Chapter 2422: Chapter 2422
The martial artist attempted to strike again, but was intercepted and isolated by the other Swift Sparrows.
The damaged Swift Sparrow immediately released its soldiers, who swiftly stored the wreckage into a Interspatial Ring before Ye Liuyun recalled it into his spatial world.
*Boom!* Another deafening explosion echoed as yet another Swift Sparrow was obliterated.
These aerial vessels were designed to withstand battleship-grade energy cannons, yet against such formidable opponents, a single strike was enough to render them useless!
But the martial artist, overwhelmed by the relentless barrage of energy beams from the remaining Swift Sparrows, finally succumbed. Without hesitation, Ye Liuyun recalled all remaining vessels into his spatial world and teleported back to Zhiyang Royal City using the Black Tower.
"That was too close," he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. "The sheer power of these experts is terrifying. The Swift Sparrows need specialized training to counter such threats—otherwise, a few of them alone won’t stand a chance."
Acting swiftly, he ordered Pei Yong to lead Liao Yunyang in tactical drills, which would later be disseminated to the rest of the army. Meanwhile, Tong Xin immediately began researching potential upgrades to enhance the Swift Sparrows’ offensive and defensive capabilities.
Ye Liuyun laid low for several days, only returning to the Black Kill organization after Youming and the others had arrived. As expected, they awarded him the lion’s share of the mission credits, propelling his rank within Black Kill straight to Level Three.
The group unanimously decided to take a brief respite, dedicating themselves to cultivation and strength improvement.
Meanwhile, the Holy Land Dynasty, reeling from the heavy losses, had pieced together that Ye Liuyun was behind the sabotage—even uncovering one of the treasure vaults he had previously plundered.
Yet they found themselves powerless. Unable to publicize the humiliation and lacking any leads, they didn’t even know Ye Liuyun’s true appearance. He had employed the Thousand Illusions Art to assume different disguises each time, vanishing without a trace afterward. The dynasty had apprehended a few lookalikes, only to confirm they were all local civilians.
However, the Sacred Dynasty didn’t squander this opportunity either. They seized the moment to replace many regional lords, thereby strengthening royal control.
It was around this time that rumors began circulating within the Sacred Dynasty—news of an impending invasion by foreign races. The dynasty immediately dispatched elite warriors aboard the fastest skyships to verify the reports while simultaneously recalling their armies to avoid being caught unprepared.
Some of the Sacred Dynasty’s forces had been scattered across the cosmos, plundering resources. Now, they were ordered to regroup closer to the dynasty’s core, ensuring they could be mobilized for reinforcements at any moment.
Ironically, the Sacred Dynasty had initially intended to use Outpost Island and Watchtower Island as expendable pawns and a defensive buffer. Yet now, thanks to Ye Liuyun’s maneuvering, they found themselves thrust onto the front lines, forced to engage directly in the coming conflict.
Meanwhile, Ye Liuyun had retreated safely within the Sacred Dynasty’s borders, sheltering civilians and quietly strengthening his own power while the dynasty bore the brunt of the impending crisis.
Assassination contracts from the Black Killers dwindled rapidly, especially those targeting military commanders and key officials. Even the assassins’ guild recognized the need for stability—after all, they too relied on the Sacred Dynasty to fend off the foreign invaders.
Ye Liuyun divided his time between cultivation and hunting down skilled craftsmen—weapon-refining master, alchemists, and formation masters. Since reaching the Tenth Heaven Realm, he had felt a marked increase in his strength. Though still no match for an ordinary Second Heaven Celestial cultivator, he could now hold his own without being easily subdued.
After a period of focused training, he began preparing to break through to the First Heaven Celestial Realm. Drawing from the Sacred Dynasty’s vast treasury, he converted divine crystals and spirit marrow using transmutation stones. The staggering energy required for the breakthrough was no obstacle for the now-wealthy Ye Liuyun.
Finally, his cultivation ascended to the First Heaven Celestial Realm.
This breakthrough brought with it an entirely new sensation. Upon entering the Celestial Realm, he could perceive the power of heaven and earth with unprecedented clarity. The bottleneck that had once hindered his mastery of celestial energy shattered completely.
Though the quality of his advance energy had doubled in potency, he realized that celestial energy still held far greater destructive potential in combat.
Now with every casual strike, he could channel the power of heaven and earth, harnessing their momentum for his attacks.
Martial artists at the same first-level Heavenly Human realm were no match for Ye Liuyun anymore—no matter how strong they were, none could withstand a single blow from him. Even ordinary second-level Heavenly Human opponents could only fight him to a standstill.
He had also sparred with Liao Yunyang and the Demon Vine. Though his offensive power still fell short of theirs, his formidable physique and abundant Xuan Yuan energy allowed him to exhaust even Liao Yunyang’s true essence reserves. As for the Demon Vine, it could no longer harm Ye Liuyun at all. In fact, it began avoiding him, afraid he might damage its vines, and refused to spar with him further.
After assessing his own strength—bolstered by his powerful soul, bloodline, and physique—Ye Liuyun concluded that he had met the standards Wuchen had set.
So he sought out Wuchen and requested to begin the next phase of training.
Wuchen put him to the test and agreed that, despite his cultivation level not yet reaching the required threshold, Ye Liuyun’s combat prowess indeed qualified him for the advanced training.
"Good. I’ll allow you to join the ’Journey of Death’ training," Wuchen granted his request.
But he cautioned, "The reason it’s called the ’Journey of Death’ is because fewer than one in ten who enter survive. The dangers there may even surpass those you’ll face on actual missions."
"I’m prepared," Ye Liuyun replied firmly.
Wuchen nodded. For a martial artist to grow stronger, such perilous trials were necessary.
"Resources are scarce inside, and no one can be trusted. Your ability to create clones gives you an unshakable ally—a major advantage. But remember to bring ample supplies, especially items that can quickly restore your true essence."
Wuchen offered further advice, and Ye Liuyun inquired about additional details of the training.
The training was to take place in a hidden realm, accessible only to those who had reached the Second Heavenly Layer of cultivation. The realm itself imposed power restrictions, ensuring that no weaklings would be present within.
Not only members of the Black Killers could enter, but also elite warriors from major factions, royal families, and military forces.
And it wasn’t just them—even the people and ferocious beasts from their spatial worlds could join. As a result, no one could say for certain just how many martial practitioners would be inside.
The hidden realm was vast and fraught with danger. For ordinary cultivators, merely surviving would be a challenge—every step carried the risk of death.
Yet Ye Liuyun remained unfazed. Since those from spatial worlds could be summoned, he figured he could deploy his entire army if needed.
But when he confirmed this with Wuhen, the man only replied, "You’ll understand once you’re inside. There’s no limit to how many you can summon, but if they lack sufficient strength, survival itself will be difficult. Even if they manage to stay alive, they’d be no different from ordinary people in that realm—just walking to their deaths."
