Chapter 2979: Chapter 2979
Hu Fei also drew a broadsword, resting it casually on his shoulder as if his mind were elsewhere.
Yet Ye Liuyun’s golden eyes could already see the surging energy within him, ready to strike at any moment.
Hu Fei circled Peng Lei, his blade still lazily propped on his shoulder, but Peng Lei remained wary, leaving no opening for a sneak attack. Seeing no opportunity, Hu Fei finally abandoned caution and launched his assault.
Ye Liuyun’s golden gaze followed them, noting how both men poured every ounce of their energy into their attacks, each desperate to overpower the other swiftly.
Meanwhile, his doppelgänger silently cast illusions upon their underlings through the crimson pupils of its spiritual sight.
Peng Lei and Hu Fei were evenly matched, their clash ringing out fiercely as they fought with reckless abandon. Before long, their energy reserves were nearly depleted, forcing them into close-quarters combat.
Hu Fei was the first to take a hit—a slash from Peng Lei’s sword that drew a sharp, startled cry from him. The sudden shout made Peng Lei hesitate mid-swing, and in that instant, Hu Fei’s broadsword came crashing down, nearly cleaving Peng Lei’s shoulder in two.
In desperation, Peng Lei retaliated with a wild slash of his own, slicing open Hu Fei’s abdomen.
This time, Hu Fei made no sound, only clutching his stomach as he staggered back, his broadsword nearly dragging Peng Lei down with him.
Now, the two stood panting heavily, one leaning on his sword, the other on his blade, glaring at each other. Their injuries were severe, and with their energy nearly spent, neither had the strength left to heal—only to gasp for breath.
Just then, a warrior from Hu Fei’s ranks suddenly rushed forward, his blade flashing toward Peng Lei.
Hu Fei’s heart lurched—he wanted to stop the man, but his wounds were too grave, his voice failing him. He could only watch helplessly as the warrior’s strike cut Peng Lei down.
*This is bad! That idiot!* Hu Fei cursed inwardly, immediately pulling out a communication talisman to alert his leader.
But at the same moment, one of Peng Lei’s men shouted, “Save the boss!” and charged forward with his weapon drawn. The others, startled, quickly followed suit.
Seeing the enemy advance, Hu Fei’s forces unsheathed their weapons and surged forward as well, plunging both sides into chaos.
Ye Liuyun and his companions, meanwhile, watched the brawl unfold with amusement from the sidelines. And as for Peng Lei’s men—their first targets were none other than the wounded Hu Fei.
Hu Fei was lucky to survive—he threw himself to the ground and rolled, taking the blade squarely on his back. Though he didn’t die, the slash left him half-dead, sprawled motionless on the ground, even dropping his communication talisman in the process.
"These bandits are really vicious!"
Even the demonic beasts couldn’t help but admire the ferocity of the bandits’ fight.
Both sides fell one after another in rapid succession. Within a quarter of an hour, only a handful remained. Yet no one retreated. In the end, Hu Fei’s group had a slight edge—five of them were still standing.
The bandits had fought to mutual destruction, much to Ye Liuyun and his companions’ delight.
The surviving bandits were ruthless—they finished off every wounded opponent with an extra slash, ensuring no survivors. Only then did they think to help Hu Fei and their own injured. But when they looked up, they realized they were already surrounded by Ye Liuyun’s group.
Their expressions darkened instantly—they knew they were about to be counter-ambushed. Without wasting words, they raised their blades and charged at Ye Liuyun.
"Impressive. Admirable courage!"
Ye Liuyun praised them before striking alongside his doppelgänger, each cutting down one bandit while devouring their souls in the process.
The remaining three fell to the demonic beasts’ soul attacks, their spirits consumed as well.
Then came the wounded who hadn’t yet died—including Hu Fei. Their souls were all devoured, and their storage rings swiftly confiscated.
Following the bandits’ example, Ye Liuyun and his doppelgänger finished off the bodies they had drained, ensuring no loose ends. Then, collecting only five corpses, they left with their group.
The demonic beasts didn’t question it, but Tang Xinyao was burning with curiosity. She bluntly asked Ye Liuyun, "Why not take them all?"
"If anyone asks later, we’ll say they turned on each other. Hu Fei’s side had five cultivators left—they finished off the wounded and then left. This has nothing to do with us."
Ye Liuyun grinned as he instructed the group.
Everyone immediately understood he was setting them up for a frame-up and exchanged knowing smiles.
As they walked, Ye Liuyun took the opportunity to lecture the group, urging them to channel that same ruthless determination in battle—otherwise, they’d be at a disadvantage against these bandits.
Tang Xinyao was still relieved, thinking they had genuinely stumbled upon a clash between rival bandits. But Ye Liuyun revealed the truth—he had cast an illusion, manipulating the first person to charge from both sides.
“So this was all your doing?” Tang Xinyao gasped in surprise.
“What else? Did you really think bandits with their experience would be foolish enough to pull something like this?” Ye Liuyun countered with a smirk.
“Impressive! Sowing discord, killing with a borrowed blade, and framing them—all executed silently and timed to perfection!”
After replaying the entire incident in her mind, Tang Xinyao couldn’t help but shower him with praise.
She had often set traps for others herself, but only now did she realize how inadequate her petty schemes were when it came to real stakes.
“Alright, let’s not bring this up again—someone might overhear,” Ye Liuyun cautioned.
“But what if they come after us later?” Tang Xinyao pressed.
Ye Liuyun chuckled. “Then we’ll just sell it to them. Unless you think you can take them on?”
Tang Xinyao was skeptical. Knowing Ye Liuyun’s temperament, he didn’t seem the type to back down so easily.
“Really, just sell it to them? We don’t even know its true value!”
Ye Liuyun simply replied, “If we don’t sell it, we won’t be able to move a step forward here. Sure, selling it will bring trouble, but at least it won’t be too severe.”
He kept his true intentions to himself, worried that the others might slip up if they tried to act along.
Although Tang Xinyao had her doubts, she thought that perhaps Ye Liuyun was unfamiliar with the situation here and had decided to compromise temporarily, planning to reclaim what was lost later.
Some of the demonic beasts also suspected this wasn’t Ye Liuyun’s usual style, but they didn’t dwell on it. After all, such matters were always left to his arrangements.
Still, they all understood what Ye Liuyun meant by saying selling it off would bring trouble—once they obtained so much origin energy, they would inevitably become targets.
But that just meant more battles to fight, and the thought alone had them buzzing with excitement.
Meanwhile, Tong Xin had already found suitable materials and begun replicating the triangular metal piece. It wouldn’t be long before the imitation was complete.
Ye Liuyun, meanwhile, urged everyone to pick up the pace as they raced toward the next planet.
The same trick wouldn’t work twice, and he had no intention of letting himself get caught between two forces again.
Through soul-searching, he had already learned that the Dragon Head Bandits’ territory was even larger than that of the First Star Bandits, spanning more planets with a combined force of over twenty thousand men.
