Chapter 2932: War Aftermath

Given such abnormal circumstances in the city, how could Xue Wei and others ignore them? In fact, they had already noticed when many cultivators were evacuating Dragon City earlier. However, despite their awareness, they couldn't interfere because they couldn't breach Dragon City's defenses.

Now, as Dragon Clan Half-Saints entered the Central Hall, their aura disappearing, the signs of the city being abandoned were undeniable.

"Damn it!" Xue Wei gritted her teeth. She had approached this battle with immense confidence, only for it to end like this. With Dragon City abandoned, what good was an empty city to her? Besides gaining a Universe-grade Harmonization Pearl, there were no other benefits. On the contrary, her side suffered significant losses in the battle. While the fallen puppet Half-Saints were regrettable but acceptable, the deaths of several Source Realm Half-Saints like Ming Feng were truly heartbreaking; those casualties should never have happened.

Just as she was filled with regret, Dragon City's defenses suddenly shattered.

She was momentarily stunned. Although the defenses were already teetering on the brink of collapse due to the Dragon Clan Half-Saints' departure and could only last a few more breaths, they had broken unexpectedly.

"Lu Ye didn't leave!" Fei exclaimed, as the shattering of the protective barrier revealed the situation inside Dragon City. Lu Ye's aura still lingered in the Central Hall.

In a flash, Xue Wei understood the reason: "He shattered the Harmonization Pearl!" Although she hadn't been in Star Abyss for long, she had visited Thousand Stream City and was quite interested in the Harmonization Pearl there, having asked Ming Feng many questions about it. So, the current situation was clear. Lu Ye hadn't used the Harmonization Pearl to escape into the Harmonized Realm; instead, he had stayed behind and shattered the one within Dragon City, which was why the protective formation broke so abruptly.

Realizing this, Xue Wei was momentarily dumbfounded. She had hoped to at least obtain a Universe-grade Harmonization Pearl from this trip, but Lu Ye hadn't even left her that possibility. This was clearly a self-defeating act, as shattering the Harmonization Pearl meant Lu Ye himself couldn't enter the Harmonized Realm, which was why he remained.

"Quick, stop him! Don't let him escape!" Xue Wei then roared, suddenly realizing Lu Ye's confidence. He seemed proficient in spatial arts, which was likely why he dared to stay and shatter the Harmonization Pearl.

At her command, numerous Half-Saints beside her simultaneously attacked towards the Central Hall. Moreover, even before their attacks, the puppet Half-Saints who had been relentlessly assaulting the city had already swept through Dragon City. Instantly, Dragon City, already significantly reduced in size, fragmented even further. After Xue Wei's attack swept through, the entire Dragon City was reduced to countless fragments, scattering in all directions.

Lu Ye was nowhere in sight. Xue Wei nearly ground her teeth to dust.

Meanwhile, about a million miles from Dragon City, the Phoenix Lord, who should have returned to the Phoenix Nest, had inexplicably appeared. Her power surged, and the space beside her distorted. Suddenly, Lu Ye stepped out from it, his face slightly pale, suppressing the surge of blood in his throat. Seeing him appear, the Phoenix Lord sighed in relief and quickly steadied him. "How are you?"

Lu Ye nodded slightly. Dragon City's Harmonization Pearl... he had shattered it and absorbed all of it into his inner world. This task wasn't difficult in itself; the challenge was leaving after shattering the Harmonization Pearl, knowing that all the puppet Half-Saints, Xue Wei, and others were gathered there. Lu Ye alone couldn't break through the encirclement, so he had to rely on Spatial Warp. However, a simple Spatial Warp wasn't enough to cross such a vast distance instantly, and he would still be pursued. Therefore, the Phoenix Lord had to go first, have the Primordial Parasol Tree send her back near Dragon City, and then she would rendezvous with Lu Ye. This was also why Lu Ye waited for an incense stick's worth of time in the city before acting, even after Dragon Sovereign, Phoenix Lord, and others had evacuated. He was waiting for the Phoenix Lord to be in position. Of course, without the Phoenix Lord, his Talent Tree clone could have acted similarly. Furthermore, Xue Wei and the others likely never imagined he would be so audacious as to shatter the Harmonization Pearl while heavily surrounded. Had they reacted sooner, they might have disrupted the space and forcibly detained him. Nevertheless, this action ultimately proceeded without major incident.

"Let's go back first," Lu Ye said. The Phoenix Lord nodded slightly, and soon, their figures vanished from the spot.

Less than half a day later, in a tree hollow within the Phoenix Nest, several figures sat. The outside gradually became lively. Some of the cultivators who had evacuated from Dragon City had come directly to the Phoenix Nest, while others had escaped into the Harmonized Realm. Those who fled to the Harmonized Realm were now gathering at the Phoenix Nest. This was the foundation of the Phoenix Clan; throughout history, primarily only Phoenix Clan members resided here. Even when outsiders occasionally visited, they were usually Dragon Clan members and few in number. When had it ever been this lively?

