Chapter 2866: Chapter 2866
Fortunately, before Ye Liuyun was captured, he had released over a dozen experts at the Unity realm, preventing Long Nü and the others from being immediately overwhelmed.
However, the alpha wolf relentlessly shot beams of green light toward them. Three Unity realm martial cultivators had already fallen victim, struck down on the spot.
The Stone Ape, petrified as it was, remained completely unfazed by the corrosive properties of the green light. Long Nü and Hei Shan, with skin as hard as tempered iron, were similarly unaffected. Not only was Long Nü unharmed, but she even absorbed the toxicity of the green light using her Ten Thousand Poisons Heart Sutra.
The others had no choice but to take cover behind Long Nü and the rest, evading the alpha wolf’s attacks. Their effectiveness in the battle had significantly diminished.
From time to time, the alpha wolf let out piercing howls, summoning the surrounding wolf packs to join the fray.
At the same time, the doppelgänger found himself intercepted by a pack of green wolves.
“Damn it!”
The doppelgänger cursed under his breath and immediately summoned the Purple Kylin Snake. “Kill them, now!”
He dared not use his own time-based powers, fearing he might encounter further dangers. With a single burst of temporal energy, the Purple Kylin Snake swiftly crushed the green wolves, one after another.
Without hesitation, the doppelgänger then summoned the Nine-Headed Demon Dragon. “Fly over there! If anything attacks, eliminate them with the black and white light beams!”
He could no longer afford to worry about risks—he had to reach the others immediately. He also ordered the Black Tiger to assume human form, standing guard with him on the demon dragon’s back.
By now, Li Kuo and the others had been nearly wiped out. Only two Unity realm martial cultivators remained, forced to dodge the alpha wolf’s deadly green beams. Long Nü, Hei Shan, and the Stone Ape were on the verge of exhausting their spiritual energy.
“Roar!” The Nine-Headed Demon Dragon let out an earth-shaking roar, intimidating the surrounding ferocious beasts as it raced toward the battlefield with the doppelgänger.
Lei Ming, interrupting his cultivation, transformed into human form and emerged to assist the doppelgänger in defense. Along the way, whenever beasts lunged at the demon dragon, they were obliterated with beams of white light before they could even get close.
Cutting through the skies, their speed was unparalleled. But by the time they arrived, every last Unity realm martial cultivator had already been slain.
The three dragon women stood back-to-back, forming a triangular defensive formation as they fended off the relentless onslaught of wolves.
Their true energy reserves were completely depleted, leaving them to rely solely on their weapons and physical strength to hold the line. Fortunately, their near-invincible physiques allowed them to endure until the doppelgänger arrived.
As soon as the doppelgänger appeared, he charged toward the alpha wolf alongside Lei Ming. Streaks of white light flashed as they struck—this time, the alpha wolf couldn’t escape and was slain on the spot. Meanwhile, the Nine-Headed Demon Dragon and the Black Tiger also unleashed waves of white light, cutting down the wolves to relieve the dragon women.
There was no time to consider the consequences now. Their only goal was to eliminate the green wolves as quickly as possible, with no regard for preserving their cores, devouring bloodlines, or absorbing soul energy.
After a fierce barrage of white light, the ground was littered with wolf corpses, none of them intact.
The doppelgänger had kept the other humans and demon beasts hidden, fearing they might fall victim to a sudden ambush. Once the wolf pack was completely wiped out, he released only the Qiong Qi, tasking it with breaking the final layer of the formation.
Meanwhile, the doppelgänger led Lei Ming and the others to a safe distance, wary of being snatched away again by that mysterious giant hand.
Qiong Qi quickly dismantled the formation, but what lay beyond left everyone stunned.
A barrier of natural energy stood before them, blocking their path. This barrier could only be shattered by forces of a similar nature—all other attacks passed straight through it, utterly ineffective.
The doppelgänger and his companions were helpless against this natural barrier. Even the Black Tiger’s powerful strikes failed to make a dent.
Finally, the doppelgänger composed himself. He instructed Qiong Qi to set up a defensive formation, then donned his cloak of invisibility and slipped inside to wait for Ye Liuyun’s return.
The others were tasked with clearing the battlefield—gathering the wolf corpses and their cores. Once that was done, the doppelgänger recalled everyone into his spatial world, urging them to make full use of available resources and focus on cultivation.
Lei Ming and the Nine-Headed Demon Dragon dedicated themselves to enhancing their power of bloodline. The White Tiger continued absorbing and refining the golden eagle’s energy, while the Purple Kylin Snake used the newly collected cores to boost its cultivation realm.
Their intense training was driven by a shared desire to be of help to Ye Liuyun.
As for the other women and demon beasts without special resources, they gathered together, anxiously awaiting news of Ye Liuyun while brainstorming ways to break through the natural barrier.
This time, the danger Ye Liuyun encountered was far too sudden, leaving everyone scrambling to respond. What worried them even more was their utter helplessness against the threats here.
The doppelganger sat within the formation, studying how to breach this barrier of cosmic energy. From time to time, it ventured out to test lightning, flames, the power of Buddha and demon, and even primordial spirit arts—but nothing worked.
"Clearly, only attacks infused with cosmic energy can affect this barrier. But even the Black Tiger, who has reached the Unity realm, can’t break through. The cosmic energy reinforcing this barrier is simply overwhelming!"
The doppelganger was at a loss. Repeated attempts to contact the main body yielded no response.
Others suggested trying the equipment on the Lynx warship, but the results were the same. Nothing worked except cosmic energy.
The Black Tiger and the Qiong Qi patrolled the entire circumference of the barrier but found no weaknesses. Eventually, everyone gave up, forced to wait idly outside.
"The main body carries the Teleportation Black Pagoda and can return anytime. Since it hasn’t, there’s probably no immediate danger. Perhaps there’s even an opportunity waiting!"
The doppelganger could only offer such words to comfort the others. Then, it joined Lei Ming and the rest in absorbing bloodline pearls to enhance their power of bloodline.
Most suspected that even the power of time had been useless against the cosmic energy, so the Black Pagoda likely wouldn’t work either. But no one voiced these doubts aloud. Instead, they all waited while attempting to cultivate, not wanting to worry the others even if they couldn’t focus.
Seeing that many were too distracted to cultivate, the doppelganger eventually led them back to the body-refining canyon, allowing those who needed it to train their physical forms there.
After all, the moment Ye Liuyun emerged, the doppelganger would sense it immediately. Where they waited made little difference.
Meanwhile, Ye Liuyun himself was not in any danger but was wholly absorbed in cultivating cosmic energy. The moment the giant hand seized him, he realized that only cosmic energy could counter its power.
The hand pulled him into another space before releasing him. The environment there was strikingly similar to the lake he had encountered at the Holy Martial Academy—suffused with dense, potent cosmic energy.
He had no idea who had summoned the giant hand or why he had been brought here. When he called out to his surroundings, no one answered. The place seemed utterly deserted, devoid of any presence besides his own.
He considered using the Teleportation Black Pagoda to mark the coordinates, intending to first notify the others and then bring them here to cultivate. But the pagoda seemed to have malfunctioned—it couldn’t record the coordinates of this place, though the external coordinates remained intact.
Worried that leaving might mean never returning, Ye Liuyun decided to seize the opportunity. He began cultivating immediately, striving to enhance his understanding of cosmic energy and strengthen his power before attempting to depart.
