Chapter 2593: Saintly Execution Heavenly Formation

Among the Ten Great Coalescence Cities, Phoenix City had the fewest members. When several powerful individuals were slain by Blood Scourge back then, they deliberately concealed the news. Blood Scourge certainly wouldn't publicize the matter, which meant this secret was known to very few. Neon Refinement happened to be one of them.

The wormhole that suddenly appeared near Thin Bamboo City must have been artificially created by a powerful expert. That's why Yuan Xi immediately thought of Phoenix City, as it possesses this capability. But Lu Ye sensed the aura of the Blood Clan… This was somewhat unusual. Having refined the Phoenix Clan's bloodline, Blood Scourge must possess some control over space. As one of the Ten Great City Lords, he certainly had the ability to perform such a feat.

Yuan Xi immediately recalled that Neon Refinement had previously mentioned a great change was coming to the Snowfield, wondering if this was what she had been referring to. It was for this reason that Neon Refinement was uneasy about her staying in the Snowfield and wanted to forcibly bring her back to Crimson Refinement City, to prevent her from getting caught in the impending turmoil. Unfortunately, Neon Refinement wasn't certain what that great change entailed. Due to her status as one of the Ten Great City Lords, she merely had a special, albeit vague, premonition about certain impending crises that could alter the inner world's landscape. However, judging from the current situation, even if Blood Scourge intervened to open a wormhole here, it wouldn't constitute a major change.

In just a few words, that vast area had already turned crimson, and a dense, bloody stench permeated and spread in all directions.

Thin Bamboo's expression was grave. His divine sense surged continuously as he issued orders, then gritted his teeth and declared, "They've lost all shame! They're actually stepping into the fray themselves!" No wonder he was so enraged. Although the Snowfield conflict had caused a considerable stir and involved countless Coalescence Cities, ultimately, it was a dispute among cities of Cosmic grade and below. Blood Drink City and Myriad Ancient City had merely stood behind their respective factions. Now, with Blood Scourge taking action and attempting to forcibly open a wormhole, wasn't this indeed stepping into the fray personally? What angered him even more was why Thin Bamboo City was being targeted! Among the eight battle zones in the Snowfield, with eight Cosmic-grade cities presiding, why was his city so unlucky? Could it be that they were easier to bully?

"Fellow Daoist, this incident is sudden, so I won't escort you," Thin Bamboo said hurriedly. "Additionally, if possible, I ask that you stay to assist. If our city fortunately survives this ordeal, we will never forget your kindness and assistance." He then turned and left. The wormhole was about to be opened. The enemy, having planned thoroughly against an unprepared foe, had caught them off guard. It was foreseeable that a large number of enemies would soon pour through. This battle was very likely to determine the survival of Thin Bamboo City. As the City Lord, how could Thin Bamboo not treat it with utmost seriousness?

Currently, there were indeed many Coalescence Cities resting near Thin Bamboo City, several hundred in fact. However, those cities were mostly below Barren grade and could not be relied upon. Since the enemy dared to act in this manner today, they must have a certain degree of confidence. Only Yuan Xi City remained. Yuan Xi herself was powerful, and her city was of Torrent grade. In terms of strength, she was no weaker than Thin Bamboo and could potentially be a game-changer. Therefore, Thin Bamboo naturally hoped Yuan Xi would stay and assist. However, persuasion was useless in such matters; if Yuan Xi wished to stay, she would, and if not, anything he said would be futile. At this moment, he was somewhat grateful to Startle Thunder. If not for Startle Thunder, Yuan Xi would not have come here at this critical juncture, nor would she have encountered today's events.

"My Lady, what should we do?" Lu Ye asked Yuan Xi.

"Of course, we'll join in!" Yuan Xi said excitedly. "If Thin Bamboo City falls, those two hundred thousand Dao Fish will be gone." Not only that, for her, the greatest obsession was the Coalescence Orbs of enemy Coalescence Cities; Dao Fish were secondary. Previously, she could only breach a city every now and then, but with such a grand spectacle today, if luck was on their side, the gains wouldn't be small. Once the battle began, it was possible that everywhere they looked, there would be Coalescence Cities ripe for attack. Before, it was just minor skirmishes; this time, it was the real grand spectacle.

"Back to the city first!" Yuan Xi called out, then used her power to envelop Lu Ye and swept towards Yuan Xi City. Lu Ye looked up and saw that the crimson color over there was growing denser. If that were all, it would be fine, but the key was that the crimson color was pulsating as if it had a mind of its own, disturbing the space there, making it ripple like a wrinkled blanket. He marveled inwardly, thinking, as expected of a Ten Great City Lord-level expert, this move was truly extraordinary.

With such a clear and grand commotion, the hundreds of Coalescence Cities anchored near Thin Bamboo City inevitably fell into a panic. Many City Lords were experienced individuals; although they didn't know the exact reason, they knew this phenomenon was extraordinary and indicated a potential major change. Some clever ones immediately steered their Coalescence Cities into Thin Bamboo City. However, although Thin Bamboo City was massive, its capacity was ultimately limited. It couldn't accommodate so many Coalescence Cities, so more had to remain anchored outside, filled with trepidation. At this moment, Yuan Xi City moved in the opposite direction, rushing out of Thin Bamboo City, drawing scorn and contempt from cultivators in all directions. This posture looked exactly like fleeing.

