Chapter 2685: Chapter 2685
Princess Liu Yunyao had access to abundant resources, making it effortless for her to obtain materials for cultivating soul power. Some were condemned prisoners, others were purchased ferocious beasts—allowing her soul power to grow rapidly without requiring much time or effort.
Not only did her strength increase, but she also mastered soul-based offensive techniques like the Crimson Eye Illusion, Soul Search, and Soul Shockwave. Following Ye Liuyun’s method, she even cultivated a dual soul.
However, her progress in spatial cultivation was still far behind. She had to start from the basics of spatial power, just as she did with the Xenocide Concealment Technique. Though she already possessed an invisibility cloak, mastering this technique would enhance her agility in combat.
On top of that, she had to refine her physique, condense her soul power, and allocate time daily to absorb primordial energy—all to fulfill the tasks Ye Liuyun had assigned her. As a result, she was busy from dawn till dusk, a level of diligence she had never shown before.
Her maids, like Hongling, found this sudden change hard to adjust to. Moreover, two new personal guards had appeared by the princess’s side.
When the princess was safely within the palace, these guards focused solely on their own cultivation. Only when she ventured outside did they follow her—one openly, the other hidden.
Xuanwu’s stealth skills were so flawless that none of the maids could tell whether he was nearby or where he might be. Only Liu Yunyao, able to perceive his soul, knew his exact location.
Frequently, she would take out the communication talisman to check Ye Liuyun’s whereabouts, astonished by how swiftly he traveled. In just over two months, he had already covered nearly half of the northern region.
In truth, this was only the area Ye Liuyun himself had traversed. His doppelgänger was leading another team, scouring uninhabited planets in a different part of the north.
Gradually, the Willow Forest Dynasty began receiving reports of numerous uninhabited planets vanishing. But by the time they sent investigators, Ye Liuyun had long since moved on—their intelligence always arriving too late.
It wasn’t until the dynasty transported a batch of magical beasts back for the princes and princesses to select that Ye Liuyun finally used the Black Tower of Teleportation to retrieve his doppelgänger and then appear beside Liu Yunyao.
His sudden arrival in her training chamber startled her. She had merely shared her coordinates with him, never expecting he could enter the palace so effortlessly.
Though the spatial disturbance from his teleportation caught the attention of some palace experts, they only came to inquire briefly. When Liu Yunyao assured them all was well, they didn’t press further.
After all, this was the royal palace. No outsider had been detected—just a minor spatial ripple, hardly enough to raise their suspicions.
After dismissing the patrolling palace guards, Liu Yunyao rushed over and threw her arms around Ye Liuyun. Ye Liuyun had already assessed her cultivation level and soul power, and he was somewhat satisfied with her progress during this period.
"Not bad. Seems like you haven’t been slacking off," he remarked.
"I’ve been working myself to the bone!" Liu Yunyao complained.
"If you want to grow stronger, a little hardship is nothing. Relax—I’ll take you somewhere where you can cultivate and improve faster. Bring all your resources with you."
Ye Liuyun then led her into the spatial world of his doppelgänger to train, personally guiding her through the process.
"Time flows differently here. One day outside equals ten days in here. You have thirty days before selecting your spirit beast—use them to break through to the third level of the Heavenly Realm." Seeing that she was on the verge of a breakthrough, he wanted to help her accelerate her progress.
Ye Liuyun himself had also accumulated enough Profound Energy and was preparing to advance to the third level of the Sovereign Realm in one go. So, he decided to cultivate alongside her.
Liu Yunyao’s soul power had already doubled, and her physique and bloodline had been enhanced by the elixirs Ye Liuyun had given her. As a result, the bottleneck that had been holding her back was easily shattered. Her previous stagnation had been due to insufficient soul power, physical strength, and bloodline potency.
Thus, she quickly broke through her current realm and began consolidating her gains.
Meanwhile, Ye Liuyun and his doppelgänger each absorbed one and a half units of primordial energy before showing any signs of a breakthrough. After that, Ye Liuyun absorbed three more units before his realm finally advanced.
This made Liu Yunyao realize just how vast the gap between them was. And it didn’t stop there—Ye Liuyun absorbed two additional units of primordial energy before his new realm stabilized.
"Does breaking through to the third level of the Sovereign Realm really require that much primordial energy?" Liu Yunyao asked curiously.
"My situation is a bit unusual. I have two core elixirs, so the energy I need is doubled. Plus, I had completely depleted my Profound Energy reserves beforehand, so this time required more. But even just replenishing my energy normally would take three or four units of primordial energy."
The sheer amount of energy Ye Liuyun consumed had always been a major headache for him.
"Just how much primordial energy do you need?" Liu Yunyao marveled. Suddenly, she recalled the mysterious disappearances of certain planets and turned to him. "Those vanishing worlds—that was your doing, wasn’t it?"
She had been tracking Ye Liuyun’s movements and had long suspected it was his doing.
"Exactly! If I didn’t harvest those planets, where would I get the primordial energy to cultivate?" Ye Liuyun admitted frankly.
"Can you teach me how to harvest primordial energy too?" Liu Yunyao asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Show me your spatial power first."
After inspecting Liu Yunyao’s spatial abilities, Ye Liuyun deemed her ready. He instructed her to expand her spatial realm first, ensuring she was fully prepared.
Meanwhile, he replenished the energy in his Energy Storage Stone before leaving the spatial world of his doppelgänger with Liu Yunyao.
"Is this man your subordinate? He seems quite powerful as well," Liu Yunyao remarked, noticing Ye Liuyun’s doppelgänger.
At that moment, the doppelgänger stopped concealing his appearance and reverted to Ye Liuyun’s form. "Of course!" he said with a smirk. "Why don’t you use your Scarlet Eyes to see if there’s any difference between our souls?"
His tone and demeanor were identical to Ye Liuyun’s, leaving Liu Yunyao utterly astonished. When she activated her Scarlet Eyes to examine the doppelgänger’s soul, she gasped in shock.
"What?! They’re exactly the same?" She was completely baffled.
Ye Liuyun chuckled. "This is my doppelgänger."
"A doppelgänger? There’s actually such a technique?" Liu Yunyao found it hard to believe.
"There are many methods to cultivate a doppelgänger," the doppelgänger explained. "Mine just requires some special materials, that’s all."
"But what if I can’t tell you two apart in the future?" Liu Yunyao asked, concerned.
