Chapter 2649: Cosmic Level

But the next moment, Ni Chilian understood the reason. Her eyes, filled with suspicion, gazed at Lu Ye, who was almost pressed against Yuan Xi. "Bloodline suppression?" she murmured.

The Blood Clan Dao Integration realm cultivators were clearly suppressed by a sacred aura, which explained their poor performance. But... wasn't this subordinate of Yuan Xi a human? He showed no signs of any Blood Clan characteristics, so how could he possess a Blood Clan bloodline? Moreover, to be able to suppress powerful cultivators at the Dao Integration level, this bloodline's potency was clearly extraordinary.

The coordination of over a dozen Dao Integration realm cultivators from the Insect and Blood Clans thus suffered a huge lapse at that moment. Yuan Xi flashed forward, appearing before an Insect Clan member, her white-armored fist striking out violently as her body continuously surged forward. As she passed, the Insect Clan member exploded into a mist of blood; his hard chitinous carapace and even his protective Dao power failed to provide him with any effective defense.

Numerous attacks landed behind Yuan Xi, like a raging tide and monstrous waves, stirring the Sea of Blood into chaos. She had already taken advantage of the situation to break out of the encirclement of the dozen-plus Dao Integration realm cultivators, and charged towards a Blood Clan member. This Blood Clan member was currently filled with panic, as the sudden sacred suppression left him disoriented. This Dao Integration realm cultivator had only felt such terrifying suppression from Xue Jiu and a few other Blood Clan powerhouses, and was momentarily dazed, completely unaware of what was happening.

When Xue Jiu deployed them, he had not told them the truth. This Blood Clan Lord was not unaware that such actions would lead to heavy casualties among his Dao Integration realm cultivators. But no matter how great the losses, as long as they could capture Lu Ye and seize his body, all sacrifices would be worth it. His true hope this time rested on the unsuppressed Insect Clan Dao Integration realm cultivators.

Blood mist exploded, bones shattered. The Blood Clan Dao Integration realm cultivator targeted by Yuan Xi soon followed his comrades. Yuan Xi transformed into a streak of white light, like a white dragon galloping through the crimson. Wherever she struck, life withered. In just ten breaths, she had already slain seven or eight Dao Integration realm cultivators; only two of them were from the Insect Clan, the rest all from the Blood Clan.

Within the Sea of Blood, Lu Ye could provide her with comprehensive guidance, allowing her to kill enemies without any hindrance. Therefore, all she needed to do was follow Lu Ye's instructions, unleashing her killing moves with full power, each strike a massive release of Dao power. By herself, she would not be able to last long. But with Lu Ye acting as an accessory, it was different. All Dao power consumption originated from Lu Ye's body; she had little to contribute, apart from the physical burden.

However, Yuan Xi's momentum in slaying enemies was soon halted. The enemy's numbers were too great. Although there were no City Lord-level powerhouses to restrain her, numerous attacks assailed her from all directions. Yuan Xi dared not ignore them and could only try her best to dodge. Even so, it was difficult to avoid all of them. Her body trembled occasionally. Fortunately, her power was formidable during this outburst, so she could still protect herself and Lu Ye from harm for a short period, while also seeking opportunities to kill enemies.

If the situation continued like this, she could indeed eliminate all the invading forces one by one. However, what she needed to protect now was not just herself and Lu Ye, but also Yuan Xi City, which was enveloped by the Sea of Blood. Yuan Xi City had been trying to escape, but Xue Jiu was hidden within the Sea of Blood, controlling it, making it impossible for the city to escape the Sea of Blood's confines.

Under Xue Jiu's command, the invading enemies partly entangled her, fighting with disregard for their lives, while another part relentlessly bombarded Yuan Xi City. Yuan Xi had to repeatedly return towards her city's direction to alleviate the pressure on it. Each time this happened, the numerous attacks grew even more ferocious.

The situation gradually worsened. Not only was the light of the city's protective formation rapidly dimming, but Yuan Xi herself was also on the verge of collapsing. Even Lu Ye, who was acting as an accessory, sustained injuries. Under this fierce struggle, no fewer than thirty enemy Dao Integration realm cultivators died by Yuan Xi's hand, a truly impressive achievement. However, the enemy numbers were too great; thirty had died, but over seventy remained. It was feared that it wouldn't be long before the city's protective formation completely collapsed. By then, the enemies would be able to march straight in. Even if Yuan Xi was immensely powerful, she wouldn't be able to protect the Dao Integration Pearl.

She was covered in blood from killing and couldn't help but recall her agreement with Ni Chilian from that day, a deep sense of powerlessness welling up within her. The agreement that day had merely been a pretext for her. Ni Chilian had been so swayed by her persuasion that she had readily agreed. She hadn't expected to have to fulfill the agreement so soon. This left her very unwilling. However, given the current situation, if she didn't make that decision, even Yuan Xi City, which she had painstakingly built, might not be salvageable. And once the city was breached, she herself might not be able to remain unscathed.

"Xue Jiu!" In that instant, Yuan Xi hated the Lord of Blooddrink City to her very bones. If not for Xue Jiu causing trouble again, how would she have to face such a difficult choice?

"My Lady, they should be evacuated," Lu Ye's voice reached Yuan Xi's ears. The city absolutely could not be defended. He also hadn't expected that, after navigating through such great storms multiple times, they would stumble in this unexpected way now. Though unwilling, compared to the lives of the cultivators in the city, a city was ultimately an inanimate object. He still possessed that unique and extraordinary ability; building another Dao Integration City in the future wouldn't be difficult. The only pity was the secret art bestowed by the Mirage Beast; even if he built another Dao Integration City, that secret art would not be there again.

