Chapter 2848: Chapter 2848
Ye Liuyun immediately made his stance clear to reassure Li Xinran that he meant her no harm.
However, he couldn’t release her just yet—she might leak information. Besides, having her gather intelligence was far more convenient than relying on other warriors. With her status, she could move freely within the estate, making her a far better source than outsiders.
Li Xinran had no choice. The slave mark ensured she couldn’t resist. Still, she didn’t think Ye Liuyun was truly malicious, especially since he had confided so much in her.
Over time, she often communicated with him through the slave mark, learning more about his circumstances. Ye Liuyun didn’t hide anything—he told her about being driven back by the异族 (alien races), his search for resources, and his need to strengthen himself.
When Li Xinran learned he intended to fight the异族, she saw an opportunity to reform Li Daoyuan. She even suggested helping Ye Liuyun control her father, forcing him to aid in the battle against the异族.
"...Are you sure you’re his biological daughter?" Ye Liuyun couldn’t hide his disbelief. "Is this what they call ‘upholding justice at the expense of kinship’?"
Li Xinran’s expression turned solemn. "Of course I am. But ever since he broke through to the Guiyi Second Realm, his temperament changed completely. He became obsessed with power—who knows what epiphany he had? Now he crushes dissent, oppresses the weak, and treats lives like dirt. His hands are drenched in blood."
"I just can’t stand what he’s become. If you can control him, force him to atone by doing something good. But if you help me, you can’t kill him afterward—or I’ll have to avenge him!"
"...Fine. I agree."
Though Ye Liuyun found her reasoning unusual, the outcome suited him. Having Li Daoyuan fight the异族 was far more valuable than simply executing him.
"But capturing him alive won’t be easy," Ye Liuyun warned.
"I know," Li Xinran replied. "I’ll tamper with his treasures beforehand to neutralize them. Then we can deal with his lackeys one by one."
She had long despised those so-called elite warriors. They groveled before her father but sneered at the weak, acting as if everyone else were beneath them. The sight of them turned her stomach.
Ye Liuyun couldn’t help but wonder if there was something wrong with her. What kind of daughter schemes against her own father like this?
"...Alright. We’ll give it a try."
Ye Liuyun had no choice but to play along for now. Through the Slaving Seal, he probed Li Xiran’s consciousness but found nothing amiss. Yet her intentions were so unexpected that he decided to wait and see.
He also delved into her memories of Li Daoyuan. True to form, after breaking through to the second level of the Unity Realm, Li Daoyuan had revealed his true nature—seizing resources and women without restraint, eliminating anyone who dared oppose him.
Strangely, he doted on Li Xiran. Even when she openly defied him, he couldn’t bring himself to punish her. Instead, he’d lecture her, claiming he’d grasped the law of martial arts: the strong reign supreme.
Li Xiran argued that "the strong reign supreme" meant the strong should be respected, not that they could act with impunity. But her words fell on deaf ears.
After careful consideration, Ye Liuyun concluded that Li Daoyuan had lost his way—not that he was being controlled.
He didn’t place too much hope in Li Xiran. After all, she was his daughter. In a critical moment, she might falter. So he kept the Slaving Seal active, monitoring her thoughts and actions.
Yet Li Xiran surprised him. She threw herself into the task with even more zeal than he had, gathering intel on the number of Unity Realm and late-stage Dominator Realm experts. She eavesdropped on Li Daoyuan’s strategy meetings, feeding Ye Liuyun every detail and even identifying several martial experts who often gave Li Daoyuan reckless advice.
Soon, she was scheming to create opportunities for Ye Liuyun to subdue those experts.
She laid out her plan: "There’s an ancient, perilous secret realm on our planet. Years ago, several Unity Realm experts fled there to escape my father’s wrath, taking many martial artists with them. They never returned.
"My father still fears their resurgence and keeps guards near the realm’s exit. If I propose entering for training, he’ll insist on sending Unity Realm experts to ‘protect’ me—and to eliminate any survivors.
"That’s your chance to deal with his lackeys. I can even ‘borrow’ a couple of his life-saving treasures and sabotage them beforehand."
"..." Ye Liuyun was speechless. He had no idea what to make of her.
"Well? What do you think? Can you handle those experts?" she pressed.
He sighed. "The plan’s solid... I’ll manage. Go ahead and persuade your father first."
With his approval, Li Xiran immediately went to negotiate with Li Daoyuan.
As expected, he knew Li Daoyuan all too well. The moment Li Daoyuan heard she wanted to enter the secret realm for training, he immediately agreed—but on one condition. Citing the dangers of the realm, he insisted on assigning several Unity Realm experts to protect Li Xiran. If she refused, he wouldn’t let her go.
Li Xiran pretended to reluctantly agree but added with a calculated sigh, "I don’t trust the people around you. Lend me your Soulguard Bell and Dragon Lizard Armor instead. Only with treasures of my own will I feel safe."
Li Daoyuan pondered for a moment before nodding. Truth be told, he didn’t entirely trust his own subordinates either. He even praised her, remarking how she’d grown wiser and more cautious.
From the depths of his consciousness, he summoned the Soulguard Bell—a formidable artifact renowned for shielding against soul-based attacks. Originally, Li Daoyuan had kept it to defend against Fang Sihai’s psychic assaults, but for his daughter’s safety, he handed it over without hesitation.
Then there was the Dragon Lizard Armor, forged by a master craftsman from the scales of a sixth-level Unity Realm beast. Legend had it that the dragon lizard had perished mysteriously in an ice cavern, and harvesting its remains had cost many warriors their lives.
After his own breakthrough, Li Daoyuan had gone on a bloody rampage to claim those scales, annihilating three great clans before finally securing them. He then commissioned the finest blacksmith in the Iron Horn Galaxy to craft this armor—a defense so impenetrable it could withstand attacks from even a fifth-level Unity Realm powerhouse.
