Chapter 2179: Purple English's Guidance

Winds Rise Across the Nine Provinces

Ziying calmed herself before speaking. "By working with Yanhong to slay a Fusion Realm expert this time, you have thwarted the enemy's grand scheme and rendered meritorious service in defending our territory. I will personally report to the Main Star to request commendations for both of you."

War merits within the War Alliance are not solely earned by submitting discarded Dao Bones. Those who participate in major battles like this one, defending a war star and making contributions, receive varying amounts of war merits.

Especially for individuals like Lu Ye and Yanhong, who, as Entry Realm experts, killed a Fusion Realm expert and became a crucial part of the conflict, their war merits are exceptionally generous.

By this point, Ziying had more or less pieced together the full story of this battle. When the enemy attacked the star, besides Feilian, another Fusion Realm expert was hidden, waiting to strike once Feilian had her occupied. Without Fusion Realm reinforcements, their side would certainly suffer heavy losses, and their defensive line would very likely collapse,

leading to the loss of Blue Water.

But the Insect and Blood tribes probably never anticipated that the Fusion Realm expert would actually be jointly killed by Yanhong and Lu Ye.

That's why the enemy hastily retreated.

Judging solely from the outcome of this battle, Lu Ye and Yanhong truly accomplished an unparalleled feat.

"However..." Ziying mused briefly before continuing, "Lu Ye, the Dao Artifact Pifu is an ancient relic within Splendor. Although artificers of various races can now refine some Dao Artifacts, they simply cannot compare to Pifu. It is... extremely valuable, and also very rare!"

"I've heard something about it," Lu Ye replied, wondering why Ziying was suddenly discussing this with him.

"No, you don't truly understand," Ziying shook her head. "Let me put it this way: Pifu is a treasure that all three major powers within Splendor wish to acquire. So far, a total of four pieces have appeared within Splendor: one owned by our Human War Alliance, one by the Giant Race, and

two by the Insect and Blood tribes. Now you have obtained another, making it the fifth."

This fifth one was actually one of the original four, but since Lu Ye hadn't mentioned it, Ziying naturally didn't know.

Lu Ye frowned upon hearing this. "Although Pifu is powerful, it's still just a Dao Artifact. It's useful for Entry Realm experts, but perhaps not as much for Fusion Realm experts, right? Why do all three forces want to contend for it?"

From the implication of Ziying's words, this Dao Artifact, Pifu, was clearly not as simple as he had imagined.

The reason he thought the artifact wasn't very useful for Fusion Realm experts was mainly based on his own experience; it only provided him with a boost of one or two Dao powers. If other Fusion Realm experts used it, the effect probably wouldn't be significant either.

Ziying was silent for a moment, then sighed. "I can only tell you that Pifu is not merely a top-tier Dao Artifact; it has far greater implications. Therefore, the appearance of any Pifu will attract intense attention from all three forces!"

"Greater implications!" Lu Ye knew Ziying was telling him this out of goodwill. Since she didn't elaborate, there must be some underlying concerns.

"If you were a descendant of a noble family, like Yanhong, with elders in your family looking out for you, it wouldn't matter. But since you only recently arrived in Splendor, alone and without support, possessing Pifu is like a three-year-year-old child carrying a large sum of money through a bustling market. Moreover,

after the previous battle, the Insect Queen must have already made her judgment and knows you possess Pifu. From now on, in any war zone, you will likely be a primary target for the enemy."

Ziying had made her point so clear that if Lu Ye still didn't understand, he would be a fool.

He immediately raised his hand and reached towards his chest, directly taking out Pifu and offering it with both hands. "Your Excellency has rendered distinguished service in defending Blue Water. Since Pifu is so important, I offer it to you. Please accept it with a smile."

Even before using Pifu, he knew that once this item was exposed, he wouldn't be able to keep it.

Moreover, Kang Xing and others had told him before that handing Pifu over to the Main Star would yield many benefits. Among other things, it would certainly guarantee his promotion to the Fusion Realm.

Lu Ye had considered this matter long ago.

He wouldn't be able to keep it anyway, so since Ziying had brought it up herself, giving it to her would be fine. He figured that as a dignified Fusion Realm defender, she wouldn't let him suffer a loss.

Seeing Lu Ye's gesture, Ziying chuckled. "Put it away. I don't want your Pifu!"

Lu Ye looked at her in surprise.

"I'm just telling you the facts. The choice is yours. And even if you wanted to hand it over, this treasure isn't to be given to me." Ziying's words clearly carried a hint of guidance.

"Then to whom should it be given?" Lu Ye asked.

"Several of the Main Star's top noble families are potential recipients. However, the Huang family doesn't need it, as they already possess a Pifu."

"The Yan family?" Lu Ye inquired.

He and Yanhong had some degree of acquaintance. If he wanted to connect with the Yan family, Yanhong would undoubtedly be a good choice. He could then ask Yanhong to act as a go-between, and Yanhong would likely be very willing.

"The Yan family... that's a good choice!" Ziying nodded slightly, then looked at him seriously. "Are you truly willing to part with it?"

She could sense that when Lu Ye had just offered Pifu to her, he showed not the slightest hint of reluctance. This was quite incredible for any Entry Realm expert.

After all, Pifu's enhancement was too formidable for an Entry Realm expert. Which Entry Realm expert wouldn't be tempted after experiencing Pifu's power? This was a treasure that could grant Entry Realm experts strength comparable to Fusion Realm experts.

