Chapter 2869: Source Realm Fusion

The black chains restraining Fugang were undoubtedly the restrictive power from the Origin Realm. After Fugang attained sainthood, he was bound by them and submerged into the Origin Realm.

"Fellow Daoist, is that masked person... a True Saint?" Jin Yao asked.

She had learned much about the Origin Realm from Lu Ye, far more comprehensively than the glimpse she caught during her own advancement.

"Yes!" Lu Ye nodded.

Saint Two!He hadn't expected Fugang's recent breakthrough to be escorted by a True Saint. This was undoubtedly the Will of the Abyss. Given the situation, if Saint Two hadn't appeared at the last moment, Lu Ye would have certainly slain Fugang on the spot. It was a pity Saint Two intervened, causing his effort to fall short at the very end.

He had been wounded by Saint Three before, and now it was Saint Two again. None of these True Saints were easy to deal with. The power of the Firmament Mirror, which he hastily activated, was utterly shattered. However, it was also thanks to the Firmament Mirror deflecting some of Saint Two's might that his current injuries weren't more severe.

With Fugang falling into the Origin Realm and the Nine Saints gathered, the awakening of the Abyss's Will was unstoppable. A great calamity was imminent. Lu Ye was filled with worry about the future of the vast Star Abyss but felt helpless.

At this very moment.

In the Origin Realm.At the center of the Cage Sea, on Abyssal Isle, nine towering pillars reached for the sky. Beneath each massive pillar stood a figure. Eight of them wore masks with varying inscriptions, while only the newly arrived Fugang showed his true face. He appeared just as Lu Ye had seen him before: expressionless, eyes rolled back, as if completely unconscious. A large, bone-deep wound marred his waist, and even as a True Saint, it was proving difficult to heal quickly. Although Lu Ye couldn't prevent him from achieving sainthood at the last moment, that strike had still inflicted significant injury.

At this moment, the powers of the Nine Saints converged. Their respective Dao powers surged, causing the nine colossal pillars, embedded like nails in Abyssal Isle, to vibrate continuously. Invisible ripples spread outwards. As these ripples expanded, a grand and immense will slowly began to revive within Abyssal Isle.

Above the Cage Sea, figures stood suspended in the air; these were the Half-Saints of the Origin Realm.

Previously, when Fugang achieved True Sainthood, anomalies also occurred in the Origin Realm. The Half-Saints, sensing these, had come to investigate. Now, seeing the changes on Abyssal Isle and perceiving the faint, almost imperceptible aura of the will, their expressions were a mix of shock, fear, and solemnity.

What surprised them even more was that as the will slowly revived, faint whispers seemed to echo in their ears, yet when they tried to listen closely, they couldn't quite discern them.

"Fellow Daoist, look over there." Jin Yao's voice broke Lu Ye's thoughts.

He looked up, his expression suddenly tightening.

Ahead, the space seemed unusual. At first glance, it was as if another layer of space was overlapping, or perhaps it was a hazy mirage, appearing and disappearing, making it difficult to perceive clearly.

Jin Yao's face was filled with wonder: "Are there mirages in the void as well?"

Lu Ye's expression, however, was extremely solemn. He slowly shook his head, "It's not a mirage; it's the Origin Realm!"

Jin Yao was utterly astonished: "The Origin Realm? How could..." She trailed off, then suddenly realized something: "Is the Origin Realm going to merge as well?"

Lu Ye nodded.

When the Inner and Outer Realms merged previously, the Star Abyss had looked just like this. That process lasted a long time, only fully stabilizing a few days ago when the Inner and Outer Realms completely fused. Now, a similar situation was appearing at the location of Fugang's advancement and breakthrough. This was undoubtedly a sign that the Origin Realm was merging with the Star Abyss.

Indeed, with the Nine Saints gathered, the three realms were about to become one.

A profound sense of crisis welled up in Lu Ye's heart. Currently, the True Saints were trapped in the Origin Realm. Even if Saint Two and Saint Three could briefly appear in the Star Abyss to attack him, as before, they would quickly be pulled back by the Origin Realm's restrictive power. However, once the Origin Realm truly merged with the Star Abyss, the True Saints would likely be unrestrained. At that point, the Abyss's Will would also fully awaken, and the entire starry sky would become its domain, with no one able to defy its will.

Although, based on current circumstances and past experience, this kind of merger would take time, the process was irreversible. The methods left behind by the Dragon and Phoenix ancestors at the dawn of this universe would also be broken as the Abyss's consciousness revived.

This is troubling!

With that thought in mind, Lu Ye immediately stood up and called out to Jin Yao, "Let's go!"

Jin Yao promptly returned and re-entered the Talent Tree.

The next moment, Lu Ye's figure vanished from his spot.

A short while later, Lu Ye appeared in the central hall of the Phoenix Nest.

He immediately saw the Dragon Lord and Phoenix Empress, who had been waiting there.

These two had arrived a step too late; the Primeval Parasol Tree had already fallen into slumber. Helpless, they could only wait there.

Seeing Lu Ye's return, they quickly approached. The Phoenix Empress looked astonished: "Are you injured?"

Lu Ye replied, "Phoenix Empress, there's no need to worry; I'm fine now." The most troublesome aspect of his injury was the Dao intent that had invaded his wound, as it was the Dao intent of a True Saint. However, with the Talent Tree's incineration, once the Dao intent was expelled, his injuries could heal.

"Did you see the one who achieved sainthood? Was he from the Unity Realm?" the Dragon Lord asked.

