saint of humanity

As the saying goes, "If you don't have the skills, don't take on the job," but the ghost sedan clearly lacked this awareness, or rather, upon its initial placement, it was eager to show off and prove its worth.

Lu Ye didn't blame it, but given the current situation, it was indeed more convenient to fly directly to Crimson Flame City.

A short while later, the ghost sedan chair finally carried Lu Ye to the vicinity of Crimson Flame City.

On the way here, Lu Ye had already made arrangements with Zhu Yin through the Dragon Book, so as soon as they got close, Yuan Xi came to greet them from afar.

The ghost sedan chair stopped, and Lu Ye stepped out.

"Grand Commander," Yuan Xi greeted, "Have you come to see Chi Lian?"

Although Yuan Xi did not participate in the defense of Longcheng, she was able to obtain firsthand intelligence from Zhu Yin, so she roughly knew the current situation.

Lu Ye's visit this time was clearly not for reminiscing.

"Has Lord Ni not emerged from seclusion yet?" Lu Ye asked. If Ni Chilian were to emerge from seclusion, she would not be hiding. Since she has not shown herself, she is obviously still in seclusion.

Yuan Xi shook her head.

Lu Ye said, "She should have already broken through; we can awaken her now."

Ni Chilian started her seclusion even earlier than Qin Feng and the others. Qin Feng, Mu Yungui, Huan Caiyi, and even the many puppets had all advanced, so there was no reason why Ni Chilian hadn't been able to break through.

Given the current situation, it's highly likely that she's consolidating her own power level.

So it doesn't really matter if I bother her at this time.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Xi did not hesitate: "Come with me!"

Lu Ye stepped forward to follow, while the ghost sedan chair swayed and wobbled behind.

Yuan Xi glanced at the ghost sedan chair in surprise. She recognized it as a treasure at a glance, since the aura of a treasure cannot be faked. However, when she saw it earlier, she thought it was a treasure that Lu Ye had subdued. But now it seems that this treasure has retained its intelligence.

Looking across Xingyuan, such things are not uncommon, but they are practically nonexistent.

This is not the time to dwell on this matter. Since Lu Ye has come to find Ni Chilian, he must have something important to discuss.

A moment later, Yuan Xi led Lu Ye to a secret room, raised her hand to make a hand seal, and released a beam of light. In an instant, a layer of light appeared and disappeared in front of them.

Two breaths later, the light screen suddenly disappeared, and Yuan Xi breathed a sigh of relief: "He has indeed broken through!"

It wasn't that she sensed Ni Chilian's presence; it's just that if Ni Chilian were interrupted while in seclusion, she wouldn't have been able to react so quickly and lift the seal on the secret chamber.

Since there was a reaction in such a short time, it means that Ni Chilian has already advanced and is not currently in seclusion.

Yuan Xi raised her hand and pushed the door open to enter.

Lu Ye followed closely behind, while the ghost sedan chair was left outside.

Upon entering the room, Lu Ye immediately saw Ni Chilian looking at Yuan Xi with delight. When she saw Lu Ye, she couldn't help but be surprised: "Fellow Daoist Lu has arrived."

Yuan Xi asked, "Chi Lian, you've really advanced?"

Ni Chilian nodded gently: "I was promoted a few days ago."

"That's good. Lu Ye, I've come here to tell you something."

Ni Chilian immediately looked at Lu Ye, feeling a vague unease in her heart. For Yuan Xi to risk interrupting her cultivation and triggering the secret chamber's restrictions was clearly no small matter. She then gestured, "Sit down and let's talk."

Lu Ye sat cross-legged in front of her, and his first words left Ni Chilian speechless.

"Lord Ni City, I'm telling you to abandon Crimson Flame City!"

Ni Chilian had only recently advanced to the Half-Saint realm, and her cultivation was unstable. Upon hearing this, her aura fluctuated violently. She stared blankly at Lu Ye, as if she thought she had misheard.

