Chapter 2944: Chapter 2944
Qiong Qi quickly finished setting up the formation, and Ye Liuyun immediately retreated into it along with his first doppelganger, waiting for the ancient demon guards to make their move.
Qiong Qi also remained within the formation, observing the bombardment effects of the massive orbs. Meanwhile, the second doppelganger kept watch over the battlefield and the ancient demon guards from the void of space.
Upon seeing Ye Liuyun’s forces vanish while he himself took shelter in the formation, the powerful ancient demon guards halted their advance. They feared that charging in would make them too conspicuous, drawing the attention of those colossal orbs. Instead, they lingered at a distance, biding their time and searching for an opportunity to close in on Ye Liuyun.
They were well aware of the formation protecting him, making his assassination a difficult task. Moreover, the four massive orbs posed an additional threat. The guards worried that any attack on Ye Liuyun might provoke a devastating counterstrike from the orbs.
The destructive power of those orbs was undeniable—each blast was comparable to their own full-force strikes. But if the orbs unleashed a rapid barrage, none of them could withstand the onslaught.
They had also closely examined the orbs’ defensive capabilities. Since the battle began, many ancient demons at the second and third tiers of the Unity Realm had rushed forward to assault the orbs, only to be obliterated without so much as a scratch on the massive spheres.
Thus, the guards dared not provoke the orbs, instead waiting to see if a chance to strike at Ye Liuyun would arise.
Within two hours, half of the three-million-strong demon army had been annihilated. The vanguard forces, stationed at the front, had been completely wiped out by the orbs.
Those demons had been the weakest, and though some had attempted to surrender, Ye Liuyun had no intention of taking them as prisoners.
Next came the rear guard of five hundred thousand. The demon commander, originally positioned at the back, had recklessly charged at one of the orbs upon witnessing its devastating power. But before he could even get close, the soldiers inside the orb spotted him and unleashed a concentrated volley, reducing him to fragments.
As a result, the rear guard was the first to surrender, followed by the remnants of the other demon legions.
With the sheer number of surrendering troops, Ye Liuyun had no choice but to dispatch his doppelgangers to release Hei Shan and the Tiger-Headed Beast King, along with a contingent of demon soldiers, to oversee the surrenders in batches. The remaining demons were temporarily held under the watchful gaze of the massive orbs.
Surprisingly, the demon captives were orderly in their surrender—laying down their weapons and armor before sitting quietly, awaiting processing. Many of them couldn’t help but marvel at the terrifying might of the orbs, whispering among themselves in awe.
Once the vanguard demon forces had been eradicated, the foremost orb promptly withdrew, retrieved by Ye Liuyun into his spatial realm.
Ye Liuyun knew those ancient demon guards were waiting for an opportunity. As long as those massive orbs remained outside, they wouldn’t dare approach him.
So he deliberately withdrew the orbs—signaling that he would recall all four after the battle ended. This was to prevent the guards from interfering prematurely and disrupting his efforts to subdue the surrendering troops.
Once his clone escorted Hei Shan and the Tiger-Head Beast King to the rear, forcing the demon soldiers to pledge their loyalty, he immediately sent the orbs back, allowing Ye Liuyun to retrieve them into his spatial realm.
Soon after, the demon soldiers were also taken into the spatial world. Once the battlefield was cleared, Ye Liuyun moved to other fronts to gather more surrendering troops.
Seeing this, the demon guards grew hopeful, biding their time until all the orbs were withdrawn before making their move.
The clone continued collecting surrendering soldiers on the flanks, recalling the orbs each time after the troops were secured. Only after the last group was taken in did the clone return to the formation under the orbs’ protection, handing over the thirty demon guards and Captain Hei Yan to Ye Liuyun before retreating into the spatial world to assist Hei Shan in reorganizing the demon army.
Ye Liuyun promptly stored the remaining orb and waited.
The demon guards had assumed they could strike once the orbs were gone—only to be caught off guard when the clone released another squad of guards. This complicated matters.
Even if they were confident in their strength, they knew the opposing squad’s power meant they’d likely suffer heavy casualties, even if they succeeded.
At that moment, Ye Liuyun beckoned the demon guard captain over.
The captain stiffened in surprise—he hadn’t expected Ye Liuyun to spot him. But now that his hiding place was exposed, there was no point in concealment. No matter how difficult the mission, he had to see it through.
With a sharp roar, he signaled the others to surround Ye Liuyun.
*"What’s that captain’s name?"* Ye Liuyun finally found a moment to ask Hei Yan beside him.
*"Sha Ying,"* Hei Yan replied tersely.
*"Can you take him in a fight?"* Ye Liuyun pressed.
Heiyan, assuming a battle was imminent, replied nervously, "I’m about equal in strength to it. But they have wraiths and skeletal puppets at their disposal. Their team is slightly stronger than ours. Only with those demonic beasts could we stand a chance against them!"
Heiyan was worried that Ye Liuyun didn’t fully grasp the situation and might send their team to their deaths without realizing it.
"Hmm," Ye Liuyun acknowledged with a simple hum, offering no further explanation.
Through the slave mark, he could clearly perceive Heiyan’s thoughts.
Soon, Shaying’s team arrived from all directions, gathering together.
Shaying glanced at Ye Liuyun and Heiyan before directly communicating with Heiyan.
Through the slave mark, Ye Liuyun also learned what they were discussing.
Shaying was trying to persuade Heiyan to surrender: "We both know each other’s strength. Convince him to surrender outright! There’s no need for us to waste each other’s forces."
Knowing they were after the Divine Order, Ye Liuyun simply instructed Heiyan, "Tell them there’s nothing to negotiate. If they want a fight, they can attack right away!"
Heiyan wanted to ask Ye Liuyun how they should engage in battle, but he held back and relayed the message as instructed. Having served under Wu Xing for a long time, he knew the boundaries of a subordinate—asking too much would only invite trouble.
When Ye Liuyun sensed Heiyan’s restraint through the slave mark, he was quite pleased.
Upon receiving the reply, Shaying immediately ordered its team to spread out, preparing to strike at the formation. But suddenly, with a wave of his hand, Ye Liuyun released the four massive orbs again, encircling them—though keeping them at a distance, making it difficult for the enemy to approach.
The ancient demon guards in Shaying’s team frowned at the sight of the orbs. They had assumed Ye Liuyun wouldn’t deploy them again and expected a direct confrontation. These ancient demons weren’t particularly adept at nuanced thinking, so Shaying immediately roared at Heiyan, accusing Ye Liuyun of breaking the rules.
