Chapter 2794: Nine Pillars Sealing Town

"It's coming!" As Lu Ye pondered, Xue Jiu suddenly spoke softly, looking up at the sky. Lu Ye turned to look around, only to see all the Blood Clan members holding the same pose as Xue Jiu, their eyes filled with anticipation.

As he wondered what the Blood Clan was expecting, a point of light suddenly appeared in the sky. Then, that light fell like a meteor towards Yuan Island, which was its obvious target. If that were all, it would be fine, but Lu Ye actually felt a trace of a treasure's aura from that light. He suddenly understood that with the sacrifice complete, it was naturally time for the rewards. This was the will's reward for the Blood Clan's sacrifice!

All the affinity treasures and even ultimate treasures in the Source Realm came into being this way. One point of light was just the beginning; following it, seven or eight more points of light appeared one after another, each representing the descent of an affinity treasure. Blood Clan cultivators flew out and collected these treasures before they could even land on Yuan Island. As for how these affinity treasures would be distributed later, that was an internal matter for the Blood Clan.

Lu Ye watched with a bit of longing, because if all these affinity treasures fell into his hands and were consumed by the Talent Tree, the Myriad Poison Bead fruit would undoubtedly grow significantly. Xue Tianxing had remained still in his spot; as a Half-Saint powerful as he was, he had undoubtedly lost interest in mere affinity treasures.

It wasn't until a certain moment, when a cluster of light like a blazing sun appeared in the sky once more, that Xue Tianxing burst into laughter and shot up into the heavens. This was because the cluster of light contained not an affinity treasure, but a genuine ultimate treasure! Before the ultimate treasure could descend much further, Xue Tianxing had already grabbed it. Only after he reappeared did Lu Ye get a clear look at what kind of ultimate treasure he had obtained.

It was unmistakably a short staff, about half a zhang long and three fingers thick. Numerous intricate patterns coiled around its body like dragons, making it appear extremely mysterious. Xue Tianxing, however, had lost his earlier joy. He frowned as he gazed at the short staff-shaped ultimate treasure, a shadow passing over his brow. Undoubtedly, this ultimate treasure was not the type he desired. But such rewards weren't something he could choose, so even if he was reluctant, he had no choice but to accept. Besides, it was an ultimate treasure after all.

The Blood Clan's sacrifice had concluded, and all the benefits they were due had been received, so there was no need to linger. Xue Tianxing departed first; he no longer needed to oversee the subsequent matters, as the Blood Clan's treasure ships would return on their own.

Days later, beyond the Cage Sea, in a deserted area, Lu Ye and Xue Jiu sat opposite each other. After Xue Tianxing left, Xue Jiu also quickly detached himself from the fleet. Being a newcomer, despite his strength, he held no high position, so he didn't need to worry much about the Blood Clan's affairs and was free to leave as he pleased.

"The hunt is over," Xue Jiu chatted with Lu Ye, while refining a Dao Fish to replenish his own Dao power. "The rest involves the sacrifices of the various clans. You've seen our Blood Clan's sacrifice; the others are mostly similar. However, I heard that the rewards received during sacrifices weren't very numerous in the past, and ultimate treasures were extremely rare. Otherwise, after all these years, the various clans wouldn't possess only a few of them. This time, the Blood Clan's luck was quite good; we actually obtained an ultimate treasure. It might be related to the loosening of the seal."

Lu Ye frowned. "How much do you know about that seal?"

Xue Jiu shook his head. "Not much. I only heard some scattered information from the Blood Clan."

"Tell me what you know."

Xue Jiu paused to gather his thoughts, then began, "Legend has it that the Star Abyss was originally a single entity, without any division into Outer Realm, Inner Realm, and Source Realm. The Star Abyss was simply the Star Abyss! The reason it became what it is today is related to the Nine Pillar Seal on Yuan Island. There were extremely powerful beings who, by leveraging the power of that seal, split the Star Abyss, transforming it into three realms!"

The figures of the Dragon and Phoenix Ancestors immediately popped into Lu Ye's mind. If the information Xue Jiu received was accurate, then those so-called immensely powerful beings were undoubtedly that Ancestor.

"Why was that done?" he asked.

Xue Jiu replied, "The Blood Clan's Half-Saints speculate that it was likely done to seal the Abyss. You've cultivated all the way from the Outer Realm and are even a Child of the Star Abyss; you should know better than anyone the dangers of the Abyss. If it hadn't been divided into three realms, the Abyss's consciousness might have awakened much earlier, not delayed until today."

Lu Ye was thoroughly confused.

Xue Jiu explained, "Let's put it this way: the more powerful individuals the Abyss corrupts, the faster its consciousness awakens. That's why that powerful being transformed the Source Realm into a prison, trapping the Abyss here, so that even if it truly awakens one day, it won't be able to escape!"

Lu Ye frowned. "But during the previous sacrifice, the Blood Clan was clearly shaking the seal. The sacrifices of other clans should be similar. Are they helping the Abyss break free?"

Xue Jiu said, "Not helping the Abyss, but helping themselves! The Cage Sea is a prison for your human race, but isn't the Source Realm also a prison for other races? Not to mention, which of those Half-Saint powerhouses would be willing to be trapped here for their entire lives? That's why they want to break the seal. It's not that they don't know the consequences, but they have no better choice. To gain freedom, one must always pay a price."

