Chapter 2526: I Will Wait for You in the Inner Realm

The Barren-level City Lord likely knew Yuan Xi couldn't be persuaded; his previous words had been a mere casual probe. If it worked, great; if not, that was normal. Now that he had Yuan Xi's response, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh. He turned to look in the direction of his Harmony City and said gravely, "Abandon the city!"

He was certainly not afraid of just Moonlit City, but given the current situation, with Yuan Xi assisting Moonlit City and single-handedly resisting his three Harmony subordinates, his own side had little room to maneuver. He understood the situation just as clearly as Luo Feng. If they continued to delay, once his three Harmony subordinates were defeated, their forces would collapse like a landslide. Rather than waiting for that moment, it was better to make a decisive move now: abandon the city and save himself.

"City Lord!" the female cultivator in the city exclaimed, astonished. She couldn't help but recall the scene many years ago when she had first arrived, a captive. The City Lord hadn't been harsh; instead, he had taken good care of her. It had taken her many years to truly pledge her loyalty, after which she had wholeheartedly assisted him in growing stronger, step by step, until they finally reached the Barren level. If they abandoned the city today, all those years of effort and sacrifice would be for naught. How could she possibly accept that?

"My Lord!" The three Harmony cultivators battling Yuan Xi instantly blanched. If the city were abandoned, the female cultivator could use the Harmony Orb to escape into the Harmony Realm. But for the three of them, it was impossible. Facing a formidable opponent like Yuan Xi, whom they were already struggling immensely to resist, the slightest thought of escape would instantly unravel the precarious situation they had painstakingly maintained. At that point, it wouldn't be as simple as just one death; at least two of them would die, and it was highly probable that all three would be annihilated. This meant that at most one of them would escape with their lives. Even at this very moment, the Barren-level City Lord's command to abandon the city had already thrown their morale into disarray.

"Abandon the city!" the Barren-level City Lord shouted again.

After two breaths of silence, the female cultivator's voice, heavy with resignation, responded, "Yes!" The City Lord had given his command; now was not the time for indecision. No matter how unwilling she felt, she could only obey.

Outside Harmony City, Lu Ye's expression was helpless. He had meticulously planned: once the city was breached, and Xiao Yue engaged the female cultivator, he could head straight for the Central Hall and "fish in troubled waters." But if the enemy voluntarily abandoned the city, his plan wouldn't work. Because without an opponent, Xiao Yue would undoubtedly rush straight to the Central Hall. At that point, what room would there be for him to act? This meant he would first have to persuade her to wait and shatter the Harmony Orb only after the battle was completely over. But she was a Harmony-level cultivator, and she might not be willing to listen, which was quite a headache.

The Harmony aura within the city suddenly vanished, indicating that the female cultivator had clearly used the Harmony Orb to escape into the Harmony Realm. Simultaneously, numerous Integration cultivators rushed out from various parts of the city, heading towards the Central Hall. Even the Harmony cultivators had fled; how could these Integration cultivators dare to stay? Remaining would truly be seeking death!

"Break!" Xiao Yue cried out delicately. With a sweep of her sword, her Dao power surged. The defensive array, already on the verge of collapse and now without cultivators to maintain it, completely shattered.

"Kill!" Many Moonlit City Integration cultivators charged into the city, shouting and radiating murderous intent. Among the Integration cultivators in the city, the quickest had already rushed into the Central Hall and escaped. However, most had not managed to do so, primarily because Xiao Yue's side had breached the city too quickly. With this, the Integration cultivators clashed and collided, and the scene instantly descended into chaos.

Lu Ye moved through the crowd, continuously approaching the Central Hall, but how could his speed compare to Xiao Yue's? The moment the city was breached, she had rushed in this direction, clearly intending to seize the Harmony Orb directly. Lu Ye grew anxious.

Suddenly, as if sensing Lu Ye's movements, she turned and glanced at him. A clear murderous intent flashed in her beautiful eyes, and simultaneously, a Harmony-level oppressive aura suddenly descended. Her action bewildered Lu Ye, and then his body abruptly stiffened. This was partly due to the oppressive Harmony-level aura, and partly due to other factors.

He looked down to find a dagger pressed against his waist. Dao power surged on the dagger, pushing with immense force, but it couldn't advance an inch against Lu Ye's protective Dao power. The dagger was held by a gnarled, powerful hand. Lu Ye's gaze slowly moved upwards, revealing a face covered in a full beard. It was none other than the one who had previously expressed interest in changing allegiance.

The bearded man's astonished expression hadn't yet faded, for he was certain that, in this state, Lu Ye's protective Dao power wouldn't be fully activated—no cultivator would waste their Dao power like that. When he had launched his full power unexpectedly, Lu Ye should have been unable to resist. So, he couldn't understand why he couldn't penetrate Lu Ye's protective Dao power! His recent action had completely caught Lu Ye off guard. In fact, Lu Ye had no defenses whatsoever against him. Although the man was somewhat annoying and Lu Ye didn't think highly of him, he was still an ally after all. But now, this ally had secretly launched a deadly attack on him. If not for his strength, which far surpassed that of ordinary Integration cultivators, he wouldn't have been able to block this strike at all.

