Chapter 2725: The Journey Begins

Upon assuming the position of City Lord of Yuanxi City, Lu Ye could enjoy the full amplification power of the city's Harmony Orb. A Cosmic-grade Harmony Orb provides an amplification of up to 70%. It's worth noting that Lu Ye currently only gains a total external power amplification of 60% from a single resonance coupled with the threefold blessing of the Son of Star Abyss. The amplification from a single Cosmic-grade Harmony Orb alone already exceeded this.

This meant that as long as Lu Ye was near Yuanxi City, within the range of the Harmony Orb's power, his overall strength could be unleashed at 130%. His current base strength was over 1600 units; how terrifying would a 130% power output be? Without a sufficiently powerful foundation, one truly couldn't wield such power.

"Brother Ye is leaving?" You Die asked, looking at Lu Ye in surprise in front of the Central Grand Hall. "Why are you leaving right after you just came back?" Having witnessed what happened with Yuanxi and Lian, she couldn't help but panic when she heard Lu Ye was leaving, fearing he might abandon them too.

"Just going to take care of some business," Lu Ye explained. He had only intended to visit Yuanxi City briefly before handling some affairs. Unexpectedly, he became the City Lord, and both Yuanxi and Lian had already left.

"Will you come back?" You Die asked softly.

"Of course." Lu Ye raised a hand and patted her head.

"That's good." Not only You Die but everyone else breathed a sigh of relief. Under the current circumstances, if even Lu Ye were to abandon Yuanxi City, they would truly lose their backbone.

"Senior Brother, should we change the city's name?" Fu Wei suggested. Most Harmony Cities are named after their City Lord or are related to their race of origin. Now that Lu Ye was the City Lord, keeping the name Yuanxi City seemed a bit inappropriate.

"No need for that," Lu Ye shook his head. He had never intended to own a Harmony City. Previously, it was because he lacked the strength, but now he had enough. Yet, the more he understood, the more unreliable he found such illusory external power amplification. So, he didn't care much about these things; the name was naturally irrelevant. After all, the city was built by Yuanxi herself, and even though she had returned to Chilian City, it wasn't impossible for her to come back.

"You Die, heed my command!" Lu Ye suddenly said with a stern expression.

You Die froze for a moment, then immediately clasped her fists, "Your subordinate is here!"

"After I leave, you will control this city and move it closer to Dragon City. Along the way, be mindful of lurking and hiding. I also hope everyone will cooperate sincerely, work together, and overcome this difficult period," Lu Ye ordered. He had previously checked the star map; this location was not close to Dragon City, but not too far either. Especially since the city was small in size, some large-scale wormholes could be used, so it should be possible to reach Dragon City in a year or two.

You Die solemnly replied, "Your subordinate obeys the City Lord's command!" After speaking, she excitedly added, "Brother Ye, are we going to seek refuge with Dragon City?" She found it quite unbelievable. After the battle on the Starry Chess in the past, they had all witnessed Lu Ye being taken away by the Phoenix Lord, but they didn't know what had happened to Lu Ye in these past few years that he had even established a connection with Dragon City. Now that he was having You Die move the city to Dragon City, it was clearly to seek refuge. As long as the city was labeled with Dragon City's mark, it would be much safer to travel in the Inner Realm later on.

"Sort of," Lu Ye replied casually. The Phoenix Nest was definitely out of reach; beyond the Phoenix Nest, space was chaotic, making it impossible for anyone to approach. After much thought, Lu Ye could only have the city move closer to Dragon City.

Yuanxi's concerns were not unfounded. Although the city had the secret art amplification left by the Mirage, it was not foolproof. If any accident occurred and the city's whereabouts were discovered, it would attract immense attention. There was no Cosmic-grade Harmony City of such small size in this world. Currently, the city's defenses were empty. At that time, let alone confronting a Harmony City of the same grade, even an Arid-grade city would be enough to take down this city. Although traveling to Dragon City this way still carried risks, as long as You Die was careful enough, the problem wouldn't be too big. Lu Ye had a vague feeling that this undertaking would not be a short one.

Days later, a meteorite drifted forward in the void. Lu Ye sat cross-legged on it, his body emanating dragon might. He held a jade slip, carefully comprehending its contents. He had found this meteorite randomly and slightly altered its direction, making it his mount. The meteorite's drifting speed was undoubtedly very slow, far inferior to his own rapid flight. Although he wasn't known for his speed, his current Harmonized Body was much better than when he first Merged with the Dao.

However, he was not in a hurry for this journey; one could even say he was deliberately dragging his feet. This was because he vaguely sensed that the task he was going to undertake was likely not something he would enjoy. Fortunately, after he began this unknown journey, the subtle sensing no longer bothered him. If it had been urging him before, now that he had started acting, there was no need for further urging. That sensation was rigid, more like an operation under a set of rules, which gave Lu Ye room to delay. However, he had tried to slow down further and found it didn't work; if his speed dropped below a certain point, he would still be "urged." So, moving at his current pace was the only way to remain undisturbed.

