Chapter 2576: Chapter 2576
Ye Liuyun wasn’t particularly interested in the story Dian Qing told him either. It was just another tale of two major factions vying for power.
He had little faith in factions that continued their petty squabbles even in times of war.
Besides, Dian Qing currently held the most formidable force in the entire dynasty. There was no need for him to bow to the royal family—he could simply overthrow them outright.
That was why Ye Liuyun had suggested Dian Qing declare himself king.
But Dian Qing refused repeatedly, unwilling to bear the infamy. Back at the academy, he had merely been an elder, with no real interest in power.
"What infamy?" Ye Liuyun retorted. "Once you stand at the pinnacle, who would dare speak against you?"
Yet no matter how he argued, Dian Qing wouldn’t budge. He had no desire for power, much less the burden of ruling a dynasty—too many headaches, too much trouble.
Ye Liuyun then proposed another idea: "If you don’t want to get tangled in power struggles, why not join me in fighting the alien invaders? Strengthen yourself first before anything else."
But again, Dian Qing declined. He couldn’t bear to see his world descend into chaos. If he stayed out of the conflict, Sang Han might lead the martial practitioners into war against the dynasty, unleashing a storm of bloodshed.
Seeing no other option, Ye Liuyun left them to sort it out themselves. He had seen enough power struggles to know that the longer they dragged on, the greater the cost.
Still, it wasn’t his place to interfere. Better to quietly gather resources and grow stronger in the meantime.
He had even given Sang Han advance notice—do as he pleased, because Ye Liuyun wouldn’t take sides or involve himself in their dynastic affairs.
With that, Ye Liuyun stopped waiting around for Dian Qing and instead focused on dismantling the alien strongholds one by one.
His fight against the invaders wasn’t for the sake of any dynasty. No matter how the Tianhong Dynasty changed, it wouldn’t affect his mission.
As Ye Liuyun put it: "Each to their own, no interference."
The most troubled was Dian Qing. He wanted neither to escalate conflicts that would weaken their forces against the alien invaders nor to see the Shengyuan Academy fall into ruin.
Sang Han proposed that they rebuild the academy with these martial cultivators. Though Sang Han held the title of vice dean, his strength paled in comparison to Dian Qing’s, and the elite martial artists were far more inclined to follow Dian Qing’s orders. Thus, he needed Dian Qing’s support to restore the academy’s former glory.
Meanwhile, the Tianhong royal family was also courting Dian Qing, placing the blame entirely on Shengyuan Academy for annihilating the new king—an act they deemed excessive, leaving them no choice but to retaliate.
Both sides made compelling arguments, leaving Dian Qing utterly torn. He had never been adept at navigating such intricate relationships, and now, faced with this convoluted situation, he felt even more out of his depth.
In the end, he chose to side with neither. Instead, he gathered a group of martial cultivators, sealed off the teleportation array, and isolated himself from the conflict, refusing to participate in either faction’s struggle.
This gave the royal family ample time to thoroughly purge any external forces allied with Shengyuan Academy.
Furious, Sang Han lashed out, branding Dian Qing a traitor to the academy and the architect of its downfall.
Yet Dian Qing turned a deaf ear to his accusations, convinced that avoiding further conflict was the right choice. Their priority, he believed, should remain combating the alien threat.
Utterly disillusioned, Sang Han led over three hundred disciples—each at the third level of the Heavenly Realm—away from their stronghold.
But none of them dared return to the Tianhong Dynasty, knowing they would become targets of the royal family’s wrath. Moreover, in their current state, they lacked the strength to make any meaningful impact.
So Sang Han took his followers straight to Ye Liuyun, resolved to die fighting rather than submit to the royal family.
Ye Liuyun, of course, welcomed them. However, wary of potential betrayal, he branded them with slave seals before distributing Energy Conversion Stones and Energy Storage Stones, tasking them with hunting aliens to gather resources under his command.
Meanwhile, Dian Qing faced mounting pressure. Many powerful factions had aligned with the royal family and began pressuring him relentlessly. Some, who had prior ties with him, pleaded for the release of their family’s martial cultivators.
Unable to withstand their persistent appeals, Dian Qing relented, allowing a few to return.
But once the floodgates opened, he lost control. More and more factions demanded the release of their people. At the same time, the royal family issued a decree: if Dian Qing refused to return, they would cease all resource and logistical support for the martial cultivators under his command.
Dian Qing’s fleet of Swift Sparrow battleships had collectively defected during his moment of negligence, sailing back to the Tianhong Dynasty. The martial cultivators under his command grew increasingly dissatisfied with his inaction. Ultimately, with no other choice, Dian Qing was forced to compromise.
He returned to the Tianhong Dynasty with all his martial cultivators, only to be immediately arrested by the royal family upon arrival. They coerced him into signing a master-servant contract, forcing him to submit completely.
Though Ye Liuyun had no news of Dian Qing’s current situation, he could easily guess that his actions wouldn’t end well. Still, he knew the Tianhong Dynasty still relied on Dian Qing to fend off the alien races, so they wouldn’t kill him. Unconcerned about Dian Qing’s safety, Ye Liuyun continued leading Sang Han and the others in relentless assaults against the alien forces.
That was until Dian Qing reached out again, informing him that all issues had been resolved—and that the Tianhong Dynasty had extended an invitation for Ye Liuyun to visit.
Ye Liuyun suspected Dian Qing might already be under their control. But since he had no interest in the Tianhong Dynasty to begin with, it didn’t matter whether Dian Qing was compromised or not. He bluntly refused, telling Dian Qing he was too busy exterminating the alien races to spare any time for a visit.
What he didn’t expect, however, was that the Tianhong Dynasty would send Dian Qing—along with the eight captured Three-Eyed beings—to capture him.
The dynasty had concluded that the alien races no longer posed a threat, and those occupied strongholds were valuable resources. They believed they should seize them for themselves rather than let Ye Liuyun claim everything.
But Ye Liuyun was too powerful. Their original plan had been to lure him into the dynasty before making a move, yet he hadn’t taken the bait. Left with no choice, they sent Dian Qing, hoping his past relationship with Ye Liuyun would allow him to strike unexpectedly.
Unaware of the dynasty’s schemes, Ye Liuyun continued his relentless campaign against the alien strongholds with Sang Han and the others. It wasn’t until Dian Qing confronted him that he realized the Tianhong Dynasty had set its sights on him.
But Ye Liuyun wasn’t about to indulge the royal family’s whims. Seizing the opportunity to test his skills against Dian Qing, he engaged him in battle without hesitation.
Meanwhile, his clone and the Vermilion Bird, concealed under invisibility cloaks, lurked nearby, ready to subdue Dian Qing at any moment.
The two first clashed with their respective energies. Dian Qing’s true essence was still slightly superior in quality, though the gap had narrowed significantly.
When it came to manipulating the power of heaven and earth, they were evenly matched. In spatial manipulation, however, Ye Liuyun held a clear advantage—though subduing Dian Qing single-handedly would still be no easy feat.
