Chapter 2393: 融道 Five Realms

The Insect and Blood clans, having suffered immense losses, were in an unenviable position. Even though they knew this was Lu Ye's doing, they couldn't even get to see him, making it impossible to ascertain his motives.

Yet, Lu Ye had explicitly stated earlier that he would not directly interfere in the conflicts within Banyan.

Now, however, this horrifying slaughter seemed intent on completely annihilating both the Insect and Blood clans.

The entire Insect and Blood clan camp was plunged into constant fear and helplessness. The feeling of a blade suspended over their necks was agonizing, akin to being slowly tortured.

Fortunately, the slaughter only lasted for a few days.

Just as abruptly as it began, the slaughter ended without warning. From start to finish, no one in Banyan had seen Lu Ye; those who did were already dead.

After several more days of anxious waiting with no further activity, the Insect and Blood clans finally confirmed that Lu Ye's killing had ceased.

He wasn't trying to annihilate the two clans, but for some unknown reason, he had wiped out a large number of their cultivators. For a time, the high-ranking members of both clans even suspected they might have done something wrong or inadvertently provoked him.

It was this slaughter that led Lu Ye to discover something.

The Talent Tree had a limit on its reserve of Dao power.

The exact figure was unclear, but it was approximately one million. This meant the Talent Tree could only store about a million units of Dao power; any excess could not be reserved.

It was precisely this discovery that stopped him from continuing the slaughter; otherwise, even more of the Insect and Blood clans would have suffered.

In the preceding days, he had been killing enemies while refining Dao bones. When the Talent Tree's Dao power reserve reached its limit, he still had a significant surplus of Dao bones.

Time was pressing; there was no room for delay.

He immediately entered the ruins and began inscribing Dao patterns.

His last advancement to the third stage of Dao Integration had been over half a year ago. While he hadn't felt an urgent need to improve his strength, he was now compelled to take this step.

With three previous successful experiences, Lu Ye was naturally adept at inscribing Dao patterns.

The pain during the process was negligible. After expending hundreds of thousands of Dao power, he successfully advanced to the fourth stage of Dao Integration.

Normally, the difficulty in advancing Dao Integration lay in inscribing Dao patterns. While enduring soul-piercing pain, one had to fully inscribe the Dao patterns into the Dao bones. This was a very difficult task, as even a slight misstep could lead to complete failure.

However, with the assistance of the Talent Tree, there was no possibility of Lu Ye failing to inscribe Dao patterns. As long as he maintained his composure and avoided human error, he would succeed.

At the fourth stage of Dao Integration, the basic Dao power he could control increased to 320 units. With the fourth-level Dao pattern's amplification, he could unleash nearly 450 units of destructive power. Including the Crag Blade, this would add another 30 units.

This advancement of a minor realm undoubtedly brought a significant increase in Lu Ye's overall strength, far exceeding the growth typically seen in Dao Integration advancements.

But...

It wasn't enough!

He didn't know how strong the Harmonious Dao cultivators invading from the Star Abyss Gate would be, but his current strength was definitely insufficient to contend with the incoming enemies.

He needed a higher cultivation realm and greater power!

Therefore, Lu Ye didn't hesitate at all. Almost immediately after advancing to the fourth stage of Dao Integration, he once again began inscribing the Divine Edge Dao patterns into his Dao bones.

Generally, after an initial advancement, Dao Integration cultivators need to nourish their bones to ensure the success rate of their next breakthrough. In cultivation, haste often makes waste.

Lu Ye could afford to wait, but the Starry Sky could not. His purpose in coming to Banyan this time was to raise his strength to its maximum possible extent.

If the fourth stage of Dao Integration wasn't enough, then it had to be the fifth.

It was simply a matter of inscribing Dao patterns into his Dao bones twice in a short period. While other Dao Integration cultivators couldn't achieve this, he might not be unable to.

He could even multitask, taking out all his remaining Dao bones and frantically refining them.

Based on the previous consumption of Dao power, the Talent Tree's remaining Dao power reserve might not be sufficient for the next Dao pattern inscription.

With the replenishment from refining Dao bones, the depletion rate of the Talent Tree's Dao power reserve significantly slowed, even reaching a state of balance.

Time passed, and Lu Ye was drenched in sweat, yet his expression remained calm as water.

All the Dao bones had been refined. A moment later, Lu Ye finally let out a long breath.

Immersing his consciousness, he examined his Dao bones, seeing them layered one upon another, gradually covered by five layers of Divine Edge Dao patterns.

After a brief sensation, he found that at the fifth stage of Dao Integration, the basic Dao power he could control had reached 340 units. With the amplification of the five-layered Dao patterns, the destructive power he could unleash now soared to 510 units!

Compared to his previous third stage of Dao Integration, the current improvement was clearly significant.

Yun Shiwang had stated that Harmonious Dao cultivators possessed at least 300 units of power, not even counting their Dao artifacts. The strongest Harmonious Dao cultivator he had encountered even possessed 1,000 units of power.

Of course, this was the strength Harmonious Dao cultivators could exhibit on their own. If they were within the range covered by the Star Abyss aura, their strength would increase significantly.

From this perspective, Lu Ye's current power of 510 units was still not much, but at least it should be able to play some role.

