Chapter 2224: Better to Die

"Is it really the master of Blazing Star?" You Die asked again, still very curious about this. In truth, she didn't want to kill Jiuying, because if Jiuying truly was the master of Blazing Star, keeping it alive and using it to subdue Blazing Star would be the best option.

If that were the case, her voice would be the only one heard across the entire Starry Sky; all humans and giants would become her slaves.

Lu Ye ignored her. His injuries were too severe this time; his consciousness had already fallen into a stupor, and he hadn't heard her question at all.

On the other side, Li Qi, carrying Lu Ye, was rapidly heading towards Yinshuo Battle Star, a hint of worry on his face.

What he was worried about wasn't Lu Ye, but the Mother Bug!

Just now, he had personally witnessed the Mother Bug's soul body rushing into Lu Ye's body, followed immediately by extremely terrifying soul force fluctuations emanating from Lu Ye.

Even he, a sixth-level Integration Dao cultivator, felt a shock from such fluctuations!

Even without knowing exactly what had happened, he could deduce from these soul force fluctuations alone that an extremely fierce soul battle had erupted within Lu Ye's Spiritual Sea.

One party must have been You Die, the Mother Bug. Who was the other?

It couldn't possibly be Lu Ye; how could someone at the Dao Entry realm create such a massive stir?

But if it wasn't Lu Ye, then who could it be?

Li Qi was somewhat bewildered. He had no idea what had truly transpired this time. Now that his identity as a mole had been exposed, he wouldn't be heavily relied upon by the two Bug and Blood races. If something happened to You Die, he would surely be in for a bad time. Fortunately, not long after, he heard You Die's telepathic message again, instructing him to bring Lu Ye back to Yinshuo Battle Star to settle.

When his consciousness revived, Lu Ye, uncharacteristically, felt a sense of ease.

It had been a long time since he had such a comfortable sleep. Ever since leaving the Starry Sky and entering the Star Abyss, he had been constantly on the move, never stopping even after entering Blazing Star.

A faint fragrance tickled his nose, mixed with countless other clean scents. The sound of a gentle breeze brushed past his ears. Such leisure made Lu Ye feel somewhat intoxicated.

Suddenly, he felt something was off. As he opened his eyes, a pair of enchanting eyes stared down at him, a faint, meaningful smile playing on a delicate, beautiful face.

"You're awake?" You Die spoke softly, her breath like orchids, her flawless face barely a foot away from him!

Only then did Lu Ye realize his current state.

You Die was sitting beside him, and he was resting his head on her lap. No wonder he had felt something soft and springy beneath his head earlier.

He slowly sat up, looking expressionlessly at You Die. "What are you doing?"

You Die tilted her head, a playful air about her. "Healing with Brother Ye, of course!"

"Hmph..." Lu Ye forced a wry smile, though he could sense that his injuries had indeed healed by more than half.

"How long was I unconscious?" he asked again.

"Not long, about ten days."

About ten days... With injuries like he had, if he had to recover on his own, he wouldn't have woken up for at least one or two months. Yet, he was awake in only about ten days, and most of his injuries had healed.

This was clearly You Die's doing.

She was indeed healing with him. With the Chain of Life connecting them, she was able to achieve this.

A gentle breeze blew, bringing with it a rustling sound.

Lu Ye looked up and saw that they were in a vibrant, multicolored sea of flowers. He and You Die were in a corner of this floral expanse.

"Where is this?" Lu Ye frowned.

"You're confused!" You Die smiled. "You're currently in soul form, so this is naturally my Spiritual Sea!"

Lu Ye was stunned.

He had not expected a Mother Bug's Spiritual Sea to be such a vibrant, idyllic scene filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers.

"Since you're awake, how about we try cultivating our souls together? It would speed up recovery, benefiting both of us." As You Die spoke, her expression seemed a little shy. "I haven't tried it before..."

Lu Ye didn't even glance at her. "No thanks!"

The enchanting beauty before him was, after all, inseparable from that bloated mountain of flesh. Lu Ye had no interest in that.

"Brother Ye truly has no appreciation for romance," You Die chided. "You only survived thanks to me, yet you're unwilling to fulfill such a small request."

"Did you hit your head?" Lu Ye looked at her with disdain. After her split soul merged with her main soul, this fellow seemed to have changed a lot.

Of course, it wasn't impossible that she was deliberately trying to gross him out.

"Hmph!" You Die wrinkled her nose, then turned away, ignoring him.

Lu Ye was glad for the peace. He truly had no interest in flirting with a Mother Bug.

To be fair, You Die's Spiritual Sea truly was refreshing. Standing there, he involuntarily stretched.

You Die finally couldn't resist and turned back to ask, "Is Jiuying truly the master of Blazing Star?"

"Who knows? Maybe, maybe not."

You Die blinked. That answer was as good as saying nothing.

"You met it deep within the ruins?" You Die asked again.

"Obviously!"

He couldn't lie in front of You Die, so he could only tell the truth.

Her charming face fell into contemplation. "So, the rumor that a method to leave Blazing Star is hidden deep within the ruins is false?"

"If Jiuying was the master of Blazing Star, then it would be true, because it would definitely know how to leave Blazing Star." Lu Ye continued to stretch his body. "However, based on my observations, this information might have been spread by Jiuying itself."

