Chapter 2352: Melding the Dao

Lu Ye's consumption of Dao power was significantly higher than what cultivators at the "Entering Dao" stage typically needed to inscribe Dao patterns. This was because he had to engrave the Dao pattern into every single Dao bone throughout his body, resulting in a nearly geometric increase in Dao power consumption compared to ordinary cultivators. Fortunately, his abundant Dao power reserves were sufficient to sustain the process.

As time passed, the fundamental elements of the "Divine Edge" Dao pattern were meticulously engraved within each of his Dao bones. Until, at a certain point, the final fundamental element was completed, linking back to the very first one Lu Ye had inscribed. The entire "Divine Edge" Dao pattern, within the Dao bones of his body, formed a perfect closed loop.

In that instant, Lu Ye felt his entire being had transformed. Dao Integration! Success!

There was no grand phenomenon; it occurred quietly. The successful inscription of the Dao pattern marked the moment a cultivator truly advanced from the "Entering Dao" stage to the "Dao Integration" level.

Lu Ye remained seated, not moving from his spot. The pain, akin to ten thousand ants gnawing at his bones, seemed to linger, sending a shiver through him at the mere thought, but ultimately, it was just a lingering illusion.

A quick check of his Dao power reserves left Lu Ye gasping. This advancement in cultivation had cost him over 200,000 units of Dao power—a truly staggering consumption. To put it in perspective, the maximum Dao power reserve for an average "Entering Dao" cultivator is merely one thousand. This means that a typical advancement from "Entering Dao" to "Dao Integration" uses, at most, this amount of Dao power. Compared to Lu Ye's expenditure, that amount was negligible; the difference between them was well over a hundredfold. Lu Ye couldn't help but feel that his cultivation path was becoming increasingly unorthodox, a path no one else could possibly emulate.

Slowly opening his eyes, Lu Ye gently clenched his fist. Normally, when cultivators advance from "Entering Dao" to "Dao Integration," their fundamental capacity to wield Dao power significantly increases. For instance, a newly advanced first-level "Dao Integration" cultivator can wield twenty units of Dao power, up from nine at the "Entering Dao" stage. This increases to thirty for the second level, and so on, reaching one hundred Dao power at the ninth level. While the numerical increase from nine to twenty might not seem huge, for an "Entering Dao" cultivator previously limited to wielding only nine units of power, it represented an immense leap. Thus, Lu Ye was eager to discover how much his capacity to wield Dao power had increased following his advancement to "Dao Integration."

However, his brows quickly furrowed. Before advancing, he could wield 240 units of Dao power. Yet, after his breakthrough, it was only 260? This increase was barely better than what an ordinary "Entering Dao" cultivator experienced. This wasn't right! Others with just five Dao bones could gain more than ten units of power, so why did he, with over two hundred Dao bones, experience such a meager increase? While he knew that the higher one's base capacity for wielding Dao power, the harder it became to improve, such a minuscule increase was simply preposterous. A more detailed assessment confirmed that the Dao power he could now wield was indeed approximately 260 units.

His cultivation path was virtually unprecedented, leaving him with no point of comparison. After a period of dissatisfaction, Lu Ye finally resigned himself to the fact that his advancement had only resulted in an increase of roughly twenty units of power. It seemed it was indeed because his fundamental capacity for wielding Dao power was already so high that, despite his large number of Dao bones, further improvements were difficult.

However, this didn't mean Lu Ye's current combat strength was limited to 260 units! The amplification from the Dao pattern allowed the Dao power he wielded in combat to become more condensed, unleashing greater destructive force. This characteristic of condensation was the hallmark of "Dao Integration"; in contrast, the Dao power of the "Entering Dao" stage was quite dispersed. A single layer of Dao pattern provided an approximate ten percent boost, bringing his effective strength to 286 units of Dao power!

If Sun Yan were still alive and stood before him, Lu Ye could undoubtedly defeat him now. Whether he could kill him remained uncertain, as their strength difference wasn't vast, and Sun Yan surely possessed his own life-saving abilities. Individuals like Sun Yan had already cultivated to the very peak of the Dao Integration stage. However, Lu Ye was only just beginning his journey at the Dao Integration level, and he could look forward to an even brighter future. If each minor realm advancement granted him an increase of twenty units of fundamental Dao power, then upon reaching the ninth level of Dao Integration, Lu Ye would be able to wield an astonishing 460 units of fundamental Dao power! And with the amplification from nine layers of Dao patterns… a Dao Integration cultivator wielding nearly 900 units of power — how terrifying!

The future looked promising. Lu Ye's mood also brightened.

He checked his Dao power; his reserves were still quite abundant, meaning he could continue cultivating for further advancement without issue. However, Lu Ye decided against inscribing more Dao patterns immediately. In cultivation, rushing often leads to setbacks. Not only did he need time to acclimate to his newfound strength, but repeated inscriptions on the Dao bones in quick succession could also potentially damage them. It would be best to recuperate for several months.

Standing up and changing into clean clothes, Lu Ye walked to the other side, where the portal leading out of the ruins was located.

