Chapter 2357 - 2355: Eager to Return

As time flowed on, with the continuous consumption of Dao force, the Boulder Mountain Saber increasingly enhanced Lu Ye's strength—one Dao, two Daos, five Daos, ten Daos...

In just seven months, this enhancement reached twenty Daos!

This level of efficiency is unimaginable for typical Harmonization Practitioners, mainly because Lu Ye was willing to invest, pouring in a vast amount of Dao force, thus saving time.

No Harmonization Practitioner possesses a Dao force reserve like Lu Ye.

The enhancement from the Boulder Mountain Saber can't be amplified by Dao Runes, so its twenty Daos of power isn't part of Lu Ye's basic mastering Dao force.

Moreover, since the Boulder Mountain Saber is an offensive Dao soldier, the enhancement it brings is only to Lu Ye's attack power and has no effect on protection.

In short, after Lu Ye broke through to the 2nd Order Dao Fusion, his basic mastering Dao force was two hundred and eighty Daos, his actual power was three hundred and thirty-six Daos, thus when wielding the Boulder Mountain Saber to kill enemies, the power he could exert would be three hundred and fifty-six Daos, but his protective Dao force strength remained at three hundred and thirty-six, unchanged by the Dao soldier.

For Lu Ye, this was no major concern; with over three hundred Daos of protective Dao force, at the Dao Fusion level, even if one or two Peak Dao Fusion practitioners teamed up, they couldn't break through it, unless there were more of them.

At this point, Lu Ye slowed the pace of nurturing the Boulder Mountain Saber, as he needed to reserve a sufficient amount of Dao force; after all, nurturing a Dao soldier is never a one-off task, even if he's traveling he can nurture it anytime, though less efficient, it benefits from sustainability.

Seven months have passed...

Judging by the time, those one hundred and fifty Harmonization Practitioners who set off on explorations should be on their journey back, and they've been returning for a month now.

So here, Lu Ye only needs to wait another five months for the returning Harmonization Practitioners from earlier dispersal.

He doesn't know if there are any findings from this exploration, he can only wait.

Days later, while meditating atop a meteorite, Lu Ye suddenly opened his eyes, looking in a particular direction.

From that direction, a stream of light was rapidly approaching.

Lu Ye quickly stood up, and despite having weathered many storms, he couldn't help but become somewhat excited upon seeing this streak of light!

At this time, someone is actually returning.

Lu Ye's heartbeat skipped a beat; he knew that at this time, the returning cultivator either encountered difficulties that halted exploration or... made a discovery!

Lu Ye didn't know which situation it was.

The streak of light drew nearer, and under Lu Ye's perception, he didn't see any signs of injury on this cultivator, which made him even more excited.

Could it be...

"Yan Ping greets Fellow Daoist Lu!"

The visitor came close, cupping hands in salutation.

Lu Ye returned the gesture, suppressing his excitement, and spoke, "You returned at this juncture; is there something that happened during your journey?"

Yan Ping shook his head and replied, "Nothing major occurred, I merely discovered along the way an area whose stellar chart bears extreme resemblance to that left by Fellow Daoist in the jade slip, yet unsure if it's correct, thus returning to have Fellow Daoist verify."

Lu Ye's heart raced, trying to keep his tone steady: "You should have recorded the stellar chart of that area, right?"

"Of course!" Yan Ping replied, producing a jade slip and handing it to Lu Ye.

Lu Ye took it, immersing his Mental Consciousness within, carefully examining it against his memories.

Moments later, he revealed a joyous expression and couldn't help but chuckle: "It's here! Yan Ping, isn't it? You've done well, you've done well, I owe you a favor, should you need anything, don't hesitate to tell me—I'll definitely not refuse if within my power."

Yan Ping waved his hand politely: "You flatter me. We are merely fulfilling the Family Head's command, undeserving of thanks, and when I choose to leave Banlan in the future, I'll need Fellow Daoist's assistance."

"It's not the same," Lu Ye shook his head, "To you, this exploration is trivial; to me, it eclipses everything else as it pertains to the path home and an entire stellar space's safety. Regardless, if you ever need help, just speak."

Yan Ping didn't put on airs, merely grinning: "Then I shall note that down now."

"That's as it should be!"

Finding the direction home so smoothly, Lu Ye hadn't anticipated, but simultaneously felt somewhat apprehensive; considering if Banlan had continued drifting further before starting exploration, they might have missed it.

Should that happen, Lu Ye would never find his way back.

Perhaps one day he might locate it, but that might take many years.

After conversing at length with Yan Ping, Lu Ye was increasingly convinced that the end of Yan Ping's exploration was a place he'd once passed through, thus the task simplified—just slightly adjust Banlan's direction and follow Yan Ping's return route to get there.

Reaching that position would clarify the direction!

Yan Ping spent seven months from starting exploration to returning, implying that the location familiar to Lu Ye was three and a half months at Yan Ping's pace.

Banlan's drifting speed couldn't match a Harmonization Practitioner's flight, so proceeding this way could take up to half a year.

Yet, presently, not all exploring cultivators have returned, hence continued waiting is necessary.

