Chapter 1420: Chain Reaction

After Ye Liuyun learned the information through his clone, he urged everyone to speed up, transporting resources into the Space World day and night without pause.

Two days later, a large army from nearby cities arrived, and Qujing and Wen Chenggang could only fight a desperate battle.

The clone also released Yin Soul, easily annihilating that army and seizing a lot of resources.

But aside from Spirit Stones and food, the other resources are non‑exchangeable and can only be saved for later.

Qujing thought they might never have a chance to exchange those resources, so he handed all the equipment collected over the past days to Ye Liuyun's clone.

"From now on, all the battlefield‑clearing equipment is yours. I have only one request: if we are defeated, you must rescue Wanying," Qujing pleaded to Ye Liuyun.

"Alright, I promise!" Ye Liuyun understood his feelings and immediately agreed.

In fact, he wasn't even sure he could escape. This time came a force of three hundred Tianzun Realm Martial Cultivators and an elite army; the Empire's involvement was substantial.

Ye Liuyun had fought the Foreign Tribe before and knew the strength of an elite army. It was certainly not something Qujing could defeat merely by terrain.

Within his Xuan Kong Stone, the newly hatched Demon Beasts have ample food and Magic Crystals, and their realms will soon catch up with the previous batch.

But against the Iron Armored Army, it is still insufficient.

Later, Qujing ordered Wen Chenggang to withdraw ten thousand elite soldiers from here, leaving some seeds for the main army.

But Wen Chenggang said he would not leave at all.

"Prince, after all these years I have never been apart from you! If we fight, we will die together; I will not leave! Let the princess lead people away," he said.

"I won't leave either! You all aren't afraid to die—does that make me afraid?" Qu Wanying also insisted on staying.

In the end, Qujing had no choice but to let everyone join the battle, but he gathered the family members who needed protection together, planning for Ye Liuyun to rescue them later.

After that, Luanfeng He became bustling; each day a large army arrived. Either they launched a direct attack, or, if few in number, they waited for more troops before fighting.

Qujing struggled daily to deal with these ordinary armies. Without the clone and Yin Soul assistance, he couldn't hold the natural barrier of Luanfeng He.

Yet all the soldiers sensed that the temperature here had dropped a bit, a noticeable change.

That was because Ye Liuyun had taken away many Fire Crystals, and the Mineral Vein's temperature began to fall.

As Ye Liuyun kept digging, he grew worried that removing all these veins might alter the local climate.

Based on the temperature emitted by the Fire Crystal vein, if it were exhausted, this place should become an extreme cold zone, with a climate similar to Xueyu.

It's not just temperature. After a lot of the Spiritual Stone Vein was removed, the waters of Luanfeng He grew even more turbulent.

This, for Qujing, was extremely advantageous.

Ye Liuyun hadn't previously realized the veins here would trigger such a massive chain reaction.

But with resources at hand, he was reluctant to give up and could only keep digging.

After seven or eight days, they had excavated more than half of the veins.

The temperature here had dropped noticeably.

Luanfeng He widened by several zhang, its water level rose, and the waves grew steeper.

The mountains surrounding the veins began collapsing, and some ground even cracked open.

"Liuyun!"

Ye Liuyun was digging the Fire Crystal vein when Liang Xue suddenly came looking for him.

"What's wrong?" he asked immediately upon seeing Liang Xue's tense expression.

"You'd better go check. The center of the Spiritual Stone Vein, its location, the temperature is dropping; the underground there has become permafrost.

I suspect these veins are suppressing an extreme cold force. If we remove them all, those cold forces might erupt uncontrollably," Liang Xue said anxiously.

Hearing this, Ye Liuyun immediately went with Liang Xue to inspect.

Liang Xue's group had already excavated an entire vein, reaching the central area.

But the ground here is extremely solid, all permafrost, with especially low temperature. Digging further would be much slower.

He used Divine Sense to feel, and indeed sensed an extreme cold force underground.

"It seems these veins were indeed used to alter the climate here. Beneath them, an extreme cold force is being suppressed," Ye Liuyun also realized.

"What should we do then, keep digging?" Liang Xue asked anxiously.

Ye Liuyun sighed and said, "Keep digging. The veins that were suppressing here have already lost balance and can no longer hold it! Moreover, even if we stop, the Empire will seize those veins and keep mining them."

"If we keep digging, could that ice‑cold force erupt?" Liang Xue worried it might harm people.

"Leave the central area for last and first excavate the veins extending from it," Ye Liuyun told Liang Xue.

"Alright!" Liang Xue then turned with the ferocious beasts and Kuailei, avoiding the central area.

Ye Liuyun then went to Lei Ming's side to check. The Magic Crystal veins showed no abnormality. These Magic Crystal veins were likely set to increase difficulty for anyone who tried to mine them.

Thus the Magic Crystal veins are the most tenuous, and Lei Ming's and the Demon Beasts' progress is the fastest.

They dig while absorbing, and don't feel tired.

"Brother, we'll finish digging in two more days!" Lei Ming happily told Ye Liuyun.

"Alright! You're still the fastest! After you finish the Magic Crystals, go help Xue Er mine Spirit Stones!" Ye Liuyun arranged for Lei Ming, then returned to dig Fire Crystals.

Regarding the Fire Crystal vein, his and the fire wolf pack's realms are the highest among the three groups, but the Fire Crystal vein forms the outermost and longest circle. So far they have only excavated about half.

The clone also sent word that the Iron Armored Army will arrive in about ten days, so they should still have time to withdraw early.

"Alright! Talk to Qujing and see if they're willing to evacuate with us!" Ye Liuyun asked the clone to discuss with Qujing.

With Ye Liuyun's protection, their retreat became much safer.

"But where can we retreat to? If the Iron Armored Army insists on pursuing us, where can we run?"

Qujing still was reluctant to leave.

Ye Liuyun's clone analyzed, "The Iron Armored Army is the Empire's main combat force; do you think they'll chase us forever? As long as we can outrun them, we can run anywhere without problem."