Chapter 2575: The Second Form of Yuanchi Dao Soldiers

Seeing Lian had already reached Yuanxi and joined forces with her, the young man quickly sent a mental message: "Call for reinforcements!"

He only hoped that Eagle Flight could live up to his expectations and hold out a little longer.

At his command, several Fusion Realm cultivators, who had been waiting in the central hall, quickly entered the Dao-Union Dimension using their Dao-Union Orbs.

A few breaths later, the first Fusion Realm cultivator reappeared, but not alone. They were accompanied by another individual whose aura clearly indicated they were a Dao-Union Realm expert!

Soon after, the second Fusion Realm cultivator returned, also bringing a Dao-Union Realm expert.

Then the third...

In a short time, seven or eight new Dao-Union auras suddenly appeared in the central hall.

These Dao-Union Realm cultivators were the young man's pre-arranged backup. Several of the Dao-Union Realm cultivators who had already joined the battle did not even belong to this Barren-tier city; they were merely temporary helpers he had recruited.

Lu Ye's suspicions were not unfounded; a Barren-tier city boasting a lineup of over ten Dao-Union Realm cultivators truly seemed amiss.

This Barren-tier city was itself a bait, designed to lure Yuanxi City.

If everything had gone as planned, with such precise targeting, this battle would have been a prolonged stalemate with no clear victor. The young man would then simply have summoned his pre-arranged reinforcements from the Dao-Union Dimension at the opportune moment, allowing them to join the fray and decisively turn the tide of battle.

However, Lu Ye proved to be an unexpected variable. His presence led to two of their Dao-Union Realm cultivators dying in succession, forcing the young man to reveal the existence of his reinforcements prematurely.

"That guy!" Outside the hall, the young man gazed in Lu Ye's direction, his brows tightly furrowed with an expression of intense displeasure.

The reason for his annoyance was simple: in that short span, Lu Ye had already teamed up with Huan Qing to slay yet another Dao-Union Realm cultivator.

The one battling Huan Qing was already outmatched; once Lu Ye joined the fray, their struggle became even more desperate. Huan Qing eventually found an opening to bypass their protective power, allowing Lu Ye to deliver the killing blow.

He noticed something very interesting: the Star Abyss Coins gained from slaying Dao-Union Realm cultivators here seemed to be more than he had anticipated.

He had found it odd when he killed the body cultivator earlier. In the past, he had single-handedly slain Dao-Union Realm cultivators using only his own strength, and usually received three Star Abyss Coins. Yet, that body cultivator yielded four.

The one he and Huan Qing just killed provided two coins.

The number of Star Abyss Coins awarded, unless it was merely a finishing blow, was directly tied to his contribution in the battle, as well as the strength of the enemy.

In both cases—the previous body cultivator and the current Dao-Union Realm expert—Lu Ye had contributed significantly, so it was no surprise he received more than one Star Abyss Coin.

Furthermore, these enemies were not inherently weak; they were merely suppressed by the unique environment. This implied that, in the judgment of the Star Abyss Will, Lu Ye wasn't just defeating higher-ranked opponents, he was overcoming powerful adversaries!

This place was truly ideal for him to demonstrate his abilities!

As he was thinking this, he abruptly turned his head, looked towards the enemy's Dao-Union City, and exclaimed, "It's an ambush!"

The sudden appearance of seven or eight new Dao-Union auras was impossible to conceal; in fact, the enemy seemed to have no intention of hiding them. Even without actively trying to sense them, Lu Ye felt their presence distinctly.

Something was definitely wrong.

The unique connection between the Dao-Union Dimension and the Dao-Union Orb allowed cultivators to freely enter and exit Dao-Union Cities, and even bring others with them. Lu Ye had previously considered whether such a scenario might arise when attacking a Dao-Union City, but he had never actually encountered it until now.

This was because most Dao-Union Realm cultivators possessed their own Dao-Union Cities and typically resided within them. Unless contacted in advance, it was difficult for them to arrive so promptly.

He hadn't expected to encounter it today.

This was clearly a trap!

Considering all the preceding events, Lu Ye was almost certain that this was a trap specifically targeting Yuanxi City. Otherwise, the initial deployment of the enemy's Dao-Union Realm cultivators wouldn't have been so precise and logical.

The enemy's sole miscalculation was him—a Fusion Realm cultivator capable of matching a Dao-Union Realm expert—which gave him the opportunity to act.

Where had things gone wrong?

The intelligence had come from Governor City. For a long time, both Yuanxi City and Lingfeng City had profited immensely from Governor City's information, which had never been wrong.

This time, however, was different!

There was no time for further contemplation. As soon as the seven or eight Dao-Union Realm auras appeared, they immediately surged towards the battlefield, needing only a dozen breaths to arrive.

Lu Ye's heart pounded with urgency.

In this brief period, his side had managed to slay three enemy Dao-Union Realm cultivators and gain a slight advantage. However, if they didn't press their advantage, that hard-won lead would vanish once the enemy's numerous reinforcements arrived.

Then, it would be their side that was suppressed.

To break out of this situation, there was only one option: swift kills!

They needed to kill at least three or four more Dao-Union Realm cultivators before the enemy reinforcements arrived. That way, even if the reinforcements made it to the battlefield, they would only be able to fill the gaps in their ranks and barely maintain the situation, making it impossible for them to achieve a significant impact.

