Discussion of Alliance, Sudden Change
From Lin Yi's angle, you can see that Yaxi's shoulders and back are slightly tense, and then relax.
"I"
Yaxi spoke, her voice still carrying a sense of defeat and loss, but there was something else in her tone, as if she was weighing her options.
Lin Yi didn't speak, but hovered in mid-air, quietly watching her back.
Since Yaxi has stopped, there must be a reason. She will speak if she wants to, so there is no need to ask.
Yaxi hesitated for a moment, then finally turned around and looked at Lin Yi with her emerald eyes.
"Lord Lin Yi," she said, "I know a place, and a grove of Sacred Source Fruit."
Lin Yi's eyes flickered slightly, but he didn't interrupt, waiting for what was to come.
Yaxi paused for a moment, as if organizing her thoughts, then added, "The tree spirit guarding that Sacred Source Fruit grove is nearly at the peak of the Origin Realm."
The realm of evolution is complete!
Lin Yi raised an eyebrow.
That's quite a large gap in strength.
The tree spirit that was close to the late stage of the Evolution Realm was not easy for him and Yaxi to fight together. If it were one-on-one, his chances of winning would be slim.
A tree spirit at the pinnacle of its evolutionary realm has nearly 99% comprehension of the Life Law. Its Internal World is stable, and its power is vast and boundless, making it no easy opponent.
"Not only that," Yaxi's voice continued, "Beside that Sacred Source Fruit grove, there's also a large piece of accompanying Sacred Source Crystals."
Sacred Source Crystals?
Lin Yi's pupils contracted slightly.
This stuff is far rarer than a simple cluster of Sacred Source Fruit!
He had seen descriptions of it in the information released by the Spirit Race and in the list of War Merit Treasury.
Sacred Source Crystals are special crystals that can only appear alongside Sacred Source Fruit at higher levels of the Sacred Tree Secret Realm. They contain highly concentrated and structurally stable Life Law essence, making them indisputable treasures for aiding in the comprehension of Life Law.
A standard portion of Sacred Source Crystals can continuously provide insights into the Life Law for up to a year, with an amplification effect of up to five times!
Five times the efficiency, lasting for a year.
This is a coveted treasure for any powerful cultivator who practices the Life Law.
For this reason, this item is always in short supply in the Spirit Race's War Merit Treasury. It is valuable but unavailable, and when a little is occasionally released, it is instantly exchanged.
He had previously obtained a piece by chance in the secret realm, which was about one-third of a standard portion.
The value of a large piece of accompanying Sacred Source Crystals is greater than that of more than twenty World Derivation level Sacred Source Fruit!
As for why Yaxi was able to see the situation of the area protected by the Perfected Tree Spirit of the Derivation Realm, Lin Yi was not surprised.
The Illusory Law's technique of creating clones, while a single clone may not be strong in combat, and may even be quite fragile, has the advantage of being able to create many clones, and possessing excellent stealth and detection capabilities.
It must have been that Yaxi created numerous illusory clones while exploring, which led her to discover that place and ascertain the guardian's strength.
Lin Yi quickly went through the information in his mind.
A tree spirit approaching the pinnacle of its evolutionary realm carries extremely high risks.
But in return, there was an enormous reward far beyond what was expected: a grove of Sacred Source Fruit, plus a large piece of Sacred Source Crystals.
Yaxi told this information to herself, who had just defeated her, her intentions were obvious.
She couldn't carry it herself and needed help.
Lin Yi roughly guessed what Yaxi meant, but still followed up by asking, "Why are you telling me this?"
Yaxi met his gaze and said without beating around the bush, "I only have fifteen days left to stay in the Sacred Tree Secret Realm. Even if I can make significant progress within those fifteen days through the harvest, I still won't be a match for that Tree Spirit who is close to the Perfection of the Derivation Realm. Therefore, I need companions to join forces."
She paused, then continued, "I've already witnessed Lin Yi's strength in our exchange just now. His control over the laws of spacetime is indeed far superior to his peers. Joining forces with you offers the highest chance of success."
Lin Yi thought to Dao Fruit."
Teaming up to defeat powerful enemies and then dividing the spoils according to the agreement is a common pattern in exploring secret realms, especially when facing tough opponents that one person cannot overcome alone.
"So, what's your suggestion?" Lin Yi asked.
"In fifteen days, my time will be up, and I will be expelled by the rules of the secret realm," Yaxi calculated. "I need at least one day to absorb what I've gained and stabilize my cultivation. So, we still have fourteen days to improve our strength and make adequate preparations."
