Chapter 2348: Dao Pattern Pavilion

Meanwhile, as Lu Ye was speaking with Elders Chen and He, several more auras rapidly approached.

Chen Gushan glanced over and chuckled, "They're all quite quick to arrive."

He Linglong, standing nearby, also smiled and said, "My young friend, these fellows were quite worried during the time you were missing."

The new arrivals were the patriarchs of the four top human families. Among them, only Yan Yao of the Yan family was privy to some secrets; the patriarchs of the other three families did not know the full truth. However, they were aware that Lu Ye held the secret of the ruins' depths, and these ruins were tied to the legend of leaving Banlan. When Lu Ye suddenly vanished without a trace, they naturally became very anxious. Now that Lu Ye had returned, they received the news instantly and hurried over.

Soon, the four patriarchs arrived. These were Yan Yao of the Yan family, Huang Chen of the Huang family, Sun Baihan of the Sun family, and Zhou Quan of the Zhou family. All of them were at the peak of the Fusion Dao level, but were confined to Banlan, unable to cross the threshold into the Union Dao stage.

"Fellow Daoist Lu!" Yan Yao bowed from a distance, looking relieved. "You've finally shown yourself."

"Thank you for your concern, Patriarchs," Lu Ye returned the bow, casually fabricating an excuse. "I had an inspiration earlier and entered the ruins for a period of secluded cultivation."

Yan Yao, harboring no doubts, responded, "So that's how it is." It explained why Lu Ye's whereabouts had been untraceable; he had gone into the ruins. If that were the case, he truly would have been impossible to find. At present, the entire ruins were sealed off, and it seemed only Lu Ye could enter and exit at will.

Huang Chen scrutinized Lu Ye from head to toe. "Judging by your expression, Fellow Daoist, this period of secluded cultivation seems to have been quite fruitful." He had a strong feeling that Lu Ye was subtly different from before, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what had changed. Sun Baihan and Zhou Quan, standing nearby, also wore thoughtful expressions.

Lu Ye didn't respond to the observation, instead cupping his fists and saying, "Patriarchs, you've arrived at an opportune moment. I have a request."

Yan Yao immediately responded, "Please speak, Fellow Daoist. As long as it is within the Yan family's power, we will not refuse." The secret he was privy to was deeply shocking, so he naturally held nothing back from Lu Ye. His unequivocal declaration, however, left the other three patriarchs surprised and uncertain. From what they understood, Lu Ye was indeed closest to the Yan family, but this was merely due to his personal acquaintance with Yan Hong. A connection at the junior generation's level, however, was insufficient to prompt Yan Yao, a family patriarch, to make such a sweeping commitment. Nevertheless, since they all had something they wanted from Lu Ye, they were naturally not stingy with their words and readily agreed.

"I wish to visit the Dao Pattern Pavilions of your families!" Lu Ye announced.

To advance to the Fusion Dao stage, one needed to determine their own Dao Pattern. Although many Dao Patterns could be chosen from the Talent Tree, and Lu Ye could even select one as the foundation for his Fusion Dao advancement, if he had truly intended to do so, he would have done it much earlier, during the Contention of the Star Abyss Sons. There would have been no need to delay until now. He had long had his eyes on the Dao Pattern Pavilions of the four great families. If he could examine them, he was certain to gain significantly, as they were treasures inherited by these top families for countless millennia. Regardless of their individual merits or flaws, each had something valuable to offer. Moreover, the Talent Tree possessed the ability to deduce and infer. Even if Lu Ye couldn't find his desired Dao Pattern within these pavilions, he could still use them to enhance his mastery of Dao Patterns, thereby making the Talent Tree's derivations more efficient.

Yan Yao agreed immediately. "No problem. Just let me know whenever you wish to go, Fellow Daoist, and I'll make the arrangements."

With Yan Yao being so straightforward, the other three patriarchs had no choice. Although their respective family's Dao Pattern Pavilions had never been opened to outsiders, there could always be a first time for anything. They still hoped to enter and explore the ruins, so it would naturally be unwise to offend Lu Ye over such a minor request. Furthermore, merely observing the Dao Pattern Pavilions would not cause them any actual loss.

"Now?" Lu Ye asked, looking at Yan Yao.

Yan Yao, not expecting Lu Ye to be so eager, immediately waved his hand. "Fellow Daoist, please follow me." He then turned and flew towards the main planet. Lu Ye bid farewell to Elders Chen and He and followed him. Huang Chen and the others quickly followed suit.

The group soon arrived at the main planet. Speaking of which, despite having been in Banlan for so long, Lu Ye had never actually set foot on the main planet. This was his first visit. The main planet was enormous, home to countless humans thriving and living within it. Families of all sizes were scattered throughout, with the four top families situated in the four cardinal directions, presiding over the main planet's spiritual fortune. The entire main planet was peaceful and stable, and its spiritual energy was extremely rich, making it highly suitable for cultivation. This was the foundation of human inheritance through generations. Compared to the Insect-Blood Alliance and even the Giant race, the human race required a much more demanding environment for growth. Without the main planet, humanity would have been unable to establish a foothold in Banlan.

Lu Ye followed Yan Yao to the Yan family's ancestral land. The entire territory covered a vast area, within which there were over a hundred large cities alone, not to mention countless other medium and small cities and even smaller settlements. Yan Yao led Lu Ye to a spiritual peak.

"This is where my Yan family's Dao Pattern Pavilion is located," Yan Yao explained, pointing to the spiritual peak ahead. "This spiritual peak has been hollowed out through the efforts of dozens of generations of my Yan family ancestors, with many Dao Patterns stored within."

