Chapter 2837: Plan

Wind Rises in Kyushu

A short while later, Lu Ye followed Gu Yunliu deep into the battle fortress. On a long table, there was a potted plant that appeared quite unremarkable.

As Lu Ye approached, a flicker of light and shadow appeared on the potted plant, and a figure emerged abruptly—it was Old Tree.

The potted plant was a clone of Old Tree, placed there.

"Old Tree!" Lu Ye quickly bowed, feeling a touch of surprise. "Old Tree, you look much younger!"

Old Tree's current appearance was no longer that of the ancient elder Lu Ye had seen before; he now looked like a middle-aged man with deep-set eyes and a sturdy build. Only his face seemed a little weary.

Old Tree explained, "After reincarnation, my main body underwent some changes."

Lu Ye nodded. It seemed that this change was a good thing for Old Tree.

"Since you're back, what about the Splendid Realm...?" Old Tree looked at Lu Ye, seeking an answer.

"The problem there has been temporarily resolved," Lu Ye replied. "How is the Starry Sky doing now?" Although he had gotten a brief overview from Huaci, Old Tree knew the most about the specific situation in the Starry Sky. This was because his clones were now spread throughout the Starry Sky; he could instantly grasp any matter, big or small, except for in the most obscure corners.

Old Tree couldn't help but sigh, his expression solemn. "Foreign enemies have invaded through the various Abyss Gates. In recent times, many cultivators from our Starry Sky have been killed or wounded."

Lu Ye's face darkened. Casualties were expected. No one would deliberately step on an ant nest for no reason, but if bitten by ants, they would surely crush them. The Abyss Gates were heavily guarded by numerous cultivators. Any invasion would inevitably be met with resistance, leading to battles and, consequently, casualties.

"Where is the situation most serious?" Lu Ye asked.

"Over in the Tian Gang Star System..."

The Starry Sky's six major Abyss Gates were located in the Illusion Extinction Star System, Myriad Phenomena Sea, Tian Gang Star System, Long Moon Star System, Dark Frost Star System, and Lan Yun Realm. According to Lu Ye's original arrangements, the Tian Gang Star System was primarily guarded by Shuixian and Chen Li, supported by the Little Folk of Fangcun Mountain and various smaller realms. However, later, to seal the Starry Sky rift opened by Yun Shiwang, Lu Ye controlled the Blood Ancestor's physical body, forcibly activated Fangcun Mountain's power, and placed this supreme treasure in the Puling Star System to block the gap, thus averting a catastrophic disaster in the Starry Sky. Shuixian and Chen Li were two of the nine cultivators taken into the Abyss by the Ghost Palanquin along with Lu Ye. Due to this fortuitous encounter, all nine had achieved Dao enlightenment early, giving them a significant cultivation advantage over other Starry Sky cultivators, making them ideal candidates for guarding the Abyss Gates. For many years, with these two overseeing it, supported by the Little Folk of Fangcun Mountain and cultivators from various realms, the Abyss Gate in Tian Gang had been considered impregnable. However, all that peace was shattered with the fusion of the inner and outer realms.

After a brief thought, Lu Ye realized the core issue. "The Qiankun Cauldron?"

The reason an Abyss Gate existed in the Tian Gang Star System was that one had opened there tens of thousands of years ago. During the first invasion of the Starry Sky, local cultivators had merged their bodies with the Dao, forcibly activating the power of the Qiankun Cauldron to seal the Abyss Gate. Thus, this supreme treasure had remained there ever since. Over time, as the sealing power weakened, the Abyss Gate reopened. The allure of a supreme treasure was immense; any Dao-harmonizing cultivators in the Abyss who detected it would surely flock in, especially for an ownerless treasure like the Qiankun Cauldron.

"What about the Little Folk...?" Lu Ye asked anxiously.

Old Tree, knowing exactly what he wanted to ask, quickly offered reassurance. "Su Yuqing is fine. When the powerful enemies invaded, she was in secluded cultivation, breaking through to Dao-harmonizing. By the time she emerged, the battle was already over. However, Chen Li... he died in battle, and Shuixian was severely wounded. The Little Folk also suffered considerable losses."

Lu Ye's clenched fist relaxed slightly. Su Yuqing's safety was a stroke of immense luck amidst misfortune. Ultimately, the power gap between allies and enemies was too vast. The conflict in the Tian Gang Star System ended quickly, as the invading enemies were more interested in seizing the supreme treasure than in eliminating the local cultivators. It was a pity about Chen Li; he had returned from the Abyss with Lu Ye and others after enduring countless hardships and miraculously surviving many crises. He had not died in the Abyss, only to fall in the Starry Sky.

"Although the invading enemies in Tian Gang include powerful individuals and are quite numerous, they are largely disorganized," Old Tree continued. "They have conflicts and disputes among themselves; several have died in recent days. In contrast, the group of Dao-harmonizing cultivators who invaded Myriad Phenomena Sea are well-disciplined and orderly. They likely belong to a single force."

"Do you know which force that is?" Lu Ye asked.

Old Tree shook his head. "I don't know. I didn't dare to approach them rashly. But don't worry, even though a large number of cultivators invaded Myriad Phenomena Sea, they didn't commit much slaughter."

"Oh?" Lu Ye raised an eyebrow, finding this somewhat surprising.

