Chapter 2497: Shen, the Domain of Divine Powers

In the central hall of Yuanxi City, Lu Ye and the two others appeared.

Fu Wei looked around curiously and asked, "Senior Brother, is this your Dao Integration City?"

"This is Yuanxi City. I'll take you to see the City Lord now. You can only stay if she agrees," Lu Ye said, stepping forward. Although he didn't expect Yuanxi to refuse, it was still proper to inform her.

"Understood!" Fu Wei might not have much experience, but he had basic common sense. He obediently followed behind Lu Ye.

Huan Qing, however, remained silent throughout. It was as if leaving the Golden Core Pavilion had made no difference to her. She showed no interest in anything around her, giving off an aura of profound despair.

Lu Ye wasn't sure what she had experienced, but it was certainly nothing pleasant.

Upon arriving at the City Lord's residence, they easily met Yuanxi. What puzzled Lu Ye was that his City Lord was simply sitting there, not in a state of intense cultivation, but seemingly meditating on something.

"My Lord!" Lu Ye clasped his fists.

Yuanxi opened her eyes. "The Grand Commander is back." Her gaze shifted to behind Lu Ye. "And these two are..."

Lu Ye quickly introduced them. "This is Fu Wei. During my recent trip, he provided a lot of assistance. He has nowhere else to go and wishes to join our city."

Fu Wei immediately stepped forward. "Fu Wei greets the City Lord and humbly requests to be taken in."

Yuanxi nodded. "Since the Grand Commander has recommended him, he may stay. Follow the Grand Commander from now on; you will certainly be well-treated."

Fu Wei was overjoyed. "Thank you, My Lord." Although he had been reasonably sure he could stay, he hadn't expected it to be so smooth. Seeing Yuanxi's attitude towards Lu Ye, he realized that Lu Ye must be highly regarded in this Dao Integration City.

It made sense; if he wasn't valued, how could a Dao Harmonizer hold the position of Grand Commander, even though Fu Wei still didn't quite understand what a Grand Commander did.

"And this is Huan Qing..." Lu Ye then introduced Huan Qing, who had been standing silently by his side.

"A Dao Integrator!" Yuanxi raised an eyebrow. "Is she also here to join our city?"

Lu Ye reluctantly explained, "This subordinate redeemed her from the Golden Core Pavilion."

"Where?" Yuanxi asked in astonishment.

"The Golden Core Pavilion!"

Yuanxi's expression immediately became playful. "So, the Grand Commander has such elegant tastes. You should have told me earlier; I could have taken you there."

"My Lord, you misunderstand," Lu Ye said, feeling a headache coming on. "Things aren't as you imagine..."

"I understand, men will be men..." Yuanxi winked at Lu Ye. "It's perfectly normal to have such thoughts. Grand Commander, there's no need to feel ashamed. Since she's with you, let her stay as well. She's a Dao Integrator, after all, and will be of some use in the future."

Lu Ye opened his mouth, then ultimately gave up on explaining.

"You can arrange their accommodations yourself," Yuanxi instructed.

"Yes, My Lord!"

She then looked at Fu Wei and Huan Qing. "Since you two have joined this city, you are now family. This City Lord has only one requirement: you must not do anything that harms the city's interests. Do you understand?"

Fu Wei quickly clasped his fists. "This subordinate obeys!" He adapted quickly and seemed quite enthusiastic.

Huan Qing merely responded with a very quiet, "Yes."

"You may go," Yuanxi said, waving her hand.

Lu Ye led Fu Wei and Huan Qing in their departure. After leaving the City Lord's residence, he told them to find a place to stay on their own; there were plenty of empty buildings in the city, so they could choose wherever they wished.

Back at his Grand Commander's residence, You Die immediately greeted him with a sweet smile. "Brother Ye is back."

Lu Ye looked at her disapprovingly. "You're a Vice City Lord now, can't you find your own place to live?"

Since her arrival in Yuanxi City, she had been living in Lu Ye's Grand Commander's residence.

You Die immediately put on a tearful expression. "Brother Ye, do you dislike me now?"

"Don't start that!" Lu Ye ignored her and walked straight inside.

You Die stuck out her tongue and made a face at his retreating back.

After a trip away, returning to Yuanxi City, Lu Ye felt a strange sense of peace. Strictly speaking, this Dao Integration City wasn't his; he had been forced to stay by Yuanxi initially. Yet, after all this time, looking across the entire Inner Realm, only this place made him feel secure.

Not even the peaceful Integration Realm had given him this feeling.

Although his Dao power reserves were plentiful, they weren't enough to support his next promotion. After the death match with Yun Qianliu, although獠 had benefited, it was still some distance from overcoming its second obstacle.

With nothing else to do, intense cultivation was his only option.

Compared to before, Lu Ye genuinely felt a difference. After obtaining Pelin's blessing, his cultivation efficiency in Yuanxi City had improved further.

After entering the Inner Realm, Lu Ye rarely experienced such a period of tranquility.

Two months later, a powerful divine sense suddenly emanated from the City Lord's residence, sweeping in all directions.

Lu Ye, who was deep in cultivation, was immediately alarmed. He opened his eyes, sensed the disturbance, then frowned and swiftly left his residence.

