Chapter 2339: Lost Memory?

The Soul-Eroding Wind, which had been swirling around Lu Ye, suddenly dissipated. Behind him, the stone statue collapsed into fragments.

Lu Ye hadn't realized that this entity was a Fusion Dao cultivator, and a strong one at that, possessing a cultivation level of seven or eight stages.

However, such strength was no match for him now.

Furthermore, it had underestimated Lu Ye, believing him to be merely an Entry Dao cultivator who could be easily handled, and thus it had kicked an iron plate.

This experience served as a quiet warning to Lu Ye. While his current strength was considerable, the Star Abyss contained too many oddities. For instance, defeating the stone statue wasn't difficult for him, but the Soul-Eroding Wind was incredibly strange and impossible to guard against.

Fortunately, it didn't cause significant harm, or it would have been quite troublesome.

It had previously mentioned killing dozens, perhaps even hundreds, of Fusion Dao cultivators, likely by luring them with this method. The reason it didn't directly engage Lu Ye, an Entry Dao cultivator, this time was probably because it had its eyes on the phoenix egg. It might not have known what it was, or perhaps it did, and feared that the aftermath of their battle would damage the egg, which is why it tried to make Lu Ye surrender it.

As he sheathed his blade, Lu Ye looked up, his brow furrowed.

After a moment, his frown deepened.

There was no Star Abyss Blessing!

This was clearly not right.

Previously, he had received a Star Abyss Blessing every time he killed a Fusion Dao cultivator.

Now, as a Son of the Star Abyss, his chances of receiving a blessing should have greatly increased. There was no logical reason for this absence.

Yet, after waiting a moment, there was no activity above his head; indeed, no Star Abyss Blessing appeared.

Lu Ye couldn't understand the situation. The stone statue was the first Fusion Dao cultivator he had killed since leaving the Starry Sky Fragment. Could it be that becoming a Son of the Star Abyss had not only failed to increase his chances of receiving blessings but had actually reduced them?

If so, what was the point?

Although each Star Abyss Blessing didn't provide immense benefits, they added up significantly over time.

Things were getting strange.

Whether the probability of blessings had decreased was still uncertain; he would need to kill more Fusion Dao cultivators to find out.

Lu Ye turned and began searching among the fragments of the stone statue. Since it was a Fusion Dao cultivator, it must have had Dao bones, which he naturally couldn't waste.

Soon, from the pile of rubble, Lu Ye found several pieces that looked distinct. These were undoubtedly the statue's Dao bones, as they contained abundant Dao power.

Shortly after, another item in the debris caught Lu Ye's attention.

He reached out, picked it up, and examined it closely, a little taken aback.

Because this item was nothing else but a Star Abyss Coin!

He was all too familiar with this item. During the struggle in the Starry Sky Fragment, he had received one for every enemy killed, but that was a specific bestowal from the Will of the Star Abyss in a particular setting.

Why were there Star Abyss Coins here?

He was certain it wasn't something he had left behind, because during the final battle, to avoid waste, he and Su Yan had already exchanged all their remaining Star Abyss Coins for Dao bones, refining them to replenish their respective Dao power.

And during the decisive battle, he had no time to pick up the few Star Abyss Coins that might have been scattered.

Thus, he had no Star Abyss Coins on him, nor did Su Yan.

Yet, after the statue died, there was one among its fragments.

Could it be...

Holding the Star Abyss Coin, Lu Ye became thoughtful. Connecting his mind to the item, he quickly saw a vast treasury space, just like the one he had seen in the Starry Sky Fragment. However, this space was much larger and more expansive, and the treasures within, both in quantity and type, were incomparable to what he had seen before.

Was it truly like this?

So, this was a benefit of being a Son of the Star Abyss?

The cultivators who had previously participated in the struggle could access this treasury only temporarily, but upon becoming a Son of the Star Abyss, this benefit would become permanent.

A Star Abyss Blessing hadn't descended, but he had gained a Star Abyss Coin instead. Lu Ye couldn't immediately tell whether this was a gain or a loss.

Speaking of which, there was actually one item he truly wanted to exchange from that treasury: the Water Gourd, a subordinate treasure.

He wanted to collect all seven precious gourds to see what would happen.

He hadn't had the chance before, but if he could continue acquiring Star Abyss Coins like this in the future, he might be able to exchange for the Water Gourd once he had accumulated enough.

This was good news for him.

Driven by curiosity, Lu Ye quickly diverted some of his attention to examine the many treasures within the treasury.

A moment later, he slowly came back to his senses.

He was utterly shocked!

Because this place, which could tentatively be called the Star Abyss Treasury, actually contained Supreme Treasures! And quite a few of them, too. This meant that with enough Star Abyss Coins, he could even exchange for a Starry Sky Supreme Treasure!

Below the Supreme Treasures, there was an even more dazzling array of subordinate treasures, far more numerous and varied than before.

However, both the subordinate and Supreme Treasures were priced very high, beyond Lu Ye's current reach.

It now seemed that this convenience was available to all Sons of the Star Abyss. If he had it, then Su Yan should also have it, and it must have been the same for all previous Sons of the Star Abyss throughout history.

