Chapter 2817: Is Ba Qiu a Rebellious Son?

**Winds Rise Across the Nine Provinces**

In the Star Abyss, cultivators wishing to enter the Hehe Realm typically needed to locate a Hedao City and use a Hedao Pearl as a transit point. However, Lu Ye’s own small world already contained a Universe-grade Hedao Pearl, allowing him to enter the Hehe Realm at any time and from anywhere.

He had never done this before, nor had he needed to.

The Hehe Realm was still bustling with activity, its vast hall filled with people coming and going.

Lu Ye didn't stop. He raised a hand and tapped the Panshan Blade at his waist.

Liao’s voice entered his ears: "Received!"

Among the Inner Realm’s ten Hedao Cities, Lu Ye had free access to three: Dragon City, Phoenix Nest, and Yifu City. Such convenience was unprecedented. However, the right to freely enter and exit Yifu City wasn't his, but Liao’s. This was why he had instructed Dragon Venerable to keep him updated on Ba Qiu’s situation, as he possessed the ability to provide timely assistance.

As Liao exerted himself, his form quickly vanished.

When he reappeared, he was already in Yifu City.

Before he could fully regain his senses, he suddenly felt a sharp gaze fix on him. From all directions, incredibly fierce aftershocks of battle surged violently, like a turbulent tide.

Lu Ye looked over and instantly spotted Ba Qiu's burly, towering figure, his expression turning grave. Ba Qiu's current state seemed very bad; not only was his aura extremely unstable, but even his face appeared incredibly pale. He stood there, seemingly as formidable as an abyss or towering mountain, yet Lu Ye instantly perceived his inner weakness. This former strongest cultivator in the Inner Realm seemed to have suffered severe injuries after his breakthrough failed. Moreover, his gaze at Lu Ye was filled with wariness, his aura coiled but unreleased, as if poised to strike at any moment.

"Senior, I mean no harm," Lu Ye quickly said.

Ba Qiu remained silent, merely staring coldly at him.

Lu Ye frowned slightly, feeling that Ba Qiu, the Inner Realm's strongest, seemed to have changed since their last meeting. However, Lu Ye quickly grasped the reason. Looking around, he saw several fierce battle groups clashing outside Yifu City, with the sounds of dragon roars and phoenix cries echoing incessantly.

In one battlefield, Dragon Venerable had a look as if he'd swallowed a dead fly, as he contended with a three-headed, eight-armed powerhouse. Lu Ye recognized him instantly as Hong Tu from Baizhan City. During their confrontation, Hong Tu spoke: "Dragon Venerable, surely you haven't forgotten when Ba Qiu forced his way into Dragon City, causing Dragon City to lose face? Why must you support him today?"

Of course, Dragon Venerable hadn't forgotten that incident. While there were reasons for Ba Qiu’s actions, and he didn't hold much personal resentment, the fact remained that Dragon City had been humiliated. If it weren't necessary, he wouldn't want to get involved in this mess at all. What did Ba Qiu's life or death have to do with him? However, with Phoenix Lord siding with outsiders, he had no choice but to follow. He and Phoenix Lord were like siblings; Dragon City and Phoenix Nest shared a common fate. If Phoenix Lord intended to intervene, he couldn't stand idly by.

Though all were among the ten City Lords, their strengths varied. The difference lay in their respective foundations, specifically the number of Dao Marks engraved on their Dao Bones. Dragon Venerable’s strength was undoubtedly superior to Hong Tu’s; if they fought seriously, Hong Tu would be no match. Yet, in this brief exchange, they appeared evenly matched. This clearly indicated that Dragon Venerable was not exerting his full power, not because he was unwilling, but because it was unnecessary. He only needed to contain Hong Tu, and Hong Tu was well aware of this. Thus, while their battleground seemed fervent, both were merely going through the motions.

However, Phoenix Lord was undoubtedly using her full power. Her opponent was Gu Mingyue from Qianliu City. Though Gu Mingyue’s Water Spirit Body was formless and unpredictable, Phoenix Lord’s profound cultivation and spatial power had a distinct restraining effect on her. Consequently, Phoenix Lord was almost completely suppressing Gu Mingyue in their battle. Phoenix Lord, concerned for Ba Qiu’s safety, attacked with full force from the outset, aiming to defeat Gu Mingyue as quickly as possible. She knew that if she couldn't swiftly deal with her opponent, Ba Qiu’s situation would become dire. However, Gu Mingyue was still one of the ten City Lords. Even if she was no match for Phoenix Lord, seriously injuring or killing her remained a difficult task, which greatly agitated Phoenix Lord.

And the third battle group was where the strength disparity was most significant. As Lu Ye looked, he saw a bald, white-browed elder fiercely battling a winged human wielding a long sword. The winged human was none other than Xuan Wuzong from Shibu City. The white-browed elder fighting him was Ba Xia, whom Lu Ye had seen before, the leader of the Bu Clan and Fu Wei's ancestor. Lu Ye didn't know Ba Xia's exact strength, but he was clearly no match for a City Lord. After only a brief clash, Ba Xia was already covered in blood. Yet, he fought to the death, refusing to retreat!

Lu Ye frowned deeply, wondering just how dire Ba Qiu's situation was. In such a dangerous predicament, Ba Qiu wasn’t participating in the battle; instead, Ba Xia was confronting a City Lord. Still puzzled, his peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of two figures standing in the distance. These two were confronting each other from afar, not engaging in a full-blown fight. One was dressed as a hunter, wearing a saber and carrying a bow. The other’s form sometimes dissolved into a black shadow, at other times solidifying into a human shape; he was undoubtedly Zong Shenliang from Senluo City. As for the hunter, he was Xiao Qianchen from Wangu City.

