Chapter 2838: Projection

Near the Stargate, numerous Combined Dao Cities and scattered cultivators stood, while two figures embraced softly.

After a long moment, Lu Ye finally released Su Yuqing. "Take this," he said.

Only then did Su Yuqing notice that Lu Ye had been carrying Tree Elder's clone all along, and she couldn't help but blush. Her attention had been entirely on Lu Ye just moments before, completely unaware of the clone's presence.

"Who killed Chen Li, and who severely injured Narcissus?" Lu Ye asked, his gaze turning towards the Qiankun Cauldron and hardening with resolve.

Su Yuqing looked up and slowly shook her head. "When I came out of seclusion, the battle was almost over," she explained. "Senior Sister Narcissus took me and fled, so I didn't clearly see who was responsible, but it must have been from that Combined Dao City."

She raised her hand, pointing in a specific direction.

It was a Heaven-grade city.

Currently, while many Combined Dao Cities were gathered near the Qiankun Cauldron, their grades were not particularly high. The Stargate's limited capacity meant that only smaller Combined Dao Cities could pass through.

The highest-grade Combined Dao Cities present were two Barren-grade cities; all others were of a lower grade.

"I understand," Lu Ye acknowledged with a nod.

Su Yuqing was slightly startled. "What are you going to do?" she asked.

A chilling killing intent emerged as Lu Ye spoke softly, "Revenge!"

Su Yuqing paused, a wave of worry washing over her. While Lu Ye had been adventuring for years and his strength had undoubtedly increased — certainly far surpassing her own — the sheer number of enemies gathered here, backed by their Combined Dao Cities, was daunting.

How could Lu Ye possibly seek revenge alone?

Yet, she offered no dissuasion. Instead, she took a step forward, standing by Lu Ye's side.

"Tree Elder, we can begin," Lu Ye stated calmly.

The potted plant swayed, and a mysterious energy diffused from it, enveloping both Lu Ye and Su Yuqing.

Despite her careful perception, Su Yuqing detected no anomaly, completely unaware of what Lu Ye and Tree Elder were truly doing.

Meanwhile, at Thousand Hills Graveyard.

A vast realm lay stretched across this land — the very Kyushu that had migrated here years ago. Thousand Hills Graveyard contained a substantial amount of unformed world essence, serving as ideal nourishment for Kyushu. Moreover, Kyushu had previously integrated with the Qingli Dao Realm and the Jade Snail Realm, becoming truly grand in scale.

Over the years, Kyushu had grown tremendously, its foundation long surpassing that of the Yellow Dragon Realm, once the largest realm in the starry sky.

Currently, Kyushu was brimming with incredibly rich spiritual energy, and cultivation paradises suitable for cultivators were ubiquitous, making it a truly blessed land. In recent years, many prodigies of exceptional talent had emerged, though as time was still short, these remarkable individuals were still in their growth phase.

In Tianzhou, before the Kyushu Guardian Hall, a towering ancient tree stood, its massive canopy spreading like a giant umbrella, shading an area of a hundred miles.

This was Tree Elder's true form.

From the colossal trunk, Tree Elder's voice suddenly resonated: "Little Nine, we can begin!"

Beneath the tree stood a silent figure: Little Nine. After all these years, he was no longer a child but had transformed into a young man.

Beside him stood a graceful young woman. She wore a small floral hat and a floral dress, and as the wind stirred her dark hair, she gently pressed down her hat with one hand, her large eyes blinking as she watched Little Nine.

If Lu Ye were present, he would undoubtedly be astonished by the significant changes in both Little Nine and Little Flower Maiden.

They were, in essence, the realm spirits of Kyushu and the Flower Realm, and as their respective realms grew, so too did they.

Tree Elder had already informed Little Nine of Lu Ye's plan, as it required not only Tree Elder's cooperation but also Little Nine's assistance.

Upon hearing this, Little Nine said, "Tree Elder, you must make it clear to Lu Ye: if we make a move here, the Asura Field artifact alone won't be able to conceal your aura; you'll definitely be exposed. There are many individuals outside trying to pinpoint your whereabouts. Tell him to finish his business there quickly and return to help us."

Tree Elder couldn't help but smile. "Don't worry," he said, "he'll make the necessary arrangements."

While Tree Elder's true form was cloaked by the Asura Field artifact, its aura still presented vulnerabilities to the invading Combined Dao cultivators. Indeed, many such cultivators were currently dispersed throughout Thousand Hills Graveyard, searching diligently, as they vaguely sensed the presence of a supreme treasure nearby.

They simply hadn't located it yet.

However, just as Little Nine stated, once Tree Elder unleashed his power, his presence would inevitably be revealed, allowing the outside Combined Dao cultivators to track him down.

Kyushu, in its present state, would be utterly incapable of resisting.

Nevertheless, Tree Elder harbored no concerns. Not only could he leverage the connection between his true form and clone to instantly transport Lu Ye here for assistance, but once the plan truly commenced, the invading enemies might well lose their courage to linger.

Therefore, exposure was of no consequence.

"That's good!" Little Nine said, feeling much relieved. "Then, Tree Elder, I'm starting!"

As he spoke, he closed his eyes and stood still. The next moment, at his command, vast amounts of invisible and intangible Kyushu origin power surged into Tree Elder's body.