"So, I think we should meet here in fourteen days," she said, pointing to the platform beneath their feet, "And then head together to that location. As for the spoils, they will be distributed according to contribution. Whoever contributed more in the battle will have priority in choosing and a larger share."
This proposal is fair, at least on the surface.
The agreement was made to join forces first, with each party preparing, and then let their abilities and contributions speak for themselves. This avoided the risk of disagreements arising from the current uneven distribution of resources, or one party deliberately hiding their strength and then turning against the other at the last minute.
Although this risk still exists, everyone here is a decent person, and in a secret realm that won't cause death, this situation usually won't happen. The risk is generally in secret realms that can cause death, after all, if someone dies in a secret realm, even if they are resurrected, they won't know what happened in between.
Lin Yi hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Okay."
He knew that Yaxi was repaying the favor he had shown her earlier.
Because with Yaxi's ability to create clones using the Illusory Law, she can easily find other geniuses to join forces with if she wants; she doesn't necessarily need to do it herself.
However, Lin Yi did not point this out. He simply raised his hand and gestured for him to enter.
Without further ado, Yaxi nodded to Lin Yi again, and her figure slowly became ethereal, eventually disappearing as if merging into the air, leaving only extremely faint ripples of law, which quickly subsided.
Lin Yi then used his soul perception to carefully scan the surrounding tens of thousands of kilometers, confirming that Yaxi had indeed left and that there were no other lurking individuals before he could finally relax completely.
He landed on the platform and walked to the cluster of golden-blue Sacred Source Fruit.
More than twenty fruits of the World Derivation level —this harvest is enough to elevate his strength to another level.
Lin Yi wasted no time for sentimentality. He immediately picked all the fruits one by one, then found a depression at the edge of the platform and waved his hand to set up several layers of spacetime concealment barriers and early warning disturbances.
The barrier slightly distorted and obscured the light, energy fluctuations, and even spatial coordinates of the area where he was located. From the outside, it looked like an ordinary aerial rock wall.
After doing all this, Lin Yi sat down cross-legged, took out a Sacred Source Fruit, and put it in his mouth.
Boom!
An energy surge several times more powerful than the previous fruit that had just entered the initial World Derivation level exploded within his body in an instant.
The starry sky of the Fourth Star Region, which had just expanded to twenty-three star vortices, was now expanding wildly as if it had been thrown into a blazing star.
One after another, new star vortices were lit up, their steady light shining in the void of the star field.
Lin Yi focused all his attention on guiding and refining this immense energy.
Twenty-five, twenty-eight, thirty.
When the energy of the first fruit was fully absorbed, the number of star vortices in the fourth star field within his body reached a staggering seventy-five!
Without pausing, he took out a second pill and swallowed it.
Time flew by during the practice.
After refining this batch of Sacred Source Fruit, Lin Yi completely entered a cycle of hunting and devouring.
During the day, relying on the concealment of the Veil of Delusion and the mobility of the laws of space and time, he actively sought out and hunted tree spirits in the early and middle stages of the evolutionary realm.
With a clear objective, decisive actions, and a focus on swift victory, his most frequently used tactic has become the combination of time-space freeze followed by high-burst attacks.
A tree spirit in the early stages of the Evolution Realm couldn't last three seconds against him.
For those in the mid-stage of the Transformation Realm, unless they are particularly difficult to deal with or possess special abilities, Decisive Battle within ten minutes.
During lulls in the hunt, he would find secluded spots to set up barriers and quickly absorb the Sacred Source Fruit he had obtained.
The energy of a fruit at the World Derivation level is enormous. Even without any side effects, it often takes more than half a standard hour to absorb one. However, the boost it brings is real and substantial.
New star vortices were born in various star regions within his body, and his total source energy increased wildly like a snowball rolling downhill.
During this period, he encountered another prodigy at the Star Domain level.
That was when he was searching for an energy anomaly, and their soul perceptions detected each other almost simultaneously.
The two faced off for a while, separated by the floating mist of light.
There was no audio transmission, no communication.
In the end, that prodigy made the first move.
Instead of approaching or provoking him, he turned and transformed into a streak of light, speeding towards the flank that was completely opposite to Lin Yi's direction of exploration, and quickly disappeared into the distance.
Lin Yi didn't give chase, but silently memorized the other party's aura and law characteristics before continuing his hunt.
This is a tacit understanding.
When both sides are in good condition, have no direct conflict of interest, and at least at that time, no treasure worth fighting for has been discovered, top geniuses rarely start a war without a reason.
