Chapter 1050: Shadow Revenge

After Ye Liuyun and his party were all prepared, the person sent by Qin Peng also arrived on time.

Ye Liuyun stored the poisonous resources Du Yan had given him and handed over the resources and the fierce beasts to Qin Peng's men.

He also checked the Demon Cultivator he had previously subdued; after Soul Search, he found that the Nine Nether Prelude still retained its lingering power, and these people had already completely taken Ye Liuyun as their master.

He then asked Qin Peng and Du Yan, and learned that the Demon Cultivator left in Yi Cheng was also very cooperative, with no changes; he could therefore go to the imperial capital with complete peace of mind.

Then Ye Liuyun selected the fastest Flying Boat among his seized spoils and rushed toward the capital together with everyone.

Aside from Ye Liuyun's clone, Huo Hu, Lei Ming and others were also on the Flying Boat, sailing with them. They chatted, laughed, and did not feel bored.

Ye Tiandao had also changed a lot; no longer was he as fearful as at the beginning.

She had gradually been warmed by Ye Liuyun, Lei Ming and the others.

Since Ye Liuyun had not yet received any messages from Qiong Qi or his father, he was not in a hurry to press on.

Whenever they reached a place, they stopped to inquire about local resources, went on some exploration, and then visited the local tavern to try the specialty dishes.

Therefore this journey was quite relaxed, entirely with a mindset of sightseeing and leisure.

Ye Liuyun also knew they would soon face strong enemies, so he let everyone relax in advance.

However, after only a few days, Ye Liuyun received a Transmission Voice from the Fourth Prince.

"The empire has confirmed the Shadow lair and dispatched forces to eradicate it; indeed it turned out that an Alien Evil Artifact of the Foreign Tribe was controlling the Shadows. You have achieved another great merit this time!"

The Fourth Prince also told Ye Liuyun that the empire had already moved to eradicate the Shadow lair.

"Eradicated is good!" Ye Liuyun was now completely at ease.

"But when they eradicated them, three high‑ranking Shadows were out on a mission and slipped through. They were all at the Five‑fold Earth Sovereign realm…"

"That's nothing. A few that slipped through won't let the Shadows rise again!" Ye Liuyun said indifferently.

"Of course. But I worry they'll seek revenge on you!" the Fourth Prince added. "After eradicating the Shadows, the empire awarded a reward and announced your achievements."

"There are reports that those high‑rank Shadows have pursued you. I estimate that after those Shadows learned you reported them, they'll go after you."

"Oh! Rest assured, I'll deal with them!"

After Ye Liuyun finished communicating with the Fourth Prince, he also relayed the information to the others.

"You all temporarily go to my Space World to cultivate; I must first eliminate these pursuing Shadows, then release you."

Ye Liuyun gathered them together, then also spoke with Cheng Yudu.

Cheng Yudu told Ye Liuyun, "They should all be high‑rank Shadows; I don't know who they are."

"Is there any way to identify them?" Ye Liuyun asked.

Cheng Yudu thought for a moment: "Only by testing whether they carry the Foreign Tribe's evil aura!"

"Hmm." Ye Liuyun nodded, and immediately ordered his clone to absorb the remaining Soul of Cheng Yudu.

Cheng Yudu was now of little use; keeping his Soul in his Zao Hua domain required him to allocate energy to watch over it, so it would be better to eliminate him outright.

Huo Hu suggested to Ye Liuyun that she wear the Invisibility Cloak and wait for those high‑rank Shadows to take the bait.

Ye Liuyun also found the plan feasible, so he abandoned the boat, proceeded on foot, and lent the Cloak to Huo Hu.

Then he donned a protective robe and Exotic Scale Armor, preparing to meet the Shadow masters' assassination.

He had also been continuously using the Primordial Spirit Secret Technique as part of his cultivation.

Even when he was tired, he could alternate with his clone, maintaining constant monitoring of surrounding energy changes.

The realm he was supposed to breakthrough was temporarily set aside, lest the Shadows seize the chance to strike.

Because they traveled at a slow pace, the high‑rank Shadows soon caught up with them.

Ye Liuyun's Primordial Spirit Secret Technique immediately detected their traces.

However, he only sensed two, not three; the third must be outside his detection range.

Moreover, those Shadows indeed bore some of the Foreign Tribe's evil aura. This showed in the energy clusters of the Primordial Spirit Secret Technique as a few black filaments.

As soon as the two high‑rank Shadows arrived, they prepared to use their old method against Ye Liuyun—assassination.

For them, two Earth Sovereign Five‑fold strongmen assassinating a Zao Hua Third Realm Martial Cultivator was a piece of cake.

Yet they still cautiously followed their habit, one ahead and one behind, approaching Ye Liuyun.

When the first high‑rank Shadow was about to strike Ye Liuyun, it suddenly changed direction and attacked its own companion.

This instantly exposed both of their positions.

Ye Liuyun was already prepared; he raised his hand and shot an arrow at the Shadow behind.

That Shadow barely had time to react, barely parried, and was hit by Ye Liuyun's arrow.

However, for a Earth Sovereign Five‑fold strongman, Ye Liuyun's arrow was relatively weak.

Though the Vajra Divine Bow struck, it did not pierce; it merely created a hole.

Moreover, the wound was healing slowly and would likely close soon.

"Are you mad?" the strongman asked his companion, bewildered by the sudden betrayal.

Yet the companion said nothing, merely delivering palm after palm as if bearing a deep grudge.

"Damn it!"

He cursed and could only fight with all his might.

His realm was slightly stronger, so he intended to eliminate both the companion and Ye Liuyun together.

But just as he gave his all, he suddenly felt a tingling where Ye Liuyun had shot him.

He looked with Divine Sense and startled at his own sight.

His entire body had turned black.

If his True Essence were not abundant enough to hold firm, his Physical Body would have been corroded and smoking by now.

"You dare plot against me!"

The Shadow, enraged, abandoned the opponent and turned to kill Ye Liuyun.

Unexpectedly, the former companion stepped in front of Ye Liuyun again, blocking him.

He was poisoned with a deadly toxin, and facing an opponent of similar strength, he knew his odds were slim. Moreover, if he didn't finish the opponent quickly, the situation would become even worse for him.

So he went berserk, unleashing full firepower, forcing the opponent into a hopeless scramble.

Ye Liuyun seized the chance and, in the same instant, shot an arrow into his leg.

"You brat, I'll kill you first!"

He seized the opening to drive the opponent aside, then lunged at Ye Liuyun again.

Ye Liuyun directly swung the Mourning Bell, blocking him.

He tried to smash the Mourning Bell open with a punch, but the Mourning Bell's shock left him dizzy and disoriented.

Ye Liuyun again seized the moment, firing an arrow that, while he was dazed, shot his right arm clean off.