Chapter 2443: Chapter 2443
While Ye Liuyun was undergoing his grueling trials in the Land of Death, the colossal warships of the alien invaders arrived at Satellite Island.
Originally, the aliens had planned to sail straight for the Sacred Land to conquer its mainland. However, after obtaining the designs for the Swift Sparrows, the Sacred Dynasty mobilized all its weapon-refining master and mass-produced thousands of these aerial weapons in a short time.
Though the materials used for the Swift Sparrows were of inferior quality, their offensive power was formidable. Fearing they couldn’t withstand such a massive assault, the alien warships had no choice but to settle for Satellite Island as a temporary stronghold.
The moment hostilities erupted, both sides launched full-scale assaults. Unsure how many alien soldiers were packed into those gargantuan warships, the Sacred Dynasty immediately deployed all one million of its local garrison—warriors and cultivators alike—charging at the enemy under the cover of countless Swift Sparrows.
The aliens, however, initially sent only half a million troops, holding back another million until the battle was underway, catching the Sacred Dynasty completely off guard.
Though the Sacred Dynasty suffered early losses, reinforcements soon arrived from neighboring regions. Yet by then, countless soldiers and cultivators had already been corrupted by the aliens, transformed into ghouls, putting immense pressure on the Sacred Dynasty’s defenses.
During the fighting, the aliens also dispatched numerous elite warriors to destroy or capture many of the Swift Sparrows. In the early stages of the war, these aerial weapons inflicted devastating casualties, killing no fewer than three hundred thousand alien troops.
But soon, the aliens unveiled their own replicated Swift Sparrows. Thanks to their relentless plundering of resources across conquered territories, their versions were crafted from superior materials, boasting far greater defensive capabilities.
This development stunned the Sacred Dynasty. The aliens’ rapid replication was undeniable proof of their vastly improved artificing skills.
Fortunately, the Sacred Dynasty still held the advantage in sheer numbers—able to overwhelm the enemy three to one—allowing their forces to gradually balance the scales.
To their surprise, the Sacred Dynasty found themselves locked in a stalemate with the alien invaders.
Thus, the Sacred Dynasty once again reinforced its troops and launched an even larger offensive, ultimately driving the alien forces that had emerged to establish their base back into their colossal warship.
After several major battles, the Sacred Dynasty’s army had suffered losses exceeding two million soldiers. Including the fallen martial cultivators, their total casualties had reached three million.
The aliens also suffered a devastating blow—their initial force of over 1.5 million troops was nearly wiped out.
In the end, the aliens’ massive warship had no choice but to retreat. Before leaving, they deployed a large number of Swiftwings as rearguard, only for the Sacred Dynasty to dispatch their own elite warriors and Swiftwings to shoot them all down.
As a result, the Sacred Dynasty acquired a wealth of high-grade materials used in crafting Swiftwings.
They even sent their own Swiftwings in pursuit.
However, the colossal warship’s energy reserves were clearly immense. Not only did the Sacred Dynasty fail to breach its defensive shield, but they also lost many of their Swiftwings in vain before finally giving up.
Though this great battle ended in victory for the Sacred Dynasty, it was a pyrrhic one. Whether in numbers or equipment, they had paid double the price.
It was a brutal lesson in the horrors of war. The alien-cultivated Corpse Demons, in particular, were not only swift but also devastatingly powerful.
A single careless moment could lead to a Sacred Dynasty soldier or martial cultivator being bitten by the aliens—a key reason for their heavy losses.
Moreover, this alien force included numerous warriors at the second level of the Celestial Realm, making their overall strength nearly on par with the Sacred Dynasty’s.
Had Ye Liuyun not preemptively seized the outpost and lookout islands, those small islands would never have withstood the alien invasion.
The alien forces were equally frustrated. They had intended to wipe out the human martial cultivators in one fell swoop, only to find the Sacred Dynasty far stronger than expected.
But now, intelligence on the Sacred Dynasty’s strength had been relayed back to the alien stronghold. The next invasion would come with far greater preparation.
After repelling the aliens, the Sacred Dynasty realized the coming assaults would be even more brutal. Without delay, they began mobilizing their entire nation.
They even began designing armor to prevent the alien creatures from biting, covering areas like the neck and arms completely, leaving the aliens with no place to sink their teeth.
At the same time, Ye Liuyun received a message from Mo Tianheng and the others, prompting him to instruct Tong Xin and Qiong Qi to arrange for the weapon-smiths to refine the armor, ensuring full-body coverage.
He particularly emphasized using the outer armor obtained from Xiao Mulin as a reference. Even if it couldn’t enhance combat power, it would at least provide comprehensive defense.
If the aliens couldn’t bite, the number of corpse demons would drastically decrease.
And so, the Sacred Dynasty began preparing for the coming war, while Ye Liuyun’s side did the same.
However, Tong Xin, Qiong Qi, and the others were more concerned about the aliens’ colossal warship.
They speculated that the energy source powering that massive vessel must be the core essence of an entire world—otherwise, it wouldn’t have been able to withstand the endless assaults from the Swallow fighters.
There was even a possibility that the warship housed a teleportation altar for the aliens, supplying them with resources. Otherwise, where would they have gotten so many imitation Swallow fighters?
Ye Liuyun and the other commanders also discussed how to completely eradicate the alien threat.
Everyone agreed that the best solution was to take the fight to the aliens’ homeland and crush them once and for all.
The problem was, no one knew where their homeland was. They seemed to be scattered across the stars, occupying countless worlds.
And even if they did know its location, launching an attack wouldn’t be easy—there was no reliable intelligence on just how powerful the aliens’ strongest warriors truly were.
"I’ll handle this once I’m out there," Ye Liuyun said. "For now, focus on re-equipping the army and boosting the soldiers’ strength. Use all available resources to push their combat capabilities to the next level!"
Seeing that the discussion wasn’t yielding any concrete solutions, he simply ordered them to upgrade their gear and train their troops. The rest would have to wait until they gathered more information.
In truth, the Sacred Dynasty had captured alien warriors and commanders before, but all relevant intel in their minds had been completely erased.
Yet Ye Liuyun felt it didn’t matter if no one knew. The alien altars were actually quite easy to locate. It was just that their current strength wasn’t sufficient to dare venture through the altars to the alien realm.
Ultimately, strength remained the deciding factor.
Thus, Ye Liuyun began dedicating himself fully to battle and self-improvement during this journey of death, taking turns with his doppelganger to fight and train.
Under such intense pressure and relentless conditions, his power grew at an astonishing rate.
His cultivation at the first level of the Heavenly Human realm grew increasingly stable, while both the quality and quantity of his advance energy continued to rise.
Now, even when facing formidable opponents like Liao Yunyang and Liu Tianyi, Ye Liuyun could hold his own without relying on his soul power.
This rapid progress surprised even himself.
Deep down, he felt immense gratitude toward Wuhen of the Black Killers. Had Wuhen not revealed the secrets of the Ten Divine Realms, his growth after reaching the Heavenly Human realm would never have been this swift.