However, this information had never been revealed, so it remained completely unknown.

It didn't matter that he couldn't afford them now; as long as he killed enough enemies in the future, there would always be an opportunity.

Collecting his thoughts, Lu Ye continued his journey.

Several days later, on a meteorite, Lu Ye sat fixed in place, his eyes wide as he stared at the phoenix egg before him.

The reason was simple: less than half a day prior, a crack had appeared on the surface of the phoenix egg!

As time passed, more and more cracks appeared on the egg.

This made Lu Ye realize that Su Yan was likely about to be reborn.

Counting the time, it had only been a little over a month since she performed the Nirvana technique.

Lu Ye had originally thought he would have to wait a very long time.

For such a significant event, he naturally dared not be negligent. He immediately stopped and waited quietly there.

As the cracks on the phoenix egg continuously multiplied and widened, golden flames gradually flowed out from within, enveloping the entire egg, making it difficult to see clearly.

Lu Ye watched nervously.

He had heard that a phoenix's Nirvana was not guaranteed to succeed; there was a risk of failure, and if it failed, it meant true annihilation of body and Dao.

Of course, he didn't know if the information he received was accurate, and at present, he could do nothing to help but silently pray.

Gradually, the phoenix egg completely transformed into a golden orb of light, within which something seemed to be gestating.

Then, at a certain moment, the golden flames suddenly surged, and a pair of magnificent golden wings unfurled. At the same time, a hazy, graceful figure was enveloped within the swirling golden flames.

As the light slowly dispersed, Lu Ye was taken aback.

The person who appeared before him was indeed Su Yan, but she looked much younger and more naive than she had a little over a month ago.

If Su Yan from a month ago had appeared to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, like a mortal, then now she looked ten years younger.

Only fifteen or sixteen.

Even her prominent chest had flattened into small mounds.

This... could one become younger after Nirvana? Lu Ye had never seen such a thing and found it quite astonishing.

The young Su Yan was clad in an extremely magnificent garment, likely a manifestation of her power. She held her head low, her wings gently fanning behind her.

Lu Ye quietly extended his spiritual sense to perceive her, detecting nothing unusual, yet he wondered why she hadn't woken up.

It wasn't until Lu Ye inadvertently noticed her slightly trembling eyelashes that he realized she was already awake.

Was this... embarrassment?

Lu Ye suddenly understood. After all, certain events had transpired earlier, catching both him and Su Yan off guard.

Moreover, that particular incident had been quite wild, with Su Yan even taking more initiative.

Ultimately, they weren't close to that degree of familiarity. Their time in the Starry Sky Fragment had merely been a collaboration, yet they had been ensnared by Qi's hidden scheme. For a woman, even one from the Phoenix clan, feeling embarrassed was perfectly normal.

Lu Ye secretly pondered how to break the awkward silence. After all, Su Yan had been reborn through Nirvana; they couldn't continue to interact like this forever, which would be quite embarrassing.

Before he could figure it out, Su Yan slowly opened her eyes.

"How are you?" Lu Ye quickly asked. Although Su Yan appeared normal, Lu Ye wasn't sure if her Nirvana this time had been completely successful. It would be bad if there were any hidden issues.

Su Yan seemed not to hear him, simply frowning as she looked at him. After several seconds, she finally spoke: "Who are you?"

Lu Ye looked at her, his expression slowly growing serious: "You don't recognize me?"

Su Yan slowly shook her head: "You feel familiar, but I can't remember."

Lu Ye blinked. Had he not caught a fleeting, unconscious flicker of evasion in Su Yan's eyes, he almost would have believed her words.

The crucial point was that after saying this, Su Yan averted her gaze, and a faint blush briefly flashed across her cheeks.

She glanced around, appearing very calm.

Lu Ye didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

He truly hadn't known before that this woman had the ability to lie with a straight face.

Was she truly shy, and thus using Nirvana as an excuse to feign amnesia?

"What do you remember?" Lu Ye asked.

Since he had ascertained Su Yan's intentions, Lu Ye decided not to expose her. If she felt this was acceptable, then so be it; exposing her would only cause her embarrassment.

However, some things still needed to be asked.

"I remember I am from the Phoenix clan, and I performed the Nirvana technique. Since you were guarding me, you must be my... friend, right?"

"Ah, yes, yes, exactly," Lu Ye nodded repeatedly. "My name is Lu Ye, and you used to call me Senior Brother Lu."

"Senior Brother Lu," Su Yan murmured softly, her head bowed. It seemed she remembered something, as a flush spread across her neck.

Lu Ye found it amusing.

Su Yan couldn't help but look up and glare at him.

Lu Ye almost laughed, quickly averted his gaze, and asked: "What are your plans now?"

Su Yan thought for a moment, then shook her head. "None," she said, then asked, "What about you, Senior Brother?"

"Me..." Lu Ye looked in the direction of the variegated lights. "I'm going over there. My home is in that direction."

"Then I'll follow Senior Brother," Su Yan said.

This surprised Lu Ye somewhat. He had assumed that after her rebirth, Su Yan would most likely leave, as she had already intended to do so when they left the Star Abyss Fragment. He wondered what had made her change her mind now.