Chapter 2419: Ten Great Harmonized Dao Cities

Yuan Xi picked up the Dao Integration Orb, examining it carefully to confirm its authenticity. "This is interesting," she said. "We actually managed to snatch two out of three Dao Integration Orbs. If the guys from Flowing Light Dao Integration City find out, they'll be furious!"

As she spoke, she patted Lu Ye's shoulder. "Well done. I've noted this credit for you. Just tell me what you want, and I'll satisfy your request."

Lu Ye didn't really want anything at the moment. He did want to ask about Liáo's advancement, but it was a critical matter, and he was reluctant to consult Yuan Xi. Not only was it likely she wouldn't know, but even if she did, Lu Ye wasn't prepared to reveal Liáo's existence to outsiders.

As if sensing his thoughts, Yuan Xi said, "You can make a note of it. If you have any requests later, just tell me directly. I won't refuse anything within my power."

"Then I thank you in advance, City Lord," Lu Ye said, cupping his fist.

Lu Ye wasn't sure how much sincerity was in Yuan Xi's words, nor could he tell if she would go back on her promise later. In any case, his primary intention in offering the Dao Integration Orb was for his own benefit, regardless of any credit.

Nevertheless, this established a certain connection between him and Yuan Xi City.

Yuan Xi casually dropped the second Dao Integration Orb into the slot. Lu Ye watched as the two orbs quickly merged into one, their soft glow seemingly intensifying.

"Grand Commander."

"Here!"

"Our Dao Integration City is just starting and is still very weak," Yuan Xi declared, "but trust me, as long as we work together, one day we will stand at the pinnacle of the Inner Realm and trample those legendary Ten Great Dao Integration Cities underfoot!"

Despite being a woman, Yuan Xi possessed considerable ambition.

Lu Ye raised an eyebrow. "The Ten Great Dao Integration Cities?"

"You haven't heard of them?" Yuan Xi tilted her head, looking at him.

Lu Ye shook his head. He truly hadn't heard of such a concept. While he had learned a lot about the Inner Realm from Yun Shiwang, the information wasn't comprehensive.

Yuan Xi smiled thinly. "It seems you haven't been in the Inner Realm for long. The so-called Ten Great Dao Integration Cities are represented by 'One, Ten, Hundred, Thousand, Myriad; Dragon, Phoenix, Forest, Blood, Refinement!'"

Seeing Lu Ye still looked bewildered, Yuan Xi explained in detail: "The first part of that phrase corresponds to One Husband City, Ten Steps City, Hundred Battles City, Thousand Streams City, and Myriad Ancient City. The second part refers to Sacred Dragon City, Phoenix City, Senluo City, Blood Drinker City, and Crimson炼 City. These ten Dao Integration Cities have been passed down from very ancient times, and they are teeming with powerful experts... People say that in these ten cities, Dao Integration cultivators are everywhere, and those who have achieved Dao Fusion are as common as dogs."

At this point, she started to laugh, giggling with her hand over her mouth, like an old hen.

It took her a while to stop, then she continued, "While it's a bit of an exaggeration, it's pretty close to the truth. If you ever encounter any of these Dao Integration Cities in the future, stay as far away as possible!"

Lu Ye didn't pay much attention to the other Dao Integration Cities, but two of them caught his interest. "Sacred Dragon City and Phoenix City, are they Dao Integration Cities of the Dragon and Phoenix clans?"

"Naturally. Besides those two clans, who would dare use such names?" Yuan Xi nodded, giving Lu Ye a curious look. "You're human, aren't you? Do you have any connection with these two clans?"

Lu Ye's exclusive interest in these two cities clearly made her realize something.

Lu Ye shook his head. "No."

He was thinking about whether Yang Qing might be in Sacred Dragon City. If so, he might have a chance to seek him out.

"What about the Phoenix Nest?" Lu Ye asked again. "I've heard that there's a Phoenix Nest in the Inner Realm."

Su Yan had given him a phoenix feather, which he could use to guide him to the Phoenix Nest. That should be the ancestral land of the Phoenix clan. When Su Yan gave him the feather, she told him to go to the Phoenix Nest only after reaching Dao Integration peak, so the Phoenix Nest should indeed be in the Inner Realm.

"The Phoenix Nest is Phoenix City. 'Phoenix City' is what outsiders call it; 'Phoenix Nest' is what they call it themselves," Yuan Xi explained. "However, the Phoenix Nest is the most mysterious of all Dao Integration Cities. Very few people know its exact location, and even fewer have seen it with their own eyes."

Lu Ye nodded. He wasn't worried about finding the Phoenix Nest; with Su Yan's feather, locating it wouldn't be an issue. The real question was why Su Yan wanted him to seek her out only after reaching the Dao Integration peak.

"These Ten Great Dao Integration Cities are the top-tier ones. We are still very far from their level, Grand Commander, so let's work hard together in the future!"

Lu Ye casually asked, "What level is Yuan Xi City?"

"Yellow tier," Yuan Xi replied.

Lu Ye blinked.

Yuan Xi immediately realized his confusion and explained, "Heaven, Earth, Black, Yellow, Universe, Wild, Grand, Vast – these are the eight levels of Dao Integration Cities. We've just started. Although we've merged two Dao Integration Orbs, we're still only at the Yellow tier. The Ten Great Dao Integration Cities are all at the peak, Universe tier."

Lu Ye asked, "Then how many more Dao Integration Orbs do we need to advance to the Black tier?"

"Maybe two or three more?" Yuan Xi raised a hand to scratch her face. "I'm not entirely sure myself."