But Lu Ye's recent performance was quite unexpected, as if, to him, Pifu was something he could take or leave.

"Pifu is powerful, but for me, this treasure is also a hot potato."

Ziying showed an expression of admiration. "Knowing when to advance and when to retreat, understanding choices and compromises, you are excellent. Don't worry, when you hand it over to the Yan family later, I will help you negotiate."

"Thank you, Defender!" Although Lu Ye perceived Ziying's intention to win him over, he still sincerely expressed his gratitude.

They walked side-by-side, heading back towards Blue Water.

It was a rare opportunity, and Ziying seemed easy to talk to, so Lu Ye asked about a way to leave.

But the answer he received disappointed him. Even Ziying didn't know how to leave Splendor; no cultivator within Splendor knew how.

This place seemed like a true cage. All cultivators who fell into it, regardless of their strength, were trapped within.

"Everyone is looking for a way to leave," Ziying explained. "Those Peak Fusion Realm experts are even more anxious than you, because if they don't leave Splendor, they can't advance to the Harmony Realm."

"They can't reach Harmony Realm within Splendor?" Lu Ye asked, surprised and suspicious.

Ziying shook her head. "It seems there's a restriction, perhaps left by Splendor's master. Unless one breaks free from this confinement, they cannot transcend."

Only then did Lu Ye understand why there were no Harmony Realm powerhouses in all of Splendor; there was this reason for it.

Outside the Blue Water War Star, the battlefield had been cleaned up. But in the previous battle, many Alliance Guards had suffered casualties, and even more were injured, now recuperating within Blue Water.

After returning to the war star, Lu Ye parted ways with Ziying.

In a scenic place with beautiful mountains and clear waters, many pavilions stood. In one of these pavilions, four figures sat in a circle: Lu Ye and Kang Xing's two companions.

Because their previous consumption was too great, Kang Xing and his two companions had not yet recovered, and all of them looked pale.

Although Lu Ye was mostly fine, he still feigned being seriously injured... This was also the appropriate state for an Entry Realm expert.

This pavilion was arranged by Ziying for him to recuperate.

With the battle over, it was naturally time to share the spoils.

Looking at the pile of Dao Bones in front of him, Kang Xing gulped, but still shook his head. "No, no, this is too much."

The Dao Bones in front of him weren't counted precisely, but there were at least one or two hundred pieces. And judging by their color, they were all Dao Bones of excellent quality. In other words, they contained abundant Dao power.

When had they ever seen so many Dao Bones at once?

If they had to fight on the battlefield themselves, getting even half of this haul would be good, and they'd have to face immense risks.

"This time, thanks to your strong support, Brother Kang, this is what you three deserve. Please don't decline." If not for considering their refining speed, Lu Ye could have given them even more. But Dao Bones cannot be preserved for long periods; once taken out, the Dao power within them slowly dissipates. Therefore, even if Lu Ye gave them more, they wouldn't have time to refine it, which would only lead to unnecessary

waste.

Kang Xing said, "Brother Lu, the three of us only activated our Dao power..." It was such a simple task that anyone could do it, and the three of them didn't even do it well enough, because they hadn't accumulated enough Dao power, so they couldn't sustain it for long. Kang Xing felt guilty about this and had been worried they might have hampered Lu Ye's efforts.

"That's right," Jiang Yuning chimed in. "These Dao Bones are too many; the three of us feel undeserving."

"Just take them," Lu Ye pushed the Dao Bones forward. "Don't worry about an uneven distribution; I've already kept what I deserve."

Seeing his firm attitude, Kang Xing knew it was no good to refuse further. He nodded and said, "Then we will accept impolitely. Thank you, Brother Lu!"

"That's more like it," Lu Ye nodded. "After this battle, the war zone should be peaceful for a while. Take this opportunity to quickly heal and cultivate. There's no telling when another battle might break out."

Lu Ye also needed to recuperate, though this was merely an external pretense.

The pavilion had three stories, with several rooms, and the four individuals each settled into one.

On the third floor, Lu Ye sat cross-legged. He took out all the Dao Bones he had acquired this time, and instantly, a pile half his height accumulated in front of him.

This time, he truly had his fill. The gains from this one battle were almost equivalent to the total he had accumulated since entering Star Abyss.

The power of the Talent Tree was activated. Invisible roots extended, piercing into each of the Dao Bones.

Frenzied absorption!

Golden patterns continuously appeared on the leaves of the Talent Tree. Lu Ye felt his own Dao power accumulating at an unprecedented and astonishing rate.

In just half an hour, Lu Ye opened his eyes again.

The pile of Dao Bones in front of him had all been depleted of their Dao power. In their place was a large expanse of shimmering golden leaves on the Talent Tree, looking extremely gratifying.

It was impossible to count precisely, but he estimated that his accumulated Dao power had likely surpassed ten thousand. This figure was unattainable for any Entry Realm expert, because even a nine-Dao cultivator only had five Dao Bones within their body, and each Dao Bone could accumulate at most two hundred units of Dao power. In other words, the limit of Dao power an Entry Realm cultivator could accumulate

was only one thousand.

But almost no Entry Realm expert truly achieved this, because once Dao power accumulated to a certain level, the nine-Dao cultivators would attempt to reach the Fusion Realm. This process consumed an extremely large amount of Dao power. A figure of ten thousand was something beyond imagination.