Chapter 2364: Return to Splendor

All Dao Enlightenment cultivators preparing to advance to the Dao Integration stage must face two major challenges.

First is the engraving of Dao patterns.

Second is the accumulation of Dao power.

Not to mention the engraving of Dao patterns, which is a difficult problem that anyone preparing to advance to Dao Integration, or even those already at that stage, must face, and not just once.

Even just the accumulation of Dao power is an arduous task for Dao Enlightenment cultivators, as it is not easy for them to acquire Dao power, and the efficiency of doing so, whether through combat or diligent cultivation, is not high.

However, each time Dao patterns are engraved, a large amount of Dao power is consumed.

It can be seen from Chen Wulei's situation alone: even though the plan to cultivate Dao Integration cultivators has been underway for so long, with over eighty Dao Enlightenment cultivators bringing half of their spoils to Chen Wulei, he has only managed a few attempts.

But now, this problem was surprisingly solved with such ease. In less than an hour, his body was completely filled with Dao power, an experience so novel that it made Chen Wulei feel as if he were dreaming.

With the Dao power problem resolved, the only remaining challenge was the Dao patterns.

"Brother Chen, just focus on familiarizing yourself with the Dao patterns; there’s no need to worry about the consumption of Dao power," Lu Ye said. "I will keep replenishing it for you, ensuring you remain in perfect condition."

Chen Wulei took a deep breath, nodded, and replied, "Then I'll trouble you, Brother Lu."

In the past, when he was in the Mecha Starfield, he had some involvement in the path of Spirit Runes. This was because almost all cultivators in the Mecha Starfield were Mecha Masters, and Mecha Masters always used Spirit Runes when crafting their Mechas.

Dao patterns are simply a more advanced term for Spirit Runes. Fundamentally, there is no essential difference between the two; the biggest distinction is that Dao patterns can withstand the impact of Dao power, while Spirit Runes cannot.

Chen Wulei had a foundation in this area, so familiarizing himself with Dao patterns came naturally to him.

Now, he didn't need to worry about the consumption of Dao power, and with Lu Ye personally guiding him, pointing out how to construct the Dao pattern more easily and which fundamental elements required special attention during the process, it became even smoother.

After half a month of this, Chen Wulei was skillfully able to construct the "Common Qi Connected Branches" Dao pattern.

Of course, this level of skill was still negligible compared to Lu Ye, who utilized the Talent Tree, but it already met the requirements for advancing to Dao Integration.

"Brother Lu, thank you. This time, I, Chen, will definitely not disappoint you!" Chen Wulei said, brimming with confidence in the secret chamber.

Lu Ye observed his demeanor, confirmed there were no major issues, and then said, "In any case, don't put too much pressure on yourself. Just do your best!"

"I understand."

"Then I wish Brother Chen all the best!"

Lu Ye walked out of the secret chamber. Before that, the Life Chain had already been lifted.

Gu Yunliu was waiting outside, and as they met, Lu Ye gave a slight nod. Gu Yunliu's heart relaxed; with Lu Ye's reassurance, he also felt much more confident.

As for whether Chen Wulei could successfully advance to Dao Integration, that would depend on the progress of his Dao pattern engraving in the next few days.

After walking a short distance, Lu Ye said, "Domain Lord Gu, I need to go back to Splendor once; I'll return in a few days."

Although Gu Yunliu didn't know exactly what Lu Ye was going back to Splendor for, he had some vague guesses. He smiled slightly and said, "Then I'll await good news from Fellow Daoist Lu."

Lu Ye nodded, flashed out of the war fortress, and headed straight towards the Star Abyss Gate.

Rushing all the way, Lu Ye arrived at the location and stepped into the portal.

A moment later, he returned to the Star Abyss.

At this moment, a large number of Star Abyss creatures were still gathered nearby, but the Star Abyss Gate was completely surrounded by over a thousand Splendor humans. Even though these humans were only at the Dao Enlightenment stage, those Star Abyss creatures with Dao Integration cultivation didn't dare to show any dissatisfaction.

This was because many Dao Integration Peak cultivators stood behind these Splendor humans, and they were not beings to be provoked.

The Splendor humans remaining here were waiting for the Star Abyss Gate to expand, anticipating the moment they could enter the Starfield.

When Lu Ye appeared, many Splendor humans bowed in salute. He gestured slightly, and his divine sense surged, spreading in all directions.

He quickly locked onto a direction and swept towards it.

A moment later, on a desolate star, Lu Ye found Huang Chen, who had just returned from the Inner Realm.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, why are you back again? Is there something you need?"

Huang Chen looked at Lu Ye with some surprise. He knew Lu Ye had already returned to the Starfield but wondered how he had come back so quickly.

And wasn't it said that the Star Abyss Gate couldn't be used by Dao Integration cultivators? What was the situation with Lu Ye?

"I need Patriarch Huang to accompany me back to Splendor once."

"No problem!" Huang Chen readily agreed. He had recently been frequently entering and exiting the Outer and Inner Realms, searching for an opportunity to advance to Dao Conjunction. Although he had no specific clues, he knew that such matters couldn't be rushed.

Anyway, there was still plenty of time, so there was no need to rush this particular moment. Since Lu Ye wanted his company, he naturally wouldn't refuse.

"When do we go back?" Huang Chen asked.

