Chapter 2849: Chapter 2849
"You’re giving me all these treasures—what will you use in the meantime?" Li Xinran deliberately probed, testing Li Daoyuan’s limits.
"No worries. Fang Sihai hasn’t made any moves lately. I can manage with other artifacts that defend against soul attacks for now. Truth be told, my soul force has improved significantly recently, and the gap between me and Fang Sihai isn’t that wide anymore."
"As for the Dragon Lizard Armor, I forged two sets from the start. One was always meant for you—I planned to gift it when you broke through to the Unity Realm. Consider this an early present."
"But remember, don’t reveal these treasures unless absolutely necessary. There are those who might covet them and scheme against you. At your current level, you wouldn’t be able to protect them."
Li Daoyuan answered honestly, without overthinking it, and even reminded her to keep the artifacts hidden.
"How did your soul force improve so much? Did you devour someone else’s soul?" Li Xinran pressed immediately.
"That’s none of your concern! Get going and prepare. I’ll arrange your escort. You leave at dawn tomorrow."
Li Daoyuan had been in high spirits, pleased that Li Xinran had spoken to him at length without defiance. But his slip of the tongue soured the mood, and rather than risk another argument, he simply shooed her away.
Li Xinran knew now wasn’t the time to clash with him—reason wouldn’t sway him anyway. She stuck to her own plans.
Without another word, she left to report to Ye Liuyun.
Through the Slaving Seal, Ye Liuyun had already learned everything. He was relieved he hadn’t acted rashly against Li Daoyuan—with that Soul Suppressing Bell, planting the Slaving Seal would have been far more difficult.
Li Xinran, however, grew uneasy about Li Daoyuan’s enhanced soul force and the spare Dragon Lizard Armor, fearing Ye Liuyun might fail to subdue him.
Ye Liuyun reassured her, urging patience, then took leave from the Alchemist Alliance under the pretext of gathering herbs in the Ancient Wasteland.
For alchemists, herb gathering counted toward their duties just as much as pill refining. The Alliance even encouraged expeditions to resource-rich regions, hoping for rare finds. Approval came swiftly—no one cared about his safety or survival.
In contrast, Li Xinran took the initiative to warn him of the dangers within and advised him to prepare accordingly.
"The spiritual energy inside is sparse, so you’d better prepare enough cultivation resources, or it’ll be hard to replenish your true essence. Plus, the gravity there is intense—even a Unity Realm expert would struggle to fly..."
Lin Xinyan spent a long time briefing Ye Liuyun on all the precautions before finally going off to make her own preparations.
Only then did Ye Liuyun realize that Li Xinyan wasn’t foolish—just inherently kind-hearted, with little exposure to the outside world of martial cultivators. She lacked experience in dealing with people and had no idea how ruthless the martial world could be.
She had never once doubted Ye Liuyun’s words, nor had she feared being controlled by him through the slave mark. It never even crossed her mind that he might use it against her. She simply didn’t understand the darkness of human nature and had no sense of caution.
Ye Liuyun, on the other hand, had never believed in the notion that good deeds were rewarded. He merely marveled at Li Xinyan’s luck in running into him instead of someone more malicious.
Without waiting for her, he set off for the secret realm that very night. He wanted to enter early to acclimate himself, making it easier to act when the time came.
At the entrance of the secret realm, three Unity Realm experts stood guard, using their divine sense to monitor the martial cultivators coming and going. When they saw Ye Liuyun dressed in alchemist robes, they assumed he was just a reckless pill refiner looking to gather herbs and didn’t stop him.
These experts had been stationed there by Li Daoyuan to keep watch over the martial cultivators hiding inside. They didn’t pay much attention to those entering—only noting their appearances to recognize them upon exit.
As for Ye Liuyun’s cultivation at the sixth level of the Dominator Realm, they didn’t hold out much hope for him. They figured he might not even make it back alive. The ancient secret realm was fraught with dangers; no martial artist below the ninth level of the Dominator Realm dared to venture in alone.
Relieved that they hadn’t interfered, Ye Liuyun relaxed slightly. Otherwise, he would’ve had to subdue them—and he suspected these three were bound to Li Daoyuan by soul contracts. If anything happened to them, Li Daoyuan would know immediately.
Even if he entered the secret realm right away, Li Daoyuan would assume the martial cultivators inside were responsible and tighten security. That would make Ye Liuyun’s eventual exit far more troublesome.
Thus, Ye Liuyun slipped into the secret realm without incident. But the moment he stepped inside, the overwhelming pressure nearly knocked him off his feet.
The gravity here was truly terrifying. If not for his formidable physique, he might not have even been able to stand upright.
*In conditions like this, forget flying—even walking is going to be a struggle. No wonder Li Xinyan warned me to take time to adjust before moving normally.*
Musing to himself, Ye Liuyun remained still, acclimating to the pressure while scanning his surroundings.
The flora and fauna here were all enormous, strikingly similar to the ancient secret realms he had encountered before. The aura of this place also bore a strong resemblance to those primordial lands—scarce in spiritual energy but abundant in profound energy. As soon as the Divine Command Token entered this space, it began voraciously absorbing the ambient energy.
Recalling past experiences, Ye Liuyun released his beast companions—Thunder Roar, the Dragon Maiden, the Stone Ape, and even the Qiong Qi and the Black Tiger. These creatures thrived in such an environment, as the dense profound energy greatly aided their cultivation. Moreover, with them by his side, Ye Liuyun felt far safer. Given that he hadn’t yet adjusted to the oppressive pressure of this realm, his combat abilities would likely be hindered if he encountered any formidable beasts.
"This ancient secret realm is far older than the Blood Thunder Peak you once trained in at the Holy Martial Academy," remarked the Qiong Qi after taking in their surroundings.
"Does greater age mean heavier pressure?" Ye Liuyun asked.
The Qiong Qi, like Thunder Roar and the others, was at the sixth level of the Dominator Realm. Usually occupied with refining artifacts, he never lacked resources thanks to Ye Liuyun’s generosity, sparing him the need to scavenge for materials.
"Indeed. And the profound energy here is far denser," the Qiong Qi confirmed.
Ye Liuyun could feel his core frantically absorbing the surrounding profound energy, integrating it into his profound essence. It had been a long time since he last absorbed such energy, so rather than boosting his cultivation level, it merely enriched the quality of his profound essence, blending with his true essence.
Under the crushing pressure, even Thunder Roar and the other beasts moved with some difficulty, forcing them to adapt quickly. The Vermilion Bird and the Falcon tested their wings—while flight wasn’t severely impeded, the energy required to sustain it had multiplied.
Fortunately, Ye Liuyun’s soul power and golden pupils remained unaffected. He expanded his divine sense and then fixed his gaze in a particular direction.
"Prepare for battle!" he immediately warned the group.
