Chapter 2283: Four Family Leaders

A few days later, Ziying returned, controlling Boundless City!

This magnificent giant city was an excellent Dao artifact. Placed within the Variegated, it could serve perfectly as a fortress. However, Boundless City was so immense that even Ziying found it challenging to control, consuming a severe amount of her Dao power.

It was also thanks to Lu Ye’s use of Dao patterns, which allowed her to borrow his power; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to sustain control.

According to the original plan, Boundless City was to be transported into the Variegated.

However, the choice of location required some consideration.

If Boundless City hadn't contained so many human cultivators, it could have been sent directly into a major war zone. Such a fortress could play a far greater role than a battle star.

But Boundless City ultimately contained a large number of humans who needed to be settled. Furthermore, in the previous battle, Boundless City's defensive array had been breached, and several of its array foundations were destroyed. All these required repairs.

As a result, there were not many suitable locations to choose from.

Outside the vibrant Variegated starry sky, Boundless City had arrived at a suitable location, and at its core, four figures stood.

For this task, Lu Ye had to provide guidance. Without him, Boundless City's entry point into the Variegated could not be precise, and if it happened to land in territory controlled by the Bug and Blood clans, the outcome would be dire.

Ziying, as the master of Boundless City, naturally also had to contribute her strength.

Chen Gushan and He Linglong were to return with them. The two elders had originally not planned to go back to the Variegated, as they had no hope of further cultivation advancement and not much lifespan left. After emerging from the cage they had been trapped in for a lifetime, who would want to return?

However, this time, Boundless City needed to be sent near the Human Race's home star, which was the Human Battle Alliance's main base. Relying solely on Lu Ye and Ziying might not ensure proper handling, so the elders had to accompany them. After all, they still commanded great prestige among humans, and some matters would be better handled with their presence.

Moreover, after everything was settled, Boundless City would also need them to stay and oversee it. Thus, they had no choice but to return together.

You Die and her two direct-line Bug clan members remained in the Bug Nest. You Die was now keenly exploring the inner realm and preparing for Soul Integration; she wouldn't concern herself with Boundless City's matters.

"Shall we begin then?" Lu Ye asked, turning to look at the three people beside him.

Ziying and the others all nodded.

The next instant, under Ziying's control, Boundless City surged towards the Variegated. In comparison, Boundless City was enormous, while the Variegated appeared incredibly tiny. Yet, this immensity rapidly shrank as it approached the Variegated, as if the void near the Variegated was infinitely expanding.

Boundless City then transformed into a speck of light and plunged into it.

The Variegated Starry Sky, home to the Human Battle Alliance.

This was the Human Race's main base, its last line of defense, and its central hub. Eighty percent of the entire Human Race's population resided here, and all major and minor aristocratic families were established in this location.

Coincidentally, today, the patriarchs of various major families were gathered to discuss important matters, which were, surprisingly, related to Lu Ye.

Some time ago, the events in the Yellow Spring War Zone shocked everyone. Nearly all of the Bug and Blood clans in the entire war zone were annihilated, and as many as six Bug and Blood clan Soul Integration cultivators in the war zone also died.

All signs indicated that Lu Ye was inextricably linked to this matter, as the Chief Guardian of that area, Huang Quan, had only dispatched people to investigate after receiving news from Lu Ye.

This matter was even somewhat related to You Die, the Bug Mother, because all six Bug and Blood clan Soul Integration cultivators died inside the Bug Nest, including Che Lin, the Blood clan expert who was just a step away from the peak of Soul Integration!

Such a powerful expert was not easily killed. Yet, he seemed to have been killed without any resistance, and only You Die could have done something like that!

But why would You Die kill Che Lin? And what role did Lu Ye play in this?

Although the annihilation of the Bug and Blood clans in the Yellow Spring War Zone was a great cause for celebration, many things remained unclear. What was even more puzzling was how Lu Ye managed to accomplish this, where he was now, and if he truly possessed such abilities, why he didn't return to the home star to serve the Human Race.

Thanks to Lu Ye's previous actions, no one now doubted his allegiance. Even if he had once been captured by the Bug clan, he ultimately remained loyal to the Human Race. In recent times, many Bug and Blood clan members had died by his hand, but no one had ever seen him slaughter any human compatriots.

The main focus of today's discussion was to find a way to contact Lu Ye.

However, according to the intelligence everyone had gathered, Lu Ye had fallen into the Variegated several years ago. At that time, he was only an Initiation cultivator. Yet, in just a few years, he had killed an unknown number of enemy Soul Integration cultivators. Such growth was terrifying.

Few people had interacted with him, and even fewer could contact him.

Yan Hong was one, and Yan Xiaowu of the Yan family was another. But both had already tried, and neither could contact Lu Ye, as not even messages could be sent out.

The Battle Alliance even sought out Kang Xing, Jiang Yuning, and Zhao Tuo. These three were the first humans Lu Ye encountered when he first entered the Variegated, and on Bluewater Battle Star, they had even fought alongside him.

But these three also failed to establish contact with Lu Ye.