"Now!"

"What do you need me to do?"

"I need Patriarch Huang to contact the Giant race and inform them that I have the ability to take them out of Splendor!"

Lu Ye himself was not very familiar with the Giant race. Although the four great families had new patriarchs after Huang Chen and the others left, their prestige was certainly lacking. Therefore, this matter still needed an elder patriarch like Huang Chen to discuss in person.

This was also why Lu Ye specifically sought him out. He didn't necessarily have to find Huang Chen; any of the others, like Yan Yao, would have been fine. However, the other three seemed to have entered the Inner Realm and were nowhere to be found. So, with only Huang Chen present, the task fell to him.

"What price do they need to pay?" Huang Chen asked.

After all, he was old and shrewd. Although Lu Ye hadn't said anything yet, Huang Chen had already realized that Lu Ye wouldn't tell the Giant race these things for no reason; he must have something to ask for.

"One slot and two hundred Dao artifacts, regardless of quality," Lu Ye replied. "However, the premise is that the departure of the Giant race's powerful cultivators must not affect the overall course of the war within Splendor."

Huang Chen nodded. "Understood," he said. "I will personally go and discuss this with the Giant race; there shouldn't be too much of a problem."

Although two hundred Dao artifacts seemed like a large number, the Giant race's heritage was not shallow, so they could certainly produce them, especially if it meant being able to leave Splendor to pursue Dao Conjunction.

If Lu Ye had proposed this condition to their four patriarchs back then, they would have agreed without hesitation.

Compared to their lifelong pursuit, what were a mere two hundred Dao artifacts?

A moment later, two figures swept towards Splendor, plunging directly into it under many watchful gazes.

In Splendor, war was the eternal, undying melody of the entire Starfield. For tens of thousands of years, the Insect and Blood races had been dedicated to defeating the alliance of humans and giants and unifying the Starfield, but this goal had never been achieved, nor even come close.

Lu Ye brought Huang Chen directly into the Giant race's territory, saving himself travel time.

Leaving Huang Chen to negotiate with the Giant race's faction, Lu Ye's gaze became distant, piercing through the void to look into the far distance.

In a vision unnoticed by others, scene after scene flickered continuously.

These were all scenes he was seeing from various parts of Splendor. As the Lord of Splendor, he could easily do such things by spending a little time and effort.

Originally, he had intended to lock his gaze onto a massive star called Insect Emperor Star.

He had never been to this place, but he knew about it, because Insect Emperor Star and its neighboring Blood Emperor Star were the foundations of the Insect and Blood races.

The status of these two twin stars among the Insect and Blood races was similar to that of the human race's Home Star.

As long as he located these two stars, he could use his convenience as the Lord of Splendor to directly teleport across space.

Then he would find the powerful cultivators of the Insect and Blood races, have a friendly discussion, and borrow a batch of Dao artifacts for use.

But at a certain moment, the scene in Lu Ye's vision suddenly froze, and in a perspective unobserved by others, something flashed past.

Lu Ye immediately showed a surprised expression!

The figure that flashed by just now—why was it so familiar?

He thought he had seen wrong and quickly adjusted his vision to search. Unfortunately, even as the Lord of Splendor, it wasn't easy to search aimlessly for something in such a vast Starfield.

Fortunately, his luck was good, and a moment later, he once again discovered that familiar figure.

This time, the figure's speed wasn't fast; it seemed to be flying leisurely through the void.

Lu Ye finally confirmed that he hadn't seen wrong earlier.

But... how could it be inside Splendor?

Lu Ye thought back carefully and suddenly realized that this creature might have followed him in when he first broke through.

He was momentarily speechless, feeling both amused and helpless. If that was the case, then this creature was truly miserable; having entered Splendor, this cage, it wouldn't be able to get out again.

Fortunately, its speed was extremely fast, so it didn't seem to have any injuries. However, its two large, bulging eyes, like a frog's, showed more confusion and helplessness than the curiosity they had held when first encountered.

It must have also discovered this problem: no matter how fast or in what way it flew, it couldn't get out!

Not bothering with it anymore, Lu Ye refocused his gaze on the direction of Insect Emperor Star and Blood Emperor Star.

After roughly fifteen minutes, ripples surged around him, and he suddenly vanished from his spot.

Insect Emperor Star and Blood Emperor Star were two twin stars, incomparably massive in their true forms, teeming with countless powerful cultivators.

The moment Lu Ye teleported through the void, he immediately sensed numerous powerful auras emanating from these two stars. The auras were like invisible sharp thorns, causing a slight stinging sensation on Lu Ye's skin.

At this moment, Lu Ye suddenly gained insight into many truths he hadn't noticed when his cultivation was lower.

He realized that both the human race and the Insect and Blood races had actually been deliberately controlling the scale of their wars. This was because many powerful cultivators were stationed on both the human race's Home Star and the Insect and Blood Twin Emperor Stars.

Their presence here, of course, wasn't just to guard their own foundations; guarding didn't require so many powerful cultivators. Rather, it was because if one side dispatched more powerful cultivators, the other side would certainly follow suit, and the scale of the war would inevitably grow larger and larger.

If that were truly the case, even Dao Integration Peak cultivators might not dare to say they could certainly protect themselves.

Before one side had an absolute chance of victory, these stationed forces could not be easily deployed into the battlefield.