"Why must it be the human race? Can't other races be used as sacrificial material?"

Xue Jiu shook his head. "I don't know about that. But I heard that in the past, other races were also used for sacrifices, but it was to no avail. That's why it has to be humans. I wonder if the one who set up the Nine Pillar Seal was human?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Ye's heart stirred. Although the Dragon and Phoenix Ancestor had passed down the Dragon and Phoenix races within the Star Abyss, as far as Lu Ye knew, this Ancestor was indeed of human origin. Even so, there seemed to be no direct connection between that and the sacrificial material needing to be human.

"From the looks of it, if the Nine Pillar Seal is broken, the Star Abyss will likely revert to its most primordial state." At that time, the Outer Realm, Inner Realm, and Source Realm would merge into one, with no more division into three realms. Such a trend was already apparent now; there were signs of the Outer and Inner Realms merging, and the Source Realm was also affected. This was why Lu Ye and Xue Jiu were able to come to this realm.

"But I still can't understand why human blood can break the seal." Lu Ye was completely puzzled.

Xue Jiu spread his hands, an expression on his face that said, "You're asking me, who am I supposed to ask?"

"Because the Abyss detests the human race, and human blood brings it pleasure, allowing its sentience to awaken faster!"

A voice suddenly rang out. Lu Ye and Xue Jiu were both startled.

However, Lu Ye quickly recovered, cupped his fists, and bowed. "Saint Sovereign!"

Xue Jiu, on the other hand, was on high alert, staring at the figure who had suddenly emerged from the side. He then looked at Lu Ye with a pleading expression. Lu Ye chuckled inwardly. This was truly a turn of tables; earlier, when he was targeted by Xue Tianxing, it was Xue Jiu who had helped him out. Now, with Si Shengya present, it was Xue Jiu's turn to be in a tight spot.

Fortunately, Si Shengya merely cast a fleeting glance at Xue Jiu before looking away. Xue Jiu let out a long breath, his heart, which had been in his throat, finally settling. He had long heard that this human Half-Saint didn't involve himself in worldly affairs, but facing a Half-Saint still felt quite pressuring.

"Are you alright?" Si Shengya asked, looking at Lu Ye.

Lu Ye quickly replied, "Thank you for your concern, Saint Sovereign. This junior is fine." Si Shengya's presence here was clearly because he had seen Lu Ye on Yuan Island earlier and, uncertain of the situation and feeling uneasy, had secretly followed him.

"This is Xue Jiu, who came with me from the Inner Realm. He and I..."

"Lu Ye and I are like brothers," Xue Jiu quickly interjected, not waiting for Lu Ye to finish. "Previously, when his whereabouts were accidentally discovered by Xue Tianxing, I made him disguise himself as a blood slave."

Lu Ye casually glanced at him, not bothering to expose his lie. Si Shengya clearly didn't believe his fabricated story, but he had no intention of delving deeper; as long as he confirmed Lu Ye was alright, that was enough.

"Saint Sovereign," Lu Ye said, looking at Si Shengya, "What you just said..."

"Although it's my speculation, it should be correct. I've been in the Source Realm for hundreds of thousands of years, and Yuan Island is above the Cage Sea; I've observed it for a very long time." As he spoke, he glanced at Xue Jiu again. "So the outside speculation that the Nine Pillar Seal was created by humans is basically true. The Abyss detests the human race, which is why humans have such a difficult time in the Source Realm."

"If the Nine Pillar Seal breaks one day, will the three realms truly merge?"

"Most likely. When the three realms merge, the Abyss's consciousness will probably fully awaken. You should prepare yourself early."

Lu Ye fell silent. Although Si Shengya said this, Lu Ye didn't know how to prepare. The only thing he could do was continuously strengthen himself. His identity as a 'rebellious son' was confirmed; he had been abandoned by the Abyss. If the Abyss truly awakened its consciousness one day, he would likely face extreme difficulties in the Star Abyss.

After speaking, Si Shengya prepared to leave, but Xue Jiu urgently asked, "May I ask, Saint Sovereign, how can one leave the Source Realm?"

Si Shengya initially didn't want to bother. Having witnessed many cruel methods from foreign races during his years in the Source Realm, he held no goodwill towards any of them, especially the Blood Clan. But then he reconsidered, realizing that this question was probably not just something Xue Jiu wanted to know. So he replied, "I don't know, but given the current situation, when the three realms merge, there will be no more Source Realm." The implication was that there was no urgent need to leave the Source Realm.

"Even the Saint Sovereign doesn't know?" Xue Jiu couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. Just as he was about to say something more, the heavens and earth suddenly hummed. Immediately after, the weather changed drastically. All three were startled and looked up in unison, only to see shadows gathering faintly beneath the sky. The shadows swirled and solidified, resembling a dark dragon swimming, yet upon closer inspection, they looked like an insubstantial chain.

Lu Ye observed intently and couldn't help but be utterly amazed, because the more he looked at the shadow, the more it resembled a chain, and he had seen this type of chain before. It was during his encounter with San, when San had unleashed a sword strike, only to be bound by such chains and dragged into the void, disappearing without a trace.