Chapter 2723: Return to Yuanxi City

A dragon's roar, shaking the heavens, resonated as a dragon's shadow coiled around Yang Kuang's body. The moment he sensed something amiss, he had already activated his dragon might. Fifty percent of his power was far from enough to contend with Lu Ye; he needed to use more. However, his initial carelessness had cost him the initiative, so his only recourse was to suppress Lu Ye with his dragon might, hoping to create an opening.

The next instant, the dragon shadow around him shattered. He was sent flying straight back like a rag doll, soaring for a hundred miles before crashing into a floating landmass and becoming motionless. He had believed his dragon vein was surely stronger than Lu Ye's. To his surprise, under his dragon might, Lu Ye showed no reaction, and the terrifying, violent power burst forth unobstructed.

Not far away, Zhu Yin stared at the scene dumbfounded, her face etched with disbelief. She was well aware of Yang Kuang's strength. Although her talent was paramount among the dragon race and she had been designated as the successor to the next Dragon Lord, her cultivation time was ultimately shorter than Yang Kuang's, so there was still a significant difference in their power. Furthermore, Yang Kuang had refined his bloodline for over two thousand years longer than she had, making his dragon vein considerably stronger than hers. Yet, a kinsman like him was sent flying by a single punch from Lu Ye?

“Ha!”

In a distant hall, the Dragon Lord, who had been secretly observing, couldn't help but chuckle aloud. The Phoenix Lord stood beside him, sighing helplessly, “You knew this would happen. Why didn't you stop it? That child Yang Kuang has a good nature. How will he bear such a blow?”

Throughout Dragon City, only she and the Dragon Lord currently knew the true extent of Lu Ye's dragon vein and physical strength, and this was even before he had cultivated the Heavenly Sage Dragon Guard. Other dragons merely assumed Lu Ye had developed a commendable dragon vein, but they were unaware that his dragon vein had been forged in the Dragon Pool by refining a drop of dragon blood, quite possibly from an ancient ancestor.

The Dragon Lord had watched Yang Kuang's test of Lu Ye from beginning to end, treating it merely as a spectacle. Knowing the outcome, he still made no attempt to intervene. What kind of clan leader behaves like that?

The Dragon Lord chuckled, “It doesn't hurt for young people to suffer a bit. Besides, although I previously suppressed some doubts in my capacity as Dragon Lord, the rigid thinking of those old fellows isn't easily swayed. Rather than having lingering disagreements in the future, it's better for them to see it with their own eyes. Only then will they truly accept a human's name on the Dragon Scroll.”

The Phoenix Lord remained silent. She still felt the Dragon Lord's handling of the situation lacked consideration, especially deeming it a bit cruel to Yang Kuang. Didn't he notice that Yang Kuang had gone silent after crashing into that floating landmass? He wasn't unconscious; a He Dao-level dragon wasn't so easily knocked out. He was merely feigning unconsciousness, clearly too embarrassed to show his face right now.

Truth be told, Yang Kuang wasn't that fragile. His downfall was his excessive carelessness; he didn't use his full strength, whereas Lu Ye held nothing back. By the time Yang Kuang realized something was wrong and tried to resist, it was already too late. Had both of them been fully prepared and gone all out, Yang Kuang, even if defeated, wouldn't have been in such a sorry state.

Lu Ye remained standing, gazing at his slightly reddened fist, his face filled with astonishment. He knew his physical strength was formidable now, but he hadn't expected it to be *this* formidable... To be honest, his understanding of his own power was still not clear enough, as his encounter with Yang Kuang had been instantaneous. The other party had been sent flying like a ball. He felt a slight regret. Had he known, he would have held back a little and had a proper spar with this dragon named Yang Kuang. But what was done was done, so he could only let it be.

He turned to Zhu Yin, who was still in a daze, “Junior Sister, I'm going out for a bit. I've already informed the Dragon Lord of this matter. Please tell Yan'er when you have a chance to visit the Phoenix Nest.”

“Oh, alright!” Zhu Yin replied, still somewhat dazed.

Only then did Lu Ye turn and sweep towards the Central Hall, sensing that the gazes secretly observing him had begun to withdraw.

“Weren't you planning to keep him in Dragon City for close observation earlier? Why just let him go like this?” In the distant hall, the Phoenix Lord retracted her gaze and looked at the Dragon Lord beside her.

“You yourself said he isn't one to settle down. What's the point of forcing him to stay in Dragon City?” The Dragon Lord slowly shook his head, “Originally, I intended to send a few people to follow him when he was ready to leave Dragon City, but now, you're probably aware of his strength…” At this point, the Dragon Lord let out a wry smile. Having lived for tens of thousands of years, he had never encountered an anomaly like Lu Ye. Not long after reaching the He Dao stage, he could actually exchange blows with a cosmic-level City Lord like Green Mantis. While Green Mantis didn't have the amplification from a He Dao City at the time, he was still a cosmic-level City Lord. And Lu Ye similarly wasn't benefiting from a He Dao City's amplification, was he? He truly wondered how Lu Ye cultivated. Given Lu Ye's already formidable strength, whom could he send to follow him? Ordinary people would only be a burden, and sending an elder-level expert would be too conspicuous. Dragon City didn't have such an abundance of powerful figures to spare.

“And I just realized something!” The Dragon Lord's expression turned solemn.

“What is it?” the Phoenix Lord asked.

“You and I both forgot,” the Dragon Lord slowly began, “He is a Son of the Star Abyss, and he even claimed the Star Abyss's blessing from the insect race's Jiao!”