"My Lady, wouldn't it be safer for us to hide inside Thin Bamboo City?" Dark Butterfly asked, puzzled, as she piloted Yuan Xi City away. Today's scene was destined to be grand. Once the great battle began, with Thin Bamboo City's protection, as long as its defensive array remained, their city wouldn't need to worry about its own safety.

Yuan Xi shook her head, "Thin Bamboo City might not be able to hold."

Lu Ye was startled, never expecting Yuan Xi's prediction of the battle to be so pessimistic. Lotus also nodded beside them, "Since Blood Scourge is personally opening the wormhole, he must have made thorough preparations. Thin Bamboo himself probably knows this well. If it were possible, he'd likely flee faster than us, but unfortunately, he can't escape."

Lu Ye's expression was grave: "Will Blood Scourge come over to attack?"

Lotus shook her head, "Not necessarily. Blood Scourge is one of the Ten Great City Lords after all. It's one thing for him to secretly open the wormhole; even if others know, they won't have any concrete evidence against him. But if he personally steps in to fight, the situation would be different. In that case, the one from Myriad Ancient City would certainly not stand idly by."

Since both Yuan Xi and Lotus believed Thin Bamboo City certainly wouldn't hold, keeping their city here was not a good idea. Compared to other Coalescence Cities, their city's greatest advantage was its speed, and it also possessed Mirage's secret technique. Therefore, as long as they found a place to quietly lie in wait outside, there was basically no risk of being discovered. Currently, with their city being of Torrent grade, the range within which it could provide Yuan Xi with amplification was immense. As long as their hidden location wasn't too far, Yuan Xi could fully utilize her abilities within a certain radius.

Almost at the same moment Yuan Xi City fled Thin Bamboo City, a cracking sound suddenly echoed. The sound resonated within everyone's Sea of Consciousness, as if something had fractured in that instant. Lu Ye abruptly turned his head and saw that in the crimson-filled area, space was shattering, and a huge rift appeared. Even from a great distance, he could clearly perceive the fluctuating aura of nihility and chaos emanating from within the rift. This was not a naturally formed wormhole, so the space here was actually very stable. When the rift appeared, the void clearly showed signs of self-repair. But then, a gigantic bloody hand suddenly emerged from the rift and clamped onto one side of it. The scene was as if the world had opened a door, and a giant entity behind it had seized the closing doorframe. Three breaths later, another gigantic bloody hand extended and gripped the other side of the rift.

Inside Lu Ye, the Blood Clan's bloodline began to violently stir, emitting an extremely strong craving. He understood that these two bloody hands must be Blood Scourge's doing. The sacredness emanating from this strongest Blood Clan member was so potent it was beyond his reach. If Lu Ye were a pure Blood Clan member, he would likely have been suppressed to the point of shivering body and soul by the pervasive sacredness. But he was not a true Blood Clan member after all, so not only was he not suppressed, but his internal Blood Clan bloodline instead developed a covetous desire for the sacredness of this strongest Blood Clan member.

It was at this instant that the colossal Thin Bamboo City suddenly trembled. Immediately after, a point of light converged at a certain location, rapidly brightening. The dispersed Dao power both inside and outside the city fiercely gathered towards that bright spot, forming a colossal vortex. The light grew even brighter, and an utterly terrifying aura surged forth. Lu Ye looked up at the light, realizing it was Thin Bamboo City's counterattack.

"Thin Bamboo City's Saint Exterminating Heavenly Array!" Nearby, Lotus's eyes also gleamed with unusual brilliance as she watched intently. "I wonder if it can break Blood Scourge's technique." The arrays within the many Coalescence Cities in the inner world weren't merely for defense; they also possessed counterattack capabilities. Even Yuan Xi City had such arrangements, let alone a colossal entity like Thin Bamboo City. This Saint Exterminating Heavenly Array was Thin Bamboo City's strongest offensive array. It was rarely seen in ordinary times because its activation consumed immense energy and it was not usually deployed lightly. Thin Bamboo immediately employing such a method clearly showed his extreme apprehension towards Blood Scourge. He aimed to use this to break Blood Scourge's technique; if successful, Thin Bamboo City's current crisis would be easily resolved.

"Difficult," Yuan Xi shook her head. "The Saint Exterminating Heavenly Array was indeed formidable, but it probably wasn't quite enough to counter Blood Scourge's methods." Since Blood Scourge had made a covert move, it was impossible that he hadn't considered Thin Bamboo City's capabilities.

As her words fell, the light from Thin Bamboo City suddenly vanished. Immediately after, a colossal figure suddenly emerged from where the light had disappeared. It was a human-like figure with six arms and a body resembling bamboo. It was Thin Bamboo himself! However, this was clearly not the true Thin Bamboo, but rather an entity formed from an incredibly terrifying concentration of Dao power. Its body was enveloped in a halo, yet it was remarkably lifelike, as if it were a living person. He rose from Thin Bamboo City, towering over everything. His six arms each wielded a Dao weapon. With a single stride, he shot forward, appearing before the two gigantic hands gripping the edge of the rift, and roared, "Kill!"

The six Dao weapons unleashed their respective powers, launching a fierce assault. The void vibrated, and the four cardinal points crumbled. The two bloody hands were instantly severed, causing blood to rain down and only making the crimson color in that area even denser.