Chapter 2672: This Is Secure

Winds Stir the Nine Provinces

Half a month later, when Lu Ye and Su Yan arrived together at the central hall of Phoenix Nest, several figures were already waiting there.

Lu Ye recognized the leading figure: Elder Huang Jiuyin, who had previously brought him and Zhu Yin out of the spatial corridor. Beside her stood one large and two small figures. The larger one was Su Yun, and the two smaller ones were Feng 25 and Huang 26.

Both young phoenixes had not yet fully grown, so they did not have their own names. They would only decide their names once they had matured.

It was normal for Su Yun to accompany them to Dragon City; the Tower of Time undoubtedly held a great allure for him. Although he hadn't advanced to the Path Integration level, his strength at the Fusion Path level meant he had few rivals. If he were fortunate enough to enter the Tower of Time, he would surely secure a good position.

As for the two young phoenixes, they were simply going along to play.

Su Yan and Lu Ye saluted in unison.

Huang Jiuyin glanced at them and said, "Everyone's here. Let's go."

The Phoenix Clan had few members, so only these few were going to the Dragon City Grand Ceremony this time.

As Huang Jiuyin stepped onto a large array formation in front of them, the array buzzed and activated.

Lu Ye had initially thought they would transfer through the Hehe Realm before entering Dragon City. However, once the array formation activated, he realized this wasn't the case.

This was, in fact, a teleportation array!

He marveled inwardly.

He didn't know the exact distance between Dragon City and Phoenix Nest, but it certainly wasn't close. Connecting two Path Integrator cities with a single teleportation array was no easy feat.

Other Path Integrator cities would be utterly incapable of such a feat.

But for the Phoenix Clan, who commanded space, achieving this shouldn't be too difficult.

This was definitely an ultra-long-distance teleportation, as the entire process lasted a full ten breaths. During the teleportation, his vision was filled with constantly shifting and distorting colors.

Crucially, Lu Ye didn't feel much discomfort, indicating the stability of this teleportation.

When they regained their footing, they were already on another teleportation array. A Dragon Clan Path Integrator was waiting there, clearly familiar with Huang Jiuyin. The two exchanged pleasantries for a moment.

Huang Jiuyin turned to Lu Ye and the others: "The Dragon City Grand Ceremony has already begun. You are free to act as you wish."

During the Dragon City Grand Ceremony, private duels and killings were strictly forbidden. Throughout the ceremony, not only did numerous Dragon Clan Path Integrators patrol all directions, but many powerful cultivators invited by the Dragon Clan also assisted. As Lu Ye knew, several powerful cultivators from the Phoenix Clan had also been temporarily assigned here.

Therefore, even though Dragon City was extraordinarily lively at the moment, no one dared to cause trouble arbitrarily.

It was common knowledge that offending the Dragon Clan in the Inner Realm, apart from Ba Qiu, would lead to no good end for anyone. This race... was particularly vengeful.

Especially now, with the Dragon City Grand Ceremony underway and the Dragon Clan openly providing access to treasures like the Tower of Time, if any short-sighted individual dared to defy the rules, there would be no need for the patrolling powerhouses to act; enthusiastic individuals would naturally uphold justice.

Everyone bid farewell to Huang Jiuyin and the Dragon Clan Path Integrator, then walked out of the hall.

"Senior Brother, this is Dragon Palace," Su Yan explained, "It can be said to be the very core of Dragon City. Only the Dragon Clan themselves and their most important guests are allowed to set foot here."

Lu Ye nodded slightly.

The so-called Dragon Palace was actually a massive Path Integrator city, serving as the foundation of Dragon City.

While they entered directly via the teleportation array this time, others wishing to participate in the Dragon City Grand Ceremony had to fly in from outside.

Many people had set off a long time ago, just to avoid missing this grand event.

Dragon Palace itself was relatively quiet, but looking towards the outer areas, the streams of cultivators darting past were as numerous as fish crossing a river. Colorful lights crisscrossed, filling a vast expanse of void with bustling activity.

"Where should we go now?" Lu Ye asked.

Su Yan replied, "I just messaged Yin'er. She told us to wander around for a bit; she has some matters to handle and will come find us later."

Zhu Yin was a pure-blooded Dragon Clan member and a Path Integrator. Of course, she had many things to attend to for her own clan's grand ceremony.

Su Yun, full of youthful vigor, exclaimed, "Of course, we're going to compete for a spot in the Tower of Time first!"

The Dragon Clan had given the Phoenix Clan two spots in the Tower of Time, but naturally, it wouldn't be Su Yun's turn as a junior. So, if he wanted to enter, he would have to compete for it himself.

However, he had sufficient confidence in his own strength and had already made plans before coming.

"Then let's go," Su Yan said, having no objections.

The group flew outwards together, with Su Yun leading the way. Lu Ye and Su Yan each pulled one of the little ones, using their power to carry them along.

The further they went, the livelier it became.

The Dragon City Grand Ceremony truly embraced all, as Lu Ye actually saw many figures from the Insectoid race among the passing cultivators. He also sensed some auras of the Blood race...

Dragon City's relationship with the Insectoid and Blood races was very poor.

Yet, during the grand ceremony, cultivators from these two races could openly roam within Dragon City's boundaries, and the patrolling powerhouses paid them no mind, even when they saw them.

