Chapter 2646: The Arrival of the Strong

“Grand Commander…” Yuan Xi stood behind Lu Ye and softly called out.

She had never met Yun Shiwang before, nor had she heard Lu Ye mention him. However, since they were fellow disciples, their relationship must have been very close. Now that a loved one had passed away in front of him, her Grand Commander must be feeling very heavy-hearted. She wanted to offer comfort but didn't know how to begin.

Lu Ye slowly shook his head and rose to his feet. He bowed respectfully towards the spot where Yun Shiwang had vanished: "Farewell, Senior Brother!"

Heaven had indeed been kind to Yun Shiwang. After being enslaved by the will of the Heavenly Pivot Sword for so many years, he had regained a bit of his consciousness at the very last moment. And this was already the best possible outcome for him.

As the sword slave of the Heavenly Pivot Sword, with the treasure shattered, it was impossible for him to survive alone. In other words, Yun Shiwang had essentially died the moment he became a sword slave all those years ago. Ultimately, the fact that he was able to regain a trace of consciousness was thanks to Ba Qiu for shattering the Heavenly Pivot Sword.

The paramount strongman of the Inner Realm had remained silent, seemingly intentionally giving Lu Ye and Yun Shiwang time to bid farewell. Only now did he suddenly let out a cold snort: "Since you're all here, why hide? I, Ba, am here today. Whoever wants my life, come get it!"

As his voice fell, several figures appeared one after another from all directions. Each of them exuded a profound aura and appeared as deep as an abyss.

Lu Ye's gaze swept across them. He found that there were five figures in total. He recognized only one: Xue Jiu, who was enveloped in a mass of blood-red light. As for the other four, he knew nothing about them.

Yuan Xi clearly intended to distract Lu Ye and proactively introduced them: "Do you see that fellow with eight arms and three heads? That's Hong Tu, the City Lord of Hundred Battles City."

"This shadowy figure must be Zong Shenliang, from Senluo City."

"And this Winged race member—don't be fooled by his youthful appearance; he's actually an old monster who has lived for tens of thousands of years. That one is Xuan Wuzong, from Ten Steps City."

"Finally, the one from the Water Spirit clan is Gu Mingyue, from Thousand Streams City."

Names that were legendary among countless cultivators in the Inner Realm burst from Yuan Xi's lips, making Lu Ye's eyelids twitch.

Xue Jiu of Blood Drinking City, Hong Tu of Hundred Battles City, Zong Shenliang of Senluo City, Xuan Wuzong of Ten Steps City, Gu Mingyue of Thousand Streams City. Five of the Ten Great City Lords had appeared all at once! Including Ba Qiu and the Phoenix Lord, seven of the Ten Great City Lord-level powerhouses were gathered here at this very moment!

Lu Ye's first thought was: Ba Qiu's popularity truly wasn't great. Half of the Ten Great City Lords, his peers, wanted him dead and had come to kick him while he was down at this critical juncture. Furthermore, Lu Ye had heard that Ba Qiu seemed to have some grievances with Dragon City. If anyone from Dragon City came, it would be even livelier.

However, Lu Ye soon realized a problem: Dragon City probably wouldn't send anyone. Not to mention that the relationship between Dragon City and Blood Drinking City was not good, making it impossible for them to collude with Xue Jiu. Simply put, dragons and phoenixes were historically one family. With the Phoenix Lord of the Phoenix clan currently siding with Ba Qiu, Dragon City would give face regardless.

From the looks of the scene, they were outnumbered. After all, Ba Qiu and the Phoenix Lord had to face five opponents with just the two of them, and Ba Qiu was still severely wounded. The situation was indeed not optimistic.

But Ba Qiu had Yi Fu City, while the other five had come alone. Although there was only one level difference between a Yu-level Dao Convergence City and a Zhou-level one, there was a fundamental distinction. The biggest difference lay in the scope of power amplification for the City Lord. A Zhou-level City offered a large amplification range, but it had a limit. A Yu-level City had no such limit. Simply put, as long as these City Lords remained within the Inner Realm, they could receive amplification from their respective Dao Convergence Cities. However, this came with a discount, roughly 70-80% of their full power. In other words, these five City Lords could only exert 70-80% of their peak power at this moment. The Phoenix Lord was no exception.

Ba Qiu was different. While it was true he was severely wounded, with Yi Fu City here, he could unleash his full power. The coming battle was not a clash with Yun Shiwang; he would have no further reservations and could fight without restraint. Furthermore, although these five had gathered hastily, no one knew if they could truly work together. Therefore, no one could predict the outcome of this battle; only after they fought would they know.

"Phoenix Lord, are you truly determined to be so stubborn?" From within the blood-red light, Xue Jiu looked at Huang Shiniang and spoke coldly.

Huang Shiniang sneered repeatedly: "Not colluding with you makes me stubborn? What a joke."

Zong Shenliang slowly said, "If the Phoenix Lord is willing to withdraw today, we will all owe you a favor."

Huang Shiniang said disdainfully, "I've disliked you for a long time; it's a good day to fight!" If not for Ba Qiu being the root cause of today's events, she could have even called on the one from Dragon City to assist. If she had asked, Dragon City would certainly not have refused. But Ba Qiu and Dragon City had a strained relationship. It was already good that Dragon City wasn't involved in targeting him this time. How could they come to offer assistance? It was precisely for this reason that even though she had anticipated today's situation, she hadn't notified Dragon City beforehand.

