Chapter 2923: Calm Dragon Lord

Although Xingzhou had always lived in the Source Realm, over countless years, many Half-Saints had ascended to the Source Realm from the Star Abyss. Xingzhou was gentle-natured and disliked conflict, but he was exceptionally interested in the Star Abyss. So, whenever a new Half-Saint fell into the Source Realm from the Star Abyss, he would immediately seek them out and warmly invite them to be a guest at the Golden-Eyed Clan's territory.

He would then inquire about matters concerning the Star Abyss.

When Si Shengya first fell into the Source Realm, he had such an encounter. Otherwise, as a human new to the Source Realm back then, Si Shengya would have had no means of self-preservation. To some extent, his survival at that time was entirely due to Xingzhou's protection.

In fact, on a personal level, Si Shengya and Xingzhou had a slight private acquaintance.

It was precisely because of this that Xingzhou came to know about the legendary River of Time.

And at this moment, he exposed it with a single phrase!

"River of Time?" Fei gazed ahead. "It seems a bit mysterious. Is this also a supreme treasure?"

Xingzhou slowly shook his head: "This is no supreme treasure; it's a marvel that has existed since the universe's genesis. It is said to contain all of the past and future. If one could glimpse within, there would be a chance to perceive everything from ancient times to the present."

Fei couldn't help but raise an eyebrow: "So, this thing just looks intimidating? It doesn't actually have any practical power?"

Xingzhou was slightly silent: "You could say that."

Fei laughed loudly: "In that case, we don't need to bother with it! I have heard that the Dragon Clan members are all very majestic, and their true forms can be ten thousand zhang long. It would be excellent if we could capture one to serve as a mount."

Leading the group, Xuewei snorted lightly: "Do not be careless!" The deaths of Half-Saints like Xueyuan served as a clear warning, implying that the so-called Dragon City possessed something that could threaten the lives of Half-Saints like themselves. Xuewei would not be negligent under any circumstances.

In today's battle, their side held an absolute advantage in both overall strength and the number of Half-Saints. As long as they proceeded steadily, they were bound to succeed.

The moment she spoke, the team fell completely silent.

The Saints advanced, bringing immense pressure with them.

Inside Dragon City, seeing the enemy draw closer, the Dragon Venerable no longer hesitated. He bowed and said, "Everyone, I'm counting on you!"

Xuejiu chuckled: "I never expected that I, the Venerable, would have a day where I'd need to assist you in defending Dragon City. Fate truly plays tricks on people!"

The Blood Clan and the Dragon and Phoenix Clans were practically sworn enemies, especially since Xuejiu was the Blood Lord. Yet, they were now forced to fight side-by-side; indeed, the world was unpredictable.

Despite his words, Xuejiu's actions were decisive. He swiftly flew towards a certain position in Dragon City.

At the same time, the other Half-Saints also moved towards different positions.

For this battle, Dragon City had made extensive preparations. First, all Unity Realm cities around Dragon City were evacuated. Then, all powerful cultivators were brought into the city. Furthermore, as a precautionary measure, all non-essential personnel were sent away.

At present, although the number of cultivators in Dragon City was far less than last time, they were all elites. The Dragon Venerable had summoned almost all city-lord-level Unity Realm cultivators under his command into the city, solely to maximize the power of the defensive formation.

Because today's battle required a counterattack from a defensive stance. Only by holding their ground first would they have a chance later.

If they couldn't even defend themselves, then there would be no talk of anything after that.

In just a moment, all Half-Saints in the city had entered their positions in the formation.

A moment later, the enemy arrived.

Somewhere in Dragon City, Si Shengya's eyes narrowed slightly as he gazed at the figure closely following Xuewei.

Although he had long suspected that the Golden-Eyed Clan Half-Saint coming this time was likely Xingzhou, when this guess was confirmed, Si Shengya still sighed inwardly.

From the perspective of personal friendship, he did not want Xingzhou to be on the opposing side.

And in terms of strength, he even less wanted their side to face such a powerful enemy.

But now the situation was set; they were adversaries, and ultimately, each fought for their own side.

Even across countless buildings and a massive defensive formation, when Si Shengya's gaze fell upon Xingzhou, the Source Realm's foremost Half-Saint still sensed it and immediately looked back.

He did not see Si Shengya's figure, but that did not prevent him from making his own inference. He nodded slightly in that direction, then withdrew his gaze.

"Dragon Clan?" In front of Dragon City, Xuewei squinted, looking at the tall and upright Dragon Venerable standing there. There were no Dragon Clan members in the Source Realm, and she had never seen one. Looking now, this Dragon Clan member in front of her didn't seem particularly special.

"Xuewei?" The Dragon Venerable raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Impudent! How dare a mere newly promoted Half-Saint speak my name directly?" Xuewei snapped.

The Dragon Venerable couldn't help but sneer: "You only ascended earlier due to the convenience of your location. If I were in the Source Realm, what business would your Blood Clan have there?" As he spoke, he scanned his gaze, finding that the enemy's situation was no different from what their side had previously anticipated.

There were only ten true Half-Saints. These were Mingfeng, plus Xuewei and the other nine who had arrived in the second batch from the Source Realm.

The rest were all puppets with clouded eyes and no sentience.

Si Shengya's telepathic message reached his ear. Upon learning that the Golden-Eyed Clan Half-Saint was indeed Xingzhou, the Dragon Venerable's heart sank.