With nothing else to do, he naturally focused on cultivating the dragon secret technique. He primarily practiced the Heavenly Battle Saint Dragon Guard. Although he was qualified to cultivate other dragon secret techniques, his bloodline wasn't pure, so forcing it would only yield half the results with twice the effort. Moreover, Lu Ye's soldier cultivator system conflicted with many dragon secret techniques.

Though traveling alone, he wasn't lonely. He could use the phantom of the Dragon Scroll in his Divine Sea to communicate and seek advice from numerous pure-blood dragons, and even chat idly. He got to know many dragons and received guidance from various seniors, allowing his progress in cultivating the Heavenly Battle Saint Dragon Guard to advance by leaps and bounds.

One day, while cultivating, Lu Ye slowly opened his eyes. Ahead, a Harmony City stood across his path. Judging by its size, it appeared to be a Celestial-grade or Arid-grade Harmony City. In front of the Harmony City stood a formidable figure, a brawny man three zhang tall, whose skin resembled stone but was arranged in scales. Most peculiar were his eyes, with yellowish-brown vertical pupils, giving off an extremely sinister and cruel feeling. He was currently staring at Lu Ye, who had drifted over on the meteorite. Feeling the faint dragon might emanating from Lu Ye, his eyes were filled with greed. Almost simultaneously with Lu Ye looking up at him, two figures suddenly appeared to his left and right, forming a pincer attack.

Lu Ye, however, seemed unfazed. He merely sized up the brawny man standing before the Harmony City, raising an eyebrow: "Dragonkin?" He immediately understood that this was not a chance encounter but a premeditated ambush. He had previously sensed someone secretly observing him nearby, but he hadn't paid much attention, and the observation hadn't lasted long. It must have been one of these individuals. While he was cultivating the Heavenly Battle Saint Dragon Guard here, his dragon might couldn't be concealed, making it easy for them to detect him. These guys probably mistook him for a Dragonkin, which was why they made their move. There are countless Dragonkin throughout the universe; most reside in Dragon City, but many are scattered elsewhere. These Dragonkin do not coexist peacefully; they can enhance their bloodline concentration by seizing each other's bloodlines. Thus, in the wilderness, encounters between Dragonkin often lead to life-or-death battles. That brawny man must have set his sights on Lu Ye's dragon essence.

"Kid, blame your bad luck for intruding upon my territory," the brawny man blustered, confident he had Lu Ye cornered. "If you cooperate obediently and let me extract your dragon essence, you might have a sliver of hope!"

Lu Ye glanced at the Harmony City behind him: "Celestial-grade? Perfect!" His leisurely journey thus far had two purposes: first, to cultivate the Heavenly Battle Saint Dragon Guard, and second, to gather Harmony Orb fragments. Compared to the Heavenly Battle Saint Dragon Guard, the Small World Secret Art was his fundamental technique. Currently, the Small World Secret Art had reached the second stage of perfection, and moving forward, he would need more Harmony Orb fragments. Although he had encountered Harmony Cities along the way, they hadn't attacked him first, so Lu Ye didn't want to be the aggressor. But today, he finally encountered one. The Harmony Orb of a Celestial-grade Harmony City would be enough to advance his Small World Secret Art to the fourth stage.

Lu Ye's calm and composed demeanor made the brawny man frown, instinctively feeling something was off. Any ordinary cultivator, alone in such a situation, would surely panic. Not only did Lu Ye not panic, he even looked enthusiastic. This clearly indicated a reliance on his own formidable strength.

Various thoughts raced through the brawny man's mind, and he fiercely lunged at Lu Ye, roaring, "Insolent brat!" He had finally found a lone Dragonkin, and from a distance, the opponent's dragon essence seemed quite good. He was unwilling to give up now, no matter what. Even if the opponent was truly strong, was he himself weak? He was also the City Lord of a Celestial-grade Harmony City, capable of unleashing over 40% additional strength while near his city!

As he lunged, a giant python phantom coiled behind the brawny man. It was an incredibly rare Rock Salamander Python, with two horns on its head and three legs beneath its belly, already showing signs of transforming into a dragon. This indicated that the brawny man also had a very high-grade dragon essence. Before he even reached Lu Ye, his dragon might had already pressed down on him. This was a normal procedure in life-or-death struggles among Dragonkin; the side with stronger dragon essence could often gain an absolute advantage instantly. The invisible impact shattered the meteorite beneath Lu Ye, but the brawny man's eyes narrowed. Under the impact of his dragon might, Lu Ye's black hair merely fluttered, and his clothes flapped, with no other reaction. This guy's dragon essence was indeed powerful, strong enough to contend with his own!

This made the brawny man ecstatic. He had cultivated for many years, hunted countless Dragonkin, and extracted their bloodlines to strengthen himself. For a Dragonkin, his bloodline was already difficult to improve further, unless he was qualified to transform into a dragon and become a half-blood dragon. That was a nobler existence than a Dragonkin, and it was his lifelong goal. Unfortunately, the path was difficult, but he never expected to see such an opportunity today!