Chapter 2429: Annihilate Completely

Yuanyi City was completely destitute, with only two inhabitants. While there was a rough framework for its defensive formations, many details still needed to be filled in, rendering it without any protective capabilities whatsoever.

Yuanyi had not placed her hopes of defending the city on Lu Ye. Thus, from the outset, she was mentally prepared for Yuanyi City to be breached.

After all, Yuanyi City was formed by the fusion of two fundamental Path-Integration Orbs; abandoning it wouldn't cause her any heartache. Conversely, if she could conquer Flowing Light City, the benefits she would gain would be far greater, not only compensating for the loss of her Path-Integration Orbs but significantly exceeding it.

Lu Ye, too, didn't particularly care. If the enemy's power was something he couldn't resist, he would certainly leave the Path-Integration City at once and escape far away.

However, since he possessed the ability to defend, he was naturally willing to contribute.

Therefore, from the outset, he had left his clone here, anticipating this exact moment.

Basa, having assumed there was no one else in the city, had rashly intruded; how could he possibly come to a good end?

However, the clone was sharp-eyed and noticed a Star Abyss Coin appear next to Basa's corpse after his death.

While Basa perished here, the battle outside had not ceased; instead, it grew increasingly fierce.

This was simply because Flowing Light City had dispatched further reinforcements.

Initially, Flowing Light had only deployed a dozen or so Integration-Path cultivators, believing them sufficient to face a single enemy. They had not anticipated suffering successive heavy blows.

At this point, the Integration-Path cultivators who had remained in the city could no longer stand by and rushed forward to provide support.

Lu Ye had already routed the initial dozen Integration-Path cultivators, leaving them in disarray, and could have wiped them out in mere moments. However, with the arrival of enemy reinforcements, he was forced to temporarily evade their onslaught.

Many of these Integration-Path cultivators were at their peak, and nearly all possessed unique skills, far surpassing those encountered in the Outer Realm. If Lu Ye were to recklessly attempt to forcefully kill them, he would very likely incur some losses.

The reinforcing Integration-Path cultivators split into two groups: one surrounded Lu Ye, while the other advanced towards the central hall.

In an instant, two fierce battles erupted both inside and outside Flowing Light City.

Additionally, another Path-Integration battle erupted not far from the two Path-Integration Cities.

Three Path-Integration cultivators were involved, with Flowing Light's side facing one opponent with two. Though initially appearing evenly matched, the Flowing Light City Lord soon sensed something was amiss. Yuanyi's true strength was far beyond what she had first revealed; she had been hiding her power.

Ironically, to deal with Yuanyi earlier, he had specifically joined forces with his Vice City Lord to lure her far away.

His initial thought was that if Yuanyi moved far enough from her Path-Integration City, she wouldn't receive its amplification. However, Flowing Light City was of a higher grade than Yuanyi City, meaning its amplification covered a much larger and more distant area, allowing him to continuously receive its benefits.

His plan succeeded, but it was, in fact, precisely Yuanyi's counter-scheme.

This woman had already intended to abandon her Path-Integration City, so how could she care about the amplification it provided to her strength? Consequently, even if the Flowing Light City Lord and Vice City Lord now realized their predicament, they could no longer flee back to their Path-Integration City.

Even with the amplification from their Path-Integration City, two of them together were still no match for her. Such a powerful individual was clearly among the absolute top tier in the entire Inner Realm!

The Flowing Light City Lord's heart pounded with alarm as he suddenly realized a critical point: such a formidable cultivator must have a powerful background, yet why had he never heard of her?

He deeply regretted pursuing Yuanyi in the beehive earlier. If he hadn't contended with her for the Path-Integration Orb that day, this disaster would not have befallen them.

"Daoist friend, do you truly intend to exterminate us?" the Flowing Light City Lord sternly questioned. "If you are willing to withdraw now, my Flowing Light City will pledge its allegiance to you in the future, and we are prepared to offer compensation for today's events!"

The Vice City Lord was startled, but he quickly grasped the City Lord's reasoning. Given the formidable background of such a powerful individual, aligning themselves with her would be beneficial for their future. Therefore, a temporary compromise and humiliation were acceptable, especially for cultivators like themselves who had spent countless years to achieve their current standing and thus valued their accomplishments far more than any hot-blooded youth.

"No compensation needed," Yuanyi chuckled softly, as if such an intense battle were merely a warm-up for her. "What I want, I always take myself!"

The Flowing Light City Lord's heart sank as he realized that today's conflict would likely not end peacefully. Amidst the intense battle, he turned to gaze at his Path-Integration City, which he had painstakingly managed for years, his eyes filled with fondness and reluctance.

He had to make a choice between his life and his Path-Integration City.

He quickly made a decision. Transmitting a message to his Vice City Lord through divine sense, both Path-Integration cultivators simultaneously unleashed their power, attacking Yuanyi from either side.

However, just as their combined assault was about to reach its peak, both Path-Integration cultivators, by unspoken agreement, simultaneously activated their escape arts and fled into the distance.

Having spent many years together, the Flowing Light City Lord knew his Vice City Lord thoroughly, and the Vice City Lord certainly knew his City Lord just as well.

He had, therefore, long seen through Flowing Light's intention to sacrifice him to save himself. If even a husband and wife, like birds of the same forest, fly their separate ways when disaster looms, how much more so would two individuals whose relationship was merely City Lord and Vice City Lord?

If Flowing Light was heartless, then he could not be blamed for being disloyal. He believed that this enemy would know who their true target was.