Especially in this Sacred Tree Secret Realm, time is precious, and wasting it on battles with no chance of success would be a losing proposition.
Fourteen days passed in the blink of an eye.
On the platform where he parted ways with Yaxi, the space rippled slightly, and Lin Yi's figure emerged quietly as if rising from the bottom of the water.
He stood quietly, without any powerful energy emanating from his body, but the overwhelming sense of power originating from the essence of life made the surrounding light seem to bend slightly in his direction.
"It seems Yaxi hasn't arrived yet."
Lin Yi scanned the area with his Soul Power but did not find Yaxi's figure. He then landed on the platform, waiting while sorting out his gains over the past period.
Within his body, the original second star domain had already expanded to its limit, and the third, fourth, and even the twenty-first star domains were arranged in an orderly manner in the vast void of the Origin Source Sea, like twenty-one miniature starscapes.
A total of twenty-one internal star domains!
This far exceeds the standard of even the most ordinary Star Domain level perfection.
At the peak of the ordinary Star Domain level, one only needs to condense nine star domains to attempt to break through to the evolutionary realm.
Lin Yi's source energy foundation at this moment, in terms of quantity alone, has reached an extremely terrifying level.
He silently estimated that his current total source energy had reached the level of the mid-stage of the Evolution Realm.
Of course, this is only the most optimistic estimate.
The biggest gap between the Star Domain level and the World Derivation level, besides the laws, lies in the "Power of the World".
A powerhouse at the World Derivation level possesses Internal World. Their source energy is refined through this world, transforming into a more condensed and powerful force—a qualitative difference.
Lin Yi knew very well that when facing a late-stage cultivator, especially one close to perfection, the opponent's world power was overwhelming in quality. It would take ten parts of his source energy to exchange for one part of the opponent's world power, leaving him at a huge disadvantage in energy confrontation.
However, the improvement over these fourteen days was significant.
If before he could only barely rival someone at the late stage of the initial stage of the Origin Realm, now, with his advantage in the laws, he is confident that he can fight someone at the peak of the Origin Realm without being at a disadvantage.
Lin Yi waited for a short while, and then, on the other side of the platform, ripples of pale purple spread out like pebbles thrown into water.
Yaxi's figure slowly emerged from the center of the ripples.
She wore a light purple battle suit, her long silver hair was tied up, and her face was aloof.
Lin Yi could clearly feel that the energy fluctuations on her body were significantly stronger than they had been fourteen days ago. The ethereal feeling remained, but it was more solid, carrying a subtle sense of mental pressure.
Yaxi made no attempt to conceal herself after appearing, so Lin Yi was able to determine her current strength with just a slight sense.
Judging from the fluctuations in energy source, Yaxi has also exceeded the standard of a perfect Star Domain level. If measured by the number of star domains, she is at the level of approximately nineteen star domains.
It seems she didn't waste these fourteen days either.
Because this is already the limit that she can theoretically control.
If you want to go further, you need to continue to comprehend the second law. For every 10% increase in the comprehension of the new law, you can condense one more star domain within your body. When you break through the evolutionary realm in the future, your Internal World will also become larger and more stable.
Their eyes met in mid-air, and they nodded to each other as a greeting.
"It seems that Lin Yi has reaped considerable rewards," Yaxi said first.
"Each other," Lin Yi replied succinctly, getting straight to the point, "How are you feeling? Are we ready to set off?"
"Okay." Yaxi nodded, then raised her hand, and a Information Flow containing complex spatial coordinates and spiritual imprints flew towards Lin Yi.
Lin Yi took it, scanned it with his consciousness, and a clear path and the final destination immediately appeared in his mind.
It was a giant tree-branch platform located at a higher altitude, half-hidden by a dense green energy cloud. In the center of the platform, a cluster of Sacred Source Fruit, larger than any they had seen before, stood lush and verdant. Beside it, a crystal that flowed with azure-gold liquid light and seemed to have a pulse of life inside stood quietly. It was the Sacred Source Crystals!
Beside this cluster of treasures, a massive tree spirit, its entire body a deep purple-brown, stood absorbing the energy of the Sacred Source Fruit.
Even through the mental imprint, one could feel that powerful aura, as solid as a mountain.
It does indeed appear to be close to the perfection of the Evolutionary Realm.
"It seems this is our target." Lin Yi slowly floated into the air. "Let's go."
Yaxi also took off at the same time, and the two concealed their auras, ascending upwards.
