Chapter 2427: You Finally Came

"Since that's the case, I'll return in three months!" In the secret chamber, Lu Ye stood up, preparing to leave. The matter had been settled; since he couldn't earn Dao Fish by continuing to participate in the battles, there was no longer any reason to stay.

"Daoist friend, please wait; I'll have someone escort you out." Gong Mao also rose, a hint of apology in his voice. "Please understand, Daoist friend, my position is somewhat sensitive, so it's not convenient for me to personally see you off."

"Understood," Lu Ye nodded.

After all, Gong Mao was the manager of the battle arena. If he personally escorted Lu Ye out, it might attract unwanted attention. He clearly placed great importance on the upcoming event in three months and wanted to avoid any potential complications that could jeopardize the plan.

Gong Mao clapped his hands, and a young, beautiful woman soon entered, bowing gracefully to him. "My lord," she said.

"Please escort Daoist friend Lu Ye," Gong Mao instructed.

The woman paused briefly, then glanced at Lu Ye before lowering her eyes again. "Yes, my lord!"

Turning to the side, she gestured. "Honored guest, please follow me."

With that, she led the way.

Lu Ye said his goodbyes to Gong Mao and followed the woman outside.

They soon exited the battle arena, and the woman respectfully bade him farewell, "Safe travels, honored guest!"

Lu Ye nodded, and his figure merged into the bustling crowd.

The Harmony Realm was vast, and the battle arena was merely a small part of it. However, after the thrilling events he'd just experienced, Lu Ye had no desire to explore other areas. Furthermore, he didn't have any Dao Fish on him. Although he had accumulated some during his previous battles, they remained stored at the arena, as he hadn't withdrawn them.

Primarily, the amount of Dao Fish was too small to be of significant use to Lu Ye at the moment.

The crucial event would be the battle in three months. Lu Ye was confident that with the battle arena's resources, they would undoubtedly promote it into a spectacle that the entire Inner Realm would follow closely. He eagerly anticipated it.

However, more than the potential earnings, he was eager to see if his weapon, Liao, could be promoted to a subordinate treasure.

Lacking the inclination to wander, Lu Ye decided to return to Yuanxi City to cultivate. Three months of cultivation would allow him to accumulate a substantial amount of Dao Power.

There was no need to seek out Yuanxi; if she intended to leave the Harmony Realm, she would eventually return to Yuanxi City anyway.

He leaped into the air, flying toward the grand hall he had visited earlier.

He arrived at the location in a short time and entered the hall. Following the method Yuanxi had taught him, Lu Ye immersed himself, connecting with the unseen.

His figure rapidly began to fade. Yet, just as Lu Ye was about to vanish completely, a faint glimmer of light suddenly flickered.

The surrounding cultivators seemed to sense something, but when they attempted to investigate, they found nothing and simply dismissed it as their imagination.

When Lu Ye opened his eyes, he immediately sensed that something was amiss. According to Yuanxi, he should have returned to Yuanxi City after leaving the grand hall.

Yet, the place he found himself in was a boundless, white world. As far as his gaze could reach, there was nothing but pure, unblemished white. There was no sign of Yuanxi City anywhere.

What was happening? Had he used the wrong method to leave the Harmony Realm?

But that made no sense. He had clearly followed Yuanxi's instructions for exiting the Harmony Realm, and the entire process had been uneventful. How could he not have returned to Yuanxi City?

If this wasn't Yuanxi City, then where exactly was he?

He grew secretly wary, his Dao Power subtly surging.

Just then, a faint, indistinct voice suddenly reached his ears: "You've finally arrived!"

Lu Ye startled, quickly turning his head to survey his surroundings, but saw nothing. Crucially, despite his current cultivation level, he couldn't pinpoint the source of the voice.

It seemed to emanate from all directions simultaneously, yet also from a single, unidentifiable point.

"What's wrong?" Liao suddenly asked.

"Didn't you hear that?" Lu Ye asked, his brow furrowed.

"Hear what?" Liao replied, clearly puzzled.

Lu Ye instantly realized that only he could hear the voice; otherwise, Liao wouldn't have shown no reaction at all.

"I've been waiting for you for a very, very long time," the indistinct voice echoed once more.

"Who are you?" Lu Ye asked in a low voice.

Liao jumped in surprise. "What's actually happening?"

Lu Ye ignored Liao, pushing his divine sense to its utmost limit, yet he still detected no signs of life within this boundless white expanse.

"Watch out!" Liao suddenly cried out.

Lu Ye, too, sensed the anomaly. He spun around abruptly and delivered a fierce slash forward with his blade. The situation was far too strange, so he held nothing back.

In such an environment, even an Integration-stage cultivator standing before him might not emerge unscathed.

However, Lu Ye's expression quickly turned to bewilderment. He hadn't struck a living creature but a mass of fluorescent light. What was more, although his Pan Mountain Blade had cut through it, the light seemed entirely unaffected.

It was like striking a current of water. Caught off guard, Lu Ye watched, helpless, as the glowing mass surged towards his glabella.

Despite feeling no impact force, Lu Ye instinctively jerked his head back.

The boundless white world swiftly collapsed at that instant. By the time Lu Ye fully regained his awareness, he found himself back in a familiar grand hall.