"Hahahahaha!" Yuanyi's laughter suddenly rang out, as if this scene struck her as particularly amusing.

Then, the Vice City Lord's face contorted in terror, for Yuanyi was actually laughing as she pursued him.

"Why pursue me?" The Vice City Lord desperately wanted to ask Yuanyi what she was thinking. At this moment, shouldn't she be chasing Flowing Light and annihilating him instead? He was merely a Vice City Lord; Flowing Light City wasn't even his.

In that brief, fleeting clash, the Vice City Lord inwardly cursed both Yuanyi and Flowing Light profusely, yet it did nothing to change his inevitable demise.

Previously, with Flowing Light acting as the main force against Yuanyi, he had only assisted from the sidelines and thus found it difficult to truly gauge Yuanyi's formidable strength. It was only in a one-on-one confrontation that he realized their power levels were entirely incomparable.

He finally understood why Yuanyi was pursuing him: he was an easier target. She could simply kill him first, then go after Flowing Light.

"Flowing Light, you old dog, I'll wait for you on the Yellow Springs Road!" the Vice City Lord roared, his life force dissipating under Yuanyi's fair, jade-like palm.

Flowing Light, who had already fled far into the distance, vaguely heard the Vice City Lord's mournful cry. His heart sank, and he fled even faster.

It wasn't until he could no longer sense Yuanyi's presence that he finally let out a long breath.

He had failed this time; his Path-Integration City, painstakingly managed for years, was lost. This was undoubtedly a colossal blow to him. While his strength would allow him to establish another Path-Integration City, or perhaps renovate a derelict one, accumulating Path-Integration Orbs was no simple feat.

Moreover, after this incident, he had lost the will to do so.

In the future, if the opportunity arose, he might seek refuge in another Path-Integration City, as a powerful cultivator like him would be difficult for any ordinary Path-Integration City to refuse.

As he was fretting about his future, he suddenly felt a jolt of alarm. Looking up, he saw a striking figure standing before him, smiling meaningfully!

Who else could it be but Yuanyi?

He had no idea when Yuanyi had caught up to him, let alone positioned herself in front of him. He had been so certain he had escaped...

This location was now far beyond Flowing Light City, exceeding the range of its amplification on his strength. Thus, compared to earlier, he could only wield his inherent power.

To contend with Yuanyi, it was far from enough!

He suddenly realized this was all Yuanyi's deliberate ploy, making it easier for her to hunt him down.

"Daoist friend..." Flowing Light quickly began, clearly intending to beg for mercy. However, Yuanyi paid him no heed. Her spiritual power surged, controlling the very space around her as she charged forward with overwhelming force.

It was a contest with little suspense. Although Flowing Light's strength far surpassed that of the Vice City Lord, it was still insufficient against Yuanyi.

Yuanyi had no intention of sparing him, only seeking to utterly annihilate him. Thus, the confrontation ultimately concluded with the demise of the Flowing Light City Lord.

Less than half a day later, upon Yuanyi's return, she immediately observed that the two battlefields involving the Integration-Path cultivators were raging with intense ferocity.

"Wow, how did it get like this?"

Yuanyi genuinely had not expected Lu Ye to be engaged in battle. Although she had long discerned his considerable strength—otherwise, he wouldn't have survived in the presence of a Path-Integration expert—

However, the strength of an Integration-Path cultivator has its limits. She had already told Lu Ye that Flowing Light City had over fifty Integration-Path cultivators; how could he possibly defend Yuanyi City alone?

Yet, judging by the current situation, Yuanyi City's Path-Integration Orb remained intact, which was clearly due to Lu Ye's efforts.

Yuanyi was not only surprised by this, but even more so by the presence of two separate battlefields.

However, as her divine sense swept across the area, she understood why there were two battlefields.

"Such an interesting clone?" Yuanyi, having seen her fair share of the world, had never imagined that one of Lu Ye's clones could be so powerful. At this very moment, outside the central hall, Lu Ye's clone held the line, an impenetrable barrier against countless foes. Streams of sword light swept forth from his sword gourd, wounding any enemy they grazed and instantly killing any they struck!

As for the battlefield outside Yuanyi City, it was a deep, crimson sea of blood. Within it, numerous auras surged and receded, sometimes showing signs of dispersal before solidifying once more, a testament to the fierce combat raging within.

However, to a Path-Integration cultivator like Yuanyi, such a battle was mere child's play. And with her return, the fighting finally began to draw to a close.

Within the sea of blood, as Lu Ye seized opportunities to strike down enemies, an immense pressure suddenly descended. He subtly sensed it, his eyebrow rising. Although he knew Yuanyi would certainly achieve victory, he hadn't expected her to appear completely unharmed.

Swiftly retracting the sea of blood, Lu Ye stood with his blade in hand, looking towards Yuanyi. She returned his gaze with a smile.

In stark contrast, the Integration-Path cultivators from Flowing Light City began to tremble, each like a quail without a nest in the depths of winter.

Seeing Yuanyi here, there was no need to speculate about the Flowing Light City Lord's fate. As enemies, how were they to conduct themselves before a Path-Integration cultivator?

They wished to beg for mercy, but the terrifying pressure rendered them speechless and even unable to flee, as their bodies had become utterly rigid.

Lu Ye would certainly not miss such an excellent opportunity. He quickly moved, darting before an enemy, and with a swift raise and fall of his blade, struck them down.

This was utterly different from his previous solitary battles; with Yuanyi present, the enemies he struck down were utterly powerless to resist.

In just a few moments, he completely cleared out all the enemies before him.