Chapter 2968: Chapter 2968
Upon receiving the news, Ye Liuyun immediately halted the army’s advance. He decided to personally lead Tang Xinyao, Lei Ming, the Dragon Maiden, and the Nine-Headed Demon Dragon to scout the situation in detail.
After their return from the Dragon Clan, Lei Ming, the Dragon Maiden, and the Nine-Headed Demon Dragon had all experienced significant growth in strength. The three of them had received intensive training from the Dragon Souls, greatly enhancing their spiritual power, bloodline, true essence, and physical bodies. The Dragon Maiden, in particular, had been the focus of the Dragon Souls’ attention, allowing her cultivation to break through to the second level of the Unity Realm.
As for Tang Xinyao, Ye Liuyun intended to teach her some techniques for scouting enemy movements and concealing herself.
Cloaked in invisibility mantles, they swiftly made their way toward the alien planet. Along the journey, they observed every foreign world they encountered, even approaching some to guide Tang Xinyao on what details to focus on, relying on her keen eyesight.
Eventually, they arrived at the planet Fuyang had suspected and rendezvoused with him.
"Master, this is the planet," Fuyang reported. "The number of alien soldiers here has drastically decreased, but their individual strength has risen significantly."
"Good. We’ll investigate as well," Ye Liuyun replied.
In truth, their enhanced vision alone—without even needing to get close—had already revealed the anomaly.
The planet housed only about ten thousand soldiers, far fewer than the forces stationed on other alien worlds. However, among them were over a dozen warriors at the ninth level of the Dominator Realm.
These aliens had concealed their cultivation levels, blending in among the ordinary soldiers. Even the rank-and-file troops were two or three realms stronger than those they had encountered before.
Tang Xinyao wanted to move closer for a better look. Her eyesight couldn’t discern details at such a distance, and while she could use divine sense, she worried it might miss finer observations.
But the Dragon Maiden pulled her back and warned Ye Liuyun, "There’s something strange about this planet’s source energy."
Her unique black pupils could detect energy fluctuations—something even Ye Liuyun had overlooked. Taking her cue, he carefully examined the source energy with his golden eyes.
"Indeed. But it’s not the source energy itself—there’s a formation here, using it to detect approaching cultivators," Ye Liuyun confirmed, stopping the group from advancing.
He then turned to Fuyang. "Did you get close enough to observe?"
Fuyang replied, "We’ve gotten close—even entered the planet itself. We observed those powerful figures up close."
"I suspect this formation can detect your strength. Yet they haven’t stationed many powerful warriors here. There must be a trap. Keep monitoring while we scout the nearby planets!" Ye Liuyun said before leading his companions around the planet, carefully avoiding detection while surveying the enemy soldiers stationed there.
Soon, Ye Liuyun’s golden pupils locked onto the alien altar erected on the planet. He noticed it was powered by a primal force and encircled by multiple layers of defensive formations—clearly designed to prevent attacks.
"It seems the aliens intend to use this altar to reinforce their troops here," Ye Liuyun speculated silently. Moving on, he discovered that the planets ahead were already prepared for battle, their soldiers’ strength suddenly elevated to match his own forces.
Eight such planets lay in wait, evidently arranged as a countermeasure against his army. Typically, their scouts only surveyed three planets ahead, never probing too far. He hadn’t expected the aliens to extend their preparations so extensively this time.
After briefing his companions, Ye Liuyun instructed Yu Xiaofeng to deploy the Spirit Fox warships to scout all directions around their main force. He reasoned that if the aliens had laid such an extensive trap, they must also be mobilizing forces to encircle and intercept them from behind and beyond their defensive lines.
Without delay, Ye Liuyun pressed forward, verifying that the planets ahead showed no anomalies before finally returning to their army.
"The aliens haven’t stationed any exceptionally powerful experts in their setup," Ye Liuyun analyzed with his commanders upon his return. "That formation must have detected Fuyang and the others’ cultivation levels. Yet they didn’t even deploy a single Unity Realm expert—they’re clearly planning to teleport them in when the time comes."
One of the commanders frowned. "Not knowing the enemy’s strength complicates things. If they deploy an army like the Bone Beast Legion, our losses could be devastating!"
The alien commanders, including Broken Horn, were almost certain that the enemy had dispatched their Bone Beast Legion this time.
Although there was still no word from the Spirit Cat scouts sent to other directions, one thing was clear—such a massive deployment by the aliens wouldn’t involve weak forces. Even if it wasn’t the Bone Beast Legion, it had to be an elite unit of comparable strength.
Ye Liuyun agreed but added, "And it might not just be the Bone Beast Legion. The aliens definitely recognize our Spirit Cat scouts. Now that they know we’re here, if they plan to strike, they won’t drag it out—giving us time to grow stronger."
"Exactly. They’d want to hit us hard before we’re fully prepared, crippling us in one decisive blow. That’s highly likely!" Yu Xiaofeng speculated.
All the commanders turned to Ye Liuyun, awaiting his orders.
After a moment of thought, he made his decision. "We fight. Xiaofeng, your main force, the Vanguard Corps, and the Demon Hunters will focus on wiping out those 800,000 troops ahead. Start planning—once the Spirit Cat scouts bring back full intel, we’ll finalize the strategy."
"Understood," Yu Xiaofeng replied, immediately gathering Qin Peng, Tian Dao, Tang Xinyao, and others to strategize against the enemy forces.
The real challenge was destroying the alien altars—otherwise, more reinforcements would keep pouring in. But taking down all eight altars simultaneously was no easy task.
Soon, scouts from the rear reported the discovery of another 500,000 alien troops. Though not directly advancing toward them, it was likely a feint. Worse, this force matched Yu Xiaofeng’s army in strength.
However, scouts probing beyond the alien defensive lines found no trace of the enemy.
Ye Liuyun refused to believe it. "Impossible. The aliens wouldn’t leave such a glaring gap in their defenses. I’ll investigate personally."
The others shared his skepticism, suspecting the enemy was simply too well-hidden for the Spirit Cat scouts to detect.
Without delay, Ye Liuyun set out again with Leiming, Long Nü, and the Nine-Headed Fiend Dragon, scouring the area.
Yet even after days of searching, they found nothing—until his golden pupils finally spotted a lone alien warship in the far distance.
"That’s odd... Let’s push further," he muttered, pressing onward.
