Chapter 2431: You Did What?

Throughout the entire process, Yuan Xi merely stood by, observing. She seemed to have no intention of engaging the Fusion Dao cultivators, likely out of a reluctance to bully the weaker ones. This, however, benefited Lu Ye, as he had the opportunity to earn Star Abyss Coins by defeating enemies.

Once the battlefield was completely cleared, Yuan Xi's figure flickered, and she vanished, reappearing outside the central grand hall.

The same scenario as before unfolded, but this time it was Lu Ye's clone, wielding the sword gourd, that engaged the enemies.

The great battle concluded, ending in a complete victory for Yuan Xi City.

In front of Flowing Light City, the defensive array was still active, but the Fusion Dao cultivators who had remained behind had realized the dire situation upon Yuan Xi's return and had already fled.

Flowing Light City, which had been in its prime just a day prior, was now completely deserted, its cultivators either dead or fled.

Standing behind Yuan Xi in front of the Dao Integration City, Lu Ye watched her gently strike forward with her palm. As a Son of Star Abyss, he could distinctly feel the surrounding Dao power surging violently with the descent of her palm.

With no one overseeing it, how strong could Flowing Light City's defensive array be, even when operational?

The force of that single palm strike instantly shattered the dim protective light barrier.

"Let's go, let's see our spoils of war!" Yuan Xi exclaimed enthusiastically, leading Lu Ye into the Dao Integration City before them.

The most valuable asset in a Dao Integration City was its Dao Integration Pearl, so Yuan Xi went straight to Flowing Light City's central grand hall.

They quickly reached the hall, which was also protected by an array. However, it was no match for Yuan Xi and was easily breached.

Stepping into the central grand hall, Lu Ye observed that its layout was similar to that of Yuan Xi City, suggesting that the central grand halls of all Dao Integration Cities were likely quite similar.

Yuan Xi flashed to the circular platform where the Dao Integration Pearl was housed, eagerly gazing at the pearl before her, which shone brighter and more dazzlingly than the one in Yuan Xi City.

"My lady, what quality is this approximately?" Lu Ye asked, standing beside Yuan Xi.

Yuan Xi casually replied, "Flowing Light City should be Earth-tier, so this Dao Integration Pearl is also Earth-tier. However, I'm unsure how much benefit I'll gain once I've broken it."

When attacking and seizing a Dao Integration Pearl from another city in this manner, it's impossible to claim all of it. Once the pearl is broken, it splits into a corresponding number of fundamental Dao Integration Pearls. While a portion can be retained, the majority will dissipate into the ethereal realm.

These dissipated Dao Integration Pearls will later re-emerge somewhere within the Inner World.

"Do you need any help?" Lu Ye asked. It was his first time witnessing such an event, and he wasn't sure how to proceed.

"There's no helping it," Yuan Xi said with a slight smile. "What's meant to stay will stay, and what cannot be kept, no one can obtain. Everything depends on destiny."

It truly depended on fate; sometimes, seizing Dao Integration Pearls this way yielded considerable benefits, while at other times, very few. However, since Flowing Light City was Earth-tier, Yuan Xi certainly wouldn't receive only two Dao Integration Pearls. Therefore, even if Lu Ye had given up on Yuan Xi City previously, this expedition would undoubtedly not result in a loss.

As she spoke, Yuan Xi gently raised a hand and tapped the Dao Integration Pearl before her.

Though she appeared to exert no force, the bright Dao Integration Pearl suddenly shattered, instantly transforming into numerous fundamental Dao Integration Pearls that scattered in all directions as if sentient.

Lu Ye observed clearly that as they dispersed, most of the Dao Integration Pearls rapidly faded and vanished, with only a small portion remaining largely unchanged.

Yuan Xi activated her power, causing the surrounding space to seemingly solidify. The unchanged fundamental Dao Integration Pearls instantly froze in unison in mid-air.

Only the rapidly fading ones remained entirely unaffected.

Lu Ye understood that the only Dao Integration Pearls they would acquire from this expedition were those frozen in mid-air, appearing to be less than thirty percent of the total.

As he watched the vanishing Dao Integration Pearls, Lu Ye suddenly raised his hand and clenched it in mid-air!

He exerted no power, yet with his gesture, all the swiftly vanishing Dao Integration Pearls suddenly halted in mid-air and rapidly solidified!

Yuan Xi swiftly turned her head to look at Lu Ye.

Lu Ye himself looked bewildered, clearly not understanding what had just transpired.

"What did you do?" Yuan Xi asked, her eyes wide with astonishment. This was the first time Lu Ye had seen such an expression on her face since they met, her small mouth rounded in surprise.

She was utterly stunned.

Though her origins were mysterious and her knowledge vast and unparalleled, she had never known that such an incredible feat was possible in this world.

It was common knowledge in the Inner World that after attacking a Dao Integration City and shattering its Dao Integration Pearl, the vast majority of fundamental Dao Integration Pearls would vanish into the ethereal realm—a phenomenon no one could prevent.

Yet, at this very moment, she witnessed someone effortlessly clench his hand, and those fundamental Dao Integration Pearls, moments from dissipating into the ethereal, were miraculously intercepted.

