The mastery of the Soul Suppressing Secret Technique brought another benefit to Lu Ye, elevating his psyche cultivation to the Sun Blaze Mid-Stage!

Yet his mana is still only at the Sun Blaze Early Stage...

This is quite amusing.

Because throughout the stellar space, in the cultivation of the Sun Blaze realms, the enhancement of psyche cultivation is always much more challenging than mana enhancement. Sun Blaze cultivators typically meet the mana requirements first, then look for ways to enhance their psyche.

But for Lu Ye, the situation is reversed.

This undoubtedly owes to the uniqueness of the Hero Souls Forest.

Now, all Lu Ye needs is to elevate his mana, and he would be assuredly at the Sun Blaze Mid-Stage. This is not a difficult task for someone with a Talent Tree. With his Magic Source reaching Perfection, his cultivation efficiency has greatly increased. He only needs to store enough fuel in his Talent Tree and dive into the All Phenomena Ocean.

Moments later, Lu Ye returned.

Two years have passed; his physical body remains sitting here, motionless.

If it were an ordinary person, such prolonged separation of body and soul would likely lead to issues, but for a Sun Blaze cultivator like Lu Ye, it’s not a problem.

He merged back into his physical body, rising slowly.

Beside him, Xuyuan noticed something and looked up: "How was it?"

"Thanks to Elder’s guidance, I’ve gained a lot..." Lu Ye replied, feeling a slight lack of coordination in his body and his speech seemed somewhat slurred, likely due to the prolonged separation of body and soul, but this discomfort soon faded away.

"That’s good." Xuyuan smiled slightly, not inquiring about which Soul Suppressing Secret Technique Lu Ye chose. Everyone has their own convictions and choices; since he had guided Lu Ye, the decision was Lu Ye’s own.

"Elder, now that the matter here is settled, I’ll return to the Nine Provinces for now and visit again another day." Lu Ye said.

Having been here for two years without leaving, he naturally needs to go back and take a look.

Xuyuan seemed unsurprised, nodding: "Go ahead."

Lu Ye promptly headed towards the stellar space pond, glancing down when suddenly taken aback, for the stellar space pond before him seemed somewhat different from his memory.

He focused his gaze and gradually noticed: "Elder, how come there are more large domains popping up in the stellar space in recent years?"

The stellar space pond reflected the circumstances of the entire stellar space, with domains and dead stars all mirrored in it, any external changes being manifested in the stellar space pond.

Just like those domains, the representation of ordinary domains versus large domains is different. Large domains appear much brighter in the stellar space pond, while ordinary domains are somewhat dimmer.

Lu Ye had entered and exited the stellar space pond multiple times, and even without specifically observing it, changes too noticeable could still be seen.

Xuyuan smiled slightly: "In recent years, for some unknown reason, the stellar space spirit energy has become much more active, leading to the elevation of many domains into large domains."

"Stellar space spirit energy..." Lu Ye suddenly recalled Number Nine mentioning this previously, where the spirit energy near the Nine Provinces had become active, a good development for the Nine Provinces, for it has always been absorbing the nearby stellar space spirit energy to enhance its foundation.

However, Lu Ye did not expect this change to extend beyond the Nine Provinces; from the feedback of the stellar space pond now, this change seems to be affecting the entire stellar space.

"Elder, has there been such an occurrence before?" Lu Ye asked.

Xuyuan thought for a moment: "Since I’ve been stationed here, I haven’t encountered it."

"Then does Elder think this is a good thing or a bad thing?"

Xuyuan pondered: "Good or bad, who can say for sure? Sometimes good things can turn bad, and sometimes the opposite happens..."

Lu Ye looked at Xuyuan blankly, as Elder’s way of speaking was different from before.

Xuyuan chuckled: "Don’t overthink it. Regardless of external changes, enhancing oneself is the true path as a cultivator."

"Indeed, that’s true." Lu Ye nodded, merging into the stellar space pond.

After Lu Ye departed, Xuyuan’s expression gradually turned serious, sighing deeply: "A great change is imminent, a great momentum descends; is it good, or bad?"

Such magnitude, not even the long-lived Soul Race has experienced it, let alone any flesh and blood creatures in the entire stellar space, as the last descent of great momentum was tens of thousands of years ago. Even powerful beings like the Sun Blaze have limited lifespan, and even the Demon Race cannot live that long.

Only the Soul Race, due to its special environment, has some records in this regard, but they’re not clearly documented.

Regarding the understanding of great momentum, likely only those supreme treasures existing with the stellar space have knowledge, some of which have developed consciousness, such as the renowned Reincarnation Tree; surely, he knows something.

Widespread activation of stellar space spirit energy signals the impending descent of great momentum, a point recorded in the Soul Race ancient tomes; similar signs were present before the last descent of great momentum.

Actually, these signs have existed for years, but ordinary people couldn’t detect them; the Soul Race Patriarch Hun Que has been exploring this matter externally.

Rumor has it, under the descent of great momentum, none in the stellar space are exempt, not even special spaces like the Soul Race ancestral land.

For some, the descent of great momentum is a revelry, but for most, it brings disaster.

