The Star Abyss is vast and boundless, mostly desolate and empty, yet there are also prosperous regions. But if one were to name the most bustling place, apart from the Harmony Realm, it would be the territory of Holy Dragon City.
Dragon City has stood for untold millennia. Its formidable strength, stable foundation, and significant prestige naturally draw countless cultivators who flock to it. However, at this very moment, this territory has become deserted, with no trace of its former prosperity; only the immense Holy Dragon City stands solitary.
The grand formation within the city had long been activated, its light screen glowing with a faint luminescence, enveloping the entire city like a protective dome.
On the plaza in front of the city, the Dragon Sovereign waited solemnly. Over a dozen streaks of light soon appeared in his vision. As they drew nearer, the unmistakable aura of Half-Saints became apparent. In a short while, those numerous streaks of light arrived. The two leading them were none other than Modo and Mingfeng.
These two Half-Saints from the Origin Realm had shed their previous discomposure and dejection. Now vibrant and full of spirit, they seemed to have returned to the high spirits they displayed upon first entering the Star Abyss. Behind the two stood over a dozen cultivators with dull expressions, stiff faces, and slightly darkened eyeballs; they were unmistakably the puppet Half-Saints.
They looked at each other across a protective light screen. Modo and Mingfeng exchanged no words, merely raising their hands and waving lightly. This battle, which would later be recorded as the Battle of Dragon City—a conflict significant enough to rewrite the entire Star Abyss's situation—thus began.
From Modo and Mingfeng's perspective, they had only met the Dragon Sovereign once and weren't even acquainted before that. This time, leading puppets to attack, there was naturally nothing to say; it was simply a matter of differing stances. It was the same for the Dragon Sovereign. If they had known each other or held grudges, they might have exchanged some harsh words and verbal jabs. As it was a matter of victor and vanquished, the battle commenced.
Over a dozen puppet Half-Saints attacked simultaneously. Such a grand scene was unprecedented throughout history. Even with Holy Dragon City mobilizing all its strong cultivators for defense, the protective light screen quickly began to ripple under the onslaught.
The Dragon Sovereign observed silently. Since its establishment by the second ancestor Yang Qing, Holy Dragon City's defensive grand formation had never been breached. After countless years of accumulation and refinement, regarding defensive power, if Holy Dragon City claimed to be second, no one in the entire Star Abyss would dare claim to be first. Yet even so, under the frenzied assault of over a dozen puppet Half-Saints, the strength of the grand formation's light screen was slowly being depleted. The Dragon Sovereign was secretly alarmed.
This situation only slightly improved when Blood Retribution and Si Shengya, having received news, arrived from Phoenix Nest and joined the defense. But it was only a slight improvement and did not fundamentally solve the problem. If the situation continued like this, Holy Dragon City's defenses would still be breached within ten days to half a month, leading to a direct confrontation between individual Half-Saints. Their side had a significant numerical disadvantage; if it came to a direct fight, it would definitely not be good.
The Dragon Sovereign's only hope now rested on Lu Ye, but Lu Ye had been recuperating since returning to Phoenix Nest, and he didn't know when Lu Ye would recover.
Such a major battle had long spread throughout the entire Star Abyss, drawing countless cultivators who rushed from all directions to observe from afar. No one dared to get too close; the aftermath of Half-Saints attacking a city was no small matter, and anyone caught in it would certainly not fare well.
Outside Holy Dragon City, Modo and Mingfeng observed at their leisure, feeling that their difficult days were finally over. Just a few days prior, they had been terrified and ready to wander the world, but now they were leading over a dozen puppet Half-Saints in a forceful assault on Holy Dragon City. Moreover, they didn't need to take any risks; they only needed to oversee and observe from here, as the puppets would do all the work.
"Mingfeng, how many days do you think Holy Dragon City can hold out?" Modo asked, having nothing else to do.
Mingfeng replied without hesitation, "It will definitely fall within ten days!"
Modo nodded slightly. "That's similar to what I thought."
"That being said," Mingfeng continued, "with an assault of this intensity, can these guys really endure it?" Even Half-Saints have a limit to their spiritual energy reserves. With such a frenzied siege, the puppets are giving their all, and the intensity is too great; the consumption of spiritual energy must be severe. So Mingfeng couldn't help but worry that these puppets might eventually run out of energy. If that were to happen, the failure of the siege would be secondary. If those inside Holy Dragon City seized the opportunity to burst out, then no one would be able to stop them.
"It seems you haven't noticed yet," Modo said, raising an eyebrow slightly.
"What is it?" Mingfeng asked, puzzled.
"Observe those puppets carefully," Modo said, gesturing with his chin.
Mingfeng frowned but still observed carefully. A moment later, he couldn't help but show a surprised expression: "These guys... are actually relying more on external forces!"
"They are puppets after all!" Modo sighed with emotion. "The Star Abyss's energy is omnipresent, so it's naturally easier and more convenient for them to mobilize external forces. This could be considered a trade-off."
Hearing this, Mingfeng couldn't help but curl his lips. Although he envied the convenience and advantage these puppets had in mobilizing external forces, he could never accept sacrificing his own sentience to become a puppet of the Abyss. However, with this realization, his previous worries were swept away. Although the puppets' auras were not yet perfectly stable, since they could rely more on external forces, their own consumption during the siege would be significantly less. Naturally, they could sustain the attack longer. In the current situation, not to mention ten days or half a month, the puppets could persist for a month without issue. In this way, Holy Dragon City would eventually be breached.
