Chapter 2253: Angry Ghost Butterfly

This star system is not entirely defenseless against the Star Abyss invasion. This period is a crucial time for the cultivators within it to grow; as long as this phase lasts long enough, they can truly mature.

Observing the miniature star system before him, Lu Ye was about to enter it when a sudden idea struck him. His previous two returns to the Star Abyss had been random, once entering human territory and once entering giant territory. Now, he wanted to try if he could discern the situation within the Splendor from the outside and choose a specific point to enter it. Acting on his thought, Lu Ye quickly took out his star map, simultaneously observing the miniature star system before him and cross-referencing details within the map. Gradually, he began to get a clearer picture. Less than half a day later, Lu Ye moved swiftly and plunged into the Splendor!

After appearing, Lu Ye immediately scanned his surroundings to confirm there was no danger, then consulted his star map to ascertain his position. His brow lifted; it seemed quite good, as his current location was precisely the war zone where Youdie resided. There was a slight, acceptable margin of error. The insectoid nest where Youdie was stationed was a place called Yinshuo War Planet, not far from his current location. At his speed, he could reach it within a day. He planned to return to Youdie's location first, as he had some matters to clarify with her.

Regardless, under the life chain, their lives were intertwined. Unless this pattern was dispelled, Lu Ye could not exclude her from any of his plans. The initial formation of the life chain was a last resort, a means of self-preservation. Previously, it had been a form of protection, but as his strength grew, this protection turned into a restraint. He didn't want it to remain this way; one day, he would break this bond! In the ruins, when Youdie faced a life-or-death crisis, Lu Ye had the opportunity to break it, but if he had, he wouldn't have been able to refine the Splendor. Now, he only hoped that Youdie, upon learning the truth, would be able to discuss things calmly with him.

"Lu Ye! Lu Ye!"

Just as Lu Ye had flown not far, a voice suddenly reached his ears. He quickly halted, looked in the direction of the voice, his gaze flickering. He swiftly moved towards that direction, and a few moments later, on a fragmented floating landmass, he picked up a stone worm.

"Stop shouting, I'm back!" Lu Ye said, gripping the stone worm in his hand. "I have something to tell you." The voice earlier was clearly Youdie transmitting to him through the stone worm. As the insectoid queen stationed in this war zone, she could easily gather various intelligence using stone worms and the vision of her insectoid race. Moreover, the life chain allowed her to sense Lu Ye's approximate location, so as soon as Lu Ye returned, she detected him.

"Don't say anything, and don't linger here. I've already mobilized the Fusion Realm cultivators from this war zone to encircle and annihilate you."

"What's going on?" Lu Ye was stunned. "You're going to encircle me?"

Youdie retorted, annoyed, "Aren't you clear about what you've been doing lately? The Fusion Realm powerhouses of the Insectoid and Blood races have already put you on their kill list."

"So you're going to encircle me!"

Youdie said resentfully, "If I truly wanted to encircle you, I wouldn't have told you any of this!" She was furious internally. This guy was just too restless. In just one month, he had appeared and disappeared like a ghost on several battlefields, killing several Fusion Realm cultivators. The Entry Realm cultivators of the Insectoid and Blood races had also suffered heavy losses. Previously, with her protection, Lu Ye entering and exiting the territories of the Insectoid and Blood races hadn't been a big problem. But this time, his actions had truly enraged those Fusion Realm cultivators, each of whom wished they could find Lu Ye and rip him to pieces. Even she, the insectoid queen who had previously provided Lu Ye with shelter, had faced criticism from all sides. Her strength was indeed great, but that didn't mean she could do whatever she pleased. Now that Lu Ye had appeared here again, even though Youdie was unwilling, she had to maintain appearances, as this war zone was home not only to the Insectoid race but also the Blood race. But who could know her inner turmoil? Under the life chain, she shared life and death with Lu Ye. If any mishap befell Lu Ye, she would not survive alone. Thus, while mobilizing Fusion Realm cultivators to encircle him, she also had to tip him off.

"Well, thanks a lot for that!" Lu Ye chuckled.

"Stop being sarcastic!" Youdie snapped, irritated. "I haven't even asked you about what happened last time."

"What happened last time?" Lu Ye asked, feigning ignorance.

Youdie sneered, "No sooner had you and I entered the ruins than the human side here started making moves. In just one month, the entire war zone suffered massive losses, and the defense lines had to retract. Dare you say you weren't behind it!" After that month of warfare, the Insectoid and Blood races in this war zone wouldn't be able to recover for several years.

Lu Ye understood. It was indeed his doing. He had entrusted Yan Xiaowu to deliver a message to Ziying, which led to the human race's large-scale counterattack.

"I don't know, don't talk nonsense." Lu Ye said, his expression calm.

"If you were in front of me, I'd make you pay dearly!"

"Enough talk. Let me ask you, what level are the Fusion Realm cultivators you've mobilized?"

Youdie immediately grew wary. "What do you intend to do?"

"Just asking." Lu Ye scratched his chin. "Do you think there's a possibility you could feed them some false information and have them come after me one by one?"

"Lu Ye!" Youdie shrieked. "I'm an insectoid queen, a Fusion Realm cultivator of the Insectoid race! What do you want me to do?"

