Chapter 2347: Return to the Colorful

Lu Ye didn't share the roaming dragon's intense curiosity. Since he already had a premonition, he naturally followed his instincts. He immediately changed direction, flying sideways. While this would waste some time, it was better than venturing into an unknown dangerous area.

This detour was a large one, taking half a month just in terms of time. It wasn't until half a month later, after Lu Ye had bypassed this strange area, that he finally relaxed. Just as he was about to continue forward, he suddenly sensed movement behind him. Lu Ye quickly turned his head and saw a point of light exploding in the distance, slowly fading away after a long time.

A supreme treasure? Lu Ye's heart tensed. He made this judgment because he had sensed a faint aura of a supreme treasure coming from that direction. In other words, a supreme treasure was there! However, Lu Ye wasn't sure what kind of supreme treasure it was. But judging from what he had witnessed, this treasure was extremely dangerous. The area around its location had been reduced to nothingness, clearly destroyed by the power it unleashed. Had Lu Ye foolishly ventured into that area earlier, he would have been utterly defenseless if the treasure's power had erupted. He secretly felt fortunate.

As Lu Ye continued forward, he encountered many strange and profound phenomena along the way. This wasn't his first time venturing into the Star Abyss, incidentally. The first time was when he was brought into the Star Abyss by the Ghost Palanquin. The second time was when he emerged from the starry sky on his own. However, in both the first and second instances, his strength was low and his speed was slow. Thus, even after venturing for a long time, he hadn't traveled far, and naturally, hadn't witnessed many wonders.

This time was different. Compared to those two previous occasions, his strength had surged dramatically, and his speed was incomparable. Moreover, he now possessed sufficient self-preservation capabilities, freeing him from daily worries about his safety and allowing him ample energy to observe his surroundings. This was what true adventuring felt like.

Slowly, Lu Ye realized something: the roaming dragon hadn't left! It was circling around him, appearing occasionally. But each time he noticed it, it would quickly flee. He had no idea what it was trying to do. Since he wasn't short on spiritual power and was eager to return to Banalan, he generally ignored most Star Abyss creatures he encountered along the way, unless they deliberately provoked him. The few who did provoke him had already become casualties of his blade.

Half a year passed in a flash.

One day, Lu Ye looked up, and a vibrant, colorful expanse filled his vision. It was a starry sky, scaled down countless times, where every point of light was a star. He had finally returned to Banalan. Although it wasn't the starry sky of his origin, Lu Ye still felt a profound sense of familiarity and warmth looking at this familiar sight.

His figure darted forward, and he soon arrived at a floating landmass. This floating landmass had maintained the same drifting speed and direction as Banalan, and any obstacles along the way had been devoured by Banalan, so it had always followed closely behind it. This was Ziying's secluded cultivation spot; when Lu Ye left, Ziying had been cultivating here. His divine sense swept over the area, but he detected no trace of Ziying.

"Has she returned to Banalan?" Lu Ye wondered. He had given Ziying the authority to enter Banalan, allowing her to freely move in and out via the altar. Of course, if she didn't enter at the right location, she might become trapped in areas controlled by the Insect and Blood Clans, which would be unsafe even for a peak Integration Realm cultivator like Ziying.

Without rushing back to Banalan, Lu Ye first went to Ziying's cultivation spot. After some searching, he actually found a jade slip left there. He picked it up and examined it. Moments later, Lu Ye put down the jade slip and distantly cupped his hands in blessing towards the direction from which Banalan had come.

Ziying had not returned to Banalan; she had stayed in a place Banalan had passed through previously. This was because if she wanted to achieve Dao Convergence, she would need to constantly delve deeper into the inner realm. As a result, each time she returned from the inner realm, she wouldn't appear here, but rather at the location where she had last disappeared, because this floating landmass also moved constantly with Banalan. Just as Qi had sent Lu Ye back to his point of origin, she hadn't directly sent him into Banalan itself, but to the location Banalan had passed through at that time. This would significantly hinder Ziying's cultivation. Therefore, she had to remain in a fixed location to cultivate. The initial decision to let Ziying stay outside and drift with Banalan hadn't been fully thought through, as no one truly understood the inner realm.

"I wonder if she has advanced to Dao Convergence yet..." On second thought, Lu Ye suddenly realized that Ziying had very likely succeeded! This was because he had tracked Banalan by sensing its presence along his path, and he would certainly have passed by Ziying's cultivation spot. Unless Ziying happened to enter the inner realm precisely when he passed by, causing them to miss each other, it would have been impossible for them not to have discovered each other. Thinking this way, Lu Ye was indeed happy for Ziying; she had finally taken that step. If Ziying had reached this stage, what about You Die, who was ahead of her?

He felt no great sadness at this separation. A cultivator's life was long, constantly meeting new people and parting with loved ones. Everyone was striving for a better future, and that was a good thing.

Without delay, Lu Ye flickered out. Gazing at the Banalan starry sky before him, he had a thought and plunged into it. Return to Banalan, advance to Integration Realm! This time, he was going to take a giant leap on his cultivation path!