This was undoubtedly bad news.

The good news, however, was that apart from Xuewei, Fei, and Xingzhou, the remaining six Half-Saints were not particularly strong. At least from Si Shengya's perspective, they were not opponents worth special concern.

The Dragon Venerable's arrogant words actually made Xuewei laugh in anger. "Very well, it has been many years since anyone dared to speak to me like that. Given your confidence, I shall give you an opportunity: hand over the murderer who previously killed my Blood Clan's Half-Saint, then submit and pledge allegiance, and I might consider sparing your life!"

The Dragon Venerable raised an eyebrow: "Is that true?"

Xuewei smiled proudly: "I, the Saint, give my word; there is no falsehood!"

The Dragon Venerable wore an expression of hesitation: "May I be allowed to consider it for a moment?"

"Of course," Xuewei said, appearing very reasonable, and nodded slightly. "You have twenty breaths of time!"

The Dragon Venerable lowered his gaze.

Their side's greatest reliance and hope for this battle lay with the Dragon Clan powerhouses on Lu Ye's side. He naturally wanted to buy some time; at such a critical juncture, the longer the delay, the better.

However, the enemy was clearly not foolish; how could they not see through his simple trick? Before he could even propose considering it for three or five days, they cut off that possibility.

Still, twenty breaths was some time, better than none!

Twenty breaths was fleeting. After only a moment, Xuewei spoke: "Time's up..."

However, before she finished speaking, the Dragon Venerable suddenly looked up, baring his teeth in a malicious grin towards her. "Why all the useless talk? Come fight!"

The expression on Xuewei's face slowly turned stern. Finally, she sneered: "You seek death!"

With a slight wave of her hand, dozens of figures behind her swiftly surged forward, launching a fierce assault on Dragon City.

These were precisely the dozens of puppet Half-Saints. Each of these numerous puppets was controlled by one of the ten Half-Saints from the Source Realm; practically every Half-Saint controlled several puppets.

Furthermore, the puppets had a unique advantage in leveraging external power. For this siege, it was natural for them to lead the charge.

Dozens of puppets, dozens of supreme treasures. As the multitude of colorful lights were unleashed, Dragon City's defensive formation immediately began to vibrate violently.

Xuewei glanced at it and sneered: "This so-called grand formation doesn't look like much."

Mingfeng remained silent.

He secretly thought, *With dozens of Half-Saints attacking, what defensive formation in this world could withstand it?* Last time, when he and Moduo came to attack the city, they only brought a dozen Half-Saints; the numerical difference was enormous.

If he and Moduo had dozens of puppet Half-Saints under their command last time, there wouldn't be this situation today. They would have flattened Dragon City then, and he wouldn't have to endure Xuewei's sarcasm today.

He could only lament Moduo's ill fortune, dying too soon, otherwise, he too could be enjoying the fruits of their labor today.

The siege continued relentlessly, and the formation's light barrier shook violently.

Fei couldn't help but raise an eyebrow: "At this rate, I'm afraid this great formation will be breached in less than half a day."

Xuewei, however, frowned: "Something is strange."

"What's strange?" Fei asked.

"That guy..." Xuewei looked in the Dragon Venerable's direction, "He's too calm."

Fei looked up and saw that the Dragon Venerable was indeed composed. Even with numerous powerful cultivators acting recklessly outside the city and the formation's light barrier teetering, he showed no sign of tension or worry.

"There's a Unity Bead in this city, so he has a retreat route. Even if the city falls, he can escape, so he naturally isn't worried," Fei offered as an explanation.

Xuewei shook her head.

She felt things weren't that simple. While one could indeed escape using a Unity Bead, the bead itself would fall into her hands. Was this Dragon Clan member really not worried about that at all?

She turned to Mingfeng: "How many Half-Saints do they have on their side?"

Mingfeng immediately replied: "Nine!" He added: "Besides Si Shengya, Xuejiu, and Lu Ye, the rest are mostly newly ascended Half-Saints, not worth worrying about."

Xuewei's frown deepened. Nine Half-Saints, but only one had shown himself. This meant the remaining eight were all stationed within the city, controlling the grand formation.

But if that were the case, what could the opponent possibly do with a defense that could only hold for half a day?

They couldn't just intend to hold out for half a day and then flee.

After pondering for a while and failing to understand, she stopped thinking about it.

Whatever scheme the other side was planning, it would become clear once the great formation was breached.

Time passed, and the defensive light barrier grew increasingly unstable, its glow fading significantly.

And just as Fei had previously speculated, Dragon City's defensive formation, under the fierce assault of dozens of puppet Half-Saints, indeed only held for a little less than half a day before completely collapsing.

The moment the formation's light barrier dissipated into specks of light, Xuewei raised a hand and grasped a blood-red spear that appeared in her grip. Immediately afterward, she transformed into a streak of crimson light and surged directly towards the Dragon Venerable, aiming to kill.

She arrived in an instant, thrusting her spear viciously.

Whatever scheme the opponent had, it wouldn't matter once he was dead.

But at that very moment, the Dragon Venerable, who had remained still, suddenly smiled faintly. With a flick of his wrist, a jade token appeared in his palm.

Immediately, the power of Dao surged around him, and he raised both hands forward, uttering: "Rise!"

A visibly solidified light barrier, accompanying his voice, suddenly rose from within the city, forming a second layer of defense.