This was her first time building a Dao Integration City, so she wasn't familiar with all the details.

Lu Ye did some quick calculations. Even if they only needed two or three more orbs to reach the Black tier, Yuan Xi City still had a long and arduous journey ahead to "trample those Ten Great Dao Integration Cities underfoot!"

However, even as a Yellow tier Dao Integration City, within the range of its power, Yuan Xi's own strength could increase by nearly ten percent when fighting enemies!

She was already very strong, and a ten percent increase in power was quite significant.

At the Grand Commander's manor, Lu Ye spent some time tidying up before settling in.

He immediately tried cultivating and indeed found that his efficiency had improved by about ten percent.

To put it another way, if he previously gained about 300 units of Dao power from a day of intense cultivation, now he gained around 330 units.

One shouldn't underestimate this ten percent increase. Those who can enter the Inner Realm are at least at the Dao Fusion stage, and the accumulation of power at this level is time-consuming. A ten percent boost in efficiency can often save a significant amount of time.

And this was merely the benefit of a Yellow tier Dao Integration City. If Yuan Xi City were to advance to the Black tier or higher in the future, the benefits would undoubtedly be even greater.

This was precisely why many cultivators in the Inner Realm flocked to Dao Integration Cities, and why Dao Fusion cultivators were willing to align themselves with those who had achieved Dao Integration.

While it meant having to follow orders and often sacrificing freedom, one had to make sacrifices to gain rewards.

If it weren't for these various advantages, how would so many proud Dao Fusion cultivators be willing to follow others?

The formations in Lu Ye's Grand Commander's manor were closely linked to those of the City Lord's mansion. In the future, if they encountered powerful enemies, he could use the formations to assist Yuan Xi in combat. Therefore, the strength of a Dao Integration City was not solely reflected in its own quality, but also in the number and strength of its cultivators.

Take the previous Flowing Light Dao Integration City, for example: with three Dao Integration cultivators holding the fort and unleashing their full power, Yuan Xi could only flee in a sorry state. It was only by luring away one of the Dao Integration cultivators that Yuan Xi gained enough space to escape.

That's why Yuan Xi later told Lu Ye he had performed a meritorious service.

Lu Ye did not continue his intense cultivation.

Liáo's situation needed to be resolved.

Through their previous conversations, Lu Ye clearly understood that Liáo had been stirred by sensing an opportunity for its own breakthrough. However, this opportunity was just that—an opportunity. Neither he nor Liáo had any idea how to proceed.

Liáo couldn't absorb the profound mysteries within other spirit treasures, nor could it advance by severing other spirit treasures.

Lu Ye had previously asked Liáo to carefully recall what it felt like at that moment.

Now, it finally had a rough answer: "Lu kid, I think I might need a life-or-death battle to break through!"

"What do you mean?" Lu Ye asked.

"I thought about it carefully," Liáo explained. "When you were fighting that enemy, I suddenly felt like you shouldn't kill him so quickly."

With Liáo saying that, Lu Ye remembered. Liáo had indeed called out to spare the person, and Lu Ye, not reacting immediately, was quite startled.

"I am a weapon spirit, a sharp blade in your hand. Naturally, I should advance during a clash with a powerful enemy, in the midst of blood and flesh, not by severing defeated foes afterward. That would be an insult to a weapon spirit!"

What it said was rather perplexing, yet Lu Ye understood. "So you think, for you to advance, I need to find an enemy who possesses a spirit treasure, engage them in a life-or-death battle, and then you'll break through during that process?"

"That's pretty much it."

Lu Ye frowned slightly.

This was not an easy task.

He was currently at the Dao Fusion stage, but his actual strength surpassed that of ordinary Dao Integration cultivators. Where could he find an enemy of equal power for a life-or-death battle?

Furthermore, this enemy also had to possess a spirit treasure.

Such conditions were simply too demanding.

Yet, he couldn't afford not to look. Liáo's advancement was crucial to his future cultivation and strength. If Liáo could advance to a spirit treasure, it would be of immense help to him.

It gave him a headache.

The critical point was that he didn't dare wander around freely in this Inner Realm.

"Grand Commander, come here for a moment!"

Several days passed like this. Just as Lu Ye was deep in thought, frowning with worry, Yuan Xi's call suddenly reached his ears.

The City Lord was summoning him, and as he was currently under her roof, Lu Ye naturally had to comply.

He gracefully made his way to the City Lord's mansion, where Yuan Xi was waiting for him with a radiant smile.

"My Lady!" Lu Ye greeted, cupping his fist.

"Come on, I'll take you to a good place!" Yuan Xi beckoned, seemingly in high spirits.

Was she planning another raid? Lu Ye wondered to himself.

But he soon realized he was mistaken.

Because Yuan Xi had brought him back to the Central Hall.

Lu Ye looked around, but found nothing different from when he had left earlier.

Yuan Xi led him to the circular platform, smiling as she said, "You haven't been in the Inner Realm for long, so you probably don't know about the 'Hehe Realm,' do you?"

"What?" Lu Ye asked, puzzled. He indeed knew nothing about a "Hehe Realm." What kind of place was it? It sounded like a separate domain.

Yuan Xi smiled faintly. "The Dao Integration Orb was originally one of the most supreme treasures in the Star Abyss. It doesn't just possess the power to control Dao force; it also contains another world within it. Although the treasure itself is shattered, that world still exists. That is the Hehe Realm. All city lords of Dao Integration Cities, or cultivators who possess a Dao Integration Orb, can enter it using the orb, just like... this!"