Chapter 2877: Chapter 2877
"Don’t underestimate me! My strength isn’t half bad either!" Li Xinran argued back.
Ye Liuyun chuckled but didn’t immediately hand her over to Ye Tiandao. Instead, he first sent her into the canyon of the Ancient Desolate Secret Realm to temper her body, telling her she could only proceed to the central area once she was ready.
Li Daoyuan, on the other hand, was kept by Ye Liuyun’s side as a sparring partner. His physique could now fully withstand Li Daoyuan’s attacks, and his own strikes were strong enough to pose a threat—though not enough to kill him—making Li Daoyuan the perfect training companion.
After leaving the Ironhorn Star System, they didn’t retrace their original path. Li Daoyuan knew of several nearby star systems that also housed experts at the Unity Realm, so Ye Liuyun decided to take a different route back, allowing them to further strengthen themselves along the way.
Ye Liuyun’s Profound Essence had already reached its peak quality after obtaining the secret realm’s opportunities, and the intense training with Li Daoyuan had pushed it to the brink of a breakthrough. Additionally, the beasts by his side had significantly improved in strength, prompting him to accelerate his absorption of Primordial Energy.
While absorbing Primordial Energy, he simultaneously drew in the ancient desolate aura, refining both to enhance his Profound Essence.
Meanwhile, his doppelganger focused on accelerating the cultivation of Worldly Energy within the spatial realm. If his Profound Essence couldn’t reach the same quality as his main body, neither of them would be able to advance in cultivation simultaneously.
Beyond refining his Profound Essence, Ye Liuyun also studied spatial power under Li Daoyuan’s guidance. His comprehension of Worldly Energy had greatly improved, and with Li Daoyuan’s instruction, his spatial abilities quickly caught up, allowing him to travel at the same speed.
Training as they journeyed, over a month later, Ye Liuyun’s golden pupils finally caught sight of a star system ahead. The planets here were unusually bright and numerous, their Primordial Energy appearing even denser than that of the Ironhorn Star System—and seemingly tinged with a faint golden glow.
"Metal-attributed Primordial Energy?" Ye Liuyun asked Li Daoyuan, puzzled.
"No," Li Daoyuan explained. "This is the Exorcism Star System. The people here revere Buddhist and Daoist teachings, so many cultivate the power of Buddhist Light. According to them, their Primordial Energy has been imbued with this force, naturally repelling demonic beings. That’s why, from a distance, it looks like a golden sheen."
"Indeed, no demons dare approach this place. However, neither the Primordial Energy nor the planets here can be taken away—perhaps this Buddhist Light truly protects them. The people here are also generous and peaceful, so large-scale conflicts are rare, and their population is vast."
Ye Liuyun’s golden eyes swept over the planets, confirming that many were indeed densely populated.
"Do their martial cultivators never fight among themselves?" he asked curiously.
"Of course there is! Wherever there are martial cultivators, there will be conflicts. Bandits exist here too. However, major factions rarely engage in full-scale wars.
It’s somewhat similar to your spatial world—generally orderly, but skirmishes between individual martial cultivators still occur. The difference is that when they fight, they utilize a Buddha-light energy similar to origin power, which amplifies their combat strength.
For instance, I wouldn’t be able to defeat a Unity Realm martial cultivator here! But their Buddha-light energy is only effective within these planets. Outside, it has little use against other cultivators, though it’s highly effective against demons and alien races."
Li Daoyuan had been here before and was quite familiar with the situation, patiently explaining it to Ye Liuyun.
"Did you ever try cultivating that Buddha-light energy?" Ye Liuyun asked him.
Li Daoyuan shook his head. "At the time, I figured I wouldn’t be staying here long. Even if I put in the effort to cultivate it, it wouldn’t be useful outside, so I didn’t bother."
"Let’s go take a look. If it really is Buddha-light energy, it could be invaluable against alien races. Even if we can’t claim the planets or their origin power, we could still capture more martial cultivators to bolster our forces!"
As he spoke, Ye Liuyun released the Demon Vine and Black Mountain, letting them sense the golden light. But both immediately frowned, finding it unbearably blinding.
Turns out, Li Daoyuan couldn’t see the golden light at all. Ye Liuyun’s golden pupils could perceive it, but it didn’t bother him. To demonic beings, however, the radiance was painfully harsh, making them reluctant to even approach.
Ye Liuyun then summoned Thunderclap and the Nine-Headed Demon Dragon, but the result was the same. They all sensed that this golden light was their natural bane and refused to get near.
"Looks like they won’t be able to fight here," Ye Liuyun muttered, promptly recalling them back into his spatial world to continue their cultivation.
The others were either absorbing ancient aura, refining their bodies, or enhancing their power of bloodline, so he didn’t summon them either.
Only Tian Dao had completed her body refinement and couldn’t absorb the secret realm’s energy. Thus, Ye Liuyun brought her out, keeping a low profile as they followed Li Daoyuan toward one of the planets.
The other Unity Realm experts and ninth-level Sovereign cultivators remained inside Tian Dao’s spatial world. If danger arose, she could release them to assist.
Meanwhile, Li Daoyuan used a treasure to suppress his aura to the ninth level of Sovereign, avoiding unnecessary attention.
According to him, there were indeed martial practitioners at the second level of the Guiyi Realm here, though their numbers were certainly limited. As for higher realms, he hadn’t encountered any before and couldn’t say for sure whether they existed.
Ye Liuyun swept the area with his golden pupils in advance but didn’t spot any experts at the second or third level of the Guiyi Realm. Knowing they were few in number put him slightly more at ease.
Their landing spot was deep in an ancient forest. With his divine sense, Ye Liuyun detected a group of martial practitioners nearby—sixteen in total, led by a Guiyi Realm expert. Judging by their attire, they appeared to be mercenaries.
*"Either mercenaries or bandits,"* Ye Liuyun mused silently. He deliberately landed near them to see if they would take notice.
True to his expectations, the moment the group sensed the spatial disturbance, they immediately rushed over to investigate.
Li Daoyuan, aware of Ye Liuyun’s strength, knew he had lured them on purpose. Ye Tian Dao also spotted the group but remained silent—her focus was solely on Ye Liuyun, and she would follow his lead without question.
When the bandits arrived and saw that their prey were only at the Dominator Realm, their faces relaxed into smug grins. They swiftly encircled them.
*"So they *are* bandits!"* Ye Liuyun realized immediately.
"Good, you figured it out," the bandit leader said bluntly. "Then we won’t waste words. Hand over your storage rings. We’re only here for your valuables—no need for bloodshed."
Ye Liuyun scanned the bandits with his golden pupils and found no trace of Buddhist light energy within their bodies.
Puzzled, he turned to Li Daoyuan. "Didn’t you say everyone here possesses Buddhist light energy? Can they conceal it somehow?"
"Maybe they aren’t locals," Li Daoyuan speculated, unable to perceive their internal conditions himself.
