CHAPTER 1210: CHAPTER 1208: CHOICES

Lu Ye’s mind was filled with countless thoughts, combining the words of Number Nine and Yang Qing, he slowly gained insight into the truth of the matter.

The reason Yueh Xin wanted to occupy the Nine Provinces is that he perceived it as a domain capable of rapid growth, so he developed the idea of claiming it as his own. However, the current Nine Provinces cannot meet his requirements. Even if it devours the foundation of the Blood Refinement World, the Nine Provinces cannot grow to the extent he needs. To accelerate its growth, assistance must be provided!

Devouring the foundations of more domains is the method Yueh Xin devised.

After injuring a group of Constellation Realm cultivators, he left for a month. No one knew where he went. Now, it seems that he was obviously searching for another domain, and he actually found one! Then he started to make arrangements in secret.

However, because the two domains are quite far apart and cannot coordinate with each other, he could only leave some nodes on celestial bodies between the two domains to serve as relay points.

While Yang Qing was traveling through stellar space to recover himself, he discovered the arrangements left by Yueh Xin, and by following the clues, found the domain and gained insight into Yueh Xin’s intentions!

So even though he wasn’t very proficient in the Array Path, he roughly understood the function of this Formation.

But there was one point he hadn’t noticed, which was that this Formation not only had the effect of Teleportation but also endowed Number Nine with the ability to devour.

This kind of devouring was different from devouring the foundation of the Blood Refinement World. In the Blood Refinement World, there now stood many Heaven’s Augury Pillars. Its devouring of the Blood Refinement World’s foundation primarily relied on these Heaven’s Augury Pillars, which are more or less like straws inserted into the Blood Refinement World. So even though the Nine Provinces and the Blood Refinement World had no substantive connection, it could still devour.

With the feeling of this Formation, there was ultimately a layer of separation, not as swift and convenient as using the Heaven’s Augury Pillars, but it was still possible to devour.

This was truly a huge gift!

Yueh Xin probably never imagined that all his planning and scheming would ultimately clothe the Nine Provinces in wedding garments!

The main issue was that he didn’t know the Nine Provinces concealed a Dragon Race capable of easily killing him. So, his death was truly suffocating.

Lu Ye only understood at this moment the roles of the many Void and devouring spirit runes contained within the Formation, which aligned with his previous conjectures. This Formation had the effect of both Teleportation and devouring.

If one were to carefully calculate, devouring was indeed the primary aspect, and the purpose of Teleportation was merely to transfer the opposing domain’s foundation, rather than for sending people!

"Doesn’t this mean the foundation of the Nine Provinces can grow even faster?" Lu Ye couldn’t help but feel excited. The current world’s level of the Nine Provinces had already been elevated, able to give birth to Constellation Realm cultivators. If previously the Nine Provinces, when viewed in stellar space, were just a medium domain, at this moment, the Nine Provinces could certainly be considered a large domain.

Medium and large referred not to volume but to foundation. Only a domain capable of producing Constellation Realm cultivators had the qualification to be called a large domain, because only such a domain could connect with stellar space.

Above large domains, there were top-tier domains, those that could produce Spirit Jade Veins within. Nine Provinces had not reached this level yet, but it was the direction Number Nine was striving for. In the era before the current Nine Provinces, it was on a top-tier domain level.

The foundation of one Blood Refinement World is insufficient to elevate the Nine Provinces’ foundation to the level of a top-tier domain, nor would another suffice, but such matters require gradual accumulation.

If there were no other domain foundations to devour, the growth of the Nine Provinces would not be too fast.

Number Nine said, "It’s impossible. The current foundation of the Blood Refinement World has not been fully devoured; this will take at least hundreds of years to consume. Before the Blood Refinement World’s foundation is fully devoured, I can’t devour more."

You can only eat as much as your stomach can hold. You can’t expect to become fat in a single bite. The speed at which the Nine Provinces could devour other world’s foundations also had limits. It’s not as if it could devour as it pleased.

So, even if the Nine Provinces could devour the foundation of that unknown domain, Number Nine wouldn’t be able to do that yet; it must first digest the Blood Refinement World.

"Moreover, who knows what the situation is in that domain? If humans live there, it wouldn’t be right to devour it thoughtlessly and destroy their home!"

Number Nine’s core philosophy was simply twofold: to protect the Nine Provinces and the human race. Therefore, if the unknown domain was a human-inhabited one, Number Nine wouldn’t destroy it under any circumstances.

Devouring the Blood Refinement World didn’t pose any moral burden because it was the Blood Race’s domain, and devouring its foundation wouldn’t impact the survival of the humans within.

Currently, each big sect has established branch sects in the Blood Refinement World. Those with cultivation aptitude are sent to the Nine Provinces, while those without remain living in the Blood Refinement World, unimpeded, since the two domains are currently close enough, so that the cost of Teleportation is minimal.

"Senior Yang, since you’ve been to that domain, do you know what kind of situation is on the other side’s domain?" Jian Guhong asked.

