Chapter 2400: Repairing the Star Abyss Gate

Lu Ye clearly saw the crowd. He turned his head, glanced their way, and slowly nodded in acknowledgment, without breaking his stride as he approached the Star Abyss Gate.

Twenty years of meticulous planning and preparation had led to this very day. He had expected to feel anxious, but in fact, his mind was exceptionally calm. He knew he had already put in his utmost effort, and if even that wasn't enough to repair the Star Abyss Gate, he would have no regrets. During Master Yun's final ten years guarding the Star Abyss Gate, there was still a way out for the beings of the starry sky: those who needed to migrate would do so, and certain things would have to be abandoned.

Upon reaching the Star Abyss Gate, Lu Ye manipulated the Blood Ancestor's corpse to sit down cross-legged. Compared to the colossal corpse, the diminutive Star Abyss Gate appeared as nothing more than a faint flicker of light, yet this seemingly insignificant point was precisely the origin of the greatest catastrophe threatening the starry sky.

The Blood Ancestor's corpse slowly and gently extended its right hand, spreading it open at the Star Abyss Gate, revealing Square Inch Mountain. Compared to when Lu Ye took Square Inch Mountain from the Heavenly Gang region ten years ago, it had changed significantly. Its overall shape remained the same, but its size had drastically increased. Lu Ye placed a finger on Square Inch Mountain, focusing intently as he silently sensed its essence.

The fundamental difference between the Path Integration (Hedao) and Path Fusion (Rongdao) lies in the former's ability to harness ambient dao power for personal use. In a realm, this means drawing upon the power of heaven and earth; within the Star Abyss, it means borrowing the power of the Star Abyss itself. Path Fusion, however, is incapable of this; it can only ever wield one's own power and that of their dao soldiers. Consequently, in terms of raw power, Path Integration leaves Path Fusion far behind. This isn't merely a difference in cultivation realms; more significantly, it's about the ability to utilize external forces.

At this moment, Lu Ye could clearly sense his ability to mobilize the surrounding dao power. This was because he was currently cloaked in the Blood Ancestor's corpse, a unique mechanical construct that allowed him to wield the power of Path Integration. Even though it was external power, now that he could command it, it effectively became his own. By a confluence of circumstances, he had refined a drop of holy blood, and since the Blood Ancestor was a blood attendant of that holy blood's master, Lu Ye was able to control the Blood Ancestor's corpse, leading to all the present developments. Lu Ye estimated that if the Blood Ancestor hadn't been a blood attendant of that holy blood's master, he wouldn't have been able to accomplish this.

Although he could mobilize the ambient dao power, Lu Ye always felt a subtle barrier, preventing it from being as smooth and natural as it could be—a perfectly normal phenomenon. After only a brief sensation, Lu Ye reined in his thoughts. He had more important things to do.

For the past decade, he had been using the Blood Ancestor's corpse to align with Square Inch Mountain, achieving modest success. This confirmed his long-held suspicion: his inability to control Square Inch Mountain's power had simply stemmed from an insufficient cultivation realm. Path Integration, it seemed, barely met the qualification. Furthermore, with Old Tree's continuous guidance over the years, Lu Ye clearly knew what he needed to do now.

As his thoughts stirred, Square Inch Mountain vibrated subtly, and a wisp of hazy light suddenly drifted from it, like a spiritual snake, coiling its way towards the open Star Abyss Gate. That seemingly serpentine entity was the very essence of Square Inch Mountain. The spiritual snake darted into the Star Abyss Gate and quickly vanished, as if consumed by it. Yet, to Lu Ye's careful perception, the Star Abyss Gate remained utterly unchanged.

Lu Ye wasn't worried, understanding that repairing the Star Abyss Gate wouldn't be a quick process. The sliver of Square Inch Mountain's essence he had just drawn upon was minuscule, causing no substantial impact on the mountain itself. Therefore, the lack of change in the Star Abyss Gate was entirely to be expected. But with the influx of this trace of origin power, Lu Ye's heart sank. That long-forgotten sense of unease suddenly descended upon him. Though fleeting, it was undeniably clear!

All along, he had known one crucial truth: the greatest challenge in his plan to repair the Star Abyss Gate using Square Inch Mountain's essence lay solely with the Star Abyss Will! As the Son of Star Abyss, Lu Ye had once been severely punished in the Myriad Elephant Sea for slaughtering invading enemies, as his actions had hindered the Star Abyss's invasion of the starry sky. What he was about to do this time was even more serious than before. If his past actions were mere unwitting mischief from a rebellious son, this time it was an act of blatant rebellion! By repairing the Star Abyss Gate and completely severing the Star Abyss's invasion route, he would inevitably violate certain rules. Under such rules, how could he possibly proceed smoothly? Therefore, the arrival of this palpitation was expected. If there were no such palpitation, that would be strange. But he disregarded it, continuously mobilizing the origin power of Square Inch Mountain.

