Chapter 2832: Chapter 2832
However, no more powerhouses emerged from the Imperial Palace—apparently, these were the only two who had surpassed the Dominator Realm.
Upon receiving Ye Liuyun’s command, the Demon Vine abruptly shot out a beam of white light mid-battle, instantly killing the elder. It then coiled around the corpse and devoured it whole before diving down to assist Black Mountain. With two against one, they quickly overwhelmed the remaining powerhouse, blasting him out of the sky.
The martial artist, severely wounded, was swiftly subdued as Ye Liuyun and his doppelgänger seized the opportunity. Their combined spiritual force branded the man with a slave seal.
The captive appeared to be a middle-aged man, but to Ye Liuyun’s surprise, a quick soul search revealed his identity—Liao Tianyang, the current Frost Empire Emperor Liao Yuhui’s own uncle. More importantly, Ye Liuyun confirmed that these two were indeed the only powerhouses in the empire who had transcended the Dominator Realm. Relieved, he administered a drop of Life Spring Water to Liao Tianyang before stashing him away in his spatial realm to recover. Black Mountain was likewise stored away, while the Demon Vine surged toward the Imperial Palace, tearing through it with reckless abandon.
Ye Liuyun and his doppelgänger unleashed their own contingent of Silver-Armored Soldiers, leading the charge toward the palace. The remaining imperial forces, having witnessed one of their supreme experts slain and the other captured, had lost all will to fight. They cowered throughout the capital, too terrified to reinforce their comrades.
Inside the palace, the Silver-Armored Soldiers stood no chance—the Demon Vine devoured them wholesale, reducing the once-majestic stronghold to utter chaos. Emperor Liao Yuhui himself was snatched up by the writhing vines, though Ye Liuyun had ordered his capture alive. The moment their ruler was seized, the few remaining palace guards dropped their weapons in surrender.
By the time Ye Liuyun marched in with his prisoners, the Imperial Palace was in shambles. The Demon Vine dangled Liao Yuhui midair, swinging him around like a macabre plaything while the handful of surviving elites could only watch helplessly, not daring to intervene.
As Ye Liuyun entered, the Demon Vine sealed Liao Yuhui’s core with a pulse of energy before unceremoniously tossing him over. Without further resistance, Ye Liuyun and his doppelgänger branded both the emperor and the remaining warriors with slave seals, securing the palace without shedding another drop of blood.
Even Ye Liuyun was taken aback by how feeble the Imperial Palace’s defenses had become. In his blind pursuit of vengeance for his son and his own wounded pride, Emperor Liao Yuhui had recklessly exhausted his forces.
A ruler with neither wisdom nor strength, he had squandered his power in futile aggression—only to find himself utterly defenseless in the end.
To be fair, one couldn’t entirely blame Liao Yuhui. The two Supreme Overlord-level experts he had left as his final trump cards—believed capable of resolving any crisis—had unexpectedly been defeated by Ye Liuyun.
Had he known that Ye Liuyun not only had such formidable allies but ones even more powerful, he would never have dared to provoke him in the first place.
But it was too late for regrets now. The entire empire had fallen under Ye Liuyun’s control. Its resources had been nearly plundered dry, its martial experts subdued, leaving behind nothing but a hollow shell.
Soon after, Ye Liuyun summoned Chi Lian and dispatched his doppelgänger with the Silver Armor Army to secure the capital. The remaining Silver Armor soldiers surrendered without resistance, and the army proceeded to demand the submission of every noble house.
Those who refused were swiftly eradicated, their assets confiscated to replenish the Frost Empire’s dwindling resources. Ye Liuyun had no desire to see the realm collapse into chaos, leaving the common folk to suffer.
Within days, the imperial capital had become Ye Liuyun’s domain.
Following his orders, Liao Yuhui publicly announced the truth behind Crown Prince Liao Xuesong’s execution, clearing Ye Liuyun’s name and emphasizing that he had never intended to invade.
The proclamation further declared that the two sides had reconciled, forming an alliance. Anyone who dared oppose Ye Liuyun would henceforth be deemed an enemy of the empire. The newly recruited two-million-strong army was disbanded on the spot.
The news sent shockwaves throughout the empire. Though rumors had circulated earlier, many had refused to believe them. Now, with the empire’s official decree, disbelief was no longer an option.
Such a drastic shift left countless struggling to adjust, and Liao Yuhui’s reputation suffered greatly.
But he had brought this upon himself. Ye Liuyun found it fitting—a lesson to those in power that they were neither invincible nor above consequence.
Instead of departing immediately, Ye Liuyun remained in the capital for several days, allowing Wu Qingcheng and the others to stock up on cultivation resources. The local merchant guilds offered an abundance of ice-attribute materials, perfect for their needs.
When the Thieving Cat prepared to strike again, Ye Liuyun stopped him.
"Enough stealing. You’ve already bled the empire dry. One more heist, and it’ll collapse—sparking chaos that’ll only hurt the common people."
Grudgingly, the Thieving Cat relented.
The Thieving Cat had already pilfered enough resources from the imperial treasury and the storage rings of various high-ranking figures to sustain Ye Liuyun and his group for a long time. The losses from the war had long been compensated.
After stocking up on supplies, clothing, and food from the capital’s merchant guilds and taverns, Ye Liuyun and his companions set out once more. They claimed several uninhabited planets, allowing those with ice-based abilities to significantly enhance their strength before finally departing.
Meanwhile, Chi Lian had absorbed an immense amount of bloodline energy, pushing her cultivation to the eighth level of the Dominator Realm. Never before had she indulged so freely in the power of so many formidable experts. Not only did she assist the others in strengthening their bloodlines, but her own advancement was astonishingly swift.
Ye Liuyun advised her to take a brief respite to refine her true essence. Though absorbing bloodline energy to elevate her cultivation was her innate talent, her true essence, physical body, and divine soul still needed reinforcement. Without them, her weaknesses would be too glaring, making her an easy target for enemies.
Liao Yuhui attempted to reclaim Liao Tianyang, hoping to have him return and safeguard the empire. But Ye Liuyun ignored his request outright. A powerhouse surpassing the Dominator Realm? There was no way Ye Liuyun would simply hand him back.
"Consider it a lesson," Ye Liuyun told Liao Yuhui, intending to teach him humility—to stop lording his strength over others.
Not only did Ye Liuyun refuse to return Liao Yuhui, but he also kept all the martial experts he had captured. He handed them over to Ye Tiandao, instructing her to make use of them in future battles so she wouldn’t be left without manpower.
Though these several hundred warriors were no weaklings, their discipline and execution paled in comparison to the elite Blade Corps. Ye Tiandao merely bound them with soul contracts to ensure obedience, not bothering to train them rigorously. As long as they were functional, that was enough—they weren’t meant for critical battles anyway, just expendable assets.
As for the silver-armored soldiers, Ye Liuyun didn’t bother keeping them. They were too weak, inferior even to the troops Pei Yong had prepared. Training them would have been a waste of effort. Instead, he handed them over to Liao Xuesong to help maintain the empire’s stability, ensuring no internal chaos erupted after their departure.