Tree Elder, too, ceased suppressing himself. As his immense tree form swayed, a magnificent aura surged skyward, causing an immediate dramatic shift in the weather and dimming the very heavens.

The concealment provided by the Asura Field artifact was utterly ineffective against such an aura. As the void surrounding Kyushu twisted, all cloaking failed, and the immense realm appeared out of thin air.

"Hmm? It's over there!"

When this aura manifested, numerous figures searching throughout Thousand Hills Graveyard instantly perceived it. Without hesitation, they flashed towards Kyushu, their hearts filled with wild exultation.

Their senses had been correct; a supreme treasure was indeed hidden there, and judging by its aura, it seemed to be remarkably powerful.

One four-armed cultivator, being closest to Kyushu, darted near the realm with just a few swift movements. His gaze immediately fell upon the massive Reincarnation Tree.

"It's a tree-type supreme treasure!" His brow furrowed in surprise.

Generally, tree-type supreme treasures possessed formidable power. For instance, the Primordial Parasol Tree of the Phoenix Nest wielded the profound and immense ability to traverse vast distances through the void, a quality that was undeniably highly appealing to any cultivator.

The trouble, however, was that tree-type supreme treasures typically possessed considerable sentience. Although this four-armed Combined Dao cultivator was a high-ranking Combined Dao expert and even a Flood-grade City Lord, he wasn't confident in his ability to subdue such a treasure.

Let alone him, even the top ten City Lord-level powerhouses, if they encountered a sentient supreme treasure and couldn't secure its willing submission, would resort to methods to erase its sentience and forcibly claim it.

Thus, upon realizing that the supreme treasure here was a tree-type artifact, he couldn't help but feel a pang of annoyance.

If he were alone, he could certainly take his time, but with the considerable number of Combined Dao cultivators already gathered here, a fierce struggle would be inevitable.

As he was contemplating this, a shimmering light slowly ascended from the immense tree canopy, resembling a rising sun that illuminated the surrounding starry sky.

Suddenly, this 'rising sun' burst open, transforming into a vast light screen.

"Oh..." The four-armed cultivator was momentarily stunned, gazing with surprise at the immense light screen hovering above Kyushu.

Within the light screen, a sole figure was visible, shown from behind. It appeared to be a human with a tall, upright stature, a long saber at his waist, moving swiftly forward.

Ahead of him, a colossal cauldron-shaped object lay sprawled, with numerous Combined Dao Cities gathered around it.

"A projection? Where is this being projected from?" The four-armed cultivator vaguely perceived something, and judging by the scene, it appeared to be a real-time projection.

In other words, the events displayed on this light screen were unfolding at this very moment, somewhere else in the starry sky.

Was this the capability of the tree-type supreme treasure before him? The four-armed cultivator mused thoughtfully.

Streaks of light flashed as more and more cultivators were drawn to Kyushu. Although the Reincarnation Tree's location was now exposed, all arriving cultivators shared the same reasoning as the four-armed Combined Dao cultivator.

Namely, that tree-type supreme treasures were difficult to refine, and any forceful attempt would likely yield unfavorable results. Instead, the sudden appearance of the scene within the light screen greatly piqued their curiosity.

Such light screens were not limited to Kyushu.

Throughout the entire starry sky, wherever Tree Elder's clones were present, large light screens began to manifest in various locations, activated by the exertion of his true form.

In the Myriad Phenomenon Sea, two women strolled leisurely hand in hand across a high-grade spiritual island, their joyful laughter occasionally echoing.

Suddenly, they halted, looking up at the abruptly appearing light screen.

Upon clearly seeing the figure's back, one of the women's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh?" she exclaimed.

It was as if she had witnessed something utterly unbelievable.

Her companion, with a slightly softer expression, turned to her. "Is that Lu Ye?" she asked. "The back view looks somewhat like him."

Her companion had indeed met Lu Ye years ago. While she hadn't paid much attention at the time, having seen him, she wouldn't forget.

The first woman nodded. "It's him, alright! I recognize his saber. What exactly is this fellow up to here?"

The companion's voice was soft. "This shouldn't be his true form," she said. "It's a projection, though I'm not sure where it's being projected from."

"Can we find where his true form is?" the woman inquired.

To encounter Lu Ye in such a place was truly peculiar, but since they had, they naturally wanted to meet him and inquire about the situation.

The companion looked towards Three Realms Island. "The source of the projection is that location," she stated. "We'll find out if we go there!"

"Let's go!" The woman pulled her companion along, flashing towards Three Realms Island.

They had been exploring the Myriad Phenomenon Sea for quite some time and naturally knew that Three Realms Island was its finest and largest spiritual island. They had even ventured beneath the Myriad Phenomenon Sea, where they discovered the small Star Constellation Hall that Lu Ye had placed beneath Three Realms Island years ago.

However, they had not taken it, as such an artifact offered little practical use to them. They would certainly not engage in an act that harmed others without benefiting themselves.

Through that small Star Constellation Hall, the companion had successfully traced the location of the main Star Constellation Hall. The primary reason they hadn't yet begun to refine it was a desire to spend more time with each other, as refining a supreme treasure would undoubtedly require a significant amount of time.