Chapter 2863: Direct Assault on the Enemy's Stronghold

Rise of the Nine Provinces

Before entering that shattered starry sky to search for Zong Shenliang, Lu Ye had specifically used the Dragon Scroll to contact the Dragon Lord, asking him and the Phoenix Master to jointly attack Senluo City.

It now appears how efficient the Dragon Lord and Phoenix Master are; a battle has already begun here. However, conflicts between the Ten Harmony Cities are never simple. Mobilizing numerous Harmony Cities often takes a significant amount of time. Yuanxi City could appear here so quickly mainly because of its small size, allowing it to cross space via wormholes. Generally, Harmony Cities below the Heaven-grade possess this convenience, but not those above it. Most wormholes are not large enough to allow passage for Heaven-grade Harmony Cities. These Harmony Cities can only move slowly if they wish to come.

Currently, only Harmony Cities below the Heaven-grade have arrived from Dragon City, serving as the vanguard. This vanguard is now using Yuanxi City as its hub, gradually dismantling Senluo City's defenses.

As for why Yuanxi is here...

Lu Ye couldn't help but recall that when he left Zhehuang City earlier, Fu Wei mentioned that Yuanxi had tried to contact him to inquire about the situation. It was likely Yuanxi had learned some intelligence, which prompted her to return to her city, where she coincidentally encountered and became involved in this conflict.

Ni Chiluan is currently refining the Universe Cauldron in the Starry Sky. Even if everything goes smoothly, it will take a considerable amount of time. Since she had nothing to do in the Starry Sky, she was naturally happy to join the commotion.

After briefly learning about the situation from You Die, Lu Ye said, "I'll go help. Clan Leader, please stay here and help Xiao Die defend our city." "Alright!" replied Hun Que, releasing his soul-attachment state and detaching from Lu Ye.

Outside the city, a desolate-grade city was fleeing in disarray, its defensive array on the verge of collapse. When Lu Ye arrived, he saw Yuanxi leading Su Yan and Zhu Yin, among others, fiercely attacking the desolate-grade city. The few Harmony realm cultivators from this city did not have very profound foundations, as they had not been in the Harmony realm for long. However, with the amplification of the Harmony Pearl, the power they could exert was considerable. Coupled with Yuanxi, the desolate-grade city was clearly on the verge of collapsing. By the time Lu Ye arrived and unleashed a fierce strike with full Dao power, the already precarious defensive array shattered with a roar. This time, he didn't even use the power of the Myriad Poison Pearl.

"Grand Commander!" Yuanxi's eyes lit up. Su Yan and Zhu Yin also looked at him with surprise and delight. "We'll talk later; first, defeat the enemy," Lu Ye said, charging into the city first.

Though he said "defeat the enemy," the enemies had already witnessed Yuanxi's strength. Therefore, after the city fell, they scattered without hesitation, some fleeing the Harmony City, others escaping into the Harmony Realm. In just a moment, there was no trace of enemies left in the city.

In the central hall, Lu Ye shattered the Harmony Pearl and collected all the fragments. Although his minor world secret technique had already reached the ninth level, and the quality of his small world Harmony Pearl had also reached the Universe grade with no room for further improvement, these numerous fragments were still too valuable to waste. Even if he couldn't use them himself, they could be used to create higher-quality Harmony Pearls.

"Grand Commander, weren't you exiled for triggering the restrictions of the Harmony Realm?" Yuanxi leaned close to Lu Ye and whispered, "Who spread these rumors?" "The news travels so fast," Lu Ye said, astonished. "It wasn't a rumor?" Yuanxi was also surprised. "I was indeed exiled, but I escaped from there," Lu Ye mused, suddenly realizing why the news spread so quickly: firstly, no one had triggered the Harmony Realm's restrictions for many years, and secondly, he had slain the Lord of Senluo City right before so many people's eyes. Such a major event was bound to spread rapidly. Now, in the Star Abyss, anyone with even a slight source of information probably knew about it.

Yuanxi immediately regarded Lu Ye as a celestial being and gave him a thumbs-up, saying, "The Grand Commander is truly worthy of his title!" To be exiled to that nameless place and escape so quickly was simply unheard of. However, judging by Su Yan and Zhu Yin's expressions, they seemed unaware of this matter; otherwise, Yuanxi wouldn't have spoken to Lu Ye so secretly.

"It's good you're back. Quickly go to Senluo City and lend a hand to Dragon Lord and Phoenix Master!" Yuanxi suddenly remembered something else.

"Where are they?"

"Senluo City!"

Lu Ye instantly reacted, "Dragon Lord and Phoenix Master... went straight for the heart?"

Yuanxi said, "Zong Shenliang was slain by you in the Harmony Realm. Now, Senluo City is without a leader, and its people are in turmoil. How could Dragon Lord and Phoenix Master miss such a great opportunity?" As Universe-grade city lords, these two could, to a certain extent, receive amplification from the Harmony Pearl wherever they were, as long as they remained within the Inner Realm. Naturally, with great skill comes great daring, and with Zong Shenliang already dead, if they could jointly break Senluo City, the other Harmony Cities under this Ten Harmony City would become scattered sands, no longer a threat. If they had proceeded step by step, conflicts between the Ten Harmony Cities would not have been decided for decades or even centuries, as the involvement was too vast and widespread. Just like when Dragon Lord and Phoenix Master jointly attacked Blood Drink City, it took a considerable amount of time, even without Xue Jiu personally overseeing it. Now, Zong Shenliang's death presented Dragon Lord and Phoenix Master with an excellent opportunity. Yet, even so, with only their combined strength, breaking through Senluo City would not be simple. Even without Zong Shenliang personally overseeing it, the defenses of a Universe-grade Harmony City are not easily breached.

