Chapter 2983: Chapter 2983
The other demonic beasts and Tang Xinyao’s group charged forward without hesitation, launching into a full-scale slaughter.
Two of the bandits, both at the Unity Realm’s second level, realized escape was impossible. Seeing Ye Liuyun and his doppelgänger unleash their divine souls, they immediately released their own, each diving into the minds of Ye Liuyun and his clone.
However, the divine soul that invaded Ye Liuyun’s consciousness was instantly branded with a slave seal before being swiftly tossed into his spatial world.
As for the one that entered the doppelgänger’s mind—it turned out to be weaker than even a single fragment of the clone’s soul. After a brief struggle, the doppelgänger’s other soul fragment returned, sealing the intruder’s fate. Unfortunately, just as the clone was about to brand it with a slave seal, the bandit’s physical body was beheaded by the Vespera. Left with no choice, the doppelgänger could only devour the soul instead.
The demonic beasts fought with such ferocity that they practically raced each other to strike. Meanwhile, Tang Xinyao and the others were eager to hone their skills, attacking with equal urgency. Before Ye Liuyun and his clone could even act again, the ambushers had already been wiped out.
In the blink of an eye, the corpses on the ground had been thoroughly looted—nothing remained but bloodstains.
"You guys are *fast*," Ye Liuyun chuckled, shaking his head before leading the group onward. However, only two of their pursuers hesitated; the rest continued chasing without a hint of fear.
"Conserve your energy—there’s still plenty of fighting ahead!"
Seeing how few of these desperadoes had been deterred, Ye Liuyun guessed their pursuers were no pushovers and immediately warned the group to preserve their strength.
Sure enough, they soon faced wave after wave of attacks and ambushes. By now, only the strongest squads dared confront them—each led by a Unity Realm fourth-level cultivator.
Ye Liuyun avoided capturing these fourth-level fighters, not wanting to draw the attention of the larger bandit factions. Instead, he left the stronger opponents to the Dragon Girl for practice, while he and his clone targeted those at the second and third levels of the Unity Realm.
As for first-level Unity Realm cultivators, he considered them too weak, leaving them for the others to train against.
But even then, he and his clone had to scramble to capture any live prisoners. The slightest delay meant their targets would be slaughtered before they could act.
So they fought six battles in a single day, yet he had only managed to capture fourteen martial cultivators.
"This isn’t enough. I still need to grab a dozen more to form a full squad. When danger strikes, we can use them as cannon fodder—spare our own people."
The thought made Ye Liuyun frown slightly.
After today’s skirmishes, no one dared to follow them anymore. It was clear their strength had deterred any would-be ambushers. Finding more captives now would be difficult.
They had already ventured far beyond the city, and his divine sense had picked up powerful auras in the distance. Pushing forward would only invite greater peril.
"Let’s rest here for now. Replenish your energy, and we’ll see if anyone is foolish enough to come after us."
Ye Liuyun ordered the group to take a break while he extended his divine sense, scanning for any lone martial cultivators nearby.
But the moment they stopped, a formidable presence charged toward them from afar. The sheer pressure of the approaching figure sent a ripple of tension through the group, disrupting their attempts to meditate.
Ye Liuyun’s golden pupils narrowed as he studied the newcomer—a demonic cultivator, his aura thick with the stench of blood, his cultivation at the fifth level of the Harmonization Realm. Clearly, this was someone who specialized in refining power of bloodline.
The demonic cultivator closed the distance in an instant, his crimson eyes sweeping over them before bursting into laughter.
"Hahaha! What a stroke of luck—premium blood sacrifices! This trip wasn’t wasted after all!"
With a surge of his bloodline energy, he exerted crushing pressure on the group, both to prevent escape and to test the potency of their bloodlines.
Ye Liuyun and the others braced themselves, resisting the suffocating force, ready to fight for their lives.
*Just how many people has this demonic cultivator drained to amass such power?*
Ye Liuyun could sense the chaotic, unrefined nature of the demonic cultivator’s bloodline energy. It was clear he had absorbed countless victims without bothering to purify the stolen essence. Yet sheer quantity had compensated for quality—his strength was formidable.
Not quite on par with the Blood King he had encountered on the Ancient Demon Planet, but close enough to be dangerous.
His gaze also fell upon Ye Liuyun, clearly sensing the strongest power of bloodline within him.
"Let’s start with you!" the demonic cultivator sneered.
However, Chi Lian seized the opportunity to strike, attempting to absorb his power of bloodline.
"Hmm?" The demonic cultivator immediately sensed Chi Lian’s attempt. He hadn’t expected anyone in this group to possess the ability to absorb bloodline energy. But with a mere surge of his own bloodline, he effortlessly blocked Chi Lian’s draining force.
His focus shifted instantly—better to deal with Chi Lian first, lest she ambush him while he targeted others.
Channeling his full power, his body became enveloped in a crimson glow, forcing Chi Lian to realize that her own bloodline energy was being siphoned away instead.
"Master, I’m no match for him!" Chi Lian urgently called out to Ye Liuyun for help, even as she struggled to resist with all her might.
Ye Liuyun had initially wanted to observe the demonic cultivator’s bloodline absorption technique, but fearing for Chi Lian’s safety, he had no choice but to strike him down immediately.
A streak of white light shot from his eyes, piercing straight through the demonic cultivator’s skull. The moment he died, everyone saw the bloody aura around him begin to fade—only for Chi Lian to swiftly absorb the remnants of his bloodline energy.
She didn’t stop there, seizing every second to draw in more. But after a short while, no more energy could be extracted.
"Master, I managed to absorb a significant portion of his bloodline essence. Let me refine it for a bit, then I’ll transfer half to you and your clone," Chi Lian communicated telepathically, requesting to be taken into the spatial realm.
"Good work! Just share half with us—keep the rest for yourself," Ye Liuyun replied, ensuring she would also benefit rather than hoarding the gains for himself.
"In that case, I might break through. This man’s power of bloodline is incredibly potent," Chi Lian informed him.
Ye Liuyun considered her recent battles and, after a quick assessment with his golden pupils, confirmed that her true essence had solidified enough.
"Then seize the moment to advance. Your foundation is strong enough—just temper yourself with more combat afterward," he advised.
"Got it!" Chi Lian responded promptly and immediately began refining the power of bloodline.
At that moment, the Demon Vine slithered over and excitedly informed Ye Liuyun that it had broken through to the mid-stage of the fifth level of Guiyi Realm, with its cultivation now fully stabilized. However, it sheepishly admitted that it had absorbed all the demon corpses—leaving none for the Demon-Sealing Stele.
"Not even a single one?"
Ye Liuyun was speechless. He had originally planned for the Demon-Sealing Stele to gain some strength too, but he had forgotten to mention it to the Demon Vine beforehand. Now, everything had been devoured.
"Never mind. What’s gone is gone. I’ll just have my first clone gather more resources for the stele later."
He didn’t scold the Demon Vine. After all, it was just a beast—without explicit instructions, it wouldn’t naturally consider sharing with others.