"Why is that?" You Die asked, puzzled.

"It needed to find a suitable physical body. Pifu was refined from its scales, and this Dao artifact involved a matter of compatibility. The more compatible a Dao Entry cultivator was with Pifu, the stronger the power they could unleash, and naturally, the greater their hope of passing through the various trials in the ruins. When someone met Jiuying's requirements, it would awaken from its slumber!" Lu Ye explained casually. "In short, Jiuying was using Pifu to find its target!"

"And then it found you!" You Die looked at Lu Ye with an excited expression, her gaze full of deeper meaning. "You've been hiding your strength quite well!"

Lu Ye remained unperturbed, but he knew that after this incident, his true strength would likely no longer be a secret.

You Die had confronted Jiuying directly, so she naturally knew of its power. To withstand such a formidable opponent for a period of time was simply not something an ordinary Dao Entry cultivator could achieve.

Although she had been battling Jiuying within Lu Ye's Spiritual Sea, she could still perceive some of Lu Ye's circumstances due to the Chain of Life.

According to her previous observations, Lu Ye's strength was roughly equivalent to a hundred Dao!

A Dao Entry cultivator with the power of a hundred Dao was incredibly hard to believe unless seen with one's own eyes. Such strength was comparable to an Integration Dao cultivator above the fifth level and below the sixth.

No wonder Lu Ye had shown no signs of advancing to the Integration Dao realm.

Before, whenever she cultivated, Lu Ye had siphoned off a lot of Dao power. If Lu Ye truly were just an ordinary Dao Entry cultivator, he wouldn't be able to bear so much Dao power. And with Lu Ye's previous ability to casually construct Dao patterns, he could have long ago advanced to the Integration Dao realm.

"How do you cultivate?" You Die couldn't suppress her curiosity.

"Natural talent?" Of course, he wouldn't tell her the truth.

You Die, however, fell into deep thought, evidently taking him seriously. In the vast Star Abyss, there were always inexplicable wonders. Although she was an Integration Dao cultivator, she had been trapped in Blazing Star her entire life and didn't know what the outside world was like.

"Is this your limit?" You Die asked again.

"Why so many questions?" Lu Ye was somewhat impatient.

But with the Chain of Life, You Die already knew the answer.

A hundred Dao of power was not his limit!

You Die's eyes brightened. She suddenly realized that she had stumbled upon a treasure!

Originally, she had only captured Lu Ye because of a formation pattern, and by an unfortunate twist of fate, he had planted the Chain of Life on her. You Die had constantly sought ways to remove it, even trying to send Lu Ye into the ruins.

After all, for a dignified Integration Dao cultivator like herself, having her life tied to a Dao Entry cultivator, and having to share the fruits of her cultivation, was clearly not worth it from any perspective.

But now, that idea was subtly wavering.

A Dao Entry cultivator with the power of a hundred Dao, and still not at his limit—what if he advanced to Integration Dao one day? How powerful would he become if he cultivated to the peak of Integration Dao?

At that point, he would likely be unrivaled throughout Blazing Star!

Jiuying was dead. Regardless of whether it was the master of Blazing Star, the method to leave Blazing Star remained elusive.

But if Lu Ye cultivated to the peak of Integration Dao, would there be a chance to break free from Blazing Star's restraints? To escape with their lives?

For some reason, she actually began to feel a sense of anticipation.

"Let me out!" Lu Ye shouted. Although this place was pleasant, it was ultimately You Die's Spiritual Sea, and staying there truly felt uncomfortable.

"Brother Ye, are you really not going to try soul cultivation? Other Mother Bugs say it's quite intoxicating."

"I'd rather die!" Even in soul form, Lu Ye felt goosebumps erupt all over his body.

A string of bell-like laughter rang out, and You Die swayed like a flower in the wind as she laughed: "Alright, stop messing around. Stay for a bit longer; your injuries will heal faster."

What she said wasn't wrong, but Lu Ye's face was full of caution: "What mischief are you planning now?"

You Die gave him a chiding glance, then slowly closed her eyes and became still.

Seeing this, Lu Ye hesitated for a moment, then also sat down cross-legged.

If she wouldn't let him go, he had no way to force his departure.

It must be said that recovering with her in You Die's Spiritual Sea was indeed remarkably effective. After a few more days, his soul body's injuries had completely healed.

This made Lu Ye sigh with emotion. As expected of a powerful cultivator specializing in soul cultivation, their soul body's healing speed was much faster than usual.

You Die didn't bother him anymore. Once both their injuries had recovered, she indeed let him leave.

After more than half a month, Lu Ye's soul body finally returned to its proper place.

His physical body was not far from the Mother Bug's. Lu Ye lifted his eyes and immediately saw her bloated form.

Ignoring it, he first checked his own physical body, confirming there were no issues.

Not only were there no issues, but his Dao power seemed to have increased and was still continuously growing!

This was undoubtedly a benefit from You Die's cultivation. After her immense losses in the battle with Jiuying, You Die naturally needed to replenish herself.

And Lu Ye was sharing in the benefits.

Had it been before, You Die would certainly have been unwilling; a large part of why she sent Lu Ye to the ruins was precisely for this reason. But now, You Die didn't seem to care as much. She was eager to know how far Lu Ye could go at the Dao Entry realm!