"I understand!" Lu Ye nodded, feeling that Dragon Lord and Phoenix Master's actions coincided with his own thoughts; he had originally intended to join forces with them to do just this. After asking Yuanxi for Senluo City's exact location, Lu Ye flashed away in that direction.

Along the way, he saw many Harmony Cities under Senluo City, arrayed in battle formations in the area, evidently preparing for the upcoming grand battle. Lu Ye paid them no mind and sped on.

He crossed through the void until, at a certain moment, he suddenly looked up into the distance. He sensed the aura of Dragon Lord and Phoenix Master, and not only that, but also several other somewhat familiar powerful auras!

At this moment, beside the magnificent and enormous Senluo City, five figures stood divided into two camps, confronting each other from a distance, their auras surging, clearly ready to clash at any moment. One side was naturally Dragon Lord and Phoenix Master, who had rushed here to strike at the heart of the enemy. The other side consisted of Xuan Wuzong, Gu Mingyue, and Hong Tu, who had been on good terms with Zong Shenliang. Dragon Lord and Phoenix Master had been here for several days. It could be said that after Lu Ye slew Zong Shenliang in the Harmony Realm a few days prior, the news reached Dragon Lord. Although they were concerned about Lu Ye's situation, they also knew this was an excellent opportunity to attack Senluo City, so they rushed here without hesitation. They had continuously attacked Senluo City for several days, achieving some minor results. However, just half a day ago, they were blocked by Hong Tu and others who had rushed to the scene. With Dragon City and Phoenix Nest attacking Senluo City, such a major event, there was no way they wouldn't receive news.

During the standoff, the three, including Hong Tu, felt bitter. They recalled that once, among the ten top powerhouses in the Inner Realm, five of them had banded together for mutual support. Although there were occasional frictions and they weren't truly bound by life and death, they at least didn't fall apart when facing major events and could stand on the same front. Yet, in just a few years, Xue Jiu mysteriously disappeared without a trace, very likely meeting with misfortune, and just days ago, that fellow Zong Shenliang was actually killed. The critical point was that this person actually died in the Harmony Realm—it was simply preposterous! From ancient times until now, there have indeed been top-tier city lords among the Ten who died in battle, but none had ever died in a place like the Harmony Realm. Of the former five, only three remained. All of them were indignant. With the Outer and Inner Realms now merged and many Star Abyss Gates appearing, why did that fool Zong Shenliang pick a fight with Lu Ye instead of refining and subduing supreme treasures in the Starry Sky? He picked a fight and got killed, utterly disgracing them. Both Xue Jiu's disappearance and Zong Shenliang's death were related to Lu Ye. Countless people witnessed Zong Shenliang being slain in the Harmony Realm. Although Xue Jiu's whereabouts were unknown, with the Sky Mirror in Lu Ye's hands, what good end could Xue Jiu have met? Hong Tu and the others felt somewhat dazed, sensing that Lu Ye was simply their nemesis. Ever since this fellow's rise, they hadn't had many good days. The last time Dragon City and Phoenix Nest attacked Blood Drink City, they were wary of Ba Qiu and dared not interfere casually. But now it was different; Ba Qiu had severed his foundation, failed his ascension, and no longer possessed his former might. Therefore, they arrived together. Even if Zong Shenliang was dead, they couldn't allow Dragon City and Phoenix Nest to seize Senluo City's territory. Furthermore, if they could force Dragon Lord and Phoenix Master to retreat this time, the three of them could then divide Senluo City's forces, strengthening themselves. Therefore, their presence this time was not primarily due to deep past friendships with Zong Shenliang, but rather more for their own considerations.

"Dragon Lord!" During the standoff, Hong Tu slowly spoke, "Why not withdraw your forces soon? Otherwise, we won't be polite!" Dragon Lord snorted coldly, "Insignificant clowns, I'd like to see how you won't be polite!" Hong Tu slowly shook his head, "Dragon Lord and Phoenix Master possess extraordinary strength. Although the three of us are slightly inferior, with three against two, Dragon Lord and Phoenix Master might not fare well! And with us mutually restraining each other here, won't Dragon Lord neglect Dragon City?" "Are you threatening me?" Dragon Lord's expression sharpened. Hong Tu chuckled, "To be frank, before the three of us arrived, we had already issued orders. Our Harmony Cities are currently assembling. With a single command, we can dispatch forces on three fronts. If Dragon Lord considers this a threat, then let it be a threat." As for where the forces would be dispatched, Hong Tu didn't say, but anyone knew what he meant.

Around the Phoenix Nest, spatial rifts were everywhere, making a large area look shattered. No one but the Phoenix clan could reach that damned place. Therefore, the only target for their forces would be Holy Dragon City!

Dragon Lord's face instantly turned cold: "You dare!" Hong Tu smiled: "Dragon Lord can try!"

Dragon Lord remained silent, feeling utterly disgusted. If Hong Tu and the others truly acted on their threat, he and Phoenix Master truly couldn't stay here for long and would have to return to oversee their city. While Holy Dragon City's foundation was indeed profound, how could it withstand three opponents? It would inevitably suffer significant losses, and even if he rushed back, it would be of no avail by then.