Chapter 2121: Chapter 2119: The Divisions of the Dao Realm
According to Lu Ye’s original guess, the corresponding position of the Star Abyss Gate here should be the All Phenomena Ocean.
But the answer obtained now is quite different from his original guess. Several years ago, when the Star Abyss Gate here was not opened, the corresponding position could not possibly be the All Phenomena Ocean.
Because several years ago, the Star Abyss Gate of the All Phenomena Ocean was opened by the Insect Race using some means.
Calmly returning to the Qing Palace, Lu Ye searched around for a long time before finally finding Uncle Duan.
Uncle Duan was in a place that looked like a kitchen, cooking something. A seemingly ordinary large iron pot was set on the stove fire, with bubbles roiling inside.
As soon as Lu Ye entered, he smelled an enticing aroma that made his mouth water.
"What do you need?" Uncle Duan turned his head and glanced at him.
Lu Ye stared at the flame on the stove intently. It was clearly no ordinary fire, as he could distinctly sense the presence of Dao force within it. This flame was undoubtedly stronger than the uncanny fire of the fire gourd.
Resisting his thoughts, Lu Ye clasped his hands and said, "I greet Uncle Duan, and I have some matters to consult."
Uncle Duan nodded slightly, raised a hand, and threw something from his sleeve, speaking as he did so: "You are considered Miss’s guest. If there’s anything, just ask."
A scream was heard...
Lu Ye saw clearly that what Uncle Duan had thrown from his sleeve was indeed a Star Abyss living creature, shrunk many times over. It looked like a Demon Race member, and despite being shrunk, it exuded an extremely powerful aura.
Lu Ye estimated it was at least of the 6th Dao.
Yet now it was being thrown into the pot just like that...
That Demon Race member tried to escape from the iron pot, but as soon as its head emerged, Uncle Duan stirred the pot with a large iron ladle, instantly submerging the figure in green broth, the screams gradually fading away.
Lu Ye’s eye twitched.
"What do you want to ask?" Uncle Duan spoke again.
Despite previous unpleasant interactions with Lu Ye, he seemed to have brushed it off.
Composing himself, Lu Ye then said, "May I ask Uncle Duan, what realm are you and Miss Yin Luo in now?"
This was a pressing question for him and other team members to figure out. There was no way before, now there was, so he naturally seized the opportunity.
Uncle Duan instantly understood: "You’re asking about the classifications beyond the Dao realm, right?"
"Indeed!" Lu Ye nodded solemnly: "I hope Uncle Duan can enlighten me!"
"Take this!" Uncle Duan handed Lu Ye the large iron ladle he was holding. Lu Ye quickly took it, and Uncle Duan pointed at the large iron pot: "Stir it, don’t stop!"
Lu Ye followed his instructions.
Uncle Duan stood by, and again tossed a greatly shrunk Star Abyss living creature into the pot. This time, it was not a Demon Race member but seemed to be a human race.
Lu Ye couldn’t help but glance at his sleeve, wondering what mystery lied there and how many Star Abyss living creatures were hidden within.
"The Dao realm is entered by establishing a Dao foundation," Uncle Duan, arms folded in his sleeves, supervised Lu Ye’s work while speaking, "But the Dao realm is a broad category. Not to mention you lost ones, the vast majority of Star Abyss living creatures aren’t clear about the finer classifications because they don’t need to know. Once their strength reaches a certain level, they’ll naturally understand. You may have sought information from Star Abyss cultivators before, but you likely made little progress."
"Exactly." Lu Ye nodded. The squad had indeed tried to gather intelligence along their journey but made no progress.
Uncle Duan smiled: "Cultivation within the Star Abyss differs from your stellar space. In stellar space, tradition is emphasized. Even if one’s strength is inadequate, they can learn necessary knowledge passed down by mentors. Star Abyss differs; cultivation here emphasizes natural progression."
He raised a hand and continued: "The Dao realm can actually be divided into three layers: Enter the Path, Dao Fusion, Dao Harmony. Enter the Path is your current level, beginning to understand and recognize the essence of the Dao, entering the Dao realm, being able to sense and utilize Dao force. The most important aspect for any cultivator at this level is the Dao foundation, or Dao Bone, directly affecting our cultivator’s strength. In this realm, one Dao is the beginning, and nine Dao is the extreme!"
Lu Ye raised his eyebrows: "So, within the Enter the Path layer, nine Dao is the limit, no tenth Dao cultivators?"
Uncle Duan chuckled: "What tenth Dao cultivator? Beyond nine Dao is the Dao Fusion layer, where there’s a qualitative jump in strength."
Lu Ye asked: "In the Enter the Path layer, refining the second Dao Bone becomes the 6th Dao. Calculating it, refining the fifth Dao Bone makes one the 9th Dao. Then, how does one advance in the Dao Fusion layer? By refining more Dao Bones?"
Uncle Duan slowly shook his head: "That’s as much as I can tell you now. It’s not that I’m withholding information, but... the Star Abyss has its rules, and I must abide by them."
