Chapter 2143: Star Abyss Gate Opens

Compared to before, Lu Ye felt his cultivation efficiency had increased by several times, and this was still under the limitation of the Source of Law. If the refinement of the Source of Law could keep up with the rate of the Talent Tree's absorption, the increase in efficiency would be even more astonishing.

In just half a month, he felt the flow of spiritual power within him break through a bottleneck, reaching another level. At that moment, the limit of spiritual power his body could contain suddenly expanded, and his spiritual power became more condensed than before. This undoubtedly meant his spiritual power would possess greater destructive power. This was a sign of a breakthrough. He had reached late-stage Sunhallow!

Thinking about it, he had diligently cultivated in the Star Abyss for so many years, exhausting not only the spirit jade and spirit crystals he carried himself, but also nearly all the spirit jade, spirit crystals, and even spirit pills of others. He had gained significant benefits from Mount Fangcun recently, so it was indeed time for him to advance.

Slowly opening his eyes, Lu Ye, having already achieved a breakthrough, wanted to know if his previous speculation was correct. At late-stage Sunhallow, with his foundation further enhanced, he should be able to control eight streams of power.

With this thought, Lu Ye first activated seven streams of power. It was effortless, without any pressure, and he immediately knew his prediction was accurate. When he increased it by another stream of power, the feeling was similar to controlling seven streams before his breakthrough. An invisible pressure descended throughout his entire body, inside and out. Although not too intense, it would be unsustainable if he were to fight someone.

As expected, with his current late-stage Sunhallow strength, he could barely control eight streams of power. This left him satisfied. Without wasting time, he continued cultivating. This time, he intended to push his spiritual power to the limit of Sunhallow in one go! The Star Abyss Gate would open soon, and the Star Abyss invasion was imminent, so he had to improve himself as quickly as possible.

Time passed unknowingly as he cultivated. While Lu Ye was in secluded cultivation, the entire Starry Sky was preparing for war. Forces from various factions gathered at the five weak points in the Starry Sky, making preparations to respond.

Half a year later, the first spirit jade ore vein was discovered in the Nine Provinces, marking its entry into the sequence of top-tier realms. Although there was still a considerable gap from the former peak of the Nine Provinces, this was, after all, a good start. Billions of beings in the Nine Provinces rejoiced with excitement.

At the same time, under the coordinated efforts of Elder Tree, the first batch of Sunhallow cultivators from various forces in the Starry Sky entered the Nine Provinces. Little Nine drew upon the Nine Provinces' resources to help them grow rapidly. This batch of Sunhallow cultivators, numbering just over a hundred, were all seasoned late-stage Sunhallow cultivators like Wu Qimo and Zhang Kun. They had no issues with their mastery of the Soul Suppressing Secret Art; what they lacked was merely the accumulation of spiritual power. As long as they crossed this threshold, they would certainly become peak Sunhallow cultivators.

Several months before this began in the Nine Provinces, the Soul Clan's ancestral land had welcomed guests from all directions. Led by Soul Clan members, they entered the ancestral land and were settled in different lotus continents to cultivate. The Starry Sky experienced unprecedented peace. All beings, regardless of race or faction, united their strength solely to prepare for the impending catastrophe.

Another three years passed in the blink of an eye.

Myriad Manifestation Sea, Jade Sword Island.

The past upheaval had caused nearly all cultivators on Jade Sword Island to perish or be injured, and even all the buildings were destroyed. However, new buildings had now been erected on the island. Moreover, due to the changes in the Starry Sky's spiritual energy over the years, this spiritual island, which was originally only of high-grade status, had now transformed into a top-tier spiritual island, brimming with spiritual energy.

Currently, there weren't many people on the island, only fewer than ten individuals, all of whom were Sunhallow cultivators. These Sunhallow cultivators came from various forces and had different racial backgrounds, but all were peak Sunhallow cultivators who had accumulated years of experience. Besides them, there were also Jiu Yan and Chong Yue, and Lu Ye's Talent Tree clone was also present.

Since it was speculated that the Star Abyss Gate would still open near Jade Sword Island, everyone naturally maintained close surveillance over this area in recent years. There had been no activity, until half a month ago when news arrived that space had changed at the location where the Star Abyss Gate had previously opened. Jiu Yan and Chong Yue rushed over immediately, and Lu Ye's Talent Tree clone also arrived.

That void clearly had strange fluctuations, and over the past half-month, that spot had even begun to twist. As time passed, the distortion became increasingly obvious, with a faint red glow permeating the area.

Until a certain moment...

"It's coming!" Chong Yue exclaimed in a low voice.

As his words fell, the distorted void seemed to melt, suddenly collapsing open. A brilliant red light burst forth, and the familiar red vortex appeared in Lu Ye's sight.

The Star Abyss Gate had opened!

As early as when everyone returned from the Star Abyss, Elder Tree had speculated that the Star Abyss Gate would open within three to five years. This timing was indeed correct.

Behind the three, many Sunhallow cultivators felt both nervous and excited. They were nervous because they had already understood the power of the Star Abyss beings, which was unmatched by Starry Sky cultivators. They were excited because with the Star Abyss Gate open and its aura invading, they finally had an opportunity to advance further.

Only Lu Ye and the other two had expressions as calm as water. The three figures stood not far from the Star Abyss Gate, even having the leisure to chat.

"This Star Abyss aura... it's so faint," Chong Yue said, frowning.

"It's just beginning to invade, so it's naturally like this."