Looking up, he saw Yuanxi standing atop the highest tower. At that moment, his City Lord's Dao power surged subtly as she gravely surveyed her surroundings.

Lu Ye leaped up and landed beside Yuanxi. "My Lord!"

Yuanxi nodded slightly but didn't reply, still searching for something.

"What happened?" Lu Ye asked.

"This is ridiculous!" Yuanxi's lips curled into a cold smirk.

Lu Ye was completely bewildered.

"We're trapped here!" Yuanxi's expression grew even colder.

"Trapped?" Lu Ye was astonished. He looked around but found nothing unusual; they were in a perfectly normal void, with no other peculiar sights.

Yuanxi snorted softly. "In the Star Abyss, there's a strange beast called a Miragemaker. Its abilities are bizarre, and its movements are elusive. It's exceptionally skilled at creating illusions. We've stumbled into its domain!"

Lu Ye was greatly surprised. "Does My Lord mean we're trapped in some kind of illusion?"

Yuanxi shook her head. "It's not a simple illusion. This is the Miragemaker Beast's innate domain. It's truly formidable!"

"My Lord didn't notice it before?" Lu Ye was genuinely shocked now.

He had a rough idea of Yuanxi's power, and for her to be caught off guard, especially within her own Dao Integration City, indicated just how powerful this Miragemaker Beast must be.

"No, I didn't. If our itinerary hadn't been wrong, I probably wouldn't have noticed at all!"

When Lu Ye returned, Yuanxi City was already moving rapidly, seemingly heading somewhere. However, this was an itinerary set by Yuanxi, and as a subordinate, he didn't need to ask questions or worry about it; he simply had to obey orders.

According to Yuanxi's previously set itinerary, Yuanxi City should have reached a certain location half a month ago. In reality, though, it had been circling in this void, which was what alerted her to the anomaly.

"Can we find its location?" Lu Ye frowned. He had already activated his Blood Eye Dao Mark to enhance his vision, but even after looking around, he still found nothing.

If even Yuanxi couldn't find the Miragemaker Beast, it was even less likely for him.

"If I could find it, it wouldn't be a problem. I'd crush it to death!" Yuanxi said resentfully. "This City Lord has never suffered such a silent loss, Grand Commander!"

"Present!"

"Assist Vice City Lord You Die in protecting the city. I'm going out for a bit!"

"Yes, My Lord!"

Yuanxi vanished in a flash, clearly intent on searching for the Miragemaker Beast.

As she moved, many cultivators in the city were alerted, and soon, more than a dozen figures gathered.

You Die asked, "Brother Ye, what happened?"

Lu Ye briefly explained the situation. Cui Can showed a contemplative expression. "I've heard of the Miragemaker Beast. It seems there's only one in the entire Inner Realm!"

Fan Wu, however, frowned deeply. "This is troublesome."

Lu Ye looked at him. "How so?"

Fan Wu rubbed his forehead. "The Miragemaker Beast itself isn't powerful, relatively speaking. Any Dao Integrator who can find it should be able to kill it. However, its innate domain is incredibly mysterious. I don't know how many Dao Integration Cities in the Inner Realm have fallen victim to it, and there's even a precedent of a 'Cosmic-tier' Dao Integration City being trapped and unable to escape."

"'Cosmic-tier'!" Everyone's expressions changed in surprise upon hearing this.

It was known that while there were countless Dao Integration Cities in the Inner Realm, only the top ten were classified as 'Universal-tier'. The 'Cosmic-tier' was effectively the level just below these top ten.

Kunli City was at this level, considered a powerful force anywhere.

Fan Wu then changed the subject. "However, there's no need to worry too much. The Miragemaker Beast isn't bloodthirsty; it's just a bit mischievous by nature. So, even if we're trapped in its innate domain, there won't be much life-threatening danger. Because it's the only one of its kind in the entire Star Abyss, it's often very lonely. Its true intention in trapping others is merely to find companionship."

Lu Ye looked at him with admiration. "Brother Fan, you are truly knowledgeable!"

Fan Wu waved his hand. "I've just lived long enough, that's all!"

Cui Can, standing nearby, asked, "Brother Fan, generally speaking, how long are people trapped when they fall into its innate domain?"

Fan Wu stroked his beard and shook his head. "It's hard to say. If it's in a good mood, it might release us in thirty to fifty years..."

"Thirty to fifty years!" Lu Ye's face fell. "What if it's in a bad mood?"

"It could even be three to five thousand years!" Fan Wu's tone was grave.

Lu Ye fell silent. If they were trapped here for three to five thousand years, what was the point? Before leaving the Starry Sky, he had promised Old Tree that he would find a solution to the Starry Sky's problems within a thousand years. If he were trapped for that long, his own Starry Sky might not even exist anymore.

"That damned thing," Fu Wei cursed. No one wanted to be trapped somewhere for so long; let alone three to five thousand years, even thirty to fifty years was long enough.

"Brother Fan, do you know what we can do to make it feel better and release us?" Lu Ye humbly asked.

Fan Wu's expression was peculiar. "It's in a very bad mood right now!"

Lu Ye asked curiously, "How can Brother Fan know that?"

Fan Wu said exasperatedly, "Because someone cursed it!" He pulled so hard that some of the whiskers on his chin came off.