Chapter 2280 - 2278: After the Battle

The terms "outer world" and "inner world," Lu Ye truly has never heard of them before, and presumably, the cultivators within Banlan are unaware of them as well.

But while others don't know, Jiu Ying should indeed know.

It has never told me; this old fellow certainly has been hiding many things from me.

"How can I get to the inner world?" Lu Ye asked again.

Mad Lion was just about to speak when suddenly it let out a scream of agony, and its bulky body shattered like porcelain.

"Fellow Daoist, save me!" Mad Lion cried out in terror, despair evident in its eyes.

Never did it expect that after inviting the Xiaoyue Ancestor's arrival, such a disaster would befall it.

By the original plan, Xiaoyue Ancestor could easily handle these few Dao Fusion practitioners, and when the Ancestor left, though Mad Lion might suffer losses, it wouldn't be life-threatening.

But Lu Ye and others were too tenacious; a Black Tortoise Array forcefully delayed Xiaoyue for several dozen breaths, completely beyond what Mad Lion could endure.

"How do I get to the inner world!" Lu Ye asked again.

Mad Lion could no longer answer, reaching out for Lu Ye, seemingly seeking some hope, but before he could touch Lu Ye, his body shattered.

A top-tier Peak Dao Fusion thus fell from grace...

Lu Ye frowned inwardly.

He wasn't actually aiming to understand how to reach the inner world; he wanted to know what limitations or constraints Xiaoyue Ancestor, such as a Dao Harmony practitioner, would face when returning from the inner world to the outer world.

Because from what was seen earlier, a Dao Harmony like Xiaoyue Ancestor can't stay long in the outer world, which is why when he was detaching from Mad Lion's body, he mentioned something about time being up.

In fact, Lu Ye had always found it strange. Although he hadn't wandered the Star Abyss for long, he had never encountered a Dao Harmony powerhouse.

Before, he simply thought the Star Abyss was too vast, and not encountering them was good luck.

But if that's truly the case, it becomes stranger because there aren't Dao Harmony practitioners near the Star Abyss Gate either. When the gate opens, it attracts many Star Abyss living creatures' convergence. Take the Yin Luo Station for example; there are no Dao Harmony practitioners there, and Yin Luo, as a Peak Dao Fusion practitioner, is the strongest.

And based on today's intel, generally, Dao Harmonies are not in the outer world, but in some inner world!

Why would it be this way?

Lu Ye couldn't understand; too many secrets are hidden within the Star Abyss, and he currently only knows the tip of the iceberg.

But for him, this is undoubtedly good news. With his current strength, even against Peak Dao Fusion, though he might not win, he wouldn't be in great danger of losing his life. Thus, within the outer world, there aren't many worries.

Having briefly tidied up the spoils from Mad Lion's demise, Lu Ye turned and darted towards a piece of floating land nearby.

People were gathered here; after this intense battle, everyone was heavily injured, even Dark Butterfly was no exception. At the last moment, she actively detached from Lu Ye's body, attempting to block powerful enemies but ended up hurt instead.

And most seriously injured was Yan Zhixing.

During the array formation, he repeatedly clashed with Mad Lion, bearing immense pressure, and finally was punched through the body by Mad Lion, with his heart crushed.

On the floating land, he now sat here with a face pale as paper, a large gaping hole at his chest shockingly apparent with clearly visible innards crushed into a mushy mass.

Chen Gushan, standing by his side, had a bitter expression.

Ho Linglong and Zi Ying had teary eyes.

Though Dark Butterfly didn't show much emotion, faced with the situation, she had to feign a mournful look to fit in.

Lu Ye walked over, glanced at Yan Zhixing's injuries, and sensed his state, feeling heavy-hearted: "Senior..."

Yan Zhixing couldn't be saved.

Not because the injuries were extremely severe, though for a Dao Fusion practitioner, the injuries were indeed serious, but not to the extent of being fatal.

If pushed forward a few hundred or thousand years, Yan Zhixing would only need some healing to recover.

However now...

He's too old, life span limited, having been in Banlan waiting for the end; without today's battle, he might have lived another 100 or 200 years.

But today's battle drained all his vitality, making this injury fatal, the wound showing no sign of healing.

The fact he is still alive now is a miracle.

"Life of a person cycle through birth, aging, sickness, and death naturally. Don't look so glum, I've fought a Dao Harmony and died, with no regrets!" Yan Zhixing said while coughing violently.

Ho Linglong hurried forward, gently patting his back, channeling energy to stabilize his nearly extinguished vitality, and tears finally fell when she turned her head.

"Young man, come here!" Yan Zhixing raised his hand weakly, beckoning Lu Ye.

Lu Ye stepped forward, squatting beside him.

Yan Zhixing reached into his chest, pulled out an ancient Token, and placed it in Lu Ye's hand, "This is my generation's Family Patriarch Token. It holds no real use now, merely a symbol. You bring it back and hand it over to the Yan family's current Family Head."

