Sage of Humanity

Chapter 2089: Chapter 2087: The Method to Forge the Dao Foundation

"As you said, the traces revealed by your stellar space are indeed a precursor to Star Abyss invasion. I’m afraid it won’t be long before the invasion begins officially!" The fort master no longer wore a smile on his face, instead showing a hint of reminiscence. "If we can’t resolve the Star Abyss Gate in the initial stage, the fate awaiting the stellar space will be gradually getting devoured."

"Star Abyss Gate..."

"It’s that red vortex Insect Path; according to what you said before, you should have seen it."

Lu Ye nodded. Star Abyss Gate and Star Abyss Insect Path are the same, just different names.

"Then dare to ask the fort master, how to resolve the Star Abyss Gate?" Lu Ye hurriedly asked.

The Star Abyss Gate on the All Phenomena Ocean was sealed by the Constellation Palace, but the Star Abyss Gate is not the only one. There are already signs of Star Abyss invasion, and in the future, there will definitely be many Star Abyss Gates appearing in the stellar space. If the method can be known...

"I don’t know!" The fort master shook his head. "Ridiculous, isn’t it? It’s been three hundred years, yet so far no one knows how to resolve the Star Abyss Gate."

"Is there no clue at all?" Lu Ye’s expression was stern.

"Someone did propose a conjecture, that since during the Star Abyss invasion, the Star Abyss Gate is opened from the other side, then perhaps one can go to the other side to find a way to destroy it. And someone indeed went there, but... no news ever came back, whether alive or dead remains unknown."

Lu Ye was silent. Those who dared to fight their way from the stellar space to Star Abyss must have been the strongest tier among Yiyuan stellar space cultivators. Even so, they had no success, showing how dangerous it is over there.

In the silence, the fort master said, "Though we don’t know which stellar space you come from, since you can’t go back, stay here from now on. No matter what, we ultimately have the same enemy." As he spoke, he looked at Jiu Yan. "And this Fellow Daoist is in the stage of establishing a Dao foundation; this place may be an opportunity for you."

Jiu Yan hadn’t spoken all along; it was Lu Ye communicating with the fort master. Until this moment, she couldn’t stay silent anymore and asked, "May I ask the fort master what his current cultivation is?"

"My cultivation..." The fort master scratched his chubby face. "According to the classification on the Star Abyss side, I should have entered the Dao Realm."

"Dao Realm..." Jiu Yan murmured.

The fort master chuckled. "After entangling with Star Abyss for so many years, it’s not like we’ve gained nothing. Although cultivators below find it increasingly difficult to break through, those at the top have progressed a lot. Dao Realm is the realm achieved after establishing a Dao foundation; these are all intelligence we’ve gathered from the Star Abyss side. However, Dao Realm is a general term, there are finer divisions within it, but you don’t need to understand these for now; you’ll naturally learn about them in due course."

Jiu Yan wore a face full of longing; the cultivation path that had been stalled for years finally saw hope at this moment.

The fort master knew her thoughts. "Before the Star Abyss invasion, the plight faced by the cultivators in this stellar space was the same as yours; after reaching the Divine Realm, there was no further advancement until the Star Abyss invasion turned the situation around." He chuckled at this point. "Back then, countless cultivators sought the path forward but found none, and in the end, got it in this manner. Pitiful, lamentable."

He waved his hand. "You may stay inside the fortress for now. I’ll have someone deliver some things to you later; how to choose thereafter is entirely your decision."

"Thank you, fort master!" Lu Ye promptly expressed his gratitude.

A moment later, a tall woman walked in from outside, leading Lu Ye and Jiu Yan away.

In front of a three-story Lowe, the woman stopped and said, "This will be your residence. The fort master instructed that if you need anything in the future, you can communicate it to me, and I’ll make appropriate arrangements."

Upon hearing her speak, Lu Ye realized that she was the stellar space cultivator previously wearing cover armor. He immediately clasped his fist and said, "Thank you, Fellow Daoist."

"Also these." The woman handed over some jade slips. "The fort master asked me to give these to you. You can take a good look; they should help you better understand the current situation."

Lu Ye thanked her again.

As the woman left, Lu Ye and Jiu Yan exchanged glances and entered the three-story Lowe.

A moment later, on the third floor, the two sat across from each other, each holding a jade slip, immersing their consciousness to explore.

The jade slip Lu Ye was looking at detailed numerous large and small significant events that took place in the stellar space during the three hundred years of the Star Abyss invasion, as well as many changes in the stellar space.

It became increasingly distressing as these records could largely correspond to the phenomena occurring in the stellar space of the All Phenomena Ocean.

After exploring one jade slip, he picked up another to explore. This jade slip documented various frontline battlefield situations, allowing Lu Ye to quickly gain a clearer understanding of battlefield dynamics.

While engrossed in reading, Jiu Yan suddenly exclaimed, "This is..."

