Chapter 2921: Persuading Ni Chi Lian

The saying goes, "He who has no diamond drills should not attempt porcelain work," but the Ghost Sedan clearly lacked this awareness. Perhaps, as a newcomer, it was simply eager to prove its value and show off its capabilities.

Lu Ye had no intention of blaming it; however, the current situation indeed made flying directly to Scarlet Flame City a more convenient option.

After about half a day, the Ghost Sedan finally brought Lu Ye to the vicinity of Scarlet Flame City.

On the way, Lu Ye had already made arrangements with Zhu Yin via the Dragon Scroll, so as soon as they approached, Yuan Xi came to greet them from afar.

The Ghost Sedan stopped, and Lu Ye stepped out.

"Grand Commandant," Yuan Xi greeted. "Are you here to see Neon Scarlet Flame?"

Although Yuan Xi had not participated in the Dragon City defense battle, she had obtained firsthand intelligence through Zhu Yin, so she was generally aware of the current situation.

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

"Is City Lord Neon still in seclusion?" Lu Ye asked. If Neon Scarlet Flame had emerged, she wouldn't be in hiding. Since she hadn't appeared, she was clearly still in seclusion.

Yuan Xi shook her head.

"She should have broken through already," Lu Ye said. "You can wake her up."

Neon Scarlet Flame had entered seclusion even earlier than Qin Feng and the others. Since Qin Feng, Mu Yungui, Huan Caiyi, and even numerous puppets had all advanced, there was no reason Neon Scarlet Flame shouldn't have broken through.

It was highly probable she was currently stabilizing her realm.

Therefore, disturbing her now wouldn't be a major issue.

Hearing this, Yuan Xi did not hesitate. "Follow me!" she said.

Lu Ye followed, with the Ghost Sedan wobbling along behind them.

Yuan Xi immediately glanced at the Ghost Sedan in surprise. She naturally recognized it as a supreme treasure at first sight, as the aura of such a treasure could not be faked. When she had initially seen it, she merely assumed it was a new supreme treasure Lu Ye had subdued. But now, it seemed this supreme treasure still possessed sentience?

In the entire Star Abyss, such a thing was not just rare; it was practically unheard of.

This was not the time to dwell on such matters. Since Lu Ye had come to find Neon Scarlet Flame, he surely had something important to discuss.

Soon, Yuan Xi led Lu Ye to a secret chamber. She raised her hand, formed a seal, and sent out a mystical light. Instantly, a shimmering light screen appeared before them.

After two more breaths, the light screen suddenly vanished. Yuan Xi immediately breathed a sigh of relief. "She really has broken through!" she exclaimed.

It wasn't that she sensed Neon Scarlet Flame's aura. Rather, if Neon Scarlet Flame had been interrupted during her seclusion, she wouldn't have been able to react so quickly to remove the chamber's restriction.

The swift reaction indicated that Neon Scarlet Flame had already advanced and was no longer in a state of secluded cultivation.

Yuan Xi raised her hand and pushed the door open.

Lu Ye followed closely, while the Ghost Sedan remained outside.

Inside, Lu Ye saw Neon Scarlet Flame looking at Yuan Xi with a joyful expression. Upon seeing Lu Ye, she couldn't help but express surprise. "Fellow Daoist Lu has arrived," she said.

"Neon," Yuan Xi said, "you really have advanced?"

Neon Scarlet Flame gently nodded. "I advanced several days ago," she confirmed.

"That's good," Yuan Xi replied. "Lu Ye is here to discuss something with you."

Neon Scarlet Flame immediately looked at Lu Ye, a faint sense of unease settling in her heart. For Yuan Xi to risk interrupting her cultivation by activating the chamber's restriction, it was clearly no small matter. She then gestured with her hand. "Please sit and speak," she said.

Lu Ye sat cross-legged before her, and his very first sentence left Neon Scarlet Flame wide-eyed with astonishment.

"City Lord Neon," he stated, "I want you to abandon Scarlet Flame City!"