Gu Mingyue, a transparent, undulating figure resembling a mass of flowing water, sneered: "Sister Huang, I heard long ago that this brute Ba Qiu abandoned you. Why are you still sticking by him today? Could the rumors be false?"

Huang Shiniang looked at her with cold eyes and said indifferently: "If you like talking, talk more. Later, when I rip your mouth off, you won't be able to say anything!"

Gu Mingyue's aura faltered. Although they were all among the Ten Great City Lords, there were indeed differences in their strength. Ba Qiu was universally recognized as the strongest in the Inner Realm. After him came the Dragon Venerable and the Phoenix Lord. Due to their noble origins, these two were indeed a cut above the other City Lords in terms of power.

Xuan Wuzong cast a faint glance at Gu Mingyue; he knew exactly what she was thinking. This woman acted as if she had misspoken, but they were all old monsters who had lived for a very long time. Who wouldn't understand the simple truth that trouble comes from the mouth? She was clearly intentionally provoking the Phoenix Lord. This way, during the upcoming battle, she could justifiably engage the Phoenix Lord in a one-on-one fight. She might suffer a disadvantage, but the Water Spirit clan had many life-saving techniques, so her life would absolutely not be in danger.

But facing Ba Qiu was different. Even though they would be four against one, a single misstep could genuinely lead to instant life or death. Xuan Wuzong secretly frowned. He had actually had the same idea just now, but Gu Mingyue had beaten him to it.

"Are you done talking?" Ba Qiu had remained silent until now. His massive sword was planted before him, his hands clasped over the hilt. As he spoke, the great sword vibrated, pointing straight ahead, his gaze sharp and sweeping, surveying all directions with disdain: "If you're done talking, stop rambling. Who wants to die first?"

Although the great sword was merely pointed casually in one direction, the five strongmen surrounding the area all felt a chill in their brows, experiencing a horrifying sensation as if that very sword was pressed against their foreheads.

Xue Jiu gritted his teeth and said, "Why are you all hesitating? The longer we delay, the more his injuries will recover. Attack!" While he said this, he knew full well that the other four were waiting for him to make the first move. Since he had initiated and convened this gathering, if he didn't lead the charge, who would?

As he spoke, a sea of blood unfurled. Unlike when he had previously expanded the sea of blood using Lu Ye's physical body, now that his true body had arrived, although he could only exert 70-80% of his power, the sea of blood he unleashed was incomparable to before. In a flash, the blood-red color spread and surged, enveloping the entire void. His figure weaved through the sea of blood, attacking directly towards Yi Fu City.

Since he had made his move, the other four naturally wouldn't just stand by and also took action one after another. In an instant, the Dao power in a vast area boiled, and the Star Abyss aura became extremely chaotic. During the previous chess game contention, there were numerous black and white pieces, and their struggle had unsettled all directions. Yet now, with just a few individuals, the commotion they caused was even more intense than before. This was the terrifying power of the Inner Realm's top strongmen.

With a thought from the Phoenix Lord's divine sense, she precisely located Gu Mingyue within the sea of blood and flashed forward to meet her. She had said she would rip Gu Mingyue's mouth off, and she certainly didn't just mean it metaphorically. At the same time, her voice resonated in Lu Ye and Yuan Xi's ears: "You two should leave!" With this great battle erupting, neither she nor Ba Qiu would have any spare energy to look after others. Yuan Xi might have some self-preservation ability, but Lu Ye certainly did not.

"Where are we supposed to go?" Yuan Xi's scalp tingled. Had she known the situation would escalate like this, she would have never allowed Lu Ye to come over just now, no matter what. Now, with the Inner Realm's top powerhouses battling like this, and the aftermath sweeping through, she had no space to escape at all. No matter which way they went, they would be drawn into the fray.

"Madam!" Lu Ye, however, called out, grabbing Yuan Xi's arm. He went directly to Ba Qiu's throne and reached out to press the Dao Convergence Pearl.

Yuan Xi's scalp tingled even more... The Dao Convergence Pearls of other Dao Convergence Cities were not something one could casually touch, let alone the Dao Convergence Pearl of Yi Fu City. Her heart instantly leaped to her throat, fearing that Ba Qiu would turn back and cleave Lu Ye in half with a single sword stroke. To her astonishment, Ba Qiu, who was not far away, seemed to have not noticed, allowing Lu Ye to act freely.

Yuan Xi was puzzled. Did the Inner Realm's paramount strongman trust her Grand Commander so much? One should know that if Lu Ye harbored ill intent at this moment, a casual blow could shatter the Dao Convergence Pearl, and Ba Qiu would surely die!

In a flash, their vision inverted and shifted. By the time Yuan Xi recovered her senses, they were already in the Hehe Realm.

"Grand Commander, when did you meet Ba Qiu?" Yuan Xi belatedly realized. Ba Qiu's trust in Lu Ye could absolutely not have been established at their first meeting. This indicated that her Grand Commander had interacted with Ba Qiu before. Ba Qiu knew who Lu Ye was, which was why he was completely unguarded against him. This made her very curious. At the same time, she was filled with astonishment. The Grand Commander was truly extraordinary, to think he could even connect with someone like Ba Qiu.

"Not long ago," Lu Ye casually explained, "this senior is also human, and he intends to look after me. Madam, let's return to the city first!" Lacking sufficient strength, he couldn't participate in the upcoming battle, and even staying in Yi Fu City would be a burden, but he still wanted to know how the battle would unfold. Their city was near the battlefield, and regardless of whether they watched the battle, Yuan Xi needed to return quickly.

"Alright!" Yuan Xi replied.