Chapter 2153: Star Devourer

Winds of Kyushu

This strange passage was quite long. Lu Ye charged straight ahead, and it was dozens of breaths later that he finally saw the Star Abyss Gate ahead.

There were already dozens of pursuers behind him. Those colossal creatures showed no discrimination between friend or foe; many Star Abyss beings, struggling to traverse the passage, were crushed to pieces by them.

Rushing to the Star Abyss Gate, Lu Ye leaped forward and surged out.

The next moment, his body tensed, and he stood rooted to the spot, not daring to move. Countless gazes had converged on him, many of which made him feel as though thorns were pricking his back.

He had long anticipated this situation, having known the conditions on the Star Abyss side for over a decade.

Immediately, he raised an arm and called out, "By order of Lord Yinluo, I was dispatched to investigate the Starry Sky and have now returned to report! Everyone, quickly make way!"

The stirrings around him abruptly subsided. Pairs of eyes looked at him with uncertainty and surprise. After recognizing his face, a few Dao Fusion experts who had been guarding the place finally waved their hands.

Lu Ye scanned his gaze around and indeed saw familiar faces: the Ten Dao Fusion experts who had always guarded this place.

Yinluo's name was still very effective here...

He let out a slight sigh of relief. Not daring to linger, he moved swiftly towards the Green Palace.

Halfway there, he turned to look back, wondering if the colossal creatures that had pursued him would follow him out. To his surprise, there was no movement at the Star Abyss Gate; the dozens of creatures showed no sign of emerging.

He was momentarily surprised. Could it be that those colossal creatures were only active within the passage? Why else wouldn't they have emerged? And they were nowhere to be seen in the Starry Sky.

Suddenly, an extremely familiar aura approached from ahead. As Lu Ye turned to look, he saw a small figure hurtling towards him like an arrow, crashing directly into his arms. It clung to him like an octopus, burying its head and sniffing greedily.

Old Duan's figure appeared shortly after, watching from a distance.

After a long while, Yinluo finally lifted her head. Lu Ye felt his clothes were soaked with her drool.

"Lu Ye, you came back to see me, didn't you? *Slurp*..."

Lu Ye's eye twitched. He gently pried her off himself. "Of course," he said, "this was something we agreed upon!"

Yinluo's eyes curved into crescent moons as she smiled. "You're so good!"

Lu Ye took her hand. "Let's go back to the Green Palace first," he said. He wanted to inquire about what had just happened with Old Duan; Old Duan should know some details.

A moment later, inside the Green Palace, Yinluo licked her lips with an expression of endless relish. In that short time, she had already consumed three of Lu Ye's blood essence clones, yet she still seemed unsatisfied. Her gaze constantly drifted towards Lu Ye, clearly wanting more.

Lu Ye pretended not to notice, as he was speaking with Old Duan.

"Many Star Abyss cultivators may never encounter a Star Abyss Gate in their entire lives," Old Duan said. "This is the first time I've encountered one, and I've never entered before, so I'm not clear on what the situation is like beyond the Star Abyss Gate. However, from your description, that should be a Starry Sky Devourer."

"A Starry Sky Devourer?" Lu Ye frowned.

"Even in the Star Abyss, these are peculiar beings," Old Duan explained. "They resemble star beasts, yet they are not. They feed on the Starry Sky and possess a unique ability: they can locate weak points in the Starry Sky, then break through them and devour its essence. It is during this process that Star Abyss Gates are born."

Lu Ye listened, bewildered. "I still don't quite understand," he said. "Old Duan, do you mean the birth of the Star Abyss Gate is related to that Starry Sky Devourer?"

Old Duan said, "Not all Star Abyss Gates are like that, but some are." He paused, then asked, "Have you ever been bitten by a mosquito?"

"Of course."

"That's right," Old Duan continued. "For any Starry Sky, Starry Sky Devourers are like blood-sucking mosquitoes. A wound will appear where they bite, and Star Abyss creatures can then follow this wound to invade the Starry Sky."

Lu Ye tried to imagine it: outside the Starry Sky, a colossal devourer lurking, its long proboscis piercing into the Starry Sky. A shiver ran down his spine. "In other words," he said, "there's a Starry Sky Devourer currently biting my Starry Sky?"

"Yes," Old Duan confirmed. "The passage you walked through is the trace left by its proboscis. That's why killing those Star Abyss creatures inside it alerted it. The nine-path colossal creatures you saw were merely projections of its consciousness."

No wonder there were no Dao Bones left after killing them...

"But if that's the case, why can't I see it?" Lu Ye asked, puzzled.

Outside the Star Abyss Gate, Lu Ye had only seen numerous Star Abyss creatures, but no devourers.

Old Duan glanced at him meaningfully. "In the Star Abyss, there are many things you cannot see," he said. "But just because you can't see them doesn't mean they don't exist."

"Then how can I see them?" Lu Ye asked in a deep voice.

If the birth of the Star Abyss Gate was related to the so-called Starry Sky Devourer, then the solution would be simple: just kill it! But how do you kill something you can't see? First, you need to be able to perceive it.

Old Duan said, "Cultivate diligently. When your strength is sufficient, you will naturally be able to see them."

