Chapter 2884: Preparation

Winds of Jiuzhou

With Qin Feng's introduction, Lu Ye met these two individuals and learned their names.

The man was named Mu Yungui, a powerful figure active over 300,000 years ago. The woman was Huan Caiyi, who was active more recently, approximately 200,000 years ago.

Neither of these two came from the ranks of the Ten Great City Lords. While both had once established a Dao Convergence City, their progress had stalled at the Universe-tier level.

It wasn't that they were incompetent; they simply lived in an unfavorable era. For the past few hundred millennia, the positions of the Ten Great City Lords had been unshakeable. Even with immense strength and foundation, as long as they remained at the Dao Convergence level, replacing any of the Ten Greats was absolutely impossible.

However, this did not hinder their accumulation of personal foundations.

The reclusive powerhouses in the Dao Convergence Realm had mostly followed this path.

After a few words, Mu Yungui appeared somewhat anxious: "Fellow Daoist Lu, I heard from Master Qin that you can resolve our current issue? If so, please act quickly; any later, and we might not be able to hold on."

If Qin Feng hadn't vouched for them earlier, the two of them would not still be lingering in the Dao Convergence Realm.

With the influx of Star Abyss energy, the restraints that had bound them for years were rapidly loosening, showing signs of becoming uncontrollable. It was as if an invisible force was pushing them, but the Dao Convergence Realm was not suitable for advancement or breakthroughs, so they had to return to the Star Abyss.

Even if Lu Ye hadn't actively entered the Dao Convergence Realm this time, Qin Feng would have found a way to contact him and urged him to come quickly.

Understanding upon hearing this, Lu Ye immediately began to act.

Activating the power of the Talent Tree to incinerate the corrosive energy within others was not difficult. In just under half an hour, when Lu Ye stopped, both Mu Yungui and Huan Caiyi showed expressions of surprise and delight.

Both clearly perceived that the accumulated corrosive energy within their bodies had significantly dissipated. If their previous state was like a bottle almost full of water, then now only more than half of the water remained.

In this state, they would have nothing to worry about for a long time to come.

"Brother Lu, no words can express my gratitude for this great kindness," Mu Yungui said, cupping his hands in a respectful salute. "If there's ever anything you need from me in the future, just say the word. Whatever you ask, Mu will never refuse!" Regardless of how much sincerity was truly in his words, the attitude was, at the very least, clearly conveyed.

"Me too!" Huan Caiyi echoed.

"You're welcome," Lu Ye nodded.

Mu Yungui and Huan Caiyi did not linger. After their internal issues were resolved, they hastily bid farewell and departed.

Although their internal issues were resolved, the loosening of their own restraints could not wait another moment. Therefore, they had to quickly leave the Dao Convergence Realm to find a suitable place for isolated cultivation outside.

"Brother Feng, can you contact anyone else?" Lu Ye asked.

Qin Feng replied, "The only ones I truly trust are these two. As for the others..."

Lu Ye quickly said, "Regardless of trustworthiness, if you can contact them, have them come here immediately!"

Previously, he and Qin Feng had considered the issue of trust, but the situation was different now. No one had expected that the Dao Convergence Realm, a sanctuary, would also be invaded by Star Abyss energy.

As a result, individuals like Mu Yungui and Huan Caiyi would be forced to leave the Dao Convergence Realm and advance outside. Once successful, they would inevitably become Half-Saints, and under the continuous erosion of Star Abyss energy, they would also become puppets of the Abyss.

Those would all be Half-Saint level puppets.

Therefore, the main consideration now was not trust. What Lu Ye needed to do was quickly help them incinerate the corrosive energy within their bodies. This way, he could indirectly weaken the power that the Abyss could control.

"Alright!" Although Qin Feng didn't know why Lu Ye was so urgent, he quickly nodded in agreement.

However, as he sent out message after message, his expression gradually grew solemn.

Seeing this, Lu Ye secretly thought, "This is not good."

As expected, after a moment, Qin Feng shook his head and said, "Those guys... I can't reach any of them now."

Mu Yungui and Huan Caiyi had waited for Lu Ye in the Dao Convergence Realm because Qin Feng had vouched for them.

Others did not receive the same treatment as these two. Any other person, after the Star Abyss energy flooded the Dao Convergence Realm, would quickly leave, as staying further held no meaning. Advancing and breaking through outside might still offer a glimmer of hope.

Lu Ye couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

Over countless years, countless powerhouses had accumulated within the Dao Convergence Realm. Now, it seemed, all of them were about to fall into the Abyss's trap.

He suddenly realized that this was likely the ultimate goal of the Star Abyss energy invading the Dao Convergence Realm.

Things were getting troublesome. Currently in the Star Abyss, besides Xue Jiu, there were four other Half-Saint level powerhouses wandering around. The current issues hadn't been resolved, and new ones had emerged.

Furthermore, more Half-Saints would likely arrive from the Origin Realm later.

Looking further ahead, the Origin Realm would eventually fully merge into the Star Abyss one day. And once that happened, the True Saints would likely begin to become active as well.

The path ahead was bleak.

"Little Ye..." Qin Feng, seeing Lu Ye's troubled expression, softly called out.

Lu Ye responded, "Brother Feng, there's no time to lose. You should also prepare to advance to Half-Saint soon. There might be many powerful enemies in the future!"

Even if it was bleak, Lu Ye could only adjust his mindset. For now, he could only take things one step at a time.

"I was already planning to do that," Qin Feng nodded. "I've already had Gong Mao take over the Battle Arena, and I'll be heading to Kunli City soon."

