Chapter 2684: Entering the Tower

Indeed! Ordinarily, the Dragon Lord wouldn't have bothered. The Dragon Clan's benefits aren't easily acquired. Besides, he had already agreed upon the compensation for this matter with Lu Ye beforehand; the value of a few artifact treasures was considerable.

"Then we shall open the Dragon Pond!" the Dragon Lord declared.

The Phoenix Lord raised an eyebrow. "So generous? It's not yet time for the Dragon Pond to open, is it? That would consume a lot of your vital blood."

The Dragon Lord chuckled. "No need for me to do it. Previous Dragon Lords left plenty of vital blood as reserves before secluding themselves in the Ancestral Abyss. Opening the Dragon Pond once won't be an issue."

The Phoenix Lord nodded, then turned to Lu Ye and explained, "Cultivating in the Dragon Pond can greatly enhance your vital energy and blood. If you're lucky, you might even awaken a Dragon Vein. Young man, you're truly blessed. Why don't you thank the Dragon Lord?"

Lu Ye, well aware that the Phoenix Lord was guiding him, immediately bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Dragon Lord."

He thought to himself, *Now I'll have an explanation for using the power of the Path of Time and Space in the future!* He had previously worried about how to explain the inexplicable origin of his Path of Time and Space power if the Dragon Clan ever found out. The opening of the Dragon Pond was perfectly timed.

Before entering the Tower of Time, Lu Ye had heard Su Yan mention the Dragon Pond. The Dragon Clan was most renowned for their physical bodies. A Dragon's physique was impervious to all magical arts, granting them an inherent advantage over cultivators of other races who relied on magic.

And then there was their brute strength. Zhu Yin, despite her small stature, possessed terrifying power that had left Lu Ye in awe, precisely because she was a Dragon.

Lu Ye felt a surge of anticipation. The journey to the Dragon Pond would undoubtedly make his physical body even stronger. For any cultivator, the physical body was the most crucial foundation.

The Dragon Lord patted Lu Ye's shoulder warmly. "You are an external envoy of the Phoenix Clan, not an outsider. From now on, you may come to Dragon City whenever you wish. I'll instruct them to grant you unrestricted access."

Lu Ye thanked him again.

This meant that he could now travel directly from the Combined Realm to Dragon City.

Currently, there were several Dao-integration cities he could reach from the Combined Realm. Leaving aside Yuanxi City, three of the top ten were accessible, including Dragon City, Phoenix Nest, and One Husband City.

However, One Husband City wasn't due to his own capabilities, but rather those of Liao. As its master, he merely benefited from it.

Thinking of One Husband City reminded Lu Ye of Ba Qiu. He wondered if the Inner Realm's strongest expert had recovered from his injuries. In the Star Chessboard battle years ago, even with Ba Xia's assistance in repelling strong enemies, Ba Qiu had been quite severely wounded. After all, he had to face multiple top-tier experts from the Inner Realm simultaneously.

"There should still be some time before the Tower of Time closes," the Dragon Lord continued. "If you two are interested, you can enter the tower to cultivate. Otherwise, you can return with us."

Although they had spent several decades in the Ancestral Abyss, the time flow in that environment was different. Outside, only a few months had passed, and the Tower of Time had not yet vanished into the River of Time.

So there was still plenty of time.

"I want to enter the tower!" Zhu Yin declared without hesitation.

"This disciple wishes to enter the tower as well!" Lu Ye added.

He had to seize this last opportunity. Liao had awakened, and he was about to begin his advancement to Dao Integration. Once he broke through, he might no longer gain Star Abyss Coins from killing Dao Integrators. At that point, his Star Abyss Coin income would definitely decrease significantly.

In other words, this was his last chance to quickly acquire Star Abyss Coins before reaching Dao Fusion. What was rare was that many Dao Integrators had entered the tower this time, and inside, life and death were unrestricted, making it an excellent opportunity. How could Lu Ye possibly miss out?

If not for the Dragon Lord needing his help to repair the Ancestral Abyss's restrictions, he would have already gone on a rampage in the Tower of Time.

The Dragon Lord was not surprised by their answers. He first looked at Zhu Yin, saying, "Our clan members will not be in mortal danger when traversing the tower."

Although battles and fatalities were permitted inside, the Tower of Time ultimately belonged to the Dragon Clan. Once a Dragon Clan member revealed their true form inside, everyone had to show them some deference.

Thus, there had never been a precedent of a Dragon Clan member dying inside throughout all the Tower of Time's previous openings.

Not just the Dragon Clan, but the Phoenix Clan as well.

Therefore, members of both the Dragon and Phoenix Clans, upon entering the Tower of Time, would directly head for the uppermost levels, generally not participating in conflicts.

The Dragon Lord then looked at Lu Ye. "You, however, must be careful. Many in this world despise and look down upon humans."

Lu Ye nodded.

The human race's situation was tolerable in the starry sky, but not in the Star Abyss. In the Outer Realm, many races enjoyed raising human cultivators for 'bone nourishment.' The reason they hadn't been discovered in the Inner Realm was that the overall environment in the Outer Realm was unfavorable, leading to few human cultivators in the Inner Realm, and even fewer powerful ones.

Ba Qiu was definitely an anomaly.

"Then go," the Dragon Lord waved his hand. Although he had previously entertained the thought of keeping Lu Ye in Dragon City forever, he knew, even without the Phoenix Lord's persuasion, that it was unrealistic. The great Dragon City would not resort to such despicable acts just for one individual.

