Chapter 2112: Fire Seed Not Extinguished

The sensation from the Reincarnation Tree mark was initially intermittent, obviously due to the immense distance, and further hampered by the unique aura of the Star Abyss, which strongly interfered with it.

However, as they drew closer, this sensation gradually stabilized and became clearer.

In recent years, Lu Ye had been using this method to determine their direction, also estimating distances by the strength of the sensation.

It wasn't precise, but it was roughly accurate for a year's journey, and if they moved faster, it might even take less than a year.

For a while initially, everyone harbored another expectation: that the elusive Ghost Palanquin would suddenly appear, pick them up, and return them to their original star system.

This wasn't impossible, as the Ghost Palanquin had already picked them up twice before, so a third time wasn't out of the question.

But after such a long time, the Ghost Palanquin hadn't reappeared, so everyone gave up on that hope.

After their rest, they continued forward.

One day, as they passed through an area, Ziji suddenly frowned and intently surveyed their surroundings.

After observing for a moment, his heart stirred, and he transmitted a message to Lu Ye, who was leading the way.

Hearing this, Lu Ye immediately stopped, turned around and looked back, asking, "What's wrong?"

Ziji didn't explain much, just beckoned and said, "Come with me for a moment."

From his demeanor, it seemed he had discovered something, but it didn't seem like an enemy was present, and Lu Ye couldn't figure out the exact situation.

The team's formation changed, with Ziji leading the way and Lu Ye bringing up the rear.

As they traveled, faint traces of a major battle could be seen all around, clearly indicating that intense fighting had once occurred in this area.

After a short half-day, Ziji led everyone to a specific location.

There seemed to have been a massive construct here originally, but due to intense warfare, it had been shattered, and a vast expanse of the starry sky was filled with its fragmented remains.

Many fragmented corpses were also mixed in.

Lu Ye looked in one direction, a hint of surprise and doubt crossing his face, and quickly stepped forward to investigate, discovering it was a tattered mechanical construct with a huge hole in its middle, and remnants of blood and flesh.

Looking again at the traces of battle left nearby, Lu Ye suddenly looked up at Ziji.

Ziji, at this moment, also confirmed his earlier speculation: "This is Hekan Battle Fort!" When he had passed through the previous area, he had merely felt that the nearby terrain was familiar, but the more he observed, the more something felt wrong, until he arrived here and finally confirmed that this was a place he had once stayed for a period. The familiarity was undoubtedly because he had operated in that area before.

"This is... the Mechanical Star System?" Lu Ye also realized.

"That's right!" Ziji nodded. "This is the star system the Ghost Palanquin brought us to last time. I came to Hekan Battle Fort not long after I separated from you."

Lu Ye and Jiuyan went to Thunder Battle Fort, while the others were scattered in different locations.

"But isn't this the Star Abyss?" Chen Li asked, a puzzled expression on his face. "How did we come back here again?"

Lu Ye slowly said, "This is indeed the Star Abyss. It seems that star system has been completely overrun by the Star Abyss!"

The Mechanical Star System had undoubtedly become part of the Star Abyss, which was why they could see places Ziji once knew here.

When the Ghost Palanquin picked them up back then, the Star Abyss gates across the Mechanical Star System had already begun to expand widely. How many years had it been? The entire star system had actually fallen completely.

And in this vicinity, there was not a single living thing; even Hekan Battle Fort had been shattered. One could only imagine what cruel battles had taken place here.

Realizing this, everyone's hearts grew heavy.

Such a vast star system had simply become part of the Star Abyss; the fate of countless beings throughout it was unimaginable.

"There's activity over there." Lu Ye suddenly looked in one direction; although very faint, remnants of a struggle were indeed coming from there.

Everyone exchanged glances, and with unspoken understanding, activated their techniques, concealed their auras, and used various methods to swiftly move towards that direction.

Before long, the scene ahead came into view.

It was a tattered mechanical construct fending off the siege of several Star Abyss cultivators.

The clash was intense, indicating that neither side was weak. After years of warfare, Lu Ye and the others had naturally gained experience in assessing the strength of Star Abyss cultivators, so judging by the aftershocks of the confrontation, the mechanical construct cultivator was clearly a Seventh-level master, while the Star Abyss cultivators surrounding him included Sixth-level and Fifth-level ones.

In terms of strength, the mechanical construct cultivator was stronger, but he was clearly at his limits, struggling to fend off the enemy's siege.

He must have faced more than just this battle; otherwise, with Seventh-level strength, he wouldn't have been in such a desperate situation.

Seeing this, Lu Ye and the others merely exchanged glances and acted with unspoken understanding.

Leaping forward, Lu Ye was the first to rush towards the battlefield, with the others following closely.

Both sides engaged in battle were startled, neither expecting a third party to appear at such a critical moment. The Star Abyss cultivators besieging the mechanical construct immediately tried to distance themselves to assess the situation. But how could the mechanical construct cultivator let them? To him, it didn't matter if the newcomers were friends or foes; he had already used a secret technique to fight to the death, and he wouldn't survive this battle regardless of its outcome, so if he could take a few enemies with him before dying, it would be a gain.

