Chapter 2811: Ten Great Powers Gather

Winds Stir the Nine Provinces

The Inner Realm, a lonely and boundless land.

Here stood One Husband City, seemingly dilapidated, carried on the back of a giant turtle.

Around it, the aura of the Star Abyss surged powerfully, and endless Dao power gathered from all directions. Within a million-mile radius, space twisted and churned.

Furthermore, an ineffable wonder reverberated in all directions.

On the throne within the city sat a burly, towering figure, his lifelong companion, a massive blade, casually placed beside him.

At this moment, the figure was like a black hole, voraciously devouring everything around him, causing a vivid phantom to condense behind him, growing taller and more solid, as if transforming into a nebula giant.

Such a phenomenon had long alarmed various factions in the Inner Realm.

At this very moment, countless eyes secretly observed from around One Husband City.

Among them, a powerful being with three heads and eight arms watched from afar, none other than Hong Tu, the City Lord of Hundred Battles City.

Beside Hong Tu, a seemingly unremarkable black shadow writhed and shifted—it was Zong Shenliang, the City Lord of Senluo City.

There was also a young Winged Race member with a red cinnabar mark between his brows, exceptionally beautiful; this was Xuan Wuzong, the City Lord of Ten Steps City.

Another figure, like flowing water, possessed a curvaceous allure even though her face was indistinct. Gu Mingyue, City Lord of Thousand Streams City, hailed from the Water Spirit clan, her nature always unpredictable; to this day, no one knew if she was male or female.

These four city lords had last gathered during the Battle of Snow Plains.

Even as adversaries, watching Ba Qiu's situation from afar, they couldn't help but show admiration. Although they were all among the Ten Great City Lords, they had never glimpsed the threshold of that next step, yet Ba Qiu was already preparing to take it.

This was respect for power.

Yet, beneath the respect, was a greater concern.

Ba Qiu's strength was already formidable enough; if he took that step further, how could they possibly contend with him? In the last Battle of Snow Plains, their combined forces were ultimately repelled by Ba Qiu. If the Inner Realm's strongest individual advanced even further, he might well dispatch them all, one by one, with a single blade strike!

“Still no news from Xue Jiu?” Hong Tu asked impatiently. “That fellow isn’t really dead, is he?”

“He’s likely in grave danger,” Zong Shenliang’s voice echoed from the shadows. “During the last great war, the Insect and Blood clans were leaderless and suffered immense losses, almost wiped out by the Dragon and Phoenix clans. Even Blood Drink City was breached. If Xue Jiu were still alive, how could he not have appeared?”

Recently, major events had been frequent in the Inner Realm.

First, something seemed to have gone wrong with the Blood clan, leading to the fall and heavy losses of many Dao Integration Cities. Then, the Dragon and Phoenix clans launched a joint assault, and in that single battle, the Insect and Blood clans suffered untold casualties.

It was fortunate that their factions had taken them in; otherwise, vast as the Inner Realm was, there would truly be no place for the Insect and Blood clans to stand.

When the war erupted, they had considered offering aid, but with Xue Jiu absent, it was truly difficult for them to intervene.

Afterward, they sought information about Xue Jiu from the harbored cultivators of the Insect and Blood clans. Only then did they learn that prior to this, a human named Lu Ye had caused havoc in the Blood clan territory, somehow poisoning and killing numerous powerful beings. Xue Jiu had then pursued him and subsequently vanished without a trace.

With Xue Jiu missing, the human named Lu Ye had also disappeared, and both the Dragon and Phoenix clans had been searching for him.

It hadn't been long since a momentous war concluded, and now Ba Qiu was poised for a breakthrough, drawing attention from all sides.

“Blood Drink City is breached; even if Xue Jiu is alive, he’s useless now.”

An Universe-grade Dao Integration City, built with Xue Jiu's lifelong effort and energy, he would never have another chance to construct a second Blood Drink City.

“My current concern is Ba Qiu,” Xuan Wuzong said, his face etched with worry. “If he fails today, so be it. But if he succeeds… where will we stand in the Inner Realm afterward?”

Given the grudges they had accumulated with Ba Qiu over the years, once he advanced further in strength, none of them would fare well.

“Are you thinking of doing something?” Zong Shenliang turned and gazed at him leisurely.

“We can’t just stand here and watch…” Xuan Wuzong frowned.

Gu Mingyue chuckled. “Going up now certainly offers a chance to disrupt Ba Qiu’s progress, but who among us could withstand his assault?”

Ba Qiu’s current breakthrough was too grand a spectacle; Dao power within a million-mile radius resonated with him. Though not yet complete, Ba Qiu’s strength was undoubtedly more terrifying than before, and no one dared to provoke him at this moment.

“Not to mention…” Gu Mingyue turned her head to look in another direction. “There are guardians over there too; they won’t stand by idly.”

In that direction, two figures also stood.

One was a majestic figure, none other than the current Dragon Sovereign, Yang Fengxian, and the graceful woman beside him was undoubtedly the Phoenix Lord, Huang Shiniang.

“Still no news from Lu Ye?” the Phoenix Lord asked.

She and the Dragon Sovereign had only recently arrived. Not long ago, they had been jointly besieging the Insect and Blood clans. With Xue Jiu absent and Blood Drink City leaderless, that battle was fought with immense satisfaction, allowing the Phoenix Lord to vent her frustration.

