Chapter 2767: Source Realm

In their hiding place, Lu Ye and Xue Jiu looked at each other, each seeing lingering fear in the other's eyes.

Without a doubt, Qi had been drawn by the commotion of their recent fight. Had it not been for the Phoenix clan bloodline within both of them, they would likely have been in grave danger. The reason Qi ignored them was due to the resonance of that bloodline.

Though Lu Ye remained wary of Xue Jiu, he no longer harbored thoughts of attacking. If Qi was here, then surely San was also present? If they caused any more disturbance and attracted San, their luck would surely run out.

It was clear that Xue Jiu had also lost his will to fight. The Blood Lord stood rooted to the spot, his expression constantly shifting.

“This isn't the Inner Realm?” Lu Ye suddenly asked.

He asked this primarily because everything he had seen and felt since arriving was too strange. The most obvious sign was the extremely pure Dao power freely flowing in this realm. Within the Star Abyss, whether in the Outer or Inner Realm, Dao power permeated the Star Abyss aura. However, the Star Abyss aura wasn't purely that; it was mixed with other elements—traces left by that grand will. The more cultivators practiced, the more severe the accumulation of these traces became within their bodies. While they didn't cause any substantial harm to cultivators, they served as the means for that will to control cultivators' minds and bodies.

In this unknown realm, there was not a single trace of it. Not only was it pure, but it was also incredibly dense. In Lu Ye's perception, the concentration of free-flowing Dao power here was in no way inferior to that of a Universe-level city. If cultivators were to practice in such a place for an extended period, their efficiency would undoubtedly be beyond imagination.

If that were all, it might have been fine. But the crucial point was Xue Jiu's sudden weakening of power. The reason for this was his loss of resonance with Blood Drinking City's Dao Fusion Orb, preventing him from receiving its amplification. As one of the Ten Great City Lords, Xue Jiu could receive this amplification anywhere within the Inner Realm, regardless of his distance from Blood Drinking City. While the amplification might weaken over extreme distances, it had now completely vanished.

Unless... this wasn't the Inner Realm!

Furthermore... the Dragon Scroll in Lu Ye's spiritual sea had lost contact with the outside world, just as it had when he was in the Outer Realm. But if this wasn't the Inner Realm, then what place was it?

Xue Jiu casually glanced at Lu Ye, offering no reply. His expression at that moment was very strange: a mix of excitement, agitation, apprehension, dejection, and a hint of fear. Had Lu Ye not witnessed it himself, he would have found it hard to believe such complex emotions could be displayed on one person's face. And this person was one of the strongest in the Inner Realm.

“You've noticed it too?” Xue Jiu's voice was grave. “Kid, I'm afraid we're in big trouble.”

“How so?” Lu Ye asked, adopting a questioning demeanor.

Xue Jiu seemed slightly impatient, but after a moment of contemplation, he spoke, “Do you know about the Origin Realm?”

“I've never heard of it,” Lu Ye truthfully shook his head. “What kind of place is that?”

“The Origin Realm…” Xue Jiu murmured. “People only know that the Star Abyss is divided into the Outer and Inner Realms. But in reality, only a very small number of people know that besides the Outer and Inner Realms, there's also an Origin Realm. The entire Star Abyss is divided into three realms.”

Lu Ye couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. He had actually considered this before: if the Star Abyss was divided into Outer and Inner Realms, was there another layer beneath the Inner Realm? But he had only thought about it and never investigated the matter, only learning today that a third layer truly existed.

“If there's an Origin Realm, why do so few people know about it?” Lu Ye asked.

Instead of answering, Xue Jiu retorted, “When you were in the Outer Realm, with lower power, did you ever hear about the Inner Realm?”

Lu Ye thought for a moment. Indeed, it was only after a long time of adventuring in the Outer Realm that he heard about the Inner Realm, and only then did he learn of the division between the Outer and Inner Realms.

“Insufficient power naturally means insufficient knowledge,” Xue Jiu slowly began. “If I'm not mistaken, this is the Origin Realm—the core of the Star Abyss, beyond the reach of ordinary cultivators.”

“Even someone of the Blood Lord's power wasn't qualified to enter the Origin Realm before?” Lu Ye looked at him.

Xue Jiu scoffed, “Do you think the Origin Realm is so easy to enter? This is a place only Saints can set foot in!” After saying that, he frowned again and added, “Even if I had that power, I wouldn't want to come here. No one wants to come here!”

“Saints!” Lu Ye's eyes lit up, vaguely grasping a crucial point.

“That person just now... must be a Saint!” Xue Jiu looked in the direction Qi had just left. “That's a realm beyond Dao Fusion.”

Lu Ye's mind was shaken. Beyond Dao Fusion lay Saint! Qi was a Saint; no wonder her power was so immense. His and Xue Jiu's combined attack earlier couldn't even ruffle her clothes. Such power was truly despair-inducing.

“I observe that the cultivation environment here is excellent, far superior to the Inner Realm. And we cultivators, when practicing, should naturally press forward and scale great mountains. Since there are Saints beyond Dao Fusion, does the Blood Lord not harbor any desire to pursue that level? Why do you say no one wants to come here?” Lu Ye was utterly bewildered. For cultivators, this Origin Realm was undoubtedly a sacred land for cultivation. Such a sacred place should be sought after by countless cultivators, who would flock to it.

