. Perhaps after one major battle, hard-earned cultivation would vanish, requiring re-accumulation.

Without him needing to give any instructions, everyone immediately began to clear the battlefield.

Lu Ye then flashed to the Four-Dao cultivator being guarded by Su Wan.

At this moment, he was covered in blood, looking extremely miserable. This was the price for forcibly wielding the power of seven Daos; every bit of flesh in his entire body had countless tears, though he was currently recovering rapidly.

Looking at the Four-Dao cultivator, Lu Ye asked, "Human?"

Even with his life in someone else's hands, the other party didn't seem particularly afraid. He just nodded slightly and countered with a question: "Are you Lost Ones?"

So-called Lost Ones are those, like them, whose home starry sky shattered not long ago and who still bear obvious traces of starry sky cultivators.

However, as time passes, these traces will slowly disappear. By then, they will be indistinguishable from Star Abyss cultivators.

Lu Ye paid no attention. He raised a hand and tapped the cultivator's chest, saying, "I ask, you answer. No nonsense!"

"What do you want to know?"

"What's that over there?" Lu Ye asked, tilting his head to indicate.

The Four-Dao cultivator turned to look and replied, "A Starry Tree."

"What's it for?"

This time, the other party didn't answer immediately. Instead, he asked, "If I tell you, will I live?"

"Yes!" Lu Ye nodded. "Tell me what you know, and I'll let you go."

Hearing this, the Four-Dao cultivator showed a look of disdain in his eyes. "In the Star Abyss, there's no such thing as trust," he said. "How do I know if what you're saying is true?"

"Do you have a choice?" Lu Ye looked at him indifferently. "I could simply kill you, pick those fruits, and then take them out to ask someone else."

"Those fruits aren't ripe yet," the Four-Dao cultivator chuckled. "If you pick them now, they'll be worthless. As for what they're for, I can only tell you they are of great use to cultivators like us in the Dao Realm." Not ripe yet?

Lu Ye couldn't help but glance at the Starry Tree in the distance again, frowning slightly. According to his original guess, the Flame Clan had already brought their subordinates to kill beasts and seize treasures, clearly indicating the time was ripe. How could the fruits not be ripe?

On second thought, he realized something was off. If the fruits were truly ripe, why wouldn't the Star Beast eat them? Why would it leave them on the tree instead? A Seven-Dao Star Beast shouldn't be that foolish.

The fruits might indeed not be ripe yet.

"I can tell you what the Starry Fruits on this Starry Tree are for," the other party suddenly said, just as Lu Ye was pondering.

"Tell me."

The Four-Dao cultivator pondered for a moment, then slowly explained, "Take me for example. When I forged my Dao Foundation, I had Three-Dao strength. Over the years, I gradually accumulated and improved my foundation, reaching Four-Dao strength. But Four-Dao is my limit. Everyone has their own limit; the Flame Clan member you killed had a Seven-Dao limit. But if one consumes a Starry Fruit, it's different. It can increase the upper limit of cultivators like us, allowing us the possibility to advance further. If I consume a Starry Fruit, I could achieve Five-Dao strength."

Hearing this, everyone raised their eyebrows. If the Starry Fruit had such a use, it truly was a treasure.

Just as this person said, everyone has their own limit. When one reaches their limit, it means their potential has been completely tapped. But the Starry Fruit can increase a cultivator's upper limit, making it incredibly useful for most cultivators.

"The Starry Fruit has more than one use," the Four-Dao cultivator continued. "What I just described are the benefits for cultivators like me who have reached their limit when consuming a Starry Fruit. If a cultivator who still has room for improvement consumes a Starry Fruit, it can greatly enhance their foundation, giving them the chance to wield more Dao power. Furthermore, the Starry Fruit greatly promotes the refinement of Dao bones. After consuming a Starry Fruit, the success rate of refining Dao bones will greatly increase."

Hearing this, Zi Ji's expression brightened. He had previously attempted to refine his second Dao bone, but it ended in failure, costing him two hundred strands of Dao power, a loss he was still pained by.

If he had known this earlier, he wouldn't have rushed to refine it.

"While Starry Trees are not common in the Star Abyss, they are not rare either," the cultivator continued. "They usually only emerge within stellar wonders. This particular Starry Tree has existed for nearly a thousand years since its birth. It began forming fruits three hundred years ago. If you simply want to wait for its fruits to ripen, it will probably take... ten or twenty more years?"

Lu Ye narrowed his eyes slightly. "So you know how to make it ripen quickly?"

The Four-Dao cultivator smiled but said nothing.

Zi Ji and Lu Ye exchanged glances, their divine senses subtly communicating. Lu Ye nodded slightly. Only then did Zi Ji step forward. "Tell us, what will it take for you to reveal this method?" he asked. "Don't play any tricks. You won't be able to leave until we verify your method."

The Four-Dao cultivator clearly had a plan. "It's simple," he said. "You swear an oath in the name of the Star Abyss Will, and I will tell you the method for accelerated ripening. After verifying this method, we will go our separate ways, and you must not harm me in the slightest."

"That simple?" Zi Ji was stunned.

The Four-Dao cultivator looked at him meaningfully. "Just that simple."

Zi Ji immediately nodded. "Alright, I, Zi Ji, in the name of—"

"Wait!" Lu Ye raised a hand to interrupt. Zi Ji thought this condition was very simple, but Lu Ye immediately recalled the Heavenly Secret Oath in Kyushu. This made him realize that any oath made in a specific name was not to be taken lightly.

He looked at the Four-Dao cultivator. "The Star Abyss... has its own will?"

If the Star Abyss had its own will, then this oath would not be simple.

The other party smiled. "I'm just a Four-Dao cultivator; how would I know such a profound question? Perhaps... it does?"

Lu Ye gazed deeply at him. After a slight consideration, he looked at Zi Ji and said, "I'll do it!"

He had the Talent Tree by his side. Earlier in the Asura Arena, the power of the Asura Pact could be burned away, so it was naturally safer for him to swear the oath than Zi Ji.

Looking at the Four-Dao cultivator, he recited as per the cultivator's request: "In the name of the Star Abyss Will, if you tell us the method to ripen the Starry Fruits, and this method is verified to be correct, we will release you and not harm you in the slightest."

While speaking, Lu Ye remained vigilant, guarding against any potential accidents.

But even after he finished speaking, he didn't detect any anomalies. This made him involuntarily sigh in relief; it seemed he had been overly cautious.

"Now can you tell us how to ripen those Starry Fruits?" Zi Ji asked.

The Four-Dao cultivator nodded. "Of course. Starry Fruits, like us cultivators, require the absorption of Dao power to mature. You merely need to extract the Dao bones of those who died in battle here and place them beneath the Starry Tree. This will greatly reduce the time it needs to grow. The more you place, the less time you'll have to wait. By the way, even Dao bones without remaining Dao power are useful, though their effect is lesser. Furthermore, you can even channel your own Dao power to feed the Starry Tree."

Hearing this, Zi Ji was greatly annoyed. "I should have thought of that earlier."

Lu Ye nodded, finally understanding why that Flame Clan member had abandoned his subordinates to their deaths. He had apparently planned all along to use the Dao bones of his fallen subordinates to feed the Starry Tree.

"How many Dao bones are there?" Lu Ye turned and asked.

The battlefield had been cleared, and all the Dao bones were now gathered in Jiu Yan's hands. She checked and replied, "Twenty-nine with residual Dao power, and three without residual Dao power; those are the Star Beast's Dao bones."