Chapter 2907: Attack Qianliu

Winds Stir the Nine Provinces

"Lu Ye, what should we do now?" Si Shengya asked.

Lu Ye's gaze sharpened. "Qianliu!"

With things having come to this, only one of the ten hostile Dao Convergence Cities remained. They naturally had to capture it in one swift effort.

"Are we really going to attack?" Xue Jiu was stunned. Despite his previous boasts, he had only been speaking casually; he didn't truly harbor such an intention.

Both Shibucheng and the earlier Baizhan were captured smoothly due to a degree of cunning. Shibucheng, in particular, was entirely Xue Jiu's doing; he used his identity as a Blood Lord to rally the Blood Clan cultivators inside the city for an inside-outside attack. Baizhan, on the other hand, was actively abandoned by Moduo and his group. Therefore, the attacks hadn't been very difficult.

The situation at Qianliu was entirely different. Moduo and Mingfeng were both garrisoned there, and the power of these two Half-Saints alone was not to be underestimated. Not to mention there was also Gu Mingyue. Although she had lost her status as one of the Ten City Lords and retreated to the second tier, her foundation was solid. If she were to defend the city as the former City Lord of Qianliu City, she would likewise be a force to be reckoned with.

"Naturally," Lu Ye nodded. "Given the current situation, time is of the essence. The sooner Qianliu City is dealt with, the better. If more Half-Saints arrive from the Origin Realm later, they will inevitably converge with Moduo and his group. At that point, using Qianliu City as a base, the situation will become even more troublesome." If Qianliu City could be resolved earlier, then even if more Half-Saints arrived from the Origin Realm, they would have no reliable foothold.

"Ah, what a bitter fate!" Xue Jiu muttered. Since acquiring the bloodline of the Blood Abyss, he hadn't had much time to refine it, constantly fighting across the lands under Lu Ye's command. He only regretted his inability to resolve the potent poison within him; otherwise, why would he be at the mercy of this fellow Lu Ye?

With the decision made, there was no time to delay. The three returned to the Phoenix Nest. After only a brief rest, they were teleported, with the help of the Primordial Parasol Tree, into the territory radiated by Qianliu City.

Just like what they had seen at Baizhan City before, numerous Dao Convergence Cities were also arrayed here. However, with Lu Ye and his companions appearing, news quickly spread, and these cities scattered in all directions. It was clear that the various changes in the Star Abyss over the recent period had already spread. Shibucheng, Baizhan, and Wangu had been successively destroyed, with Lu Ye involved in each. This fellow attacked the Ten Cities as easily as eating and drinking. How could these Dao Convergence Cities, at most of the Cosmic level, dare to remain?

A peculiar scene unfolded: as Lu Ye and his group continued to advance, the Dao Convergence Cities on both sides of their path retreated one after another, as if they had encountered a monstrous flood sweeping through. They proceeded unimpeded all the way to Qianliu City.

Gu Mingyue was, after all, a woman. Although Qianliu City was as grand in scale as the other Ten Cities, its construction style prioritized aesthetics. It was probably the most beautiful-looking Dao Convergence City in the entire Star Abyss. From a distance, this vast city, adorned with various decorations, appeared truly enchanting, like a fairyland.

Yet, at this moment, within this seemingly ethereal Dao Convergence City, anxiety permeated the hearts of its inhabitants. Especially Gu Mingyue, who had revealed her true form, her gaze fixed somberly on the two figures before her.

Moduo was furious. "This is truly going too far!" He had been forced to abandon Baizhan City, which he had only recently acquired, and actively retreated to the Hehe Realm for refuge. Yet, Lu Ye was still relentlessly pursuing them? Did Lu Ye truly think he, a Demonic Half-Saint, was easy to bully?

"Before, I personally witnessed him activate the Hehe Realm's restriction and vanish. Why could he return so quickly? Wasn't it said that once the restriction is triggered, one would be banished to a nameless place, never to escape?" Moduo turned to look at Gu Mingyue. He had been present a few days ago when Lu Ye killed Hongtu, witnessing it clearly. At the time, he thought a great enemy was gone, but now it seemed he had taken too much for granted.

Gu Mingyue replied desolately, "Indeed, that restriction is unbreakable by anyone. Throughout history, countless powerful individuals have been banished, their fates unknown. No one knows what abilities Lu Ye possesses to escape it repeatedly."

"Repeatedly?" Moduo was startled.

Gu Mingyue nodded. "Yes. Even before this, he had suddenly killed someone within the Hehe Realm. Hongtu and I had a close friend named Zong Shenliang, who died by his hand. Everyone thought he would be trapped in that nameless place, but to our surprise, he reappeared not long after."

Moduo couldn't help but shake his head. "Rumors are not to be trusted. That restriction... it's nothing special!"

Gu Mingyue opened her mouth, intending to explain further, but thought better of it and gave up. Moduo had, after all, come from the Origin Realm and didn't know the true power of the Hehe Realm's restriction. But she, having grown up in the Star Abyss, knew it well. If Moduo wanted to think that way, so be it. The Demonic Half-Saint was in a bad mood, so it was best not to provoke him.

"Let's not dwell on that." Mingfeng's gaze, dark and probing, swept outwards, clearly reflecting the figures of Lu Ye and the other two in his pupils. "They've already reached our doorstep. Fight or defend, we need to decide on a course of action quickly."

