Chapter 2768: Chapter 2768
As soon as Ye Liuyun arrived at the planets surrounding the empire, he was stunned to find thousands of martial cultivators at the sixth or seventh level of the Dominator Realm gathered there.
If this was the case across a dozen or more planets, the numbers would easily surpass ten thousand. The sheer quantity of powerful martial artists left even Ye Liuyun astonished.
"The imperial capital’s outskirts truly attract more elites than anywhere else," he mused.
With a thought, he summoned Zhuque, who shifted into human form and emerged beside him. "I’ll need your help with this," Ye Liuyun said.
The moment Zhuque appeared, his formidable divine sense immediately drew the attention of the surrounding martial experts. Though they had no need for cultivators at the fifth level of the Dominator Realm, they wouldn’t pass up the chance to capture someone with unique abilities.
Within moments, several powerful figures rushed toward Zhuque, intent on seizing him.
But the moment they approached, Ye Liuyun, his doppelgänger, and Zhuque swiftly took control of them. They erased the original contracts branded in their minds and replaced them with slave seals.
Using these captives as bait, Ye Liuyun lured in more martial experts in waves. After several days, every last one of them had been implanted with a slave seal.
By then, both Ye Liuyun and Zhuque were utterly exhausted. The relentless use of their soul power had taken its toll, though the ordeal had also tempered their spiritual strength considerably.
Through soul-searching, Ye Liuyun uncovered crucial information. These martial artists had been captured and forcibly controlled by the empire, then sent out to ensnare even more powerful cultivators. Similar squads were indeed stationed on every planet near the imperial capital.
With this knowledge, Ye Liuyun and Zhuque retreated into the doppelgänger’s spatial realm to recuperate, while the doppelgänger itself traveled to other planets. There, they repeated the process—luring and capturing more martial experts.
Before long, Ye Liuyun had assembled yet another elite force of ten thousand. He had them sign a collective contract, removed their slave seals, and placed them under the command of Ye Tiandao.
These warriors, once abducted by the alien empire, were more than willing to serve in Ye Liuyun’s Wolfhunt Mercenary Corps. Their resentment toward the empire ran deep—they had been ambushed and enslaved without warning. Now, fueled by their grievances, they threw themselves into training with fervor, eager to exact revenge.
Moreover, the vast resources confiscated from these powerful cultivators were handed over to Ye Tiandao. The stockpile was so immense that it could sustain the entire elite force’s cultivation for years to come.
Ye Liuyun took the opportunity to enter the imperial capital, hoping to see if there was a chance for the thieving cat to pilfer some treasures from the imperial palace vault.
It was his first time in the capital, and he quickly noticed that the martial cultivators here were indeed of a higher caliber. The city was dominated by powerful aristocratic families, some of whose mansions were as grand as royal palaces.
Disguising his appearance, Ye Liuyun carried the demon cat into a tavern, booked a private room, and then discreetly let the cat slip away.
He didn’t bother giving it instructions—by now, the seasoned thief knew how to operate without raising suspicion.
Yet, to his surprise, the cat returned in less than two hours.
“Why are you back already?” Ye Liuyun was astonished, half-wondering if the greedy feline had suddenly turned over a new leaf.
“Too much loot—my storage rings are full! And I only hit three places, including the imperial vault...” the cat grumbled helplessly.
Ye Liuyun hadn’t expected the royal palace and noble houses here to be so obscenely wealthy.
“...Here are ten thousand high-capacity storage rings. Go back and finish the job!” Naturally, he wasn’t about to let such an opportunity slip away.
The cat snatched up the rings and vanished in an instant.
Meanwhile, Ye Liuyun eagerly inspected the thousand storage rings already in his possession.
“We’re rich! Unbelievably rich! I might never have to rob anyone again!”
Inside the rings, primordial energy reserves numbered in the tens of thousands, while pills and treasures were piled like mountains. The resources here dwarfed everything he had ever accumulated before.
“If I’d known this place was such a goldmine, why did I waste time conquering territories and harvesting planets? I should’ve just come here to steal!” He lamented his late discovery.
Little did he know, these resources represented generations of effort by the Star Disk Empire’s martial cultivators. Their ancestors had fought countless battles across the land, amassing this wealth to build the empire’s present-day glory.
What a pity their descendants proved so unworthy—oppressing commoners and ordinary martial cultivators alike, losing the people’s hearts and leading to their current downfall.
Two hours later, an overwhelming anti-flight force suddenly enveloped the entire imperial capital.
"They’ve discovered the stolen resources—they’re locking down the city!"
Ye Liuyun immediately realized martial law was about to be imposed.
The thieving cat, sensing the shift in spatial energy, swiftly returned to his side.
"Huh? This spatial restriction doesn’t affect you?" Ye Liuyun asked curiously.
"Nope. I just didn’t want you to worry, so I came back early to deliver the loot!" The cat dumped out a pile of storage rings with a smug flick of its tail.
Inside the spatial realm, Lan Xin and the other women had already been stunned speechless by the earlier haul. Now, seeing thousands more rings spill out, they could barely contain their glee, their faces splitting into wide grins. They hastily handed the cat another stack of empty storage rings, urging it to steal more.
"Should I go again?" the cat asked Ye Liuyun.
Outside, the city-wide lockdown had already been announced, the shouts of guards echoing through the streets—no doubt an imperial decree.
"Go ahead, but only if you’re sure it’s safe. Don’t push yourself if it’s too risky," Ye Liuyun said, unwilling to waste the opportunity but still cautious.
"Got it!" With a flick of its tail, the cat vanished again. The anti-flight barrier seemed to pose no hindrance to it.
Meanwhile, Ye Liuyun prepared the Teleportation Black Tower. Though flight was restricted, the tower’s power remained unaffected. He wasn’t planning to leave just yet—this was merely a precaution.
He then ordered Tian Dao Ye to assemble two thousand soldiers from the elite Blade Corps who were slated for reassignment. Their mission: storm the imperial palace. This was his chance to gauge the empire’s true strength.
Without delay, Tian Dao Ye gathered the troops, had them swap out their gear, and confiscated their storage rings before readying them for battle.
The Blade Regiment’s selection process wasn’t solely based on cultivation level. Multiple factors came into play—potential for martial development, degree of obedience to orders, and more. Thus, the two thousand chosen ranged from seventh-level Sovereigns all the way down to third-level Sovereigns, mostly consisting of recently captured martial practitioners and some of the regiment’s original low-ranking soldiers who had shown slow progress in cultivation.
This mission was merely a test, and there was a high likelihood these men would perish in battle. To prevent their equipment from falling into enemy hands, they weren’t allowed to carry their own gear.
Meanwhile, Ye Liuyun remained where he was, leisurely eating and drinking as he waited for the inspection squad to come to him.
Soon, the tolling of alarm bells spread across more and more areas. Ye Liuyun guessed that the thieving cat had likely begun pilfering resources from people’s storage rings.
Since the city was already locked down for a manhunt, and after looting the treasuries of several major factions, the cat had thrown caution to the wind—now targeting the storage rings of clan leaders from prominent families.
