Chapter 2578: Absolute Desperation

"I have a question," Lu Ye suddenly said."What is it?" Yuan Xi turned to look at him."We've only considered our own city's situation," Lu Ye explained. "What about Lingfeng City? Our city has a secret art left by the Mirage, and if the opportunity is right, we might be able to conceal ourselves and escape the pursuers. But what will Lingfeng City do?"Yuan Xi was taken aback.He was right. Lingfeng City didn't have the same advantages as Yuan Xi City. Even if Yuan Xi City successfully went into hiding, Lingfeng City wouldn't be able to escape and would ultimately be destroyed.

Lu Ye sighed. "My Lady, I'll go to Lingfeng City to explain the gravity of the situation to Lord Zhao and persuade him to abandon his city. However, if he agrees, we'll need to be prepared to take in everyone from his city."Lian nodded. "The Grand Commander's foresight is excellent. If we can achieve that, our city's defensive capabilities will significantly increase, which will be very helpful against the coming pursuit.""Then it's settled," Yuan Xi said. "Grand Commander, you go."Lu Ye cupped his fist, then vanished from their city, heading towards Lingfeng City.

He silently nursed a headache. While his idea was sound, executing it would be fraught with difficulty. As a Barren-level City Lord, Zhao Lingfeng had painstakingly built his foundation over many years; it wouldn't be easy for him to abandon it. Persuading him to give up his city and have all his people transfer to Yuan Xi City was merely a wishful thought on their part. Lu Ye could only hope Zhao Lingfeng would see the gravity of the situation, as, given the current circumstances, Lingfeng City was doomed to fall even if he didn't abandon it.

A short while later, he entered the city. Zhao Lingfeng and all the Harmony Realm cultivators looked deeply worried. Since choosing to ally with Yuan Xi City, they had fought many battles without a single defeat, yielding significant gains. Zhao Lingfeng had often prided himself on his initial decision, never imagining such a huge predicament would arise today. Moreover, today's battle clearly felt abnormal. He had previously messaged Yuan Xi to inquire about the situation but had received no reply.Seeing Lu Ye now, he quickly went to meet him, his face filled with anxiety. "Fellow Daoist Lu, what exactly is going on? Have we been sold out?"He had realized it was a trap from the start of the battle but couldn't understand why.Lu Ye said gravely, "I don't know the exact details either, but the current situation is dire. I'm sure City Lord Zhao can see that once those many Harmony Realm cultivators catch up in a moment, we will likely face a tragic end.""This... what should we do?" Zhao Lingfeng's expression was panicked. When he had previously breached enemy Harmony Realm cities, he had felt magnificent and pleased. Now that his own city was about to be breached, the emotions he felt were truly complex.

"My City Lord's intention," Lu Ye stated, "is for you all to abandon your city first. Then, our two forces will combine, doing our utmost to hold off the pursuers for a while. This way, our city might be able to use the complex environment here to hide and escape this calamity.""Abandon the city..." Zhao Lingfeng murmured.He knew very well that even if he didn't abandon his Harmony Realm City, he couldn't save it. But for a City Lord, abandoning their city was always the most humiliating act, a last resort.Wu Mi frowned. "Fellow Daoist Lu, there are over thirty Harmony Realm cultivators among the pursuers. Even if our two sides combine, I'm afraid we'll struggle to withstand their assault, won't we?""Of course, we can't fully stop them, so we'll only delay them," Lu Ye nodded. The numerical disparity at the Harmony Realm was too great; even with Yuan Xi's exceptional power, it wouldn't change the overall situation. "You must have witnessed my City Lord's formidable might earlier. If she can quickly eliminate a few of them, any of the remaining pursuers with a shred of sense will surely become apprehensive."

Recalling Yuan Xi's unparalleled bravery, all the Harmony Realm cultivators' expressions turned grim. To be honest, they had never witnessed such terrifying combat power; two successive Barren-level City Lords had been eliminated by Yuan Xi as if they were mere chicks.Wu Mi nodded upon hearing this. "It is indeed an opportunity." With that, he turned to Zhao Lingfeng, clearly swayed by the idea.Zhao Lingfeng struggled for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "Let's fight first. If it becomes impossible, it won't be too late to abandon the city!" He clearly didn't want to abandon the city without even a fight, as that would indeed diminish his prestige as a City Lord. While other Harmony Realm cultivators could transfer to Yuan Xi City without much impact, he would lose his status as a City Lord if he did so. For many City Lord-level Harmony Realm cultivators, accustomed to the boost in strength provided by their Harmony Orb, a sudden drastic drop in power was difficult to accept.Lu Ye sighed faintly. Zhao Lingfeng's choice was both expected and reasonable. However, this meant there was no hope for Lingfeng City's Harmony Orb. Originally, if Zhao Lingfeng had been willing to abandon his city now, Lu Ye could have found an opportunity to shatter its Harmony Orb and bring it back to Yuan Xi City. In that scenario, Lingfeng City would only lose its internal arrangements, with no damage to the Harmony Orb itself. But since Zhao Lingfeng didn't want to abandon the city directly, it would ultimately be breached by the enemy.

