Chapter 2448: Chapter 2448
The book demon residing in Ye Liuyun’s consciousness had been keeping quiet lately, watching as the young man devoted himself to cultivation with remarkable progress. But this time, sensing imminent danger, it immediately spoke up—hesitation could mean Ye Liuyun’s demise.
"Fell for it twice now, huh?" The book demon even teased him, its tone laced with sarcasm. "Keep meddling in other people’s business, and you’ll keep walking into traps!"
"Yeah, I’ll definitely mind my own business from now on," Ye Liuyun replied, genuinely reflecting on his recklessness.
He examined the dagger the woman had plunged into him, turning it over in his hands. The blade was an unremarkable dark gray, slightly curved, with a blood groove running down its center. Yet its ability to pierce his gilded armor effortlessly spoke volumes about its quality.
After refining it and infusing it with his spiritual sense, Ye Liuyun discovered only its name—*Silence*—with no further details.
"*Silence*? As in killing without a sound?" The name alone suggested it was crafted for assassins.
To test its sharpness, he took out a divine-tier weapon. Just like the icy dagger before it, *Silence* sliced through effortlessly. More astonishingly, the blade reflected no light and produced no noise—no whoosh of air, no metallic whisper, no matter how he swung it.
"Guess I’ll keep it. Fits a killer’s style," Ye Liuyun mused, tucking the dagger away.
His damaged gilded armor was handed over to Tong Xin for repairs. When it was returned, however, he found himself staring at a full-body suit of armor, leaving no inch exposed.
"This is... a bit excessive," Ye Liuyun said, torn between laughter and exasperation.
"Consider it an experiment," Tong Xin explained. "This design protects against bites from otherworldly creatures. The neck section can mimic skin tone, and the faceplate retracts when not in use."
"Alright, I’ll give it a try." Ye Liuyun volunteered to test the armor himself.
The gilded armor could shift its form, but when first worn, it encased him too tightly, making him uncomfortable. He had to adjust it to mimic the appearance of skin and hair around his neck and head.
After leaving the area, Ye Liuyun became far more cautious when encountering other martial cultivators. True enough, he ran into several who tried to deceive him—each time, he verified their intentions with a soul attack before swiftly executing them.
As for those who dared to strike at him directly, Ye Liuyun branded them with slave seals and sent them to join Ling Hai, assigning them as guards for the Vanguard Unit.
In less than two months, he had captured over twenty more individuals, significantly bolstering the Vanguard Unit’s security. He ruled the enslaved with an iron fist—anyone who even entertained thoughts of slacking off would be executed by Ling Hai as a warning to the others.
As a result, the guards protected the Vanguard Unit with unwavering diligence, leaving no room for negligence.
Ling Hai, meanwhile, had begun piecing together Ye Liuyun’s true identity.
The Vanguard Unit operated with strict discipline, its members rarely speaking to one another, yet their coordination was seamless. He had tried probing for information, but no matter what he asked, the soldiers remained silent.
Such behavior was unheard of in the Sacred Dynasty’s armies—even the Imperial Guards weren’t so aloof as to refuse conversation with those protecting them.
As for Ye Tiandao, he didn’t dare approach her at all. On her very first day, she had laid down the law: no one was permitted to speak to her or come near. And she wasn’t bluffing—she would draw her blade without hesitation, showing no mercy.
The rigid discipline, the presence of the Falcon-class warship, and the name "Liuyun" all pointed to one conclusion. With Ling Hai’s sharp mind, it wasn’t hard to deduce that this was Ye Liuyun.
Yet, strangely, realizing the truth put him at ease. After all, if it was Ye Liuyun, escape was impossible.
Moreover, he surmised that these martial cultivators would either be slaughtered to the last man or continue to be enslaved until their demise. Even someone as formidable as Liu Tianyi had been executed by Ye Liuyun without hesitation—proof that he held no regard for their lives.
If he wanted to survive, he had no choice but to prove his worth and carry out Ye Liuyun’s orders diligently.
It also occurred to him that Ye Liuyun’s high regard for the Razorblade Corps must mean he favored their ruthless efficiency.
*"Speak less, act decisively when ordered,"* he reminded himself silently.
Through the Slaving Seal, Ye Liuyun sensed Ling Hai’s thoughts and couldn’t help but chuckle wryly.
*"Seems I wasn’t wrong about you. If you truly prove yourself, I might just set you free someday."*
But he kept the thought to himself, never voicing it aloud.
Once Ling Hai had made up his mind, his efficiency soared. With Liao Yunyang also cooperating wholeheartedly, many tasks no longer required Ye Liuyun’s direct oversight, making his life much easier.
However, the next leg of this death march presented Ye Liuyun with a formidable adversary.
He stepped into an underground labyrinth—a twisting maze of uneven, winding passages, some narrow, others wide, the ground slick with moisture. A single misstep could send him sprawling.
The darkness here was absolute, forcing ordinary men to rely solely on spiritual sense to navigate. But Ye Liuyun had the upper hand. Not only could his divine sense stretch far, but his golden pupils could pierce through three layers of walls.
*"This place is perfect for ambushes—a killer’s paradise,"* he mused, scanning the surroundings.
Expanding his divine sense, he quickly detected a lurking assassin lying in wait.
A few geckos clung to the walls, their intentions unknown—whether they posed a threat or not remained to be seen.
What truly caught his attention were three mice patrolling the tunnel in a perfect triangular formation, as if standing guard.
Ye Liuyun focused his divine sense on the rodents, curious about their peculiar behavior. But as he watched, the lead mouse suddenly vanished into thin air. The other two followed suit moments later, disappearing one after another as though stepping into some hidden realm.
Yet, from Ye Liuyun’s perspective, there was no trace of a mystical portal or entrance where they had been. Just as he was puzzling over this, the three mice reappeared at the very edge of his sensory range, walking back into view as if nothing had happened.
He couldn’t tell whether the mice were oblivious to their sudden displacement or simply accustomed to it. They resumed their patrol in the same tight formation, but Ye Liuyun noticed something else—the moment they reappeared, nearby geckos scurried away in alarm, keeping their distance.
The strangeness of it all unsettled him. Determined to investigate, he moved closer to where the mice had emerged. Judging by the timing, their reappearance point couldn’t be far from the limit of his divine sense.
To be safe, he summoned a venomous snake and a spirit cat to scout ahead. And just in case of an ambush, he donned the double-layered soft armor crafted by Tong Xin, ensuring he wouldn’t be caught off guard.