The surrounding aerial roots grew thicker and thicker, like a winding, majestic mountain range, with the wood grain on the surface gleaming with a metallic sheen.
The energy concentration in the air steadily increased, and the rhythm of the Life Law almost materialized, forming a pale green mist that flowed slowly.
The pressure is also increasing simultaneously; ordinary Star Domain level would probably have difficulty even maintaining flight here.
Lin Yi and Yaxi both pushed their concealment techniques to their limits.
Lin Yi's Veil of Delusion enveloped the two of them, not only concealing their figures and auras, but also smoothing out the faint energy ripples caused by their flight, allowing them to blend into the natural flow of the surrounding environmental laws.
A faint purple Phantom Light enveloped Yaxi, making her appear like an unreal reflection. Even if someone scanned her with their Soul Power, they would most likely mistake her for a natural light and shadow formed by energy mist.
The two walked one in front of the other, maintaining a distance of several meters, moving at a moderate pace to ensure concealment without wasting time.
About half a standard hour later.
The area shrouded in a pale green fog was getting closer and closer. Based on the coordinates provided by Yaxi, the destination should be less than 100,000 kilometers away.
Even with the extremely high viscosity of energy within the secret realm, this distance is still an instantaneous journey for cultivators of their level.
But at that moment, Lin Yi suddenly frowned, slowed down without warning, and raised his hand to make a "stop" gesture to Yaxi behind him.
Yaxi was puzzled, but she knew that Lin Yi's perception and awareness of danger far surpassed her own, and he would never speak without reason.
She stopped immediately, hovering in mid-air, her Phantom Light rippled slightly, and she concealed her presence even more thoroughly. Then, she asked Soul Transmission, "What's wrong?"
Lin Yi did not answer immediately. He closed his eyes slightly, the power of spacetime flowing deep within them. His soul perception, like the most intricate tentacles, pierced through the dense energy mist ahead, extending towards the area where the coordinates were located.
Three seconds later, he opened his eyes and replied telepathically, his voice tinged with seriousness. "There are people there. They're fighting."
Yaxi frowned.
Someone beat them to it?!
She thought again. Although the Sacred Tree Secret Realm was vast, the other geniuses were not weak either, especially the other genius who cultivated the Illusory Law. He would definitely send out a large number of clones to explore, so it was not entirely unexpected that he would be discovered.
Yaxi did not doubt Lin Yi's words.
First, Lin Yi's strength is indeed greater than hers, so it's normal for him to sense her presence. Second, Lin Yi has no reason to deceive her at this time.
"What should we do?" Yaxi asked quickly.
"Let's hide first, then get closer and assess the situation," Lin Yi said in a deep voice. "Conceal all your movements and follow me."
"Good."
Yaxi nodded slightly, said no more, and pushed the Illusory Law to their limit, her figure almost completely blending into the surrounding light and shadow. If Lin Yi hadn't locked on her with the spacetime marker, it would have been almost impossible to detect her presence.
Like two invisible ghosts, the two continued to float upwards, slower and more cautious than before.
After flying upwards for about half a standard hour, the two passed through a "curtain" formed by luminous vines hanging down, and the view ahead suddenly opened up.
It was an extremely open, giant platform. In the center of the platform, a cluster of Sacred Source Fruit, far larger than any they had seen before, was lush and verdant. There were no fewer than thirty cyan-gold fruits hanging among the branches and leaves, some of which were almost transparent in color and seemed to have liquid laws flowing inside. They were clearly the best of the best.
Beside the fruit trees, a crystal containing a liquid, cyan-gold light stream stood quietly—this was the Sacred Source Crystals.
Even from a great distance, the two could feel the pure Life Law emanating from the crystal.
However, at this moment, both of these treasures were firmly enveloped by a thick, condensed light green shield.
Runes flickered on the surface of the light shield, radiating a strong fluctuation of world power, clearly a protection set up by the guardian tree spirit.
On the other side of the platform, the battle raged on.
A massive tree spirit, its wood grain resembling ancient battle armor, was wielding dark green vines, frantically attacking two figures that appeared quite small before it.
Each of the tree spirit's attacks was imbued with immense world power, causing the surrounding space to tremble violently. Its emerald eyes burned with flames of rage, and the fluctuations of its Life Law were as vast as the sea, already reaching the critical point of 99%. It was just one step away from attempting to condense the embryonic form of the Divine Kingdom.
The two prodigies were engaged in a fierce battle with the tree spirit.