He had intended to leave the Dao Convergence Realm a few days ago but was delayed because he needed to contact Mu Yungui and Huan Caiyi. Now that their issues were resolved, he had no more lingering trivial matters.

Kunli City was a Universe-tier Dao Convergence City. Its City Lord, Kunli, was someone he had personally mentored, and their brotherhood was as strong as gold. His decision to go to Kunli City for secluded cultivation this time was undoubtedly a long-planned arrangement.

"Then I wish Brother Feng all the best!" Lu Ye cupped his hands in salute.

A moment later, Lu Ye left the Battle Arena, accompanied by Si Shengya.

Originally, according to the plan, Si Shengya was to wait until his injuries fully healed before leaving the Dao Convergence Realm. However, there was now a matter requiring his intervention, so Lu Ye had no choice but to bring him out first.

In any case, Si Shengya's injuries were no longer serious.

On the way to the Initial Grand Hall, Lu Ye explained the current situation to Si Shengya. Si Shengya listened with a strange expression but didn't say much.

After waiting for a moment in the Initial Hall, Lu Ye finally met Xue Jiu.

When they met, Si Shengya's expression became even stranger.

He had been in the Origin Realm for many years and had always had a poor impression of the Blood Race. Moreover, during the previous great war in the Origin Realm, Xue Jiu had participated in the encirclement and suppression of him.

Back then, they were mortal enemies.

So Si Shengya hadn't expected that after only a few days, upon meeting again, they would already be allies.

Seeing Xue Jiu's smiling face now, Si Shengya felt a sense of unreality.

But Lu Ye had already made it clear to him: this Xue Jiu had been poisoned back when he advanced to Half-Saint. Currently under Lu Ye's control, he might not precisely follow every command or be completely subservient, but he would absolutely not dare to defy Lu Ye on major matters.

Moreover, this fellow even harbored intentions of seizing Xue Yuan's bloodline!

If this matter were to reach the Origin Realm, Xue Jiu would likely have no place among the Blood Race there.

Xue Jiu himself had become a Half-Saint by refining Xue Tianxing's bloodline. If he were to then refine Xue Yuan's bloodline, the Half-Saints of the Blood Race would no longer tolerate him. After all, who would want to coexist with someone who constantly coveted their bloodline?

Once the matter was exposed, the first ones to want Xue Jiu dead would probably be those Blood Race Half-Saints.

"Saint Si, I have offended you many times in the past. Please forgive me," Xue Jiu greeted him with a smile.

Having broken through Ten-Step City this time, not only did he vent his pent-up frustration, but he also seized Xuan Wuzong's Leize Sword and gathered a large number of subordinates. Xue Jiu was naturally in excellent spirits.

Moreover, for the upcoming actions, he would still rely on Si Shengya's power to gain benefits for himself. With Lu Ye as the intermediary, he was naturally willing to say a few good words to Si Shengya.

"It's nothing," Si Shengya replied indifferently.

"Let's go!" Lu Ye said. This place was crowded and conspicuous. Both he, Lu Ye, and Xue Jiu were renowned figures in the Star Abyss, truly making it unsuitable for them to linger.

"Where are we going now?" Xue Jiu asked.

"Back to Phoenix Nest."

He could return to Phoenix Nest, or he could go to Dragon City, but relatively speaking, he preferred Phoenix Nest, because he might need to use the power of the Primordial Parasol Tree to traverse the void at any time.

Moreover, the space around Phoenix Nest was fragmented. Although it lacked the formidable foundation of Dragon City, it wouldn't be easy for outsiders to forcefully break in.

In the upcoming plan, it would be safer to implement it within Phoenix Nest.

Although he could bring people back to Phoenix Nest, he could only bring one person at a time. This was a limitation of the Dao Convergence Bead, not his personal ability.

Fortunately, it wasn't too troublesome; he brought Xue Jiu and Si Shengya back to Phoenix Nest in two separate trips.

After a brief arrangement, Lu Ye raised his hand and produced a large number of Dao Convergence Bead fragments.

Si Shengya had never seen such a thing and couldn't help but observe it with great interest.

Xue Jiu, however, widened his eyes: "How many Dao Convergence Cities have you conquered? These aren't just fragments from Ten-Step City, are they?"

Even as a Blood Lord who had traversed the Star Abyss for so many years, he had never seen so many Dao Convergence Bead fragments. This truly was an eye-opener for him.

Lu Ye said, "You two, divide these fragments. Your next task is to each condense a Universe-tier Dao Convergence Bead!"

Xue Jiu glanced at them, then nodded, saying, "The quantity of these fragments is sufficient, but without core fragments, ordinary fragments are useless no matter how many there are."

Lu Ye raised his hand and tossed out two core fragments.

Xue Jiu and Si Shengya each took one.

Xue Jiu's eyebrows immediately shot up: "Is that Zong Shenliang's?"

He had previously been dealing with the aftermath at Ten-Step City, and had already learned about Lu Ye's recent actions from Xue Kuang. He naturally knew that Zong Shenliang's Senluo City had been breached.

Lu Ye had two core fragments in his hand. Undoubtedly, they were from Senluo City and Ten-Step City.

"Where are the core fragments of my Blood Drink City now?" Xue Jiu asked again.

"I don't know," Lu Ye shook his head.

He naturally wouldn't tell Xue Jiu that the core fragments of Blood Drink City were also in his possession.

Dragon Lord had given them to him during his previous secluded cultivation.