Chapter 2414: Chapter 2414
Ye Liuyun and his clone immediately sought out the demonic vines to test their combat skills, eager to gauge the extent of their physical transformation.
But once the battle began, he quickly realized the improvement in his physique was far from minor.
The demonic vines gradually increased their force, eventually lashing him with their full strength—yet Ye Liuyun emerged completely unscathed.
Astonished, he then sought out a captive warrior at the second level of the Heavenly Human realm to spar. The result was the same. Though the opponent could send him flying and even make him feel some pain, not a single wound was left on his body.
"My physical body has broken through! But to what extent? Even a second-level Heavenly Human can’t harm me?" Ye Liuyun could hardly believe it, yet the evidence was undeniable.
He wasn’t entirely sure just how far his physical breakthrough had gone, but one thing was certain—he had surpassed the Transcendent God realm.
This was undoubtedly a monumental achievement. Ye Liuyun celebrated with his companions, sharing his insights and encouraging them to persevere in their own cultivation.
Afterward, he finally left the spatial world.
Yu Xiaofeng and Pei Yong had already annihilated the 100,000-strong army sent by the Sacred Dynasty, collecting a wealth of equipment and resources in the process. The demonic tribes and beasts had also stockpiled ample provisions.
"That’s enough. Time to withdraw—no point dragging this out any longer," Ye Liuyun declared.
He promptly recalled the entire army into the spatial world, then had Ye Ling assist in connecting with the local source energy to teleport him away alone.
Without delay, Ye Liuyun used the Black Tower of Teleportation to exit the secret realm and return to Zhiyang Royal City.
However, instead of heading to the Black Kill Secret Realm, he immediately set off again for the small coastal town, determined to venture alone to the island in search of the hidden treasure.
Upon reaching the shore, he boarded the Swift Swallow and soared into the starry sky, scanning the ocean below for islands—a far more efficient method.
Though the sea appeared endless from the shore, from the vantage point of the sky, scattered islands dotted the vast expanse.
There were no signs of human activity on these islands, making it impossible to determine at a glance which one might hold the treasure.
Ye Liuyun estimated the distance and time, narrowing it down to about seven or eight islands before releasing Qiong Qi from his spatial world.
"There are too many islands. Take a look and see which one seems promising. We’ll land and investigate further," Ye Liuyun said.
"That many?" Qiong Qi groaned at first, rubbing his temples in frustration.
"Wait!" he suddenly exclaimed. "Look at how these islands are arranged—what does it resemble?"
Ye Liuyun glanced downward and realized the islands formed a pattern—an arrow pointing in a specific direction. The shape was only discernible from their high vantage point in the starry sky; up close, it would have been impossible to notice.
"Pointing the way?" Ye Liuyun asked Qiong Qi.
"Let’s follow where it leads," Qiong Qi urged.
Without hesitation, Ye Liuyun steered the Swift Swallow in the indicated direction. But his golden pupils had already caught sight of a thick mist in the distance—roughly two days’ journey by ordinary flying vessel from the islands.
At first, he thought it was just a rain cloud. However, after circling the mist once, he realized the fog was rising from below. Every time it thinned slightly, fresh tendrils of mist surged upward to replace it.
This area was deep ocean territory—not only were the winds fierce and the waves turbulent, but massive sharks frequently broke the surface. Ye Liuyun’s golden eyes could even make out their dorsal fins clearly.
Suddenly, an enormous black serpent erupted from the water, seizing two of the sharks in its jaws before dragging them beneath the waves. Blood stained the sea crimson in an instant.
Though Qiong Qi couldn’t see as sharply, he still sensed something sinister lurking below.
"Think we should check it out down there?" Qiong Qi asked Ye Liuyun.
"Let’s give it a shot!" Ye Liuyun figured the Swift Sparrow’s defenses were decent enough—at least they wouldn’t get taken down immediately.
Without hesitation, they plunged the Swift Sparrow straight down through the thick mist.
The moment they entered the fog, a piercing eagle cry tore through the air. A massive sea eagle lunged at them, its talons slashing toward the aircraft.
Ye Liuyun jerked the controls, narrowly dodging the attack, but in doing so, he lost sight of the eagle.
The Swift Sparrow was moving too fast, and the fog was too dense. He couldn’t tell if they were over open water, land, or mountains below. He had no choice but to slow down.
But then the sea eagle struck again—this time from the side.
**BAM!**
The impact sent the Swift Sparrow spinning wildly through the air before Ye Liuyun managed to steady it.
Just as he and Qiong Qi shook off the dizziness, the eagle swooped in once more, its talons clamping down on the aircraft.
This time, it got a solid grip—right as the Swift Sparrow’s nose aligned perfectly with the base of the eagle’s wing.
Under the crushing force of the talons, the Swift Sparrow’s shield flickered, on the verge of failing.
Ye Liuyun didn’t hesitate. He fired the energy cannon, a blinding white beam striking the eagle’s underwing, scorching a patch of feathers black.
The eagle shrieked in pain—but refused to let go.
Ye Liuyun kept firing, relentless, until a final blast tore a hole straight through the creature’s wing.
At last, the eagle couldn’t take it anymore. It released its grip and fled into the mist.
The rain shield flickered a few times before its protective function was restored.
"We should get out of here—it’s too dangerous!" Qiong Qi urged Ye Liuyun.
"Yeah," Ye Liuyun agreed, but he didn’t steer the Swift Swallow away.
"Move!" Qiong Qi pressed, growing anxious. Hovering motionless in the air only made them an easier target for the sea eagles.
"Where am I supposed to go? Everything’s covered in fog!" Ye Liuyun said helplessly.
They were completely disoriented, unable to tell up from down or left from right.
One wrong acceleration, and they might plunge straight into the sea.
"..." Qiong Qi fell silent.
He scanned their surroundings, but the thick mist obscured any sense of direction.
Just then, a dense swirl of fog surged toward them from the right. Instinctively, Ye Liuyun banked the Swift Swallow hard to the left.
"Whoa!" Qiong Qi yelped in alarm. "How do you know left is the right way?"
"I saw the fog rolling in from the right. Earlier, didn’t we notice fresh mist rising from below?" Ye Liuyun explained.
"Uh... how do you know it wasn’t just the sea eagles stirring up the fog?" Qiong Qi muttered hesitantly.
"...Huh. That’s actually a fair point," Ye Liuyun admitted, immediately slowing down.
But it was too late. The Swift Swallow was far faster than any martial cultivator’s flight speed.
Ye Liuyun saw the tree branches flash before his eyes, followed by a thunderous "boom" as the Feiyan came crashing down to the ground.
"You still alive, kid?" Qiong Qi groaned as he regained consciousness. He’d been about to curse at Ye Liuyun when he realized the young man wasn’t beside him, and concern immediately replaced his irritation.
"Still kicking! This Feiyan’s built like a tank!" Ye Liuyun’s voice rang out cheerfully.
The Feiyan had split open from the impact, its protective shield finally giving way after the brutal collision. Ye Liuyun had already climbed out of the wreckage and was surveying their surroundings, while Qiong Qi remained seated inside the fractured vessel.
Both of them had survived the crash only by channeling their vital energy to shield themselves at the last moment.