Xuyuan didn’t tell Lu Ye too many things, simply because Lu Ye’s current cultivation wasn’t sufficient. Knowing these details would be meaningless to him; just like he had taught Lu Ye before, there are some matters that become clear naturally when one’s cultivation is sufficient, and learning them prematurely only adds unnecessary worries.

Near the Nine Provinces, Lu Ye returned.

He sensed something was amiss immediately; the entire Nine Provinces had clearly grown larger.

The Nine Provinces is a sphere, and from stellar space, this expansion might seem insignificant, but in reality, this change greatly expanded the territory of the Nine Provinces.

Lu Ye’s heart was stirred, with some vague speculations. As he flew towards the Nine Provinces, he sent Number Nine a message to inquire about the situation.

Before long, he received Number Nine’s reply, confirming his speculation; in just over two years, the World-Merging with the Qingli Dao World had been completed.

All the beings from the Qingli Dao World migrated into the Nine Provinces. Not only that, but the entire Qingli Dao World had merged into the Nine Provinces.

This was the fundamental reason the Nine Provinces expanded, as the Nine Provinces now was truly two domains combined!

Lu Ye didn’t know how Number Nine accomplished this, as generally, domains do not possess such abilities, but the result lay before his eyes, undoubtedly a good thing.

Upon closer observation, the entire geography of the Nine Provinces had undergone significant changes; the locations of some mountains and rivers from his memory had shifted.

Lu Ye was amazed. A simple World-Merging might be manageable in itself, but ensuring the beings living in the Nine Provinces remain stable throughout the process is not easy.

Yet Number Nine accomplished it.

The forebears of the former Nine Provinces left treasures for this era, which have continued to protect the Nine Provinces for over ten thousand years, still playing an irreplaceable role today.

Soon, Lu Ye found another peculiar area: "Number Nine, you said the World-Merging was complete, so why are there still so many people migrating? Where are they coming from?"

In his senses, Heaven’s Augury Pillar portals were open all across the Nine Provinces. At this moment, through those portals, many mortals were dragging their families along, carrying large bags, and some were even bringing a lot of livestock.

"The World-Merging with the Qingli Dao World is complete, now preparing for the World-Merging with the Jade Conch World!" Number Nine replied.

"Jade Conch World?" Lu Ye was startled, "Why does the Jade Conch World also need World-Merging? What happened?"

Lu Ye could understand the Qingli Dao World’s desire for merging, as there were issues with this domain; though it could nurture Constellations, those Constellations could not advance to Moon Jade, offering no prospects.

Wu Zhuo and Tang Jun could not resolve this problem. As the Nine Provinces grew stronger, merging into it was undoubtedly a good choice.

But what about the Jade Conch World’s situation?

"This has nothing to do with me," Number Nine chuckled, "They came seeking it themselves."

"Who?"

"Luan Xiao’e, and also World Lord Qiu from that domain."

Lu Ye swept his Mental Consciousness across the Nine Provinces and did not find Luan Xiao’e. She likely returned to the All Phenomena Ocean, but he discovered Qiu Wu’s figure at a certain place in Dingzhou.

He promptly rushed over and quickly found Qiu Wu busy there; this large area should be allocated for the sects led by Qiu Wu, with over ten Heaven’s Augury Pillars upright here, forming portals from which people continually emerged.

"World Lord Qiu," Lu Ye called.

Qiu Wu turned, pleasantly surprised, "Fellow Daoist Lu, finally we meet."

"Is there something the World Lord needs from me?" Lu Ye asked.

Qiu Wu replied, "Not really anything major, but in the future, I will settle in the Nine Provinces, and I’d appreciate Fellow Daoist Lu’s care."

"Sure, anytime," Lu Ye nodded, "Just, why did the Jade Conch choose to merge?"

Qiu Wu smiled, "What’s wrong with that? The Nine Provinces is currently the most powerful domain in the home Star System, with boundless prospects. By merging, my Jade Conch World can also achieve better development, and since the Qingli Dao World has merged, my Jade Conch can certainly merge."

"That makes sense, but about the Qingli Dao World..."

Qiu Wu nodded, "I’m aware of the reasons, but the last time Zixuan invaded was terrifying, there are just too many powerful beings outside. My Jade Conch World, although having birthed a Sun Blaze, is still far from measuring up to top domains, even the four galaxies’ domains are much greater. Should the Jade Conch face danger one day, what would we have to resist?"

Hearing his explanation, Lu Ye immediately understood his point.

The Jade Conch World did not only face one invasion from Zixuan, but earlier had also encountered the Filth Race invasion!

These foreign enemies are beyond their ability to deal with, and since they lack the means to cope, merging with the Nine Provinces is the solution. The Nine Provinces, with the internal Asura Field and Mount Fangcun outside, offers an extraordinary level of safety compared to those top-tier domains.

Qiu Wu laughed, "I know your thoughts, we discussed this for a long time before deciding. Perhaps there’ll be discomfort in the short term, but after two or three generations, this issue will be irrelevant. Eventually, the Jade Conch World will cease to exist, leaving only the Nine Provinces."

He said so much, and Lu Ye, of course, could not say anything more.

Moreover, the merging of the Jade Conch World brings more benefits to the Nine Provinces.

But...with the Jade Conch World gone, the Jade Conch Galaxy fear will change to the Nine Provinces galaxy.