Lu Ye’s eyes flashed.
Seeing his thoughts, Uncle Duan said: "You don’t need to seek answers from Miss either. Her response will be the same as mine. In the Star Abyss, once you reach the corresponding level, you’ll naturally understand some things."
Lu Ye pondered in silence.
After a long while, he spoke again, "Uncle Duan, there’s one more thing I’d like to ask."
"Speak!"
"The cultivation of Star Abyss cultivators primarily focuses on obtaining more Dao force, isn’t that right?"
"That’s correct. Whether it’s entering the path, Dao fusion, or Dao harmony, ultimately, Dao force is fundamental." Uncle Duan nodded.
"Then why are so many Star Abyss living creatures gathered here? Even if the Star Abyss Gate has opened, when they invade stellar space, there’s no Dao force there, nor is there the Star Abyss ambience that they prefer. So why do they do it?"
"Why..." Uncle Duan chuckled, "Of course it’s because there are benefits to be gained. Otherwise, why do you think an unopened Star Abyss Gate would attract so much attention from powerful beings?"
"Benefits? What kind of benefits?" Lu Ye frowned, really unable to grasp the key here.
From his time surviving in the Cover Armor stellar space, even though the Star Abyss cultivators killed quite a few Cover Armor stellar space cultivators, they didn’t gain much benefit. It was less effective than hunting each other in the Star Abyss.
"Even if I told you the specific benefits, you wouldn’t understand because you’re now a lost one. One day, when you truly become a Star Abyss living creature, you’ll naturally understand. I can only tell you that the benefits they gain from invading stellar space allow them to grow faster and cultivate more conveniently—something they can’t achieve within the Star Abyss. So whenever a Star Abyss Gate is about to open, it’s a carnival feast for nearby Star Abyss living creatures. Otherwise, why do you think so many gather under Miss Yin Luo’s command despite the Star Abyss living creatures being so disorganized?"
It turns out lost ones will eventually become true Star Abyss living creatures; Lu Ye had already suspected this.
Because when living in an environment like the Star Abyss for a long time, no matter how powerful a cultivator is, they will inevitably be corrupted by the Star Abyss ambience.
Take the others in his team, for example. They already showed traces of this transformation, albeit subtle now due to the short time they’ve spent there. But eventually, they will become true Star Abyss cultivators, with no trace of being lost ones.
Throughout history, countless stellar spaces have been eroded by the Star Abyss. The surviving cultivators within those spaces, though few, stood out due to their noticeable lost one aura, making their initial situations extremely dangerous. Only when they transformed into true Star Abyss living creatures would their circumstances improve.
While others in the team were transitioning into Star Abyss living creatures, Lu Ye managed to maintain his original aura, thanks to the Talent Tree that eradicated anything useless.
The information Uncle Duan disclosed made Lu Ye a little wary: "Then what is Miss Yin Luo’s purpose in guarding here..."
Uncle Duan shot him a sinister look, "It’s also for the stellar space you hail from, completing Qing Jun’s orders is just incidental."
Lu Ye’s expression remained unchanged, yet his heart sank.
He had thought Yin Luo and Uncle Duan were allies rather than enemies, but now it seemed that wasn’t the case at all.
Their current ability to rely on Yin Luo for protection was thanks to Yang Qing. But once the Star Abyss Gate opened, Yin Luo and Uncle Duan would become the entire stellar space’s arch-enemies!
And such an enemy...
Who could withstand them?
"One last question, what are the cultivation levels of Uncle Duan and Miss Yin Luo now?" Lu Ye asked, which was his initial inquiry.
Uncle Duan replied, "Miss Yin Luo and I are at the Dao Fusion level, but once your stellar space is destroyed, Miss Yin Luo might ascend to Dao Harmony, it’s her opportunity!"
It was expected, and even the other ten powerful beings near the Star Abyss Gate should also be at the Dao Fusion level.
But Uncle Duan’s words were terrifyingly revealing to Lu Ye.
The destruction of the stellar space was crucial to Yin Luo’s path to ascension. Considering what Uncle Duan said earlier, Lu Ye immediately realized that the destruction would provide Yin Luo immense benefits, giving her the chance to advance from Dao Fusion to Dao Harmony.
It was truly troubling...
After more idle chat with Uncle Duan and helping him cook a pot of strange broth, Lu Ye finally left. During the whole process, Lu Ye quietly counted that nearly twenty Star Abyss living creatures, at least at the 5th Dao level, were used to make the broth.
Uncle Duan carried the pot off to find Yin Luo, looking pleased, while Lu Ye returned to his quarters with a heavy heart, summoning everyone together.
He then revealed all the information he had gleaned from Uncle Duan.
After he finished speaking, the room fell silent.
Despite gaining a lot of information, there wasn’t much that was genuinely useful.
At least now, everyone understood the divisions within the Dao Realm and knew what level they were currently at.
The team’s average level was around the 5th or 6th Dao, which wasn’t bottom-tier in the Star Abyss, but still, they were just beginning their journey on the Dao path, with a long way to go.
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