Chapter 2509: Too Much

Lu Ye now understood. While the innate secret art that Mirage had bestowed upon Yuanxi City was not as potent as its divine domain accumulated over countless years, it was still far superior to ordinary concealment and masking formations.

However, since You Die was not yet familiar with this secret art, she couldn't fully unleash its power. Once she gradually mastered it in the future, this situation should improve.

"Moreover, my secret art can also accumulate power and grow stronger, just like a divine domain!" Mirage added.

Lu Ye's eyes lit up immediately. If that were the case, it would be acceptable.

"But don't get your hopes too high, kid. While it can grow stronger, it ultimately has its limits and can't compare to my divine domain."

"Understood!" Lu Ye nodded.

"Is there anything else?" Mirage asked.

"No, that's all."

"Then I'm leaving!" Mirage clearly didn't want to stay a moment longer. Although its cultivation was high, its actual combat strength wasn't impressive. With its divine domain shattered, staying there offered it no sense of security. It was eager to find a hidden location to rebuild its divine domain.

This was undoubtedly its sorrow: a naturally playful disposition, yet forced to construct its safe territory in one spot, confining itself within it.

"Senior, why don't you stay and play a bit longer before you go?" Lu Ye urged. If it played a bit longer, the oath's restraint would be completely burned away by the Talent Tree, allowing him to manipulate it at will. If he could truly bind it to Yuanxi City, then given the vastness of this realm, where couldn't Yuanxi City go in the future?

Mirage sneered, ignoring Lu Ye completely, and vanished from the central hall with a flicker of its form.

Lu Ye sensed its aura rapidly receding, soon disappearing from his perception.

Standing there in thought for a moment, Lu Ye said, "I'll make a trip to the Hehe Realm."

With matters here resolved, he needed to find the City Lord, lest she remain unaware of the situation.

A few moments later, in the grand hall of the Hehe Realm, Lu Ye sent out a message from where he stood. After a long wait, Yuanxi finally responded.

Upon seeing the location Yuanxi sent, Lu Ye's expression turned odd.

A moment later, he stood before the Golden Stamens Pavilion, observing the varied beauties on either side, then stepped inside amidst their greetings.

A familiar face ahead was greeting guests. Turning, she saw Lu Ye and immediately came forward. "Young friend, you're here?"

Lu Ye clasped his fist. "Third Madam."

"Are you looking for the Mistress?" Third Madam asked softly.

Lu Ye stared at her, his expression growing even stranger.

Third Madam, confused by his stare, reached up to touch her face. "What is it? Is there something on my face?"

Lu Ye shook his head. "I'm here to see our City Lord. She asked me to come."

"Which City Lord?"

"Yuanxi!"

Third Madam couldn't help but look surprised. "You're from City of Harmony, under Lord Yuanxi?" Lu Ye hadn't mentioned his origins last time he visited, and neither she nor Lian had asked. Only now did she learn of this.

However, a guest was a guest, so Third Madam didn't ask further. She quickly composed herself. "Please follow me."

Leading Lu Ye through several winding turns in the Golden Stamens Pavilion, Third Madam finally stopped before a private room, turned, and said, "It's right here."

Third Madam withdrew, and Lu Ye stood before the door.

From the moment he entered the Hehe Realm, everything had given Lu Ye a strong sense of déjà vu. He had experienced these scenes before, but in the illusion created by Mirage.

Mirage had said that all illusions were born from Lu Ye's mental image, but he couldn't understand why the illusion and reality were so astonishingly similar, almost identical.

Did his mental image create the illusion, or did Mirage's methods possess the ability to foresee the future?

If Mirage's abilities were truly that profound, Lu Ye would know what the scene inside was without even looking.

This was outrageous!

While they, his subordinates, suffered in the City of Harmony, Yuanxi, the City Lord, had come here to revel, completely disregarding their plight.

Such a City Lord... needed a good lecture!

He pushed open the door, and as he saw the scene inside, the anger on Lu Ye's face instantly vanished, replaced by astonishment.

Inside the room, there was no extravagant music as he had imagined. Instead, two figures sat opposite each other, with an incense burner-like object placed between them. Wisps of smoke drifted from the burner, moving and swirling through the room like living entities, then slowly being drawn into the lungs of one of the figures.

The one inhaling the smoke was Yuanxi, and the person seated opposite her was none other than Lian, the Mistress of the Golden Stamens Pavilion.

Yuanxi's breath was long and steady, and as she inhaled the smoke, ripples of space undulated around her.

Lian's hands constantly shifted through incantation gestures, her expression solemn. From their posture, they seemed to be practicing some secret art.

Noticing the movement, Yuanxi turned and glanced at Lu Ye, speaking softly, "Grand Commander, you're here. Please sit for a moment; we'll be done soon!"

"Oh." Lu Ye obediently stepped inside and sat in a corner nearby.

Mirage truly didn't have the ability to foresee the future...

He was certain that what he saw now could not be an illusion created by Mirage, because Mirage's divine domain was shattered, and it no longer possessed such power.