The Phoenix Lord pondered for a moment, then gasped slightly, “Are you saying…?”

“The identity of a Son of the Star Abyss isn't particularly special before reaching He Dao, but after He Dao, he might be compelled to do things he doesn't want to do. He will also attract more and more attention! In such a situation, our two races should interfere less.” As the Dragon Lord, he naturally knew many secrets unknown to ordinary people. For instance, the Sons of the Star Abyss… It was said that after Sons of the Star Abyss reach the He Dao cultivation level, they are guided by an unseen force to accomplish certain tasks. That guidance is none other than the immense will imposing missions upon them. Before He Dao, Sons of the Star Abyss enjoyed many benefits, and after He Dao, the benefits might be even greater. But there's no such thing as a free lunch; what is gained must be paid for.

From ancient times to the present, the Dragon and Phoenix races have actually been repelled by that will. The Phoenix race has always had few pure-blooded members, and while the Dragon race has more, they too struggle to grow. If not for their inherently strong bloodline, they would have long faced the risk of extinction. Especially in the last few millennia, as that will continuously strengthened, the Dragon Lord and Phoenix Lord sometimes even felt an invisible malice pressing down upon them from the unseen realm. That will seemed particularly hostile towards the Dragon and Phoenix races.

The Phoenix Lord nodded in understanding, “If that's the case, he indeed isn't suited to remain in Dragon City or the Phoenix Nest.”

In the Central Hall, after reporting to the elder on duty, Lu Ye walked towards the He Dao Pearl. He raised his hand and pressed it virtually, and the next instant, he appeared in the He He Realm. He needed to transit through here to return to Yuan Xi City. Since the Battle of the Star Chessboard years ago, he hadn't returned after being taken away by the Phoenix Lord. Several years had passed, and he wondered how everyone in the city was doing. Therefore, no matter what, he had to go back to check on them. It wouldn't take much time anyway, and it wouldn't be too late to depart after seeing everyone in Yuan Xi City. This time, Lu Ye made no stops in the He He Realm and departed directly.

In Yuan Xi City's Central Hall, the moment Lu Ye's figure appeared, a surprised voice exclaimed, “Brother Ye!” Immediately after, a figure rushed towards him like the wind. Lu Ye raised his hand, splayed his fingers, and placed them on You Die's head, stopping her in place. You Die instantly became unhappy, pouting her lips and looking at Lu Ye with a resentful expression. Lu Ye turned and looked around, his eye twitching slightly. The entire Central Hall was still so empty, with only You Die stationed there. With a sweep of his divine sense, Lu Ye transmitted his voice in all directions: “I'm back!”

A moment later, in the Council Hall, all the city's residents gathered.

Lu Ye looked at Fu Gui with pleasant surprise, “You've reached He Dao?”

Fu Gui grinned, “Thanks to you, Senior Brother.”

“Excellent, excellent.” Lu Ye nodded approvingly. He thought Fu Gui was merely being polite, unaware that it was the truth. The cultivation of the Diviner tribe was unlike that of other races. Before reaching He Dao, there was generally no difference; everyone progressed step by step. However, for a Diviner to advance to He Dao, there was a major hurdle: they needed to find their own destiny. Once connected to their destiny, their fortune and misfortune, life and death, would be intertwined. Baxia had found Baqiu back then. Fu Gui, following the prophecy left by the old patriarch, appeared at the right time and place and found Lu Ye. Therefore, from that day on, Fu Gui's cultivation and strength became intrinsically linked to Lu Ye's growth. If Lu Ye was Fusion Dao, he could only be Fusion Dao. If Lu Ye reached He Dao, he too could reach He Dao, and he wouldn't need to cultivate like ordinary cultivators. The stronger Lu Ye became in the future, the greater the benefits he would receive.

As Fu Gui spoke, he eyed Lu Ye with a hint of surprise. Because after reaching He Dao, his strength had increased to an almost absurd degree, far beyond his own comprehension. He currently possessed the strength of roughly fifteen hundred Daos! This was not a level of power a newly ascended He Dao cultivator should possess. The source of all this was undoubtedly his destiny, so Fu Gui was very curious about Lu Ye's current strength, but he found it inconvenient to ask too many questions.

“This city truly has an abundance of talent!” Lu Ye said, beaming with joy, as his gaze swept across the room. Lian, Huan Qing, You Die, Fu Gui, Fan Wu, Ya Yi, Ku Zhi, Cui Can, and several Array Cultivators who had joined them with Fan Wu were present. As for the slaves Yuan Xi had purchased from the He He Realm back then, they had all perished in the Battle of the Star Chessboard. There was nothing anyone could do about that situation. Although Yuan Xi controlled the chessboard and its pieces during the Battle of the Star Chessboard, her ability to protect them was limited. In fact, if not for Yuan Xi's deliberate care, Fu Gui and the others would have likely met a grim fate back then, because by the end of the battle, He Dao-level figures were everywhere, and Fusion Dao cultivators, if unlucky, would have found it difficult to survive even by sticking together.

Counting Lu Ye himself, Yuan Xi City currently had over a dozen members, with He Dao-level cultivators making up more than half of them. Moreover, Lu Ye observed that Ya Yi and Ku Zhi also showed signs of nearing promotion. Although Cui Can was still accumulating, she had good prospects for reaching He Dao in the future. Only Fan Wu and those few Array Cultivators were elderly, destined to remain at the Fusion Dao level for this lifetime. However, as Array Cultivators, they weren't required to engage in direct combat, so a slightly weaker cultivation level wasn't a significant issue.