Chapter 2596: Chapter 2596
The two rebel assassins circled their tribe once after leaving its boundaries.
Following them were alien beings whose spatial and spiritual powers far surpassed their own, making the assassins completely unaware of being tailed. Ye Liuyun considered warning them, but held back, thinking these pursuers might lead him to more alien-corrupted martial artists.
The pair then headed north, plunging into a dense mountain forest. With his golden pupils, Ye Liuyun could see through the thick foliage from afar—over three thousand martial artists lay hidden within.
Though not vast in number, these warriors were all at least Celestial Realm cultivators, with more than twenty having reached Dominator Realm. Their collective strength already surpassed Ye Liuyun’s elite vanguard unit.
"If only these forces could be turned against the aliens," Ye Liuyun thought, immediately resolving to preserve them.
Just then, the rebels’ hidden sentries in the forest finally spotted the two alien spies trailing behind and raised the alarm.
Ye Liuyun remained concealed, continuing his observation.
Several rebel experts swiftly eliminated the spies, but knowing their position was compromised, the entire force immediately prepared for battle.
Glancing back toward the tribe, Ye Liuyun saw numerous powerful figures gathering—many of them clearly alien-corrupted martial artists.
He urgently contacted his main body for reinforcements.
Without delay, Ye Liuyun used the Black Tower of Teleportation to retrieve the Demon Vine and other alien allies before transporting them to his clone’s location.
Only after his main body arrived did the clone alter his appearance to distinguish himself from the original.
Having fully assessed the situation, Ye Liuyun immediately directed the Demon Vine and others to prepare for combat.
The Zhou Clan dispatched over thirty Martial Cultivators at the Dominator Realm, five hundred at the Heavenly Human Third Layer, along with a thirty-thousand-strong armored legion, all advancing at full speed toward the area.
Ye Liuyun swept his gaze across the armored troops—each soldier was at least at the Heavenly Human First or Second Layer, and none had been tainted by the alien corruption. They were a formidable force indeed.
His doppelganger volunteered, "I’ll take Zhuque and handle the armored legion. We’ll try to subdue as many as possible."
"Good. I’ll deal with the corrupted elites using the Demon-Sealing Stele and the Demon Vine. The beasts and the women can focus on taking down their Heavenly Human Third Layer fighters," Ye Liuyun replied without hesitation.
After swiftly assigning roles, he draped himself in his invisibility cloak, and both he and his doppelganger altered their appearances to avoid being recognized by the aliens should word spread.
By the time the rebel forces realized the enemy’s overwhelming strength, it was too late to retreat—the battle was inevitable. The two Dominator Realm cultivators who had led the enemy here, both newly ascended to that level, were now consumed by regret. To atone for their mistake, they charged forward first.
Ye Liuyun immediately sent them a mental message, reassuring them of his assistance and urging them to stay calm.
Recognizing his voice as the one who had aided them before, the two promptly reported to Ling Xiao, the rebel leader.
Ling Xiao, however, remained cautious. Wary of these sudden allies, he instructed his forces, "We don’t know if they’re friend or foe. For now, cooperate with them—so long as they don’t turn on us. We’ll settle things after the battle."
The clash was imminent. The tribal forces held an overwhelming numerical advantage—once they eliminated the rebels’ Dominator Realm experts, victory would be assured.
The moment the battle erupted, Ye Liuyun and his doppelganger struck. First, Ye Liuyun froze time with his temporal power, then swiftly cut down seven or eight Dominator Realm warriors—those tainted by the aliens and of the highest cultivation—with his Demon-Slaying Blade. Without pause, he unleashed the Demon Vine and the Demon-Sealing Stele, letting them join the slaughter.
As time resumed, the Demon-Sealing Stele crushed the skull of another corrupted warrior, while the Demon Vine coiled around an untainted fighter.
Meanwhile, the doppelganger manipulated spatial energy, locking the still-condensed armored legion in place before launching a soul assault alongside Zhuque.
But with thirty thousand soldiers to subdue, they had their work cut out for them.
Ye Liuyun released the demonic beasts and women once more, sending them to attack the five hundred martial cultivators at the Heavenly Human Third Level from the tribe. The beasts fought in human form, making it impossible for their enemies to discern their true nature. Even the Nine-Headed Demon Dragon and the Purple Kylin Snake—two creatures with highly distinctive features—had no fear of being recognized by enemy spies.
As for the more conspicuous non-human allies like Hongguang and Mulai, Ye Liuyun decided to keep them hidden for the time being.
He personally took down two Sovereign Realm experts and used his soul power to subdue another, leaving the rest to the Demon-Sealing Stele and the Demon Vine. With the rebels assisting, the battle was swiftly decided.
Among the demonic beasts and women, many were Sovereign Realm powerhouses, making the fight against mere Heavenly Human Third Level cultivators effortless. The Purple Kylin Snake, wielding the power of time, single-handedly eliminated nearly half of them.
The clashes between the strongest combatants erupted in deafening explosions of energy, the battlefield alive with chaos. Yet, at the rear, the armored soldiers stood eerily silent.
Ye Liuyun joined his clone and Zhuque in seizing control of more armored troops. Taking turns to manipulate space, they subdued the soldiers with ease.
The battle ended before long. The rebels only managed to kill two Sovereign Realm experts—the rest never even got a chance to strike.
Under the relentless assault of the Sovereign Realm demonic beasts and women, the enemy couldn’t even get close. Meanwhile, the armored soldiers stood frozen like puppets before being whisked away one by one into Ye Liuyun’s spatial realm, vanishing before their eyes. Only behind the martial cultivator form of Zhuque did the ranks of armored soldiers visibly grow.
The bizarre sight kept everyone at a distance. Once the Demon-Sealing Stele and the Demon Vine had drained the corpses of the fallen tribesmen into withered husks, they returned to Ye Liuyun’s side and were promptly stored away.
The demonic beasts collected the bodies of the slain martial cultivators into storage rings, handing them over to Lan Xin and the others for sorting. Some among the dead had been tainted by the non-human races.
It took quite some time before Ye Liuyun finally managed to store all thirty thousand armored soldiers into his spatial realm—a feat only possible with repeated use of time manipulation by him and his clone. Once everyone was recalled, he casually incinerated the desiccated corpses underground.
Only after the battle was fully concluded did Ye Liuyun remove his invisibility cloak and approach Ling Xiao. Still, he refrained from revealing his true appearance.
Uncertain of Ling Xiao’s stance, he remained wary—lest news of his arrival be leaked.
