Chapter 2739: Chapter 2739
After fulfilling her wish, Xuan Yuanling stopped complaining and threw herself into helping Ye Liuyun consolidate resources across various star systems with renewed vigor.
Ye Liuyun made another trip to the Willow Forest Dynasty to reassure Liu Yunyao and expand the Lingyun Commerce Guild into the Twin Dynasties Star System. Thanks to their high-quality resources, the guild quickly gained popularity, not only boosting the local martial cultivators’ strength but also turning a hefty profit.
Qiong Qi assisted in constructing teleportation arrays, enabling seamless travel between the two regions and saving considerable time. Most of the guild’s operations in the Willow Forest Dynasty were entrusted to Liu Yunyao.
With this, all the star systems under Ye Liuyun’s control were now interconnected. Qiong Qi and other array masters also built backup teleportation arrays, and Ye Liuyun recorded all the coordinates in the Black Teleportation Tower to prevent any disruptions in communication between the star systems.
By the time all this was completed, nearly three to four months had passed—far longer than Ye Liuyun had anticipated.
Preparations for the army’s expedition—equipment forging and distribution, resource stockpiling, soldier recruitment, and training—all demanded time. So during this period, everyone was working at full throttle, with no less intensity than usual.
Ironically, Ye Liuyun spent his nights indulging in revelry, leaving little time for cultivation. Eventually, Liang Xue, Wu Qingcheng, and the other women urged him to leave sooner, fearing it would hinder his progress—though in truth, it hardly affected him.
Now, Ye Liuyun primarily sparred with Moran, supplemented by several fourth-level Dominator martial cultivators as training partners. Every few days, they engaged in fierce battles, which helped solidify his advance energy.
Feeling that most arrangements were in place, Ye Liuyun saw no reason to linger. He instructed Yu Xiaofeng and the others to continue preparations at their own pace and set off ahead of them.
As he traversed the cosmos, he no longer relied on the gyrfalcon for travel but instead practiced enhancing his spatial power. Only when exhausted would he summon the gyrfalcon, using its back as a resting place for cultivation.
Beyond spatial power and advance energy, he also needed to strengthen his physique, bloodline, and soul force. These aspects were now refined through specialized elixirs crafted by Lin Luoyi.
The gyrfalcon stood guard while he cultivated, vigilant against the dangers lurking in the void. Occasionally, they encountered colossal cosmic beasts, and once past the desolate stretches between star systems, they frequently crossed paths with high-level martial cultivators.
After what felt like over two months of travel through the void, Ye Liuyun finally spotted a star system ahead. It was disk-shaped, dotted with thousands of particularly luminous planets—and countless more beyond.
*This star system looks vast... The martial cultivators here must be formidable!* he mused.
At its center, one planet shone brighter than the rest. Ye Liuyun suspected its source energy had been artificially amplified—at the very least, a sign that the cultivators there were no weaklings.
Through his golden pupils, he observed numerous martial cultivators and flying vessels darting across the far side of the galaxy, while the space on his side remained eerily deserted.
He immediately signaled the Falcon to halt. To his surprise, every martial cultivator in sight was at least at the fourth or fifth level of Dominator realm. On a distant planet, he even spotted a sixth-level Dominator. And these were just the nearby celestial bodies—there could easily be even stronger cultivators lurking beyond.
Ye Liuyun hesitated. The sheer strength of these warriors made the environment unsuitable for the others in his spatial world to train safely. Yet, a part of him itched for the challenge. Pressure breeds progress, and this harsh frontier might be exactly what he needed to push his limits.
After a moment’s deliberation, he decided to send his doppelganger ahead with the rest of the group to continue their exploration. He would venture into this galaxy alone, accompanied only by the Demon Vine, the Nine-Headed Netherdrake, the Vermilion Bird, and the Thieving Cat. His clone, riding the Falcon, would lead the others and the demonic army to scout different star systems.
With the Black Teleportation Tower in his possession, he could escape at a moment’s notice if danger arose.
Once his doppelganger departed, Ye Liuyun pressed forward. But just as he approached a planet, a flying vessel abruptly materialized before him, sending violent spatial ripples through the void.
The sudden appearance startled him. He hadn’t detected any warning signs—no trace of where the vessel had come from.
A martial cultivator stepped off the ship. Clad in mercenary garb, the man was a fifth-level Dominator, flanked by two others at the third and fourth levels. Their gazes locked onto Ye Liuyun with unmistakable intent.
"Outer-system cultivator?" the fifth-level mercenary asked bluntly.
"Correct," Ye Liuyun replied.
His golden pupils had already scanned the vessel’s interior, revealing yet another sixth-level Dominator inside. The group seemed to be a small mercenary band—barely a dozen strong. Aside from the sixth-level leader and two fifth-level fighters, the rest hovered around the third or fourth level. At least Ye Liuyun wasn’t the weakest one here.
The mercenary nodded. "Judging by your approach vector, you’re fresh from another system. Since you’re new, you might not know the rules. I won’t waste time explaining—just two choices for you. Join us, or hand over your Interspatial Ring. What’ll it be?"
Ye Liuyun couldn’t help but chuckle. "So I’ve run into bandits?"
The mercenary smirked. "Close enough. We’re mercenaries, but let’s be honest—we’re not far off from bandits. Gotta scrape together resources somehow, right?"
"Fair point," Ye Liuyun conceded. "But my Interspatial Ring’s practically empty. You’d be disappointed. How about I join you instead? I could use some resources myself. What do you say?"
The mercenary gave Ye Liuyun a once-over before replying, "Fair enough. But we’ll need to see what you’re made of first. If you can’t even take him down, we won’t bother recruiting you!"
With that, he summoned one of his subordinates—a mere third-level Dominator. "You. Test him."
Ye Liuyun couldn’t help but laugh when he saw the opponent’s level. "Are you mocking me? Sending someone this weak?"
"Oh?" The mercenary’s eyes gleamed with sudden interest. "This kid’s got some nerve!"
"Ha! Save the big talk until after you’ve beaten me," the third-level Dominator sneered. "I’ll let it slide this time since you’re new here and don’t know the rules. But watch that mouth of yours in the future."
The mercenary then grinned and summoned two ferocious beasts from his spatial realm. One was a fourth-level Razorback Boar—its thick hide clearly built to endure punishment. The other was a Greensting Wasp perched on the boar’s back. The mismatched pair, one massive and defensive, the other small and lethal, had obviously fought together many times before.
As a final touch, the warrior drew a gleaming saber—its craftsmanship unmistakably high-grade.
"Still think you can take me?" the mercenary taunted, smirking at Ye Liuyun.
"So the rules here allow using tamed beasts as part of one’s strength?" Ye Liuyun’s interest was piqued. He hadn’t expected to find such perfect practice targets so soon after arriving.
