Chapter 2517: Breaking the Deadlock

When Lu Ye suddenly charged forth, the Harmonious Dao City Lord finally understood why Yuan Xi had just bluffed: it was to draw their attention, allowing this suddenly appearing soldier-cultivator to approach the battlefield. Indeed, she succeeded; before this soldier-cultivator unleashed his blade, not one of the three had detected the enemy's arrival.

His heart tightened; in such a battle, a sudden reinforcement meant the variables increased significantly. But the next moment, a look of surprise appeared on his face, as he suddenly realized that the soldier-cultivator who had charged out showed no signs of leveraging external power. As a Harmonious Dao cultivator, he could naturally discern at a glance whether an enemy was using external force, as the surrounding Star Abyss aura would provide clear feedback.

Could this person be an Integration Dao cultivator? How else could they not use external force in such a situation?

At the same time, another Harmonious Dao cultivator beside him snorted coldly, "Seeking death! How dare a mere Integration Dao cultivator be so presumptuous?" This Harmonious Dao cultivator was precisely the one Lu Ye had targeted. He clearly shared the same judgment as his City Lord; although he couldn't understand why this soldier-cultivator would barge into such a battle seeking death, since he had come, he wouldn't be leaving.

As he spoke, he swung his Dao weapon to meet the incoming Panshan Blade. The moment their Dao weapons clashed, his expression drastically changed. A surge of violent power swept towards him, in no way inferior to his own. How was this possible? A cultivator, without using external force, could actually contend with him as an equal. Had he not experienced it firsthand, he would never have believed it. Then he saw Lu Ye's right arm, holding the blade, suddenly vibrate violently a few times, and a torrent of violent Dao power surged forward like a tide.

Lu Ye's choice among the three Harmonious Dao cultivators was neither random nor blind. He excluded the Harmonious Dao City Lord from his targets, as the City Lord was ultimately much stronger. Choosing one of the other two would undoubtedly be easier to deal with. With the Blade Tremor technique, nearly 850 layers of Lu Ye's power erupted in continuous waves. The Harmonious Dao cultivator's face was filled with horror, and he cried out in alarm. Although he reacted in time and was not in mortal danger, his power circulation was disrupted, leaving him wide open!

"Well done!" Yuan Xi praised loudly. Thanks to the opportunity Lu Ye had forcibly created, a black lotus suddenly appeared beneath her feet, and countless petals swept towards the Harmonious Dao cultivator, enveloping him layer by layer. A blood-curdling scream erupted, making one's scalp tingle, and quickly faded away. When the black lotus petals dispersed, only skeletal remains were left in his place.

In just a few breaths, a powerful Harmonious Dao cultivator had perished, his Dao extinguished. The expressions of the remaining two Harmonious Dao cultivators drastically changed! Originally, three against one had only barely managed to defend. Now that one had died, only two of them remained, and the opponent suddenly had a seemingly formidable soldier-cultivator as an assistant. In such a situation, they were in grave danger!

Yuan Xi, not relenting after gaining the upper hand, swiftly acted. After slaying that Harmonious Dao cultivator, a small black lotus suddenly appeared in her palm with a flick of her delicate hand, floating towards the other Harmonious Dao cultivator. Layers of visible ripples emanated from the black lotus, impacting the surrounding void and causing the Harmonious Dao cultivator's Dao power to tremble. Seeing this, Lu Ye's eyes lit up. He switched the Panshan Blade to his left hand and closed in to press the attack. Yuan Xi, meanwhile, simultaneously dealt with the City Lord and pressured this Harmonious Dao cultivator. In just a few breaths, she made him vomit blood continuously, his expression filled with terror.

Suddenly, blood spurted as Lu Ye's long blade pierced through his chest. The ripples emanating from Yuan Xi's black lotus seemed to possess a miraculous ability to disintegrate the opponent's protective Dao power. This made it easy for Lu Ye to strike and kill; otherwise, he wouldn't have succeeded so effortlessly. As Dao power surged violently, the Harmonious Dao cultivator's chest exploded, and his body staggered. Lu Ye withdrew his blade and struck again, sending a head flying instantly.

When he looked back, Yuan Xi's opponent had already fled. This Harmonious Dao City Lord was, after all, discerning. With two of his Harmonious Dao subordinates already dead, he wouldn't have a good outcome even if he forcibly stayed. His only option now was to quickly escape back to his own Harmonious Dao City to save his life. Yuan Xi did not pursue, as time did not permit it. Had her city not been in danger, she would never have let this enemy off lightly. But her city was currently under siege, and if she delayed here for too long, there would undoubtedly be complications. So, seeing the Harmonious Dao City Lord flee, she merely gave a cold warning: "Flee far away. Dare to turn back, and I will annihilate you first!" With that said, she turned and flew towards her city. Lu Ye also hastily collected the spoils of war and followed closely behind.

Yuan Xi City was fleeing under You Die's control, but Harmonious Dao cities' flight speed was ultimately inferior to cultivators'. Such an escape could only at best delay the destruction of the city's protective formation. From the time her city came under attack until now, only a few dozen breaths had passed, yet the city's grand formation barrier had already become extremely dim. Compared to other Harmonious Dao cities, Yuan Xi City's defensive strength was ultimately lacking. This was primarily due to its small number of members and insufficient scale. If the city's scale were large enough and its members numerous enough, the power of the protective formation could be significantly enhanced. Fortunately, Yuan Xi City had now advanced to the Desolate rank, which had invisibly brought some improvements to the protective formation. Otherwise, under such an assault, it would likely have already been breached.

Yuan Xi's return was very timely. Before she even arrived, she let out a stern shout, "Stop attacking my city!"

On the other side, the three Harmonious Dao cultivators who were attacking the city looked extremely grim. They had a clear view of the situation on the nearby battlefield. In cooperation with another Harmonious Dao city, intercepting an enemy Harmonious Dao city coming for reinforcement at the edge of the snowy plains was a very secure undertaking. They could judge the opponent's strength beforehand based on the approaching city's size and number of occupants, and thus decide whether to make a move. So, generally speaking, there wasn't much risk involved. Using this method, they had already breached several Harmonious Dao cities, gaining bountiful rewards.

They had assumed this time would be no different, as they saw Yuan Xi City was not large and didn't have many members, making it almost a sure win. But once the battle truly began, they realized it was nothing of the sort. Their allies had actually been swiftly dealt with in a very short time! This was simply unbelievable. Their three Harmonious Dao allies had roughly the same overall strength as their own group. Even if they encountered a powerful expert, they should have been able to hold on for a long time. As long as their side could breach the Harmonious Dao city, they could easily handle the opponent. But now, in a short span of time, their outcome was two dead and one fled! They had bitten off more than they could chew! Who was that woman? How could she possess such terrifying strength?

Seeing Yuan Xi return with such murderous intent, the three Harmonious Dao cultivators were momentarily at a loss for what to do. After a brief consideration, one of them spoke up: "City Lord, we must engage them and order Daoist Zhou to come and attack the city. This city's protective formation cannot hold out much longer." In such a situation, we cannot retreat; otherwise, it would be a laughingstock. Furthermore, given the opponent's formidable strength, retreating would undoubtedly put us in a passive position.