Chapter 2140: Seeing the Bluebird

Winds Rise in the Nine Provinces

The information Lu Ye received only mentioned that the Warm Soul Lotus created the ancestral land space, allowing the Soul race to live there. There was little mention of its counterpart, the Pure Immaculate Lotus.

However, just by hearing the name of this supreme treasure, Lu Ye vaguely felt its function was similar to his talent tree, likely helping its owner dissolve impurities within their physical body.

After a brief rest, Lu Ye said, "I need to communicate with the ancestral land's will again."

There hadn't been time for proper communication during their previous encounter.

As before, he walked to the Warm Soul Lotus, sent a wisp of his divine sense into it, explained the situation, and waited quietly.

For a long time, the Warm Soul Lotus remained unresponsive. Just as Lu Ye thought the communication had failed, a halo of light suddenly rippled across the lotus. Immediately, a peculiar syllable resonated in Lu Ye's mind.

It was a syllable he had never heard before, yet miraculously, he understood its meaning.

Lu Ye immediately stepped back, clasped his hands, and bowed solemnly in thanks.

Turning around, he called out to Hun Que, "Patriarch, let's go."

Hun Que nodded, leading him back the way they came, and asked, "So, the ancestral land's will agreed?"

"It agreed," Lu Ye replied, "but to enter the ancestral land, we'll still need help from the Soul race."

To enter the ancestral land, one couldn't bypass the Soul race. Cultivators of other races didn't have access to the divine lotus; only the Soul race could guide them inside.

"That's not a problem," Hun Que readily agreed. "Members of our race have gone to all five major weak points in the starfield. I will send orders to inform them about this shortly."

Lu Ye nodded.

With this, the issue concerning the Soul race's ancestral land was resolved. Next, they only needed to address the replenishment of resources for the Nine Provinces.

Once this problem was settled, they could initiate the plan to cultivate Sun-Illuminated pinnacle cultivators. This task would need to be handled by a specialist.

Elder Tree was the best choice, capable of coordinating various races in the starfield, possessing a wealth of firsthand information, and accurately determining which candidates should prioritize benefiting from this decision—an unparalleled advantage others lacked.

Although Elder Tree had already entered the reincarnation phase, there was still some time before his true reincarnation. He could entirely use this period to cultivate a successor.

He hurried to the starfield pool, using it to return to the Nine Provinces star system.

In an instant, Lu Ye appeared in the Nine Provinces, in front of the Heaven Province Garrison Hall.

In front of the Reincarnation Tree clone, Lu Ye softly called out and quickly received a response from Elder Tree.

He explained his plan and current progress to Elder Tree, who was also surprised. Elder Tree admitted that he had indeed considered this matter before, but simply living long enough did not make one omniscient or omnipotent. Furthermore, with his own power, even if he had thought of it, he couldn't have accomplished it.

Setting everything else aside, communicating with the Soul race's ancestral land will not have gone so smoothly for anyone else besides Lu Ye.

However, after carefully considering Lu Ye's plan, Elder Tree immediately understood that it was entirely feasible and would greatly benefit the starfield in the future, so he naturally gave it his full support.

With Elder Tree's affirmation, Lu Ye's confidence significantly increased!

After a brief exchange, Lu Ye launched himself out of the Nine Provinces, flying directly towards the Chaotic Blast Zone.

With his current cultivation and the blessing of Dao power, his speed was incredibly swift. He reached the Chaotic Blast Zone in just three days.

When he first passed through this area years ago, he was cautious, fearing being swept away by the magnetic storms. But today, he could simply charge straight through.

He could freely enter and exit magnetic stars like those in the Insect Emperor Realm, so the magnetic storms of the Chaotic Blast Zone were merely a gentle breeze to him.

After passing through the Chaotic Blast Zone, he finally reached his destination for this journey.

The Thousand Hills Tombs!

This was a peculiar starfield wonder, with nebula mounds scattered across this part of space. The first time Lu Ye passed through here, he unexpectedly obtained an item from one of these mounds. At the time, he didn't know what it was, but after bringing it back to the Nine Provinces, Xiaojiu was delighted because it could actually enhance a realm's foundation!

By now, Lu Ye knew what was inside these nebula mounds.

They were, in fact, realms that had not been fully birthed, naturally containing vast amounts of realm foundation. Even Lu Ye, using his talent tree, could cultivate by devouring energy within them, strengthening himself at an efficiency possibly not inferior to cultivating in the Myriad Phenomena Sea.

For the Nine Provinces to become the location for cultivating Sun-Illuminated pinnacle experts, substantial replenishment was indispensable.

The only place Lu Ye could think of for replenishment was the Thousand Hills Tombs!

It was the closest to the Nine Provinces, and the nebula mounds were countless, so there was no need to worry about the future resource consumption of the Nine Provinces.

However, there was also trouble here.

An ancient giant-species Azure Bird resided there. If it wasn't dealt with, the plan couldn't be implemented.

Thinking of the Azure Bird, Lu Ye couldn't help but recall the Dancer. Like the Azure Bird, the Dancer was also an ancient giant-species.

Previously, he only knew they were powerful, but their exact strength was unfathomable. The Azure Bird was one thing, but in the places the Dancer appeared, a group of Sun-Illuminated cultivators would uncontrollably sing and dance, turning a grim battlefield into a ludicrous sight.

Judging by Lu Ye's current knowledge, both the Azure Bird and the Dancer should have "entered the Dao." In other words, they both possessed their own Dao foundations; otherwise, their power couldn't have been so immense and mysterious.

