Chapter 2912: Dragon City in Danger

It was no wonder Moduo and Mingfeng wanted to add insult to injury; the days they had spent since leaving the Source World had simply been too frustrating. To think that they, dignified Half-Sages, should have been like fish in water and swept all before them upon entering this Star Abyss. However, with Xuejiu's betrayal, they had suffered repeated setbacks. If it weren't for the sudden appearance of so many Half-Sage puppets this time, they might have already been fleeing for their lives.

Now that Lu Ye and the others had retreated, severely wounded, and numerous Half-Sage puppets were relentlessly pursuing them, how could they miss such an excellent opportunity? If they could cooperate with those Half-Sage puppets to eliminate Lu Ye and the others this time, then in the future, this vast Star Abyss would have no further obstacles, allowing them to roam freely. With their decision made, they naturally did not hesitate and nonchalantly set off in pursuit.

However, after a period of pursuit, they found that Lu Ye and the others had vanished, having clearly escaped by transiting through the Hehe Realm. The Half-Sage puppets, numbering more than ten, had already gathered. Although they no longer had a target to pursue, they continued to move relentlessly in one direction.

Mingfeng immediately took out a star map, observed it briefly, and came to a conclusion: "They are heading towards Sacred Dragon City!" He had obtained this star map from Gu Mingyue, and it was the most up-to-date star map of the Star Abyss.

Moduo's eyes immediately lit up. Speaking of which, when they left the Source World, they had received instructions from Yuan and were tasked with several missions. However, to this day, these missions were not just far from completion; they hadn't even seen a hint of progress. This was because they had basically been focused on self-preservation.

The fact that so many Half-Sage puppets were now heading to Sacred Dragon City was undoubtedly great news for them. If they could cooperate with these puppets to destroy Sacred Dragon City and eliminate all the Dragon race members, they would not only remove a great enemy but also complete their missions, effectively killing two birds with one stone.

"Can we communicate with them?" Moduo wondered aloud, looking at the nearest Half-Sage puppet. He pondered for a moment, then flashed forward to catch up. A moment later, he turned back, an expression of pleasant surprise on his face, and waved to Mingfeng, calling, "Mingfeng, come quickly!" He looked as if he had encountered something incredibly fortunate. Mingfeng didn't understand, but quickly flew closer. A short while later, he, too, showed a surprised expression.

The two exchanged a glance, both greatly invigorated. They simultaneously darted forward, heading towards Sacred Dragon City, with more than ten Half-Sage puppets following closely behind them.

On the other side, in the initial grand hall of the Hehe Realm, all five of their Half-Sages were gathered as Lu Ye and the others appeared.

"What a pity!" Dragon Venerable sighed. In the previous situation, if so many Half-Sage puppets hadn't suddenly appeared, Qianliu City would surely have fallen. They could have completely conquered this one of the Ten Great Cities. But first, Sacred Lu had interfered, severely wounding Lu Ye, and then the Half-Sage puppets arrived as reinforcements. What had been a sure thing had become complicated.

"Lu Ye, how are you?" Phoenix Lord asked with concern.

Lu Ye's face was ashen, and the blood on the corner of his mouth had not yet dried. Hearing the question, he shook his head and said, "I'm fine." Although the injuries from Sacred Lu's sneak attack were not light, the real problem was the damage to his Soul. The power of Sacred Lu's supreme treasure, combined with the Soul-Suppressing Bell's tugging on his soul, made his soul tremble even now. From time to time, sharp pains emanated from the depths of his Soul Sea. That was undoubtedly a sign of soul damage. However, he had obtained a Divine Lotus in the Soul Tribe's ancestral land years ago. With the nourishment of this Divine Lotus, he wasn't worried about any lingering side effects; he simply needed some time to recover.

"Let's not talk about me for now," Lu Ye said, turning to Dragon Venerable. "Sacred Dragon City might be in trouble."

Dragon Venerable was startled, then understood. "You mean those puppets will attack Sacred Dragon City?" he asked.

Lu Ye nodded. "That fellow Yuan harbors great resentment towards the Dragon, Phoenix, and Human races. That's why when Xuejiu and the others left the Source World, Yuan issued instructions to annihilate these three races. Now that those numerous Half-Sage puppets have become its pawns, although we've escaped them, they definitely won't sit idle. Phoenix Nest has complex terrain and countless spatial rifts around it, making it difficult for non-Phoenix members to cross. Therefore, if I were Yuan, I would definitely send those puppets to attack Sacred Dragon City! Firstly, this is Yuan's long-standing obsession. Secondly, those puppets will certainly acquire many Dao Integration Orbs on their way to and during the attack on Sacred Dragon City, thereby increasing their strength."

Dragon Venerable's expression became solemn. "You're right!" he said. "I'll head back to Sacred Dragon City now..."

"Dragon Venerable!" Lu Ye called out, stopping him.

Dragon Venerable turned to look.

Lu Ye said, "Disperse all Dao Integration Cities around Sacred Dragon City and mobilize all masters into Sacred Dragon City. For this battle... I'm afraid we'll have to defend!"

Dispersing the Dao Integration Cities around Sacred Dragon City was to avoid unnecessary losses. Which Dao Integration City could withstand the passage of those more than ten Half-Sages? Anyone who stood in their way would likely be crushed, like a praying mantis trying to stop a chariot. It was also to prevent the puppets from acquiring Dao Integration Orbs. A newly ascended Half-Sage was indeed not much; these creatures had rushed out even before their aura had stabilized. Even the newly ascended Dragon Venerable and Phoenix Lord were stronger than them. But their massive numerical advantage was undeniable. Such a concentrated force would be difficult to resist, even if Sacred Dragon City gathered its elites. Not to mention Moduo and Mingfeng. If Sacred Dragon City were attacked, would these two simply stand by? They would certainly add insult to injury.

