Chapter 2856: Chapter 2856
At that moment, Ye Liuyun had just recalled Little Blue Ice, while his doppelgänger was busy fending off attacks for the Qiong Qi. By the time they noticed the dark shadow, it was already too late.
The shadow was a demonic bat of an even higher cultivation realm—one exceptionally skilled in spatial manipulation. It struck at the perfect moment, just as the falcon turned.
Ye Liuyun and the others had no time to react. They could only watch as the shadow tore through the falcon’s body, shattering it into pieces.
“No!” Ye Liuyun cried out, immediately channeling his power over time.
This time, he didn’t freeze time—he reversed it. He needed to rewind to before the falcon was killed and recall it in time.
It was his first attempt at reversing time, and he had no idea if it would work.
Yet the process went smoothly. Everything rewound, quickly returning to the moment before the falcon’s death. Only then did Ye Liuyun realize the shadow was a seventh-level Dominator demonic bat—and its current target was none other than Little Blue Ice.
“Damnable creature!” Ye Liuyun cursed under his breath. But his temporal reversal had already exhausted his power, forcing him to rely on his doppelgänger to continue.
The moment he withdrew his time manipulation, his doppelgänger took over, reversing time once more. Both Little Blue Ice and the falcon were safely pulled into his spatial realm. Then, a beam of white light obliterated the descending sixth-level Dominator bat before the doppelgänger retreated.
Without hesitation, Ye Liuyun summoned the Demon Vine, commanding its tendrils to shield the group.
Meanwhile, the seventh-level Dominator bat, now deprived of its original targets, hesitated briefly. But in the heat of battle, it had no time to ponder the strangeness of the situation. Instead, it locked onto Li Xinran.
Recognizing the weaker members of the group, it held back from attacking immediately. Instead, it directed other demonic bats to assault Li Xinran’s circle, creating an opening for a decisive strike.
“Nine-Headed Demon Dragon!” Ye Liuyun barked, pinpointing the bat. “Kill it with the white light!”
With a deafening roar, the Nine-Headed Demon Dragon unleashed a soul-shaking shockwave, clearing a path through the swarm of bats. Then it surged upward, charging straight for the Dominator bat.
Upon seeing that the Nine-Headed Demon Dragon was weaker in cultivation, the demonic bat immediately prepared to attack again, commanding several of its kin to charge forward.
But before they could even move, the Nine-Headed Demon Dragon unleashed a sweeping arc of white light—slicing through even the seventh-level Dominator bat and its companions, cleaving them all in two.
With the higher-realm bats slain, the remaining swarm lost coordination. They flailed wildly, only to be cut down in droves before finally retreating in disarray.
Meanwhile, the avatar finally released the Falcon and Little Blue Ice. Neither had any idea what had happened, only that they had been stored away by the avatar.
*The power of time reversal is truly miraculous!* Ye Liuyun marveled inwardly. Without it, the Falcon would have surely perished—and had he lacked an avatar, Little Blue Ice would have met the same fate.
He quickly warned the two to avoid reckless risks in the future, then urged everyone to focus on recovery, lest the demonic bats regroup for another assault.
Yet even as Qiong Qi dismantled the final barrier, the bats remained eerily silent, huddled deep within the cavern without so much as a rustle.
Once the formation shattered, Ye Liuyun’s golden pupils pierced the darkness. The cave mouths all converged into a vast hollow—likely the result of the bats excavating the entire mountain.
Tens of thousands of demonic bats clung to the walls, a seething mass of shadows. Their king, a seventh-level Dominator, floated in a pool of blood, its head raised warily as it monitored the entrance.
Within the pool lay a solidified blood pearl, pulsing faintly—something tied to bloodline energy.
*Nothing extraordinary here,* Ye Liuyun thought, disappointed. With Chi Lian’s abilities, they hardly lacked for power of bloodline.
But then the Dragon Girl’s obsidian eyes narrowed. "That blood pool radiates intense energy," she murmured.
"Your eyes can detect energy fluctuations?" Ye Liuyun asked, surprised.
She nodded. "A newly discovered trait." Freshly fused with the dark orbs, she was still learning their limits—yet already, they pierced stone and unveiled currents of power.
Though whether it was bloodline energy or something else, even she couldn’t yet tell.
Ye Liuyun, his doppelgänger, Thunderclap, and Black Tiger’s golden pupils could now only penetrate obstacles and perceive spiritual energy—nothing beyond that.
"Let’s go in and take a look!" Ye Liuyun thought it best to have the Dragon Girl verify things. Perhaps with more exposure, she could discern the nature of the energy fluctuations.
Besides, after fighting for so long, they couldn’t just leave empty-handed.
He first summoned Chilian and asked if she could absorb the power of bloodline of these demonic bats.
"I can absorb it," Chilian told him, "but the demonic energy in their bloodline is too potent. Even if I take it in, I’d have to transfer it out immediately—I can’t let it linger in my body for long."
Ye Liuyun considered this, then called over Thunderclap and the Nine-Headed Demon Dragon. The two had been collecting the demonic bats’ beast cores for future cultivation—these cores were perfect for their use.
He instructed them, "You two guard Chilian while she absorbs the power of bloodline, then have her transfer it to you right away. Thunderclap, use your lightning to defend. Nine-Heads, you handle the kills with your poison mist and black-and-white light."
But even after making these arrangements, he still didn’t fully trust them. In the end, he had his doppelgänger take charge of Chilian, with Thunderclap and the Nine-Headed Demon Dragon following.
Ye Liuyun himself led the way with Zhuque and Li Xinran, while the others were stored away in his spatial world. He and his doppelgänger split into two teams, entering the cave through different tunnels.
The Demon Vine and Black Tiger stayed behind to guard Qiong Qi, setting up formations at the remaining cave entrances to seal the demonic bats inside, cutting off any chance of escape.
Apart from Chilian, all the other beasts had taken human form for easier movement through the caves. It was only then that Li Xinran realized these ferocious creatures were actually demonic beasts.
Fascinated, she bombarded Ye Liuyun with questions. When her curiosity became too much, he finally admitted, "I have shape-shifting pills."
"Then help me capture a powerful beast this time!" she pleaded. "I want to raise one too. I don’t think my bodyguards are as reliable as demonic beasts!"
"No problem," Ye Liuyun agreed readily. "Just point out which one you like. If nothing here suits you, I’ve got others in my spatial world—I’ll find you a good one."
For him, it was an effortless favor.
As they advanced, Ye Liuyun and Li Xinran moved with ease. Zhuque’s flames sealed the tunnel ahead, pushing forward relentlessly. Any demonic bat foolish enough to block their path was instantly reduced to ashes—no need for Ye Liuyun to lift a finger.