This undoubtedly meant that the ancient giant-species in the starfield had all survived since the last Star Abyss invasion.

Lu Ye couldn't speculate whether their strength was merely "entering the Dao" or "merging with the Dao."

He only hoped the Azure Bird wasn't too powerful; otherwise, with it occupying the Thousand Hills Tombs, the plan would be impossible to execute.

He decided to find it first.

Concealing his aura and form, Lu Ye explored the Thousand Hills Tombs. It only took him three days to find traces of the Azure Bird.

It was perched on a nebula mound, which it had already broken open and mostly consumed from within. Seemingly full and content, the Azure Bird was currently napping on top.

Even from a great distance, the Azure Bird appeared immense. Although the nebula mound was already quite large, the bird was nestled upon it as if in its own nest.

After observing for a while, Lu Ye decided to speak with it face-to-face. If they couldn't reach an agreement, he would consider other options.

As for the danger...

From past experiences, the Azure Bird wasn't known for its violent temperament. Years ago, on his way back from the Myriad Phenomena Sea, he had even hitched a ride with it.

This was also why Lu Ye dared to reveal himself without knowing the full extent of the creature's power.

Revealing his form, he flew directly towards the Azure Bird. To show his sincerity, Lu Ye even put away his Panshan Blade.

Before he even got close, the Azure Bird sensed him, lifting its head to look in his direction, its sharp eyes like two bolts of lightning.

Merging with the Dao! Lu Ye's heart tensed.

He had initially thought the Azure Bird was likely just "entering the Dao," but at this moment, Lu Ye realized he was mistaken. The Azure Bird was at the "merging with the Dao" level; otherwise, its gaze alone wouldn't have exerted such immense pressure on him.

But with the arrow already nocked, Lu Ye could only brace himself and approach.

Moments later, he stood before the Azure Bird, bowing respectfully from a distance. "Lu Ye of the Nine Provinces, greetings, Senior!"

This was undoubtedly a senior. Any being that had survived since the last Star Abyss invasion would be hundreds of thousands of years old.

The Azure Bird didn't react, merely observing him quietly.

Lu Ye felt a little nervous.

After a long pause, a voice finally echoed in Lu Ye's ear: "Human, have you entered the Dao?"

Lu Ye was startled.

He had never imagined the Azure Bird could actually communicate, and its voice was so pleasant. If he hadn't seen it, Lu Ye would have thought a young girl was speaking to him.

"Yes, this junior has entered the Dao!" Lu Ye replied.

The Azure Bird's eyes narrowed slightly. "When we first met, you were merely a Star Constellation. How have you managed to enter the Dao now, cultivating in this very starfield?"

Lu Ye explained, "There is a supreme treasure called the Ghost Sedan, which traverses the starfield. This junior was captured by it and taken to the Star Abyss, which is how I entered the Dao!"

Strictly speaking, he hadn't truly "entered the Dao" but had acquired the strength of someone who had.

However, from the Azure Bird's perspective, anyone capable of wielding Dao power had entered the Dao.

"Ghost Sedan..." the Azure Bird mused. "I haven't heard of it. If you entered the Star Abyss, how did you return? The Star Abyss Gate shouldn't have opened yet."

"Elder Tree of the Reincarnation Tree came to my aid, and that's how I returned."

"Is that so..." The Azure Bird pondered. "Then, what brings you here?"

Lu Ye clasped his hands and said, "The Star Abyss invasion is imminent, and the starfield faces great danger. Sun-Illuminated cultivators from all sides urgently need to enhance their strength, reaching the Sun-Illuminated pinnacle to prepare for forging their Dao foundations. This junior has a method that can assist in cultivation, but it requires consumption, and therefore needs the replenishment of this place's realm essence."

He paused, then added, "I know this place is Senior's dwelling. Under normal circumstances, I would never dare to offend. But I implore Senior to consider the suffering of the starfield's living beings and grant us some convenience!"

The Azure Bird blinked, and its voice entered Lu Ye's ears: "Very well. Take whatever you need!"

Lu Ye also blinked, staring blankly at the Azure Bird.

He had never expected this trip to be so simple. He had thought he would need to reason with it and appeal to its sense of propriety.

But the Azure Bird had agreed instantly!

"Senior, may I ask what I need to pay in return?" Lu Ye asked, feeling a bit uneasy.

The Azure Bird calmly replied, "You don't need to pay anything."

As if discerning Lu Ye's apprehension, the Azure Bird continued, "The Star Abyss Gate is about to open. When the time comes, I will enter the Star Abyss. The last time the Star Abyss Gate closed too hastily, I didn't have time to leave, which is why I remained."

Lu Ye suddenly understood.

So the Azure Bird had already intended to leave, which was why it didn't care about the Thousand Hills Tombs.

It made sense; if it was about to leave, why would it care about things in the starfield?

"If you truly insist on giving something in return," the Azure Bird spoke again, "then help me find that little butterfly. She's a bit foolish and might not know about the Star Abyss Gate. Find her, tell her, and have her come to me!"

A little butterfly... that would be the Dancer.

Lu Ye quickly agreed, "Leave this matter to me. I will instruct all forces in the starfield to keep an eye out. Should there be any discovery, I will inform you immediately!"

"Go," the Azure Bird said, then lowered its massive body once more.

"This junior bids farewell!" Lu Ye respectfully retreated, and only when he was a considerable distance away did he resume his normal form and return the way he came.