Lu Ye’s heart sank slightly. The situation was indeed as Dragon Venerable had previously stated: all the powerhouses from the Inner Realm had arrived. At present, only two of the ten City Lords were absent: Xue Jiu, whose whereabouts in the Origin Realm were unknown, and Ni Chilian, who hadn't appeared. Furthermore, further away, groups of two and three figures were clearly gathered, observing from a distance. Any single one of these individuals was a renowned figure in the Inner Realm, at least a Universe-grade City Lord level powerhouse. But even they found it difficult to participate in the current great battle and could only observe from afar. Because the incident occurred so suddenly, they had all rushed there alone, without bringing their respective Hedao Cities. Universe-grade City Lord level cultivators, without the amplification of a Hedao Pearl, were simply unqualified to participate in such intense confrontations.

Zong Shenliang's voice suddenly rang out: "Brother Qianchen, are you so restless that you rush to join any excitement? Aren't you afraid of getting burned?"

Xiao Qianchen smiled slightly: "What are you saying, Brother Zong? I'm just here to watch the show. You fight your battle, no need to mind me."

Zong Shenliang snorted coldly, naturally not believing his nonsense. Xiao Qianchen had also taken action in the battle on the snowy plains, so today, Zong Shenliang absolutely couldn't treat him the same as those who were genuinely just watching. The power of the Great Yi Bow was not to be underestimated. While the others watching from afar might indeed be genuine spectators, this fellow certainly was not. Feeling irritated, he thought that if Xiao Qianchen weren’t present, he could have easily joined forces with Xuan Wuzong to quickly eliminate Ba Xia, and then swiftly deal with Ba Qiu. But because Xiao Qianchen was here, he could only keep an eye on him and couldn't do anything else.

Xuan Wuzong's voice suddenly rang out: "Old fool, how ignorant you are! Ba Qiu is already a renegade, abandoned by the Star Abyss's will. Why do you exert yourself for him? If you surrender to me and serve me from now on, I will spare your life today!" He had heard of the Bu Clan. If he could subdue Ba Xia and make him serve him, he could then leverage Ba Xia's power to avoid misfortune and seek good fortune in the future. Though both were among the ten City Lords, Ba Qiu had firmly held the position of the strongest for many years, unshaken. Many speculated that this might be related to the Bu Clan. Xuan Wuzong was naturally tempted by this. If he could subdue Ba Xia today, he might be able to replace Ba Qiu in the future. If he didn't have such thoughts in his mind, Ba Xia would have collapsed long ago.

In Yifu City, Lu Ye's heart slightly trembled upon hearing this. "Renegade son?" "Ba Qiu is a Son of the Star Abyss?" No, Ba Qiu is not a Son of the Star Abyss. Because Sons of the Star Abyss can sense each other's presence. That was how he had sensed Pei Lin from Baizhan City and Jiao from Xueyin City back then. He had interacted with Ba Qiu multiple times and never felt such a sensation, so Ba Qiu definitely couldn't be a Son of the Star Abyss. Xuan Wuzong must have made a mistake. And why would Ba Qiu be abandoned by the Star Abyss's will?

Lu Ye couldn't help but recall what he had seen earlier in the Origin Realm: when Ba Qiu’s breakthrough failed, the eight True Saints all cried out in anger and unwillingness—undoubtedly a manifestation of the Star Abyss’s will. It was the Star Abyss's will expressing anger and unwillingness! If it was simply Ba Qiu's breakthrough failure, why would the Star Abyss's will be angry?

As he pondered, an idea struck Lu Ye. Could it be that Ba Qiu deliberately severed his path to advancement? Perhaps during the breakthrough, he perceived something and chose to cut off his own path rather than fall into the Origin Realm and become a puppet. Given his arrogance, he would absolutely be capable of such an act. If that were the case, then it would all make sense. No wonder the strange phenomena in the Origin Realm had suddenly vanished without a trace. At the time, Lu Ye had simply thought Ba Qiu had failed his breakthrough. Now, it seemed there was another reason. Because Ba Qiu severed his path to advancement, causing the Abyss to miss the opportunity for consciousness to be born, that's why it was so angry. That's why Ba Qiu's situation was so dire at the moment. With powerful enemies attacking, only Ba Xia could face them.

"Zong Shenliang, what are you waiting for!" A sharp shout, accompanied by the cry of a phoenix, rang out simultaneously. It was Gu Mingyue, finding it difficult to hold on. While she possessed the power to defend herself against Phoenix Lord, who would wish to be so completely suppressed? Moreover, they had already wasted considerable time trying to ascertain Ba Qiu’s true condition. Any further delay would inevitably lead to complications.

At her words, Zong Shenliang, who was confronting Xiao Qianchen from afar, sighed slightly and grabbed something from the void. A blood-red banner suddenly appeared in his palm. The supreme treasure, the Army-Stabilizing Banner!

Almost all of the ten City Lords possessed their own supreme treasures. After all, having cultivated in the Inner Realm for so many years, there were always opportunities to acquire them, no matter how difficult they were to subdue. The Army-Stabilizing Banner was unlike other supreme treasures. It possessed no inherent offensive or defensive power, yet it was a supreme treasure capable of enhancing the strength of both its owner and others. The extent of its enhancement depended on the number of people and their strength: the more people and the stronger the cultivators, the greater the boost. This was fundamentally a supreme treasure for large-scale warfare! It was also one of the rare supreme treasures that could be used on ordinary cultivators, and Zong Shenliang had expended considerable effort to subdue and acquire it.