Looking at Yuan Xi standing to the side, he saw her lost in thought and his heart skipped a beat: "What's the reason?"

If it were anyone else speaking so arrogantly in front of her, she would have kicked them out. But since it was Lu Ye who spoke up, and Yuan Xi didn't immediately refute him, there must be a reason.

"The city lord has been in seclusion for cultivation recently and is probably unaware of the situation in Xingyuan, so he asked Yuanxi to give you a brief explanation."

After refining the Qiankun Cauldron from the starry sky, Ni Chilian returned to Chilian City and went into seclusion. She has not come out since and has not heard of the commotion outside.

Although she and Lu Ye had some exchanges because of the previous Starry Sky incident and could be considered to have a cooperative relationship, she was ultimately an outsider compared to Yuan Xi.

Therefore, it's more convincing to let Yuanxi tell the story.

Yuan Xi then sighed and recounted the various changes that had occurred.

Upon learning that Star Abyss Half-Saints were emerging one after another, and that more than half of the Ten Great Dao Integration Cities had been destroyed, and that even Crimson Flame City had recently nearly suffered annihilation, Ni Crimson Flame City was truly terrified that if Lu Ye had not led people to rescue them, it would have been impossible to save it.

Hearing that dozens of half-saints had fought a chaotic battle in Dragon City, Ni Chilian was even more astonished.

She had originally thought that with this advancement to Half-Saint, she would once again be qualified to stand at the pinnacle of the Star Abyss. Not to mention sweeping across the universe, at least she would have the means to protect herself and safeguard those she cared about. But now she realized that, given the changing circumstances, her status as a newly promoted Half-Saint was nothing at all.

Putting everything else aside, how many demigods have died in the Star Abyss recently? Even three veteran demigods from the Origin Realm have died.

In this situation, how much of a role can a newly promoted half-saint play in the future? Let alone protecting those she cares about, once she is targeted by those half-saints in the Origin Realm, she may not even be able to protect herself.

After Yuan Xi finished speaking, Ni Chilian remained silent for a long time.

Lu Ye didn't disturb her, but waited quietly.

After a while, Ni Chilian said, "So that's why you want me to give up Chilian City and join you?"

Lu Ye said, "The second batch of Origin Realm Half-Saints has arrived at Star Abyss. Once they make contact with the Nether Bees, the first place they will be targeted will definitely be Crimson Flame City! Because there is a Universe-level Dao Integration Pearl here!"

Of the ten Great Dao Cities, besides Dragon City and Phoenix Nest, there are only Thousand Streams and Crimson Refinement. Thousand Streams City is already under the control of the Dark Bee, so how can Crimson Refinement City remain aloof from the world?
How could those half-saints from the Origin Realm not covet the Universe-level Dao Integration Pearl? Blood Clan's Xue Wei, Insect Clan's Fei, and possibly Golden-Eyed Clan's Xing Zhou—whichever of these three obtains the Universe-level Dao Integration Pearl will see their strength greatly enhanced.

"It's not entirely accurate to say that I'm giving up, because I have a way to transfer the Dao Integration Pearl of Crimson Flame City to Phoenix Nest. At that time, it will still be under the control of City Lord Ni. To be honest, City Lord, Xue Jiu and Si Shengyuan both possess a Universe-level Dao Integration Pearl, which are both placed in Phoenix Nest."

Yuan Xi nodded and said, "I have heard about this matter."

Ni Chilian was surprised: "You have a way to transfer my Dao Integration Pearl to the Phoenix Nest?" If so, then she wouldn't be reluctant to part with it, but she had never heard of such a method before.

Yuan Xi was well aware of the wonder of Lu Ye's methods, having witnessed them firsthand more than once, but she had never mentioned them to Ni Chilian.

"Could we move our city to Phoenix Nest?" Ni Chilian thought to herself. "That way, the cultivators in our city can go together."