Neon Scarlet Flame, having only recently advanced to Half-Saint with an unstable realm, felt her aura fluctuate violently at his words. She stared blankly at Lu Ye, as if she thought she had misheard him.

She then looked at Yuan Xi, who was standing beside her, and seeing her thoughtful expression, her heart tightened. "What's the reason?" she asked.

If anyone else had made such an outrageous statement in front of her, she would have dismissed them. But since it was Lu Ye speaking, and Yuan Xi hadn't immediately refuted him, there had to be a significant reason.

"City Lord, you've been in seclusion recently, so you probably aren't aware of the situation in the Star Abyss," Lu Ye said. "Let Yuan Xi give you a brief overview."

After Neon Scarlet Flame refined the Qiankun Cauldron from the starry sky, she returned to Scarlet Flame City for seclusion and had not emerged since. She had no idea about the turmoil that had been unfolding outside.

Although she and Lu Ye had interacted and formed a cooperative relationship regarding the earlier starry sky affair, she was still, in essence, an outsider compared to Yuan Xi.

Therefore, it would be more convincing for Yuan Xi to explain certain matters.

Yuan Xi then sighed and recounted all the preceding changes and events.

Learning that Half-Saints were emerging endlessly in the Star Abyss, that half of the Ten Conjoining Cities had been annihilated, and that Scarlet Flame City itself had recently narrowly avoided complete destruction — only saved by Lu Ye's timely arrival with reinforcements — Neon Scarlet Flame was genuinely terrified in retrospect.

When she heard about the chaotic battle involving dozens of Half-Saints at Dragon City, Neon Scarlet Flame was utterly dumbfounded.

She had originally believed that her advancement to Half-Saint would once again grant her the qualifications to stand at the apex of the Star Abyss. Even if not enough to sweep across the universe, it would at least give her the means to protect herself and those she cared about. But now she realized that, with the shifting tides, her status as a newly advanced Half-Saint meant nothing at all.

Not to mention anything else, how many Half-Saints had perished in the Star Abyss recently? Even three veteran Half-Saints from the Source Realm had died.

In such a situation, how much of a role could a newly advanced Half-Saint like her play in the future? Forget protecting those she cared about; once targeted by those Half-Saints from the Source Realm, it would likely be difficult even to protect herself.

After Yuan Xi finished speaking, Neon Scarlet Flame remained silent for a long time.

Lu Ye did not disturb her, waiting quietly.

After a while, Neon Scarlet Flame finally spoke. "So that's why you want me to abandon Scarlet Flame City and join forces with you?"

"The second batch of Half-Saints from the Source Realm has descended upon the Star Abyss, nine in total, each incredibly powerful," Lu Ye explained. "Once they establish contact with the Netherbees, Scarlet Flame City will undoubtedly be their first target, because it possesses a Universe-grade Conjoining Orb!"

Currently, among the Ten Conjoining Cities, only Dragon City, Phoenix Nest, Thousand Stream, and Scarlet Flame remain. Since Thousand Stream City is already under the control of the Netherbees, how can Scarlet Flame City expect to remain untouched?

How could those Half-Saints from the Source Realm not covet the Universe-grade Conjoining Orb? Whether it's Bloodveil of the Blood Clan, Fei of the Insect Clan, or Xing Zhou, who is suspected to be of the Golden-Eyed Clan, whichever of these three obtains the Universe-grade Conjoining Orb will see their strength significantly boosted.

"To say 'abandon' isn't entirely accurate," Lu Ye continued. "I have a method to transfer Scarlet Flame City's Conjoining Orb to Phoenix Nest, where it can still be controlled by City Lord Neon. To be frank, City Lord, Blood Scourge and Si Shengya each possess a Universe-grade Conjoining Orb, both currently housed in Phoenix Nest."

Yuan Xi nodded from the side. "I have heard of this," she affirmed.

Neon Scarlet Flame couldn't help but be surprised. "You have a method to transfer my Conjoining Orb to Phoenix Nest?" she asked. If that were the case, she wouldn't be reluctant to part with anything; she simply had never heard of such a method.