In a burst of power, he killed a Fifth-level enemy.

The other Star Abyss cultivators had barely regained their footing when Lu Ye and the others launched a relentless, storm-like assault.

Outnumbered and outmatched in strength, from the moment Lu Ye and the others intervened, the fate of these Star Abyss cultivators was sealed.

A few breaths later, Lu Ye sheathed his blade and turned to look at the mechanical construct cultivator.

The other party, however, didn't look at him, but fixedly stared at Ziji, then a gentle woman's voice came from within the mechanical construct: "Ziji?"

The voice was full of disbelief: "You're actually still alive?" She clearly knew Ziji, but according to information she later received, Ziji had been captured by a suddenly appearing palanquin and had vanished without a trace ever since. She never expected to see him here again after several years.

Ziji stepped forward, clasped his hands and said, "Fort Master Nan!"

This mechanical construct cultivator was none other than the Fort Master of Hekan Battle Fort. When Ziji had entered the fort back then, he had met her once, but he didn't expect her to still remember him.

Fort Master Nan then looked at Lu Ye and the others, and her hearty laughter came from within the tattered mechanical construct: "Excellent, excellent! The embers of this star system are not extinguished, so there is still hope."

She had clearly mistaken Lu Ye and the others for people from the Mechanical Star System.

As she spoke, her body trembled, and the tattered mechanical construct instantly shattered into countless fragments, falling apart and revealing the figure of a white-haired old woman from within.

Ziji's eyes narrowed. When he first met Fort Master Nan, she had still been a graceful woman, but now she had changed so drastically. A few years could not possibly cause such a massive transformation in a Seventh-level cultivator's appearance; the only explanation was that she had used some desperate secret technique, severely depleting her own vitality.

Not only had Fort Master Nan's appearance drastically changed, but her body was also covered in numerous ghastly wounds; she was emaciated to the point of being skin and bones, as if all her blood had drained away.

Lu Ye couldn't help but sigh; he could tell at a glance that Fort Master Nan wouldn't survive, her vitality lingered, but she was merely clinging to life.

"Fort Master, do you have any last words?" Ziji asked.

He didn't have a deep relationship with Fort Master Nan, having only met her once back then, but the scene before him still filled him with a sense of shared sorrow, like a fox lamenting the death of a rabbit.

Could the current fate of the Mechanical Star System be the future of the Myriad Manifestations Sea Star System?

"Heh heh..." Fort Master Nan gave a tragic laugh. "No need for last words. I've fought my entire life; to die in battle here today is a fitting end. The star system is corrupted, there's no safe haven left. You must be careful from now on, and you must survive."

Ziji moved his lips, for a moment unsure what to say.

"Also..." As Fort Master Nan spoke, she suddenly raised her hand and plunged it into her abdomen, then forcefully pulled, tearing out a piece of rib bone. Her body trembled violently; she gritted her teeth, enduring the pain, and said, "This bone still retains some Dao power. Take it, and refine it."

She threw it with force, and the bloody bone flew towards Ziji.

Ziji grabbed it, and when he looked again, Fort Master Nan had already lowered her head, her vitality completely gone.

Holding the bone, Ziji remained silent for a long time.

Not until Lu Ye summoned fierce flames and incinerated Fort Master Nan's corpse did Ziji exhale and say, "Let's go."

A moment later, Lu Ye spoke, "Does anyone have an item to contact the Mechanical Star System cultivators?" Fort Master Nan's appearance made him realize that although the Mechanical Star System had been overrun, there should still be cultivators alive. Cultivators who could survive under such circumstances would not be weak. If they could establish contact with them, they could strengthen their team.

The cultivators of the Mechanical Star System were still trustworthy, as they shared the same stance in opposing the Star Abyss.

Chong Yue scratched his face upon hearing this. "We do have them, but there's no one to contact!"

It wasn't just him; everyone else was in the same situation. Although after entering various battle forts, everyone had received communication devices specially developed by the Mechanical Star System, almost everyone during that period was in seclusion at the edge of the battlefield, cultivating and trying to forge their Dao Foundations, having no interaction with others whatsoever.

Even Lu Ye could only contact Du Qingsha from his side!

But whether Du Qingsha was still alive, Lu Ye had no idea. On the day he was picked up by the Ghost Palanquin, he and Du Qingsha were being pursued by a large number of Star Abyss cultivators. In that situation, Du Qingsha's chances of survival were slim.

But he could at least try.

For the next period, Lu Ye continued trying to contact Du Qingsha while leading the team forward.

They encountered many Star Abyss cultivators, but no more cultivators from the Mechanical Star System.

Three months later, with another attempt, Lu Ye successfully made contact with Du Qingsha!

This woman... she actually wasn't dead!

After a brief exchange, Lu Ye led the team towards Du Qingsha's location.