"Don't get so agitated, I was just speaking casually." Youdie was silent for a moment before saying, "Go. At least two of the Fusion Realm cultivators heading this way are stronger than you. If you don't leave now, it'll be too late. Don't harbor any ideas about those Fusion Realm cultivators. If the situation in this war zone becomes unstable, I won't be safe either, and that's not good for you!"

Lu Ye said no more. Youdie was right; if the warfare in this zone collapsed, she would certainly be in danger, and her danger meant Lu Ye himself would be in danger. Dismissing his thoughts, Lu Ye pondered for a moment. Originally, he had planned to return to the insectoid nest to find Youdie, but now it wasn't advisable to go back that way. True, he could teleport directly, which would only consume some of his Dao power. Youdie thought Lu Ye could no longer return, but whether he did or not depended solely on Lu Ye's own intentions. However, given the circumstances, he wanted to go somewhere else instead. Having made up his mind, Lu Ye turned and sped off in that direction.

"Keep the stone worm safe, and contact me anytime if anything happens." Youdie's voice came again.

Lu Ye couldn't be bothered with her and simply crushed the stone worm.

"Lu Ye!" In the heart of the insectoid nest, Youdie trembled with rage. Just as she had said, if Lu Ye were there, she would surely make him pay, but now, she was ultimately beyond his reach.

Across the entire grand war zone, there were numerous outposts. Each outpost was guarded by a Fusion Realm powerhouse, commanding varying numbers of Entry Realm cultivators. The Dust Realm Outpost was one of them. It had originally been controlled by the Insectoid and Blood races, but in a recent conflict, it was seized by the War Alliance. Compared to other outposts, this one had significantly more cultivators because of its crucial location. From a strategic perspective, its existence effectively curbed the expansion of the Insectoid and Blood races; as long as this outpost remained, the Insectoid and Blood races could forget about expanding their territory. And the one commanding the alliance guards and stationed as the guardian here was none other than Ziying. She was also the only peak Fusion Realm cultivator in the entire Underworld Grand War Zone, besides the Supreme Guardian, Huangquan. No other Fusion Realm cultivator was qualified to be stationed here.

The outpost was assembled from various floating landmasses, with numerous cultivators dispersed throughout. A recent battle had been extremely fierce, and currently, many alliance guards were still recuperating; those injured were recovering, while the uninjured were resuming their cultivation. Despite its size, the outpost was peaceful.

A figure arrived from afar, landing directly within the outpost. Nearby cultivators merely glanced at him before losing interest. It was Lu Ye, who had deliberately altered his appearance to avoid trouble. Naturally, those Entry Realm cultivators couldn't detect any flaws. He had come here specifically to find Ziying. Looking across the entire Splendor, he hadn't encountered many Fusion Realm cultivators. In terms of relationship, he was undoubtedly most familiar with Ziying, and she was also the strongest. During his time on the Bluewater War Planet, Ziying had also shown him considerable care. Lu Ye had an idea in mind that he wanted to discuss with Ziying. Originally, he hadn't planned to come so soon, but after being intercepted by Youdie, he simply changed direction and came here, as there was no real difference between coming earlier or later. If this idea could be successfully realized, the situation within the Splendor would become clear, and there would be no more warfare in this vast star system.

Continuing his journey, he soon arrived at the Guardian's Residence. Ziying's Guardian's Residence on Bluewater was a bamboo building, but here, it was a palace, likely a magical artifact. For a powerhouse like Ziying, artifacts of this level were generally useless, but a palace served a different purpose, acting as a place to rest. Outside the palace, there were no cultivators on guard, but no one casually approached within several hundred feet of the palace. As Lu Ye made his way, he naturally drew the attention of many nearby cultivators, who wondered what he intended to do by seeking the Guardian.

Arriving before the palace, Lu Ye looked up, and with a movement of his divine sense, probed inside. Soon, he detected another powerful and refined divine sense emanating from deep within the palace. The two divine senses briefly met before retracting. Lu Ye smiled faintly and stepped into the palace.

A moment later, in a side hall, Lu Ye saw Ziying, who was waiting there. She was as heroic and imposing as ever. She scrutinized Lu Ye from head to toe, her phoenix eyes revealing unconcealed surprise and a hint of relief. Lu Ye dispelled his Thousand Faces Dao Mark, revealing his true appearance. He stepped forward, cupped his fists, and said, "Greetings, Guardian!"

Ziying nodded. "It's good that you're alright!" Although she had heard many reports about Lu Ye through various channels and had even made indirect contact with him through Yan Xiaowu, knowing he was still alive, she had not seen him in person until now. She felt a sense of guilt towards Lu Ye. She valued him greatly, always feeling that this young man was different from others. If not for that, she wouldn't have transferred Lu Ye to command the Crane Wing Battalion. Originally, after the battle at Fengtai Outpost, Lu Ye had already been on his way to meet her with the Crane Wing Battalion, but then a battle broke out at the Wind-tier Outpost, and the guardian of Fengtai Outpost, after gaining her approval, had rerouted the Crane Wing Battalion midway to provide support. And that's when things went wrong.