He didn't know how strong Yun Shiwang was, but this individual had experienced the previous Star Abyss invasion and had lived for an unknown number of years; his strength certainly wouldn't be weak.

Yun Shiwang would be the primary force, and he the auxiliary. This sudden Starry Sky crisis could only be resolved by the two of them.

If possible, Lu Ye wanted to break through to the sixth, seventh, or even eighth stage of Dao Integration. In Banyan, this enormous treasure trove, he would not lack Dao power.

Although wanton slaughter would disrupt Banyan's balance, Lu Ye would not do so unless absolutely forced. However, with the safety of the Starry Sky at stake, he could no longer afford to worry about such things.

However, Lu Ye could no longer continue to advance his cultivation in a short time.

Inscribing Dao patterns into his Dao bones twice without interruption was already his limit. He had no time to nourish his bones, and continuing would only be counterproductive. At that point, Lu Ye might possess the cultivation realm but be unable to freely engage in combat.

If that were the case, what good would it be even if he truly reached the eighth or ninth stage of Dao Integration?

He checked the Talent Tree's Dao power reserve. The substantial amount of several hundred thousand units of Dao power gave Lu Ye some confidence.

He immediately set off, leaving the ruins through the exit, and upon exiting Banyan, quickly rushed towards the Star Abyss Gate.

At the same time, his Dao power surged and poured into the Crag Blade.

While his cultivation realm couldn't be further improved in a short time, there was still room for his strength to grow: by nurturing his Dao artifact!

Previously, he had nurtured the Crag Blade to 30 units, so there was still room for improvement.

The Crag Blade was not a treasured artifact. Theoretically, its nurturing limit was 49 units. Therefore, at this moment, he was nurturing it as quickly as possible, regardless of Dao power consumption, simply aiming to reach its limit in a short time. If he succeeded, his strength would increase even further.

Burning with impatience, he flashed into the Star Abyss Gate. Ten days later, Lu Ye returned to the Starry Sky. While the change in his strength couldn't be called earth-shattering, it was immense. A full 120 units of power had increased. While this might not seem significant purely in terms of numbers, if the Lu Ye of ten days ago stood before him today, he wouldn't even withstand a single strike!

"Tree Elder, how are things?" Lu Ye asked immediately upon entering the Starry Sky.

The Samsara Tree imprint on the back of his hand appeared, and Tree Elder's voice resonated: "Not long after you left, Yun Sheng also dealt with his opponent and rushed to the Star Abyss Gate in the Puling galaxy. Fortunately, he arrived in time. Soon after, more enemies invaded, but their strength seemed subpar, and he has already dealt with them."

Upon hearing this, Lu Ye felt a slight sense of relief. What he feared most was another enemy invasion before Yun Shiwang reached the Star Abyss Gate. That interim period was when their defenses were weakest, and if the enemy exploited this vulnerability, it would be very troublesome. At that time, he was in Banyan, and Yun Shiwang was alone, facing a dilemma: should he guard the Star Abyss Gate or pursue the enemies?

Fortunately, this did not happen.

"It's just that Yun Sheng's mood isn't quite right," Tree Elder added.

Lu Ye's brows furrowed slightly.

He likely knew why Yun Shiwang was like this.

He recalled taking Yun Shiwang to meet Tree Elder. Old friends reunited after a long separation, seemingly enjoying a pleasant conversation. Yet, Yun Shiwang had suddenly looked as if he had been struck by lightning, murmuring about having caused some disaster.

His so-called disaster was undoubtedly the opening of the Star Abyss Gate!

Lu Ye quickly realized the problem. There was no such coincidence in the world that a Star Abyss Gate would just happen to open before Yun Shiwang, allowing him to return to the Starry Sky after countless years of separation.

Therefore, that Star Abyss Gate must have been opened by Yun Shiwang himself!

Lu Ye didn't know why he would do such a thing. With Yun Shiwang's experience and knowledge, he surely knew that once the Star Abyss Gate was opened, it would leave a flaw in the Starry Sky, a flaw that would become the catalyst for its destruction.

Did Yun Shiwang want to destroy the Starry Sky?

Clearly not. He had a strong attachment to the Starry Sky and took pride in having been able to protect it in the past. He certainly didn't wish for the Starry Sky to suffer any calamity.

Yet he still left a flaw in the Starry Sky!

Lu Ye carefully recalled. Before Yun Shiwang suddenly reacted, he himself hadn't even realized this. But by the time he realized it, it was too late.

For a Harmonious Dao cultivator, this was simply unbelievable. How could Yun Shiwang not have realized what he was doing before returning to the Starry Sky?

His return would trigger a new calamity for the Starry Sky, one more severe than any before.

Lu Ye suddenly recalled the intermittent palpitations he had experienced some time ago. After realizing his identity as a Child of the Star Abyss and its constraints, he had stopped killing enemies in areas shrouded by the Star Abyss aura. Yet, that feeling of palpitation had not completely disappeared.

He had never been clear about what was happening, but now, it seemed it might be related to Yun Shiwang's return.

He needed to find Yun Shiwang and have a good talk with him!

From Illusion's End to Puling, Lu Ye spent several more days. Upon arrival, he saw Yun Shiwang meditating in the distance.

Lu Ye immediately looked towards the Star Abyss Gate, then was astonished to find that it had closed again.