Chapter 2564: Delayed

**Winds Stir Kyushu**

"Who would have thought the Madam was so determined not to return this time? It's already been so long..." Changming continued to ramble.

"What do you want me to do, friend?" Jinglei hastily cut Changming off. He genuinely didn't dare to keep listening. While it wasn't crucial information, it concerned the Ten Greats, leaving no room for the slightest oversight.

The wives of the Ten Great City Lords had run away from home, and the City Lords wanted them back. What could he, a mere Universe-level Deputy City Lord, do? Should he act as a mediator? Jinglei truly couldn't understand why Changming had come to him; he could have easily gone to Yuan Xi.

"It's very simple: I need your cooperation for something!" Changming declared, then explained at length.

Jinglei's expression shifted as he listened. Only after Changming finished did he hesitate. "Friend, isn't this perhaps inappropriate? If that City Lord were to find out later that I had a hand in this..."

Changming chuckled, "Of course, she won't find out."

Jinglei was displeased. It wasn't as simple as her not knowing if they kept it from her, because once it was done, suspicion would undoubtedly arise. And with any suspicion, he wouldn't be able to clear his name. He couldn't afford to face retribution later; how could his meager standing withstand the revenge of a Ten Great City Lord's wife?

Seeing his hesitation, Changming continued, "My City Lord's intention is quite clear: the Madam's disposition isn't suited for venturing out. Therefore, he intends to put an end to her aspirations. This matter requires your extensive cooperation, but rest assured, friend, once it's done, my City Lord will certainly not be stingy with rewards."

Rewards or not, Jinglei genuinely dared not even consider it. True, if the matter succeeded, that Ten Great City Lord would undoubtedly show his appreciation, and rewards would be plentiful. But he was destined to offend Yuan Xi, so he didn't want to accept. Yet, with the conversation having reached this point, could he refuse? If he dared utter a single "no" right now, he likely wouldn't have a place left to stand in this realm in the future.

"Please, friend, grant me some time. I need to consider it," Jinglei said, clasping his fists and bowing.

Changming gazed at him steadily for a moment, then smiled faintly. "No matter. Friend, contact me whenever you've made up your mind. This matter isn't particularly urgent."

"Thank you, friend!"

A moment later, Changming left.

Jinglei stood rooted to the spot, pondering for a long time before letting out a sigh. He told Changming he needed time to consider, but in truth, there was no need for deliberation. He merely wanted to delay, hoping some unexpected turn of events might arise.

Suddenly, he took out the storage ring Slender Bamboo had given him earlier. His spiritual sense surged inside to probe, and sure enough, the ring was empty—there was absolutely nothing within. The supposed trip to Solitary Wild Goose City was merely Slender Bamboo's pretext for him to leave. At the banquet earlier, Changming must have inquired about intelligence concerning Yuan Xi City from Slender Bamboo. Slender Bamboo then shifted this responsibility onto him, which was why Changming specifically waited for him here. Yuan Xi City, Yuan Xi City... It seemed nothing good had come his way since getting entangled with Yuan Xi City. This was simply an ill-fated connection.

After some thought, Jinglei still darted away, flying in one direction. Since the trip to Solitary Wild Goose City was merely a pretext, there was no need for him to go. He certainly couldn't hand over an empty storage ring to Duan Guhong; otherwise, Duan Guhong might suspect him of pocketing treasures from within. But he couldn't simply wander indefinitely. So he prepared to find one of his own Dao Integration Cities and enter the Harmony Realm. He had previously heard a piece of news: the Battle Arena was reportedly about to host a deathmatch between Dao Fusion and Dao Integration cultivators, drawing countless cultivators to flock to it. However, with the tense situation in the Snow Plains, he had been unable to spare himself and thought he would miss this opportunity. Who would have thought the chance would suddenly appear right before him? This time, he'd go to the Harmony Realm and earn some Dao Fish first.

Finding one of his own Dao Integration Cities in this turbulent region proved not difficult. In less than half a day, Jinglei located his target. After reporting his identity, he was warmly welcomed by the Dao Integration City. Jinglei made a brief tour of the city before directly entering the Harmony Realm. Feeling the lively prosperity of the Harmony Realm, he was momentarily invigorated and carefree, as if all his worries had vanished.

Several days later, in Yuan Xi City, Lu Ye and the others were fully prepared, ready for battle at a moment's notice. They had initially expected to first search for enemy traces, just like last time. To their surprise, before they even reached the location, they could see from afar that a fierce battle was already raging. On a vast battlefield, three Dao Integration Cities stood firmly, forming a three-way standoff, with the central conflict raging furiously. You Die immediately reported, "Two enemy cities against one of ours!"

The current situation differed from the intelligence Jinglei had provided, but both Yuan Xi and Lu Ye knew that Jinglei wasn't intentionally deceiving them. Dao Integration Cities often move around. In the past few days, this area had evidently undergone some changes, resulting in the enemy gaining an additional Dao Integration City, while an ally also arrived, leading to a fierce confrontation here. Judging by the situation on the battlefield, their allied Dao Integration City was undoubtedly at a disadvantage. After all, it was one against two, with fewer cultivators than the enemy, putting it in a difficult position. At such a moment, if Yuan Xi City and Ling Feng City combined forces and charged in, they would undoubtedly be able to turn the tide. It could be said that Yuan Xi City had arrived at a perfectly opportune moment; this battle held no suspense whatsoever.

