Chapter 2682: Forbidden Talent Tree

Over a decade had passed in the blink of an eye.

In the Ancestral Abyss, Lu Ye stood before the restriction, gazing ahead with a furrowed brow, lost in thought.

Having repaired the restriction for so long, both he and Zhu Yin had become intimately familiar with the process, cooperating seamlessly. Despite the many years that had passed, Lu Ye never found it tedious, as each act of replication and repair brought him new insights.

For him, this was a unique form of cultivation.

He could have continued for several more decades until the Ancestral Abyss restriction was fully repaired.

However, not long ago, he suddenly noticed something unusual about the Ancestral Abyss restriction. At this very moment, he stood before this anomaly.

From a distance, the entire Ancestral Abyss restriction appeared as a colossal golden sphere. Its surface was covered in countless intricate interwoven patterns, etched with the power of space-time.

From any angle, there was almost no significant difference in its appearance.

Had Lu Ye not recently exhausted his Dao power reserves and used the power of his Talent Tree to absorb Dao Fish for replenishment, he might not have noticed the anomaly before him.

At that time, he vaguely felt his own Talent Tree resonate with something here for a fleeting moment. Although brief, it was certainly not a figment of his imagination.

He focused his gaze. In his vision, the dense, intricate patterns were consciously blurred and eliminated, leaving only a specific portion of them.

As these patterns gradually emerged, Lu Ye's eyes widened involuntarily, his pupils contracting slightly.

He could hardly believe his eyes.

Because he saw the Talent Tree!

It was right there, within the Ancestral Abyss restriction!

It was a Talent Tree constructed from countless tiny patterns, hidden among many more intricate designs. At first glance, no clue could be discerned. Had it not been for that brief anomaly earlier, Lu Ye would not have specifically come here to observe.

He had passed by this spot many times before and never thought anything was amiss.

Was it a coincidence?

The restriction patterns were extremely complex. If a portion of them were removed, the remaining part could, in all likelihood, be arranged to form any imaginable pattern according to one's will.

However, Lu Ye observed the Talent Tree closely and did not believe it was a coincidence.

Because it was almost identical, though comparatively, the Talent Tree within the Ancestral Abyss restriction was larger.

What puzzled Lu Ye even more was that on one of the branches of the Talent Tree before him, a spherical object was hanging, like a fruit borne from the tree.

This was something his own Talent Tree did not possess.

"Lu Ye," Dragon Lord appeared beside him. "Is there something wrong here?"

Seeing Lu Ye observing for a long time, his expression shifting, Dragon Lord felt a pang of concern and came to inquire.

Lu Ye slowly shook his head and replied, "I haven't noticed any problems. I just feel that the restriction in this particular area seems much more stable than in other areas, so I wanted to examine it." The entire Ancestral Abyss restriction had issues almost everywhere, except for this one section.

This was another anomaly that piqued his interest.

"Does Dragon Lord perceive any issues?" Lu Ye countered.

Dragon Lord shook his head. "As you said, the restriction in this area is very stable and shows no anomaly. However, you can observe it more closely to see if you can find the reason. That might be helpful for future repairs."

"Yes," Lu Ye responded.

"But remember to rest," Dragon Lord advised kindly before disappearing.

Lu Ye looked up and gazed intently once more, various thoughts flashing through his mind.

He had always been curious about the origin of his Talent Tree.

Elder Tree of the starry sky claimed it was a Dao Tree, but how it came into being, Elder Tree was vague about. Elder Tree only knew that the Dao Tree had been passed down for several generations, and a senior from Jiuzhou once obtained it, though unfortunately, they did not meet a good end.

Before that senior, the Dao Tree had also been acquired by others, but no one had reached Lu Ye's current level.

From Lu Ye's current understanding, it was highly probable that the Talent Tree was not a product of the starry sky, but rather originated from the Star Abyss and somehow entered the starry sky.

This was because the Talent Tree displayed immense potential; even when Lu Ye first entered the Star Abyss, it was able to incinerate the bindings of the Star Abyss Oath.

Those were bindings empowered by the Star Abyss's will, and even if it took a long time, it was still somewhat illogical.

If it truly originated from the Star Abyss and entered the starry sky, then there was only one possible timeframe: when the starry sky first encountered an invasion from the Star Abyss!

Because only during that period did the starry sky have a connection to the Star Abyss.

Now, the Talent Tree could actually find a corresponding pattern within the Dragon Race's Ancestral Abyss restriction. Did this mean the Talent Tree's origin was related to the Dragon Race?

No, that's not right. It must be related to that Dragon Race ancestor, because the Ancestral Abyss restriction was personally crafted and left behind by that ancestor.

Yang Qing!

Yang Qing was the second-generation ancestor of the Dragon Race. His incarnation must have also entered the starry sky during that period. Could it be that his incarnation brought the Dao Tree legacy into the starry sky, leaving it for those destined to find it?

Flashes of insight continuously sparked in Lu Ye's mind, and various ideas kept emerging.

He couldn't ascertain the full truth, but he vaguely felt that the direction of his conjecture was likely correct.