Nonetheless, Lu Ye's mood had lightened significantly, as the biggest challenge was already resolved.

Evidently, Yan Ping hailed from the Yan family, cultivation depth not particularly high, at the 5th Order Dao Fusion presently, beginning to nurture his own Dao soldier, mistakenly assuming Lu Ye's cultivation to be superior and seeking his counsel on the matter.

If it were earlier, Lu Ye wouldn't have had coherent advice.

But at this time, when asked for advice, he has many insights.

Five months passed in the blink of an eye.

The cultivators who went out to explore have returned one after another, including Lu Ye's Talent Tree Avatar.

Waited for another half a month.

The Four Great Family Patriarchs stood side by side with Lu Ye.

"Are there any missing?" Lu Ye asked.

Yan Yao replied, "None from the Four Great Families, but five from other medium and small families are missing."

"Should we wait?" Lu Ye asked.

At this point, those who haven't returned, the missing five Harmonization Practitioners may have encountered danger, died on the path and disappeared, or completely left Banlan, unwilling to return.

This is a common occurrence, and Lu Ye is mentally prepared for it. Everyone has their own private ambitions and pursuits. No matter how much it was emphasized before, and their declarations were good, when the time came for freedom, it's inevitable to have some thoughts.

His original concern was that the direction explored by the missing cultivators might actually be the correct one, and if so, it would have been a missed opportunity. Since each exploration takes a year, he couldn't possibly ask them to explore again.

But now that Yan Ping has brought back good news, there's no worry in that regard.

"No need to wait," Huang Chen spoke.

"Then let's continue our journey," Lu Ye said to the Four Great Family Patriarchs, "I kindly ask you to escort them back to Banlan. As agreed before, once I have properly settled Banlan, you can leave Banlan and attempt to advance to Dao Harmony. In the future, if others wish to leave Banlan to advance to Dao Harmony, your families can discuss it together."

Huang Chen nodded, "No problem."

Lu Ye personally shared some pointers with them, highlighting matters to be aware of when entering Banlan. Momentarily, various Harmonization Practitioners flashed into Banlan and disappeared from sight.

Lu Ye handed over the previously crafted jade cluster to the Four Great Family Patriarchs, and only then did they enter Banlan.

As the bustle fades away, Lu Ye once again finds himself alone. But this time, he is no longer lost; his mind holds a definite direction!

Mobilizing Dao force, he guides Banlan to drift in the direction Yan Ping returned from.

Yan Ping, without a doubt, has been meticulous. Not only did he record the star chart at the exploration's end, but he also documented the star chart along this entire journey.

Thus, even without his guidance, relying solely on Lu Ye, with the star chart as a reference, he doesn't have to worry about veering off course!

To shorten the journey, Lu Ye increased the drifting speed of Banlan considerably this time, which would pose challenges for subsequent docking, but as long as Lu Ye decelerates in advance, it's not an issue.

In a flash, it's been another half a year, and Lu Ye finally sees a constellation he recognizes!

Glancing around, recalling, isn't this the place he passed by a month before getting trapped in Banlan?

Back then, he fell into Banlan mainly because while evading pursuit from an Insect Race Harmonization Practitioner, the hiding place of his Talent Tree Avatar was swallowed by a passing Banlan.

The Talent Tree Avatar must not face any failure, so he directly pursued into Banlan, which resulted in an outcome of entering but unable to exit.

Afterward, all sorts of encounters within Banlan began.

Considering the timeline, he actually hadn't explored Star Abyss for very long before getting trapped by Banlan.

A few months after leaving Qing Palace, he encountered a group led by Madam Qingyu, marking the first time he saw Dao Pool and Dao Fish, and there, he killed his first Harmonization Practitioner.

After separating from Madam Qingyu and the others, it was only a few months before he became trapped in Banlan.

So this location isn't actually far from Qing Palace! During that time, his strength was only in the twenties, cautiously navigating through Star Abyss, the speed wasn't fast, definitely not as fast as Banlan's drifting speed today.

Almost home!

With his heart set on returning, Lu Ye focused on continuously driving Dao force, guiding Banlan's direction forward.

Another half month further, Lu Ye's expression stirred.

Because he felt a familiar sensation.

It seems as if something in the distance is somehow subtly guiding him forward, beckoning him to explore.

Star Abyss summoning!

Wherever there is a Star Abyss Gate or a location about to open a Star Abyss Gate, it will have this summoning, and Lu Ye, having experienced it before, is naturally familiar with it.

The range of the Star Abyss summoning is vast, and any living creature within this range will be summoned to gather and converge.

The source of this Star Abyss summoning, undoubtedly, is the Star Abyss Gate connecting to the stellar space.

When Lu Ye left the stellar space back then, there were already six Star Abyss Gates opened throughout the stellar space, opened in sequence: All Phenomena Ocean, Destroyed Illusion Star Cluster, Mystic Frost Star System, Lanyun Star System, Tiangang Galaxy, and Changyue Star Cluster.

The Star Abyss Gate on the Qing Palace side connects to the Destroyed Illusion Star Cluster, and when Lu Ye returned to the stellar space with Jiu Yan and others, they entered through the Destroyed Illusion.

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Only one update today due to an outing