Yan family cultivators guarded the area, and seeing their patriarch arrive, they naturally came forward to salute. Yan Yao waved his hand, dismissing them, and continued speaking while leading Lu Ye forward. They soon arrived before a smooth rock wall. He took out a jade slip and gently waved it, whereupon the rock wall opened to reveal an an entrance. "Fellow Daoist, you can enter from here," he said. "Currently, there's no one else in the Dao Pattern Pavilion, and I won't allow anyone else inside until you come out, so you needn't worry about being disturbed."

"Thank you, Patriarch Yan," Lu Ye said, cupping his fists, before swiftly entering the opening. Lu Ye wasn't worried that Yan Yao would do anything to harm him; as long as Yan Yao was of sound mind, he wouldn't make such an irrational choice.

After Lu Ye's figure disappeared, Yan Yao suddenly turned to look. "What's wrong with you three?" he asked. Huang Chen and the others were all staring at him with questioning looks.

Sun Baihan chuckled. "Brother Yan, by my count, we've known each other for quite some years now, haven't we?"

"There's no way to count that precisely," Yan Yao replied. As patriarchs of the main planet and all at the peak of the Fusion Dao stage, they truly couldn't pinpoint how many years they had known each other.

"Our personal relationship is quite good, wouldn't you say?"

"That goes without saying," Yan Yao nodded. "Back then, when I led the army and was besieged by the Insect-Blood Alliance forces, it was indeed Brother Sun who led his troops to relieve the siege."

"The four great families of the main planet have always advanced and retreated together," Sun Baihan stated.

"What are you trying to say, Brother Sun?" Yan Yao asked, looking at him. This old fellow, shifting from personal acquaintances to public affairs, was clearly hinting at something.

Huang Chen interjected, "Old Sun wants to know if you're hiding something from us."

Yan Yao smiled. "Why do you say that?"

"It's mainly your attitude towards this young man, Lu Ye; it's a bit... too enthusiastic," Zhou Quan's voice came from the side.

"This young man has deciphered the secret of the ruins' depths," Yan Yao said. "Of course I'd be enthusiastic. Don't you want to know what lies within the ruins?"

"Of course we want to know," Huang Chen replied, "but I can't shake the feeling... that there's more to it than that." Yan Yao's attitude was overly enthusiastic, suggesting it wasn't merely about the ruins.

Yan Yao sighed inwardly. As expected, none of them were easy to deal with, each as shrewd as a thousand-year-old fox. But there were some things he knew that he couldn't reveal without Lu Ye's explicit permission. He didn't truly understand Lu Ye, and if he were to displease Lu Ye by acting on his own initiative, the consequences would be dire. He hesitated for a moment, then could only offer a reminder: "Anyway, no matter what, just give Lu Ye whatever he asks for; you won't go wrong. Even if he asks for your wives to warm his bed, don't even frown!"

The three patriarchs were startled. They knew Yan Yao's character well, but for him to utter such shameless words now implied immense benefits Lu Ye could bring to the four great families. Indeed, it wasn't merely about the ruins! If that was the case, it meant the matter Yan Yao was hinting at was even more significant than the ruins! As they each formed their own conjectures, their expressions gradually shifted to shock.

In the ensuing silence, Huang Chen changed the subject. "Tell me, is this young man Lu Ye at the Fusion Dao stage or the Entry Dao stage?"

"He was already capable of killing Fusion Dao cultivators of the Insect-Blood Alliance earlier," Sun Baihan stated firmly. "How could he still be at the Entry Dao stage? He must have already reached Fusion Dao, and not just an ordinary Fusion Dao cultivator."

"But if he was already at Fusion Dao," Huang Chen countered, "then why would he still need to enter the Dao Pattern Pavilion?"

"Fusion Dao has nine layers, each corresponding to a Dao Pattern," Sun Baihan replied. "Even if he is already at the Fusion Dao stage, he can still gain something by entering the Dao Pattern Pavilion." There was nothing wrong with that statement.

Zhou Quan, however, showed a thoughtful expression. "You might not be aware, but Lu Ye's Dao power has always appeared rather dispersed, lacking the characteristic signs of a Fusion Dao cultivator." Each of the four great families had its own specialization. Although the Zhou family's overall strength was the lowest among the four, they were in charge of human intelligence. As the current patriarch of the Zhou family, Zhou Quan's understanding of Lu Ye was considerably greater than anyone else's.

"Is that so?" Sun Baihan was startled. Although Lu Ye had just flown over with them, he hadn't actually activated his Dao power. Therefore, even though he was close at hand, they hadn't perceived the state of his Dao power. If that were the case, it was unclear whether Lu Ye was at the Entry Dao or Fusion Dao stage.

"Regardless of whether he's at the Entry Dao or Fusion Dao stage," Yan Yao said, "I only know that his strength has improved at an astonishing rate. My Yan family's Yan Hong knows him—I believe you all know this—but at that time, Lu Ye was just an ordinary Entry Dao cultivator. Yet, it wasn't long at all before news gradually spread that he could kill Fusion Dao cultivators of the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and even seventh layers!" What's more, Lu Ye even participated in the contention against a Union Dao cultivator and survived! This was what truly astonished Yan Yao the most. It was important to know that in that battle, their own ancestors had died, and Chen Gushan and He Linglong had suffered immense consumption, damaging their foundations and leaving them frail with age. Yet, Lu Ye was surprisingly unharmed. So what was his true strength? To suggest he was a disguised Fusion Dao cultivator from the start was unrealistic. He initially served under Zi Ying, and her discerning eye wasn't so poor that she wouldn't have noticed. So, at that time, he truly was just an Entry Dao cultivator. Yet, he could soon kill so many Fusion Dao cultivators. This rate of strength improvement was faster than the rate at which ordinary cultivators accumulate Dao power.