Chapter 2727: Barrier Broken

Time flowed on. A year later.

With Lu Ye successfully carving more Dao Marks within his inner world, the sixth stage of this secret technique finally reached perfection. Although he had long suspected that the sixth stage would represent a qualitative leap for this secret art, bringing about a substantial increase in his own power, Lu Ye was still momentarily stunned when the results materialized. This was because, at this moment, the number of Dao Marks in his inner world totaled an astounding two thousand eight hundred! In comparison, the fifth stage only had fifteen hundred. This nearly doubled his previous strength—an absolutely terrifying improvement.

However, with the secret technique cultivated to this point, further advancement would not be as straightforward. The primary challenge lay in improving the quality of the Dao Integration Orb. Yuanci City's original leap from the Desolate to the Vast tier had been fraught with difficulties, and its subsequent successful promotion to the Cosmic tier was due to the legacy inherited from Black Blood City. Without the battle on the Starry Chessboard, even with Lu Ye's assistance, Yuanci City would have required a vast amount of time to ascend to the Cosmic tier. At that time, everyone in Yuanci City worked together; now, Lu Ye was acting alone, making the task of enhancing the Dao Integration Orb's quality undoubtedly much harder. Yet, if he were willing to shatter Yuanci City's Dao Integration Orb and use it for himself, these problems would vanish. But Yuanci City was left by Yuan Xi and served as a home for You Die and others. How could Lu Ye possibly do such a thing?

His joy at his increased power was quickly replaced by a pang of distress as Lu Ye looked up and saw the starry barrier clearly in his sight. More than a year ago, when he first arrived, this layer of starry barrier was indistinguishable, but now it had become visible. Cracks permeated the barrier, making it appear as if it could shatter at any moment. This undoubtedly indicated that, over the past year, the Star Abyss Mosquitoes had significantly accelerated their progress in destroying the barrier.

Lu Ye sighed inwardly. He didn't know which primordial starry domain this was, but once the barrier was breached and the Gate of the Star Abyss opened, with endless calamities descending, this starry domain was bound to be annihilated. Another glance at the malevolent Star Abyss Mosquito filled Lu Ye with disgust. Even without his assistance, the Star Abyss Mosquito's own abilities would eventually break through this barrier, though it would take a few more years. However, this time, he had ultimately played a part in accelerating the process. If the starry domain on the other side were truly destroyed as a result, leading to the demise of billions of lives, then he would be one of the accomplices. In an instant, his killing intent flared.

In truth, Lu Ye had considered eliminating this Star Abyss Mosquito even when he first arrived a year ago, but he hadn't acted on it. He vaguely sensed that the Star Abyss Mosquito's strength was extraordinary, a creation born from the distorted will, and thus, it could not be judged by conventional standards. Now, with the sixth stage of the Minor World Secret Technique perfected, he could no longer hold back.

He knew the consequences of moving to kill this Star Abyss Mosquito. At best, he would lose the will's favor and his identity as the Child of the Star Abyss. At worst, he would likely be ostracized and targeted, making it difficult, if not impossible, to move freely within the inner realm. He wouldn't be as carefree as he was now; various accidents might occur no matter where he went. The will's tendrils permeated the entire Star Abyss, and as long as Lu Ye operated within it, he couldn't avoid them. Yet, despite all this...

Staring at the Star Abyss Mosquito, Lu Ye slowly drew the Panshan Blade from his waist. What if he lost his identity as the Child of the Star Abyss and the will's favor? What if he was ostracized and targeted because of it? He should have realized long ago that he would eventually face such a situation; it was only a matter of time. Since that was the case, why hesitate? He might as well discard all pretense and fight, fulfilling his own conviction first.

With a flick of his long blade, the surrounding dispersed Dao power converged. Without hesitation, he fiercely brought the blade down on the Star Abyss Mosquito. This single strike, based on Lu Ye's current power of 4,200 Dao, amplified by one resonance and the triple blessings of the Child of the Star Abyss, unleashed a burst of nearly 7,000 Dao power. Even Ba Qiu would have to take it seriously. However, Lu Ye's eyes narrowed. When the long blade struck the Star Abyss Mosquito, it didn't split the creature in two as he had expected. The monster's body was incredibly tough; the blade penetrated only about half a foot before encountering immense resistance.

The Star Abyss Mosquito clearly felt pain and struggled violently, but half of its long proboscis was stuck in the starry barrier, making it impossible to pull free and escape for the moment. A fierce glint flashed in Lu Ye's eyes. A dragon's roar echoed from within his body as his blade-wielding right arm vibrated violently. Blade Quake! In an instant, Dao power erupted. This violent force, combined with the sharp Dao intent swirling around the Panshan Blade, finally broke through the invisible obstruction.

The enormous Star Abyss Mosquito split in two. No blood flowed out, only endless, complex wails echoed in Lu Ye's ears, and countless distorted faces dissipated. Lu Ye's right arm still trembled slightly, flesh tearing and blood flowing. His physical body had indeed strengthened after his journey to Dragon Pond, enabling him to wield his rapidly increasing power. However, the Blade Quake secret technique involved a momentary, explosive outburst. The stronger he became, the more potent the outburst. Therefore, even with his current physique, it was somewhat difficult to bear.