"Rest assured, senior, I will deliver it!"

"Furthermore... since you have a connection with Yan Hong, you should be aware of his temperament. If possible in the future, lend him a hand, but if he's beyond help, don't worry about his life or death."

Lu Ye immediately understood his meaning: "If Brother Yan ever reaches the Peak Dao Fusion, I will bring him out."

Yan Zhixing looked pleased. Lu Ye was a smart person; some things didn't need to be made too explicit.

Besides him, Yan family didn't lack other Peak Dao Fusion cultivators. The current Family Head of the Yan family possessed power and cultivation not inferior to his. Yan Zhixing also knew, if he spoke up, Lu Ye likely wouldn't refuse to bring out the Yan family Head.

For his contribution today alone, Lu Ye had no reason to refuse.

But Lu Ye's relationship with the Yan family wasn't at that level yet, limited only to Yan Hong, which is why he specifically mentioned Yan Hong.

Yan Zhixing then looked at Chen Gushan: "Old friend, it seems I'll be going ahead of you."

Chen Gushan forced a pained smile: "If you have any last words, say them quickly."

"No last words!" Yan Zhixing laughed heartily, picking up his wine gourd and staring at it deeply: "I just promised to quit drinking, but I guess that's impossible now!"

Chen Gushan turned his head aside, feeling a bitter sadness.

Opening the gourd, Yan Zhixing took several large gulps and shouted: "How refreshing!"

His head slowly drooped, and from the corners of his mouth, the wine mixed with blood trickled down.

Vitality faded away...

Ho Linglong's sobbing sounded, and Zi Ying silently wept.

Chen Gushan sighed, tilting his head back to hide the sting in his eyes. A lifetime companion, once gone, left a void.

Lu Ye's face slightly changed: "Senior Chen..."

Chen Gushan already didn't look young, but at that moment he seemed to age significantly, his body hunched.

He was like that, but Ho Linglong was even more affected.

In contrast, Ho Linglong had always been a dignified beauty, but when Yan Zhixing's vitality dissipated, her black hair turned white at a speed visible to the naked eye, and her smooth skin sagged. In just a few breaths, the beautiful woman transformed into an old lady.

"Chen Lao, Madam Ho, you..." Zi Ying's eyes were full of panic, and at this moment, she suddenly understood something.

Chen Gushan smiled at her: "The three of us old guys can't ascend to Dao Harmony anymore. Even without that battle, there was no hope, because our lifespan is too limited, we can't afford the strain. But fortunately, we finally managed to get out."

"Chen Lao, I..."

Chen Gushan waved his hand, sitting tiredly in front of Yan Zhixing: "No need to feel guilty. This was our own choice. If anything, we should be thanking you. At least we did something meaningful."

What he referred to was undoubtedly the rescue of the human race in Edgeless City.

Currently, all the Dao Fusion of Edgeless City are destroyed. The only living Specter Slayer surely won't return. Edgeless City can be considered completely changed mastership. Those who live within it henceforth won't face the oppression and enslavement they encountered before.

"We won't die immediately." Ho Linglong hugged the crying Zi Ying like a child, "As long as we don't fight others, we should live a few more years. Don't be too sad."

Zi Ying nodded with red eyes, feeling somewhat better.

The battle drew to a close, ending with the eradication of all Dao Fusion in Edgeless City.

Lu Ye and the others weren't feeling good either; one Yan Zhixing died, and the rest are either old or injured, they all need to recover quickly. As for the matters of Edgeless City, there's no energy to deal with it now.

After all, Edgeless City is there; handling it after recovering from injuries won't be too late.

The group tidied up briefly and flew towards the insect hive.

In the time that followed, everyone was focused on healing. Yan Zhixing's corpse was buried on the desolate planet where the insect hive resided.

This matter was consulted with Chen Gushan and Ho Linglong.

Being such Peak Dao Fusion cultivators, they had been trapped in Banlan all their lives, and finally managed to get out, naturally unwilling to return.

Not to mention Yan Zhixing, even Chen Gushan and Ho Linglong had no desire to return to Banlan now.

They indeed couldn't ascend to Dao Harmony, but they also didn't want to step back into that prison.

Inside the insect hive, Lu Ye quietly healed himself.

With Dark Butterfly's body providing powerful vitality, coupled with his own healing ability, the injuries were severe but not difficult to heal.

This was because the insect hive was not perfect; had it been like the old hives, Lu Ye's recovery would be even faster.

In the Divine Sea, Dark Butterfly's soul body was being refined by the power of the Talent Tree, a look of contentment on her face.

This was something Lu Ye had long promised her but kept delaying.

This time against the Mad Lion, Dark Butterfly's performance was decent, especially in the critical moment where she voluntarily exposed her soul body to block for him when he was hit. Such an action was dangerous; she didn't have to do so.

But she did it anyway.

The benefit now acts as a reward; after all, the fuel reserves of the Talent Tree are ample, and for Lu Ye, it isn't a big loss.