Chapter 3005: Chapter 3005
Ye Liuyun also gathered a great deal of information from Zhan Kong and the others about the strengths of both sides.
For instance, Feng Yulong possessed a formidable divine soul, its size comparable to Ye Liuyun’s own. Moreover, his dragon-headed staff contained a dragon spirit, meaning that even if Ye Liuyun were to face Feng Yulong directly, he wouldn’t hold an advantage in terms of soul power.
Their deputy leader, the Ghost King, was not only a demonic cultivator but also practiced ghostly energies, rumored to be capable of summoning vengeful spirits to fight. The Fan-Wielding Young Master was a martial cultivator proficient in both spatial and celestial forces, and his fan had the ability to drag souls into an illusionary realm.
They also knew a fair bit about figures like Chang Yuxing and Li Qingyang. It was said that Li Qingyang possessed a doppelganger, while Chang Yuxing’s cultivation had already reached the seventh level of the Unity Realm.
They provided Ye Liuyun with extensive intelligence on various powerhouses, giving him a rough idea of what to expect—though some details were speculative and not necessarily accurate.
"So, between the two of you, who’s stronger?" Ye Liuyun asked Zhan Kong and Wuying.
"In a direct confrontation, neither of us can land a hit on the other," Zhan Kong replied. "But if it’s an ambush, victory goes to whoever strikes first."
"Doesn’t that put you at a disadvantage?" Ye Liuyun then turned to Bao Long.
Bao Long explained, "My cultivation technique is unique—my true essence can erupt instantaneously. Even if they ambushed me, they wouldn’t be able to kill me in one strike."
Zhan Kong and Wuying both nodded in agreement. If Bao Long unleashed his true essence in a single burst, the power would far surpass theirs. Whether it was spatial force or celestial energy, Bao Long could either block it or blast it apart.
Thus, Ye Liuyun and his two doppelgangers began taking turns refining their profound essence while training with Zhan Kong and Wuying to attune themselves to spatial and celestial forces.
With all three of them practicing Bao Long’s Essence Condensation Art simultaneously, their progress was naturally the fastest. It didn’t take long before they could refine profound essence using this method—though initially, the speed was still slow, it was already much quicker than tempering themselves through battle.
Each day, Zhan Kong exposed Ye Liuyun to increasingly complex spatial applications—spatial locks, overlapping dimensions, and more—while also guiding him in piercing through void barriers to enhance his spatial prowess. Wuying, on the other hand, focused solely on demonstrating celestial forces, deepening Ye Liuyun’s comprehension of the world’s natural momentum.
Ye Liuyun was kept busy and thoroughly engrossed in his training. Only fifty days later, when Liu Yan summoned them for battle once more, did he pause his cultivation. Boarding the flying vessel with Tang Xinyao and the others, he distanced himself from the main force to wage his own campaign.
This time, when he emerged, he noticed that no one was tailing him. He found it strange and grew even more vigilant. Before the vessel even came to a stop, he summoned Zhan Kong and the other two from his spatial realm to stand guard.
All three of them were also cloaked in invisibility mantles. These mantles had become standard equipment for scouts in Ye Liuyun’s army, so he had ample reserves on hand.
However, the cloaking effect was no longer particularly effective against powerhouses like Zhan Kong. Still, at a distance, it could prevent detection by enemies.
The scenario Ye Liuyun had been dreading never came to pass. However, both Zhan Kong and Wuying sensed intense combat fluctuations emanating from the direction of Li Qingyang’s fleet, suggesting a major battle was underway.
Ye Liuyun immediately traversed through space to observe the conflict from the void.
Sure enough, a fierce battle had erupted. The Dragon Head Bandits had dispatched over a hundred martial cultivators at the sixth level of the Guiyi Realm, including their deputy leader—the one wielding the folding fan.
With his golden pupils, Ye Liuyun could see clearly: with a mere flick of his fan, the deputy leader could tear a person’s soul from their body and trap it within the fan, never to escape again.
Li Qingyang, however, did not deploy his doppelgangers. Instead, he sent out a puppet to engage the fan-wielding noble, denying him any souls to absorb.
Ye Liuyun could assess the strength of Li Qingyang, the fan-wielder, and the other elites with perfect clarity. Yet, on both sides, only five or six could truly be considered top-tier powerhouses.
Though the number of sixth-level Guiyi Realm experts seemed considerable, in reality, few among them were genuinely formidable. The battle still seemed more like a probing of each other’s strength.
**"A powerful presence is approaching!"**
Wuying’s voice suddenly echoed in Ye Liuyun’s mind.
Ye Liuyun immediately rushed back, ordering his doppelganger to withdraw the beasts and others into his spatial realm to avoid collateral damage from the impending confrontation.
But soon, they realized the newcomers were merely envoys from the Dragon Head Bandits, sent to recruit them.
Through Zhan Kong and others, Ye Liuyun had already learned that the two bandit factions were infiltrating each other with spies and informants. Even if he had been inclined to accept their offer, now was not the time to show his hand.
So he flatly refused, driving the envoys away before releasing his beasts to continue ransacking the nearby cities.
The powerful experts didn’t take action either and immediately retreated. Their reason for sending strong fighters was merely to guard against any potential ambush by Ye Liuyun. Currently unaware of Ye Liuyun’s true capabilities, they didn’t dare act recklessly.
For Ye Liuyun, it was a false alarm. Once the confrontation ended, he quickly boarded his flying vessel and withdrew.
By the time they returned, Li Qingyang’s side had already concluded their battle, and the fleet was waiting for them. Ye Liuyun understood that this wasn’t the decisive battle between the two forces, so he didn’t ask many questions. Instead, he reported directly to Li Qingyang upon his return, even truthfully recounting the Dragon Head Bandit Group’s attempt to recruit him.
Li Qingyang nodded in satisfaction, instructing Ye Liuyun to rest and making no mention of the battle on their side. He only told Ye Liuyun that there was no need to attack cities anymore, lest it provoke retaliation from the Dragon Head Bandit Group.
However, once Ye Liuyun returned, Liu Yan eagerly pulled him aside to recount how they had repelled an assault by over a hundred elite fighters from the Dragon Head Bandit Group. The other bandits were also buzzing about the incident—clearly, the sheer number of powerful attackers had left a deep impression on them.
After listening for a while, Ye Liuyun didn’t linger. He immediately retreated into his spatial world to resume his cultivation. Witnessing those true experts in action had made him acutely aware of the gap between himself and them.
With no further need to assault cities, Ye Liuyun promptly teleported back to the alien battlefield with his first doppelganger to monitor the situation there. He also brought along Tyrant, Voidcutter, and Shadowless as a precaution against unexpected developments on the alien front.
By now, the battles across the alien battlefield were nearing their conclusion, with all forces converging around the alien stronghold, preparing for the final assault.
Ye Liuyun couldn’t afford to be careless. Fortunately, this period didn’t require him to fight for the bandit group, so he could focus on destroying the alien stronghold first.
He also sent some resources back to commanders like Tian Dao and Yu Xiaofeng to help them boost their strength. Additionally, he taught them the Condensed Essence Art, enabling them to refine profound energy.
However, what surprised Ye Liuyun was that even Voidcutter and the others recognized the aliens.