His gaze lowered, his eyes filled with pain. It was only at this moment that he understood the true nature of the Star Abyss Mosquito: it was an accumulation of the resentment and sorrow of countless deceased beings, a negative manifestation formed after the annihilation of an entire starry domain and its myriad inhabitants. The birth of a single Star Abyss Mosquito required the destruction of a primordial starry domain as its breeding ground. No wonder this creature possessed the unique ability to break through starry barriers, and no wonder it was so powerful. Lu Ye secretly felt fortunate. He was glad he had cultivated the Minor World Secret Technique to its sixth stage of perfection here before acting. If he had attempted to strike as soon as he arrived, he truly wouldn't have been able to kill this monster.

With the mosquito annihilated, Lu Ye stood solemnly in place, awaiting the impending judgment. He had betrayed the will's guidance and even slaughtered its creation. It was absolutely impossible for that will to grant him any more favor. His identity as the Child of the Star Abyss would be lost, and he might even lose the ability to manipulate free-floating Dao power in the future. But that was fine. The Minor World Secret Technique was his confidence for acting this time. The Dragon and Phoenix Ancestors had long foreseen this day, and this secret art had been created specifically for this moment.

"Crack..."

A crisp sound echoed from deep within his soul. Before Lu Ye could face the will's punishment, he was astonished to discover that the cracks on the starry barrier before him suddenly proliferated rapidly, spreading quickly in all directions. Lu Ye frowned. He was certain that his previous strike had not affected this layer of the starry barrier, so its current change was unrelated to him. Logically, with the mosquito dead, even if the starry barrier was difficult to restore, it shouldn't just shatter like this. The scene before him deeply puzzled Lu Ye. However, the imminent collapse of the barrier was a fact, which made him feel uneasy. If he had acted sooner, perhaps this starry barrier could have held out longer. Although it would eventually shatter under the erosion of the Star Abyss's aura, it definitely wouldn't have been now.

*Shatter...*

Just as Lu Ye's thoughts turned, that layer of barrier finally shattered completely, and then a brilliant pillar of light surged out from within it. Lu Ye was startled, having never anticipated such an unexpected turn of events. The pillar of light came incredibly fast and without warning. By the time Lu Ye sensed it, it was already upon him. He raised the Panshan Blade in his hand and struck out. Heaven's Edge Blade! The void was stretched, but instantly smoothed out again. The pillar of light seemed to contain an extremely profound and mysterious power, nullifying Lu Ye's spatial ability.

Only at this moment did Lu Ye clearly see the true nature of the light pillar. It was unmistakably a hammer's shadow. The instant he saw it, Lu Ye's vision swam with golden stars, and he felt dizzy and disoriented. The hammer shadow also seemed to multiply into thousands, striking at him. But Lu Ye instinctively realized that the hammer shadow had not actually multiplied into thousands; there was only one. The reason for the illusion was clearly some form of interference affecting him. Unsure from which direction to defend against this attack, he could only raise his long blade vertically. Simultaneously, he activated the power of the Spatial Dao Seed and the Fruit of Time, allowing temporal-spatial power to permeate his body. He fiercely slashed the Panshan Blade in front of him.

With this one strike, time and space seemed to fracture. The chasm he created finally blocked the hammer shadow's attack, yet the residual impact still sent Lu Ye's body tumbling backward, his vital energy surging, blood spilling from his mouth and nose. He only managed to steady himself hundreds of miles away, raising a hand to wipe the blood from his mouth and nose, his gaze filled with surprise as he stared at the shattered starry barrier. It had transformed into a Gate of the Star Abyss, with a rich aura of the starry domain flowing out from it. Lu Ye couldn't discern the situation inside, but his heart was filled with astonishment.

A supreme treasure! The hammer's shadow just now was clearly the manifestation of a supreme treasure's power; otherwise, it couldn't have caused him such a significant setback in his current state. It wasn't strange for supreme treasures to exist in the starry domain; one could say almost all supreme treasures were born within it. Some were even born from the Star Abyss, though they were few in number. However, such an explosive display of a supreme treasure's power within the starry domain was highly unusual. He recalled that even when he became the Master of Fangcun Mountain back then, he couldn't fully control its power. In the end, he had to rely on the physical body left by the Blood Ancestor to unleash Fangcun Mountain's might and seal the Gate of the Star Abyss opened by Yun Shiwang. How could the beings in this starry domain achieve something he couldn't?

There was also another point. Almost the instant he regained his footing, the will's favor towards him not only hadn't diminished but seemed to have intensified. Lu Ye was torn between laughter and tears. He had already mentally prepared himself to break ties completely and lose his identity as the Child of the Star Abyss. Who would have thought such an ironic twist of fate would occur? This was undoubtedly the reason for the starry barrier's collapse. The will, lacking sentience and understanding, did not judge loyalty by process but by results. No matter how the starry barrier shattered, Lu Ye had contributed to it. Speaking of which... while the shattering of this starry barrier was greatly related to the previous actions of the Star Abyss Mosquito, it was actually shattered by the beings from the opposite starry domain themselves!