Suddenly aware of a gaze upon him, Lu Ye looked up and met Lian's seemingly amused eyes.

Lu Ye returned a smile.

He suddenly remembered that Lian must have been unaware of Huanqing's identity as a Fan clan member; she must have only thought of her as an ordinary human. Otherwise, she would never have given her away so easily.

Looking back at the entire sequence of events, the greatest contributor was undoubtedly Fu Wei. It was he who, by chance, passed by the Golden Stamens Pavilion, then on a whim entered, and subsequently made contact with Huanqing, which later gave Lu Ye the opportunity to take Huanqing away.

And Huanqing, coincidentally, possessed a means to counteract Mirage.

With all these coincidences coming together, it could no longer be called mere coincidence; it was Fu Wei's capability!

After waiting for a moment, Yuanxi suddenly let out a long breath.

Lian scrutinized her, then nodded slightly. "Excellent!"

Yuanxi said bitterly, "Now I want it dead. Daring to tease me? It must be tired of living!"

Lian shook her head. "Mirage's divine domain has been cultivated for many years. In the inner realm, aside from a select few, no one can spot its flaws. Don't be too careless; this secret art might not work."

"We won't know until we try," Yuanxi said.

Listening to their conversation, Lu Ye immediately realized that Yuanxi had been practicing a secret art here for some time, likely intending to counter Mirage.

"Grand Commander, how did you get here?" Yuanxi suddenly realized, a little belatedly.

She could enter the Hehe Realm from the City of Harmony because her strength was sufficient, and Mirage dared not forcibly stop her, lest it reveal a weakness.

But what about Lu Ye?

"I'll report the details to you later, my lord." In front of Lian, Lu Ye couldn't say too much. He couldn't very well tell her that Huanqing, whom she had carelessly given away, was actually a Fan clan member; Lian would surely be mortified.

"My lord, do you... know Mistress Lian?" Lu Ye asked.

From their demeanor, they not only knew each other but were very familiar. Otherwise, Yuanxi wouldn't have come to her to practice a secret art.

In the illusion created by Mirage, Yuanxi and Lian also knew each other, but Lu Ye hadn't known this before.

Parts of the illusion and reality had eerily overlapped.

"Lian and I are close friends!" Yuanxi smiled faintly.

For Yuanxi to call her a close friend, their relationship must have been very good indeed.

"Lian, this is my Grand Commander of the City Guards, whom you've met," Yuanxi said again.

"Of course." Lian smiled. If her previous guess that Lu Ye was the Nameless Guest had been 70% certain, it was now 90% certain!

This was because she recalled some strange reactions from Yuanxi the first time they watched the Nameless Guest fight; Yuanxi had seemed to know the Nameless Guest then.

Now it seemed she did know him, because the Nameless Guest was indeed one of her subordinates.

"In the future, if you want to find women in the Hehe Realm, just come to her, and she'll arrange it for you!" Yuanxi said, looking at Lian. "The Grand Commander is my most important right-hand man, so if he truly comes, you mustn't treat him poorly."

"Oh, I wouldn't. Didn't I just send a woman to the Grand Commander a few days ago?" Lian winked at Lu Ye.

With the two women exchanging remarks, Lu Ye was at a loss for how to respond. He could only say, "My lord, please return quickly. Something has happened in the city."

Yuanxi's expression changed. "What happened?"

"It's complicated. I'll explain on the way."

"Let's go!" Yuanxi immediately rose, radiating killing intent. She clearly mistakenly believed that Mirage had done something terrible to Yuanxi City. If it weren't a major issue, Lu Ye wouldn't have specifically come to find her.

They sped along, quickly returning to Yuanxi City.

In the central hall, You Die, who was currently studying the secret art left by Mirage, hastily bowed upon Yuanxi's return.

Yuanxi swept her powerful divine sense around, a little puzzled. "Grand Commander, what's going on?"

Things were not as she had expected. Yuanxi City was safe and sound, none of the cultivators were missing, and... the surrounding illusions seemed to have vanished.

"My lord, the matter has actually been resolved. My purpose in coming was to inform you of this," Lu Ye explained.

"How was it resolved?" Yuanxi was utterly astonished. To deal with Mirage, she had specifically sought Lian's guidance for a targeted secret art, cultivating diligently for days. She had even planned to return and have a proper showdown with Mirage, but to her surprise, there was no opportunity for her to use her skills.

"Well, it's like this..." Lu Ye briefly recounted what had happened after she left. When he mentioned that Huanqing was actually a Fan clan member, Yuanxi's eyes widened in disbelief.

Being well-traveled and knowledgeable, she had naturally heard of the Fan clan, but believed this race had long been exterminated. She never imagined Lu Ye would bring one back, and from her close friend Lian, no less.

"We are truly lucky!" Yuanxi couldn't help but sigh with emotion. Honestly, even with the secret art she had painstakingly cultivated, she wasn't very confident against Mirage. But now, it was all good; she didn't need to do anything at all, as her subordinates had already resolved the problem.

"So that beast just escaped like that?" she asked again. If so, it would be too easy on the creature.