Chapter 2791: What It Means to Be Holy

This vast underwater space, nestled within a deep trench, offered exceptional natural concealment. Furthermore, with the array formations meticulously laid by Si Shengya over many years, it was virtually undetectable, even to sea creatures passing nearby. It was perfectly suited for housing the human population of Changyun Island. This space was originally Si Shengya's secret fallback for humanity, their ultimate refuge. It had remained unused for years, but now, unexpectedly, it was finally serving its intended purpose.

After surveying the surroundings, Lu Ye chose an appropriate spot and began constructing the spatial array. It was uncertain when the Feathered Tribe would launch another assault on Changyun Island, but it wouldn't be long. Therefore, the relocation of the clansmen needed to proceed with utmost speed. This imposed considerable demands on the spatial array. Firstly, it had to be large enough to transport a significant number of people at once. Secondly, it needed to be exceptionally stable. The transfer of millions of clansmen over a short period would necessitate repeated use of the array. Any instability risked not only dire consequences for those being transported but also time-consuming repairs.

Fortunately, there were abundant spoils of war this time, including contributions from the Corpse Poison Army and countless valuable items Changyun had retrieved from the treasury. Selecting materials from this vast hoard for the spatial array was more than sufficient. Soon after, Lu Ye divided the numerous materials into two portions. He then used Void Dao Patterns to send one portion to his clone on Changyun Island. Immediately, both his main body and clone began working in tandem.

Si Shengya observed silently from the side, secretly astonished by Lu Ye's expertise. As a Half-Saint, he was naturally very knowledgeable. Though he wasn't proficient in the Way of Space himself, having cultivated for so many years, he had at least witnessed enough to understand its complexities, even if he couldn't master it. Yet, he had never encountered anyone who displayed such effortless mastery as Lu Ye.

This intense work continued for a full ten days. With countless rare materials invested, Lu Ye's main body and clone worked ceaselessly, finally completing the construction of both spatial arrays. After minor adjustments and tests confirmed the two arrays were linked, the grand relocation of Changyun Island commenced. Prior to this, Chu Li had already initiated a mobilization and sealed off the entire spirit island, with everyone preparing for this crucial moment.

In the underwater space, the spatial array's light, once ignited, never faded. Wave after wave of clansmen stepped out of the array, spreading across their new, future home. The migration of several million clansmen took several days, during which the Feathered Tribe army had yet to launch its assault. Lu Ye even found time to relocate his Corpse Poison Army. Only then did his clone proceed to utterly destroy the spatial array on Changyun Island.

With this, the relocation of Changyun Island was complete. As for how these millions of clansmen would survive and thrive in this underwater environment in the future, that was beyond Lu Ye's influence. Their future would undoubtedly be arduous, but with the grand array providing concealment and the hidden location, it was preferable to living in constant trepidation on the surface.

"What is a Saint?"

Somewhere underwater, Lu Ye and Si Shengya sat facing each other. Since arriving in the Origin World, Lu Ye had accumulated many unanswered questions and lacked a suitable person to consult. Now that the Changyun Island situation was resolved, he naturally sought Si Shengya's insights. The first thing Lu Ye wanted to understand was the various aspects of the Saint realm.

Si Shengya slowly began, "A Saint embodies Grand Luo, Wuji, and Hunyuan. Firstly, in terms of power, one becomes a Saint after reaching beyond the peak of Harmonization. Secondly, concerning their state, a Saint achieves perfect unity with heaven and earth, capable of borrowing any power. Thirdly, their power leans more towards the Dao itself, transcending mere physical force."

Lu Ye pondered for a moment, then asked again, "What is the distinction between a Half-Saint like you, Senior, and a True Saint?"

Si Shengya replied, "Half-Saints like us cannot truly be called Saints; at best, we've only managed to cross the threshold. Even so, we transcend the Harmonization realm. As for True Saints..." A peculiar expression crossed his face. "That is, in fact, a form of restriction."

Lu Ye raised an eyebrow, involuntarily recalling the appearances of Three and Seven, whom he had previously encountered. "You've seen True Saints?" Si Shengya asked, his heart stirring as he observed Lu Ye's expression.

"I've been fortunate enough to encounter them a few times," Lu Ye nodded.

Si Shengya nodded. "Then you should understand what I mean. Throughout the history of this Origin World, there have been countless Half-Saints, some native to this realm and others arriving from the Inner World. Each of these Half-Saints possesses extraordinary talent and ingenuity. After countless years of accumulation, don't they qualify to advance further? Most do not, but there are always a few exceptionally brilliant individuals who do. So why do they remain Half-Saints instead of becoming True Saints?"

Lu Ye hesitated, "Are you implying, Senior..."

Si Shengya explained, "Half-Saints like us perceive the world's true nature more clearly than you. Those who are qualified to advance further aren't unable; rather, they are unwilling. Taking that step, while momentarily exhilarating, renders one nothing more than a puppet. What Half-Saint could possibly accept such a fate?"

"Why is that?" Lu Ye asked, puzzled. From this perspective, it appeared that all True Saints in the Origin World were mere puppets, whereas Half-Saints remained free.

"I'm not entirely certain of the precise reason, but it must be connected to that pervasive erosion."