As the Dragon Lord waved, a vortex appeared on a nearby wall. "Enter through here. You two will be sent to different tower levels. Which specific level depends on the tower spirit's allocation; even I cannot interfere."

Lu Ye exchanged a glance with Zhu Yin. He gestured, and Zhu Yin nodded. "Brother-in-law, we'll see each other again later."

When she entered the Tower of Time, she would, like all previous clan members, undoubtedly head directly for the highest level. Lu Ye certainly couldn't reach it, as only the strongest Dao Integrators entering the tower were ever qualified to occupy that level. This was not the Ancestral Abyss. There was Star Abyss energy here, which Dao Integrators could leverage, making them formidable.

Zhu Yin's figure vanished into the vortex.

Lu Ye turned to the Dragon Lord and Phoenix Lord, cupping his fists. "Then this disciple shall depart."

Both the Dragon Lord and Phoenix Lord nodded.

Watching Lu Ye's figure disappear, the Dragon Lord said contentedly, "Little Yan'er has found a good external envoy. I'll have to thank her later for this matter."

Had Su Yan and Lu Ye not formed a bond, none of this subsequent chain of events would have happened, and this problem that had plagued both clans for countless years would have remained unsolved.

"He's alright," the Phoenix Lord said expressionlessly, though the corners of her mouth unconsciously curled upward.

How could the Dragon Lord not know what she was thinking? While claiming 'he's alright,' she was actually quite satisfied with this external envoy. Otherwise, she wouldn't have actively sought benefits for him from him just now. His junior sister was simply stubborn.

"Oh, and about Ba Qiu," the Dragon Lord added. "Tell him later that I no longer mind it. You two have dragged this on for so many years; just do as you wish. There's no need to consider Dragon City."

The Phoenix Lord snorted coldly. "I'm not familiar with him. If you want to say something, go say it yourself. I'm not a messenger!"

With that, she departed first.

The Dragon Lord sighed. During the Star Chessboard battle that day, he had actually been present, hidden within the flow of time, unseen. If he had truly cared about the past incident, he wouldn't have just stood by; he would have attacked Ba Qiu amidst the chaos long ago.

With a movement of his form, he vanished.

He also had to prepare to open the Dragon Pond. So many things to do lately...

In an empty hall, Lu Ye suddenly appeared. He immediately activated his Dao power to protect himself, looking left and right, but saw no one. It wasn't surprising; the Tower of Time had been open for a long time, and the cultivators who entered would have long since dispersed. How could anyone still be here? This was where cultivators materialized upon entering the tower, serving as a starting point.

Lu Ye looked up at the dome, where a few large characters were inscribed.

"Forty-Nine!"

This meant he was on the forty-ninth level.

Given his peak Dao Fusion cultivation, it was normal for him to be assigned to the forty-ninth level upon entering the Tower of Time, consistent with Su Yan's previous predictions. Because, according to the patterns of previous Tower of Time openings, the fiftieth level and above were where Dao Integrators appeared.

Of course, the tower levels were interconnected. So, if cultivators felt qualified to challenge higher levels, they could fight their way up. If they felt their strength was insufficient, they could retreat to a lower level until they found a suitable place for themselves. The fiftieth level was a dividing line, marking the difference between Dao Fusion and Dao Integration. Generally, no Dao Fusion cultivator dared to ascend higher, as it was tantamount to seeking death. Conversely, some Dao Integrators who faced unfavorable contention might retreat to the forty-ninth level for refuge.

Lu Ye's thoughts turned. He immediately sat cross-legged, placing the Cragblade horizontally across his lap, and channeled his Dao power into it. Although he had spent several decades in the Ancestral Abyss, Lu Ye had actually had little time to nurture the Cragblade. Initially, he needed to adjust and recover, and later, he had to devour the mysterious power within the Ancestral Abyss's Talent Tree to nourish the Fruit of Time.

Therefore, although Liao had advanced decades ago, it had never been nurtured to its full potential. That fellow had complained countless times in Lu Ye's ear, but Lu Ye had ignored him. Only today did he finally have free time, so Lu Ye naturally had to quickly nurture it.

Although with his strength, he could push further up, which would also increase the time flow, he considered it and decided that improving his strength was paramount first. A forty-nine-fold time flow was already considerable; there was no need to be nitpicky and insist on nurturing it only after reaching the highest possible level. He estimated that he wouldn't be able to reach very high levels. Many Dao Integrators who entered the Tower of Time this time were powerful, so he still had ample time.

His Dao power immediately flowed out like a bursting dam, and Liao's voice promptly resounded: "Comfortable, truly comfortable!"

Lu Ye couldn't understand it. It was a soldier race, without even a flesh-and-blood body; where did the feeling of comfort come from?

The elevation of each Dao power consumed a vast amount. The Dao power reserves on the Talent Tree rapidly diminished, so Lu Ye could only take out his Dao Fish, scatter them around, and activate the Talent Tree's power to frantically absorb.

Almost the next moment after he did this, less than a thousand zhang away from Lu Ye's location, a figure suddenly flashed out. This was a Corpse Race member, a mass of rotting flesh, foul-smelling, with visible, dense corpse aura that had almost formed a protective barrier around it. He looked towards Lu Ye's direction with slight surprise and some confusion, as he had sensed a very strong Dao power fluctuation. That wasn't the fluctuation from cultivators fighting, but rather the dissipated Dao power from cultivation.