“It’s too late!” Lu Ye slowly shook his head. “The second batch of half-saints from the Origin Realm has descended upon the Star Abyss. There are nine of them in total, and each of them is very powerful. In addition, many puppet half-saints have also appeared. It won’t be long before a great war breaks out.”

At this critical juncture, how could there be time for Crimson Flame City to travel to Phoenix Nest? Such a large city is very slow; it would take at least several years to reach Phoenix Nest. Furthermore, there are countless void rifts around Phoenix Nest, making it impossible for Crimson Flame City to enter.

Ni Chilian asked with a hint of worry, "But if that's the case, what will become of the cultivators in this city? And what about your starry sky? Are you going to abandon it too?"

Crimson Flame City now shoulders the heavy responsibility of suppressing the starry sky. With the many cultivators of Crimson Flame City here, the starry sky need not worry about being disturbed by powerful people with ill intentions.

"You don't need to worry about the cultivators of Crimson Flame City. Without Crimson Flame City, those half-saints won't turn their attention here. As for my Starry Sky... right now there are many Star Abyss Gates in the Star Abyss. Those half-saints' primary target is us, so it's highly likely they won't be eyeing any Starry Sky. That wouldn't benefit them."

The Origin Realm Half-Saints and even the Puppet Half-Saints have to deal with the forces led by Lu Ye and supported by the Dragon and Phoenix clans. Once they are dealt with, the entire Star Abyss will be free of obstacles.

At that point, anything about the starry sky can be resolved at any time.

This is also why Lu Ye has been hesitant to return to the starry sky recently. Yuan's consciousness has become very clear, and he is afraid that if he enters and leaves the starry sky too frequently, Yuan will notice something and the starry sky will become a hindrance to him.

Rather than doing that, it's better to let the starry sky fade from your sight for a while.

Moreover, if Crimson Flame City is to be abandoned, the cultivators within this Dao Integration City can simply enter the starry sky to await orders. At that time, they can still guard the starry sky. As long as the Half-Saints do not enter, there will be no trouble in the starry sky.

"So... this is the only way?" Even in this situation, Ni Chilian's voice remained gentle as water.

"I can't think of any other way!" Lu Ye shook his head.

He came here to protect the Dao Integration Pearl of Crimson Flame City before those Origin Realm Half-Saints.

After a three-breath silence, Ni Chilian slightly raised her hand, her gaze fixed on Lu Ye: "Then let's do it this way."

Her straightforwardness surprised Lu Ye slightly.

Ni Chilian laughed and said, "Yuan Xi trusts you, so I have no objection. Go ahead and do as you please. I will pass down the order to let all the cultivators in the city enter your starry sky."

Lu Ye felt relieved: "In that case, thank you, City Lord!"

Regardless of how Ni Chilian relayed the order, a moment later, led by Yuan Xi, Lu Ye arrived at the central hall of Chilian City.

The cultivators stationed inside the main hall had clearly received news of Ni Chilian's arrival, and they all looked at Yuan Xi and Lu Ye, who stepped in, with some disbelief.

Throughout history, no city lord among the top ten has ever voluntarily given up their Hedao City; Ni Chilian has set a precedent.

However, the siege crisis had not been far off, so even though it was hard to believe, these cultivators could guess that the city lord would not have given such an order unless he was forced to.

They all bowed to Lu Ye and Yuan Xi and walked out of the main hall.

A moment later, only Lu Ye and Yuan Xi remained in the hall.

Yuan Xi stepped forward and came to the Dao Harmony Pearl. She raised her hand and gently stroked it. This Dao Harmony Pearl was something she and Ni Chilian had worked together to create since they were humble beginnings. They had put in a lot of effort and hard work for it.

Even if Lu Ye's methods were miraculous, the Dao Integration Pearl that was re-formed was ultimately a different one.

"Let's do it." She didn't dwell on her sorrow for long; after only a moment, she spoke softly. (End of Chapter)