At this moment, Yuan Xi suddenly turned her head to look at her city, her divine sense surging, and she cried out, "Lotus, do it!"

In the central hall, Lotus, who was positioned within the formation, slowly opened her eyes upon hearing this. She grabbed a large package in front of her and flashed to the Dao Integration Pearl, which was emitting a brilliant light. As she opened the package, countless fragments of Dao Integration Pearls came into view. These Dao Integration Pearl fragments were all spoils of war Lu Ye had seized from previous battles, transported back from various Dao Integration Cities. The vast majority of them came from Black Blood City, with only a very small portion originating from a few other cities.

Yuan Xi had never integrated these fragments into her city's Dao Integration Pearl. She hadn't had the time when she was a chess player, and after the chess game collapsed, she had no intention of doing so. Thus, these fragments had remained within the city. However, at this moment, she could no longer afford to be unwilling.

As Lotus began integrating the numerous Dao Integration Pearl fragments into the city's Dao Integration Pearl, the already brightly glowing Dao Integration Pearl became even more radiant, and even its physical mass gradually expanded. Integrating the Dao Integration Pearl fragments was effortless; these fragments were originally a single entity, merely shattered and scattered throughout the Inner Realm for various reasons. Like streams flowing into the sea, in just a few dozen breaths, the Dao Integration Pearl, now much brighter than before, vibrated slightly, and a halo of light surged outwards in all directions.

Cosmic Grade! At this instant, the city's quality also advanced as the Dao Integration Pearl was upgraded. Even at this point, more than half of the large package of Dao Integration Pearl fragments still remained.

Looking at the Inner Realm, Black Blood City was considered a very old Cosmic Grade city. It had already advanced to Cosmic Grade countless years ago, and its accumulated foundation over these years was extremely rich. Otherwise, it wouldn't have had so many Vice City Lords. It should be known that their Vice City Lords were different from Lu Ye, who was merely a Grand Commander. They were not simply holding nominal titles but could truly enjoy the augmentations of the Dao Integration City. This required the Dao Integration Pearl to have an extremely powerful accumulation; otherwise, it wouldn't be able to support the augmentations for so many Vice City Lords. It was evident from the current consumption that only a small portion of the Dao Integration Pearl fragments was used, and Yuan Xi City had already advanced to Cosmic Grade. The remaining fragments were even more than enough to build another Cosmic Grade city.

Almost simultaneously with the city's quality advancement, Lotus's expression turned serious. In the depths of the unseen, an invisible power descended, causing her aura to surge dramatically. As early as when Yuan Xi brought her into the city from the Hehe Realm, she had already obtained the authority of the city's First Vice City Lord. Now, with the city's advancement to Cosmic Grade, she had gained the Dao Integration Pearl's augmentation power, and was now considered a City Lord-level powerhouse.

She turned to look aside: "Fu Wei, come here!" Fu Wei quickly stood up and rushed over. Without needing Lotus's call, he already knew what to do, immediately taking over from Lotus and continuing to integrate fragments into the city's Dao Integration Pearl. Lotus summoned her Dao soldiers and charged out of the city. Earlier, she hadn't participated in the battle because, comparatively, it was better for her to stay in the city and assist with defense. But now it was different. With the augmentation of the Dao Integration Pearl, she was more suited to fighting outside than remaining within the city.

"How is this possible?" Within the Sea of Blood, Xue Jiu had been secretly observing. Although this clone of his was quite powerful, he had not personally joined the fray, because he wanted to ensure Lu Ye's capture and was thus looking for the opportune moment. Originally, seeing Yuan Xi City's defenses on the verge of collapse, he was filled with excitement, feeling that his current scheme would soon succeed. All he had to guard against was Yuan Xi escaping into the Hehe Realm with Lu Ye. Achieving this was not difficult; he only needed to disregard the casualties of his Dao Integration realm subordinates and let them sacrifice their lives.

But in that sudden moment, Yuan Xi's already ferocious aura surged even further. Not only that, Yuan Xi City's precarious protective formation actually became a bit more stable, and its dim glow brightened. He immediately saw what was happening. This was because Yuan Xi City had advanced, which was why Yuan Xi, as its City Lord, experienced an increase in her aura, and the city's defenses changed.

But... how could it advance at this very moment? His perception was sharp. Observing Yuan Xi's previous display of power, he had already determined that Yuan Xi City was a Grand Grade city. This advancement meant it had become a Cosmic Grade city, didn't it? For a Grand Grade city to advance, how could it be so simple? Back then, when his Blooddrink City took this step, it had taken many, many years and cost him a tremendous amount of effort. For a Dao Integration City to advance at such a critical moment, the timing was too coincidental. He could only surmise that Yuan Xi City was already close to being a Cosmic Grade city, and the spoils from the previous battles had allowed it to take this crucial step. If that was the case... there was still room for plotting regarding today's events.

"Good!" In contrast to Xue Jiu, Ni Chilian, secretly observing the battle, was ecstatic, almost to the point of madness. She had originally thought the most likely outcome of this battle would be Yuan Xi City being breached, after which she would personally intervene and display her immense power. Who would have thought Yuan Xi City could actually advance at such a critical moment! Then her agreement with Yuan Xi that day would be fulfilled. Of course, she was delighted.