Chapter 2897: The Danger of Chilian City

A person sat upright in the tree hollow, and the scent of blood wafted from them.

Lu Ye looked up. The person's aura was faint, an inexplicable Dao charm swirling around them, and their life force seemed like a flickering candle flame in the wind, ready to extinguish at any moment.

Lu Ye was slightly startled. "Xiao Qianchen?" he murmured. The person before him was indeed the esteemed figure from Myriad Ancient City. While Lu Ye had minimal contact with him, and arguably no direct conversations, he had naturally come to know Xiao Qianchen during his many years in the Star Abyss. After all, he maintained a good personal relationship with Qin Feng.

Hearing Lu Ye's voice, Xiao Qianchen slowly opened his eyes, then offered a bitter smile. "I'm afraid I've made a spectacle of myself, Fellow Daoist."

Lu Ye didn't need to ask; he already knew what had transpired. Frowning, he inquired, "Didn't I have the Dragon Clan send you a message, urging you to be more vigilant recently?"

Earlier, after he, Xue Jiu, and Si Shengya had jointly besieged Blood Abyss, and learned that the three other half-sages had collectively entered Hundred Battles City, he instructed the Dragon Clan to inform Xiao Qianchen about the Star Abyss's current situation, specifically advising him to heighten his defenses.

He had believed that Xiao Qianchen, defending the city, could hold out for a time even against a joint assault by the three half-sages. Moreover, once they received word, they could swiftly teleport into the battle via the power of the Primordial Phoenix Tree, either to disrupt the attack or launch a surprise assault.

There would have been no problem saving Myriad Ancient City.

Even if he had entered the River of Time, Xue Jiu and Si Shengya remained prepared at Phoenix Nest. They could each contend with a half-sage, and Xiao Qianchen, as one of the Ten Great City Lords, would have the home advantage of his city, which would be sufficient for him to defend himself against one half-sage.

However, the current outcome suggested a grim situation.

With this Ten Great City Lord so severely injured and forced to seek refuge and healing at Phoenix Nest, the fate of Myriad Ancient City was clear.

Xiao Qianchen sighed faintly. "It was my oversight," he admitted.

The Primordial Phoenix Tree interjected, "Myriad Ancient City's Fifth Deputy City Lord was a mole Hongtu planted long ago. When the three half-sages suddenly arrived, they coordinated with this mole, quickly breaching Myriad Ancient City's protective formation. By the time we received the news and I sent Xue Jiu and Si Shengya there, it was already too late."

Lu Ye couldn't help but frown.

His own Fifth Deputy City Lord turning out to be an enemy mole indicated Xiao Qianchen had been a rather oblivious city lord. One could only conclude that his defeat this time was entirely deserved.

"Myriad Ancient City has now also fallen into enemy hands, hasn't it?" Lu Ye asked.

Xiao Qianchen looked ashamed. "When the enemy attacked, I was in secluded cultivation, attempting a breakthrough, and my reaction wasn't quick enough. Ultimately, I had no escape route and could only use the Dao Integration Pearl to flee into the Dao Integration Realm. Saint Si found me and brought me here."

Thus, Myriad Ancient City was lost, and the Dao Integration Pearl fell into enemy hands.

Adding Hundred Battles' and Thousand Streams' Universe-grade Dao Integration Pearls, the three half-sages from the Origin Realm each now possessed one.

It was highly probable that Hongtu and Gu Mingyue would be unable to keep their Dao Integration Pearls. Faced with the pressure from the three half-sages, they would most likely proactively surrender control of their pearls, receding to a secondary role to gain the three half-sages' protection and cultivate in peace for their own breakthroughs.

"Where are Saint Si and Xue Jiu?" Lu Ye asked. Now that he had returned, he expected Si Shengya and Xue Jiu to make an appearance.

