Chapter 2969: Chapter 2969
The alien warship wasn’t particularly large, roughly the same size as a Spirit Cat-class vessel. At first glance, one wouldn’t consider it much of a threat to their massive army.
However, Ye Liuyun noticed several cloaked alien warriors lurking near the ship’s perimeter, all at the first level of the Unity Realm. Long Nü also spotted that the warship’s propulsion core was powered by primordial energy.
Inside the vessel, Ye Liuyun’s golden pupils discerned several more alien warriors, also at the first level of Unity. Among them was a red-armored alien and a three-eyed alien, both clad in uniform battle gear befitting commanders. Their supreme leader, a black-armored alien, bore a striking resemblance to Hei Shan.
After gathering this intelligence, Ye Liuyun refrained from approaching or capturing any prisoners to avoid alerting them. Instead, he immediately returned with Long Nü and the others to share the information with their forces.
After recounting the situation, he turned to Broken Horn and the other aliens: "How do they have so many Unity Realm experts? Weren’t there supposed to be only three?"
Broken Horn and the others speculated that the aliens must have strengthened themselves by devouring weaker beings during the same period they had been enhancing their own power—likely preparing for this confrontation.
As for the black-armored alien resembling Hei Shan, they recognized him as a notorious warlord commanding a force of two hundred thousand black-armored warriors.
These black-armored aliens possessed dense true essence and formidable physiques. Even opponents a full realm above them struggled to break their defenses, making them a force not to be underestimated. Their combat prowess was easily on par with the former Golden Tiger Corps.
The aliens also analyzed: "That warship of theirs—we’ve never seen it before. It must be newly constructed. With primordial energy fueling its propulsion, it can close the distance rapidly. It might even pack a devastating offensive capability!"
"Two hundred thousand bone beasts for the ambush, eight hundred thousand troops at the front, five hundred thousand at the rear, and two hundred thousand black-armored warriors to cut us off—the aliens are certainly pulling out all the stops this time! Who would’ve thought we’d walk straight into a full-scale battle the moment we returned!" Yu Xiaofeng remarked with a sigh.
In response, Ye Liuyun summoned two more clones and sent them to scout the surroundings for any hidden enemy ambushes.
The other commanders, aware of the brutal fight ahead, were already deep in tense discussions over strategy, with all forces on high alert.
Meanwhile, Ye Liuyun consulted Broken Horn and the others about how many more elite alien regiments might be mobilized, weighing whether to deploy their flame chariots.
Against such overwhelming encirclement, they would undoubtedly be at a disadvantage without the firepower of those chariots.
Yu Xiaofeng, for his part, ordered Qin Peng and Man Feng to slow their advance, maintaining a cautious push forward to avoid tipping off the enemy.
The two avatars returned after scouting the area.
"We didn’t detect any ambush near the alien stronghold," one reported. "They probably believe that even if we flee in that direction, we won’t escape their trap."
Ye Liuyun ordered them to head straight to the front lines to devour more alien souls and strengthen their spiritual power. This battle might require their intervention, so they needed to bolster their defenses to avoid being caught off guard by the aliens.
Though both avatars were equipped with the Soul-Calming Bell forged by Lin Huo, their sea of consciousness lacked the Divine Command Token. Ye Liuyun remained wary of encountering aliens with formidable spiritual power.
Yu Xiaofeng approached Ye Liuyun to discuss their strategy. "Our forces have grown stronger, but the aliens haven’t been idle either—they’ve clearly improved as well. Broken Horn and the others still base their understanding of the Bone Beast Legion and the Black Armor Corps on outdated intelligence. That’s an unpredictable variable."
Ye Liuyun acknowledged the possibility but replied, "Even if they’ve grown stronger, their soldiers will likely only reach the first level of Unity. Besides, we’ll deploy the firepower chariots against them, so there’s no need to overthink it."
Yu Xiaofeng saw the logic and went to finalize the battle plan with the other commanders.
They ultimately decided to deploy the Demon Legion against the rear force of 500,000 enemy troops—without using firepower chariots. Hei Shan would lead Xenocide and a squad of guards to oversee the operation.
The Ancient Demon Legion and Ye Liuyun’s first avatar would engage the Black Armor Corps, utilizing firepower chariots in battle. Hei Yan would command a guard unit for support.
Yu Xiaofeng would lead the charge against the 80,000-strong vanguard, with the Blade Corps and the Exorcist Battalion each handling 100,000 enemy soldiers independently. Ye Liuyun’s second avatar would first strike the altar with the fourth-level Unity Sky Demon Wolves and 58 demonic beasts collected from the Ancient Demon Planet. The demonic beasts would then reinforce the Exorcist Battalion before aiding the Blade Corps.
The Alien Legion would confront the Bone Beast Legion, also employing firepower chariots. Ye Liuyun himself would lead all the skeletal puppets into battle, ready to summon the underworld’s army of vengeful spirits if necessary.
The beasts and women at Ye Liuyun’s side had also prepared for combat, donning armor and equipping themselves with soul-defense artifacts.
This time, they would join Ye Liuyun in launching the initial assault, acting as the vanguard against the alien forces. Meanwhile, the elite warriors among the alien army would focus their attacks on the altar, preparing for the Bone Beast Legion’s arrival.
If the altar assault went smoothly and the Bone Beast Legion failed to appear, the Alien Legion would board the Spirit Cat warships, ready to redeploy at a moment’s notice. Wherever the Bone Beast Legion emerged, they would move to intercept.
Ye Liuyun also informed Zhuge Feiyu and Xiu Luo. Even if the army of vengeful spirits wasn’t deployed, the sudden influx of powerful souls into the Netherworld would require their advance preparations.
The others were also making preparations, assigning tasks to the soldiers. Once everyone was ready, their Lynx-class battleships came to a halt.
Yu Xiaofeng disembarked with a group of commanders, leaving only Ye Liuyun’s first avatar and Hei Shan behind. The commanders who stepped out also deployed additional Lynx-class ships, while the second avatar released a number of demonic beasts into each vessel before heading toward the forces led by Qin Peng and Man Feng.
With a wave of his hand, Ye Liuyun set off toward the target planet, accompanied by his demonic beasts and the women at his side.
Meanwhile, Qin Peng and Man Feng had just wrapped up their battles, busy collecting the essence of the defeated foes while allowing their soldiers to rest and prepare for the next engagement.
By the time Ye Liuyun arrived at the alien planet ahead, Qin Peng and Man Feng had already withdrawn their troops, taking the demonic beasts delivered by the second avatar and standing ready to move out.
Ye Liuyun first swept his golden pupils across the planet, scanning the movements of the alien forces. Detecting no significant changes, he led his group straight toward the alien altar, as if launching an assault. The alien soldiers guarding the place quickly noticed them and rallied their forces to intercept.
At the same instant, nine Lynx-class battleships activated simultaneously, warping through space to appear abruptly before their respective targets.
The moment Ye Liuyun struck, the Third-Level Guiyi demonic beasts aboard the other ships surged forth, charging directly toward the altars of the eight remaining planets.
