Chapter 2445: Chapter 2445
After arranging the pursuit of Wang De, Ye Liuyun first checked on his clone’s injuries.
Fortunately, his physical resilience was extraordinary, and the wounds were already healing rapidly under the effects of the Life Spring Water. He handed the Sky Devourer back to the clone before turning his attention to the metal puppet.
The puppet lay sprawled on the ground, its limbs shattered beyond repair. Though it writhed helplessly, its glowing eyes could only watch—powerless to retaliate. Gripping his Demon-Slaying Blade, Ye Liuyun vented his fury with each savage strike, cleaving the puppet’s head clean off.
As the construct crumbled into lifelessness, a massive white crystal tumbled from its remains. Ye Liuyun pocketed the crystal and gathered the scattered limbs, tossing them to Tong Xin and Qiong Qi for study. At the very least, the puppet’s materials could be repurposed for forging weapons.
Mounting his demonic wolf, he led the pack in pursuit of Wang De’s trail.
This vendetta would be settled—no matter what.
Even if it meant chasing the man to the ends of the earth, Ye Liuyun swore Wang De would die by his hand.
Soon, a group of martial artists spotted traces of the fugitive, and Ye Liuyun immediately redirected the others toward the lead.
Meanwhile, Wang De cursed his rotten luck as he fled. What should have been an easy score had backfired spectacularly—who knew Ye Liuyun had so many fighters at his disposal?
Bitter resentment twisted his words as he railed against Ye Liuyun, accusing him of hiding his true strength to lure him into a trap.
His tirade was cut short when he noticed figures closing in from behind.
"Damn it, they just won’t quit!" Wang De cursed under his breath as he continued his desperate flight.
The three martial cultivators chasing him had no intention of letting him escape—not when Ye Liuyun had given them an ultimatum: if they lost Wang De, they might as well take their own lives.
Meanwhile, Ye Liuyun led his pack of demon wolves, tearing through any obstacle in their path. When the wolves proved insufficient, he unleashed demon lions and other monstrous beasts, the entire horde trampling everything in their way without hesitation.
After being relentlessly pursued, Wang De finally snapped. Wheeling around, he turned to fight his three pursuers. He managed to kill one, but not without cost—a sword slashed his right arm, and a spear pierced his back.
Just then, Liao Yunyang, Ling Hai, and Liu Tianyi caught up. Cornered, Wang De had no choice but to frantically hurl out precious artifacts to fend them off before bolting again.
But the remaining eight pursuers refused to relent.
Just as Wang De was running out of options, he stumbled upon another group of martial cultivators—fifteen or sixteen strong, all formidable fighters. Leading them was a newly crowned prince of the Sacred Dynasty, now titled the Prince of Anxi—someone Wang De happened to know.
He rushed toward them, pleading for help.
As the son of a prominent merchant guild elder, Wang De still carried some weight. Seeing only eight pursuers, the Prince of Anxi decided to grant him this favor, figuring he might prove useful later.
Ling Hai and Liu Tianyi, however, were also scions of powerful factions and recognized the prince. Outnumbered, they hesitated, quickly sending word to Ye Liuyun for instructions.
"Keep eyes on Wang De. I’m almost there!" Ye Liuyun wasn’t far now—all they had to do was prevent Wang De from slipping away.
"Ling Hai, Liu Tianyi," the Prince of Anxi called out, forcing a diplomatic tone. "As a personal favor to me, let’s put this matter to rest, whatever your grievances may be."
A prince with real authority held a status even higher than that of ordinary royalty.
But before Ling Hai could respond, Wang De cut in, shouting, "They’re being controlled by some reckless upstart!"
"Oh? Is what he said true?" The Western Peace King was taken aback that someone could actually control Ling Hai and Liu Tianyi.
Without hesitation, the king added, "If you’re truly under someone’s control, I can lend a hand and free you from this misery!"
Liu Tianyi’s heart stirred immediately. Of course, he didn’t want to be treated as a slave. But with Ye Liuyun’s slave seal binding him, he couldn’t voice his thoughts.
Ling Hai, however, reacted swiftly. Knowing Ye Liuyun’s formidable strength, he realized even the Western Peace King was no match. He retorted sharply, "Wang De, have you lost your mind trying to save your own skin? How dare you accuse us of being controlled? With our status, who would dare? Among so many of us, who could possibly control us? It’s clearly you who stabbed our friend in the back—shameless and despicable! And now you have the audacity to play the victim here!"
His rapid-fire questions, delivered with unwavering conviction, left even the Western Peace King uncertain.
Wang De was merely the son of a merchant guild elder, his status far beneath Liu Tianyi and Ling Hai. The king had no desire to offend the Chief Law Enforcer and the Grand Army Commander over him.
Directly probing their minds with soul-searching was also out of the question. Given Ling Hai and Liu Tianyi’s considerable strength, any reckless attempt might backfire disastrously.
Relenting, the king proposed, "Very well, if that’s the case, then do me this favor—spare Wang De. I’ll have him compensate you with resources. How does that sound?"
Ling Hai agreed at once: "Fine. But a life of our friend isn’t something to be brushed off lightly!"
He knew refusal would arouse suspicion, so he opted to buy time this way.
Meanwhile, Liu Tianyi burned with silent desperation, yearning for the king’s rescue but unable to show it.
Through the slave seal, Ye Liuyun sensed his thoughts and threatened coldly, "Seeking death? I can arrange that."
"Never! Never!" Liu Tianyi replied frantically through the seal, careful not to betray even a flicker of dissent.
Though Wang De remained convinced of Ling Hai and Liu Tianyi’s enslavement, he lacked proof—and lacked the courage to investigate personally.
So when he saw Ling Hai agree, he figured it was just a case of spending money to avoid disaster. He really didn’t want to be hunted down by these people again.
Their pursuit had been absolutely relentless.
"Fine!"
He agreed as well, tossing a Interspatial Ring over to Ling Hai.
Inside the ring were billions of divine crystals, along with some weapons and treasures.
Yet when Ling Hai received it, he scoffed, "Wang De, you’re the son of a merchant guild elder, and this is all you can scrape together?
You think we’re beggars you can toss scraps to? Right now, you’re buying your own life. Is this all your life is worth?"
With that, Ling Hai casually tossed the Interspatial Ring to Liu Tianyi.
Liu Tianyi swept his divine sense over the contents. Truth be told, there was quite a bit inside, but for Wang De’s life? Far from enough.
Under Ye Liuyun’s earlier threats, he had already learned to behave, so he immediately played along with Ling Hai.
"Pfft, who do you think you’re fooling with this junk?" Liu Tianyi sneered, his face full of disdain.
And he wasn’t wrong. The Interspatial Ring held nothing of real value—no high-tier resources. For wealthy young masters like them, this stuff was practically worthless.
