Chapter 2826: Chapter 2826
"Good! This actually speeds things up for us! Let’s move out—next planet!"
Ye Liuyun immediately rallied the group, and they boarded the Spirit Cat battleship once more, setting course for the next world. In this manner, they swiftly harvested several planets, staying one step ahead of the Frost Empire’s pursuing army.
Their movements were so rapid that the imperial forces simply couldn’t keep up. Frustrated, the empire issued a bounty, calling upon all martial cultivators across the galaxy to hunt them down—dead or alive. Substantial rewards were promised for either their elimination or credible leads.
Lured by the hefty prize, martial cultivators swarmed uninhabited planets in droves, scouring for any trace of Ye Liuyun and his crew.
As they continued their planetary harvests, trouble found them more frequently. Martial cultivators attacked them relentlessly. At first, Ye Liuyun paid little attention, leaving it to Chilian and the four ninth-level Dominator cultivators to handle the threats.
But the assaults grew fiercer, the attackers stronger. During one skirmish, they were overwhelmed—even the two ninth-level Dominators sustained injuries and barely escaped.
Surprised by the enemy’s strength, Ye Liuyun promptly dispatched Tian Dao, Hei Shan, and his doppelgänger as reinforcements.
This time, the doppelgänger employed temporal powers and managed to capture several formidable ninth-level Dominators. It took quite a while before they returned.
"The opposition is no joke," the doppelgänger reported. "I extracted their memories—the Frost Empire has put a bounty on us. The entire galaxy is after our heads now."
Ye Liuyun studied the newly captured cultivators. They were clearly stronger than the two injured ones, so he decided to keep them. As for the wounded pair, he ordered Chilian to drain their bloodline energy completely.
Those two had faltered in battle, deliberately allowing themselves to be lightly injured, hoping Ye Liuyun would send reinforcements. Their cowardice sealed their fate—he had no use for them.
After absorbing the bloodline energy of the two fallen cultivators, Chilian’s cultivation surged, breaking through to the seventh level of Dominator.
This time, Ye Liuyun didn’t let her share the energy, wary of her regressing again.
"Stabilize your foundation first," he said generously. "You can distribute the energy after absorbing more later."
"Thank you, Master!" Chilian bowed deeply, gratitude shining in her eyes. She hadn’t expected her cultivation to advance so swiftly under Ye Liuyun’s command.
The reason was simple—Ye Liuyun had engaged in numerous battles, all against formidable martial cultivators, so she never lacked resources. Ye Liuyun also treated her well, refraining from immediately demanding a share after her breakthrough. Deep down, she felt fortunate that her new master was rather decent to her.
As for the other martial cultivators, they couldn’t shake off their fear, dreading they might end up like those two who had been drained dry.
“No need to worry,” Ye Liuyun reassured them. “Those two were killed because they deliberately feigned injury to avoid battle. As long as you fight with your full strength, you have nothing to fear.” His explanation eased their minds, allowing them to focus on the battles ahead.
But he also issued a stern warning: “Remember, I can see every thought in your minds through the slave marks. If you want to live, don’t try to outsmart me.”
“Yes!” they answered obediently, not daring to entertain any rebellious or deceitful thoughts.
“These martial cultivators belong to a prominent local clan. They won’t let this go easily,” his clone reminded Ye Liuyun.
“Good,” Ye Liuyun replied coldly. “Then we’ll settle things here once and for all. Whether it’s martial cultivators or an entire army, we’ll make sure they remember the consequences of provoking us. That way, they won’t dare to chase us anymore.”
Left with no choice, Ye Liuyun decided to take action. He intended to confront the forces of the Frost Empire here and now, putting an end to their relentless pursuit.
Immediately, everyone was withdrawn into the clone’s spatial world to focus on accelerated cultivation—except for Lei Ming, who stayed behind to commune with the local source energy. This time, it was her turn to absorb it.
But patience had never been her strong suit. After a brief, fruitless attempt at communication, she grew restless again. Only when Ye Liuyun stepped out to accompany her did she finally settle down and resume her efforts.
Meanwhile, the prominent local clan, having lost all their dispatched experts without a trace, quickly realized the strength of their adversaries. They wasted no time reporting the matter to the empire, demanding retribution.
Fearing that Ye Liuyun’s group might slip away again, the Frost Empire immediately mobilized the local garrison to intercept them. Two imperial armies were also racing toward the location at full speed.
From time to time, Ye Liuyun would take Lei Ming into the starry void to survey their surroundings. Long before the armies arrived, he already had a clear grasp of their movements. Lei Ming’s golden pupils had grown powerful as well.
After their battle against the alien race, Ye Liuyun’s group had harvested numerous third eyes from their foes. All those capable of wielding black-and-white light had absorbed their fill—Lei Ming included. Now, her vision was nearly as sharp as Ye Liuyun’s.
When the local garrison arrived first, Ye Liuyun didn’t even bother deploying his demonic army. Instead, he led his entire entourage in a direct assault.
The local garrison forces were hardly worth their attention, except for a few commanders at the seventh or eighth level of the Dominator Realm. The rest were merely fodder to expend their energy and hone their skills.
Ye Liuyun, his doppelgänger, and Ye Tiandao unleashed their blade intent with precision, while demonic vines and Black Mountain fought with full force, seizing every opportunity to gather cultivation resources. With Ye Liuyun’s companions, spirit beasts, and the captured Dominator Ninth-Realm warriors by his side, they shattered the enemy’s ranks, sending the once-formidable army fleeing in disarray.
The disparity in strength was overwhelming. Once the enemy’s strongest fighters fell and their forces scattered, Ye Liuyun withdrew from the fray. But the others—especially the spirit beasts like the demonic vines, Black Mountain, and Crimson Viper, who saw their foes as both prey and cultivation fuel—continued the pursuit relentlessly, unwilling to let a single one escape.
Ye Liuyun didn’t interfere, allowing them to act freely. Whoever claimed the spoils kept them.
When the battle ended, they swiftly scavenged the battlefield before retreating into the doppelgänger’s spatial realm to cultivate, preparing for the next fight.
The moment Lei Ming regained her energy, Ye Liuyun pulled her out again, urging her to continue communing with the local source power.
Meanwhile, he kept a close watch on the other two approaching armies, hoping they would be deterred. But his hopes were dashed—they advanced without hesitation, showing no intention of retreat.
*"Sigh. If you insist on forcing my hand, then don’t blame me for what comes next."*
With a resigned sigh, Ye Liuyun ordered his doppelgänger to mobilize the demonic army.
This time, the two Frost Empire forces, overjoyed at seeing Ye Liuyun’s group standing their ground, encircled them the moment they landed.
Ye Liuyun waited until their formations were locked in place, ensuring no escape, before his doppelgänger suddenly unleashed the demonic horde.
For this battle, he only deployed the demonic vines, Black Mountain, and the Dominator Ninth-Realm captives. The others remained behind—he wouldn’t risk them getting caught in the chaos.