Her shock was absolute.

Lu Ye remained silent, knowing that no one would likely believe him, yet he himself had no idea what he had done.

Moments earlier, upon seeing the Dao Integration Pearls about to vanish, he felt immense regret, knowing that retaining them would greatly increase their spoils.

As he pondered this, a thought spontaneously popped into his mind: *I can keep them!*

And so, Lu Ye acted.

He hadn't even exerted any power.

The event had transpired so strangely that Lu Ye genuinely didn't understand the circumstances. The simple fact was that he had intercepted fundamental Dao Integration Pearls that should have dissipated into the ethereal.

"If I say I don't know, my lady, will you believe me?" Lu Ye asked, turning to Yuan Xi with a somewhat innocent gaze.

Yuan Xi blinked, then nodded, "You certainly don't look like you know."

She believed him so readily? Lu Ye had anticipated a difficult explanation, especially since such an ability would be highly coveted within the Inner World.

Yet, to his surprise, Yuan Xi showed no inclination to question further.

On second thought, this woman's thinking truly seemed unconventional, saving him a lengthy explanation.

Yuan Xi had already begun enthusiastically collecting the Dao Integration Pearls, laughing heartily as she did so. "We're rich, we're rich!" she exclaimed.

She behaved like an utterly unsophisticated bumpkin. In her current state, no one could possibly associate her with the powerful figure who had just destroyed a Dao Integration City.

In a flash, Yuan Xi gathered all the fundamental Dao Integration Pearls and then instructed Lu Ye, "Commander, feel free to look around. If you find anything valuable in this city, take it. Our Yuan Xi City is newly established, and many things will be useful. I'm going to search for their treasury!"

"...Alright," Lu Ye replied a beat later.

Yuan Xi flickered and vanished once more, bustling with energy.

After a moment of bewilderment, Lu Ye also exited the central grand hall.

They spent most of the day in Flowing Light City. Yuan Xi must have found the treasury, though Lu Ye had no idea what her gains were. As for himself, he found nothing of value.

While many of Flowing Light City's buildings remained intact, he certainly couldn't dismantle and carry them away.

"My lady," Lu Ye asked, "Flowing Light City seems superior to ours. Have you considered relocating?"

Lu Ye asked this on their way back from Flowing Light City.

If it had been him, he would certainly have taken over the city, as Flowing Light City's various arrangements and constructions were clearly more complete in comparison.

Yuan Xi replied with a look of disdain, "Even mortals know that there's no place like home, no matter how humble. What belongs to others, however good, remains theirs. What is ours, however poor, is still our own. Rest assured, Yuan Xi City will undoubtedly surpass this Flowing Light City in the future."

While her words weren't wrong, Flowing Light City itself could be considered spoils of war. How could it still be regarded as "someone else's property"?

He strongly suspected that Yuan Xi was simply enjoying the process of gradually developing a Dao Integration City, but unfortunately, he had no proof.

"My lady, there's one more matter," Lu Ye began again.

"Yes, speak," Yuan Xi replied, indicating she was listening.

"Those Dao Integration Pearls earlier... I don't believe my involvement was significant," Lu Ye said. He hadn't activated any power then, so how could the pearls have solidified again? It defied all logic.

He considered a possibility, but it didn't quite feel right.

Yuan Xi suddenly stopped, tilting her head to look at Lu Ye, who had caught up. "Shall we verify it again?" she asked.

After all, in all her years, she had never encountered such a bizarre situation. She, too, wanted to understand how Lu Ye had accomplished it.

Lu Ye pondered for a moment before responding, "Yes!"

Not only Yuan Xi, but Lu Ye himself also wished to understand.

As for verification, the obvious solution was to attack another Dao Integration City. There were many such cities in the Inner World, so they could simply pick one at random.

They had encountered several on their journey, but Yuan Xi had been focused on attacking Flowing Light City and had little interest in the Dao Integration Cities they happened upon.

Now that verification was required, an offensive approach was naturally necessary.

Moments later, in the central grand hall, Yuan Xi meticulously placed the numerous Dao Integration Pearls they had seized. Dao Integration Pearls would only merge in such a location; elsewhere, they would always remain in their fundamental state.

Furthermore, cultivators themselves couldn't activate the Dao Integration Pearl's power. Only by utilizing a Dao Integration City could they harness even a fraction of this supreme treasure's might. After all, the original treasure had long been shattered, and the surviving Dao Integration Pearls were merely its fragments.

The merging process proceeded smoothly.

Once all the Dao Integration Pearls had merged, Lu Ye asked, "My lady, is our Dao Integration City now the same grade as Flowing Light City was previously?"

Not only were they the same, but they even slightly surpassed it, as all of Flowing Light City's Dao Integration Pearls had been acquired, in addition to Yuan Xi City's original two.

Of course, this superiority was very slight.

"That's right, we are now an Earth-tier Dao Integration City!" Yuan Xi replied with a smile.

To leap from the lowest Yellow-tier to the Earth-tier in one go was not unheard of in the Inner World, but it remained an uncommon occurrence.