Outside the Nine Provinces, there are other domains. This was no longer news. Originally, the two domains were located in different positions in stellar space, unaffected by one another, minding their own business. But now, with such a Formation connecting the two domains, the Nine Provinces cannot afford to treat it lightly.

At the very least, we need to figure out the situation at that boundary domain, whether they are enemies or allies.

Yang Qing was disinclined to elaborate on the matter; he was still upset with the Nine Provinces. Offering a pointer was already at his limit, there was no way he could take care of everything for them. So he bluntly said, "If you want to know the situation, go and see for yourself."

As he said this, he lifted his hand, and the white rabbit in Lu Ye’s arms involuntarily flew towards him. Once he grabbed its long ears, the next instant, Yang Qing, along with the white rabbit, vanished without a trace.

Leaving a group of Nine Provinces cultivators looking at each other.

The Formation was already activated, and the teleportation channel had been open all along. At this point, the crowd had two choices: one was to destroy the Formation, which would naturally close the teleportation channel; the other was to step inside and explore the truth.

Yet another choice lay before the Nine Provinces cultivators.

"Yueh Xin is undoubtedly a Sun Blaze Realm cultivator. We can’t fathom how fast he is, but within a month, not only did he find a domain, but he also made arrangements. This assures us that, even if the opposing domain isn’t incredibly close to the Nine Provinces, it certainly isn’t far!" Jian Guhong spoke slowly, and everyone nodded in agreement. It was a logical deduction.

"So I think we should explore and see what’s on the other side. Given that we’re not too far apart, there might be interactions later on. Gathering more intelligence is always beneficial. Does anyone have any objections?"

No one had any objections; they were probably all thinking the same.

Even though the Nine Provinces cultivators had just advanced to the Constellation Realm and had set foot in stellar space, they were not afraid of problems. It made no sense to evade a problem that lay before them instead of solving it.

As Jian Guhong said, there might be interactions later. If they could be friends, it would be the best outcome, but if not, they needed to know themselves and their opponents.

"I have a question," Lu Ye spoke up, "Does the opposing domain have Heavenly Punishment!"

He was once bitten, twice shy. The second time he descended into the Blood Refinement World, he was nearly harmed by Heavenly Punishment. So when it came to infiltrating other domains, this was his primary concern.

Heavenly Punishment in a domain is not easy to withstand. Take the current Heavenly Punishment in the Nine Provinces. If a Constellation Realm enemy intrudes and is targeted by Heavenly Punishment, they’ll die with no burial ground. Even a Moon Jade Realm would face tremendous pressure.

Only Sun Blaze Realm cultivators are immune to the Nine Provinces’ Heavenly Punishment. This was the reason why Yueh Xin went into hiding when he descended.

Thus, the power of Heavenly Punishment is directly related to the world’s level. It can easily annihilate cultivators of equal world level and suppress beings slightly higher than the current world level.

Lu Ye had talked to Number Nine about these matters, so he was naturally aware.

However, not every domain has Heavenly Punishment. It’s related to the world’s will. If the world’s will is clear enough, there will surely be Heavenly Punishment; if not, there won’t be any.

Essentially, the proportion of domains with Heavenly Punishment is small, about one or two out of ten.

"The Nine Provinces is not far from the opposing domain. If there were Constellation Realm on the other side, they would have discovered the Nine Provinces long ago. Thus, the other side is likely just a medium-sized domain, so if there is Heavenly Punishment, its power won’t be too great. I’ll go and check the situation. At the very worst, I can escape." Jian Guhong spoke, confident in his abilities.

The crowd didn’t contest him. Having made a decision, there was no hesitation.

Under the watchful eyes of all, Jian Guhong darted towards the whirlpool at the center of the big array.

The others waited quietly, not particularly worried about his safety since what Jian Guhong said was logical; the other side was likely a medium-sized domain, and even with Heavenly Punishment, it wouldn’t pose any fatal threat to him.

Lu Ye was secretly contacting Number Nine, "Does such teleportation significantly deplete the Nine Provinces’ foundation?"

Teleportation, in such matters, consumes energy related directly to two factors: the distance and the cultivation level of the transporter.

Teleporting between domains undoubtedly covers a vast distance, and Jian Guhong, being a Constellation Realm cultivator, represents the most potent force of the Nine Provinces. Such a teleportation vividly demonstrates the issue of consumption.

"It shouldn’t have much depletion, as it doesn’t utilize the Heaven’s Augury Pillar for teleportation. Although this Formation is arranged within the Nine Provinces, it actually consumes different power. Didn’t Yang Qing just mention, Yueh Xin has left nodes arranged in stars between the two domains. These nodes not only serve as guides but also gather stellar space energy. He wants to enhance the Nine Provinces’ foundation swiftly, so he won’t do anything that would cause it to drain."

Lu Ye understood. Despite Yueh Xin’s misfortune, his considerations were indeed thorough.