Chapter 3169: Chapter 3169
“Stop them!”
Jiang Yunyang could only order the powerhouses beside him to step forward and shield him while he retreated under the protection of several commanders and elite guards.
At that moment, the First Clone had already slipped free, vanishing into the void. A beam of white light flashed out, aimed exclusively at the commanders. Once a commander died, the contract binding the soldiers to him dissolved, making surrender far easier.
Thus, the army’s deputy commander—the one closest to Jiang Yunyang—was the first to be struck by the white light and killed. The sight made Jiang’s heart pound like a drum.
More beams followed. Every commander who tried to flee with Jiang Yunyang was cut down in turn.
Jiang Yunyang’s mind was quick; he realized at once that the white light targeted only commanders, not him. He immediately ordered every commander to return to their troops and fight—lest he be dragged down by them.
The light killed on contact; he dared not gamble it wouldn’t turn on him.
Sure enough, the moment the commanders scattered, the white light pursued them relentlessly.
He had just begun to breathe easier when he discovered that, in the brief interval, more than fifty of his Ninth-Order experts had already been wiped out—many slain in a single exchange.
“Your Highness, for your safety, we must withdraw at once! If we delay, escape may be impossible!” his guards urged.
Once their own experts were annihilated, the enemy would surely come for them next, and they couldn’t withstand so many powerhouses.
“We haven’t even begun to fight, and we’re already defeated!”
Jiang Yunyang never imagined he would lose so quickly.
His legions had swept planet after planet; yet before Ye Liuyun, they crumbled in moments.
“They captured our men and turned them against us!” A guard recognized many of the black-armored powerhouses on Ye Liuyun’s side—former comrades now under control. He offered Jiang an excuse.
Jiang swept the battlefield with his gaze. Every one of his armies showed clear signs of collapse; there was no saving them now.
“Alas...”
With a long sigh, he boarded a Void-class flying vessel under heavy escort and fled.
When Ye Liuyun saw him go, he merely smiled and sent no pursuit.
After Ye’s experts finished off their targets, they returned to assist. Soldiers of the Seventh and Eighth Orders could no longer hold the line.
Ye Liuyun led his beasts in a rampage, slaughtering to his heart’s content.
The Second Clone moved even faster. They had already encircled the early Unity realm soldiers and were tightening the noose. Occasionally they drove a few soldiers out for the women to practice on; the rest were killed outright—surrender wasn’t accepted.
They knew captives would only waste resources; release was impossible. Aside from those kept for training, the rest had to die.
The two Demon Legions and the ferocious beasts acted the same—no prisoners, total annihilation. The enemy’s cultivation was too low to bother keeping.
Only soldiers at the seventh or eighth level of Unity who surrendered were spared.
But before Ye Liuyun could catch his breath, fresh news arrived: an urgent plea for aid from the Alliance.
The message came from Cang Jinsong: “The Alliance is under invasion by a hundred-thousand-strong army from the Azure Veil Galaxy. All are early-to-mid Unity soldiers, led by two Sixth-Order Unity experts. Alliance casualties exceed seven hundred thousand; half of the fifty thousand conscripted elites are already lost!”
“Defeated so soon?”
Ye Liuyun hadn’t expected it. Only days ago they had been preparing to resist invasion; now the situation was catastrophic.
Still, he knew the Alliance would never ask for help unless it truly stood on the brink.
So he spoke at once: “Send me the coordinates—I’m coming back right now. Pull everyone back for the time being!”
He set down the voice-transmission talisman, had Xiao Heng gather the troops, and then funneled the newly surrendered soldiers into his spatial world to be slowly integrated.
Everyone else was likewise stowed in the spatial world; only his First Avatar remained outside, leading two demon legions to scour the battlefield.
The four hundred Ninth-Heaven experts had suffered almost no losses in the battle, and their true essence had barely been depleted—they could fight again at any moment. He took them along as well, stepping straight into the black teleportation tower and returning to the Alliance.
Cang Jinsong’s coordinates pointed to the front line between the two armies. All of the Alliance’s elders and top experts were currently stationed there.
When word spread that Ye Liuyun was on his way back, many hearts eased—especially those who already knew him. The troops and martial cultivators who had been resisting the invasion immediately fell back, leaving the enemy forces baffled, unsure what was happening.
Some wanted to see just how strong Ye Liuyun had become and worried his power might not be enough. Countless newcomers were simply curious: what did the legendary Ye Liuyun actually look like? Was he as god-like as the stories claimed?
A ripple of space tore open, and Ye Liuyun appeared in mid-air before them.
He released his divine sense at once, sweeping over every familiar face and both stretches of the battlefield in an instant.
Their own army and cultivators were still withdrawing; the enemy had not pursued. With no need to strike immediately, he had time to catch up with old friends.
Among his acquaintances, the highest cultivation was only First, Second, or Third Heaven of Return; most were still at the Sovereign realm.
He sighed inwardly: these people really needed to venture out more—otherwise their progress would remain sluggish. If this continued, they wouldn’t even be able to protect their homeland.
Everyone studied Ye Liuyun in turn. Most could no longer discern his cultivation level, but the calm smile on his face told them that if he dared to return, he was confident of handling whatever crisis lay ahead.
Yet he had come straight from the battlefield, clothes drenched in blood, and that sight stirred worry in their hearts.
Cang Jinsong, Li Yuanlang, and other high-ranking elders who knew him well finally reacted, stepping forward to greet him.
“Master.” Ye Liuyun bowed first to Li Yuanlang, then exchanged greetings with everyone else, as humble and courteous as ever.
“He doesn’t look like a powerhouse at all.”
Those who had never met him murmured inwardly. Some, seeing that Li Yuanlang himself was only First Heaven of Return, grew even more uneasy.
Li Yuanlang felt guilty, convinced he had disrupted Ye Liuyun’s affairs.
He asked directly, “Were you in the middle of a battle over there?”
“Yes. We just finished a fight. I hadn’t even cleaned the field before I came back,” Ye Liuyun replied frankly, noticing their eyes on his blood-soaked robes.
“We’ve been useless, holding you up,” Li Yuanlang said helplessly.
“Master, don’t say that. This is my home too; I should do my part,” Ye Liuyun answered sincerely.
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