Chapter 2355: Returning Home Eagerly

As time went on and Dao power was continuously consumed, the Pan Mountain Saber gradually provided Lu Ye with increasing power enhancements: one Dao, two Dao, five Dao, ten Dao... Over a full seven months, this enhancement reached the level of twenty Dao.

Such efficiency was unimaginable for ordinary Dao Integration cultivators. This was primarily because Lu Ye was willing to invest a vast amount of Dao power, thereby saving a significant amount of time. Any other Dao Integration cultivator would not possess Lu Ye's level of Dao power reserves.

The Pan Mountain Saber's enhancement could not be amplified by Dao Patterns, meaning its twenty Dao of power were not considered part of Lu Ye's fundamental wieldable Dao power. Furthermore, as the Pan Mountain Saber was an offensive Dao artifact, it only boosted Lu Ye's destructive power and provided no defensive benefits.

Simply put, after Lu Ye broke through to the second stage of Dao Integration, his fundamental wieldable Dao power was 280 Dao, and his true combat strength was 336 Dao. When wielding the Pan Mountain Saber to fight enemies, he could unleash 356 Dao of power. However, the strength of his personal defensive Dao power remained at 336 and would not be altered by the Dao artifact.

For Lu Ye, this was not a significant concern. His defensive Dao power of over 300 Dao was so strong that at the Dao Integration level, even one or two peak Dao Integration cultivators working together would struggle to break through it, unless there were more of them.

At this point, Lu Ye slowed the nurturing of the Pan Mountain Saber, as he needed to reserve enough Dao power. Nurturing a Dao artifact was never an overnight process; he could continue doing so even while traveling, and a slightly lower efficiency was acceptable as long as it was persistent.

Seven months had passed...

Calculating the time, the 150 Dao Integration cultivators who had gone out to explore should have all begun their return journey and had already been traveling back for a month. Therefore, he would only need to wait at most another five months for the dispatched Dao Integration cultivators to return. He was unsure if this exploration had yielded any results and could only wait.

A few days later, Lu Ye, who was meditating on a meteorite, suddenly opened his eyes and looked in a certain direction. From that direction, a streak of light was rapidly approaching. Lu Ye quickly stood up. Even though he had weathered many storms, he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement upon seeing the streak of light. Someone had actually returned at this point.

Lu Ye's heart skipped a beat. He knew that any cultivator returning at this time had either encountered difficulties preventing further exploration, or had... made a discovery! Lu Ye didn't know which it was. As the streak of light drew closer, Lu Ye perceived no signs of injury on the cultivator, and his excitement grew. Could it be...

"Yan Ping greets Fellow Daoist Lu!"

The approaching person swept forward and bowed with cupped fists.

Lu Ye returned the greeting, suppressing his excitement, and asked, "Fellow Daoist, did something happen on your way back at this time?"

Yan Ping shook his head, "Nothing significant happened. It's just that during my exploration, I discovered a region with star patterns that are remarkably similar to what you recorded in your jade slip. However, I wasn't sure if it was correct, so I returned for you to examine it."

Lu Ye's heart pounded wildly, but he kept his voice as steady as possible. "Fellow Daoist, you must have recorded the star patterns of that area, right?"

"Of course!" Yan Ping replied, taking out a jade slip and handing it to Lu Ye.

Lu Ye took it, immersed his divine sense within, and carefully examined the contents, comparing them against the memories in his mind. A moment later, he beamed with joy and couldn't help but laugh. "This is it! Fellow Daoist Yan Ping, right? Well done, truly well done! I, Lu, owe you a favor. In the future, if you have any needs, just tell me. As long as it's within my power, I will certainly not decline."

Yan Ping waved his hand, "You're too kind, Fellow Daoist. This exploration was carried out under the family patriarch's orders, so there's no need for thanks. Besides, if I wish to leave the Variegated realm in the future, I will still need your help."

"It's different," Lu Ye said, shaking his head. "For you, this exploration might be a minor task, but for me, it's paramount, as it concerns my path home and the safety of an entire Starry Sky. Regardless, if you ever need help in the future, don't hesitate to ask."

Yan Ping didn't stand on ceremony. He grinned, "Then I'll keep that in mind."

"You certainly should!"

Lu Ye hadn't expected to find the way home so smoothly, but he also felt a slight sense of trepidation. Judging from the direction Yan Ping had returned from, if the Variegated realm had continued to drift for another half a year before starting the exploration, they would very likely have missed it. If that had happened, Lu Ye would never have found his way back again. Perhaps he would find it one day, but that might be many years in the future.

After chatting with Yan Ping for a long time, Lu Ye became increasingly certain that the furthest point of Yan Ping's exploration was a place Lu Ye had once passed through. So, things were simple now: they just needed to slightly adjust the Variegated realm's direction and then follow Yan Ping's return route to reach that location. Once they reached that location, the direction would become clear!

Yan Ping took seven months from the start of his exploration until his return. This meant that the familiar location Lu Ye sought was three and a half months' journey from the furthest point Yan Ping reached. The Variegated realm's drifting speed was not as fast as a Dao Integration cultivator's flight, so traveling that distance might take more than half a year. However, not all the cultivators who went out to explore had returned yet, so they still needed to wait. But Lu Ye's mood lightened considerably; after all, the biggest problem had been resolved.

