saint of humanity

Given such an unusual situation in the city, how could Xue Wei and the others turn a blind eye?
In fact, they had already sensed it when many cultivators from Dragon City were leaving.

But despite noticing it, they couldn't do anything to interfere, because if Dragon City's defenses weren't breached, they couldn't break in.

As one dragon clan demigod after another enters the central hall, their aura vanishes, and the signs of abandoning the city are all too clear.

"Damn it!" Xue Wei gritted her teeth. She came to this battle with great confidence, but who would have thought it would end like this? Now that Dragon City has been abandoned, what use is this empty city to her?
Aside from obtaining a Universe-level Dao Integration Bead, there were no other benefits; on the contrary, the battle resulted in significant losses for their side.

The deaths of the puppet demigods were one thing, they were simply dead, but the fall of several Origin Realm demigods, including Mingfeng, was truly heartbreaking; those were casualties that should never have happened.

Just as she was filled with remorse, the defenses of Dragon City suddenly shattered.

She was taken aback.

Although the defenses were on the verge of collapse due to the retreat of the dragon race's demigods, they could at least hold out for a few more breaths, but now they have suddenly shattered.

"Lu Ye didn't leave!" Fei exclaimed in surprise, because with the shattering of the protective light barrier, the situation inside Dragon City was now completely visible.

Lu Ye's aura still lingered in the central hall.

In a flash, Xue Wei realized what had happened: "He shattered the Dao-Merging Pearl!"

Although she hadn't been in Xingyuan for long, she had at least been to Qianliu City and was quite interested in the Dao Harmony Pearl in the city, asking Mingfeng a lot of questions about it.

So the current situation is quite clear.

Lu Ye did not use the Dao Integration Pearl to escape into the Hehe Realm, but stayed behind and shattered the Dao Integration Pearl in Dragon City, which is why the protective array broke so abruptly.

After realizing this, Xuewei was momentarily stunned.

She had thought that she would at least get a Universe-level Dao Integration Bead on this trip, but Lu Ye didn't even leave her with that hope.

This is clearly a lose-lose situation, because once Lu Ye shatters the Dao Integration Pearl, he won't be able to enter the Hehe Realm, which is why he stayed behind.

"Stop him quickly, don't let him escape!" Xue Wei shouted again, because she suddenly realized the source of Lu Ye's confidence. This guy seemed to be proficient in the Dao of Space, which was probably the reason why he dared to stay and shatter the Dao Integration Pearl.

Upon hearing this, the numerous demigods beside him simultaneously unleashed their attacks, blasting towards the direction of the central hall.

Moreover, before they even made their move, the attacks of the puppet demigods who had been continuously besieging the city had already swept across the entire Dragon City.

In an instant, Dragon City, which had already shrunk considerably in size, was once again torn apart.

As Blood Rose's offensive swept through, the entire Dragon City was reduced to countless fragments, scattered in all directions.

Lu Ye was nowhere to be seen.

Xue Wei nearly ground her teeth to powder.

On the other side, about a million miles away from Dragon City, the Phoenix Lord, who should have returned to the Phoenix Nest, appeared here at some unknown time, his power surging and the void around him distorting.

Suddenly, Lu Ye stepped out from the middle, his face slightly pale, suppressing the churning blood in his throat.

Seeing him appear, the Phoenix Queen breathed a sigh of relief and quickly helped him up: "How are you?"

Lu Ye nodded slightly.

The Dao-Merging Pearl of Dragon City... has been shattered by him and stored entirely within his inner world.

The matter itself isn't difficult; the challenge lies in leaving that place after the Dao-Merging Pearl is shattered, since all the puppet half-saints, as well as Xue Wei and others, are currently gathered there.

Lu Ye couldn't possibly break through the encirclement on his own, so he had to rely on the Void Teleportation Technique.

However, simple teleportation is not enough to cross too far a distance at once, and she would still be hunted down. Therefore, the Phoenix Queen could only go first and have Tai Chu Wu Tong send her back to the vicinity of Dragon City, where she would then meet up with Lu Ye.

This is why, after the Dragon Lord and Phoenix Lord had left, Lu Ye waited in the city for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before taking action.

He was waiting for the Phoenix Lord to take his place.

Of course, even without the Phoenix Lord, the Talent Tree clone can still act in this way.

Moreover, Xuewei and the others probably didn't expect him to be so audacious as to shatter the Dao Integration Pearl under such heavy encirclement. If they had reacted earlier, they might have been able to disrupt the void and force him to stay.

However, this action ultimately ended without serious harm.

"Let's go back first," Lu Ye said.

Phoenix Lord nodded slightly, and soon, the two figures disappeared from the spot.

A little over half a day later, in a tree hollow in Phoenix Nest, several figures sat upright.

The outside world gradually became lively. Some of the cultivators who had previously evacuated from Dragon City came directly to Phoenix Nest, while others escaped into the Hehe Realm. Currently, the group that escaped into the Hehe Realm is gathering at Phoenix Nest.

This is the foundation of the Phoenix Clan. From ancient times to the present, it has been mainly inhabited by the Phoenix Clan itself. Even when outsiders occasionally come, they are usually Dragons, and their numbers are not large.

When has it ever been as lively as it is today?
"With Dragon City gone, their next target will probably be Phoenix Nest." Dragon Lord forced himself to speak slowly.

