Chapter 2852: Chapter 2852
Lin Qing’ao immediately alerted everyone to stay vigilant, suspecting that someone within the secret realm had slaughtered numerous feral beast. He theorized it might be the martial cultivators who had fled in earlier.
"Truly worthy of being Li Daoyuan’s strategist—this guy is sharp as a blade! If they don’t make a move, it’ll be tough for me to find an opening," Ye Liuyun muttered to himself.
He and his doppelgänger kept a close watch on the group while ordering Thunderclap and the Purple Kylin Snake to conceal their cultivation levels using artifacts, disguising themselves as young beasts native to the area. The plan was to see whether the enemy would take the bait once they were spotted.
Compared to the local beasts, Thunderclap and the Purple Kylin Snake were indeed small enough to pass as juveniles. They positioned themselves directly in the path of Lin Xiran’s team—with the keen spiritual senses of those experts, detection was inevitable.
Sure enough, the group soon noticed the Purple Kylin Snake and Thunderclap. Lin Xiran immediately commanded her guards to encircle them.
But Lin Qing’ao stopped them, turning to Lin Xiran with narrowed eyes. "Young Mistress, have you noticed those artifacts on the beasts?"
His observation was razor-sharp. To mask their true strength, Thunderclap and the Purple Kylin Snake wore treasures that suppressed their auras—so subtle that even Ye Liuyun had overlooked the detail. Yet Lin Qing’ao caught it instantly.
Unaware that the beasts were part of Ye Liuyun’s trap, Lin Xiran paused and scrutinized them, confirming the presence of the artifacts.
"Are these beasts someone’s tamed companions?" she asked Lin Qing’ao.
"Undoubtedly. Wild beasts here wouldn’t carry treasures. Plus, they’re stationed right on the cultivators’ path, with no other creatures around. My guess? They’re bait."
Lin Qing’ao continued, dissecting the scheme with precision. "Those artifacts likely conceal their true cultivation levels. Their actual strength must be formidable—and they’re definitely not native to this realm. The proportions are all wrong. Besides, a Purple Kylin Snake and a Thunder Dragon Beast? Such rarities have never been recorded here before."
His analysis laid bare Ye Liuyun’s entire ploy.
"This guy’s too sharp—no fooling him!"
Frustrated, Ye Liuyun signaled Thunderclap to retreat toward the Purple Kylin Snake immediately.
"Who would set up bait here? To lure and kill exploring martial artists?" Li Xinran didn’t have much experience in such matters and could only turn to Lin Qing’ao for answers.
"Hard to say—anyone could be behind this! But we must stay vigilant to avoid being ambushed by those martial artists who fled in earlier," Lin Qing’ao cautioned, addressing not just Li Xinran but the other martial artists as well.
Li Xinran nodded, though inwardly she was troubled. Lin Qing’ao was far too shrewd, and she worried Ye Liuyun might not be able to outmaneuver him.
If this was indeed bait, and Ye Liuyun hadn’t informed her, she assumed it must have been laid by those earlier martial artists. If she could provoke a clash between Lin Qing’ao’s group and them, it might relieve some pressure on Ye Liuyun.
"So now that we know it’s bait, do we just let those beasts escape?" she asked Lin Qing’ao.
Lin Qing’ao scanned the surroundings again but detected no signs of anyone nearby. After a moment’s consideration, he decided it might be worth sending a few men to test the waters by engaging the beasts—to uncover the enemy’s true intentions.
If this was merely a trap using the two beasts to lure martial artists, then as Unity Realm experts, they could retreat safely even if they couldn’t defeat them.
And if it wasn’t a trap set by those earlier martial artists, they might even capture these rare beasts.
With that in mind, he shared his plan with Li Xinran and dispatched four Unity Realm martial artists to probe the situation.
The four fanned out, surrounding the Purple Kylin Snake and Thunderclap, cutting off their escape routes.
"Now’s our chance!"
Seeing them move, Ye Liuyun knew the opportunity had arrived.
"The Purple Kylin Snake will strike first—let out a roar to startle them with a soul attack, then use time power to take down one martial artist. Leave the rest to me. Once you break through their encirclement, flee with Thunderclap. Thunderclap, hold off their pursuit with your physical strength," he instructed both beasts, laying out their roles.
As the martial artists closed in, the Purple Kylin Snake let out a deafening roar directed at one of them, immediately activating its time power before charging forward.
With his enhanced soul force, Ye Liuyun resisted the time power’s effects the moment it was unleashed. Seizing the opportunity, he and his doppelganger released their soul energy, invading the consciousness of two martial artists to implant slave seals.
"When did your divine soul become so powerful?" The Purple Kylin Snake was genuinely puzzled, even striking up a conversation with Ye Liuyun.
"Let’s talk later. Focus on the enemies first—don’t get careless!" Ye Liuyun replied before diving into another martial artist’s consciousness, planting a slave seal before returning to his own body. Meanwhile, his clone yanked out the soul of the martial artist the Purple Kylin Snake was targeting, tossing one half to the Kylin and devouring the other half himself.
The martial artist facing the Purple Kylin Snake, however, was far more cautious. The moment the beast roared, he immediately drew upon the power of his spatial realm to shield himself. The Purple Kylin Snake lunged forward, striking twice, but breaking the defense would require more effort than it was worth—especially since the clone had already consumed the man’s soul. So, it retreated, withdrawing its temporal power, and with a swift motion, it and Lei Ming burst through the defensive perimeter of their foes.
Lei Ming, ever efficient, casually scooped up the dead martial artist’s corpse and stashed it into his Interspatial Ring.
Meanwhile, the three martial artists under Ye Liuyun’s control paused briefly before obeying his command: they pretended to give chase, even launching full-force attacks to sell the illusion of a real fight.
*BOOM!*
One of their strikes landed squarely on Lei Ming, who absorbed the blow with his body without slowing his escape.
"Fall back!" Lin Qing’ao immediately recalled the three pursuers.
"These two beasts are too unpredictable. One killed a man with just a roar—its soul power must be immense. The other tanked a full-powered strike without flinching, meaning its physical defenses are monstrous. If we keep chasing, we’ll just walk into another trap," Lin Qing’ao explained to the group.
"So what? We just let one of ours die for nothing?" Li Xinran feigned indignation, though inwardly she was thrilled.
"We press forward and reassess. If they can set traps, so can we. Besides, we might even cross paths with whoever controls these beasts," Lin Qing’ao said coolly, knowing when to cut losses rather than risk more lives.
Li Xinran had no choice. Without authority to command the martial artists, she could only abandon this chance to whittle them down and continue the march.
