Chapter 2868: Chapter 2868
With Ye Liuyun present, everyone felt a sense of security even without him having to do anything.
The number of feral beast along the earlier part of the path had dwindled significantly. When Ye Liuyun and the others arrived at the spot where he had previously been captured, they discovered that the barrier of cosmic energy had vanished. The area that once housed the formation was now no different from any other mystic realm—nothing out of the ordinary remained.
“It seems that mystic realm has disappeared!” Ye Liuyun remarked with a hint of regret, feeling sorry that the others had missed the chance to experience that unique cosmic energy.
“As long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters to us!” The women in the group brushed aside any concern about lost opportunities. They had been deeply worried when Ye Liuyun was taken, and truly regretted having been separated from him. Even in the face of danger, they preferred to stand by his side.
As they continued onward, feral beast remained plentiful. Ye Liuyun took the opportunity to use them for practice. Even though some beasts at the peak of the Dominator Realm could unleash power equivalent to the Unity Realm, Ye Liuyun was able to withstand their attacks using his own profound energy.
His profound energy was not only saturated with cosmic force but also allowed him to draw upon the surrounding cosmic energy to amplify his own strikes.
Heishan and Heihu were utterly astonished by Ye Liuyun’s strength, feeling that he was now on par with them. Li Xinran was even more taken aback. She never expected that a single unexpected incident would elevate Ye Liuyun’s power to such an extent.
“To battle Unity Realm opponents while only at the sixth level of the Dominator Realm—it’s simply unbelievable!” Whenever she recalled Ye Liuyun’s cultivation level, she couldn’t help but see it as nothing short of a miracle.
Meanwhile, after Chi Lian helped the White Tiger absorb the bloodline essence of the golden eagles, she emerged again to assist Xiao Lanbing and the three Black Tortoises in enhancing their power of bloodline.
Ye Liuyun, the Demon Vine, Heishan, and Heihu—the four strongest among them—worked together to injure the feral beast, allowing Chi Lian to absorb their essence. As they progressed, the power of bloodline of the beasts grew increasingly potent, accelerating the others’ bloodline enhancement.
Long Nü, however, did not require Chi Lian’s assistance. The power of bloodline she had acquired in the Dragon Soul Valley had not yet been fully digested; it was stored within her, being absorbed gradually. Instead, she focused on drawing in the primordial aura of the area. Like Ye Liuyun, she used a mystic realm to contain it, preventing the energy from dissipating.
A few days later, Lei Ming, the White Tiger, and the Nine-Headed Demon Dragon emerged from their spatial worlds to join the battle. Having advanced to the eighth level of the Dominator Realm, they were eager to test their newfound strength in combat.
Zilinqilin’s progress was even more staggering—he had soared to the pinnacle of the ninth level of Dominator realm, his mastery over temporal power once again rivaling Ye Liuyun’s. He had emerged to gather the Primordial Aura, a force of immense value to him as well.
Once they stepped out, the Dragon Maiden and Stone Ape retreated to cultivate. Having absorbed substantial amounts of Primordial Aura over recent days, they too were on the verge of breaking through.
"These people..." Ye Liuyun could only watch their rapid ascension with a twinge of envy. His own advance energy had grown exceptionally dense, yet his cultivation remained stagnant at the late stage of the sixth level of Dominator realm. Even absorbing the Primordial Aura and natural energy here only further condensed his advance energy without advancing his realm.
The beast cores harvested from slain monstrous creatures were all allocated to the beasts themselves, leaving him reliant on primordial energy for breakthroughs. But with his doppelganger deeply immersed in cultivating natural energy, Ye Liuyun had no choice but to hold the fort outside.
Moreover, they were nearing the deepest part of the secret realm, where greater dangers undoubtedly lurked. If he didn’t lead the group personally, the others would lack confidence—and he himself wouldn’t feel at ease.
For now, he stored his female companions and other magical beasts into his spatial realm, keeping only the Demon Vine, Heishan, and the Black Tiger by his side for combat. After wounding monstrous creatures, he would subdue them and toss them into the spatial realm for Lian to assist Little Lanbing and several Xuanwu in enhancing their power of bloodline.
Before long, they fought their way to the edge of the dark pond Ye Liuyun had glimpsed earlier. Restricted by the formation, he could only see the pond’s surface, its depths shrouded in mystery.
Within a hundred-mile radius of the dark pond, not a single monstrous creature dared tread. Ye Liuyun surmised that whatever lay within posed a grave threat.
He released Qiong Qi to dismantle the formation. Worried about ambushes, Ye Liuyun had the Demon Vine envelop Qiong Qi in protective vines while he, Heishan, and the Black Tiger kept a vigilant watch on the pond.
As Qiong Qi breached the first layer of the formation, Ye Liuyun and Heishan immediately detected a wisp of demonic energy. Simultaneously, the once-calm surface of the dark water began churning violently, as if something sought to erupt from its depths.
To their astonishment, five figures—both human and beast—surged forth from the pond, each bearing an uncanny resemblance to them: a mirror image of Ye Liuyun, Heishan, the Black Tiger, the Demon Vine, and even Qiong Qi. These doppelgangers radiated a palpable demonic aura, their bodies saturated with sinister energy.
"What in the world is this?" the others exclaimed, equally bewildered by the emergence of their identical counterparts.
Ye Liuyun also sensed something strange and quickly summoned the Demon Vine and Qiong Qi to retreat to his side. The moment they broke free from the formation, he immediately scanned the area with his Golden Pupils, only to be startled once more.
"These aren’t living beings!" he exclaimed in disbelief.
The figures were entirely condensed from demonic energy, so densely concentrated that they appeared indistinguishable from real people. Yet, because of this, Ye Liuyun couldn’t gauge their true strength and hesitated to act recklessly.
Qiong Qi swiftly gestured through the air, weaving a defensive barrier around them to guard against the possibility that these creatures might be overwhelmingly powerful.
*Thump!*
The demonic entity that mirrored Ye Liuyun’s appearance slammed a fist against the barrier. From the impact, Ye Liuyun estimated its strength to be roughly at the first level of the Return to Origin realm.
"Test them with different types of energy!" he called out to the others.
Without delay, Ye Liuyun unleashed a curse technique aimed at the demonic double that resembled him. A golden light flared within the creature’s body, eroding its demonic energy. The demon roared in agony, struggling to suppress the purifying power of the Buddhist light with its own dark energy.
"It’s working!" Ye Liuyun observed through his Golden Pupils, noting how rapidly the demonic energy was being diminished.
Qiong Qi attempted to burn away the demonic energy with flames, which proved effective, though not as potent as Ye Liuyun’s Buddhist light. The Demon Vine employed a white light that dissolved the head of the demon mimicking it, but the creature’s body quickly regenerated a new one from its remaining energy. However, the Demon Vine expended more white light in the process than the demon lost in demonic energy, making the exchange inefficient.
Black Tiger tried attacking with dark energy, but it passed straight through the demonic entity without any effect. Meanwhile, Black Mountain, lacking any special abilities, simply clashed with his own demonic double using raw demonic force. The two struck each other with a loud *thump*, ending in a stalemate.
Any method that proved effective against the demons worked by depleting their demonic energy, causing their forms to shrink. Seeing that fire had some impact, Ye Liuyun’s Golden Pupils flashed with determination. He continued his curse technique while simultaneously unleashing the Golden Crow Sacred Flame, interwoven with crackling lightning, and directed the blazing assault toward his opponent.