The Primordial Phoenix Tree replied, "Not long after those three conquered Myriad Ancient City, they jointly launched an attack on Crimson Forge City. Xue Jiu and Si Shengya are currently there, helping to defend against the enemy."

Lu Ye scoffed upon hearing this. "They certainly can't sit still!"

Although he had spent a significant amount of time in the Tower of Time, only a mere three months had passed in the outside world. The sheer number of actions taken by the three from the Origin Realm in such a brief period revealed their extreme urgency.

The death of Blood Abyss had clearly instilled a sense of crisis in them.

Upon arriving from the Origin Realm, they had been full of vigor and confidence, believing the vast Star Abyss was theirs to conquer, a realm where they could freely expand their influence.

Yet, within days of their arrival, Blood Abyss, their most powerful member, was dead, and Xue Jiu had defected.

Consequently, they were desperate to eliminate all potential threats, which is why Myriad Ancient City and Crimson Forge City became targets. While the three half-sages might not have fully understood the Star Abyss's intricate dynamics, Hongtu and Gu Mingyue certainly did. They were well aware that once Xiao Qianchen and Ni Chilian advanced to half-sage status, they would become formidable adversaries.

In fact, if circumstances allowed, the three would have preferred to attack Dragon City and Phoenix Nest, as this had been Yuan's will before they departed the Origin Realm.

However, with Lu Ye and others guarding Dragon City and Phoenix Nest, the three from the Origin Realm dared not provoke them easily. Blood Abyss's death served as a stark warning; they couldn't afford a situation where they failed to conquer and couldn't retreat safely, as that would be a tremendous loss.

Thus, they had to settle for a lesser objective: dealing with Myriad Ancient City and Crimson Forge City first.

"What's the situation there now?" Lu Ye asked.

The Primordial Phoenix Tree replied, "When I sent Xue Jiu and Si Shengya, I also sent a member of the Dragon Clan. You can use the Dragon Scroll to inquire about the situation."

Lu Ye raised an eyebrow, silently acknowledging Elder Tree's thorough arrangements. He immediately connected with the Dragon Scroll to inquire about the details.

Moments later, the situation at Crimson Forge City became clear.

As he had anticipated, all three half-sages from the Origin Realm were indeed bolstered by Universe-grade Dao Integration Pearls. At this moment, two of them were engaged in separate battles with Xue Jiu and Si Shengya, while the third was launching a full-scale assault on Crimson Forge City.

They had brought no subordinate forces; there hadn't been time to mobilize any. The three of them had arrived at Crimson Forge City merely days after conquering Myriad Ancient City. The speed of half-sages was such that ordinary cultivators simply couldn't keep pace.

However, even with just one half-sage launching a full-scale attack, Crimson Forge City might not hold out, as Ni Chilian's presence had not yet been detected within the city.

At this very moment, inside Crimson Forge City, the protective formation's power had been activated to its absolute maximum.

Outside the grand formation stood a tall figure, shrouded in a mysterious aura, with a pair of pristine white wings on her back and a serene expression. It was Zhifei of the Feather Clan, one of the three half-sages from the Origin Realm.

Among the three, her power was not the greatest; in fact, she might be considered the weakest. Both Modo of the Demon Clan and Ming Feng of the Insect Clan had achieved half-sage status long before her, and their accumulated power bases were simply beyond comparison.

She was assigned to lead the siege solely because she wielded a particularly suitable supreme treasure.

Outside the formation, she chanted incantations, and Dao power surged. Before her, a golden beam of light, like a colossal nail, was impaled in the protective formation's energy barrier. Each tremor caused the barrier's radiance to dim noticeably.

Concealed within that golden beam was a supreme treasure shaped like a long needle.

If Lu Ye had been present, he would undoubtedly have recognized it as the Heaven-Weaving Needle.