"May I ask, Old Duan, what level of strength is required to see them?"

"Dao Fusion? Dao Integration? Who knows? Anyway, I can't see them myself right now."

Yinluo suddenly poked her small head out from Lu Ye's waist. "Are you talking about that big mosquito?"

Lu Ye looked down at her, his expression shifting. "Yinluo, you can see it?"

Yinluo nodded, then shook her head. "I can't see it now, but I've seen it before."

"Can you help me kill it?" Lu Ye asked, a hopeful expression on his face. "If you help me kill it, I'll give you ten clones!"

Old Duan, standing nearby, looked at Lu Ye with disdain, as if he were looking at a devious scoundrel.

"Ten clones!" Yinluo's eyes widened and sparkled, but she quickly made a bitter face and shook her head, saying, "No, I probably can't beat it. It's Dao Integration!"

Dao Integration!

Lu Ye's expression changed in surprise. Yinluo was currently at the peak of Dao Fusion; although only a step away from Dao Integration, she certainly couldn't be an opponent for someone at that level. Just as an Entry Dao cultivator couldn't be an opponent for a Dao Fusion cultivator, the disparity in the Dao power they could wield was simply too great.

That Starry Sky Devourer was actually at the Dao Integration level, which made things rather difficult.

However, Yinluo quickly perked up again. "Lu Ye, don't worry," she declared, "I'll cultivate diligently and advance to Dao Integration as soon as possible. Then I'll go kill it!" It was evident that ten clones held a great temptation for her.

"Alright, alright," Lu Ye said, nodding repeatedly, "then I'll look forward to that day."

Then he recalled another question: "Old Duan, since the mental projections of that Starry Sky Devourer possess the strength of the Nine Paths, why have they never invaded the Starry Sky?"

Old Duan snorted. "Are you foolish?" he scoffed. "Since it wants to devour the essence of the Starry Sky, of course it wouldn't actively destroy it. For mosquitoes, only living people are worth sucking blood from. Have you ever seen a mosquito suck blood from a dead person?"

What he said... seemed to make sense.

However, after hearing Old Duan's words, Lu Ye finally understood why cultivation for Starry Sky cultivators had become increasingly difficult after the appearance of the Star Abyss Gate. This was undoubtedly due to the massive loss of the Starry Sky's essence.

"Starry Sky Devourers are called the minions of the Star Abyss Will," Old Duan added, "but their main role is to open the Star Abyss Gates. Conquering the Starry Sky is the business of us Star Abyss creatures."

Lu Ye pondered thoughtfully.

Looking at it now, his decision to enter the Star Abyss was correct. Only here could he improve his strength more quickly. Hiding in the Starry Sky might offer temporary safety, but it was not a long-term solution.

And to improve his strength, he needed to kill enemies and seize their Dao Bones.

Lu Ye looked down at Yinluo, patting her small head. "Yinluo, do you remember our previous agreement?"

Yinluo blinked, "What agreement?"

It had been over a decade; she had almost forgotten what Lu Ye's blood essence clones tasted like. How could she remember any agreement?

"The agreement for a hundred Dao Bones each month!" Lu Ye reminded her. With his current strength, acquiring Dao Bones was not difficult, but it would naturally be better if there were additional gains each month.

Anyway, staying in the Green Palace meant he would have to provide Yinluo with blood essence clones from time to time.

When he had come earlier, he had specifically noted that after more than a decade, the number of Star Abyss creatures gathered here seemed even larger. So many Star Abyss creatures would be enough to meet his cultivation needs.

"Oh, that..." Yinluo's face showed difficulty.

"Why?" Lu Ye asked, puzzled.

Old Duan said leisurely from the side, "If you still want to obtain Dao Bones from Miss here, it's best to abandon that idea. Things are different now."

Lu Ye frowned. "What do you mean?"

Old Duan said, "Although the Star Abyss is filled with chaos and slaughter, there is one exception: after a Star Abyss Gate opens, all creatures gathered around it will be subject to an invisible restraint. They can no longer kill each other, and not even Miss can break this restraint."

"Such a thing exists?" Lu Ye was utterly astonished.

He thought carefully for a moment. Indeed, he hadn't seen any fighting earlier. In the past, with so many Star Abyss creatures gathered together, such peace would have been virtually impossible.

He hadn't paid much attention before, but now, after hearing Old Duan's words, he understood the reason. And Old Duan wouldn't deceive him about such a matter.

"What if a Dao Fusion cultivator comes to seize the Star Abyss Gate?" Lu Ye asked.

Old Duan shook his head. "When the Star Abyss Gate opened, Miss had already integrated her imprint into it. In other words, this Star Abyss Gate belongs to her; no one else will contend for it anymore. All contention happens before the Star Abyss Gate opens—that's the rule!"

Lu Ye was at a loss for words. In the most lawless and chaotic place, such a rule actually existed...

If that was the case, then his original plan was ruined.

He had originally planned to use the Green Palace's protection, and with a large number of Star Abyss creatures available for killing here, his strength would undoubtedly increase at a terrifying pace.

But now, he couldn't even kill. How was he supposed to improve his strength? Rely solely on arduous cultivation? That speed would be too slow.