Yuan Xi naturally knew the miraculous nature of Lu Ye's method, having witnessed it firsthand more than once, though she had never mentioned it to Neon Scarlet Flame.

"Could this entire city be moved to Phoenix Nest?" Neon Scarlet Flame's mind stirred. "That way, all the cultivators of this city could go too."

"There isn't enough time!" Lu Ye slowly shook his head. "The second batch of Half-Saints from the Source Realm has descended upon the Star Abyss, nine in total, each incredibly powerful. With the emergence of numerous puppet Half-Saints, a great war will erupt very soon."

At such a critical juncture, there's no time to move Scarlet Flame City to Phoenix Nest. A city of this size moves very slowly; it would take years to reach Phoenix Nest. Furthermore, countless spatial rifts surround Phoenix Nest, making it impossible for Scarlet Flame City to enter.

Neon Scarlet Flame worried faintly. "But if that's the case, where will the cultivators of this city go?" she asked. "And what about your starry sky? Are you abandoning that too?"

"You don't need to worry about the cultivators of Scarlet Flame City," Lu Ye replied. "Without Scarlet Flame City, those Half-Saints won't turn their attention here. As for my starry sky... there are many Star Abyss Gates in the Star Abyss right now. The Half-Saints' primary target is us, so it's highly unlikely they will focus on any particular starry sky; it offers them no benefit."

The Half-Saints from the Source Realm and the puppet Half-Saints are primarily focused on eliminating the faction led by Lu Ye and supported by the Dragon and Phoenix clans. Once they succeed, the entire Star Abyss will face no further resistance.

At that point, any matters concerning the starry sky can be dealt with at their leisure.

This is also why Lu Ye hasn't dared to return to his starry sky freely recently. The Abyss's consciousness has become very clear, and he feared that if he entered and exited his planetary starry sky too frequently, and the Abyss detected something, it would become a vulnerability for him.

Rather than risk that, it's better to temporarily let the starry sky fade from his immediate concern.

Furthermore, if Scarlet Flame City were to be abandoned, its cultivators could easily enter the starry sky and remain on standby. There, they could still guard the starry sky, and as long as Half-Saints didn't enter, no significant trouble would arise.

"So... this is the only way?" Despite the grim situation, Neon Scarlet Flame's voice remained as gentle as water.

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

His purpose in coming was to secure Scarlet Flame City's Conjoining Orb before the Half-Saints from the Source Realm could.

After three breaths of silence, Neon Scarlet Flame finally raised her hand slightly, her gaze fixed on Lu Ye. "Then let's do it," she said.

Her swift agreement made Lu Ye pause in slight surprise.

Neon Scarlet Flame smiled. "Yuan Xi trusts you, so I have no objection. Please proceed as you deem fit. I will issue orders for all the city's cultivators to enter your starry sky."

Lu Ye's heart settled. "In that case, thank you, City Lord!" he said.

Without delving into how Neon Scarlet Flame issued her orders, a moment later, led by Yuan Xi, Lu Ye arrived at the central hall of Scarlet Flame City.

The cultivators stationed in the hall had clearly received Neon Scarlet Flame's message, and all of them looked at Yuan Xi and Lu Ye as they entered, somewhat incredulous.

From ancient times until now, no City Lord of the Ten Great Cities had ever actively abandoned their Conjoining City. Neon Scarlet Flame was setting a precedent.

However, the recent siege crisis was fresh in their minds. So, even if they found it hard to believe, these cultivators could surmise that the City Lord wouldn't have issued such an order unless it was absolutely necessary.

They all bowed to Lu Ye and Yuan Xi and then exited the hall.

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

Yuan Xi stepped forward, approached the Conjoining Orb, and gently caressed it. This Conjoining Orb was something she and Neon Scarlet Flame had jointly forged from their earliest beginnings, pouring countless efforts and painstaking dedication into its creation.

Even if Lu Ye's method was miraculous, the Conjoining Orb that would be re-formed would ultimately be a different one.

"Go ahead," she said softly, not lingering in sadness for long.