"As for Long Moon, Dark Frost, and Lan Yun—all three also saw a large number of scattered enemies invade. However, they didn't linger much and are now dispersed throughout the Starry Sky, making it difficult even for me to track all their movements."

The main reason invading enemies lingered at the Abyss Gates was the allure of supreme treasures. Tian Gang possessed the ownerless Qiankun Cauldron, leading to the fiercest competition and the most chaotic situation there. Myriad Phenomena Sea had the Star Constellation Palace, but it was hidden beneath the sea itself. The entire Myriad Phenomena Sea was formed around this treasure, giving it natural and powerful concealment, so even powerful invading enemies might not detect it. Long Moon had the Asura Battlefield, but this supreme treasure had an owner: Mi Shi, the current patriarch of the Heavenly Asura Clan. Furthermore, this treasure was highly unique, only activatable by those with the Heavenly Asura bloodline. Under Mi Shi's control, the treasure had already taken the cultivators guarding the Abyss Gate into hidden obscurity, making it impossible for enemies to discover its whereabouts. As for the other Abyss Gates, since they had no supreme treasures, the invading Dao-harmonizing cultivators naturally wouldn't linger long.

Old Tree's intelligence was indeed far more detailed than Huaci's. After listening, Lu Ye had a clear understanding of the Starry Sky's situation. "So, the first problem we need to solve right now is the trouble in Tian Gang."

"Precisely!" Old Tree nodded. "How do you plan to proceed?"

"On my way back, I formulated a plan that requires your assistance, Old Tree," Lu Ye stated.

"What do you need me to do?" Old Tree asked.

Lu Ye then slowly unfolded his plan. Gu Yunliu, listening nearby, felt his eyelids twitching because the plan was not only audacious but also placed extremely high demands on Lu Ye's personal strength. If his strength proved insufficient, the plan wouldn't just be impossible to execute; it would become a laughingstock and potentially exacerbate the Starry Sky's already difficult situation. However, upon reflection, the fact that Lu Ye proposed such a plan indicated his absolute confidence in his own abilities. With this thought, Gu Yunliu became expectant. After so many years, could this young man, who had once turned the tide during the Starry Sky's darkest hour, once again forge a miracle?

Moments later, Lu Ye emerged from the depths of the battle fortress, holding the potted plant in one hand, and swiftly vanished into the vast Starry Sky.

"Realm Lord, where did he go?" Gu Sheng walked up to Gu Yunliu, watching the departing figure as he asked.

Gu Yunliu smiled. "Looking at his murderous aura, he's naturally off to slay enemies."

"He's alone... can he manage?" Gu Sheng couldn't help but show concern. The more he cultivated, the more he felt his own powerlessness. He was now a Dao Integration cultivator, yet in the face of this Starry Sky crisis, he didn't even qualify to participate in the fighting. He recalled that he and Lu Ye had both emerged from the Asura Battlefield after training together, and back then, their power gap wasn't significant. Even if Lu Ye was much stronger now, going alone was unsettling.

"Whether he can or not, we'll just have to wait and see!"

"Wait and see?" Gu Sheng was perplexed.

The Abyss's invasion had created many new Wormholes in the Starry Sky, a sign of its instability. When the number of these Wormholes reached a limit, the entire Starry Sky would fragment into countless pieces. However, it had to be said that these newly formed Wormholes made travel much more convenient for Starry Sky cultivators. Compared to when Lu Ye left years ago, the number of Wormholes in the Starry Sky was now far greater.

Lu Ye, holding the potted plant, moved like lightning. Traversing just six or seven Wormholes, he arrived outside the Abyss Gate of the Tian Gang Star System in half a day.

From a distance, he spotted the colossal Qiankun Cauldron standing in the void. Surrounding it were over twenty Dao Integration cities, with scattered figures eyeing the Cauldron like tigers stalking their prey. The Qiankun Cauldron, as a supreme treasure, likely had no sentience, or its sentience hadn't awakened; otherwise, it wouldn't remain so peacefully here. Beyond this grand spectacle, there was also a battle fortress. However, that fortress was shattered, and Lu Ye's divine sense swept through it, finding it empty. This was the battle fortress where Starry Sky cultivators had originally been stationed. However, after numerous conflicts, Chen Li's death, Shuixian's severe injuries, and many casualties among other cultivators, the survivors had fled. Being outmatched, staying there would have been useless, only leading to more casualties.

As Lu Ye's figure streaked closer, he drew many gazes. However, a significant number of cultivators had been drawn here recently by the allure of the supreme treasure, so many simply glanced at him before looking away, not paying him much mind.

Lu Ye stood in place, silently waiting.

From another direction, a figure swiftly approached.

Moments later, she appeared before Lu Ye. Although she had already received news from Old Tree's clone, seeing Lu Ye in person, she still couldn't hide the surprise and longing in her eyes. With reddened eyes and gently biting her lip, she softly called out, "Husband..."

Lu Ye raised his hand and gently clasped her soft palm, sighing softly. "Yuqing, I returned late."

Su Yuqing slowly shook her head, taking his hand and rubbing it against her cheek. Only when the tangible warmth reached her did she finally confirm that this man had truly returned and was standing right before her. Her eyes were still red, but she broke into a smile. "It's not late." No matter when, as long as he could return, it was never too late.