Chapter 2436: Chapter 2436
The agonized screams of the martial cultivators pierced the heavens as they were torn apart and devoured by the demonic wolves. Those who remained were swiftly wiped out without mercy.
The clone took a quick headcount and realized they’d gained four more powerful fighters—a far better haul than the weaker captives they’d taken before. Without hesitation, he stationed the fourteen of them along the border while the demonic beasts and wolves scoured the battlefield for spoils.
Over on Ye Liuyun’s side, the battle was also winding down. Once it ended, he immediately dispatched the Vanguard Corps to clean up the remnants. The sheer brutality of the slaughter had sent a clear message to opportunistic martial cultivators lurking nearby. Seeing Ye Liuyun’s forces not only outnumber them but also fight with ruthless efficiency, they dared not approach, forced to watch helplessly as every last scrap of loot was claimed.
After finishing the sweep, Ye Liuyun deliberately locked eyes with the onlookers, sending them scattering in panic.
"Hah! A bunch of cowards, thinking they could prey on us!" Lei Ming burst into laughter at their pitiful retreat.
"Alright, head back and rest up," Ye Liuyun ordered, storing them all in his spatial world for recovery.
As for himself, he altered his appearance to avoid unwanted attention before continuing his journey of training and exploration.
Along the way, he captured a few more martial cultivators foolish enough to provoke him. These unfortunates not only served as expendable pawns but also had their resources plundered, left with nothing but bitter resignation.
The stronger ones were absorbed into his spatial world, while the weaker ones were barely worth his time—merely tools to gather resources until they inevitably perished in battle.
Whenever an opportunity arose, Ye Liuyun would summon his demonic beasts or the Vanguard Corps for combat experience, frequently alternating training sessions with his clone.
Under this relentless cycle of battle, both his and his clone’s cultivation saw significant improvement—a direct result of mastering the tenth level of the Immortal Realm.
Yet, breaking through to the second stage of the Heavenly Human Realm remained a distant goal. For most, the gap between the first and second stages was nothing short of insurmountable.
Both the quality and quantity of Xuan Yuan required substantial accumulation.
Ye Liuyun and his avatar took turns cultivating for two months, yet they had only just stabilized their first-tier Heavenly Human realm. There wasn’t the slightest hint of an impending breakthrough.
His Ancient Demon God Armor had already been shattered twice from constant battles. Fortunately, Tong Xin and Qiong Qi were there to help repair it.
But eventually, he grew too lazy to wear it, choosing instead to rely solely on his physical body to endure attacks. If the injuries were severe, he would simply heal himself with the Water of Life, treating every ordeal as a means to temper his physique.
Among his abilities, his control over the Power of Heaven and Earth and his Sword Intent progressed the fastest.
He could now sense and harness even more of the Power of Heaven and Earth.
As for his Sword Intent, he felt as though he was on the verge of another breakthrough—just a hair’s breadth away. He suspected that only under life-threatening pressure would his Sword Intent suddenly ascend to the next level.
So from then on, whenever he faced ordinary trials, he no longer summoned Lei Ming or Ye Tiandao to assist him. Instead, he forced himself to fight alone.
In battle, he focused primarily on attacking with Sword Intent while relying on his physical body for defense, pushing himself to the limit against all manner of dangers.
Finally, Ye Liuyun seized an opportunity when he encountered a soldier whose strength matched his own. The man wore a commander’s uniform, and the moment their eyes met, they lunged at each other without hesitation.
Both were battle-hungry to the core. The commander went all out from the start, while Ye Liuyun wielded only his Sword Intent. Though it seemed like he took plenty of hits, the commander couldn’t break through his physical defenses.
After half a day of intense combat, the commander called for a truce.
"If we keep going, I’ll exhaust all my genuine energy!" he told Ye Liuyun.
Surprisingly, Ye Liuyun agreed.
He had finally caught a glimpse of the breakthrough he sought in his Sword Intent, and since the commander couldn’t inflict fatal injuries, this was the perfect opportunity to refine it further.
So he returned to the spatial realm, swapped places with his doppelganger, drank a drop of Life Spring water, and retreated into the Profound Void Stone to cultivate and recover.
Meanwhile, the doppelganger started roasting meat and even invited the commander to join him.
The commander figured that since Ye Liuyun hadn’t taken advantage of his weakened state earlier, he probably wouldn’t try anything now either. So he accepted the offer with a relaxed smile.
As they ate, the two began chatting.
"My name’s Sharman," the commander introduced himself. "What’s yours?"
"Ye Liuyun," the doppelganger replied without hesitation.
"Ye Liuyun? The one the Holy Dynasty has a bounty on?" Sharman asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.
"That’s me. What, you planning to turn me in?" the doppelganger shot back.
"Pfft! The Holy Dynasty puts bounties on half the world—why should I care?" Sharman scoffed. "I was just curious. Rumor has it you’re not from the Holy Lands?" He didn’t seem bothered by Ye Liuyun’s status, just genuinely intrigued by his origins.
The doppelganger gave him a brief rundown—how he’d sold the Swiftwings to the Holy Dynasty, proposed an alliance, and been rejected.
"Ah, so that’s how it is!" Sharman exclaimed. "Before I came here, I heard the army had been outfitted with Swiftwings. So it really was you who sold them!"
He shrugged. "But you’re right—the Holy Dynasty’s too full of themselves to agree to an alliance. And with your current cultivation level, they’d just look down on you anyway."
Sharman spoke bluntly, without sugarcoating anything.
The doppelganger didn’t take offense. Sharman wasn’t wrong—his cultivation *was* still low. If he were stronger, the Holy Dynasty might have treated him differently.
And it wasn’t just him. Most people from his two worlds were weaker than those from the Holy Dynasty.
"Let’s take it one step at a time. Not forming an alliance doesn’t really affect me anyway!" The doppelganger shrugged nonchalantly, believing that giving his best was all that mattered.
If the Sacred Dynasty refused the alliance, he’d simply find another way.
After finishing their meal, Sharman rested briefly—clearly possessing his own method for rapid energy recovery—before the two men squared off again.
"Just to be clear," Sharman warned before they began, his voice firm, "sharing a meal is one thing, but I won’t hold back in battle!" He laid down the terms: neither of them would go easy on the other.
"Deal!" The doppelganger grinned, appreciating the straightforward warrior’s attitude, and agreed without hesitation.
And so, the fight resumed. The moment Sharman moved, he slipped into a frenzied state, his attacks ruthless and unrelenting.
This suited the doppelganger perfectly. He focused intently, immersing himself in the flow of combat, seeking to grasp the essence of blade intent.
The battle grew fiercer, both men losing themselves in the clash, pushing their limits with every strike.
"Die!"
Sharman swung his spear in a wide arc, smashing it toward Ye Liuyun with devastating force.
"Break!"
The doppelganger roared in response, his blade intent surging abruptly as he slashed downward.
In that instant, he felt the tyrannical essence of his blade intent ascend to an unprecedented level.
He didn’t even bother checking the outcome of the strike—his mind was wholly absorbed in comprehending the profound meaning behind that single slash.
Meanwhile, inside the Void Stone, Ye Liuyun—deep in cultivation—immediately sensed the elevation in blade intent. He joined his doppelganger in deciphering the insights of that decisive cut.
Within their shared consciousness, the seed of blade intent glowed brighter, its sword-like form expanding visibly in an instant.
