Chapter 2471: Top Ten United Dao Cities?

The man froze, unsure of what was happening.

The woman, however, was sharp-eyed. She commented, "Is Perrin injured? I just clearly saw him, covered in blood, looking like a mangled wolf-fox. It even looked like a piece of his scalp was missing. Is he being hunted?"

Such a conjecture was reasonable, considering Perrin's frantic behavior; he clearly appeared to be fleeing.

The man immediately dismissed the idea: "With his power, who could possibly be chasing him?"

No sooner had he spoken than another aura entered their perception. Both the man and woman stared, dazed, as a streak of blood-red light relentlessly pursued from the direction Perrin had just fled, flashing past them like lightning.

Like Perrin, it didn't spare them a glance.

The man's eye twitched. He watched the rapidly receding blood-red light, his face slack with shock. He suddenly realized Perrin truly was being pursued.

He couldn't comprehend what kind of entity could have battered Perrin so severely and sent him fleeing in such terror.

As the chase continued, cultivators occasionally noticed them, stopping at a distance to observe cautiously. All who recognized Perrin were as shocked as the man and woman had been.

Gradually, Lu Ye also discerned Perrin's intention: the man clearly wanted to get away.

However, he was powerless to prevent it. While he was slightly faster than Perrin, the difference was minimal, making it truly difficult to catch him.

Then, at a certain point, he suddenly sensed Perrin had stopped fleeing and was now motionless ahead.

This was clearly abnormal. After their brief skirmish, Perrin must have recognized the significant difference in their strengths. Unless he was a fool, he wouldn't simply stop and wait for death. Yet, he had stopped fleeing.

Lu Ye's first thought was that Perrin might have encountered some familiar friends. If that were the case, it wouldn't matter; all the cultivators currently within the Wonder were Fusion Path experts. Even if Perrin found allies—even several more cultivators of his caliber—they wouldn't be a match for Lu Ye.

But a moment later, Lu Ye realized he was mistaken. As he drew closer, his perception still registered only Perrin's aura, with no trace of anyone else.

Instead, a Dao Integration City appeared ahead, and Perrin was inside it.

Lu Ye felt a surge of wariness. A Dao Integration City appearing in this location felt profoundly wrong. This Wonder was the sanctuary of the supreme treasure, the Bright Moon Wheel, which was known to absolutely forbid Dao Integration cultivators from entering. So where had this Dao Integration City come from?

From a distance, the Dao Integration City looked dilapidated; there were no proper buildings within it. At first glance, the entire city resembled a massive platform, with only a slight elevation in its center.

Could this Dao Integration City have drifted in by accident? It wasn't entirely impossible. The Wonder had stood here for ages; it was conceivable that a ruined Dao Integration City might have drifted to this spot and ended up inside.

Lu Ye had initially assumed Perrin was hiding somewhere within the Dao Integration City, but now, looking around, he saw the man standing absolutely still on the massive platform, his back to Lu Ye.

In this situation, Lu Ye wasn't concerned about Perrin having any hidden traps or ambushes waiting for him.

The only thing that struck Lu Ye as odd was why Perrin had his back to him.

But having finally caught up, Lu Ye naturally didn't want any more complications. He decided to kill the man first and then seize his spiritual treasure.

He swooped down like an eagle, the Mountain Cleaver unsheathed, striking directly at the unresisting Perrin. Lu Ye put his full power into this blow, ensuring it would be fatal even if Perrin attempted to retaliate.

Perrin did not counterattack; he didn't even move. He remained standing with his back to Lu Ye, as if completely unaware of the impending danger.

Lu Ye suddenly sensed something was wrong.

Almost the instant this thought formed, his body suddenly felt heavy, as if an entire world had pressed down upon him. His surging Dao power was instantly suppressed by an invisible hand, and he began to fall uncontrollably.

His feet hit the platform floor with a heavy thud, forcing Lu Ye to crouch slightly. His qi and blood surged, making him incredibly uncomfortable.

He finally understood why Perrin had been standing there like a statue, completely unresponsive even to an attack. It was because his current predicament was clearly the same as Perrin's: held immobile by an inexplicable force!

What startled him even more was that he hadn't even detected the source of this power; it had simply manifested out of thin air.

He stiffly turned his head to glance at Perrin, thinking the man, having arrived first, might have discovered something.

What met his gaze was Perrin, drenched in sweat, eyelids lowered, an expression of profound unease on his face, as if something utterly terrifying lay before him.

"What's going on?" Lu Ye asked aloud.

Perrin's body trembled. He too stiffly turned his head, giving Lu Ye a meaningful glance, as if gesturing for him to be silent.

Lu Ye was utterly bewildered. It was just him and Perrin in this place, so what exactly was Perrin so terrified of?

The sudden, powerful force was indeed strange, but as long as it wasn't man-made...

Just as Lu Ye was thinking this, his peripheral vision suddenly caught a movement. He abruptly twisted his head, nearly wrenching his neck, and his pupils rapidly constricted.