Ever since Xue Jiu had murdered several Phoenix clan members and seized their bloodlines, the animosity between the Phoenix clan and Xue Jiu had become irreconcilable. The Phoenix Lord had even vowed to take Xue Jiu’s life one day.

It was a pity that Xue Jiu was not seen in the previous battle; no one knew where he had gone.

The information Zong Shenliang and others could gather, the Dragon Sovereign and Phoenix Lord could naturally also uncover. They all knew that Xue Jiu had pursued Lu Ye that day, and then both had vanished.

“The Dragon Scroll shows no reaction,” the Dragon Sovereign shook his head. “But he’s definitely still alive.”

Because Lu Ye’s name had not vanished from the Dragon Scroll.

“Not in the Inner Realm, nor the Outer Realm, so where could he be?” The Phoenix Lord was filled with vexation.

If Lu Ye were merely an outer minister of the Phoenix clan, he wouldn’t warrant such concern from her. Throughout history, while few, there had always been a few outer ministers of the Phoenix clan.

However, Lu Ye had significant ties to the ancestors of both clans, and was very likely the person the two clans had awaited for countless millennia, which compelled her to take him seriously.

“As long as he’s alive, he’ll eventually return,” the Dragon Sovereign comforted her. “It’s the Primordial Parasol Tree that concerns me…”

The Primordial Parasol Tree was a supreme treasure, left by the ancestors to the Phoenix clan, and also the foundation of their existence. However, in recent years, its condition had been worsening.

Lu Ye had even narrowly escaped danger because of this issue once.

“It probably won’t last much longer,” the Phoenix Lord sighed. The will of the Star Abyss had been constantly eroding the Primordial Parasol Tree. Not just it, but many other supreme treasures within the Star Abyss showed signs of erosion to varying degrees. It was just that the Primordial Parasol Tree had existed for too long, and the marks of erosion were too severe.

Previously, the Primordial Parasol Tree could occasionally maintain its sentience, but now it was completely impossible to awaken it. This had led to many changes in the Phoenix clan’s Phoenix Nest, which was no longer a safe haven.

If this situation continued, eventually the Phoenix clan would lose this foundational supreme treasure. At that point, the Phoenix clan would be like water without a source; once the existing Phoenix clan members perished completely, this noble race would face utter extinction.

“What a time of trouble!” the Dragon Sovereign sighed, then suddenly perceived something and turned to look in a certain direction.

From that direction, a robust figure rapidly swept in, stopping at a distance. Noticing the Dragon Sovereign’s gaze, he turned, looked, and gave a slight nod.

At first glance, the newcomer appeared to be a hunter entering the mountains, holding a hunting knife, with a strong bow on his back, dressed in animal skins.

No one who saw him would pay him much mind.

Yet, this individual was truly one of the Ten Great City Lords, and specifically, Xiao Qianchen, the City Lord of Myriad Ages City!

The knife in his hand was nothing special, merely a subordinate treasure, but the bow was the supreme treasure, Great Yi’s Divine Bow, whose power was not to be underestimated.

Xiao Qianchen generally kept to himself in the Inner Realm, forming an unbreakable friendship only with Qin Feng, the master of the Unity Realm Battle Arena. During the Battle of Snow Plains, he had secretly lent Ba Qiu a hand at Qin Feng’s request.

This time, he hadn’t come because of Qin Feng, but on his own accord. Ba Qiu was about to take that crucial step, and as one of the Ten Great City Lords, he naturally wanted to witness it firsthand.

At this point, among the Inner Realm’s Ten Great City Lords, besides the missing Xue Jiu, only Ni Chil炼 from Scarlet Refinement City had not appeared.

It was not surprising that this person had not appeared.

Her lifelong pursuit lay within her city; ever since Yuan Xi returned with her, Ni Chil炼 had no further desires. Even for such a grand spectacle, she had no interest in joining in.

It wasn’t just the Ten Great City Lords who had arrived. In the Inner Realm, almost anyone with a bit of strength and reputation had heard the news and was either already there or on their way.

They gathered in small groups, observing from afar, their expressions varied.

Time passed, and the surrounding Dao power became increasingly fervent. Where Ba Qiu was, space twisted and shifted, as if another world might descend at any moment.

The phantom behind him also grew taller and taller, truly transforming into a nebula giant.

This astonishing sight left everyone in awe.

“Clang… clang…” A strange sound suddenly echoed through the void.

This left all observers bewildered, unsure of the source of the strange sound. As the sound continued, Ba Qiu’s brow visibly furrowed, as if he had perceived something.

“Something doesn’t seem right!” Under One Husband City, Baxia turned its enormous head and rumbled.

His destiny was intertwined with Ba Qiu’s, so he felt Ba Qiu’s situation most keenly. The current circumstances seemed to diverge somewhat from what he and Ba Qiu had anticipated…

This made him feel a faint unease in his heart.

Ba Qiu did not speak, but his brows furrowed even deeper.

Clang… clang…

The sound of chains became even clearer.

“What is that?” Zong Shenliang suddenly looked surprised and doubtful where the four city lords gathered. In his vision, the nebula giant behind Ba Qiu had inexplicably developed extremely profound black patterns. When these patterns first appeared, they looked like wriggling earthworms.

But in the blink of an eye, the number of these 'earthworms' grew crazily, then connected with each other.

Visibly, a colossal black chain vaguely formed, binding the nebula giant.

Just by looking at the chain from afar, everyone had a bad feeling, yet they had no idea why it had appeared.