Chapter 2991: Chapter 2991
This battle lasted a bit longer than usual. Ye Liuyun didn’t allow anyone to assist the Dragon Maiden, Thunderclap, or the others, letting them hone their skills against the enemy experts themselves.
Instead, he focused on eliminating any bandits who tried to intervene.
Tang Xin Yao, Tang Hao, the Purple Kylin Snake, and the Vermilion Bird acted as guardians for the rest, stepping in at critical moments to rescue those in peril.
Meanwhile, the White Tiger and the Stone Ape rampaged across the battlefield, hunting down martial cultivators with relentless ferocity. The three Vespera demon beasts lurked in the shadows, ambushing any who tried to flee, picking them off one by one.
Little Blue Ice had grown stronger—now, a single strike from her palm could freeze a First or Second-Level Unity Realm martial artist solid.
The Black Tiger’s offensive power was slightly weaker, but its physical resilience was unmatched. Even against a Second-Level Unity Realm opponent, it wore the enemy down until their true essence was exhausted, then finished them off.
Even Li Xinran, the weakest in cultivation, managed to slay two First-Level Unity Realm martial artists before retreating to the Purple Kylin Snake’s side to recover her strength.
The Demon Lion, having enlarged its true form, crushed a Second-Level Unity Realm cultivator in a single swipe before shrinking back and taking shelter beside the Purple Kylin Snake.
The area around the Purple Kylin Snake and the Vermilion Bird had become a safe zone for the group to rest and heal. Any martial artist foolish enough to approach was swiftly eliminated by their temporal or soul-based attacks.
Under their protection, the Scarlet Viper lurked at the edges, absorbing the bloodline energy of fallen enemies. Only when no stronger opponents remained would it pick off a First-Level Unity Realm martial artist for practice.
Once the battle ended, Ye Liuyun had everyone quickly replenish their true essence using stored energy stones before pressing onward.
Just like before, he took the lead, using spatial power to instantly wipe out several of the strongest martial artists. He left a Fourth-Level Unity Realm opponent for the Dragon Maiden, while Tang Xin Yao, Tang Hao, Thunderclap, the Nine-Headed Demon Dragon, and himself each faced a Third-Level Unity Realm foe.
This time, however, he captured more prisoners—thirty in total, mostly First and Second-Level Unity Realm martial artists. He worried that if he waited too long, the opportunity would slip away.
As a result, this battle concluded faster than the last. Ye Liuyun himself engaged a Third-Level Unity Realm martial artist, relying solely on the power of heaven and earth. Even then, he struggled.
He even intensified the flow of natural energy, drawing in more of the world’s essence, but it only allowed him to withstand the enemy’s attacks—his own strikes still couldn’t threaten a Third-Level Unity Realm expert.
Realizing that relying solely on the power of heaven and earth wasn’t enough to defeat a third-level Guiyi martial cultivator, he supplemented it with Xuan Yuan energy to finally slay his opponent.
"It seems the gap between second-level and third-level Guiyi is substantial. Crossing levels in battle isn’t something that can be done just by wielding the power of heaven and earth."
Next, Ye Liuyun experimented with lightning force and his two types of flame energy, successfully killing three more Guiyi-level martial cultivators before ceasing further attacks.
His dual flames made quick work of first-level Guiyi opponents. Lightning proved more laborious, requiring multiple strikes to exhaust his foes’ true essence.
As for his power of bloodline, its mere release suppressed third-level Guiyi warriors to just sixty percent of their strength. Second-level opponents fared even worse. He estimated that even against fourth-level Guiyi fighters, he could still suppress them by twenty percent.
There was no need to test his soul force—his golden pupils could already discern the strength of an opponent’s spiritual energy. So far, none of the Guiyi martial cultivators he’d encountered possessed a soul stronger than his.
After this skirmish, Ye Liuyun deliberately engaged a fourth-level Guiyi warrior in the next battle. First, he applied bloodline suppression, then combined Xuan Yuan energy with the power of heaven and earth in his assault. As expected, he managed to hold his own. Adding the Golden Crow Sacred Flame and lightning force to the mix, he was even able to eliminate his opponent.
This success bolstered his confidence, and he contemplated testing his blade intent against a fifth-level Guiyi martial cultivator.
Advancing further, they annihilated another squad of intercepting warriors before arriving at the territory of the fifth-level Guiyi expert, as scouted by his doppelgänger.
The moment they arrived, the fifth-level warrior immediately approached to drive them away.
"You’ve crossed the boundary—this is my domain. I want no part in your affairs. Leave now and don’t disrupt my cultivation!"
Without a word, Ye Liuyun unsheathed his Demon-Slaying Blade and struck.
Blade intent, Xuan Yuan energy, the power of heaven and earth, flames, and lightning—all converged in that single slash. Bloodline suppression and spatial manipulation locked the warrior in place, leaving him no room to evade. He had no choice but to endure the blow head-on.
Yet the warrior withstood only three strikes before the fourth cleaved him apart.
Having tested his limits, Ye Liuyun chose not to press forward. He immediately withdrew with his team.
Liu Yan’s quota of sixty captives had been fulfilled. They needed to conserve their true essence for the journey back.
So the group set off once more, cutting a swath through the wilderness. They wasted no words on anyone they encountered—striking them down instantly, seizing even the corpses, their methods more ruthless than the bandits themselves.
Some of the nearby bandit crews, seeing them retreat, assumed their true essence must be nearly depleted and attacked with even greater frenzy.
Yet none escaped annihilation—not a single survivor was left behind.
Even the bandits grew puzzled. How could this group fight so relentlessly? No matter how many ambushes they faced, their true essence never seemed to run dry.
This time, several Unity Realm fourth-level martial cultivators had joined the fray, yet they still failed to eliminate them.
By the time Ye Liuyun and his party caught sight of the city gates, lone martial experts who might have blocked their path had already fled far in advance, not daring to engage.
Ye Liuyun recalled his demon beasts early and swaggered into the city with his nine guards in tow.
The moment they entered, Liu Yan came forward to greet them, clearly warning the bandit crews not to make a move against Ye Liuyun within the city.
Without the tacit approval of the leading bandit faction, none of the surrounding crews would dare act inside the city—doing so would strip them of any place to survive.
So when they saw this, they understood Ye Liuyun had powerful backing and could only swallow their losses. They were long accustomed to such outcomes—smaller crews losing members, then simply recruiting anew or merging with others. After all, survival here meant either killing or being killed.
Liu Yan escorted Ye Liuyun’s group back to their quarters and inspected the Interspatial Ring holding the captives. A quick count confirmed all ninety were present, not a single one missing.
Liu Yan grinned from ear to ear.
"Brother, you really are something! Less than two days, and you’ve already filled the quota!"
As he spoke, he handed Ye Liuyun another Interspatial Ring.
"What’s this for?" Ye Liuyun asked, puzzled.
Liu Yan explained, "You handled things so efficiently—I can’t just play dumb. At the very least, I can’t let you exhaust all that true essence for nothing. Consider this a small compensation."
He genuinely admired Ye Liuyun’s straightforwardness and capability. Even though Ye Liuyun had initially refused payment, Liu Yan didn’t want him to walk away empty-handed.
