Chapter 2427: Chapter 2427
Ye Liuyun immediately sat down to meditate, making everyone around him think he was some kind of oddball—probably cramming at the last minute like a student before exams.
Yet no one dared to disturb him. After all, the terrifying sight of those vengeful spirits emerging en masse was still fresh in their minds. No one could be sure whether Ye Liuyun had the power to summon them again.
Just then, another group of martial cultivators appeared on the horizon, making their way across the swamp toward them.
The soldiers perked up, placing bets on how many of this new group would survive the crossing.
Even as he absorbed energy, Ye Liuyun cast a glance at the approaching cultivators.
Dressed in lavish robes, adorned with high-grade armor, and wielding rare treasures, they were decked out from head to toe. It was obvious—these were scions of the royal family.
The moment the vengeful spirits attacked, they activated their protective artifacts, shielding themselves effortlessly.
Even the sinister flames rising from the swamp couldn’t penetrate their armor or treasures, leaving them completely unharmed.
"Damn it, the rich really do have it easy!" some of the soldiers cursed under their breath, having lost their bets.
In no time, the royal entourage crossed the swamp without a single casualty.
Compared to the other groups that had attempted the crossing, the Black Kill assassins had suffered the heaviest losses.
The royal youths strode forward, noses in the air, casting disdainful glances at the crowd before positioning themselves right at the front of the secret realm’s entrance.
The elders leading the royal delegation, however, exchanged polite greetings with the Black Kill steward and the military commander.
"Shall we begin?" Wuhen suggested to the elders.
"Agreed."
With a collective acknowledgment, they took up positions on either side of the secret realm’s entrance. All the elders channeled their power, directing it toward the portal, forcibly tearing open a rift within it.
The entrance to this secret realm was rather peculiar—its hidden passage required brute force to breach; otherwise, one risked being transported to an entirely different location.
"Now that’s a well-hidden entrance!" Ye Liuyun couldn’t help but marvel at the ingenious concealment.
Using his golden pupils, he scrutinized the structure of the portal and detected subtle traces of its hidden mechanism.
By then, the royal disciples and soldiers had already entered the secret realm.
"Move in!" Wuhen signaled the Black Kill operatives.
Having suffered the heaviest casualties, they were the last to enter.
At this point, the elders were nearly at their limit. Any further delay would destabilize the portal.
Fortunately, these assassins were swift and agile, each relying on their signature techniques to dash through just before the entrance collapsed.
Ye Liuyun, utilizing spatial overlap, was the first to step inside.
The moment he entered, he found himself standing in the middle of a vast desert, utterly alone. Clearly, the secret realm scattered its entrants across different locations.
Simultaneously, he sensed an overwhelming spatial pressure. Had he not trained to withstand such forces in the void of space, he might have crumpled instantly.
Ye Liuyun surmised that this pressure alone could eliminate anyone unprepared or lacking sufficient spatial mastery.
Even those with strong spatial abilities would find themselves powerless if they hadn’t trained for such conditions beforehand.
Immediately, he expanded his divine sense to survey his surroundings, only to discover it could stretch no further than five miles around him—nowhere near enough to glimpse the desert’s edge.
His spiritual power had just doubled, yet it could only scan this limited distance. For an ordinary martial artist, spiritual detection would be practically useless here—they might as well rely on their eyes.
Only now did he understand why Wuhen had said that those without sufficient strength would be no different from ordinary people, even if released from the spatial world.
Five miles—for a true powerhouse, that was just a blink away. So even if he unleashed his entire army here, they’d only serve as an intimidating display. In terms of actual combat power, they’d be as helpless as common folk.
He then focused on the ambient energy of this place and was surprised to find it twice as potent as the outside world. The spiritual energy was also incredibly dense. But for a martial artist at the Heavenly Human realm, relying solely on spiritual energy for recovery would be far too slow.
Before Ye Liuyun could test any other abilities, he noticed a small mound rising beneath the yellow sand not far away. Then, the black stinger of a venomous scorpion emerged.
A moment later, the entire scorpion burst from the sand, skittering across the surface with terrifying speed, charging straight at him.
The creature was as large as a man’s palm, its body pitch-black and unnervingly fast.
Without hesitation, Ye Liuyun unleashed a bolt of lightning, striking the scorpion and causing it to curl into a charred, smoking husk.
He then incinerated it with Golden Crow Sacred Fire, reducing it to ashes.
"At least all my powers still work here," he mused.
But just as the thought crossed his mind, he spotted a white crystal core left behind where the scorpion had died.
He drew it into his palm and examined it. Unlike the violent aura of a beast core, this crystal pulsed with pure energy—almost like divine essence.
As he studied the core, more scorpions began emerging from the sand, some even burrowing beneath the surface, closing in on him with alarming speed.
He immediately summoned his frost energy, launching an attack. Thankfully, his enhanced spiritual power allowed him to lock onto so many targets at once.
In an instant, over fifty chilling blasts struck the swarm of venomous scorpions charging toward him. Without hesitation, Ye Liuyun unleashed another surge of power, shattering the creatures into pieces.
He noticed that each scorpion left behind a white crystalline core upon death. With a swift wave of his hand, Ye Liuyun absorbed the cores into his grasp. *Energy is energy—no point wasting it.*
But then, something terrifying happened.
Larger, more menacing scorpions began emerging from all directions, their numbers swelling by the second.
"This isn’t working—I can’t stay in one place!"
Ye Liuyun swiftly donned his ancient Demon God armor and unsheathed his Demon-Slaying Blade. Targeting the largest scorpions, he charged forward in a random direction, cutting through the horde. Even as he fought, he snatched up every white core in sight. Fortunately, his mastery of blade intent allowed him to conserve his Xuan Yuan energy.
Still, the battle took its toll.
It dawned on him—these white cores were meant to replenish a warrior’s true essence. No longer hesitating, he absorbed each core immediately, ensuring his Xuan Yuan reserves stayed full.
The scorpions grew larger with each wave, some now towering over him. But bigger scorpions meant bigger cores.
A full day of relentless combat sharpened his blade intent ever so slightly. He tested his other abilities—all functioned normally, though flying consumed too much energy under the oppressive spatial pressure. Extended use of divine sense also drained his spiritual power. Eventually, he avoided both, conserving his strength.
Not that it mattered—the desert stretched endlessly in every direction. As long as he kept moving forward, he’d find a way out eventually.