"Are you alright?" Liao asked with a hint of nervousness; it too had sensed the strange occurrence.

Only then did Lu Ye fully grasp that he had returned to the central hall of Yuanxi City, where Yuanxi had arranged the formations and where the Harmony Orb was located.

Lu Ye quickly examined himself, unsure if anything was amiss.

To his astonishment, he found no abnormalities within his body.

Yet, he had distinctly seen a mass of fluorescent light impact his glabella moments ago. Both he and Liao had perceived it. How could there be no anomaly?

More importantly, even his ever-reliable Talent Tree showed no reaction.

Regardless of what the fluorescent mass was, it was an external entity that had entered his body. If the Talent Tree remained unresponsive, there was only one possible explanation.

It meant that it posed no harm to him. Just as the Talent Tree wouldn't incinerate Dao Power when he refined it into his body, anything that wouldn't endanger him would be ignored.

But what exactly was it?

Recalling carefully, a faint voice had spoken twice just before the light appeared.

That voice was very likely linked to the fluorescent light. It was waiting for him, and had been waiting for a very, very long time?

Lu Ye had only just entered the Inner Realm for the first time. How could there be any connection to him here, especially within the Harmony Realm?

The entire situation was utterly bizarre.

He meticulously examined himself several more times, yet found no abnormalities within his body, almost as if the fluorescent mass had never appeared.

Why was it waiting for him? What about him would it be waiting for?

Was it Liao? Unlikely, because if it were, Liao wouldn't have been unable to hear the voice.

Aside from Liao, his greatest secret was the Talent Tree.

But the Talent Tree originated from the starry void; what connection could it possibly have with a mass of fluorescent light within the Harmony Realm?

He pondered and pondered, unable to make sense of it. Just then, a figure shimmered into existence before him. Yuanxi. "Grand Commander, you're back?" she asked.

Lu Ye quickly composed himself, cupped his fists, and said, "Greetings, City Lord."

He hadn't expected Yuanxi to return earlier than he did. He had only been at the battle arena for half a day. Yuanxi had gone to the Harmony Realm primarily to visit an old friend; surely, with an old friend, one would linger and reminisce, not rush back so quickly.

Still, it was her personal business, so Lu Ye found it improper to inquire further.

Yuanxi nodded. "Grand Commander, Yuanxi City is about to launch its first siege battle. You must prepare yourself."

"A siege battle?" Lu Ye raised an eyebrow. "Against whom?"

Yuanxi City had only recently been established, and the Harmony Orb had just been recovered. Yet, Yuanxi was so eager to attack another Harmony City; her temperament was truly impetuous.

Yuanxi's lips curved into a smile. "Flowing Light Harmony City!"

The name sounded familiar to Lu Ye, and he suddenly recalled: wasn't Flowing Light Harmony City the one that had fiercely contended with Yuanxi for the Harmony Orb previously?

Yuanxi had even killed one of their Integration-stage cultivators. This woman was truly vengeful, intent on complete annihilation.

While a subordinate should obey the City Lord's command to initiate war, as the Grand Commander guarding Yuanxi City, Lu Ye still had some reservations. He couldn't help but interject, "My lady, but there are only two of us..."

Lu Ye wasn't sure about the full strength of Flowing Light Harmony City, but he was certain they possessed more than two cultivators.

"The enemy isn't numerous either; don't be afraid, I'm here," Yuanxi declared, adopting a posture that suggested she could shoulder the sky if it fell, which paradoxically made Lu Ye feel very insecure.

"But, my lady, do you have detailed intelligence on Flowing Light Harmony City? And its current location?"

Harmony Cities were not static; most were constantly drifting. Of course, they would settle down if they found a suitable location.

Since Flowing Light Harmony City had previously competed for the Harmony Orb, it undoubtedly belonged to the wandering fleet. Pinpointing the exact location of such a city was no easy task.

Yuanxi smiled. "What do you think I was doing in the Harmony Realm this time?"

She had merely said she was visiting an old friend. Only then did Lu Ye realize she had gone there to gather intelligence on Flowing Light Harmony City.

This implied that Yuanxi had planned this ever since they secured the Harmony Orb, directly setting her sights on Flowing Light Harmony City. Now that she had concrete intelligence, there was no reason to hesitate.

"My lady, may I inquire how many cultivators Flowing Light has?" Lu Ye asked cautiously.

"I've investigated," she replied. "Flowing Light originally had three Integration-stage cultivators, but one is now dead, leaving only two. As for Fusing-stage cultivators, there are likely just over fifty. Grand Commander, rest assured, I will handle the two Integration-stage cultivators myself; you won't need to exert yourself."

Lu Ye's eye twitched involuntarily.

He desperately wanted to ask, "Is *this* what you meant by 'not many enemies'?" Over fifty Fusing-stage cultivators, and those capable of entering the Inner Realm and joining a Harmony City were certainly not mediocre practitioners.

Yuanxi could handle two Integration-stage cultivators, which implied that the fifty-plus Fusing-stage cultivators would fall to him.

Was this City Lord truly reliable? If not for his own stake in the Harmony City and Yuanxi's relatively good treatment of him, Lu Ye would have turned and fled immediately.