Lu Ye, standing beside Yuan Xi, couldn't help but grimace. For no other reason than that the Battle Arena deathmatch was also scheduled for today. And just half an hour earlier, Gong Mao had already sent word that everything was ready and they were just waiting for Lu Ye to arrive to begin. There was a time conflict. Lu Ye had intended to quickly finish the current battle, then head to the Battle Arena. After all, for the deathmatch there, he would need to suppress his cultivation and go all out, and in such a fierce contest, injuries were inevitable. If he participated in the deathmatch first and then came here, he would find it very difficult to perform effectively afterward. However, messages from Gong Mao were coming in one after another via the Battle Token, and Lu Ye knew he couldn't delay any longer. He had been in frequent contact with Gong Mao in recent days and knew how much Gong Mao was risking this time. Frankly, if he failed to appear at the Battle Arena on time, Gong Mao's career as manager would effectively be over.

"My Lord, I'll go to the Harmony Realm first!" Lu Ye said.

Yuan Xi raised an eyebrow. "Go quickly and return swiftly!"

She didn't ask Lu Ye what he was going to do, as she already knew in advance.

Lu Ye nodded. "I'll do my best!" He then gave Fu Wei a knowing look and darted towards the Central Hall. Fu Wei followed closely, clutching a storage ring in his hand, his face alight with anticipation.

The ring contained nothing but Dao Fish. The quantity wasn't too excessive, totaling fifty thousand Dao Fish. Ten thousand of these belonged to You Die, while the rest were contributed by Yuan Xi and other cultivators in the city, all entrusted to Fu Wei to take to the Battle Arena for betting! Even the Dao Fusion slaves pooled together a few Dao Fish. Even Huan Qing got involved, not to mention Lian. The lotus sprouts in the Dao Pool were currently entrusted to her care, incurring significant daily expenses. Although she possessed vast wealth, no one's Dao Fish came easily, so how could she miss such an opportunity? Lian, however, was quite restrained, giving Fu Wei only twenty thousand Dao Fish. Otherwise, given her fortune, she could have easily provided much more. Of course, if too many Dao Fish were wagered and they won, whether the Battle Arena would honor the payout was another matter entirely. The Battle Arena had always maintained a rule: friends and relatives of the participants in a deathmatch were prohibited from placing bets. Lu Ye allowing Fu Wei to place bets this time effectively broke that rule. However, even if Gong Mao managed to uncover this information, he would undoubtedly turn a blind eye.

As Lu Ye and Fu Wei appeared in the grand hall of the Harmony Realm, they immediately noticed that the atmosphere was different from their previous visit. The crowd was significantly sparser. With the Snow Plains currently in turmoil, many cultivators remained in their respective Dao Integration Cities, constantly on standby for battle. Consequently, the frequency of entry and exit from the Harmony Realm had naturally decreased. Nevertheless, it was clear that many newly arrived cultivators, upon exiting the hall, immediately flew towards the Battle Arena, appearing hurried. Lu Ye and Fu Wei blended in, completely inconspicuous among them.

"Oh no, oh no, we're late! I'm afraid we won't make it," someone lamented, rushing along.

"Don't panic, there's still time! The deathmatch hasn't begun yet. We can still make it to place our bets."

"Why hasn't it started? Hasn't the scheduled time already passed?"

"Ling Yan has already entered the Battle Arena, but that Nameless Guest has been slow to appear, already a full incense stick's worth of time late." The speaker clearly had very reliable intelligence sources, so even without being present, he knew the situation inside the Battle Arena like the back of his hand.

"Could that Nameless Guest be afraid?" someone questioned. "After all, a Dao Fusion fighting a Dao Integration cultivator looks like a death sentence no matter how you slice it. If he's scared, it's certainly understandable."

"It doesn't matter if he's scared, but he'll drag the Battle Arena down to a complete loss."

Although the deathmatch hadn't yet begun, the betting had already opened, and countless cultivators had placed their wagers. If the Nameless Guest failed to enter the arena in a few more moments, his opponent, Ling Yan, would win by default. In that case, the Battle Arena would still have to pay out the stakes of the cultivators who bet on Ling Yan, according to the established odds. It should be noted that since this deathmatch was publicized, not many people had favored the Nameless Guest. Consequently, as soon as the betting opened, the vast majority of gamblers placed their stakes on Ling Yan, who was a Dao Integration cultivator. Even those who bet on the Nameless Guest did so with a hopeful, perhaps even fluky, mindset.

"Will the Battle Arena renege on the payout?"

"Impossible. Master Qin's reputation is unparalleled. He has painstakingly managed and built the Battle Arena for so many years, never once having a credibility issue. The fact that the betting hasn't even closed yet shows that the Battle Arena can afford to lose. At most, it will simply take a hit to its vitality after this battle."

"That makes sense. So, does that mean placing a bet now is guaranteed profit?"

"Precisely!"

A group of cultivators flew rapidly towards the Battle Arena, chatting animatedly as they went. Fu Wei's eyes lit up as he listened, and he subtly glanced at Lu Ye beside him. These ignorant fools had no idea that the renowned Nameless Guest was right beside them, mistakenly believing he was too afraid of this deathmatch to show up. Little did they know, the Nameless Guest had killed more Dao Integration cultivators than could be counted on two hands. While most of those were finishing blows, there were also times when he single-handedly slew a Dao Integration cultivator. So, Fu Wei wasn't worried about this battle at all. In the Harmony Realm, Dao Integration cultivators couldn't draw upon external power. No matter how strong they were outside, their strength would be significantly diminished here!