Chapter 2853: Chapter 2853
Lin Qing’ao kept his focus fixed on the Violet Kylin and Lei Ming until the two dashed beyond the reach of his divine sense, only then did he relent.
To proceed with greater caution, he dispatched three more elite warriors ahead to scout the path.
Meanwhile, Ye Liuyun swiftly caught up with the Violet Kylin and Lei Ming, pulling them into his spatial realm to prevent further risks.
*"Why didn’t they try to capture us first? They attacked outright!"* Lei Ming asked, puzzled.
Ye Liuyun chuckled. *"Your disguises weren’t thorough enough—the artifacts masking your cultivation levels were detected. They knew you were bait, so after testing the waters, they struck immediately."*
Lei Ming glanced down at the concealment treasures he and the Violet Kylin wore, a pang of guilt creeping in.
*"No matter. We’ve already captured three—mission accomplished. The rest can wait,"* Ye Liuyun reassured him.
He hadn’t expected to eliminate all their foes in one strike. After securing the two in his spatial realm, he and his doppelgänger trailed the enemy at a distance, biding their time for the next opportunity.
Before long, the three scouts returned to Lin Qing’ao, reporting that they had located the earlier group of martial cultivators—even their numbers and strength had been thoroughly assessed.
Upon hearing this, Pang Yuan immediately proposed leading a full assault to crush them outright. Given their own forces, overwhelming the enemy should have been effortless.
But Lin Qing’ao, eager to flaunt his *"brilliance,"* insisted on minimizing losses by dividing and conquering.
Following his orders, they split into three groups, concealing themselves around Li Xinran’s team. Using her as bait, they would lure out a portion of the enemy, eliminate them first, and then converge to finish the rest.
The tactic itself was sound—seeing Li Xinran’s smaller group, the enemy wouldn’t commit all their forces at once. Yet to Ye Liuyun, this setup was perfect for his own plans.
So when Li Xinran, through her Slaving Seal, sought his guidance on how to proceed, Ye Liuyun promptly instructed her to follow Lin Qing’ao’s arrangement without hesitation.
Assuming Ye Liuyun saw no opening yet against Lin Qing’ao’s larger force, Li Xinran resigned herself to patience. She complied with the plan, leading two Unity Realm experts and ten guards ahead as the vanguard.
Lin Qing’ao and his three groups were positioned behind her, ready to strike the moment the enemy sent anyone out.
Ye Liuyun and his doppelgänger had also prepared to act amid the chaos. The three martial cultivators he had already subdued remained close to Lin Qing’ao, poised to attack him at any moment.
Meanwhile, Li Xinran’s team led the way at the front, engaging in fierce battles with the savage beasts of the area. The commotion of their fights quickly drew the enemy’s attention.
A single Unity Realm expert was dispatched to investigate. The moment Ye Liuyun’s golden pupils saw only one scout emerge, he swiftly intercepted the man, branding him with a slave seal. He then fed the warrior false intelligence about Lin Qing’ao’s arrangements.
"Return and relay this information to your comrades," Ye Liuyun commanded. "Do not mention me—claim you uncovered it yourself. Then advise them to concentrate their forces on attacking Pang Yuan’s group before retreating to the mountain to fortify their defenses."
"Yes!" The warrior obeyed, pretending to scout around Li Xinran’s team before hurrying back to rally the others.
"Forty Sovereign Realm experts!" Panic spread among the enemy forces upon hearing the report.
The controlled warrior promptly suggested Ye Liuyun’s plan.
"Our only option now is to launch a focused ambush, catching them off guard before withdrawing to defend."
His proposal steadied the shaken group. They ultimately decided to have all ninth-level Sovereign Realm cultivators feign an assault on Li Xinran’s team as a diversion, while their Unity Realm experts launched a surprise attack on Pang Yuan’s forces.
However, they also resolved that even if the ambush succeeded, they would not retreat to the mountain. Instead, they would scatter and flee, forcing Lin Qing’ao to pursue them. Familiar with the terrain, they planned to use the savage beasts to whittle down their pursuers before counterattacking when the opportunity arose.
Once the decision was made, the enemy forces surged down the mountain en masse, charging straight toward Li Xinran.
Having spent far longer in this secret realm, they had adapted to its harsh environment, allowing them to unleash their full strength with greater efficiency than Lin Qing’ao’s forces. Their movements were swifter, their reactions sharper.
Lin Qing’ao had not anticipated such a full-scale assault. This deviated drastically from his strategy, and he couldn’t fathom why the enemy would mobilize their entire force just for Li Xinran’s team.
But there was no time to dwell on it. He had no choice but to order his own forces forward, treating this as an all-out battle. Above all, he had to ensure Li Xinran’s safety—she could not be allowed to come to harm.
At that moment, the descending forces from the mountain abruptly split into two groups, with all the elite warriors charging toward Pang Yuan’s faction.
Meanwhile, Ye Liuyun sent a covert message to Li Xinran, urging her to retreat as far as possible and instructing Lin Qing’ao to send someone for her later.
Li Xinran agreed—this plan would scatter Lin Qing’ao’s forces. Without hesitation, she led her group into a swift withdrawal, even ordering the two elite warriors Lin Qing’ao had assigned to her to cover their retreat.
Lin Qing’ao, relieved to see her retreating to avoid the fray, paid her no further mind. But once Li Xinran fell back, she kept running until she vanished from sight.
On Lin Qing’ao’s side, the other two squads of elite warriors were intercepted by the Ninth-Level Dominator martial artists, who leveraged their familiarity with the terrain to stall them.
As for Pang Yuan’s group, a fierce battle erupted. The moment Pang Yuan’s forces charged uphill, Ye Liuyun struck—using his temporal power to immobilize the rearmost martial artists one by one. His doppelgänger mirrored the tactic, stealthily plucking opponents from the enemy’s rear.
By the time only five or six fighters remained on each side, Ye Liuyun and his doppelgänger abandoned concealment, openly wielding temporal power to freeze the remaining foes in a single sweep.
He noted their weak spiritual defenses—their consciousnesses, too, were suspended under his temporal control.
Both sides abruptly ceased fighting. Without delay, Ye Liuyun and his doppelgänger transported the immobilized warriors into their spatial realm before advancing toward Lin Qing’ao’s position.
"Encircle them! Let none escape!" Lin Qing’ao barked, directing his elites to surround the Ninth-Level Dominators.
"Fall back!"
The Dominators needed no second warning. Those who could flee immediately turned tail and ran.
In that brief clash, over twenty of their number had fallen, while Lin Qing’ao’s forces suffered no fatalities—only two minor injuries. Even with their environmental advantage, the vast disparity in strength left them outmatched.