If messages couldn't be sent, it indicated that Lu Ye had already perished...

This left everyone extremely shocked and regretful.

It was as if a rising new star had suddenly fallen.

Just then, an unusual movement suddenly occurred. Every single patriarch present turned their heads in unison to look in a certain direction.

Immediately after, they all rose and flew outside to the exterior of the discussion hall. They looked up, and what they saw made everyone freeze in astonishment.

They saw that outside the home star, a giant city had appeared at some unknown time. The giant city was so far away that even though all the patriarchs were Soul Integration cultivators, they could only see a tiny black dot even with their full vision.

"What is this?"

"How did it appear?"

Everyone's expressions became solemn. This was the home star, the central hub of the Human Race's last line of defense. For such a giant city to suddenly appear without anyone noticing was no small matter.

If this was an enemy's, it meant that the home star's outer defenses had been completely ineffective, posing an extremely fatal threat to the home star.

Not daring to delay, they all moved towards the giant city to greet it, eager to investigate further.

On Boundless City, Lu Ye and the other three still stood side by side. From a distance, they saw a large group of figures transforming into streaks of light, approaching them.

A short while later, numerous Soul Integration cultivators entered the city. When the two sides met, all the patriarchs showed extremely astonished expressions.

They were astonished because they saw Lu Ye, whom they had believed to have perished, and Ziying, who had "perished" even earlier...

The news of Ziying's demise had spread even earlier. The source of this news was Huang Quan, who, unable to contact Ziying, had assumed she was dead.

Besides Lu Ye and Ziying, the other two figures also seemed familiar to them.

"Elder Chen, Elder He? What are you two doing here?" the leading middle-aged man asked, looking at Chen Gushan and He Linglong with surprise and uncertainty. What puzzled him even more was the incredibly aged state of the two elders at that moment.

He hadn't seen He Linglong for a long time. But he had visited Chen Gushan just a few years ago, as Chen Gushan's secluded residence was not far from the home star. At that time, Chen Gushan hadn't appeared so aged. Yet, in just a few years, Chen Gushan's body now subtly emanated an aura of death.

"The one speaking is Yan Yao, the current patriarch of the Yan family," Ziying secretly transmitted to Lu Ye, knowing he didn't recognize any of these patriarchs.

Besides Yan Yao, there was Huang Chen, the current patriarch of the Huang family; Sun Baihan, the current patriarch of the Sun family; and Zhou Quan, the current patriarch of the Zhou family.

The patriarchs of all four top aristocratic families were present, along with the patriarchs of other families or their most prestigious elders.

It could be said that this group represented the highest authority on the Human Race's home star.

"Elder Chen, what is this city about?" Huang Chen also asked.

Everyone had too many questions in their minds.

Not only had Lu Ye and Ziying, who were presumed dead, suddenly appeared alive and well, but they were also with Elder Chen and Elder He. And a giant city had inexplicably appeared.

What was even more astonishing was that this giant city seemed to be a Dao artifact, and there were also signs of many living beings within the city.

"You've come at a good time; it saves me the trouble of summoning each of you individually," Chen Gushan said. He had originally intended to summon all the patriarchs from the home star, and now that they had gathered themselves, it naturally saved him effort.

"There are some matters you need to know," Chen Gushan continued, raising a hand to pat Lu Ye's shoulder. "All you patriarchs should not be unfamiliar with this young man beside me, right?"

Everyone nodded. They were naturally not unfamiliar with Lu Ye, as he was the subject of today's discussion, a consequence of the many disturbances he had caused within the Variegated recently.

Alongside Chen Gushan, Lu Ye cupped his fists and bowed, saying, "Lu Ye greets all patriarchs."

Pairs of eyes gazed at him, and Lu Ye's expression remained calm.

"I know there were rumors before that Lu Ye had uncovered some secrets deep within the ruins," Chen Gushan said. "What I want to tell you today is that young Lu indeed uncovered secrets."

At his words, all the Soul Integration cultivators' expressions brightened. Some even wished they could prick up their ears to listen more clearly.

Because they desperately wanted to know what secrets were hidden deep within the ruins.

"This city is the secret of the ruins!" Chen Gushan slowly began, "This city is a Dao artifact, called Boundless City..." He then narrated the previous situation of Boundless City in detail.

This explanation was also something Chen Gushan and Lu Ye had discussed before returning. Such a giant city could not have appeared out of thin air, but the situation outside the Variegated was not something they could easily explain to these patriarchs. If the truth were revealed, people's hearts would surely become restless.

Everyone was trapped inside the Variegated; who wouldn't want to leave? Leaving aside others, even Huang Chen, Yan Yao, and the like, all at the peak of Soul Integration, facing such temptation, could they control themselves? Human hearts cannot withstand such tests. Of course, the current explanation was only temporary. In the discussions between Lu Ye, Chen Gushan, and He Linglong, there were still other plans and arrangements for the future.

So, they could only attribute Boundless City's origin to the depths of the ruins. Anyway, since no one truly knew what secrets lay within the ruins, Chen Gushan could simply say whatever he wished.