Almost the instant Lu Ye plunged into Banalan, a translucent roaming dragon with two bulging eyes suddenly appeared beside Banalan. It was the one that had been following Lu Ye all along. Since being startled that day, it had not dared to approach Lu Ye again, but it also hadn't left, simply following him from a distance until they reached this point. Banalan's vibrant colors undoubtedly made the less intelligent roaming dragon extremely curious. Furthermore, it had watched Lu Ye plunge into it, so after only a brief observation, it excitedly followed him inside. It had never seen anything so brilliantly colored before.

Lu Ye's entry point was excellent; when he appeared, he was not far from the Human Race's homeworld, near the Boundless City that had been established there earlier. The moment he appeared, two powerful divine senses extended towards him. After a brief touch, confirming Lu Ye's identity, they retracted. Lu Ye smiled faintly, then turned and sped towards Boundless City. He soon met two familiar faces in Boundless City. He felt a profound sense of warmth.

"Elder Chen, Elder He!" Lu Ye greeted, bowing. These two were precisely Chen Gushan and He Linglong, who were stationed in Boundless City. That day, Lu Ye, Ziying, You Die, along with the previous head of the Yan family, Yan Zhixing, and Chen Gushan and He Linglong, jointly launched a fierce assault on Boundless City. In that battle, the Integration Realm cultivators of Boundless City were almost annihilated, but Yan Zhixing was also gravely wounded by the projection of Xiaoyue and died of his injuries.

Although Chen Gushan and He Linglong miraculously survived, that battle had incurred immense losses, and combined with their advanced age, both had become extremely old after the fight. It's worth noting that He Linglong, who had originally appeared as a beautiful woman, had now become an old woman with white hair. Although they were at the peak of the Integration Realm, they had long lost hope of advancing to Dao Convergence, so despite their significant losses, they had no complaints. Since then, they had been stationed in Boundless City, managing the city. After all, many beings still lived there, and an entire realm was secretly hidden within, so it couldn't be left unattended. The Yan family also quietly supported them from behind, as the current head of the Yan family, Yan Yao, had learned some secrets from the information left by Yan Zhixing—secrets that could shake the entire Banalan starry sky.

"I told you, this kid isn't so easy to kill!" He Linglong chuckled, looking at Lu Ye. "And you worried about him every day. Didn't he just come back?"

Chen Gushan lightly coughed. "Why would I worry? He's not my son."

Lu Ye bowed. "It was an unexpected incident; I apologize for making you two elders worry."

He Linglong said, "Speaking of which, I wanted to ask, where did you disappear to all this time? News from the front lines said that after you killed an Integration Realm cultivator, you suddenly vanished without a trace. No matter how much we investigated, we couldn't find any sign of you."

"Have you two elders ever heard of the Son of the Star Abyss?" Lu Ye asked. There was nothing to hide about this matter, and the two elders before him weren't outsiders. Even if Lu Ye told them, they wouldn't spread it around.

"You participated in the competition for the Son of the Star Abyss?" Chen Gushan's expression brightened, and then, connecting it with the intelligence he had received about Lu Ye's disappearance, he suddenly understood. "So that's it. Your disappearance was... you were guided away?"

Hearing him say this, Lu Ye knew that these two were aware of the Son of the Star Abyss. After all, it wasn't a secret. Although Banalan was closed off, over the years, many outsiders had brought in information from the outside. Integration Realm powerhouses within Banalan should have heard of major events like the Son of the Star Abyss.

"Yes," Lu Ye nodded, "it was completely unexpected."

"So, what was the outcome?" He Linglong asked with interest. She clearly didn't realize that Lu Ye's return meant he had inevitably won the title of Son of the Star Abyss.

"I suppose you could say I came out on top."

Chen Gushan and He Linglong exchanged glances, both filled with astonishment.

Chen Gushan said, "I heard that the selection for the Son of the Star Abyss gathers the strongest group of Integration Realm cultivators from across the entire Star Abyss, almost all of whom possess the ability to defeat opponents of higher cultivation levels. For you to come out on top in such a situation, you're far stronger than we were in our youth."

He Linglong interjected with a strange expression, "Senior Brother, this kid... isn't in the Integration Realm."

Chen Gushan froze, then suddenly remembered that Lu Ye was only at the Dao Entry Realm, and his expression grew even more astonished. Lu Ye spoke lightly, but Chen Gushan could almost envision the bloody competition it must have been. Even if he and He Linglong had participated in such a struggle at their peak, it wouldn't have been a question of whether they could survive, but for how long.

"No matter what, it's good that you're safe, kid. By the way, what are the benefits of becoming the Son of the Star Abyss?" Chen Gushan asked, full of curiosity.

"A greater affinity for the pervasive spiritual power, making cultivation simpler," Lu Ye replied.

"That's it?" Chen Gushan was stunned.

Lu Ye shrugged. He didn't intend to tell others about the Star Abyss Treasury and Star Abyss Coins. Some things were best kept to himself.