Chapter 2829: Return to Splendor Again

Long Zun stood frozen on the spot, staring at Feng Zhu with wide eyes.

Feng Zhu said, "Don't look at me like that. That's what Tree Elder said, and he was indeed lucid for a while."

A strange light flickered in Long Zun's eyes. "Did Tree Elder say what his condition was before?"

"Tree Elder said he was trapped in a place, his consciousness muddled, without light, and an omnipresent darkness was eroding his spirit, until someone tore open a rift in that darkness."

Long Zun naturally knew that what Tree Elder described was a state of erosion.

Not just Tree Elder, but he and Feng Zhu, and even all cultivators in the Star Abyss, had always been subject to erosion, though to varying degrees.

"So, according to this, the consciousness of the Second Progenitor and the Seventh Lord… could still exist?" Long Zun's expression became solemn.

When they had previously learned from Lu Ye that the Second Progenitor and Seventh Lord were in the Origin World, already transformed into True Saint Puppets, their greatest fear was that their consciousness would be obliterated. If that were truly the case, it would mean that only powerful husks remained.

This was something the Dragon and Phoenix clans could never accept.

But now, inferring from the Primordial Parasol Tree's previous situation, even if they had truly become puppets, as long as their consciousness was resilient enough, it might not be completely erased.

There was still hope!

"But what method did that boy use?" Long Zun looked utterly bewildered.

"Why don't you just ask him?" Feng Zhu rolled her eyes at him.

Countless miles away from the Phoenix Nest, a section of void suddenly rippled like water after a stone was dropped into it. Immediately after, a verdant branch extended from it, and Lu Ye stood alone upon that branch.

He stepped off, and when he looked back, the branch that had brought him was slowly retracting, and the anomaly in the space behind him was quickly smoothed out.

He marveled inwardly. As expected of the power of a supreme treasure, it had sent him incredibly far!

The moment he appeared, he felt a different sensation than before; if his previous sensation was extremely distant, then now it felt incredibly close.

Of course, not all supreme treasures possessed such an ability. The Primordial Parasol Tree was ultimately different; it was the dwelling place of the Phoenix clan, and the Phoenix clan controlled spatial power.

Suppressing his excitement, Lu Ye turned and flew towards the source of the sensation.

Although the Primordial Parasol Tree had transported him here, there was still some distance to the location he sensed. He wasn't sure if it was because the distance was too vast or due to the Primordial Parasol Tree's recent awakening, but the supreme treasure hadn't delivered him directly to his destination.

He estimated he would still need to fly for another day or two to reach the location.

Even so, the time it would take was significantly shorter compared to traveling here by his own means.

He soared forward like a streak of light.

A day later, a dazzling array of colors appeared in the distance.

Lu Ye's eyes shone brightly as he looked in the direction from which the light emanated.

He had finally returned!

Ever since he had left the Starry Sky to find a solution, inadvertently falling into the Inner Realm, he hadn't seen these familiar colors again.

If not for the merging of the Outer and Inner Realms this time, Lu Ye wouldn't have been able to return so smoothly. After all, with his strength, it wasn't easy to remain in the Outer Realm for long.

Although the merging of the Outer and Inner Realms would cause turmoil throughout the Star Abyss, from another perspective, it gave Lu Ye the qualification to return home.

After another half day, the vibrant and dazzling light became even clearer.

Lu Ye's eyes narrowed slightly.

For right before the colorful expanse, a colossal object lay across his path!

It was a Conjoint Dao City, and judging by its scale, it was a Universe-grade Conjoint Dao City!

Lu Ye's expression instantly turned grim. His fears had, after all, come true.

The merging of the Outer and Inner Realms was not good news for any single Starry Sky. Previously, when a Starry Sky was invaded, it only had to face enemies from the Outer Realm, where the strongest cultivators were at the Fusion Dao stage. But now that the two realms had merged, Conjoint Dao cultivators also had the qualification to participate in Starry Sky invasions.

Banlan was a Dao Weapon left behind by Jiu Ying back then. It had its own internal space and could almost be considered a unique Starry Sky.

Up to now, Lu Ye had encountered countless cultivators of varying strengths, but he had truly never seen another Dao Weapon as unique as Banlan.

In the entire Star Abyss, Banlan was an extremely special existence.

Lu Ye wasn't entirely clear how powerful Jiu Ying was at his peak, as only a remnant soul of Jiu Ying had resided within Banlan back then.

However, Lu Ye estimated that at his peak, Jiu Ying was likely at least a Universe-grade City Lord-level expert.

A unique Dao Weapon left by such a powerful expert, with countless cultivators living within it, naturally attracted covetous gazes.

Moreover, Banlan was incredibly conspicuous.

If anyone could obtain Banlan, it would be equivalent to possessing a single Starry Sky.

This unknown Universe-grade Conjoint Dao City had undoubtedly been attracted by it. Lu Ye wasn't sure which of the Ten Greats this Conjoint Dao City belonged to, but among the current Ten Great Conjoint Dao Cities, only Myriad Ancient City and Scarlet Refining City were not enemies, besides Dragon City and Phoenix Nest.

This Conjoint Dao City likely didn't belong to Dragon City or Phoenix Nest, as Lu Ye hadn't received any news to that effect. Therefore, its stance was very likely hostile to him.

The Outer and Inner Realms had been merging for some time now. With this Universe-grade city obstructing the path, what was the situation inside Banlan?