"What’s the matter?" Lu Ye quickly raised his head to look at her, seeing Jiu Yan’s excited expression as if she had found a treasure, and she directly handed the jade slip to Lu Ye. "Disciple brother, take a look for yourself."

Lu Ye picked it up to explore, and was equally astonished, "This is the method to establish a Dao foundation!"

This jade slip might not be of great value in this stellar space, since it’s widely circulated. Anyone with cultivation at Peak Divine Realm, eligible to establish a Dao foundation, could obtain a copy.

But if this were placed in the stellar space of the All Phenomena Ocean, its value would be immeasurable, and surely would lead major forces to battle fiercely!

What are the Peak Sun Blazes in the stellar space of the All Phenomena Ocean lacking? They lack precisely the method to establish a Dao foundation, which is why those Peak Sun Blazes can’t advance further.

When Jiu Yan previously inquired about the fort master’s cultivation, she considered asking him how to forge her own Dao foundation, but considering she and Lu Ye just arrived, it felt inappropriate to ask.

Unexpectedly, the fort master offered it directly.

Perhaps for the fort master, it was nothing, but for Jiu Yan, it was an unimaginable gift!

Upon a brief inspection, Lu Ye found that the method for forging the Dao foundation is called the Smelting Furnace Method, which requires considering oneself as a furnace, merging one’s foundation into the furnace, placing it in death to arise anew, thereby forging the Dao foundation.

Moreover, this method has specific environmental requirements.

Normally, the stellar space does not meet the requirements for forging the Dao foundation; it must be deployed in areas covered by the Star Abyss ambience. Currently, within this stellar space, the areas enveloped by the Star Abyss ambience are the frontline battlefield!

Forging one’s Dao foundation in such a perilous environment is not simple.

Additionally, the method itself is extremely dangerous, as it requires considering oneself as a furnace and merging one’s foundation. If successful, it’s well and good; however, if it fails, the entire foundation is incinerated, and cultivation is rendered wasted. Worse yet, the furnace shatters, resulting in death and the disappearance of one’s Dao.

Jiu Yan clearly noticed the dangers of this method, her expression becoming solemn after the initial excitement.

The two stayed in the Thunderbolt Battle Fortress for several days.

The situation Lu Ye worried about finally occurred.

"Junior brother, I need to enter the frontline battlefield!"

Lu Ye knew that upon acquiring the Smelting Furnace Method, Jiu Yan could not remain indifferent. It was the pursuit of her lifetime cultivation, with hope finally in sight, so how could she ignore it?

If it were Lu Ye, he would make the same choice.

Thus, he did not dissuade her and nodded, "Together."

Jiu Yan said, "You should know why I want to enter, you..."

Lu Ye interrupted her, "Since we are here, we can’t keep idling inside the fortress, and as you forge your Dao foundation, someone needs to offer some protection."

Jiu Yan pursed her red lips. Just as Lu Ye knew he couldn’t persuade her, she knew she couldn’t persuade Lu Ye either. After a brief silence, she said, "Thank you!"

Lu Ye shook his head. Entering the frontline battlefield was not just for Jiu Yan. Even without Jiu Yan, he would have made this choice.

Once decided, there was no hesitation.

Soon, the two flew out together.

During these days, the woman visited again, distributing communication devices to Lu Ye and Jiu Yan, and registered them.

Because ordinary communication devices are hard to function in areas covered by the Star Abyss ambience, for three hundred years, the stellar space cultivators continually explored and, based on intel gleaned from Star Abyss outsiders, refined a device similar to an audio talisman.

Though the communication range of this device within the Star Abyss ambience is limited, it is far better than ordinary audio talismans.

The cultivators of the Thunderbolt Battle Fortress face few restrictions entering the battlefield; apart from specific operations requiring leaders, for other duties, actions are based on individual willingness.

This explains why Lu Ye saw few cultivators moving about during his initial days here; most are in the battlefield, leaving the fortress as a resting and repair point.

Several hundred similar outposts in this battlefield serve the same function.

Having left the outpost, the duo advanced together; merely after two hours, Lu Ye felt as though they had entered a different world.

The surrounding scenery hadn’t changed, yet the feeling was distinctly different.

He knew this marked the entry into the battlefield’s edge, for here the Star Abyss ambience was present, with its peculiar suppressing nature—not affecting the cultivators’ abilities, but impacting other aspects.

For instance, the perception range of Mental Consciousness and the effective communication distance of traditional audio talismans...

The battlefield is vast, with the center being the red vortex-like Star Abyss Gate!

When the Star Abyss Gate initially appeared, it wasn’t promptly contained or destroyed, allowing dense Star Abyss ambience to diffuse, eroding the Yiyuan stellar space, expanding outward. Thus, causing the battlefield’s dimensions to steadily increase, with this expansion persisting constantly.

Due to this reason, the closer one approaches the battlefield’s center, the denser the Star Abyss ambience becomes.

And this Star Abyss ambience acts like water to fish for Star Abyss outsiders; once those weaker outsiders leave the ambience’s coverage, their strength diminishes significantly.