"Dragon City is gone. Next, they will likely set their sights on the Phoenix Nest," Dragon Sovereign said slowly, forcing himself to rally his spirits. Looking across Star Abyss, only Thousand Stream City and Phoenix Nest remained among the Ten Harmonization Cities. Thousand Stream was the enemy's base, while Phoenix Nest was theirs, and all their strength was concentrated here. The enemy would certainly shift their attention to this location.

"There are countless spatial rifts around the Phoenix Nest, which serve as natural barriers, but they cannot truly obstruct a group of Half-Saints. At most, they can delay them; sooner or later, they will attack," the Phoenix Lord said, her brows tightly furrowed.

"Little Ye, can the situation with the Dragon Clan Half-Saints be resolved?" Si Shengya turned and asked. Lu Ye, lost in thought, paused for a moment at the question before nodding. "It can be resolved!" He had already tested it on Dragon Sovereign. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, only to hear Lu Ye add, "But it doesn't have much meaning."

Qin Feng opened his mouth, then quickly sighed. He understood Lu Ye's meaning. Although he could help the Dragon Clan Half-Saints burn away the mysterious restrictions within their bodies and restore them, what if a similar situation occurred again? In the first instance, the Dragon Clan lost many ancestors, and most of the remaining were severely wounded. Another occurrence would likely lead to even greater casualties. One couldn't expect the Dragon Clan Half-Saints to be constantly on edge while fighting the enemy; what kind of battle would that be? Their opponents were already equally powerful puppet Half-Saints. And judging from previous events, such a method seemed to be effortless for Yuan.

"Does this mean our many Dragon Clan Half-Saints can no longer be relied upon?" Dragon Sovereign's expression was dejected. Originally, this was their greatest advantage, but now, due to that mysterious method, they were hesitant to act. The Phoenix Lord, too, felt uneasy. After all, One Saint was Yang Qing, the second ancestor of the Dragon Clan, and Seven Saint was the seventh lord of the Phoenix Clan! If Yuan could use such methods to incapacitate the Dragon Clan's Half-Saints, there was no guarantee he couldn't use the same methods to incapacitate her. However, upon closer thought, this concern seemed unnecessary, as the Dragon Clan had too many Half-Saints to warrant Yuan's special attention, whereas she was the only Half-Saint of the Phoenix Clan, likely not even on Yuan's radar.

"They can be used for city defense," Lu Ye said, "but it's best not to go out to meet the enemy." While the Dragon Clan Half-Saints were powerful when stationed at the formation's core for defense, having so many strong combatants unable to engage in battle was a huge waste. The Dragon Clan Half-Saints were currently still in Lu Ye's inner world. Lu Ye planned to release them after resolving their issues; otherwise, he would have to burn away the restrictions one by one, which would be too troublesome.

"Regardless, let's prepare for city defense first. We can discuss the issues of the Dragon Clan ancestors later," Lu Ye said. "Everyone suffered injuries in this battle, and we don't know when the enemy will attack, so please rest and recover." With things having come to this, there seemed to be no other option. Although their spirits were low, everyone could only agree.

"Oh, and I need the treasures seized from this battle!" Lu Ye added. Without hesitation, everyone took out their previous spoils and handed them to Lu Ye. Even Xue Jiu honestly offered the three treasures he had privately kept. This guy had specifically targeted puppet Half-Saints before, so his gains were quite impressive.

Everyone departed, and Lu Ye turned to the side. "Is there anything else, Master Si?" Everyone else had left, leaving only Si Shengya, who clearly had something to say to him.

"Little Ye," Si Shengya suddenly asked, "have you ever considered why Xue Wei and the others, despite retaining their sentience, are willing to be Yuan's pawns?"

Lu Ye replied, "The fate of those who defy Yuan is precisely the current predicament of the Dragon Clan ancestors. Moreover, Yuan controls nine Grand Saints; how could Xue Wei and the others dare to resist?"

Si Shengya nodded. "Exactly. It's because of these numerous concerns that they are willing to act according to Yuan's will. Being Half-Saints, they aren't foolish. Haven't they considered what the entire Star Abyss would become if Yuan's intentions succeeded? At that point, all living beings would likely become its puppets. Even if Yuan were merciful enough to let them retain their sentience, they would certainly not enjoy the freedom they have now."

Lu Ye's expression shifted as he picked up on Si Shengya's underlying meaning. "Master Si, do you mean that Xue Wei and the others are not acting voluntarily?"

"Of course not voluntarily!"

Lu Ye frowned. "But given the current situation, we can't exactly go to them and persuade them to abandon the darkness and embrace the light. Setting aside whether we have the confidence to do so, they wouldn't agree anyway."

Si Shengya shook his head. "It's not about persuading them; that would be pointless. They know what they are doing and how to make choices for the best outcome. What I want to say is that in the previous battle, Xing Zhou did not use his full strength!"

Lu Ye was startled for a moment, then his eyes lit up. "Are you sure?"

Si Shengya replied, "I have a good relationship with Xing Zhou, and I know his strength very well. In the previous battle, he used less than seventy percent of his power."

Lu Ye's eyes widened.

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

Only then did Lu Ye feel relieved. If Xing Zhou could contain a full-strength Si Shengya with just seventy percent of his power, then his background would be truly terrifying. However... the fact that Xing Zhou didn't use his full strength was quite intriguing.