Moduo mused for a moment, then turned to Gu Mingyue. "What do you think?" Although he was powerful, his understanding of Dao Convergence Cities was limited. Especially since Qianliu City was built by Gu Mingyue herself, if anyone in the world understood Qianliu City best, it was undeniably Gu Mingyue. As for fighting, he feared nothing. Although the three approaching enemies were strong, he was confident he could survive, even if it meant fleeing.

However, he had first lost Wangu City, with Zhifei dying in battle, and then Baizhan. If even Qianliu were lost now, he and Mingfeng would truly have no place to stay in the Star Abyss. They couldn't very well claim that two dignified Half-Saints, having arrived with such vigor from the Origin Realm, ended up wandering aimlessly in the Star Abyss. So, in his heart, he wished to remain in Qianliu City.

Mingfeng certainly didn't want to abandon Qianliu either, because it was currently his Dao Convergence City. As long as Qianliu City stood, he would always receive at least a one-level increase in strength.

Moduo asked, but Gu Mingyue remained in thoughtful silence. After a long, earnest deliberation, she finally looked up and said, "We can defend!" Her answer didn't quite match Mingfeng's question, as Mingfeng had asked whether to fight or defend, but she directly made the decision to defend the city.

However, Gu Mingyue clearly saw that neither Moduo nor Mingfeng truly wished to fight. These two had suffered too many losses at the hands of Lu Ye and his companions before, especially Moduo, who had returned injured from the previous battle. Although his injuries weren't severe and he had managed to recover somewhat in the past few days, confronting them now would mean a two-on-three situation. Even if Mingfeng gained an abnormal boost in strength from the Dao Convergence Orb, the outlook remained grim. Therefore, defending the city was the best course of action. With two Half-Saints guarding the city and her, the former City Lord, overseeing the general situation, she was confident that her years of defensive preparations could withstand the attacks of Lu Ye and his three companions.

"Good," Moduo nodded. "Then I'll leave the rest to you. All command and deployment within the city will be your responsibility. Even Mingfeng and I will be at your full disposal!"

Gu Mingyue bowed gracefully. "I will not fail your trust, my lord!"

About ten breaths later, when Lu Ye and the two others arrived outside Qianliu City, they saw that the defensive array's light screen had suddenly solidified considerably. Lu Ye, who was leading the way, looked up into the city. Though he could vaguely discern shadowy figures, there was no sign of Moduo or Mingfeng. These two Half-Saints clearly had no intention of showing themselves.

"They're going to defend to the death!" Si Shengya observed for a moment, thoughtfully. The current situation was quite clear: Moduo and Mingfeng weren't even showing their faces, and the city's grand array was fully activated. The enemy undoubtedly intended to defend the city.

"Moduo!" Xue Jiu suddenly shouted loudly from the side. "Your Grandpa Xue Jiu has come to see you! Hurry out and pay your respects!"

There was no response from within the city.

"Indeed, Grandpa was right when he said your demonic race is the most cowardly! You've been attacked right at your doorstep, yet you don't even dare to show your face? For someone like you to call yourself a Half-Saint is truly laughable." Still no response.

Xue Jiu clicked his tongue, then turned to Lu Ye. "They can endure even this. It seems they truly don't dare to engage in battle."

Lu Ye nodded slightly. "Then we'll force them out!"

As he spoke, he stepped forward, his hand resting on the Panshancutter at his waist. With a ringing sound, the long blade slid from its sheath. On the Talent Tree, the Myriad Poison Orb fruit flashed with a faint, eerie glow. Instantly, a dark green and black aura flowed over the pitch-black blade, as if it had been tainted by some vile substance. Without the slightest pause, he brought the blade down.

Lu Ye didn't use much force in this strike, because against such a tightly defended protective light screen, any amount of brute force would be wasted. What he relied on was the continuous corrosive power of the Myriad Poison Orb's poison on the grand array's light screen. As long as the rate of corrosion was faster than the enemy's replenishment of the array's power, the array's might could be continuously weakened. When the time was right, Xue Jiu and Si Shengya could jointly attack to break the array. He had always used this method before.

Visibly, the dark green and black aura on the blade violently clashed with the light screen, causing ripples to spread from the point of contact. Suddenly, numerous attacks came from various parts of the city. It was clear that those inside the city were unwilling to let this continue unchecked, activating the power of various defensive formations. These attacks, in front of the current Lu Ye, were actually nothing significant, but he was currently continuously channeling the power of the Myriad Poison Orb fruit, so he couldn't afford to be distracted. Nor did he need to be distracted by them.

Seeing this, Xue Jiu and Si Shengya naturally intervened to help. The numerous attacks were all neutralized just as they reached Lu Ye's vicinity.

Xue Jiu chuckled coldly, looking in a certain direction. "Moduo, you can only resort to such sneakiness." Among those attacks just now, two were extraordinary. They were clearly Moduo and Mingfeng secretly making a move, attempting to muddle through. Unfortunately, Xue Jiu and Si Shengya defended Lu Ye's side impregnably, so such a sneak attack had no effect. The attacks continued ceaselessly, keeping Xue Jiu and Si Shengya busy. However, the fact that Xue Jiu even had time to mock indicated that these attacks weren't having much of an effect.

As time passed, Lu Ye slowly furrowed his brows. The siege had not lasted long, at most half an hour, but the protective light screen of the grand array before him showed few signs of being corroded or weakened. This undoubtedly indicated that the rate of corrosion was almost on par with the enemy's speed in replenishing the array's power.