Chapter 2300: Domain Encounter

Lu Ye was somewhat dissatisfied after painstakingly acquiring this item. But considering that this item could be given to others in the future, significantly reducing their cultivation time, the Dao Power Bottle was indeed a valuable treasure in a way! Fortunately, the bottle was small and could be carried easily, posing no inconvenience.

After his injuries healed, Lu Ye left the recuperation area without delay.

Days later, Lu Ye's figure streaked through the void. Ahead, a panicked figure fled like a stray dog, but the disparity in cultivation levels quickly brought the chase to an end. Ignoring the fugitive's pleas, Lu Ye brought his blade down. In a conflict like this, mercy was meaningless. When cultivators encountered each other and there was a power difference, it inevitably became a fight to the death. To any cultivator, others were enemies and also a means to acquire Star Abyss Coins.

A moment later, Lu Ye retrieved a Star Abyss Coin. He had accumulated quite a few Star Abyss Coins recently, nearly a hundred in total, but it was still far from enough for the treasures he wished to exchange for from that mysterious space.

Just as he was about to leave, Lu Ye suddenly frowned and looked towards a nearby spot. After a careful observation, he soared in that direction.

A moment later, a moderately sized star appeared in his vision. Such stars were common throughout the starry sky, and many could be found even within the Star Abyss. What set it apart, however, was that Lu Ye sensed the aura of a realm from within this star. This wasn't a dead star or a desolate one; it was actually a realm? Lu Ye found it somewhat unbelievable, but then he reconsidered: it wasn't so strange after all. The current battlefield was a fragment of a shattered starry sky, so it was normal for remnants of realms to exist within it. He just didn't know if there were any living beings in this realm. Generally, before a starry sky shattered, it would suffer invasion from the Star Abyss. After the shattering, any realms with life would face a grim fate, as the Star Abyss creatures would bring death to every corner of the starry sky. And facing the invasion of Star Abyss creatures, cultivators of the starry sky were essentially powerless to resist.

The realm's power wasn't strong, meaning its level was very low. According to Lu Ye's judgment, even if living beings had once existed in such a realm, it was unlikely that cultivators could have emerged, as such realms lacked spiritual energy and thus made cultivation impossible. Driven by curiosity, Lu Ye headed towards the realm.

As he drew closer, Lu Ye sensed something was wrong. This realm... it seemed different from what he had imagined.

A moment later, he found himself on a bustling street. Shops of all kinds lined both sides, and the continuous shouts of vendors selling their wares filled the air. Pedestrians walked shoulder to shoulder, a vibrant crowd. This realm was inhabited by living beings, and in great numbers. They weren't human. Lu Ye couldn't tell exactly what race they were; physically, they weren't much different from humans, the only distinction being that all of them had four ears. He could sense the contentment and happiness of these four-eared beings; the entire realm exuded an atmosphere of general peace.

Arriving at such a place directly from a battlefield filled with conflict and slaughter, Lu Ye felt a sense of unreality, and his restless heart gradually calmed. He walked slowly, his figure moving through the bustling crowd, the surrounding beings oblivious to his presence. With his strength, if he didn't wish to be seen, how could these beings, who hadn't even touched upon cultivation, possibly perceive him?

Lu Ye's mood slowly grew heavy. Because he recalled the scene he had witnessed earlier. The starry sky fragment was dissolving! This was a rule of the current conflict, likely a means devised by the Star Abyss's will to compel all participating cultivators to constantly converge towards the fragment's center, thereby accelerating the conflict and preventing cowards from hiding indefinitely.

Although the current realm wasn't particularly close to the edge of the starry sky fragment, if the fragment continued to dissolve, it would eventually affect this place, and that time wouldn't be far off! Once that happened, the entire realm would likely fall into the boundless chaotic mist, and the fate of its billions of inhabitants was clear without needing further thought. If possible, Lu Ye would naturally be willing to lend a hand to this realm. But given the current situation, he had no solution. Forcibly moving this realm away? He certainly had the ability, but rashly moving such a realm without proper methods would only bring immense turmoil to the entire realm, leading to widespread suffering and death. Lu Ye couldn't help but feel pained.

In battle, he could be ruthless towards his enemies; even delicate female cultivators were merely walking Star Abyss Coins. But the beings in this realm were, after all, just ordinary people. They had never even encountered cultivation. They lived peacefully and contentedly in their own world, their simple minds perhaps still dreaming of a beautiful future, completely unaware that destruction was approaching step by step. Thinking this way, sometimes ignorance wasn't necessarily a bad thing... When the chaotic mist swallowed this realm, perhaps none of its inhabitants would even know what was happening.