Directly in front of him, on the raised section of the platform he had observed from a distance earlier, a throne made of scattered bones abruptly materialized in Lu Ye's sight.

The throne was constructed from various skulls, some large, some small. Even though they had been dead for untold years, reduced to mere bones, each still exuded an aura that inspired dread.

When he had approached earlier, his attention had been entirely on Perrin, so he hadn't noticed this bone throne at all. Now, he realized that the elevated section he'd seen from afar must have been this very throne.

It would have been one thing if he hadn't seen the throne at all, but the crucial point was that Lu Ye hadn't noticed a figure seated upon it—until that figure slowly opened its eyes, and a sharp gaze pierced him!

It was a man with long, ink-black hair unbound and flowing over his shoulders, giving him a wild, untamed appearance. He wore a black robe, was barefoot, and a massive sword lay casually angled beside him.

He was slumped on the bone throne, one hand propping his chin, his eyes heavy-lidded, as if he had merely been enjoying a peaceful nap.

But the moment he opened his sleepy eyes, the entire Wonder seemed to brighten for an instant.

Lu Ye's scalp tingled.

A Dao Integration expert!

Absolutely a Dao Integration expert, and not an ordinary one!

It was highly probable he was on the same level as Yuan Fen, or even stronger, because Yuan Fen could also approach him silently and undetected—a clear sign of an immense power disparity.

But... a Dao Integration expert here? Hadn't it been said that this Wonder forbade Dao Integration cultivators from entering? That any such individual who dared to step inside would be fiercely attacked by the Bright Moon Wheel? So why was this man unharmed?

From the current scene, it appeared this man was also the Lord of a Dao Integration City, and this dilapidated city was his.

For a Dao Integration expert of such immense power, why was his city so small? Was it perhaps newly established?

As this thought crossed his mind, Lu Ye suddenly noticed something amiss. His gaze fell upon one side of the bone throne, where, on the armrest, a Dao Integration Orb as dazzling as a luminous pearl stood out conspicuously, and it was enormous.

If this particular Dao Integration Orb was like a brilliant moon, then the Dao Integration Orb of Yuan Fen City glowed no brighter than a flickering yellow flame.

Only at this moment did he suddenly realize that the Star Abyss aura within this Dao Integration City was unbelievably dense.

He had once experienced the dense Star Abyss aura in Profound Abhorrence City, but the conditions there were clearly not as intense as they were here.

Considering Profound Abhorrence City was a Cosmic-grade Dao Integration City, what level was *this* city, which was clearly more powerful?

Lu Ye's heart pounded with alarm. Was this one of the Ten Great Dao Integration Cities? Unfortunately, his knowledge of them was limited, so he couldn't identify it.

However, he finally understood the source of the power that had bound him earlier: it clearly emanated from the black-robed expert before him.

No one appreciated outsiders clashing within their Dao Integration City, let alone a City Lord of one of the Ten Great Dao Integration Cities.

Lu Ye was momentarily dumbfounded. He had only pursued Perrin here; who would have thought he'd stumble into such a perilous den? He was filled with grievances. Perrin was also to blame; if Lu Ye himself didn't recognize this Dao Integration City, surely Perrin, coming from the knowledgeable Hundred Battles City, should have? Of all places, why here?

Unbeknownst to him, Perrin was also filled with vexation. He had no desire to be here; he had simply been drawn in while passing by.

In his desperate flight earlier, he hadn't even noticed the existence of this Dao Integration City.

He had already recognized the person before him, and it was precisely this recognition that made him so wary. While other Dao Integration City Lords might not bother a junior like him, this individual was different. There was a known animosity between the Lord of Hundred Battles City and this arrogant man.

His mind was swirling with questions: Why was this individual here, especially controlling a Dao Integration City to enter? And why hadn't the Bright Moon Wheel reacted?

Steeling himself, Perrin clasped his fists with difficulty, bowing his head in a respectful greeting: "Perrin of Hundred Battles greets Senior Ba!"

Only then did Lu Ye learn his name.

Ba Hong didn't react. The keen light in his eyes had long since receded. He simply gazed impassively forward. Lu Ye wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but he kept feeling that this supreme-level expert seemed to be looking directly at him.

Perrin swallowed hard again. "I was unaware of Senior's presence here. If I have caused any offense, I beg your indulgence."

Even though he had clearly been dragged in against his will, he dared not voice any protest. He could only humble himself, hoping for some leniency.

After waiting a moment with no response, Perrin, gathering his courage, said, "If Senior has no instructions for me, then this junior will take his leave."

He said this, but he dared not make any move—primarily because he couldn't. Since entering, he hadn't felt Ba Hong actively exert any power, yet an invisible restraint firmly pinned him in place.

Lu Ye felt the same. While Perrin spoke, he subtly glanced ahead, only to realize that Ba Hong was not looking at him. His gaze seemed to be fixed on the Mountain Cleaver in Lu Ye's hand.