A being enveloped in pure, milky-white light, with three pairs of wings of light on its back, wielding a dazzling lightsaber in its hand. Wherever the sword light passed, it left scorching marks in the space. Its attacks were fierce, swift, and incredibly powerful.
The other one had a slightly ethereal appearance, with dreamlike pale blue light spots flowing across its body. Its every move stirred up ripples in space, forming twisted force fields that bound or cut, attempting to restrict the tree spirit's movements.
Lin Yi immediately recognized that it was using the Illusory Law, and was now simulating the Space Law to interfere with the tree spirit.
The two cooperated very well, one attacking and the other supporting. Although they were forced to dodge and move around constantly due to the tree spirit's ferocious attacks and appeared somewhat disheveled, they did not lose their composure and continued to systematically deplete the tree spirit's power, leaving new wounds on the tree spirit's trunk or vines from time to time.
After recognizing the two, Yaxi immediately transmitted her voice to Lin Yi: "It's Paslan from the Holy Radiance Race and Xikan from the Star Spirit Race! How could they join forces?"
Lin Yi recognized those two names.
These two were among the top talents who entered the secret realm, and it was unexpected that they would end up together and find this place.
"I estimate that one of them also discovered this location, but knew that he couldn't handle a Tree Spirit at the peak of the Transformation Realm alone, so he sought an ally." Lin Yi's gaze swept across the battlefield. "Judging from the energy fluctuations of both sides and the Tree Spirit's injuries, the battle should have just begun. The Tree Spirit's power depletion isn't too great, and the two of them are still in the probing and attrition phase."
Yaxi asked, "What do we do?"
Lin Yi pondered for a moment, then transmitted his voice, "Logically speaking, if we hide here and wait for them and the Tree Spirit to fight to the death, or even for one side to be seriously injured before emerging to fight again, given our current state, our chances of success are extremely high."
Yaxi looked at Lin Yi, waiting for him to finish his sentence.
Sure enough, Lin Yi changed the subject. "However, this would make us enemies for good. These two prodigies are backed by powerful races. Although I'm not afraid of them, it's unnecessary to make enemies for no reason. Besides..."
He looked at the pale green light shield enveloping the treasures on the battlefield. "Before the battle, the tree spirit specifically used the power of the world to protect the Sacred Source Fruit grove and the Sacred Source Crystals, clearly preparing for a protracted war. The fighting here is quite intense; waiting like this will only increase the variables."
Yaxi understood Lin Yi's meaning. "You mean we should directly intervene and propose cooperation?"
"Not bad." Lin Yi nodded. "If you and I join forces, along with the two of them, the four of us can quickly take down this tree spirit. We can propose that we work together to deal with the tree spirit first, and then each of us compete for the treasure based on our own abilities. If they agree, we can compete fairly, and there will be no regrets about the outcome. If they don't agree..."
Lin Yi grinned. "Then don't blame us for taking advantage of their situation. They abandoned the more secure plan themselves."
Yaxi pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "That makes sense. They've already engaged the tree spirit, and disengaging from the battle won't be easy. If they disagree with our suggestion, they might end up with nothing, or even be in danger themselves. Agreeing, on the contrary, gives them a chance to obtain the treasure."
Yaxi didn't say what would happen if they failed; in her view, if the two of them joined forces, their opponent would definitely be no match for them.
Having fought against Lin Yi, she understood even more clearly how troublesome Lin Yi's spacetime laws were in actual combat.
This straightforward approach is actually a good way to obtain the treasure without making enemies.
"I'll contact them first." Lin Yi 'Soul Power quietly condensed, transforming into a hidden voice transmission that bypassed the raging energy turbulence in the center of the battlefield and accurately targeted Paslan and Xikan, who were dealing with the tree spirit.
"Gentlemen, I am Lin from the Human Race."
However, the word "yi" was not uttered yet.
A sudden change has occurred!
Buzz!
An invisible, intangible, deep green light curtain suddenly descended!
Lin Yi felt a sudden heaviness around him, as if a mountain of immense weight had fallen from the sky. It was not just a physical pressure, but also a constraint originating from the level of his soul and the laws of nature.
The primal energy flowing within him instantly stagnated, as if it had been trapped in viscous glue, causing its circulation speed to plummet. The Veil of Delusion, which had been operating perfectly, melted away rapidly the instant the pale green ripples swept across it, like ice and snow exposed to the scorching sun.
Beside Lin Yi, the Phantom Light surrounding Yaxi fluctuated violently before shattering, revealing her slender figure with a look of astonishment.