"In an environment like this, can one truly forge a Dao foundation?"

"At the very least, there's a successful precedent in the Mechanist Starry Sky. But there's no need to worry; the Star Abyss aura will only grow stronger later."

"That's true."

From the distorted red vortex, a figure slowly emerged. Lu Ye looked closely and found the newcomer somewhat familiar. It was very similar to the Ox Demon that came from the Star Abyss last time; this was another Ox Demon. He wondered if the Star Abyss on the other side was a gathering place for Ox Demons.

The aura of this Ox Demon was not strong, only at the late-stage Sunhallow level, and its Dao power was very thin. It was undoubtedly one who had not forged a Dao foundation. As soon as it appeared, it greedily inhaled the surrounding spiritual energy, a cruel smile appearing on its face as it declared, "Finally... I'm in!"

Then its gaze was drawn to Lu Ye and the other two. It completely ignored Lu Ye and Chong Yue, and instead observed Jiu Yan with interest. It extended a hand and beckoned her with a finger, saying, "Kneel before me and submit! Serve me, become my plaything, and I shall spare your life!"

Jiu Yan's eyebrow twitched. She unleashed a punch at it, and instantly a fist shadow surged towards the Ox Demon.

"Hahaha!" the Ox Demon laughed wildly. "The strength of an ant, presuming to shake a giant tree..."

It also met the attack with a punch. Then its entire body was shattered by the fist shadow, with only two severed lower legs remaining in place, falling into the Myriad Manifestation Sea.

Lu Ye turned to look at Jiu Yan. Jiu Yan lowered her head and said, "I couldn't help myself..."

According to the plan, they weren't supposed to act against these initial void beings, because the Star Abyss Gate had just opened, and only the weakest beings could cross from the Star Abyss. This was meant to let the Sunhallow cultivators practice and intuitively experience the profoundness of Dao power. But this Ox Demon, foolishly, provoked Jiu Yan and was killed with a single punch.

Fortunately, another Star Abyss cultivator soon emerged from the red vortex. This time, before he could even stabilize himself, three figures from Jade Sword Island moved to intercept and jointly attack him. All three were peak Sunhallow cultivators. With such combined strength, they could almost be considered unrivaled in the Starry Sky. However, after only a brief clash, they realized the terrifying power of their opponent. The opponent's cultivation was even lower than theirs, certainly not at the peak Sunhallow level. Yet, their three combined attacks couldn't even budge the opponent in the slightest. On the contrary, a casual strike from the Star Abyss cultivator was immensely powerful, containing unimaginable destructive force. The three working together were completely no match for the opponent. It wasn't until two more joined the fight that they barely managed to stabilize the situation. After a fierce battle, it took them a full half an hour to exhaust the Star Abyss cultivator's Dao power before finally slaying him.

With the battle settled, the five Sunhallow cultivators were panting, their faces filled with shock. Previously, seeing Jiu Yan effortlessly kill an enemy, they hadn't fully grasped the strength of these beings. It was only after personally engaging that they truly understood how formidable they were.

And during this half an hour, more Star Abyss cultivators continuously entered. The other five Sunhallow cultivators were already working together to kill enemies, but they could only tie down one opponent. The rest were killed by Jiu Yan, Chong Yue, or Lu Ye. Truly realizing the gap between them, the Sunhallow cultivators lost the will to continue fighting. Their combined efforts for half a day couldn't match the results of a casual strike from Jiu Yan and the other two.

They returned to Jade Sword Island and entered secluded cultivation. Although the Star Abyss aura was somewhat faint at the moment, there was finally an environment suitable for cultivation. If one had good fortune and sufficient foundation, it might not be impossible to forge a Dao foundation.

Lu Ye and the other two also began to take turns guarding the Star Abyss Gate. With their current strength, they could practically kill as many Star Abyss beings as came through. The initial Star Abyss beings were extremely weak, all without Dao foundations. Killing such enemies was hardly more difficult for the three of them than squashing an ant. But this was only temporary. As time progressed, with the stabilization and expansion of the Star Abyss Gate, the strength of the cultivators invading the Starry Sky would become increasingly formidable.

Shortly after the Star Abyss Gate in Myriad Manifestation Sea opened, five months later, the Star Abyss Gate in the Illusion Extinction Galaxy also opened! These two Star Abyss Gates were undoubtedly weaker compared to the other three. The one in Myriad Manifestation Sea opened first because it had briefly opened once before. The one in the Illusion Extinction Galaxy opened second because of the return of Lu Ye and the others.

Just like in Myriad Manifestation Sea, the first invaders were all insignificant Star Abyss beings. With Chen Wulei and Chang Yu guarding it, they posed no threat whatsoever to the Starry Sky. When the news reached Myriad Manifestation Sea, Lu Ye breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed Yin Luo had acted according to his instructions before he left.

Under Lu Ye's guidance, she had sworn an oath in the name of the Star Abyss Will to guard the Star Abyss Gate. Therefore, she had once suggested to Lu Ye whether they should kill all the Star Abyss beings attracted to it, so that there would be no further danger of invasion. Lu Ye naturally refused! He didn't deny that Yin Luo had such an ability, but if they truly did that, it would not benefit the Starry Sky. Without an invasion, it would mean Starry Sky cultivators would have no subjects for tempering and no Dao Bone gains. How then could they grow more rapidly?

So before leaving, Lu Ye had instructed Yin Luo that unless cultivators at the Dao Fusion level attempted to invade, everything else should be allowed to run its course.