Chapter 390: Coming Out of Seclusion

The Path of Fearlessness (a cultivation concept)...

Vermilion Bird wasn’t ready to give up yet. She wanted Yue Hongling to accompany Lu Ye in the future. If Yue Hongling couldn’t even advance her cultivation, then there would be no point in talking about companionship.

"I remember in your past life, your Path of Fearlessness nearly collapsed after the Dark Upheaval. Later, senior brother helped you. How did you rebuild it?"

The Dark Upheaval was truly terrifying to the extreme.

It was a disaster for all life, with every creature drowned in overwhelming terror and despair.

Yue Hongling recalled.

"He had me fight my way through the Dark Forest."

"Start from the outskirts!"

"I understand now. First, I must fight from the periphery, gradually strengthening my confidence, sharpening myself bit by bit—only then can I rebuild my fearlessness!"

"I just need to find a dangerous place and conquer it little by little..."

"Battling fear with every win, every step forward..."

Yue Hongling’s eyes lit up—she’d figured it out, already muttering to herself.

Where should she go?

Which place was right for her?

The Fourth Realm...

"First, I’ll go to the Ten-Thousand-Demon Abyss, then to the Mountain of Fiends. I’ll get my fearless heart back!"

"This time, I won’t fail!"

"Want me to come along?" Vermilion Bird offered.

Yue Hongling paused, looking at Vermilion Bird. Something felt off to her.

"You... why are you being so kind to me?"

It was weirdly nice—too nice.

Vermilion Bird sighed softly. "Call it making amends. After all, I was the one who told you about the poisoning. If I’d kept quiet, you might’ve dodged it."

"But even if you hadn’t told me, An Li and Crazy Yin would have!"

"Doesn’t change that it came from me."

Yue Hongling.

"Alright, we’ll team up. This time, we’ll make things right—get senior brother to forgive us, for our happiness!"

Yue Hongling balled her fists.

Vermilion Bird gave a small smile.

"Yeah—for our happiness!"

...

Time passed in a flash.

Lu Ye had been in seclusion, breaking through from the Carefree Realm all the way to the Cosmic Realm in a single leap.

His true essence had multiplied dozens, even eighty times over, becoming more formidable by the day.

In the Cosmic Realm, a cultivator became like the cosmos itself, boundless and inexhaustible.

Lu Ye opened his eyes.

The void before him wavered and blurred.

Almost there!

He hadn’t planned to cultivate all the way to the Immortal Realm in one sitting, as there were still matters he needed to resolve midway. A blade left unhoned grows dull!

This seclusion had lasted a full eighty years.

Yes, eighty years!

While eighty years meant little to most cultivators, for Lu Ye, it was the longest period of seclusion since his rebirth.

His future retreats would only lengthen, never shorten.

And this was with the aid of the Endless Secret Treasure.

Even cultivating at breakneck pace, he had only reached the fifth level of the Cosmic Realm.

Plenty fast!

He rose to his feet, his towering figure draped in black robes, radiating an awe-inspiring aura of dominance.

The Sound Transmission Stone held many messages. Lu Ye scanned them quickly—some were inquiries about his well-being, while others asked how he intended to deal with the Buddhist sects.

For now, Lu Ye gave no reply.

How to handle the Buddhist sects?

When they executed the surrendered Guanzhi Taoist, there was no longer any room for negotiation.

Before the killing, amends and apologies might have settled it.

Yet they still didn’t grasp that as long as their mistakes weren’t too severe, genuine remorse and adequate restitution would have been enough for Lu Ye to overlook the matter.

He wasn’t some slaughter-hungry fiend—must he really spell it out?

No matter. Someone would figure it out.

Lu Ye’s figure vanished as he streaked toward Bright Buddha Temple. A thunderous boom shook the planet before he reappeared in the boundless star-strewn void.

For Bright Buddha Temple, eighty years had come and gone.

Some had dared to face their heavenly tribulations, only to meet wretched ruin.

The heavens’ wrath remained.

What hope did they have?

They could only urge the upper realm, but the upper realm no longer paid them much attention, as the Buddhist sect of the Sixth Heaven had been truly decimated by the Celestial Gate.

Apologizing was their only option!

Only apologizing!

There was no other way.

Whether disbanding the Buddhist followers or strengthening the formations—nothing would work!

Because Lu Ye was peerless at hunting targets or dismantling formations.

The Mingfo Temple was in utter despair, unable to think of any solution.

In the end, after endless debate,

they finally made a decision.

That was to compensate—give everything they had!

However, this compensation couldn’t come solely from the Mingfo Temple; the Sixth Heaven’s Buddhists had to chip in too.

After all, it was the upper realm that had originally sent the order for them to capture Lu Ye...

True, they were partly to blame. But since Lu Ye had obtained the Endless Secret Treasure, and the treasures within were too vast, paltry offerings wouldn’t cut it.

So they had no choice but to pay through the nose.

<

They would pay through the nose, and the upper realm would too.

Though the upper realm had been battered by the Celestial Gate, they hadn’t completely abandoned the Mingfo Temple, so they passed down a few relics.

The people of Mingfo Temple stood vigilant, fearing that Lu Ye might appear suddenly and go on a rampage before they could even offer compensation.

Eighty years had passed.

The senior brother of Mingfo Temple was consumed by hopelessness, and some monks had even lost control of their cultivation on the spot due to overwhelming pressure and terror!

Six Buddhist disciples were standing guard not far from Mingfo Temple.

But at that moment, an immense oppressive force surged from the distant void, growing wildly stronger.

"Who goes there?!"

"Who dares to release their aura so recklessly near Mingfo Temple? Do they really think we’re easy prey now? If I get angry, I’ll storm their sect myself! Since death is certain anyway, I might as well take a whole sect with me—see if they still dare strut around like that!"

"Could it be...?"

A titanic silhouette emerged in the void.

This silhouette dwarfed the stars themselves.

Had it appeared anywhere but the void, it would have pierced the heavens.

Upon reaching the Cosmic Realm, with his spiritual power surging, Lu Ye gained access to deeper mysteries.

Some abilities weren’t ones he didn’t know or refused to use—it was simply that he hadn’t been strong enough before, making them ineffective.

Like now—the ultimate technique, *Law of Celestial Form*!

This wasn't the first time Lu Ye had used the Cosmic Form since his rebirth—he had also employed it when taking the Colossus Elixir in the First Heaven.

Of course, the Cosmic Form back then wasn't even close to what it was now.

Last time, it was just from taking a pill!

This time, it was truly threatening to obliterate all creation!

Lu Ye, now a towering colossus, flew toward the Bright Buddha Temple.

The Bright Buddha Temple instantly received the news. While mobilizing their defenses, they swiftly sent messages to Lu Ye!