While he hadn't seen the supreme treasure Heaven-Weaving Needle, he had encountered its lesser artifact. Previously, when he slew Zhao Ming of the Feather Clan in the Origin Realm, that opponent had utilized the lesser Heaven-Weaving Needle. This item possessed terrifying spell-breaking capabilities; it could be said that, given comparable foundations, nothing could withstand the Heaven-Weaving Needle's destructive power.

The power of the lesser artifact was not to be underestimated, let alone this supreme treasure, personally wielded by a half-sage.

Crimson Forge City had never faced such a profound crisis. Inside the city, Yuan Xi's expression was solemn. Beside her, Chang Ming's face was also grim. "Madam, we must ask His Excellency to come out of seclusion!" he urged.

Ever since Ni Chilian returned from refining the Qiankun Cauldron in the starry sky, she had entered a secret chamber within the city for secluded cultivation and a breakthrough.

The restrictions and formations within the secret chamber completely isolated it from the outside. Unless specific methods were employed, it was fundamentally unshakeable. Thus, despite the immense commotion outside, Ni Chilian remained entirely unaware.

While forcing Ni Chilian to end her seclusion prematurely would undoubtedly negate her efforts thus far, if she did not emerge, no one currently available could contend with Zhifei.

Only Ni Chilian's personal intervention could possibly keep Zhifei fully occupied.

Yuan Xi remained silent, her gaze fixed with a solemn expression on a particular point in the void.

"Madam!" Chang Ming exclaimed, his expression anxious. "At this rate, the city's protective formation won't last half a day. If we don't ask His Excellency to emerge from seclusion now, it might be too late!"

Yuan Xi continued to gaze in that direction, slowly shaking her head. "No need," she replied.

Chang Ming frowned, following Yuan Xi's gaze, but saw nothing. He couldn't help but ask, "Madam, do you have a strategy to defeat the enemy?"

"I don't," Yuan Xi replied, "but someone else does!"

"Who?" Chang Ming paused, then realized, "Is Fellow Daoist Lu Ye coming?"

Currently, if anyone in the entire Star Abyss could contend with a half-sage, it would be Lu Ye, given that he was also a powerful Ten Great City Lord.

"Lu Ye entered the River of Time a few days ago," Yuan Xi stated. Having frequent contact with Zhu Yin, she was naturally aware of Lu Ye's movements.

"The River of Time..." Chang Ming was taken aback. Was that something one could just enter at will? But if not Lu Ye, then who could it possibly be?

Chang Ming couldn't think of any reliable candidates. It was surely impossible that the Dragon Sovereign or Phoenix Lord would come to their aid.

"They're here!" Just then, Yuan Xi's eyes suddenly brightened.

Chang Ming looked in that direction again. Indeed, a figure was rapidly approaching. The individual was slightly hunched, with a large bald head, and an expression full of trepidation.

"He is..." Chang Ming was astonished, recognizing the newcomer. It was none other than Fuwei, the individual from Madam's city, rumored to be a Divination Clan member.

"He can't possibly manage, can he?" Chang Ming frowned. "Madam, he did indeed team up with Lu Ye to fight Xuanwuzong recently, but his own strength hasn't reached the level of the Ten Great City Lords. The destructive power of that supreme treasure wielded by the Feather Clan member is utterly terrifying; he's absolutely no match for it!"

Yuan Xi replied, "I don't know if he can, but he insisted on trying."

"This is no laughing matter..." Chang Ming was speechless. If this attempt went awry, it would lead to his demise and the complete dissipation of his Dao.

As the two spoke, Fuwei swiftly approached the battlefield. Despite his apprehensive expression, his speed was considerable.

If he had merely come on his own, he could have arrived much earlier. However, to contend with a half-sage, he absolutely required the amplification provided by Yuan Xi City's Dao Integration Pearl.

Thus, he traveled alongside Yuan Xi City, which accounted for the slight delay.

He was unsure if he could withstand the half-sage's assault, but the one thing he knew for certain was that his strength had been continuously increasing, only ceasing a few days prior.