Dragon Venerable returned to Sacred Dragon City, while the others returned to Phoenix Nest. Si Shengya and Xuejiu immediately began to recover. They had both expended considerable energy in the preceding series of battles. If events unfolded as Lu Ye predicted, a tough battle was inevitable, so they naturally needed to replenish their strength quickly. Especially Xuejiu, who, like Lu Ye, had been injured earlier.

Inside Phoenix Nest, Lu Ye sat cross-legged, his brow furrowing occasionally, a reaction to the pain in his soul. There was no way to deal with this pain other than to endure it forcefully. While healing, Lu Ye also took out a large quantity of Dao Fish, spread them around him, and activated the power of his Talent Tree to absorb and refine them. He immersed his mind into his inner world for a brief observation. Numerous Dragon race powerhouses were in seclusion cultivation within his inner world. With the Dao Fish Lu Ye had previously provided, their cultivation resources were entirely sufficient. However, ascending to Half-Sage would require some time.

Lu Ye looked up towards the Tower of Time suspended in mid-air. Major events had been occurring frequently throughout the Star Abyss recently. The Ten Great Dao Integration Cities had been destroyed one after another. Those known to have been conquered included Senluo City, Ten-Step City, Hundred-Battle City, and Eternal City. Scarlet Refining City was even rumored to have narrowly escaped destruction. If Blood-Drinking City, which had been destroyed earlier, was included, then five of the Ten Great Dao Integration Cities were already gone. There were even rumors that Baqiu's Husband City had been shattered, as someone had reportedly seen its utterly dilapidated ruins deep within the Star Abyss, with no trace of Baqiu. Therefore, many were speculating that Baqiu might have fallen. Otherwise, with so many major events recently, why hadn't this former number one expert of the Inner Realm appeared? It was widely known that Baqiu had failed in his ascension and severed his own foundation. How could such a powerful individual cling to life after severing their own foundation? The fusion of the Source Worlds was also no secret, and the titles of Half-Sage and True Sage had even begun to spread throughout the Star Abyss.

The unprecedented chaos left cultivators and factions across the Star Abyss in a state of panic, sensing that an era of turmoil was approaching and great changes were inevitable. Especially recently, Sacred Dragon City had also begun to disperse its various Dao Integration Cities, for reasons unknown. However, several days later, news arrived that powerful enemies were approaching Sacred Dragon City, intending to attack it! The Star Abyss was greatly shaken!

It was well known that among the Ten Great Dao Integration Cities throughout history, where new generations replaced the old, only two had always stood firm: Sacred Dragon City and Phoenix Nest. The reason was simple: immense strength and profound heritage. Although the Phoenix race had few members, with the Dragon race providing mutual assistance, as long as the Dragon race stood, the Phoenix race would be safe. Furthermore, the environment around Phoenix Nest was complex and treacherous, making it difficult for ordinary cultivators to approach without guidance from the Phoenix race. Therefore, regardless of how the other Ten Great Dao Integration Cities changed, Sacred Dragon City and Phoenix Nest had always endured, firmly holding two of the top positions among the Ten Great, unshakable by anyone. Especially Sacred Dragon City; it would not be an exaggeration to call it the greatest Dao Integration City of all time. Few had ever dared to target these two Dao Integration Cities. But who would have thought that today they would witness something so astonishing? Someone was so audacious as to attack Sacred Dragon City! For a time, all sorts of true and false rumors spread rampantly. Countless eyes across the Star Abyss, both openly and covertly, converged on Sacred Dragon City, as everyone wanted to know who these audacious attackers were.

In Sacred Dragon City, Dragon Venerable was overseeing the defenses, and Phoenix Lord had also arrived early. Messages were relayed one after another, and Dragon Venerable's expression turned cold. "Indeed, just as Lu Ye thought," he declared, "those fellows are truly coming for the Dragon race!"

Phoenix Lord asked gravely, "How much further?"

Dragon Venerable replied, "They should arrive within two days. Moduo and Mingfeng are conspicuously among them!"

"Naturally. How could they miss such an excellent opportunity?"

"However, I'm a bit puzzled..." Dragon Venerable said, frowning slightly. "The reports say that Moduo and Mingfeng are leading the way, with the Half-Sage puppets closely following, as if they can command these puppets."

Phoenix Lord frowned. "It's not impossible," she said. "The Half-Sage puppets have had their sentience erased, so they are Yuan's puppets. Moduo and Mingfeng are also on Yuan's side. It wouldn't be unreasonable for Yuan to hand over control of these Half-Sage puppets to them."

Dragon Venerable's expression was grave. "So, Yuan's consciousness is already very clear," he mused. "It can already make decisions that are beneficial to the war. Furthermore, controlling those puppets from across a realm would likely require it to pay some price. But if it transfers control, it won't have to worry about anything."

"Perhaps," Phoenix Lord agreed. Ultimately, this was just their speculation. When it came to Yuan, no one knew the true situation. After all, since the birth of this universe, Yuan's consciousness had been in a state of slumber, only slowly showing signs of awakening in recent years.

"Should we notify Sacred Si and Xuejiu to come over?" Phoenix Lord asked.

Dragon Venerable replied, "No hurry. I want to test Sacred Dragon City's current defenses. Anyway, it won't take much effort for them to get here."

Neither of them mentioned Lu Ye, as they both knew he was recovering from his previous, not-so-light injuries.