Xue Jiu couldn't help but sneer. “Throughout history, among billions of cultivators, not many have achieved Sainthood, but there have been some. Yet, where are those Saints now? Have you encountered any in the Inner Realm? Couldn't you tell the condition of that person just now?”

At his question, Lu Ye immediately realized. This Origin Realm, he feared, was easy to enter but difficult to leave. Therefore, even if Saints had emerged throughout history, they were all trapped within this Origin Realm! Another point was that Qi's state was abnormal; she had long since become a puppet, a minion of that will.

“It seems you've figured it out,” Xue Jiu observed coldly, then scoffed again. “Becoming a Saint? Heh, even a dog wouldn't want that!”

Lu Ye felt a chill run down his spine, and a deep sorrow in his heart. If this was the truth of the matter, then what exactly were the countless cultivators in the entire Star Abyss pursuing throughout their lives of practice? The long road of cultivation, ultimately leading to a dead end, was undoubtedly extremely cruel for cultivators who tirelessly pursued higher realms and greater power.

Xue Jiu's power and status were enough for him to understand certain things. Not just him, but strong cultivators in the Inner Realm likely also had an inkling, which was why Xue Jiu had resolved not to become a Saint—because he knew that once he took that step, he would become a puppet.

“Why did we end up in the Origin Realm?” Lu Ye couldn't understand this.

As soon as he spoke, Xue Jiu glared at him fiercely. “It's all because of you!”

Lu Ye blinked, looking innocent.

Xue Jiu grumbled, “In recent years, the boundary between the Outer Realm and the Inner Realm seems to be blurring. There are subtle signs that the two realms are merging, though I don't know why.”

Lu Ye nodded. He had indeed noticed this before, especially when he was summoned by the Star Abyss's will to the Outer Realm to help the cultivator named Xuan Huai set up a formation. He suddenly realized. Just as he activated the power of his Talent Tree to burn away Xue Jiu's invading energy and warp through space, the entire Star Abyss experienced a massive anomaly. In that instant, it felt as if three worlds were merging. It must have been at that precise moment that his spatial warp went awry, leading him to drift into the Origin Realm. Xue Jiu, due to his secret technique, was also drawn in.

Realizing this, Lu Ye frowned deeply, feeling the timing was too coincidental. Had he warped through space even slightly earlier or later, this shouldn't have happened. But it happened precisely at the moment of the three realms' tremor and resonance! That was how he was able to come directly from the Inner Realm to this legendary Origin Realm.

As they spoke, Xue Jiu revealed a thoughtful expression, stroking his chin. “In that case, it's not just the Outer and Inner Realms whose boundaries are blurring; the Origin Realm is doing the same!”

Lu Ye said, “If this continues, will the three realms eventually merge?”

Xue Jiu scoffed. “That's an inevitable outcome, but it will take some time. And no one can predict what consequences such a merger will bring.”

Lu Ye's expression became solemn. Undoubtedly, Saint Qi was in the Origin Realm, and Saint San was likely there too, along with many other Saints. If the Star Abyss truly merged into three realms in the future, there would probably be many Saints roaming the Star Abyss. At that point, the Ten Great City Lords would no longer be the strongest. Lu Ye dared not imagine what the situation in the Star Abyss would be like then. But it was predictable that the various star systems would inevitably face more calamities.

Currently, the disasters faced by the major star systems were primarily invasions from the Outer Realm of the Star Abyss. While this level of invasion was catastrophic for a star system, places like his home star system, or the Giant Spirit Star System he had visited last time, possessed the ability to resist. However, if the Outer, Inner, and Origin Realms merged in the future, the level of opponents faced by the star systems would significantly increase. Once a Star Abyss invasion began, no star system would be able to resist.

“Kid, I've told you all this because we're essentially in the same boat now,” Xue Jiu said, glancing at Lu Ye. “Let's put aside our past grievances for a moment. Our only goal right now is to find a way out of here. Do you agree?”

If this weren't the Origin Realm, Xue Jiu would never have considered a truce with Lu Ye. In this conflict, the Blood Clan had suffered immense losses. Even the Starry Sky Chessboard, which he was close to fully refining, had been snatched away by Lu Ye. Under normal circumstances, Xue Jiu would never tolerate such a thing. But this was the Origin Realm, a place of unknown dangers. How could Xue Jiu still have the mind to quarrel with Lu Ye? Regardless, both of them had entered from the Inner Realm. While there might be no basis for mutual trust, Lu Ye's strength was barely enough to qualify him as an ally.

“The Blood Lord is quite right,” Lu Ye nodded. He also had no mood to contend with Xue Jiu at the moment. What needed to be done now was to quickly investigate the situation of the Origin Realm.

“Then we can reach an understanding!” Xue Jiu nodded, then raised a hand and pointed, sending a blood seal flying towards Lu Ye. “You possess my Blood Clan's bloodline. With this seal, we can contact each other. In the Origin Realm, I am willing to cooperate with you to find a way to leave.”