Chapter 2821: Chapter 2821
Fuyang not only brought back intelligence but also captured several formidable alien commanders, marking a significant achievement.
Ye Liuyun immediately assisted in conducting soul searches on these commanders to gather intel on the alien forces’ movements.
"The aliens are pulling back their frontlines," he reported. "They’ve recalled many of their forces invading other planets to reinforce defenses across multiple star systems. Now, each planet is guarded by at least millions of alien troops and elite warriors. What’s more, their stronghold is preparing to dispatch elders with reinforcements—though we don’t yet know which unit they’ll send."
After relaying the information, Ye Liuyun turned to the group.
"If they send anyone, it’s likely the Bone Beast Legion," analyzed Broken Horn, Wen Yuan, and the other alien elders.
"I agree," Fuyang confirmed. "After the last battle with the wraiths, Enke must have reported back to the Elder Council. They’ll probably deploy the Bone Beasts to counter our spectral forces."
"The Bone Beast Legion?" Yu Xiaofeng frowned, unfamiliar with the term.
Fuyang explained, "It’s a powerful army the aliens deliberately cultivated. When their elite warriors die, instead of letting their souls go to waste, they seal them into the skeletons of savage beasts, creating undead mounts to bolster their forces. The soldiers in this legion are already as strong as the Golden Tiger Corps, but with the added combat power of the bone beasts, they become even more terrifying. And in critical moments, the beasts can unleash soul attacks—devastatingly potent. The Elder Council will likely use them against our wraiths."
Yu Xiaofeng couldn’t help but curse under his breath. The other commanders exchanged grim looks, realizing just how outmatched they were.
After some discussion, they deferred to Ye Liuyun for the final decision. If they were to engage the Bone Beasts, they’d need the full support of the underworld’s spectral army—otherwise, they stood no chance.
"So, you’re saying the Bone Beast Legion is twice as strong as the Golden Tiger Corps?" Ye Liuyun asked, visibly taken aback.
"Exactly," Fuyang affirmed. "Not just in combat strength, but in soul attack power as well."
After a moment of contemplation, Ye Liuyun made his call. "Xiaofeng, pull our troops back."
"Having the underworld spirits join the battle isn’t an issue, but that won’t truly strengthen our own forces. They’re not our real power, and their numbers will eventually dwindle! Let’s find another place to train—we’ll return when we’re stronger!"
Yu Xiaofeng nodded silently in agreement with Ye Liuyun’s suggestion.
With that, they regrouped and boarded several Spirit Fox warships, retreating far from the alien-occupied star systems.
Once they had withdrawn, the forces split up. Each army commander led a contingent of a hundred thousand soldiers, dispersing to seek resources, engage in battles, and grow stronger. Ye Liuyun specifically instructed them to preserve the corpses of any slain aliens and send them back to him via teleportation arrays.
He intended to use these resources to further cultivate Hei Shan, aiming to nurture another powerhouse capable of surpassing the Sovereign realm.
The elite Blade Corps was once again evenly distributed among the various armies, with only Ye Tiandao remaining by Ye Liuyun’s side.
The same strategy applied to the alien forces under his command. He ordered them to scour the cosmos for alien settlements to attack, strictly forbidding them from targeting human cultivators. Their mission was solely to plunder alien resources.
Fortunately, many nearby star systems had fallen under alien control, making them relatively easy to locate. With the Spirit Fox warships speeding up their movements, they had no trouble finding opportunities for both resources and combat experience.
The captured soldiers of the Golden Tiger Corps were assigned to them, significantly improving their offensive and defensive capabilities. Ye Liuyun wasn’t overly concerned about them facing excessive danger—especially with Wen Yuan, the master array mage, accompanying them. At the very least, they could hold their ground temporarily if needed.
As for Ye Liuyun himself, he returned to his previous routine. Taking turns with his doppelgänger, he trained in spatial and temporal powers while being transported by the falcon. Those remaining in the spatial world focused solely on refining their advance energy energy.
After their departure, the alien stronghold indeed dispatched the Bone Beast Corps. They spent over half a year searching for Ye Liuyun’s forces before finally concluding that they had truly withdrawn. Only then did they relax the defensive stance in those star systems.
The alien clans that had been recalled were now ordered by the Elder Council to attack nearby star systems, expanding their defensive perimeter outward from the existing one.
Meanwhile, Ye Liuyun passed through star systems where human cultivators were too weak to resist. He harvested a few uninhabited planets or absorbed their core energies. If he encountered planets occupied by aliens, he led his forces in combat drills. If the enemy forces were overwhelming, he unleashed the Demon-Sealing Stele, the Demon Vine, and Hei Shan to annihilate them completely.
At this point, the Demon Vine and the Demon-Sealing Stele were practically invincible against these aliens. Hei Shan also joined the battles to hone its skills and gather resources for faster advancement. Even Hei Shan’s strength was unmatched by most foes.
Though Ye Liuyun could have easily dominated with his blade intent, he deliberately restrained himself, using only his fists and palms to spar with the aliens—all to further refine his advance energy energy.
As his strength grew, he could now hold his own against alien beings at the seventh level of Dominance even without wielding his blade. Though their strikes could no longer seriously injure him, defeating them remained a struggle—he had to exhaust their true essence reserves completely.
By this point, the Demon Lion’s cultivation had already surpassed Ye Liuyun’s. Yet it still behaved like a thieving cat. Every time Ye Liuyun took action, he would send the lion out to pilfer some extra resources—otherwise, the creature grew restless from idleness.
This time, while Ye Liuyun and his companions were indulging in a feast at a tavern on a human cultivator’s planet, the Demon Lion slipped away again.
As it left, the group teased it about its "itchy paws." But before long, the lion came scrambling back.
Ye Liuyun was startled by its appearance. "What happened to you?" he asked in disbelief. "Did someone drain you dry?"
The lion had shrunk to half its size, its body gaunt and skeletal. It staggered weakly, barely able to stay on its feet.
"Boss, I got played!" the lion gasped urgently. "Quick, give me some Life Spring Water—I need it to stay alive!"
Ye Liuyun immediately handed over a drop of the precious water, and only then did the lion show slight signs of recovery.
"What the hell happened?" Ye Liuyun pressed anxiously.
"Just my rotten luck," the lion groaned. "I ran into this woman in red—same cultivation level as me. She looked loaded, so I thought I’d check out her Interspatial Ring."
"But when I peeked inside, it was packed with living cultivators and withered corpses. Looked more like a predator’s lair than a storage space."
"Right as I started getting suspicious, I felt my blood and vitality draining away at terrifying speed. A bunch of the cultivators inside dropped dead on the spot. I bolted, but that damn suction kept pulling at me. Barely made it out alive—if I’d been any slower, I’d be a dried-up husk by now!"
Even as it recounted the ordeal, the lion trembled with lingering terror.
"Can you recover your lost vitality?" Ye Liuyun asked worriedly.
"Not easily," the lion whimpered. "What was taken wasn’t just energy—it was the very essence of my bloodline!"
