Chapter 2388: Catastrophic Disaster

After the last Abyss invasion, Yun Shiwang was one of the first cultivators to achieve the Dao Enlightenment stage, and later the Dao Fusion stage. His strength had always been among the foremost in the Starry Sky.

In the final battle then, if Yun Shiwang hadn't been severely wounded, he would certainly have been one of those who sacrificed themselves to merge with a supreme treasure, and regardless of success or failure, he would not have survived.

But because he was severely wounded, he missed the opportunity to sacrifice himself to merge with a supreme treasure.

Before the last Abyss Gate disappeared, the surviving cultivators split into two groups. Yun Shiwang led the group that departed.

As the Old Tree recounted, Yun Shiwang's life slowly unfolded before Lu Ye.

Lu Ye felt a deep sense of admiration.

Two hours later, Lu Ye's true body arrived at the location with Yun Shiwang, his clone having already departed.

Yun Shiwang stepped forward and bowed deeply: "Yun Sheng greets the Old Tree. After years of separation, Yun Sheng has returned as promised!"

Yun Sheng was the name he adopted after entering the cultivation world, symbolizing his new life. However, he only referred to himself by this name among close acquaintances.

In terms of seniority, Yun Shiwang was far superior to Lu Ye, but before the Old Tree, he still dared not act presumptuously, even though he was now a genuine Dao Integration master.

When he left back then, he had sworn an oath before the Old Tree: if the Starry Sky ever faced disaster again, he would surely return.

And now, he had indeed returned!

"Excellent, excellent," the Old Tree was clearly excited. "Yun Sheng, you are indeed a man of your word. I was not wrong about you back then."

Yun Shiwang also recalled the past with deep emotion: "Without the Old Tree, there would be no Yun Sheng today. Yun Sheng would never forget the Old Tree's kindness, no matter where I am."

"You've had a difficult time these past years, haven't you?"

"It wasn't easy, but I've overcome all the ups and downs," Yun Shiwang smiled.

"How are the others?" the Old Tree asked.

Yun Shiwang slowly shook his head: "They're all gone. Among those who left, only I survived. Not long after we left the Starry Sky, we encountered a catastrophe. Over the years, countless battles, big and small, have led to many casualties. I don't even know when all the familiar faces around me disappeared."

He spoke plainly, but both Lu Ye and the Old Tree could deeply feel his bitterness.

Lu Ye had journeyed through the Abyss alone, but that didn't mean he couldn't understand Yun Shiwang's feelings.

Imagine, if he were to venture out with those close to him, and one by one, familiar faces departed, until only he remained alone, how lonely and desolate that would be.

Danger lurked everywhere in the Abyss.

Lu Ye's safe return was due to two factors: first, good luck, as he entered Splendor not long after leaving the Starry Sky; second, his rapid increase in strength. Following a normal cultivator's progress, he might still only be at the Dao Enlightenment stage now, or even if he luckily advanced to Dao Fusion, there wouldn't be much safety to speak of in the Abyss.

As Yun Shiwang and the Old Tree met again after countless years, they naturally had much to say to each other. Lu Ye quietly stood aside.

Yun Shiwang inquired about the current situation in the Starry Sky from the Old Tree. The Old Tree, of course, held nothing back, recounting all the arrangements made since Lu Ye's return, which made Yun Shiwang look at Lu Ye with surprise and admiration.

He had never imagined that a Dao Fusion cultivator like Lu Ye could accomplish such astonishing feats!

In contrast, his generation of Dao Fusion cultivators had been helpless and vexed when facing the Abyss invasion back then.

The current foundation of the Starry Sky was far weaker than it had been. Yet, despite having six major battle zones, the entire Starry Sky was orderly, and even the invading enemies could serve as nourishment for the growth of Starry Sky cultivators!

"I had heard of Splendor many years ago, but never seen it with my own eyes," Yun Shiwang gazed at Lu Ye in astonishment. "For you, young friend, to refine it is truly an extraordinary destiny!"

"It was just luck," Lu Ye said modestly.

There truly was an element of luck. The Nine Infants' death was largely due to the assistance of the Ghost Butterfly. With Lu Ye's strength alone at the time, he wouldn't have had much way to deal with the Nine Infants.

And his acquaintance with the Ghost Butterfly was also a coincidence. His ability to restrain the Ghost Butterfly was precisely because the Ghost Butterfly had used a soul secret technique on him. Had it not been for that soul secret technique, he would have had no chance to cast the Life Chain Dao Pattern on the Ghost Butterfly.

If any single link in that chain had gone wrong, he wouldn't have been able to refine Splendor, and none of these subsequent events would have occurred.

"Given how stable the Starry Sky's situation is now, I can confidently focus on my own affairs," Yun Shiwang said with satisfaction.

"What are your plans?" the Old Tree asked.

Yun Shiwang spoke directly: "Old Tree, I wish to refine a supreme treasure!"

Although the number of supreme treasures in the Starry Sky was not large, there were still several. Putting aside the Old Tree itself, which certainly couldn't be refined, there were also the Heavenly Xuan Sword, the Qiankun Cauldron, the Star Palace, the Profound Frost Mirror, the Creation Vine, the Asura Arena, Mount Fangcun, the Three Treasures Coin...

As far as Lu Ye knew, there were also supreme treasures like the Thousand Peaks Shield, the Tower of Heaven, and the Starry Sky Records.

The Great Wheel of Fortune Lu Ye encountered years ago was actually a type of supreme treasure, though it could also be considered a Starry Sky wonder, a rather unique item.

In the Starry Sky, only supreme treasures could enhance the strength of Dao Integration masters!

