Chapter 2354 - 2352: Seeking

It's not surprising that Huang Chen knows about this. Back when the Huang family's Huang Zhihuan entered the ruins, Yan Hong was present too. After Huang Zhihuan returned, he definitely reported this intelligence to Huang Chen.

"Now I can tell you, among these two passages, one leads to an ancient medicinal garden, though there's nothing valuable left in that garden now," Lu Ye spoke slowly.

The family heads were not surprised, as Lu Ye had obviously been to that medicinal garden already. Was there anything left for them?

"As for the other passage... it leads to a portal."

"A portal?" Sun Baihan raised an eyebrow, faintly guessing, his expression becoming excited.

"Just as Family Patriarch Sun suspects, that portal... is the gateway to leave Branlan!"

Even though they were mentally prepared, when Lu Ye revealed this secret, the family heads couldn't help but gasp!

Only Yan Yao's expression remained calm; he had known this for a long time.

Ancient rumors say that the depths of the ruins hide the method to leave Branlan, a goal pursued by generations of peak Dao Fusion cultivators, because within Branlan, they can never achieve Dao Harmony.

Yet they know that above Dao Fusion is Dao Harmony, and for any cultivator, knowing there's a path ahead but being unable to reach it is the most agonizing thing.

Why is the giant ant Dao artifact so important? It's not just because it's stronger than average Dao artifacts. No matter how strong it is, it's only used by Enter the Path cultivators, enhancing their strength to what extent? Any random Dao Fusion cultivator possesses such power.

Its importance lies in its connection to the exploration of the ruins. Unfortunately, despite countless generations' efforts, the secrets of the ruins' interior remain elusive.

Until Lu Ye appeared!

But before today, they only knew Lu Ye deciphered the secrets deep within the ruins. What those secrets were, no one knew.

Now they know, the depths of the ruins do indeed hide the method to leave Branlan, because there's a portal passage leading to the outside world!

"The Edgeless City is not a product of the ruins but was brought in from outside," Lu Ye added.

On the day to cover up the origin of Edgeless City, Lu Ye discussed with Veterans Chen and Ho to unify their statements, claiming it was brought out from within the ruins.

This is why Veterans Chen and Ho have been stationed at Edgeless City, to prevent outsiders from contacting the creatures of Edgeless City and thus discovering intelligence about the outside of Branlan. Now, with Lu Ye being open with the Four Great Family Patriarchs, it serves to release the elders from their obligations, as they no longer need to guard this place. This vast Edgeless City is best entrusted to the Four Great Families for management.

The family heads were once again surprised, but compared to the previous news, this was not considered a significant matter.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, what do we need to do to leave Branlan?" Yan Yao asked.

Since Lu Ye chose to voluntarily expose this secret at this time, he clearly wouldn't prevent them from leaving any longer. Ever since receiving the secret missive from Yan Zhixing, he had been waiting for this day, naturally eager.

Lu Ye smiled slightly: "Do you truly wish to leave Branlan this way, family heads?"

Huang Chen slightly furrowed his brows: "Fellow Daoist, what do you mean by this? Are you suggesting there is something improper about leaving Branlan?"

"Not that it's immensely improper, it's just that you should realize, Branlan is always in a state of drifting. If you leave, unless you continuously follow Branlan's drift, you will only get farther away from Branlan. After you leave, not to mention that the human race will lose four top-tier peak Dao Fusion cultivators, which might affect the current situation inside Branlan, once you leave Branlan, you are bound to seek ways to advance to Dao Harmony."

"Of course!" Huang Chen said firmly, "From ancient times to the present, it's the dream of Branlan's peak Dao Fusion cultivators to advance to Dao Harmony one day."

"Good!" Lu Ye nodded, "Then let's discuss the issue of advancing to Dao Harmony! The matter of Dao Harmony is not as simple as you think. It's not just about having enough aptitude and foundation once you go out; there's also the concept of the outer and inner worlds involved."

"Outer and inner worlds?" The family heads were all baffled.

Lu Ye then slowly recounted the matter of the outer and inner worlds, with Veterans Chen and Ho beside to assist with evidence, leaving the family heads greatly astonished.

No one expected Star Abyss to possess such a mystical aspect.

"According to the intel we have now, if the family heads can successfully advance to Dao Harmony, you will enter the inner world, and even before that, you'll need to frequently enter and exit the inner and outer worlds to comprehend the wonder of Dao Harmony. So, whether it's after advancing or before advancing, it's impossible to stay in the outer world for long intervals, and after advancing, you'll completely enter the inner world."

This statement made the family heads furrow their brows.

They indeed wish to ascend to Dao Harmony. Originally, they thought that once they left Banlan and ascended to Dao Harmony, they could return to oversee their families and ensure their clans' prosperity for generations.

But if things are as Lu Ye described, how can they come back?