Their eyes met, and the bearded man's eyelids twitched. He hurriedly tried to retreat. But it was too late. As Lu Ye raised his hand and slashed with his saber, the bearded man was cut in half, his blood and organs spilling out. He didn't know what the bearded man was trying to do, but if someone attacked him, he certainly wouldn't show mercy.

After a brief moment of surprise, seven or eight figures around him simultaneously lunged at Lu Ye with killing intent. There was no warning and little sound, but each strike was ruthless. It wasn't just the bearded man; all these people wanted to kill him! The bearded man's earlier approach had undoubtedly been deliberate; his talk of changing allegiance was just an excuse to get close. His sudden attack at a crucial moment had made it impossible to guard against.

But... why? Not only was there no animosity between them, making it illogical for so many people to want him dead, but Moonlit City and Yuan Xi City were currently allied against the enemy, on the verge of victory. For Moonlit City's Integration cultivators to attack him now, weren't they afraid of Yuan Xi settling scores later?

That's not right!

Lu Ye suddenly realized why these people were acting now. Earlier, before the city's defensive array was broken, everyone was outside the city, and Yuan Xi might have noticed any abnormality. But once inside the city, it was different. Divine sense couldn't spread out in this special environment, and numerous buildings provided cover, so those outside wouldn't know what was happening inside. From this perspective, these individuals had planned all along to attack him after the city was breached.

Integration cultivators wouldn't have this kind of decisiveness or audacity. So there was only one possibility—Lu Ye suddenly recalled the undisguised murderous intent in Xiao Yue's eyes when she had looked at him moments ago. This woman wanted to kill him! You Die was right; she was interested in him, but not in that way—she wanted his life!

As the saber light swept through, screams rose and fell. The seven or eight Integration cultivators who had rushed Lu Ye almost simultaneously fell into pools of blood. When the bloody light dispersed, the saber light slowly receded. Silence fell all around. Integration cultivators from both sides watched the scene, astonished and terrified. If a Harmony cultivator had acted, it would have been nothing; taking the lives of seven or eight Integration cultivators in a single move was as easy as flipping one's hand for a Harmony cultivator. But the one who had acted and killed them was merely an Integration cultivator!

Even Xiao Yue, who had been watching Lu Ye, felt her pupils constrict. Her arrangements had been meticulous, revealing no flaws and allowing Lu Ye to detect no hint of her intentions. In her opinion, under such arrangements, an Integration cultivator would have no chance of survival. Even if Yuan Xi investigated later, she could attribute Lu Ye's death to failing in battle against the enemy. This was the primary reason the bearded man had only attacked Lu Ye after the city was breached; otherwise, he would have had many earlier opportunities to act. But what was wrong with this guy? He killed Integration cultivators as easily as slaughtering chickens and dogs, which prevented her foolproof plan from being carried out. But it didn't matter. With her here, he couldn't possibly leave alive. Since she had already made her move, there was no turning back!

The Harmony-level prestige intensified, almost materializing as it pressed down on Lu Ye. Lu Ye couldn't help but let out a muffled groan, his body slightly hunched as if carrying a heavy mountain. He no longer possessed the fierce bravery he had shown while killing enemies moments ago.

The chaotic battle resumed, with numerous Integration cultivators from both sides regaining their focus and fighting fiercely. Yet, amidst this chaos, only the area around Lu Ye was eerily quiet, though latent murderous intent hung in the air. Xiao Yue approached him step by step, her eyes filled with scorn and mockery.

"Why?" Lu Ye asked, leaning on his long saber with both hands, struggling to straighten his body. He stared with a pale face at the woman approaching him. He truly couldn't understand why Xiao Yue would try to harm him. Whether it was the bearded man or the Integration cultivators who attacked later, they had clearly acted on Xiao Yue's instructions. Such instructions must have been given long before the siege began. In other words, Xiao Yue had wanted to kill him for a long time, and this siege was just an opportunity.

Xiao Yue didn't answer. She walked directly to a spot not far from Lu Ye and stopped, the mockery in her eyes intensifying. She parted her red lips slightly and said, "I told you, I'd be waiting for you in the Inner World!"

A flicker of surprise crossed Lu Ye's face, but quickly, his pupils constricted. So that's it! He finally understood why Xiao Yue wanted to kill him and what her strange expression during their first meeting had been about.

"I thought the chances of seeing you were slim," Xiao Yue chuckled softly. "But I never thought... Heh, fate truly works in mysterious ways."

"Howling Moon!" Lu Ye stared at the beautiful face before him and softly uttered two words.

Since entering the Star Abyss, only one person had ever told him they would wait for him in the Inner World: Howling Moon, the old ancestor of Boundless City, back then. However, back then, Howling Moon had merely projected his power onto the Boundless City Lord. In that battle, Lu Ye had joined forces with several peak Integration cultivators within the Variegated Realm to fight against him. In that battle, Patriarch Yan Zhixing of the Yan family had died, and Chen Gushan and He Linglong had suffered severe lifespan depletion, losing the possibility of further advancement.