Chapter 2481: Chapter 2481
"Look, that’s Ye Liuyun’s Gold-Devouring Beast!" Xiao Muhong finally had the chance to vindicate himself, his voice brimming with triumphant vindication.
Xiao Mukun could offer no rebuttal.
"All martial cultivators and soldiers, follow me to deal with the Gold-Devouring Beast! Anyone who disobeys will be executed!" Xiao Muhong barked, invoking the authority of the Sacred King for good measure. Left with no choice, Xiao Mukun had no option but to order his own martial cultivators to submit to Xiao Muhong’s command.
With concrete evidence now proving Ye Liuyun’s attack on the mining zone, Xiao Mukun knew he couldn’t afford to resist. If Xiao Muhong reported his defiance to the Sacred King, the consequences would be dire.
Yet, he had no intention of joining the fray himself. As a prince and the bearer of precious ore resources, he had the privilege to abstain from battle. Without hesitation, he retreated to his quarters and activated the defensive formation.
Just as Xiao Muhong led his forces against the Gold-Devouring Beast, Ye Liuyun—disguised as Xiao Muhong—approached Xiao Mukun once more.
"What now?" Xiao Mukun snapped, assuming his brother had come to drag him into the fight.
The Gold-Devouring Beast loomed like a mountain of metal—hardly a foe he wanted to tangle with.
"You’re carrying valuable resources. Staying here alone is too risky," the disguised Ye Liuyun said firmly. "Either join me in battle, or hand over the resources for safekeeping."
His mind was already made up—if Xiao Mukun refused, he’d strike with a soul attack without hesitation.
To his surprise, Xiao Mukun angrily tossed him ten spatial rings.
"If even one goes missing, you’re responsible!"
"..." Ye Liuyun hadn’t expected it to be this easy.
A quick sweep with his divine sense confirmed that the rings were indeed packed with ore—each one boasting an astonishingly vast storage capacity.
Unable to resist, Ye Liuyun couldn’t help but taunt, "Are you really that much of a coward, too scared to fight?"
Xiao Mukun retorted irritably, "The only way to deal with that Gold Devourer is through soul attacks. My spiritual power is too weak—I’d be useless even if I went!"
With that, he slammed the door shut, leaving Ye Liuyun standing outside.
"Alright then," Ye Liuyun chuckled wryly before teleporting away with his spatial powers.
Meanwhile, Xiao Muhong had gathered a group of martial experts to attempt a coordinated soul attack against the beast.
Ever since the Gold Devourer’s last appearance, several royal princes had learned the method to counter it. But the moment they unleashed their spiritual energy, the creature’s overwhelming soul force repelled them from its consciousness.
Fortunately, the Gold Devourer didn’t consume spiritual energy, so they emerged unscathed. However, defeating it would require someone willing to risk their life in a direct confrontation—something none of these nobles were eager to do.
Xiao Muhong then began mobilizing soldiers for a mass soul assault.
Just in time, Ye Liuyun used his spatial abilities to recall the Gold Devourer into his pocket dimension. He had no intention of letting it deplete the dynasty’s entire mineral reserves—its feast was meant to be brief.
"ROAR!"
The beast bellowed in furious protest, its massive form trembling with indignation. It had been thrilled when Ye Liuyun led it to such a metal-rich trove, only to be whisked away before it could properly indulge.
"They were about to launch a combined soul attack!" Ye Liuyun chided. "If I hadn’t pulled you back, they’d have captured and starved you to death!"
"Don’t worry, you won’t go hungry following me. Go back now and absorb that metallic energy from the secret realm!" Ye Liuyun had no choice but to spin a tall tale to scare it off.
The metal-devouring beast, still shaken from the earlier soul attack, actually bought it. With a docile whimper, it quieted down and let Ye Liuyun send it back to its own pocket dimension.
As the beast vanished abruptly, Xiao Muhong remained on high alert, ordering his men to continue patrolling.
Everyone had been so focused on the creature that no one had noticed what was happening with Xiao Mukun. They all assumed he was safe inside the defensive formation. Besides, his personal space held life-saving guards who would sound the alarm if he were attacked.
But after an extensive search yielded no trace of Ye Liuyun, Xiao Muhong had no choice but to leave the soldiers and martial cultivators on guard while he retreated to his quarters with a few trusted protectors.
Even after returning, the two brothers didn’t immediately confer, still wary of Ye Liuyun’s next move.
Meanwhile, Ye Liuyun was already soaring through the starry void astride his nine-headed demonic dragon, heading straight for the sacred herb plantations of the Holy Land Dynasty.
These plantations, nestled in the frigid northern highlands, were under the control of the Sixth Prince, Xiao Mulin.
Before arriving, Ye Liuyun deployed a flying vessel and four elite martial cultivators, disguising them as Xiao Muhong and his retinue. He also had Man Feng lead a hundred thousand troops—dressed in the armor of surrendered soldiers—follow closely behind in a battleship.
Having witnessed how Xiao Muhong had intimidated Xiao Mukun earlier, Ye Liuyun decided to borrow the tactic. Upon arrival, he boldly declared that he was acting under the Holy King’s orders to reinforce the plantation’s defenses.
But Xiao Mulin wasn’t as easily cowed. Suspicious, he insisted on verifying the orders with the Holy King himself.
"So you’re refusing to comply?" Ye Liuyun’s voice dripped with menace.
"Elder Brother, how could I ever defy orders?" Xiao Mulin replied hastily. "I just want to confirm—that’s all!"
"Since that’s the case, don’t blame me for playing rough! Seize them all!" With Ye Liuyun’s command, soldiers swarmed forward and apprehended Xiao Mulin along with his guards.
The guards, assuming this was merely a dispute between brothers, naturally dared not resist.
But Xiao Mulin grew suspicious. Before he could react, Ye Liuyun ordered four martial cultivators by his side to unleash their spiritual energy, invading Xiao Mulin’s consciousness. Simultaneously, soldiers sealed his vital energy, rendering him completely powerless to fight back.
"Take them all away and hold them for punishment!" Ye Liuyun didn’t lay a hand on them but had them all escorted and imprisoned together.
Xiao Mulin, however, was isolated in solitary confinement, his Interspatial Ring confiscated by Ye Liuyun.
Inside his storage space were numerous rings containing various medicinal herbs. Ye Liuyun only took the most precious ones, returning the common varieties to him.
But all of Xiao Mulin’s communication talismans were destroyed by Ye Liuyun, cutting off any means of sending messages.
Then, Ye Liuyun deployed troops to take control of the area and began directly transplanting the herb fields—even scraping away the specially cultivated soil, truly leaving no stone unturned.
The soil used for growing these herbs was uniquely nurtured. This transplantation method was the fastest and most efficient, eliminating the need to uproot and replant the herbs.
For three straight days, Ye Liuyun’s army of 100,000 soldiers plundered hundreds of thousands of acres of medicinal fields. Even smaller plots growing rare herbs weren’t spared—nearly half of every type of herb field was stripped bare.
The remaining half, however, was left untouched. Ye Liuyun instructed his soldiers to preserve it intact for the Holy Land Dynasty.
Only after securing enough resources did Ye Liuyun finally withdraw his troops.
