Chapter 2577: Chapter 2577
The battle between Ye Liuyun and Dian Qing ended in a stalemate. Though Dian Qing, manipulated by the royal family, had borrowed power from the spatial realm, his control over it paled in comparison to Ye Liuyun, who effortlessly countered every move with equal force.
Ye Liuyun wasn’t in a hurry to defeat Dian Qing. Instead, he deliberately matched his strength, prolonging the fight. But when the royal family realized they couldn’t overpower him, they resorted to a deadly scheme—commanding Dian Qing to unleash eight three-eyed aliens to attack Ye Liuyun.
That was the final straw.
"You dare try to kill me?"
Fury ignited within him. Ye Liuyun and his doppelgänger took turns wielding temporal power, branding each of the eight aliens with slave seals before imprisoning them in his spatial realm. Then, with the help of his doppelgänger and the Vermilion Bird, he forcibly imprinted a slave seal on Dian Qing, obliterating the soul contract the man had previously sworn to the royals.
The Tianhong Dynasty had played a dangerous game—and lost. Now, fearing retaliation, they hastily sent an apology through Dian Qing’s communication talisman.
Ye Liuyun wasn’t fooled. He played along, offering a smooth reply, but the moment the talisman dimmed, he seized Dian Qing and delved into his memories.
He had no interest in the dynasty’s petty schemes. Instead, he focused on extracting knowledge of Dian Qing’s cultivation system. According to the man’s memories, there were realms beyond the Sovereign level—but Dian Qing, already the strongest warrior in Tianhong, had no one to guide him. Like Ye Liuyun, he had been groping blindly forward.
"What a waste. Useless," Ye Liuyun muttered in disappointment.
Next, he searched for the coordinates of the Tianhong Dynasty.
"Fine. Since they dared to strike first, I won’t hold back."
With a cold resolve, he stowed Dian Qing and Sang Han into his spatial realm and activated the Black Tower’s teleportation, arriving instantly at the Tianhong capital.
The moment he stepped out, he released his two new subordinates and issued a chilling order:
"Go. Crush the Tianhong royal family. Leave no survivors—not a single root."
To ensure their strength was sufficient, he even lent them the two squads of foreign warriors led by Mulai and Hongguang, ordering them to eradicate the royal family completely.
"This won’t do. After all, our main enemy is the foreign tribes..." Dian Qing tried to reason with Ye Liuyun.
But Ye Liuyun tightened the control of the slave mark over him, bending his will until he obeyed without hesitation, truly recognizing Ye Liuyun as his master.
"I’m giving you an order, not asking for your opinion. Move out now!" Ye Liuyun’s command brooked no argument.
Immediately after, Ye Liuyun unleashed the demon army, commanding them, "Annihilate the forces of the Tianhong Dynasty. Kill anyone who stands in your way!"
"Yes!" The Tiger King acknowledged and led the troops straight toward the military encampment of the Tian Dynasty.
The Tiger King also deployed ten thousand Eagle-class warships without delay. Each of Ye Liuyun’s armies had its own specialized equipment, so even if the Tianhong Dynasty had their Swallow fighters, they stood no chance against them.
These demons followed no rules of engagement. Any human martial cultivators they encountered along the way were slaughtered on sight as they stormed toward the dynasty’s main forces.
With Dian Qing’s squad and the demon army striking simultaneously, the entire royal capital descended into chaos.
Meanwhile, Ye Liuyun rode atop his nine-headed demonic dragon, releasing the Vermilion Bird, the Vespera, and other monstrous beasts to survey the battlefield from the skies.
He made no effort to conceal himself, unafraid of any attackers. Anyone foolish enough to approach was cut down without mercy.
He knew that toppling a dynasty required ruthlessness. The slightest hint of mercy would only invite endless complications.
The real way to minimize casualties was to reduce warfare after seizing control of the dynasty. Compared to that, the deaths in this battle were but a drop in the ocean.
The moment Ye Liuyun appeared, the Tianhong royal family knew it was retribution. The newly crowned king immediately offered negotiations, willing to pay reparations.
But Ye Liuyun gave him no chance to apologize. He ordered Dian Qing to execute him on the spot, followed by a bloodbath in the royal court. Whether the royals surrendered or offered treasures, Ye Liuyun remained unmoved—slaughtering them all without exception.
The royal army of the dynasty was mercilessly slaughtered by the demonic horde. Their swift war falcons became easy prey for the enemy’s hunting eagles, swiftly annihilated. The soldiers fared even worse—reduced to mere resources and sustenance for the demonic forces. As they slaughtered, the demonic warriors stuffed corpses into their spatial rings, each kill adding to their personal spoils.
This was a rare opportunity for plunder, and the demonic army showed no restraint. Even surrendering soldiers were cut down without hesitation. They wouldn’t stop until every last "resource" was wiped out.
Only then did the Tianhong Dynasty realize they had provoked a god of slaughter.
But by then, it was far too late. In the end, the entire royal capital and its army were utterly exterminated. Some martial practitioners within the city had foolishly sided with the royal family, so the likes of Hong Guang and other foreign races made sure to wipe them out as well. When the battle ended, the air over the capital hung thick with the metallic stench of blood.
"Clean up the battlefield first. Seal the city gates."
Ye Liuyun ordered his forces to scour the area, looting every last resource from the fallen capital. Then, he instructed Sang Han to dispatch disciples from the Shengyuan Academy to announce their victory: the royal family and its army had been eradicated. From this day forth, the Tianhong Dynasty would be known as the Shengyuan Dynasty, with Sang Han as its new ruler. Any who dared oppose this decree would face annihilation.
Naturally, many powerful factions initially resisted. Ye Liuyun responded by sending Dian Qing to deal with them—no negotiations, no mercy. Entire factions were wiped out, their resources seized.
After a few such demonstrations, the remaining factions quickly learned their lesson and submitted without further protest.
Sang Han and his followers then set about recruiting new soldiers, forging equipment, and rebuilding the dynasty.
Over time, other major factions pieced together the truth—that Ye Liuyun had been the mastermind behind the regime change. They also uncovered the reason for his wrath: the Tianhong Dynasty had brought this upon themselves.
Still, some voices rose in opposition, decrying Ye Liuyun’s puppet rule. But the moment such dissent surfaced, Ye Liuyun crushed it with ruthless efficiency. After that, no one dared speak against him again.
By now, the Shengyuan Dynasty’s power had grown beyond even Sang Han and Dian Qing’s control—let alone Ye Liuyun’s.
During this time, Ye Liuyun amassed vast resources for himself, taking whatever he fancied without regard for ownership. He struck swiftly, vanished without a trace, and left no trail for others to follow.
To him, sparing their world at all was an act of mercy.
The only reason he held back was that they still served a purpose—standing as a bulwark against the foreign races. Otherwise, he might have simply consumed their world whole.
Once Sang Han had stabilized his rule and Ye Liuyun had gathered enough resources, he departed the Shengyuan Dynasty without hesitation, resuming his mission to eradicate the foreign races’ strongholds.
Dian Qing remained behind for a time, assisting Sang Han in securing the realm before leading a contingent of elite warriors to reinforce their previously established outposts—a forward defense against future invasions.