He clearly had some understanding of powerful beings like Jin Yao and Fugang, having previously made similar conjectures with the Phoenix Empress, though they had no way to confirm them.

"A powerful individual named Fugang did indeed emerge from the Unity Realm..." Lu Ye nodded, then briefly explained the current situation.

The Dragon Lord and Phoenix Empress listened with dazed expressions.

Fugang had been chosen by the Will of the Abyss and achieved True Sainthood. Now, the Nine Saints were gathered in the Origin Realm, the Abyss's Will was on the verge of awakening, and the Origin Realm was about to merge with the Star Abyss.

Each of these events was a major development capable of altering the entire structure of the Star Abyss.

The two strongest among the Dragon and Phoenix races exchanged glances, both reminded of the prophecy.

It was indeed coming true!

"What should we do now?" Faced with such a momentous event, the Dragon Lord was at a loss.

Lu Ye remained silent. To be honest, he also didn't know what to do. Under such overwhelming circumstances, even with Dragon City and Phoenix Nest as their backing, there was little they could accomplish.

During the silence, the Phoenix Empress spoke, "Lu Ye, I've always been curious about something: just how strong are these Half-Saints?"

Lu Ye replied gravely, "By my estimation, if you two are near your respective Dao Integration Cities, you might barely be able to fight a Half-Saint!"

Both the Dragon Lord and Phoenix Empress's eyes narrowed.

In other words, they would only qualify to fight a Half-Saint if they received the full amplification power of their own Dao Integration Orbs. If they weren't near their Dao Integration Cities, they certainly wouldn't be a match.

"And this is assuming the Half-Saints don't have their own Dao Integration Cities yet," Lu Ye continued. "If the Origin Realm truly merges with the Star Abyss, the Half-Saints will undoubtedly begin to build their own Dao Integration Cities. Once they have the amplification from Dao Integration Orbs..."

They would undoubtedly become even stronger.

When he left the Origin Realm, he had left a Grand-grade Dao Integration Orb with Xue Jiu. He wondered how Xue Jiu was faring in the Origin Realm now, but he imagined it wouldn't be too bad. After refining Xue Tianxing's bloodline, Xue Jiu would certainly achieve Half-Sainthood, and with the amplification of a Grand-grade Dao Integration Orb, even as a newly advanced Half-Saint, he wouldn't be inferior to other Half-Saints; he might even surpass most of them.

"If only we could control all the Dao Integration Orbs in the entire Star Abyss..." the Dragon Lord mused, but he knew before finishing that it was a fanciful idea.

The sheer number of Dao Integration Orbs throughout the Star Abyss was immense; how could they all be controlled? Not to mention, the current lords of the Ten Great Dao Integration Cities wouldn't easily abandon their own cities. And given the current situation, even if Dragon City and Phoenix Nest were to target one of the Ten Greats, they might not be able to conquer it by force.

"When soldiers come, generals block; when water comes, earth dams. The merger of the Origin Realm is a foregone conclusion, and the awakening of the Abyss's Will cannot be stopped. You two can only make plans now," Lu Ye said, looking at the Dragon Lord and Phoenix Empress.

While that was true, neither the Dragon Lord nor the Phoenix Empress had any idea how to plan, unless... they, too, could take that step and break through their current limitations. Even if they couldn't achieve True Sainthood, becoming Half-Saints would grant them the power to protect themselves and their people in the coming chaos.

However, even for the Dragon Lord and Phoenix Empress, breaking through to that stage was no simple feat.

After bidding farewell to the Dragon Lord and Phoenix Empress, Lu Ye thought for a moment and decided not to return to the starry sky.

Now that Zong Shenliang had been killed and Senluo City breached, with its subordinates scattered and fleeing, there were no immediate worries in the starry sky. Moreover, with Scarlet Flame City guarding that area, there was nothing to be concerned about.

He simply used the Dragon Scroll to contact Zhu Yin, informing her of his situation and current plans, then remained in the Phoenix Nest.

He truly didn't know how to deal with the current situation, but the only thing he could confirm was that his own strength urgently needed to be further enhanced!

Only by doing so could he protect himself and those around him amidst the coming great tides and waves.

He needed to cultivate the ninth level of the Minor World secret art, and also continue nurturing Liao. His strength still had immense room for improvement. As long as he could push everything he was doing to its limits, he wouldn't need to worry too much, even if the Origin Realm merged in the future.

In a tree hollow, Lu Ye sat cross-legged. With the power of the Talent Tree activated, invisible roots burrowed into the tree's trunk.

Previously, after the Primeval Parasol Tree had transported him to Fugang's advancement location, it had fallen back into slumber. To awaken it, he needed to continue incinerating the corrosive power within its body.

In the future, there would undoubtedly be many more occasions where he would need the Primeval Parasol Tree, and it was also the foundation of the Phoenix race's existence. Therefore, Lu Ye intended to thoroughly cleanse the corrosive power from the Primeval Parasol Tree this time.

Simultaneously, the Dao marks of the Minor World were continuously being engraved, and Liao's nurturing proceeded in tandem.

With these three efforts progressing simultaneously, the Dao power reserves in the Talent Tree diminished like a flood breaking through a dam.

This led to Lu Ye having to periodically take time every few days to consume and refine Dao Fish to replenish himself.

After several such instances, his Dao Fish reserves were gradually depleted. Fortunately, he now had Dragon City and Phoenix Nest as his backing. While the Phoenix Nest didn't have a large output, Dragon City was different; with numerous Dao Integration Cities under its command, the production of Dao Fish was quite abundant.

The Dragon Lord was also generous with him, ordering a large batch of Dao Fish to be sent as support.