They simply cannot return.

Being family heads, they naturally care deeply about their own families. Although there are other candidates within the clan who could replace them, if ascending to Dao Harmony means entering the inner world, they must carefully consider this. At the very least, they need to make all necessary arrangements within the clan beforehand and cannot be so hasty.

As for Dao Harmony... they are determined to pursue it; it is their lifelong dream.

"What is Fellow Daoist's suggestion?" Huang Chen asked.

Lu Ye spoke, "To be honest, I have arrangements for Banlan's future. I come from the stellar space invaded by the Star Abyss. I plan to anchor Banlan near the Star Abyss Gate I walked out of. Once the enemies near the Star Abyss Gate are cleared, cultivators from my stellar space can enter Banlan to hone themselves, engage in the wars of various battle zones, and hunt the Insect and Blood Races to obtain Dao Bones. Therefore, I suggest that if you wish to ascend to Dao Harmony, you should begin looking for the next family head now. Once Banlan is anchored, you can leave Banlan and focus on your cultivation, and at that time, my stellar space and the Banlan human race will progress together. Even if Peak Dao Fusion cultivators leave continuously, the situation can be stabilized."

All the family heads nodded in agreement. Lu Ye's suggestion coincided with their thoughts, indicating that Lu Ye sincerely considered their interests and was indeed ready to open a way for them to leave Banlan.

"Then, as you suggested, we will start making arrangements immediately," Yan Yao promptly agreed.

Every family has a wealth of talent, and choosing a next family head is not difficult for them. In fact, even without the current situation, they would have already made some considerations regarding their next family head.

"However, there is now an issue that needs help from you all," Lu Ye said seriously.

Zhou Quan quickly stated, "Fellow Daoist, please speak. We will not refuse if it's within our power."

"Star Abyss is vast, and I cannot find the way back at the moment. Therefore, I hope the family heads can mobilize some personnel. I will send them out of Banlan to survey the surrounding star charts, match them with the star chart I left earlier, and find the correct direction and route."

Yan Yao and the others looked at each other, unexpected that Lu Ye faced such an awkward problem.

The struggle to find the way back sounds somewhat comical, but in the vast Star Abyss, it is entirely possible, even if they have never truly experienced the immensity of Star Abyss, they have at least heard of it somewhat.

Composing himself, Huang Chen asked, "Would those who Enter the Path suffice?"

If those who Enter the Path would suffice, the matter would be quite simple, as the number of those who Enter the Path within Banlan human race is considerable, and a random selection could be made.

Lu Ye shook his head, "In the Star Abyss, danger lurks everywhere, and those who Enter the Path do not have enough self-protection ability, so it is best to choose those who are Dao Fusion."

"If so, the number of people we can mobilize will not be too many." Compared to the large group who Enter the Path, those in Dao Fusion are just a small portion.

"Of course, not too many are needed, just selecting about a hundred to a hundred and fifty should suffice, as long as it doesn't disrupt the stability of the various battle zones," Lu Ye explained. In his estimation, a hundred to a hundred and fifty Dao Fusion cultivators should meet the exploration needs.

"And they should have ties to Banlan," Yan Yao added. Whether these ties are familial, friendly, or otherwise, as long as they don't leave Banlan and disappear forever, this is not impossible to happen. Even if those mobilized are not Peak Dao Fusion, to all living in Banlan, this place is ultimately a cage, and those without ties might not want to return once they leave.

Having a few Dao Fusion leave does not impact the situation in Banlan, but it affects Lu Ye's plan. What if those who leave are exploring the correct direction?

"Everyone, I'll leave this matter to you," Lu Ye said earnestly with a fist salute, "The previous secrecy about the method of leaving Banlan was mainly due to concerns that if the secret were exposed, it would cause unrest within the human race. Additionally, if many Peak Dao Fusion cultivators left, it would inevitably affect the overall situation, but things are different now. As long as we find the correct direction and I can anchor Banlan, I can take all Peak Dao Fusion cultivators out of Banlan to ascend to Dao Harmony!"

Huang Chen nodded, "Fellow Daoist's considerations are thorough, and such a secret was indeed not suitable for exposure before."

"Without further delay, we will gather personnel now," Sun Baihan said.

Yan Yao suddenly asked, "Should we inform the Giant Race on the other side and ask them to contribute some manpower to help?"

Lu Ye pondered for a moment and shook his head, "Let's not involve them this time. When the news spreads in the future, they will naturally come to us, and then I will have a proper discussion with them."

Speaking of which, although Lu Ye has been in Banlan for a while, he hasn't had close contact with the strong of the Giant Race.

Therefore, he naturally does not want to involve the Giant Race.

Moreover, the Giant Race's influence is not limited to the Giant Race alone; there are various races, among which the Giant Race has the strongest overall power. Hence, that side is more complex than the human race here.