Before Yun Shiwang's return, he had expected there would be problems in the Starry Sky requiring his intervention. Now that his direct intervention wasn't needed, he naturally prioritized his own affairs.

If he could successfully refine a supreme treasure, even if he couldn't unleash its full power, it would still provide an immense boost to his strength.

He was indeed a Dao Integration master, but in a place like the Abyss, supreme treasures were beyond his reach. Only in the Starry Sky did he have this opportunity.

"Which supreme treasure do you intend to refine?" the Old Tree asked.

Yun Shiwang naturally had some understanding of the various supreme treasures in the Starry Sky. He slowly began: "From my personal preference, I would most hope to refine Mount Fangcun or the Asura Arena, because these two treasures are versatile for both offense and defense, making them the best choices."

Lu Ye, who had been standing quietly beside them, couldn't help but look up at Yun Shiwang.

"It's a pity that Mount Fangcun was shattered back then, and it's also the birthplace of the Pixie race, so it's not easy to refine. As for the Asura Arena, only those with the Heavenly Asura bloodline can control it, so it's not something I can covet." Yun Shiwang sighed slightly. "Therefore, I intend to refine the Heavenly Xuan Sword."

Since neither Mount Fangcun nor the Asura Arena was easy to refine, he had to settle for a secondary option. Relatively speaking, the Heavenly Xuan Sword was an offensive supreme treasure and a sword type. If he could truly refine it, Yun Shiwang's strength would undoubtedly increase by a significant margin.

The Old Tree said: "If you have a plan, then proceed, but... supreme treasures shouldn't be that easy to refine, should they?"

Yun Shiwang gave a bitter smile: "It's very difficult."

For him, the chance of refining a supreme treasure might be less than one in a hundred.

This was calculated based on his current cultivation level, which showed the difficulty of refining a supreme treasure. Furthermore, during the refining process, he could very likely suffer a backlash from the treasure's power.

But even so, Yun Shiwang decided to give it a try!

"Senior, I have a few questions," Lu Ye, who had been standing quietly aside, suddenly spoke.

"Speak," Yun Shiwang looked at him kindly. He undoubtedly admired Lu Ye, this rising star. His generation had protected the Starry Sky back then, and now Lu Ye had taken up their mantle, safeguarding the peace of the Starry Sky.

From this perspective, they could be considered kindred spirits.

"How was Mount Fangcun shattered back then?" Lu Ye asked. The more he cultivated, the more perplexed he became about this matter.

What he currently understood was that the Blood Ancestor had shattered Mount Fangcun.

He hadn't doubted it before, but looking back now, it clearly didn't add up.

Mount Fangcun was a supreme treasure. What kind of strength did the Blood Ancestor possess to be able to shatter a supreme treasure? If she truly had such power, the Starry Sky would have ceased to exist long ago, and she wouldn't have died in battle within the Starry Sky.

He had asked the Old Tree about this matter later, but the Old Tree couldn't explain it clearly, because the Old Tree's knowledge was actually limited, and he hadn't personally participated in the great war back then.

So he could only ask Yun Shiwang, who should be very familiar with the matter.

"A drop of blood!" Yun Shiwang's expression turned grave.

"A drop of blood?" Lu Ye frowned. This reminded him of the drop of precious blood he had seen in the core of Mount Fangcun back then.

That was left by the Blood Ancestor in the core. After countless years, that drop of blood had even developed sentience, and was eventually refined by Lu Ye.

"That was a drop of Saint Blood! It was bestowed by the Blood Race's Saint Venerable, and brought into the Starry Sky by a Blood Race Dao Integration master."

Lu Ye was greatly startled: "A Blood Race Dao Integration master invaded the Starry Sky last time?"

"Yes, that was the only Dao Integration master who invaded! She was incomparably massive and one of the Blood Servants under the Blood Race Saint Venerable. The Blood Race Saint Venerable likely has many Blood Servants like her, whose main task is to invade various Starry Skies and search for supreme treasures."

The Blood Ancestor was a Blood Servant... Lu Ye was momentarily stunned.

He had imagined many possibilities, but never this one.

Such a powerful Blood Ancestor was merely a Blood Servant? How powerful then must the so-called Blood Race Saint Venerable be?

While many blood race members in the Starry Sky with a sacred nature were called Saint Venerables, their Saint Venerable was absolutely different from the Saint Venerable Yun Shiwang referred to.

"That Blood Ancestor Dao Integration master brought a drop of Saint Blood, attempting to refine Mount Fangcun with it. This triggered a backlash from Mount Fangcun, which severely wounded that Dao Integration master and simultaneously shattered the supreme treasure itself. Had it not been for this, the Starry Sky's power at the time would have been insufficient to kill that Blood Race member."

So, Mount Fangcun was not shattered by the Blood Ancestor at all, but rather shattered itself. It must have instinctively protected the Pixie race, because after shattering, it could trap that drop of Saint Blood in its core, otherwise all Pixies would have turned into Blood Race members.

These ancient secrets, if not recounted by a direct participant, would have been impossible to uncover the truth of.

However, Lu Ye finally understood why his sacred nature could easily suppress those Blood Race powerhouses stronger than himself.

He had previously only thought that the Blood Ancestor was strong enough.

The Blood Ancestor was indeed powerful, and her Dao Integration cultivation was certainly not weak, but what was truly powerful was that drop of Saint Blood!

As Lu Ye tried to process this information, Yun Shiwang's brow suddenly furrowed.

Immediately, his expression changed drastically, and he shot to his feet!

"What's wrong?" the Old Tree hastily asked.

Lu Ye also looked up at him.

Yun Shiwang, however, was pale, his body trembling, his eyes filled with a look of agony: "Old Tree, I... I've caused a disaster!"