"They're here!" Wu Mi exclaimed in a low voice.Everyone looked back to see numerous streaks of light rapidly approaching Lingfeng City, soon reaching striking distance. Over thirty Harmony Realm cultivators chasing them like this sent shivers down their spines.Zhao Lingfeng didn't immediately issue an order but stood silently. He was waiting. He was waiting for Yuan Xi to make the first move. This disaster was most likely aimed at Yuan Xi City, and he believed Lingfeng City wasn't important enough to warrant such treatment. Therefore, Yuan Xi should undoubtedly bear the brunt of the initial attack. Facing over thirty enemies with a force of just over ten Harmony Realm cultivators carried immense risk, and he certainly didn't want to be the one to rush in.Yuan Xi City was small in scale and had fewer inhabitants, so its defense had always been a weakness. However, it had its own advantages: it was significantly faster than other Harmony Realm cities. Despite being a Flood-level city, it was only the size of a Yellow-level city. In terms of speed alone, it was likely unparalleled in this realm. Currently, Yuan Xi City's flight speed was indeed not as fast as a Harmony Realm cultivator's, but Yuan Xi had previously estimated that if their city advanced another level to Celestial-level, it could outpace most Harmony Realm cultivators. Only those renowned for speed, like Lian, would be able to catch up to their city during a pursuit. This was why Yuan Xi had always adhered to a strategy of quality over quantity and had no plans to expand her city's size. Her idea was to fight any enemies they could defeat, and simply flee from those they couldn't. As long as they were fast enough, they wouldn't have to worry about their city being breached, even if they were outmatched. In contrast, larger Harmony Realm cities, once they fell into a disadvantage during battle, found it extremely difficult to escape pursuit.However, within the Inner Realm, if one were to name the fastest flying Harmony Realm city, it would undoubtedly be One-Man City. This one of the Ten Greats was even smaller than Yuan Xi City and was in a dilapidated state, yet it was one of the Ten Greats, reaching the Universal-level. Even Lian, at full speed, might not be able to match One-Man City.Therefore, during their previous escape, Yuan Xi City and Lingfeng City were positioned one in front of the other. This was also a result of Yuan Xi City accommodating Lingfeng City; if Yuan Xi City had not held back, it could have easily left Lingfeng City behind. Now that the enemy Harmony Realm cultivators were attacking, Lingfeng City, being at the rear, was the first target.

Yuan Xi naturally wouldn't stand by. After such a long period of cooperation as allies, and now needing Lingfeng City's strength to escape their predicament, she didn't wait for the Harmony Realm cultivators to get close. Instead, she transformed into a white light and surged out of Yuan Xi City once more, heading directly towards the enemy formation.In a blink, she bypassed Lingfeng City and appeared before the approaching enemy. Half of these pursuers were Harmony Realm cultivators from the two recently arrived Barren-level cities and had never witnessed Yuan Xi's previous display of power, so they had no idea how formidable she was. Several figures hastily moved to intercept Yuan Xi, attempting to encircle her.However, the white light merely flickered and shifted a few times among these individuals. With each flash and movement, the aura of a Harmony Realm cultivator burst like a bubble. In an instant, Yuan Xi claimed the lives of three Harmony Realm cultivators and severely wounded two others.The white light faded, and she stood still, her white armor spotless, her demeanor profound, and her gaze sweeping coldly across the front. "Dare to advance further, and you will die!"

The numerous streaks of light halted their advance, and everyone looked at Yuan Xi with utter terror. These were cultivators who had experienced countless life-or-death struggles, yet none had ever witnessed such an exaggerated display of power. It was safe to say that Yuan Xi's attack had truly intimidated these enemies.One after another, figures appeared behind her. All the cultivators from their city, and even Lingfeng City, who could participate in battle, now stood revealed.Lu Ye gripped his blade, gazing forward, his eyebrows raised. Today's situation... might just work out! In this scenario, Yuan Xi wouldn't need to hold out for long. If she could just persist for a dozen more breaths, Yuan Xi City could escape far away. Then, by finding a suitable place to lie low, they would have a chance to escape this crisis.He glanced sideways at Yuan Xi, noticing that the City Lord's expression grew increasingly stern, exuding an aura of inviolable dignity.Just as Lu Ye was thinking this, he suddenly sensed a ripple of spiritual consciousness near him. He immediately turned to look around. In this snowy plain, spiritual consciousness was unusable; he had experienced its difficulties firsthand when he tried before. So whose spiritual consciousness was this? And what ability did the sender possess to extend it without being affected by the frigid conditions? What was their objective? He then caught sight of Lian's gaze, indicating she had also detected it. Their eyes met, and mutual confusion was evident in their expressions.Before he could ponder further, a powerful voice boomed from the front: "Fellow Daoist, do you no longer want your city?"Lu Ye whirled around, his face instantly changing. This was because, directly in front of the escaping Yuan Xi City and Lingfeng City, two more Harmony Realm cities had appeared, heading straight for them and blocking Yuan Xi City's path.Panic surged in his heart. All Harmony Realm cultivators from their city, except for You Die who remained to guard it, had gone out to battle. Relying solely on the Integration Realm cultivators offered very little defensive capability. This was true for both Yuan Xi City and Lingfeng City. If they were to collide head-on, it wouldn't take long for both Harmony Realm cities to be breached. And once Yuan Xi City's Harmony Orb was destroyed, Yuan Xi's power would plummet. In the blink of an eye, the situation had become critically perilous.