From their distant vantage point, Ma Bin and the others could only observe the colossal figure seated before the Star Abyss Gate. From Square Inch Mountain, now expanded countless times, a steady stream of drifting light continuously poured into the open Star Abyss Gate. Everything appeared serene, yet no one sensed the perilous undercurrents. Hua Ci's beautiful brows were tightly furrowed, and a deep unease churned within her. Lu Ye had told her about being the Son of Star Abyss years ago, so she knew he couldn't act to impede the Star Abyss's invasion while within the range of its aura. But Lu Ye was clearly doing it now. She didn't know what risks Lu Ye was facing, but she was powerless to help, so she could only pray in silence.

Time flowed by. At a certain moment, Jiuyan suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Look, has the Star Abyss Gate changed?"

"I thought it was just an illusion! So Senior Sister Jiuyan noticed it too!" someone responded.

Lu Ye had been repairing the Star Abyss Gate for a full month, and only now did they clearly perceive the change. The Star Abyss Gate... it seemed to have shrunk slightly. This discovery filled everyone with joy. The shrinking Star Abyss Gate meant Lu Ye's method was effective; if he continued, the gate would eventually disappear. Just as Jiuyan and the others noticed the change in the Star Abyss Gate, Lu Ye, who had been right beside it, naturally perceived it as well.

While pleased, he also felt a deep sense of helplessness. Because at this rate, it would take him at least three to five years to successfully repair the Abyss Gate. Master Yun's thirty-year promise still had ten years remaining, providing sufficient time. However, Lu Ye wondered what the Star Abyss Will's reaction would be over the course of three to five years. The sense of unease would occasionally resurface, and Lu Ye remained vigilant against the potential punishment. Yet, what puzzled him was that the punishment he had once experienced had still not manifested. He actually felt confident in resisting any punishment. Even though this place was saturated with Star Abyss aura from the inner realm and dense with ambient dao power, he was now cloaked in the Blood Ancestor's corpse, a unique construct. Even if punishment truly came, the Blood Ancestor's corpse could intercept it for him. But the sharp blade hanging over his head had yet to fall, unsettling Lu Ye. However, matters had progressed too far; there was no turning back. He could only see it through to the end.

Time flowed by. One month, two months, five months, one year... Observers from afar came and went. They hadn't anticipated the repair of the Star Abyss Gate would take such a long time, so they couldn't stay indefinitely waiting for Lu Ye. If any war zones required reinforcements for battles, they would depart, but once their duties were complete, they would swiftly return. The Star Abyss aura here was extremely dense, so even simple cultivation in this spot yielded considerable efficiency. Starry sky cultivators were able to benefit from the inner realm—an unprecedented occurrence throughout history, yet it was happening in this very part of the cosmos.

The Star Abyss Gate continued to shrink. From a distance, it had initially appeared about the size of an egg, but three years later, it was reduced to merely a fingernail-sized black mark. At this rate, it would likely take less than half a year for the cosmic flaw caused by this Star Abyss Gate to be completely repaired, and the open gate to vanish.

Lu Ye had been continuously monitoring the changes in Square Inch Mountain. The situation was favorable. As Old Tree had previously mentioned, among the many supreme treasures in the starry sky, all possessed abundant origin power, with the exception of the Heaven-Earth Cauldron, the Constellation Palace, and Old Tree himself, which had expended their power during the last Star Abyss invasion. Therefore, even though Lu Ye had consistently drawn upon Square Inch Mountain's essence over the past few years, it hadn't suffered any fundamental impact.

There were definitely impacts. At the very least, Square Inch Mountain's ambient spiritual energy was no longer as dense as it had been years ago, and even one of the spiritual jade ore veins within the realm had been depleted. This was caused by the depletion of origin power. At this stage, such a depletion was impossible to compensate for; the supreme treasure could only slowly recover on its own through a prolonged period of accumulation and restoration. This recovery period was incredibly long. Take Old Tree, for instance; hundreds of thousands of years have passed since the last Star Abyss invasion, yet he still hasn't fully recovered. The same applied to the Constellation Palace and the Heaven-Earth Cauldron.

Another half a year passed in a flash. Under everyone's expectant gaze, the open Star Abyss Gate was on the verge of vanishing, with only the colossal figure still spanning before it, and the drifting spiritual snakes continuously moving across Square Inch Mountain. It's going to succeed!

On Amber's back, a small potted plant—Old Tree's avatar—suddenly spoke: "Everyone, Lu Ye asked me to relay a message: within ten days, the Star Abyss Gate will close. Whatever happens then, please do not panic."

The eagerly awaiting crowd froze upon hearing this, suddenly sensing that something was amiss. Hua Ci's voice trembled slightly: "Old Tree, is it very dangerous?" She had personally witnessed the Star Abyss Will's punishment of Lu Ye, which had sent the seemingly invincible Lu Ye directly into a coma. Yet, for the past few years, Lu Ye had been repairing the Star Abyss Gate without incident, leading her to believe she might have been overthinking. Only now did she realize her initial fears were not unfounded.

Old Tree replied, "I don't know. Lu Ye merely asked me to convey that message. He must have his own reasons."

"What's wrong?" Jiuyan and Su Yuqing were unaware of the situation, but they keenly sensed something unusual in Hua Ci's words.

Hua Ci shook her head, forcing out a faint smile: "I don't know either. Just trust him."