Looking across the Star Abyss, of the ten Great Dao Cities, only Thousand Streams and Phoenix Nest remain. Thousand Streams is the enemy's stronghold, while Phoenix Nest belongs to our side, and all our forces are concentrated here. The enemy will definitely shift their attention to this side.

“The space around the Phoenix Nest has countless crevices, which can be considered natural defenses, but they are not enough to stop a group of half-saints. At most, they can only delay them. Sooner or later, they will come to kill us.” The Phoenix Lord frowned.

"Xiao Ye, can the situation of the Dragon Clan's Half-Saints be resolved?" Si Shengya asked, turning his head.

Lu Ye was lost in thought when he heard this, and after a moment of surprise, he nodded and said, "It can be resolved!"

He had already tried it on the Dragon Lord.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but then they heard Lu Ye say, "But it doesn't mean much."

Qin Feng opened his mouth, but quickly sighed again.

He understood what Lu Ye meant. Although he could help the Dragon Clan Half-Saints burn away the mysterious restrictions in their bodies and allow them to recover, what if the same situation happened again?

The first time, the dragons lost many of their ancestors, and most of the survivors were seriously injured.

If this were to happen again, there would likely be even greater casualties.

It's not fair to say that the dragon race's demigods are constantly on edge when fighting their enemies; what's the point of fighting then, especially since their opponents are puppet demigods of comparable strength?

Judging from the previous situation, such methods did not seem to be of much difficulty to Yuan.

"Does this mean that we can no longer count on the many half-saints of my dragon clan?" The Dragon Lord looked dejected. Originally, this was their greatest advantage, but now they were forced to act cautiously because of that inexplicable method.

Even the Phoenix Lord was uneasy, because Yi Sheng was Yang Qing, the second ancestor of the Dragon Clan, while Qi Sheng was the seventh ancestor of the Phoenix Clan!

If Yuan could use that method to cripple the dragon race's demigods, he might just be able to use the same method to cripple her.

However, upon closer reflection, this worry is unnecessary, because there are too many half-saints in the dragon race, which are worth Yuan's special attention, while the phoenix race only has one half-saint, and Yuan probably doesn't even consider her a threat.

“It can be used to defend the city,” Lu Ye said, “but it’s best not to go out to fight.”

If they only sit at the core of the formation to defend the city, the dragon race's demigods are still very powerful. However, it would be a huge waste if so many of our own powerful forces could not fight them.

The dragon race demigods are still in Lu Ye's inner world. Lu Ye plans to release them after he resolves their issues; otherwise, it would be too troublesome to incinerate them one by one.

"In any case, let's prepare to defend the city first. We can discuss the issues of our dragon ancestors later," Lu Ye said. "Many of you have suffered casualties in this battle, and the enemy could attack at any time. Everyone should recuperate first."

With things having come to this point, there seemed to be no other way. Although everyone was feeling down, they could only agree.

"By the way, I need the treasures we captured in this battle!" Lu Ye added.

Without hesitation, everyone took out their previous spoils and handed them over to Lu Ye.

Even Xue Jiu obediently offered up his three hidden treasures. This guy had specifically sought out puppet half-saints, so his gains were quite substantial.

Everyone left, and Lu Ye turned to look at the side: "Is there anything else, Si Sheng?"

Everyone else left, except for Si Shenghua, who was left alone, clearly having something to say to him.

"Xiao Ye, have you ever thought about why Xue Wei and the others, who haven't lost their minds, are willing to be pawns for Yuan?" Si Shengya suddenly asked.

Lu Ye said, "The fate of those who disobey Yuan is the same as the current predicament of the Dragon Clan's ancestors. Moreover, Yuan also controls the nine True Saints. How dare Xue Wei and the others resist?"

Si Shengya nodded and said, "That's right. It is precisely because of these concerns that they are willing to follow Yuan's will. They are all half-saints. They are not fools. Have they not thought about what the entire Star Abyss would be like if Yuan's intentions succeed? At that time, all living beings would probably become its puppets. Even if Yuan were to show mercy and leave them with their intelligence, they would not be as carefree as they are now."

Lu Ye's expression shifted, and he understood the implication in Si Sheng's words: "What Si Sheng means is that Xue Wei and the others are not acting voluntarily."

"Of course it wasn't voluntary!"

Lu Ye frowned: "But given the current situation, we can't just go to their door and persuade them to abandon their evil ways and turn to the light. Not to mention whether we have the confidence to do so, they would never agree."

Si Shengya shook his head: "It's not about trying to persuade them, that's pointless. They know what they're doing, and they know how to choose the best outcome. What I want to say is that Xingzhou didn't use his full strength in the previous battle!"

Lu Ye paused for a moment, then his eyes lit up: "Are you sure?"

Si Shengya said, "I have a good relationship with Xingzhou. I know his strength very well. In the previous battle, he only used less than seven-tenths of his strength."

Lu Ye stared in disbelief.

Si Shengya immediately realized he had misunderstood: "Of course, I didn't use my full strength either."

Lu Ye was relieved. If Xing Zhou's seven-tenths strength was enough to restrain Si Shengya at full power, then his foundation was too terrifying.

However… the fact that Xingzhou didn't use his full strength is rather intriguing. (End of Chapter)