Chapter 2259: Binding Disappears

“The last ambush was sudden, but I felt the attacker was likely a ghost cultivator. If he’s still lurking outside, he’ll definitely be hidden nearby. If you, Sister Ying, lead the charge, he might not be willing to expose himself. So, I still need to be the one to draw him out. Of course, I won’t go out alone.” As Lu Ye spoke, he looked at You Die.

You Die blinked and stepped forward: “Brother Ye, don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”

“Brother Ye…” Zi Ying suddenly felt a little nauseous. However, if You Die was there to protect him, then it wouldn’t be a big problem.

If, as Lu Ye said, the opponent was a ghost cultivator, they couldn’t go out together. Ghost cultivators, regardless of their race, were extremely cautious; if they appeared together, the opponent would certainly be wary. Conversely, if Lu Ye appeared alone, he could draw the opponent out. If she attacked three breaths later, she would surely catch the opponent by surprise. Then, with You Die’s help, even if the opponent was at the Peak of Fusion Dao, they wouldn’t stand a chance.

After some thought, Zi Ying turned to look at You Die: “Be careful. If anything happens to Brother Ye…”

“Sister, don’t worry, there will be no accidents,” You Die said confidently.

“Let’s go,” Lu Ye called out. You Die’s figure flickered, darting towards Lu Ye and vanishing into his Spiritual Sea. Lu Ye glanced at Zi Ying, then stepped through the exit.

A wave of dizziness washed over him. Lu Ye immediately activated his Dao power to protect himself. As expected, the anticipated ambush followed closely, causing a great sense of danger within him. Before he could react, his protective Dao power shattered, and then he felt a sharp pain in his body.

He didn’t panic, because almost the instant the attacker struck, You Die, hidden in his Spiritual Sea, rushed out. A startled cry was heard, followed by fierce, tumultuous fluctuations of mixed Dao power and soul power.

Lu Ye flew several thousand feet before finally steadying himself. When he looked, he saw You Die already locked in combat with a short, small-figured ghost race member.

You Die’s soul power surged fiercely around her, distorting the very space, as she wielded her Dao weapon longsword. In contrast, the ghost cultivator, a Fusion Dao realm expert, fought only with a short dagger, locked in an intense battle with You Die.

Lu Ye composed himself, then finally had a moment to examine his own body. He had a wound, not too severe, mainly because You Die had appeared so promptly. If she had been even one breath later, with the ghost cultivator’s methods, he might have been severely wounded again.

The opponent likely had no intention of killing. Putting himself in the opponent’s shoes, the ghost cultivator probably wanted to know the situation inside the Splendor, so he intended to capture Lu Ye alive for information. However, he hadn’t expected Lu Ye to come out with You Die this time. Most importantly, You Die was hidden in Lu Ye’s Spiritual Sea in her soul form, which was something no one could have predicted.

During the clash, Dao power raged freely, and the aftermath swept in all directions. Just as Lu Ye was about to step forward to assist, the ghost cultivator suddenly met You Die with a forceful blow, then turned and fled!

This sight stunned him. Undeniably, anyone capable of clashing with You Die like that must be at the Peak of Fusion Dao. But after just a brief exchange, the opponent fled, embodying the essence of a ghost cultivator: if one strike fails, retreat a thousand miles.

“Stop him quickly!” Lu Ye roared. The last ambush by this guy hadn’t been settled yet; how could he be allowed to escape? Zi Ying would be out any moment. Then, with You Die’s help, even if the ghost cultivator didn’t die, he’d be severely injured!

You Die clearly didn’t want the opponent to escape and immediately gave chase. Lu Ye followed closely. At the same time, Zi Ying’s figure suddenly flickered, appearing not far away. Before she could fully understand the situation, Lu Ye’s voice transmission reached her ear, and her figure flashed as she also gave chase.

However, a moment later, the three figures finally stopped. The ghost cultivator at Fusion Dao was too cautious and too fast, having already gained the initiative. Even You Die couldn’t pursue him.

“What a pity,” Zi Ying sighed. “If we could have dealt with that ghost race member this time, we could have helped Lu Ye get some revenge. But the opponent was too cunning.” However, after this encounter, that ghost race member probably wouldn’t dare to ambush them near the Splendor again.

Looking back, the multicolored light of the Splendor came into view. Zi Ying asked curiously, “I once heard that the Splendor constantly drifts in the Star Abyss. Why does it seem not to be the case now?”

Lu Ye explained, “I made it stop.”

Zi Ying’s eyes lit up: “You can control the Splendor?”

Lu Ye shook his head: “I wouldn’t say control. My cultivation realm is too low, and the Splendor’s level is too high. Even making it stop came at a great cost to me.”

Zi Ying nodded, asking no more questions, and instead began to sense quietly. You Die had also been sensing.

For both of them, it was their first time leaving the Splendor and truly entering the Star Abyss. The surrounding scenery wasn’t particularly remarkable; while different from inside the Splendor, it was nothing extraordinary. What the two Peak Fusion Dao experts were concerned about was something else entirely.

After a long while, a hint of joy appeared on You Die’s face: “Sister Zi Ying, did you feel it?” Though not entirely pleased with You Die calling her that, she could indeed only communicate with her now. She nodded slightly and said, “It seems you’ve felt it too.”