Lu Ye's heart stirred. Si Shengya's words likely referred to that pervasive will. In other words, anyone who ascended to the True Saint realm would be completely consumed, losing their sense of self. However, a moment later, Lu Ye felt something was amiss. While the will's tendrils were undeniably ubiquitous in the Outer and Inner Worlds, there were no such traces in the Origin World. Compared to the Outer and Inner Worlds, the Origin World's Dao power was exceptionally pure, untainted by any trace of that will. If that were the case, how could it be eroded? Yet, from Si Shengya's tone, it was evident he himself lacked detailed knowledge on the matter. Moreover, when he first encountered Three, the chains that bound that True Saint—were they also the work of that will? But if they had already been eroded and turned into puppets, why would they need to be confined? This seemed contradictory.

"Furthermore, there's an inexplicable restriction in this realm. Throughout the entire Star Abyss, anyone who reaches a certain level of power, regardless of their realm, will be bound by it."

"Restriction? What kind of restriction?" Lu Ye asked curiously.

Si Shengya's expression grew reminiscent, then he shook his head. "I'm not entirely clear, I've only encountered it once."

Lu Ye felt a headache coming on. He had assumed that Si Shengya, being a Half-Saint, would undoubtedly be able to answer his many questions. Yet, it now appeared Si Shengya didn't know much more about what Lu Ye sought.

Changing the subject, Lu Ye asked, "Senior, do you know if there are any Harmonization Pearl fragments within this Origin World?"

Upon hearing this, golden light flashed in Si Shengya's eyes. "You are indeed from the Inner World!" He had long been curious about Lu Ye's origins. Although he typically lived as a recluse in the Cage Sea, unconcerned with worldly affairs, only emerging during hunts to observe covertly, he generally knew the number of elite human descendants born within the Cage Sea's vicinity. Yet, in all his clandestine observations, he had never before encountered anyone like Lu Ye; he seemed to have materialized out of thin air. He had already suspected Lu Ye might be from the Inner World, and only now was his suspicion confirmed. This was because only cultivators from the Inner World concerned themselves with Harmonization Pearl fragments; Origin World cultivators never did.

Si Shengya's expression grew curious. "Your cultivation and strength are insufficient; how were you able to come here from the Inner World?" He himself had entered from the Inner World years ago, but not by choice. It was linked to the restriction he had just mentioned, and it was during that very incident that he first detected its existence, never seeing it again thereafter.

"By chance," Lu Ye said with a bitter expression. "Senior must have noticed I possess some minor mastery in the Way of Space. Previously, to evade powerful enemies, I used a spatial displacement technique. The fortuitous coincidence was that at that exact moment, the Star Abyss experienced turbulence and spatial chaos, which inadvertently led me to the Origin World."

Si Shengya frowned. "That alone wouldn't explain entering the Origin World. Inner World cultivators can only enter the Origin World under one condition: their strength must have reached a certain threshold."

Lu Ye blinked. "Perhaps it's related to the changes in the Star Abyss over the past few years?"

"What kind of changes?"

"For some reason, the Outer and Inner Worlds have shown signs of merging in recent years. So I wondered if the Origin World might be experiencing similar changes."

"The Outer and Inner Worlds are merging?" Si Shengya exclaimed, surprised. Then, as if a realization struck him, he abruptly stood up. "So that's it! No wonder the intensity of this hunt was so extreme!"

"Senior?" Lu Ye looked at him in surprise.

Si Shengya's expression flickered for a moment, then he seemed to make a firm decision. "I need to go out and investigate a certain place." As he finished speaking, he swiftly departed.

Lu Ye felt a wave of helplessness. Si Shengya still hadn't told him about the Harmonization Pearl fragments. Without Harmonization Pearl fragments, he couldn't cultivate his inner world secret technique. His only alternative was to pursue conventional cultivation, but that would mean an unacceptably slow increase in strength. With numerous Half-Saints in this Origin World, Lu Ye still felt a strong sense of urgency and danger.

Just as he was pondering this, an object suddenly flew from the direction Si Shengya had departed. Lu Ye quickly caught it. Si Shengya's voice echoed in his ear: "While your abilities should keep you safe as long as you avoid Half-Saints, exercise extreme caution. Just go and see that place; don't hold out too much hope!"

Lu Ye looked down to examine it, and his eyebrows immediately shot up. For what Si Shengya had given him before departing was, remarkably, a map of the Origin World. This human Half-Saint had lived in the Origin World for untold millennia. With his immense strength, unlike other humans confined to the Cage Sea, he had presumably traveled everywhere. Creating such a map would naturally be effortless for him.

Lu Ye quickly unrolled the map to examine it and was slightly surprised. He discovered that the Cage Sea was actually the central region of the Origin World, covering a vast area, nearly a third of the realm's entire territory. Beyond the Cage Sea lay the territories of various races. The closer a race's territory was to the Cage Sea, the larger it was, unequivocally indicating the strength of those races' foundations. Si Shengya had meticulously marked the map with various colors and texts, allowing Lu Ye to clearly discern which region belonged to which race. His gaze was quickly drawn to a particular spot in the very center of the Cage Sea. This area was clearly an island, though its size appeared significantly larger than any other. Yet, for reasons unknown, Si Shengya had marked it with the words "Extremely Dangerous."