The Talent Tree — or the Dao Tree legacy — was very likely brought into the starry sky by Yang Qing, the second-generation ancestor's incarnation, during that specific period.

And this legacy was, in all probability, connected to the Dragon and Phoenix ancestors.

But if that were the case, why didn't that ancestor leave this legacy to the Dragon and Phoenix races, opting instead to send it into the starry sky?

He couldn't figure it out, but if it were truly the case, then the Dragon and Phoenix ancestors must have had their own considerations.

He slowly raised his hand and placed it on the golden sphere before him.

This position was precisely the root of the Talent Tree on the sphere.

The next instant, he activated the power of his own Talent Tree. Roots spread out, and his body suddenly trembled.

This was because, at that very moment, his own Talent Tree displayed an unprecedented level of activity. Its roots extended out as if alive, piercing into the base of the restriction's Talent Tree.

Immediately after, Lu Ye felt a mysterious power being absorbed by his Talent Tree.

Crucially, he had no such intention; this absorption was entirely an autonomous action of the Talent Tree.

He quickly composed himself, trying to remain calm.

First, he inspected the restriction before him, ensuring no changes had occurred due to the Talent Tree's anomaly. Only then did he immerse his mind to examine his Talent Tree.

Initially, he found nothing special, which greatly puzzled Lu Ye. He clearly felt his Talent Tree absorbing a mysterious power from the Ancestral Abyss restriction, yet this power did not remain within him, nor did he know where it went.

It was only when he sensed more closely that he discovered this absorbed power was gathering at a specific point on his Talent Tree.

It was the tip of a branch, corresponding precisely to the position of the golden sphere on the restriction's Talent Tree.

Lu Ye's mood immediately became somewhat peculiar.

If once was a coincidence, then twice certainly was not.

This absorption continued for most of the day, with the mysterious power from the restriction flowing incessantly. If possible, Lu Ye would have liked to continue in one go, but he couldn't easily disclose this unusual development to others.

As Zhu Yin completed her break, he had to temporarily stop, rejoin her, and continue repairing the restriction.

However, after the Talent Tree's half-day absorption, the tip of that branch had distinctly swollen slightly, as if something was about to emerge.

This was truly an astonishing phenomenon.

Since Lu Ye had acquired the Talent Tree, its overall form, as a tree of legacy, had never changed; only its leaves had shown variations.

At this point, he was absolutely certain of one thing.

The Dao Tree legacy was absolutely connected to the Dragon and Phoenix ancestors!

And it was definitely Yang Qing, the second-generation ancestor, who sent this legacy into the starry sky.

He couldn't help but recall his first encounter with Yang Qing. No wonder the latter had looked at him with such a profound gaze back then.

Yang Qing must have sensed the Dao Tree legacy within him. If he was the one who sent this object into the starry sky, he would undoubtedly have a connection to it.

What Lu Ye was now considering was whether to ask Dragon Lord about this matter.

But on second thought, Dragon Lord had not noticed the anomaly within that section of the restriction, indicating he was completely unaware of it.

The Dragon and Phoenix ancestors had certainly never informed the Dragon Race about this.

If that were the case, it would be difficult for him to inquire further, and asking would be pointless anyway.

He could only wait until he had completely absorbed that mysterious power to finally uncover the truth.

He also couldn't be too obvious about this. Both Dragon Lord and Phoenix Lord were shrewd individuals, and if he acted too conspicuously, he would easily be detected. Therefore, over the next few years, whenever Lu Ye took a break, he would observe different parts of the restriction.

To Dragon Lord and Phoenix Lord, Lu Ye's actions were normal inspections of the restriction, nothing unusual.

They were unaware that each time he examined that particular area, he would secretly activate the power of his Talent Tree.

The swelling on the treetop gradually began to change.

After one year, the swelling developed into a small flower bud.

Three years later, the bud blossomed into a golden flower.

Ten years later, the petals withered, and a small fruit formed.

Twenty years later, the fruit fully matured.

Corresponding to the pattern Lu Ye had seen on the restriction earlier, his Talent Tree now appeared almost identical.

The Talent Tree had truly borne fruit!

Only then was the mysterious power within the Ancestral Abyss restriction completely absorbed. Strangely, the golden sphere that had originally been on that Talent Tree had vanished.

It seemed to have transferred from the Ancestral Abyss restriction to Lu Ye's Talent Tree.

Somewhere in the Ancestral Abyss, Lu Ye sat cross-legged, a mass of complex information settling in his mind. He diligently worked to digest it.

All this information had suddenly surged forth when the strange fruit matured.

It allowed him to understand the true essence of this fruit.

The Fruit of Time!

This had indeed transferred from the Ancestral Abyss restriction, but it was not a true fruit and possessed no power of its own.

However, it served as a medium.

Through it, Lu Ye could borrow the power of time from all successive Dragon Lords within the Ancestral Abyss!

Every Dragon Lord who had entered the Ancestral Abyss had, during their countless years of confinement, formed an extremely close connection with this Fruit of Time. This was why Lu Ye could use it as a medium to borrow external power.

This medium transcended space and time; no matter where Lu Ye was, as long as these Dragon Lords lived, he could continuously borrow this power.