You Die excitedly said, “Yes, that invisible, intangible restraint is gone!” No one inside the Splendor had ever been able to advance to the Harmonization Dao realm because the entire Splendor had a form of confinement that prevented countless Peak Fusion Dao experts throughout history from seeing the path forward. But now, both You Die and Zi Ying clearly perceived that the confinement no longer existed. This meant they had the possibility of further advancement, which was what truly excited them.

Lu Ye was also a little excited: “Then do you have any clue about advancing to the Harmonization Dao?”

You Die shook her head: “No.”

Zi Ying, on the other hand, showed a pensive expression: “I have some vague feelings, but I can’t quite articulate them.”

Lu Ye understood. The reason You Die had no clue was because she had left the Splendor as a soul body; her physical body remained inside the Splendor. There were indeed significant disadvantages when the body and soul were separated. Zi Ying, however, had no such constraints. She had been stagnant at the Peak of Fusion Dao for countless years, and her accumulation was extremely profound. She had no opportunity before, but now that she had left the Splendor, she immediately gained some insight. However, advancing from Fusion Dao to Harmonization Dao was not an easy feat…

“Sister Ying, take a good look at these. They should help you advance to Harmonization Dao,” Lu Ye said, handing Zi Ying a jade slip he had prepared beforehand.

You Die’s gaze immediately latched onto the jade slip like a leech, her eyes thoughtful. From Lu Ye’s words, he seemed to have some understanding of Harmonization Dao, but how could someone at the Dao Entry realm know such things? Little did she know that during his time in the insect nest, Lu Ye had acquired many valuable items from Nine Infants. Nine Infants’ realm at its peak was extremely high, and the information in the jade slip was all taught by Nine Infants.

Zi Ying took it, swept her divine sense over it, and quickly revealed a thoughtful expression: “So that’s how it is!”

You Die was itching with curiosity and desperately wanted to ask for clarification, but she restrained herself. She turned to look at Lu Ye, her face filled with resentment… She knew that she would have to get this information from Lu Ye. She somewhat regretted only coming out as a soul body, but she had been cautious before, not knowing it would be so easy to leave the Splendor. If she had known, it would have been much better to leave with her physical body.

After reading for a while longer, Zi Ying couldn’t help but look up at Lu Ye: “Is there a shortcut to advancing to Harmonization Dao?”

“What shortcut?” You Die finally couldn’t hold back. This topic was too appealing to her. Zi Ying ignored her.

Lu Ye said, “There is such a saying, and I once knew a Peak Fusion Dao expert who wanted to take this shortcut. However, it seems she won’t be able to now.” That Peak Fusion Dao expert was named Yin Luo.

Zi Ying frowned: “Although it’s a shortcut, it goes too much against the natural order. It’s better to cultivate honestly.”

Lu Ye said, “I just provided it as a reference for Sister Ying. I know Sister Ying wouldn’t take this shortcut.”

Zi Ying smiled: “While a shortcut might be good, advancing to Harmonization Dao through it would ultimately be unstable. Moreover, taking this shortcut also depends on luck, and my luck has never been great. I’d rather rely on myself.”

You Die felt a little dizzy from their conversation. “What exactly are you two talking about? Can you just be straightforward? We all came out of the Splendor together, why do I feel like I’m being excluded?” She suddenly felt a bit sulky, pouting unhappily.

“Alright, you two go back first. I’ll find a place to settle down and strive to advance to Harmonization Dao soon!” Zi Ying put away the jade slip. With the jade slip Lu Ye provided, she undoubtedly saved a lot of time searching. Coupled with her years of accumulated experience, she was confident that she could advance to Harmonization Dao without taking that shortcut.

“That ghost race member…” Lu Ye was a little worried. Now that the Splendor was stopped here, if that ghost race member didn’t give up, there might be further incidents. Zi Ying’s strength was indeed great, but as she was about to advance to Harmonization Dao, she couldn’t afford any disturbances.

“Don’t worry. Although that ghost race member is strong, he can’t do anything to me. And after what happened just now, he might not dare to show his face again.”

“Then, Sister Ying, please be extra careful,” Lu Ye nodded. His main purpose for this trip was to bring Zi Ying out. Now that the objective was achieved, there was indeed no need to stay longer. Moreover, they had waist tokens to contact each other, so when he came out next time, he could naturally get in touch with Zi Ying again.

“Let’s go,” Lu Ye called to You Die, then turned and flew towards the Splendor.

You Die followed. After moving a short distance, she turned to look at Zi Ying and sweetly said, “I wish Sister Zi Ying an early advancement!”

Zi Ying snorted lightly, thinking, *If I manage to advance to Harmonization Dao, and you dare disgust me like this again, I’ll tear your mouth apart.*

On their way back, You Die intimately linked her arm with Lu Ye’s, leaning half her body against him, and said coquettishly, “Brother Ye, I want that jade slip too.” No one inside the Splendor knew how to advance to Harmonization Dao, and since Lu Ye had a clue, she certainly didn’t want to miss out.

“There’s only one,” Lu Ye said perfunctorily.

“Then make another one…” You Die pleaded playfully. How could there be only one jade slip? Couldn’t Lu Ye imprint the information inside however he wanted?

“Depends on my mood.”

“Then when will Brother Ye be in the mood?”

“Depends on your attitude.”