Mingfeng was greatly pleased!
However, just half a day later, both Modo and Mingfeng suddenly discovered that Holy Dragon City's defenses seemed to have become significantly stronger. This left both Half-Saints from the Origin Realm utterly baffled. Because such a situation indicated that more powerful individuals had joined Holy Dragon City's defensive ranks; they were at least Half-Saints, and more than one. But currently, in this Star Abyss, where could more Half-Saints possibly come from? And why would they specifically go to assist Holy Dragon City?
As the two wondered, inside Dragon City, the Dragon Sovereign bowed with cupped fists: "Many thanks for your assistance, Master Qin."
Qin Feng sat within a formation nexus, channeling power into it. Hearing this, he smiled: "You are too kind, Dragon Sovereign. Although you and I haven't had much personal interaction in the past, we must now work together. It's not just me; Daoist Mu and Daoist Huan feel the same, which is why we came to assist." Not far from him, Mu Yungui and Huan Caiyi, who had previously received Lu Ye's help, were also present, each seated within a formation nexus.
When the Harmony Realm underwent its anomaly, most strong cultivators fled immediately and were subsequently corrupted. Qin Feng, Mu Yungui, Huan Caiyi, and others delayed for a few days, waiting for Lu Ye to arrive. Therefore, these three ascended to Half-Saint a few days later than the puppets. After their breakthrough, Qin Feng immediately contacted Dragon City, and also reached out to Mu Yungui and Huan Caiyi. This led to the situation where all three appeared together to assist Dragon City.
"Where's Xiao Ye?" Qin Feng asked again. This time, when he came to Dragon City, he hadn't seen any trace of Lu Ye, which was certainly unusual.
The Dragon Sovereign sighed, "A few days ago, when Lu Ye was attacking Thousand Streams City, he was ambushed by Saint Lu and is now recuperating at Phoenix Nest."
Qin Feng and the other two (Mu and Huan) heard this, and their expressions all changed.
"Is he seriously injured?" Qin Feng hastily asked.
The Dragon Sovereign said gravely, "He said he wasn't seriously injured, but it was a True Saint who attacked him, so his injuries might not be as optimistic as he claims."
Qin Feng's heart sank, finally understanding why Lu Ye wasn't here. But in the current situation, his worry was useless; he could only focus on his own tasks first. Just as the Dragon Sovereign was about to say something more, his expression suddenly froze, followed by a drastic change in his complexion: "This is bad!"
"What is it?" Qin Feng asked, puzzled.
The Dragon Sovereign said, "Several more puppet Half-Saints are coming from various directions!" For today's battle, Dragon City had dispersed many neighboring Harmony Cities to avoid being affected by the war. Those Harmony Cities scattered in the distance naturally served as their scouts. The Dragon Sovereign had evidently just received some news.
Qin Feng sighed lightly. "What's coming always comes." He had considered this when he first arrived, knowing that the number of strong cultivators who had resided in the Harmony Realm back then was certainly not limited to those attacking the city from outside. Their number was at least several times greater. It was just that these puppets ascended to Half-Saint at different times. The dozen or so outside were likely the first batch to ascend, which was why they could participate in the Battle of Thousand Streams City and were subsequently brought here by Modo and Mingfeng. But there were still more puppets hidden throughout the Star Abyss, and once those puppets successfully ascended, they would certainly take action. Only a few more had arrived so far. If time continued to pass, more and more puppets would likely arrive. The situation for Holy Dragon City was already not good. Although they could continue to hold out, there would eventually be a limit, while the enemy's strength would only grow.
Just as Qin Feng finished speaking, the Dragon Sovereign was startled again and couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh: "This truly is like a leaky roof meeting continuous night rain, or a delayed ship encountering headwinds. And there's more bad news..."
Qin Feng chuckled wryly, "The situation can't get any worse than this. Dragon Sovereign, please tell us."
The Dragon Sovereign sighed, "Just now, the fusion of the Origin Realm seems to have progressed further, and another batch of Half-Saints has arrived from there!"
Since Yang Zhao was ordered by Lu Ye to stay and monitor the Origin Realm's fusion point, he had not left. This news was undoubtedly transmitted by him through the Dragon Tome. Several months had passed since Blood Retribution and the others arrived. The fusion of the Origin Realm had been ongoing, though its progress wasn't too rapid. But by today, there had likely been some breakthrough changes, which was why a second batch of Half-Saints had descended upon the Star Abyss. These Half-Saints were not like the puppets; each had lived in the Origin Realm for untold years.
Qin Feng quietly exhaled, "The situation is truly fraught with difficulty!" The continuous arrival of more puppets alone might be enough to prevent Dragon City from holding out, not to mention the Half-Saints descending from the Origin Realm. If these two forces were to converge, they would be enough to sweep through the entire Star Abyss.
"Dragon Sovereign, it's time to make early preparations!" Qin Feng spoke solemnly.
The Dragon Sovereign was silent for a few breaths, then nodded slightly. "Indeed, we must prepare early." Since they knew it couldn't be defended, they naturally couldn't force the issue; otherwise, it would be a pointless sacrifice. But Holy Dragon City was founded by the second ancestor and had existed almost since the universe's inception. It had been passed down through generations to him; if not for being absolutely forced, how could he be willing to abandon this legacy of the dragon race?
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