Moments later, Lu Ye emerged outside the Splendid, surveying his surroundings. After resolving the issues in Boundless City that day, he had steered the Splendid to drift in the opposite direction. Subsequently, he was drawn into a cosmic fragment to participate in the "Son of Star Abyss" competition, which consumed approximately nine months. Following that, it took Lu Ye nearly a year to return to the Splendid because he encountered a star system invaded by the Star Abyss along the way. He was delayed for some time awaiting the opening of the Star Abyss Gate to send Su Yan inside.

From his return to the Splendid until now, nearly three years had passed. This meant the Splendid had been drifting in reverse for just under five years in total. This period was roughly equivalent to the time between his departure from the Azure Palace and his resolution of the Boundless City issues. If his initial calculations for the direction were correct, then the Splendid should have been steadily approaching the Starry Sky Gate where the Azure Palace was located. By his calculations, they should be nearing the region he had once passed through, or at least not far from it. In his earlier travels, before encountering the Splendid, Lu Ye had always meticulously recorded nearby celestial phenomena, hoping to one day use them to find his way back home. However, after becoming trapped within the Splendid, he could no longer continue these recordings.

Lu Ye hoped to spot some familiar celestial phenomena he had previously recorded, but unfortunately, he found nothing. Had they not arrived yet, or had their direction strayed? If they simply hadn't arrived yet, that was fine; he could just wait a bit longer. But if their direction had been off, the trouble would be immense! Even a small deviation could lead to a massive error over time.

Lu Ye frowned. Having now advanced to Dao Integration, with over 280 units of strength, he possessed ample power to protect his own star system, making him incredibly eager to return home. But what good was high cultivation if he couldn't find his way back to his star system?

Lu Ye considered venturing out to investigate himself, but even with his Talent Tree avatars, he only had two operatives at his disposal. In this environment, his Blood Avatar was of little use. Relying on just two individuals for an aimless search would clearly yield no results. He needed more personnel, dispersed in all directions to conduct a thorough search.

Gradually, a plan began to form in Lu Ye's mind. He flashed and re-entered the Splendid. He reappeared near Boundless City and looked up towards the depths of the void. The Splendid was undoubtedly a treasure trove. For his future cultivation, he would certainly require a vast number of Dao bones, and relying solely on arduous cultivation for accumulation would be too slow. Therefore, the Insect and Blood races within the Splendid presented the best solution.

The Splendid contained numerous cultivators from both the Insect and Blood races. With proper management, these races could provide an inexhaustible supply of Dao bones, but only if they weren't over-exploited. With his current strength, Lu Ye was virtually unstoppable within the Splendid. If he wished, he could lead the Human and Giant races to completely annihilate the Insect and Blood races. While it might require some effort and time, achieving this outcome would undoubtedly be possible. However, he had no such intention. Unless absolutely necessary, he had no plans to interfere in the Splendid's conflicts again.

The current alliance between the Human and Giant races against the Insect and Blood races maintained a crucial balance. This equilibrium had persisted for tens of thousands of years, and it was best to allow it to continue. This way, new talents from the Human and Giant races would have a battlefield to hone their skills, gradually growing stronger as long as they possessed sufficient power. The Insect and Blood races would also continuously produce new generations. Annihilating the Insect and Blood races would not, in fact, eliminate conflict. The Human and Giant races would undoubtedly turn on each other, and even if the Giant race were destroyed, internal disputes would still arise within the Human race. The inherent nature of living beings is to compete and seek dominance.

Furthermore, Lu Ye had another idea that required leveraging the current situation within the Splendid, but that was a future concern. His immediate priority was to return to his own star system. He returned to Boundless City, where he found Chen Gushan and He Linglong. After a detailed discussion with them, his plan began to solidify.

Less than half a day later, the patriarchs of the four great families—Huang, Yan, Sun, and Zhou—received Chen Gushan's summons and promptly arrived. In a guest hall, they exchanged greetings. The four patriarchs sensed that Lu Ye seemed different again, subtly intuiting that his strength must have considerably increased over the past few years. After all, Lu Ye had previously spent time observing the Dao Pattern Pavilions of their respective families, so it was only natural for him to have made gains.

“Daoist Friend, may I ask the purpose of this summons?” Huang Chen inquired.

Lu Ye's gaze swept over the four. “Haven't you always wanted to know what secrets lie hidden deep within the ruins?” he said calmly.

His words were plain, yet they sent ripples through Huang Chen's heart. Yan Zhixing, the only one aware of the truth, raised an eyebrow, secretly wondering if Lu Ye intended to reveal everything. If so, it would mean Lu Ye was willing to open the passage leading out of the Splendid. Regardless, this was good news for him, as he could leverage this opportunity to leave the Splendid and pursue the legendary Dao Harmonization realm.

Despite their inner excitement, the patriarchs were all composed individuals and naturally did not show undue eagerness. Huang Chen stated, “Indeed, all we currently know is that the trials within the ruins have ceased to function. Inside the ruins are merely two grand halls, and deep within one of them lies a destroyed statue of the Nine Infants. Beyond that, there are only two mysterious passages, whose destinations remain unknown.”