Lu Ye's steps suddenly halted, and he looked up ahead. At the end of the long street, a figure stood quietly. A hood obscured her face, with only a strand of golden hair peeking out from its edge.

When Lu Ye spotted her, she had clearly spotted him too.

Their eyes met!

Time seemed to stand still in that instant.

Lu Ye's heavy mood was broken, and he suddenly felt like laughing. He hadn't expected them to be so fated, to meet again here. It truly was a chance encounter, because the moment they saw each other, Lu Ye distinctly felt the golden-haired woman's tension and wariness; her body had tensed up. Her hand, hanging at her side, instinctively began rubbing, as if grasping an invisible bowstring.

He had come to this realm simply because he was drawn by its power and had some free time to investigate. Presumably, the golden-haired woman was there for the same reason. The place where they had previously parted was not far from here, so it was not surprising that she would discover this realm if she was still lingering nearby.

Initially, Lu Ye had even thought about forming an alliance with this golden-haired woman, as they were both alone, and companionship would provide mutual support. However, two of her companions had died by his hand, and they had just engaged in a fierce battle, both having worked up their anger. An alliance was out of the question; even if she wanted to team up, Lu Ye would have to be wary of her! Now, he just wanted to kill this woman as soon as possible. For him, her unique methods posed a significant threat, and he was certain that what she had shown before was not her full strength. She still had hidden abilities!

Unfortunately, this was not a good place for a battle. If two Dao Fusion cultivators were to fight here, the entire realm would likely be instantly devastated, and it might even be shattered to pieces. Lu Ye couldn't bring himself to do such a thing. Fortunately, although the golden-haired woman watched him warily, she showed no intention of attacking. Perhaps she shared the same concerns as him? If so, then this golden-haired woman possessed some compassion. This was quite rare, as cultivators, with their long lives and arduous training, tended to grow more indifferent to humble lives the more powerful and long-lived they became. If the golden-haired woman truly had such a disposition, she probably wouldn't care about the lives of the realm's inhabitants and would have immediately engaged Lu Ye in battle.

After a brief standoff, Lu Ye gave a faint smile, then shot into the sky, leaving the realm. Although he grieved for the impending tragic fate of the realm's billions of inhabitants, he was powerless to intervene or make any changes. He could only choose to turn a blind eye.

He had been on guard against a sudden attack from the golden-haired woman, but even after he left, she showed no signs of moving. This confirmed to Lu Ye that she also did not wish to fight within that realm. Should he take this opportunity to ambush her? If he set up an ambush outside the realm, he might be able to surprise her when she eventually left. But considering her elusive escape methods, Lu Ye abandoned the idea. With her abilities, if she truly wanted to leave the realm, he probably wouldn't even detect her, let alone set up an ambush.

He continued his hunt. As time passed, Dao Fusion cultivators continued to die within this starry sky fragment. If the fragment were not dissolving, the frequency and intensity of battles would surely decrease significantly as the number of combatants dwindled. However, precisely because of the starry sky fragment's dissolution, the space available for Dao Fusion cultivators to operate was shrinking. Thus, even with fewer participants, the frequency and intensity of battles remained largely unchanged. Every day, many Dao Fusion cultivators, outmatched, were defeated and killed, becoming capital for others. Even some less powerful Dao Fusion cultivators who had been hiding would eventually be found. For the strong, this conflict was a great opportunity to rise, but for the weak, it was a misfortune they wished to avoid but could not escape.

When the Starry Sky Will selected participants for this conflict, it did not ask for opinions. When the pillar of light, akin to a Star Abyss blessing, descended, the chosen individuals were already branded as participants, leaving no room for resistance or refusal. Yet, out of over fifty thousand Dao Fusion cultivators, only two would ultimately survive. All the others were merely props. Many of these cultivators possessed exceptional talent and extraordinary backgrounds, as those blessed by the Star Abyss could not be ordinary individuals. Yet here, they could only serve as stepping stones, helping the so-called Star Abyss Son ascend to the pinnacle. It could be said that this conflict was extremely cruel and devoid of any humanity.

Several more days passed. In the void, Lu Ye gazed distractedly at a massive nebula ahead. The nebula had a peculiar shape, like a long staircase with clearly discernible steps. If that were all, it wouldn't be remarkable; nebulae were common in the starry sky, appearing in all sorts of strange forms. Lu Ye, having traveled far and wide for many years, had seen countless nebulae, many of which were far stranger than this one. But what truly caught Lu Ye's attention was the extremely ancient aura emanating from within the nebula. He recognized at a glance that this was no mere nebula. This was a cosmic wonder!