Crucially, there was also a Star Abyss Gate within Banlan that led to his home Starry Sky, connecting to the Phantom Extinction Star System!

When Lu Ye had placed Banlan here originally, his main purpose was to conceal that Star Abyss Gate. If certain individuals with ulterior motives discovered the Star Abyss Gate within Banlan and subsequently invaded the Starry Sky, it would undoubtedly be a catastrophe for his home Starry Sky.

In an instant, Lu Ye formed Dao patterns to empower himself, concealing his aura and form, and quietly approached the area.

Although anxious, since things had come to this, he still needed to first ascertain the affiliation of this Universe-grade city.

It was a pity that he hadn't spent much time venturing through the Star Abyss, so he didn't know much about the Universe-grade cities of the major powers; otherwise, he would have been able to make a judgment.

As he continuously approached the Universe-grade city, Lu Ye suddenly halted.

A dark shadow in the distance was rapidly approaching, flowing like the night, and instantly vanished into the Universe-grade city.

Lu Ye's eyelids lowered, and his heart sank.

There was no need for further reconnaissance; he already knew which of the Ten Greats this Universe-grade city belonged to.

Because he had recognized the identity of the dark shadow from moments ago.

Sen Luo City, Zong Shenliang!

Although he had never directly fought Zong Shenliang, he had at least seen him a few times and naturally wouldn't mistake his aura.

However, judging by the strength of the aura just now, it was likely not Zong Shenliang's true body, but possibly a clone or similar existence, as the aura wasn't very powerful.

That made sense. Although Banlan was unique and enticing, it wasn't a supreme treasure. While it held attraction for experts like the Ten Great City Lords, it wasn't enough to warrant the deployment of his true body.

So, this area was Sen Luo City's territory?

Lu Ye's teeth ached in frustration. How unlucky! Why did Banlan's location happen to appear here after the Outer and Inner Realms merged?

This was going to be a bit troublesome now.

As he pondered, several figures suddenly flew out of the city and shot towards Banlan. The one leading them was indeed Zong Shenliang.

In a flash, they entered Banlan and disappeared from sight.

Three breaths later, Lu Ye also quietly darted towards Banlan.

In the Starry Sky of Banlan, colorful stars sparkled. From a cosmic perspective, the entire Starry Sky resembled a magnificent painting.

At this very moment, a Star Abyss Gate lay across the backside of a certain star within Banlan.

This was precisely the Star Abyss Gate connected to the Phantom Extinction Star System.

A palace stood before the gate.

The palace wasn't particularly large, and two large characters were inscribed on the plaque above its entrance: Green Palace!

It was Yin Luo's traveling palace.

When Yang Qing left the Starry Sky back then, he enlightened the Star Beast Yin Luo and asked her to help guard the Star Abyss Gate. Grateful for his kindness, Yin Luo diligently protected it for many years. It wasn't until after Lu Ye left the Starry Sky that she ascended to the Conjoint Dao stage and entered the Inner Realm for cultivation.

Even so, she didn't wander around but remained at the point where she had entered the Inner Realm. Occasionally, she would return to the Outer Realm to check on the situation.

Many years passed like this.

Until some time ago, when the Outer and Inner Realms completely merged, she returned to the Green Palace.

It happened to be a time of great peril for Banlan.

Numerous powerful enemies had invaded. Even though many cultivators within Banlan had successfully advanced to the Conjoint Dao stage with the merging of the Outer and Inner Realms, they were unable to resist.

It was precisely thanks to Yin Luo that they had managed to hold on.

At this moment, more than ten Conjoint Dao Cities of various sizes stood before the Green Palace.

These Conjoint Dao Cities ranged from Profound-grade to Desolate-grade, varying in quality. Within these numerous cities, many cultivators glared menacingly towards the Green Palace.

Logically speaking, given the foundation of the cultivators within Banlan, not to mention so many Conjoint Dao Cities gathered here, even the lowest-grade Profound-grade Conjoint Dao City among them would have the capability to shatter the Green Palace.

After all, this was merely a traveling palace Yin Luo had left behind here.

However, the reality was not so.

This was because, at this very moment, a golden dragon shadow, sometimes visible, sometimes not, hovered outside the Green Palace. That dragon shadow exuded supreme divine might, making numerous Conjoint Dao cultivators extremely wary.

The cultivators from the various Conjoint Dao Cities had not failed to attempt a forceful assault, but all their attempts ended in failure. The power displayed by the dragon shadow was not only immensely strong but also protected the Green Palace impenetrably.

Without breaking through the Green Palace, there was no way to pass through that Star Abyss Gate.

Inside the Green Palace, Yin Luo sat cross-legged, her face pale. Around her were no fewer than twenty figures, male and female.

All of them were Conjoint Dao cultivators who had ascended in Banlan and the Starry Sky after the merging of the Outer and Inner Realms. It could be said that most of the Conjoint Dao cultivators who could be mobilized from his home Starry Sky were gathered here.

However, apart from Yin Luo, all the others were newly ascended Conjoint Dao cultivators, whose power was truly limited when facing strong enemies.

"Auntie Yin Luo," a handsome young man stepped forward. A long saber hung at his waist, and he reeked of blood. His complexion was as pale as Yin Luo's.

At first glance, the young man seemed to be human, but unlike normal humans, he had two smaller ears behind his main ones.

"Fei Mu…" Yin Luo looked up at the young man, their eyes met, and she couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh. "It seems… we can't hold on much longer."