This was something that would be utterly impossible under normal circumstances.

Since entering the Inner Realm, Lu Ye had never witnessed such a grand occasion. While the Hehe Realm was also lively, it paled in comparison to what was before his eyes.

In a place like the Hehe Realm, though people came and went, cultivators often didn't stay long, so there was a high turnover.

The current situation was different: cultivators from all corners of the Inner Realm had gathered. There were so many exotic races that even Su Yan, let alone Lu Ye who was only half-knowledgeable, sometimes couldn't quite figure out their origins.

Before long, the group arrived at the liveliest area.

Cultivators who had come to Dragon City this time all gathered in this area, because it was specifically designated for competing for spots in the Tower of Time.

Many cultivators had set up stalls here, selling all sorts of goods.

As they walked past, they indeed saw many novelties.

A moment later, Feng 25 and Huang 26 were each clutching a large, reddish fruit, about the size of a human head, eating with juice dripping from their mouths. This fruit, whose origin was unknown, offered no benefits to cultivation but was incredibly sweet.

If Lu Ye hadn't thought the fruit was too large and awkward to eat in public, he would have liked to get one to try. After all, it only cost a few Dao Fish, which wasn't expensive for him.

Ahead, the crowd was dense. A vast expanse of void was divided into numerous square grids, and in each grid, cultivators were sparring and clashing.

A rough count revealed no fewer than a thousand such spatial grids. At first glance, it looked as if a celestial chessboard had descended.

This was the arena zone. Those with sufficient confidence in their own strength could enter this area to compete and thereby gain qualifications to enter the Tower of Time.

This was also Su Yun's destination for this trip; he had undoubtedly scouted it out before arriving, so he reached it with familiarity.

"Who else dares?!" In one of the arenas, a cultivator had just defeated his opponent, brimming with momentum, and roaring loudly.

Su Yun was just hesitating about which arena to choose to display his prowess. Upon hearing this, his spirits immediately lifted. He shot towards that arena, shouting, "I'll take you on!"

In a blink, he entered that grid.

The two figures quickly engaged in a fierce battle.

Su Yun's strength at the Fusion Path level was considerable. If Phoenix Nest had a so-called "Saint Son," he would undoubtedly be of that caliber.

Moreover, ever since Lu Ye taught him a lesson that day, Su Yun had striven for improvement, and his strength had grown significantly over time.

Although his opponent was decent, they were no match for Su Yun. In just a moment, he was defeated and dejectedly withdrew.

Su Yun also stood there arrogantly, shouting loudly, "Who else? Bring it on!"

However, no one answered.

He immediately felt a bit bored and listless.

With the previous arena master defeated, he was now the new one. According to the rules, he needed to defend his position for more than ten matches, or stay on the arena for three days, to qualify for the next round of competition.

Only after competing against other arena masters in the next round and securing a certain ranking would he truly qualify to enter the Tower of Time.

"Aren't you going, Senior Brother?" Su Yan asked, looking at Lu Ye.

With Lu Ye's strength, defending an arena like this would be incredibly easy; he could effortlessly secure the top spot.

"Too boring," Lu Ye shook his head. While Su Yun's display was certainly strong enough, the most probable outcome was a tedious three-day wait on the arena. "I want to find something simpler."

Su Yan pursed her lips into a smile: "I was thinking the same thing."

The two exchanged a glance, then turned and walked away, pulling the two little ones along.

There was no need to worry about Su Yun; he would contact them once he was done with his matters.

Cultivators participating in the Dragon City Grand Ceremony did not necessarily have to engage in arena battles to gain qualifications to enter the Tower of Time.

Dragon City had set up a wide variety of strange and diverse trials. It could be said that anything involving victory or defeat could serve as a test.

A moment later, Lu Ye's eyes lit up. He pointed to a side area and said, "Let's try that one!"

"Okay," Su Yan readily agreed.

Immediately, the two walked towards that area, joining the long queue.

The trials here had no cultivation level distinctions. Unlike the arena battles, where Fusion Path and Path Integration cultivators competed separately, anyone could participate in these trials regardless of their cultivation.

Even the two little ones, Feng 25 and Huang 26, were qualified to participate.

Because the trial here was a lottery!

Purely a test of luck.

The cultivators ahead stepped forward one by one. Slowly, it was Lu Ye's turn. He stood before a huge lottery drum, feeling a flash of inspiration, and casually drew a stick.

Su Yan also drew one.

The two little ones did the same.

Immediately, Lu Ye fixed his gaze on his lot. What greeted his eyes were the large characters "99999". His eyebrows shot up. To draw such a fortuitous number, this was a sure win!

Then he secretly glanced at Su Yan's lot.

It was actually 89.

Looking at the two little ones, one had over 30,000, and the other over 50,000.

Lu Ye's lips curved into a smile.

"Those who draw a number under 10,000 can proceed to the next round!" The Path Integrator in charge, standing by the lottery drum, recited slowly, his tone quite mechanical, perhaps from repeating it too many times.

"What?!" Lu Ye was instantly thunderstruck, staring in disbelief at the Path Integrator.

He had a rare stroke of explosive luck, drawing such an auspicious number, yet he was eliminated?