But how incredibly difficult would it be to achieve such a feat in just a dozen breaths? Simply reaching the next battle would consume a significant amount of time.

Though not easy, they had no choice but to push through!

"Follow me!" Lu Ye called out, pulling Huan Qing along as he charged towards the nearest combat zone.

In that particular engagement, a Vice City Lord from Lingfeng City was fighting an enemy Dao-Union Realm cultivator. Both were unleashing their Dao powers, but the enemy seemed significantly stronger than Lingfeng City's Vice City Lord, though Lu Ye couldn't tell their origin.

The enemy Dao-Union Realm cultivator suddenly felt two killing intents lock onto him from afar. Stealing a glance, he saw Huan Qing rushing towards them, holding Lu Ye by the arm. (Lu Ye's awkward predicament was his insufficient cultivation, which made him too slow; any Dao-Union Realm expert's speed far surpassed his. In their current haste, he had no choice but to rely on Huan Qing for assistance with travel.)

Upon seeing this, the enemy Dao-Union Realm cultivator scoffed lightly. With a single move, they forced back Lingfeng City's Vice City Lord, then turned and fled.

He wasn't foolish enough to stay and wait for them to attack. If he had been at a disadvantage, escaping would have been difficult, but since he held the upper hand, he was free to fight or retreat as he pleased.

As soon as the reinforcements arrived, he could turn around and counter-attack; there would be plenty of time then to see who was stronger.

Lu Ye, witnessing this from a distance, was so enraged he almost spat blood.

Pursuit was unrealistic. Time was short, and even if Huan Qing could catch them, it would consume too much precious time.

He quickly turned to look elsewhere. The nearest battlefield was not close, requiring at least seven or eight breaths to reach.

There wasn't enough time!

"I knew you were trouble!" a fierce cry echoed, laced with boundless fury.

It was Yuanxi's voice.

Lu Ye looked in the direction of the voice, and his expression froze in surprise.

He saw their City Lord, Yuanxi, enveloped in swirling black lotus petals, fiercely driving back the enemy's Barren-tier City Lord with an absolutely overwhelming aura.

Eagle Flight was now in dire straits.

He had been obedient, following the young man's advice to bring two helpers to face Yuanxi at the start of the battle. As a Barren-tier City Lord, even with two assistants, he had only barely managed to hold his ground.

But when Lian suddenly intruded into the battle, drawing away his two Dao-Union Realm companions, he was left to face Yuanxi alone.

When the three of them had fought together, he had only felt Yuanxi was strong. Now, alone, he realized her strength was beyond imagination; she was simply not an opponent he could handle.

Even fighting with all his might, he struggled to withstand Yuanxi's formidable power. He predicted he could last no more than thirty breaths before being beaten to death on the spot.

He immediately contemplated retreat.

He hadn't been particularly keen on the young man's previous promise anyway, and it certainly wasn't worth sacrificing his life for now.

Fortunately, he soon realized that the young man's reinforcements were arriving. If he could just hold out for ten more breaths, he would have help.

It wouldn't be a problem!

Unless absolutely forced, he preferred not to offend his opponent. Compared to facing repercussions later, sabotaging the young man's plan would also lead to unfavorable consequences for him.

It was then that Yuanxi suddenly unleashed her power.

Her Dao Soldier Black Lotus shattered, transforming into a whirlwind of chaotic petals that swirled around her in a mysterious floral dance. With a sharp cry, the dark black petals swiftly turned a brilliant white.

They were a pure, snowy white, spotless and immaculate.

Immediately after, countless snow-white petals converged upon her, adhering to her form piece by piece. In the blink of an eye, Yuanxi was clad in brilliant white armor. The armor was incredibly form-fitting, accentuating her curves, and on the chest, a blooming lotus emblem gently swayed with the surge of Yuanxi's Dao power, appearing almost alive.

What's more, even Yuanxi's fists were enveloped by the armor, as if encased in incredibly thin gauntlets.

"Twilight Heart's White Ablution!" In the Barren-tier city, witnessing this scene, the young man who had been observing the battle felt his eyelids twitch. "Since when..."

He was secretly stunned. His lady had been hiding her strength incredibly well. He had never known she had nurtured her personal treasure to such a level. Hadn't it been said that her treasure cultivation had hit a bottleneck and hadn't progressed for years?

But now, it was clear she had broken through long ago, simply keeping it a secret.

Their superior must have known, yet inexplicably, they hadn't informed him!

He found himself caught between laughter and tears, and silently felt pity for Eagle Flight, for he had a premonition that Eagle Flight was about to face a dire fate.

He considered sending aid, as Eagle Flight's death would also be detrimental to him. Among all their Dao-Union Realm cultivators on the battlefield, Eagle Flight, as the Barren-tier City Lord, was the strongest, and the only one who could offer any resistance to Yuanxi.

However, even for him, it was too late to intervene at this point. Furthermore, given Yuanxi's current state, even if he did act, he might not be able to save Eagle Flight.

"Alas," the young man sighed, already foreseeing the inevitable outcome. After a brief hesitation, he took out a sound talisman and sent a message.

This entire scheme had been fraught with unexpected difficulties. He could only hope that everything would proceed smoothly from here on out.