Yan Ping was undoubtedly a cultivator from the Yan family. His cultivation wasn't exceptionally high, only reaching the fifth stage of Dao Integration. He had also begun nurturing his own Dao artifact. He clearly mistook Lu Ye's cultivation as very high and began to seek his advice on the matter. If it had been earlier, Lu Ye genuinely wouldn't have been able to offer much insight. But now, he had many insights to share.

Five months passed swiftly. The cultivators who had gone out to explore returned one after another, including Lu Ye's Talent Tree clone. They waited another half month.

The four family patriarchs stood shoulder to shoulder with Lu Ye.

"How many are still missing?" Lu Ye asked.

Yan Yao replied, "None from the four great families are missing, but five cultivators from other small and medium-sized families are."

"Should we wait any longer?" Lu Ye asked.

If they hadn't returned by now, these five missing Dao Integration cultivators had either encountered danger on their journey and perished, or had permanently left the Variegated realm and chose not to return. This was normal, and Lu Ye was mentally prepared for it. Everyone had their own self-interests and ambitions. No matter how much they were instructed beforehand or how strongly they expressed their commitment, once they truly had boundless freedom, thoughts of venturing out would inevitably arise in their minds. He had originally worried that the direction explored by the unreturned cultivators might have been the correct one. If so, they would have truly missed their chance, as one exploration took a year, and he couldn't very well ask people to explore again. But now that Yan Ping had brought back good news, those concerns were gone.

"No need to wait," Huang Chen said.

"Then let's continue our journey," Lu Ye said, looking at the four family patriarchs. "Please lead them back into the Variegated realm. As per our previous agreement, once I have settled the Variegated realm, you may leave and attempt to advance to the Dao Confluence stage. Should anyone else wish to leave the Variegated realm to advance to Dao Confluence later, your families can collectively discuss and decide."

Huang Chen nodded, "No problem."

Lu Ye personally gave them further instructions on precautions for entering the Variegated realm. A moment later, numerous Dao Integration cultivators flashed and swept into the Variegated realm, disappearing from sight. Lu Ye then handed the jade pendant he had previously refined to the four family patriarchs, who then entered the Variegated realm.

The bustling activity ceased, and Lu Ye was once again alone. But this time, he was no longer confused; there was only one definite direction in his heart!

Activating his Dao power, he steered the Variegated realm to drift in the direction Yan Ping had returned from. Yan Ping was undoubtedly very meticulous. He had recorded not only the star patterns at the furthest point of his exploration but also those along the entire route. So, even without his direct guidance, with only Lu Ye and the star charts for comparison, he didn't have to worry about going off course!

To shorten the journey, Lu Ye significantly increased the Variegated realm's drifting speed this time. This would create some difficulties for subsequent docking, but as long as Lu Ye slowed down in advance, there would be no problem.

Before long, another half a year had passed, and Lu Ye finally saw familiar star patterns! He looked around, carefully recalling: wasn't this the very place he had passed through a month before he became trapped in the Variegated realm?

The reason he became trapped in the Variegated realm back then was primarily because, while fleeing from a pursuing Insectoid Dao Integration cultivator, the location where his Talent Tree clone was hidden was swallowed by the passing Variegated realm. As his Talent Tree clone could not be lost, he directly pursued it into the Variegated realm, which resulted in a situation with no apparent exit. Only then did his various encounters within the Variegated realm begin.

Calculating the time, he actually hadn't explored the Star Abyss for very long before becoming trapped in the Variegated realm. A few months after leaving Qing Palace, he encountered a group of Dao Entry cultivators led by Lady Qing Yu. That was his first time seeing a Dao Pool and Dao Fish, and it was there that he killed his first Dao Integration cultivator. Within a few months of separating from Lady Qing Yu and the other Dao Entry cultivators, he became trapped in the Variegated realm.

So, this location was actually not far from Qing Palace! At that time, he only possessed the strength of twenty-some Dao, and he traveled cautiously and slowly through the Star Abyss, at a speed far slower than the current drifting speed of the Variegated realm.

Almost home!

Lu Ye was eager to return home, constantly urging his Dao power to guide the Variegated realm's progress. Half a month further, Lu Ye's expression changed. He had a familiar feeling. It was as if, far ahead, something was subtly guiding him, urging him to go and investigate. The Star Abyss Summons!

Wherever there was a Star Abyss Gate or a location where one was about to open, there would be a Star Abyss Summons. Lu Ye had experienced this before, so he was naturally familiar with it. The range of the Star Abyss Summons was vast; any Star Abyss creature passing within it would be summoned to gather. The source of this Star Abyss Summons was, without a doubt, the Star Abyss Gate that connected to the Starry Sky.

When Lu Ye left the Starry Sky back then, six Star Abyss Gates had already opened throughout it. In order of their opening, they were the Myriad Forms Sea, Illusion Extinction Star System, Profound Frost Star System, Rippling Cloud Star System, Heavenly Gang Star System, and Everlasting Moon Star System. The Star Abyss Gate on Qing Palace's side connected to the Illusion Extinction Star System. When Lu Ye returned to the Starry Sky with Jiu Yan and others back then, they entered through Illusion Extinction.