Chapter 2500: Chapter 2500
After returning, Ye Liuyun first struck a deal with Xiao Mu’an, selling all the corpses of the alien races he had collected to the Sacred Dynasty.
Though the desiccated corpses weren’t particularly valuable, they served their purpose—reassuring the Sacred Dynasty that Ye Liuyun had indeed eradicated the escaped aliens. Liu Kui and others clearly remembered the golden-armored alien’s appearance and could confirm it was the same commander from the battlefield. The scales of that golden-armored alien, however, were worth a fortune, and Ye Liuyun exchanged them for a substantial amount of divine crystals.
Afterward, Ye Liuyun altered his appearance and vanished from the public eye, purchasing a secluded estate in a major city where he devoted himself entirely to cultivation. The task of hunting down the remaining aliens was left to the Sacred Dynasty.
The Sacred Dynasty issued a kingdom-wide notice, knowing that without official word, the common folk wouldn’t take the matter seriously. Previously, disappearances had often been blamed on the savage beasts lurking in the dense forests. Almost immediately, the dynasty received over a hundred reports from citizens. Each lead was investigated, and to their satisfaction, they managed to track down five of the aliens—proof that their efforts weren’t in vain.
The remaining five, however, seemed to have gone deeper into hiding, leaving no trace behind.
Seizing the opportunity, Ye Liuyun retreated into the Profound Void Stone with his doppelgänger to accelerate his training. Thanks to his solid foundation at the tenth level of the Immortal Realm, his breakthrough into the Celestial Realm had been remarkably smooth. His time cultivating in the Demon Realm had already fortified his foundation at the second level of the Celestial Realm.
Now, with ample energy and the combined efforts of his doppelgänger, both the quantity and quality of his advance energy surged rapidly.
During breaks from cultivation, he sparred with the forty-one elite warriors under his command. Without resorting to soul attacks, each of these warriors far outmatched him in raw strength. The gap in their cultivation levels made it nearly impossible for Ye Liuyun to bridge the difference through skill alone.
Yet, through relentless combat, he honed his physical defenses. Now, aside from his formidable soul power, his body had become extraordinarily resilient, capable of withstanding their assaults.
After absorbing some energy, his strength would increase incrementally, gradually closing the gap between him and those formidable powerhouses.
He made full use of the Energy Storage Stones and Energy Exchange Stones, first depleting trillions of divine crystals before tapping into the primal energy of an entire world to break through. The remaining world’s essence was handed over to Ye Ling, who merged it into her spatial realm.
This ensured an abundant supply of energy during his breakthrough.
And indeed, thanks to this surplus, Ye Liuyun felt as though he had tapped into an inexhaustible well of power the moment he ascended.
"No wonder the strong always liken the weak to ants—this feeling truly is godlike!" Even he couldn’t help but marvel at his newfound strength.
His dantian and meridians expanded once more, with profound energy surging through his body like roaring rivers and crashing tides.
His breakthrough wasn’t hindered in the slightest by his soul force, the power of heaven and earth, bloodline, or physical body—a benefit of his previously lower cultivation level.
As long as he had enough energy, he could smoothly ascend each time, precisely because all his other strengths had already reached the required thresholds.
Many martial artists at this stage struggled with slow progress precisely because their other capabilities lagged behind.
After his breakthrough, Ye Liuyun immediately sought out other experts to test his skills. The moment they clashed, he realized his improvement wasn’t just in cultivation—his comprehension and manipulation of the world’s energy, as well as his mastery over spatial forces, had also grown stronger.
From then on, more than half of the top-tier fighters were no match for him.
This was especially true for assassins. While they excelled in stealth and ambush, head-on combat was never their forte.
Those weak in world energy or spatial power stood no chance against him, often unable to even fight back.
Only a handful of martial artists with unique techniques could still hold their own against Ye Liuyun.
Seizing the opportunity, he continued refining his ability to command countless blades mid-battle, recreating that awe-inspiring scene of a sky filled with swords.
This time, the fusion of celestial energy and primordial spirit techniques had advanced yet again. Twelve battle blades, shaped like Demon-Slaying Sabers, materialized in midair. Ye Liuyun channeled his saber intent into them before swinging his weapon.
A single stroke of his Demon-Slaying Saber sent all twelve phantom blades howling through the air, slicing thirteen gashes into the void—unfortunately, one of them accidentally cleaved a powerful martial cultivator in half!
"..."
Ye Liuyun hastily offered an apology to the mangled remains, though it was far too late for that. He had tried to retract the attack mid-flight, but his control over such overwhelming force was still lacking.
The other martial cultivators stared at him with undisguised terror, none daring to volunteer as his next sparring partner. Ye Liuyun quickly explained that it had been an accident, that he hadn’t meant to lose control. They nodded in understanding, but their expressions remained uneasy.
Left with no choice, he resumed training alone. First, he practiced maneuvering the phantom blades through the air, then stopping, dispersing, and reforming them—immersed in the process.
He even planted several sabers around himself, attempting to summon them into battle with his saber intent. The results were inconsistent—some obeyed, while others stubbornly refused.
He knew mastery wouldn’t come overnight, so he resolved to take it step by step.
Later, he retreated into the Void Stone to absorb and refine more primordial essence, consolidating his cultivation.
And it wasn’t just Ye Liuyun who had broken through. Thanks to the abundance of resources, both Thunderclap and the Dragon Maiden had ascended to the third level of the Celestial Realm.
Liang Xue, Feng Hongxiu, and the Songstress had all progressed from the tenth level of Divine Crystal to the first level of the Celestial Realm, their actual combat prowess nearing the second level.
Moreover, their training in the labyrinth had significantly enhanced their spiritual power and perception. Finally convinced of their readiness, Ye Liuyun agreed to let them join him in battle.
Even his demonic beasts, long restless and now battle-ready, were allowed to emerge for some much-needed action.
What truly astonished Ye Liuyun was Xiao Lan’er. He had long sensed a sealed power within her, but now that force was unleashing at an accelerating rate, propelling her cultivation straight through to the Heavenly Realm.
Though Ye Liuyun initially wanted to keep her from battle, she stubbornly insisted on accompanying the songstress to gain experience. Left with no choice, he could only instruct the songstress to prioritize her protection during combat.
Most of the other women had already reached the tenth level of the Immortal Realm, so Ye Liuyun urged them to focus on cultivation, waiting until they broke through before joining the fray.
To ensure their comprehensive growth, he had stockpiled an abundance of medicinal herbs—some to enhance their divine souls, others to refine their bloodlines and physical bodies.
Those who ventured out were clad in full-body gilded armor beneath dual-layered soft armor, each also equipped with artifacts to ward off soul attacks. With such precautions, they faced minimal danger.
Being a master of soul manipulation himself, Ye Liuyun personally inspected every one of them, ensuring their protective artifacts were properly secured before permitting them to leave.
Moreover, those with the capability had fused elemental energies into their souls and mastered the Soulquake Wave technique, granting them formidable defenses against psychic assaults.
