Chapter 2170: Acting Early

Ye Liuyun told Zhao Ming Cheng to gather all Martial Cultivators below the Eighth Realm Late Stage and also bring them into the Space World.

Even Zhao Ming Cheng herself, Ye Liuyun does not let her take part in the operation.

Zhao Ming Cheng's realm is too low; even if she went, she would be of little use.

"The enemy has too many people; this time we can only launch a surprise attack, and we must target their strongest cultivator with the highest realm.

Your realm is too low; it would expose our position early."

Ye Liuyun also gave Zhao Ming Cheng no chance to argue.

The Zhao family Elder also agreed not to let Zhao Ming Cheng participate.

By leaving Zhao Ming Cheng to lead the clan members, they felt even more at ease.

The Zhao family Elder even wanted to stop Ye Liuyun from joining this battle, fearing something would happen to Ye Liuyun.

In the end Zhao Ming Cheng trusted Ye Liuyun, gave him a guarantee, and only then did the Elders reluctantly agree to Ye Liuyun's participation.

Zhao Ming Cheng could only follow the Martial Cultivators below the Eighth Realm Late Stage, being taken into the Space World by Ye Liuyun.

Now outside, the remaining people, apart from the thirteen Ninth Layer Late Stage Martial Cultivators under Ye Liuyun's control and Liu Yang and three others, also include twelve Zhao family Martial Cultivators.

Adding Ye Liuyun himself, that makes exactly thirty people.

"Leave the Ninth Layer Late Stage Martial Cultivators to me to handle with Bà Tiān.

Liu Yang and the Zhao family Martial Cultivators together will deal with the Seventh/Eighth Level Realm Martial Cultivators.

You thirteen Ninth Layer Late Stage Martial Cultivators, go specifically to kill the Ninth Layer Early-Mid Stage Martial Cultivators."

Ye Liuyun assigned everyone their tasks, and also had the captured Martial Cultivators manifest a terrain map of the crossing with True Essence, laying out the actual deployment, arranging the attack routes and timing.

Afterwards, they set off at full speed toward the crossing.

Two days later, the clone also mastered the second half of the Nine Nether Prelude, and even used the now‑Demon Cultivator Pang Ren for a test.

After succeeding, the clone immediately emerged from the Xuan Kong Shi, donned the Invisibility Cloak, and using the power of overlapping spaces, rushed ahead to the crossing.

Ye Liuyun's Soul is now exceptionally powerful and had long ago detected that the crossing had sent scouts to monitor their marching speed.

He did not kill those scouts; instead he, together with everyone else, caused the crossing's scouts to misjudge their arrival time.

All Martial Cultivators at the crossing were also prepared.

Upon learning that Ye Liuyun's side numbered only thirty, they felt very relaxed.

The night before Ye Liuyun's group arrived, the crossing's Martial Cultivators were still having a banquet.

The clone arrived just after the banquet began.

Upon arrival, he immediately began to target the Ninth Layer Mid Stage Martial Cultivators.

These people had not signed a Divine Soul Contract, so he planted Slave Seals on them, which would not be discovered by Bà Tiān.

The Martial Cultivators were feasting, drinking, playing drinking games, and even brought many women to entertain them.

Therefore, when Ye Liuyun acted, as long as he was a little careful, it did not attract attention.

Each time he controlled a person, he let them continue to eat, drink, and revel without raising suspicion.

By the time the banquet ended, all Ninth Layer Mid Stage Martial Cultivators had been marked with Slave Seals by Ye Liuyun.

He had no time to deal with the Ninth Layer Early Stage Martial Cultivators, planning to go straight after those Ninth Layer Late Stage Martial Cultivators.

He chose his targets by selecting a few Martial Cultivators whose residences were relatively close, making it convenient for him to strike.

Thus, even if Bà Tiān discovered him, he would at least have placed Slave Seals on a few Martial Cultivators rather than coming away empty‑handed.

He did not intend to capture other masters.

So he directly poisoned them, but let the toxin act slowly.

When Ye Liuyun arrived, the clone again controlled the toxin's release, preventing Bà Tiān from fleeing early.

Afterwards the clone proceeded methodically, planting the poison one by one.

To avoid these masters detecting his trace, he had to frequently pause to evade Divine Sense probing.

At dawn, Ye Liuyun communicated with the clone; they were almost there.

Only then did the clone begin to launch a Spiritual Soul Attack.

"One, two…"

The clone's initial progress was very smooth, subduing two strong opponents.

Just as he was about to attack the third, he suddenly felt himself locked onto by some treasure.

"Hahaha, I've been ready for your move all along.

Aren't you going to reveal yourself yet?"

At that moment, Bà Tiān's laughter rang out.

It turned out that when the clone invisibly seized Chen Tao and Ye Liuyun's second batch of ten Ninth Layer Late Stage strongmen, Bà Tiān had already guessed that there was a hidden strongman beside Ye Liuyun.

Moreover, the reason Ye Liuyun could control Martial Cultivators so quickly was that this hidden person played a great role.

He assumed Ye Liuyun would send a hidden person to ambush in advance, so he had prepared a hanging artifact.

This hanging artifact can locate the hidden person's position, but each activation lasts only a short time and consumes a lot.

Therefore Bà Tiān cannot keep the hanging artifact active at all times.

He can only use it after he notices the hidden person has appeared.

When he sensed a Divine Soul Contract of a Martial Cultivator disappear, he immediately used the artifact and traced the clone's location.

At that moment, he was already holding a nine‑tier divine bow, aiming at the clone.

Seeing this, the clone, fearing his shot would damage the invisibility garment, first used Thousand Illusion Technique to change his appearance, then folded away the Invisibility Cloak, revealing his form.

"Tell your friend to return my son, and I can spare you!"

Bà Tiān, seeing his cooperation, threatened the clone.

"Hm hm!"

The clone snorted coldly, and its figure suddenly became illusory.

He intended to escape by overlapping space.

"Useless!"

Chen Batiān, however, shot an arrow straight at the clone's thigh.

That arrow also arrived instantly, and it also had a locking function, and it carried the Demon Qi released by Chen Batiān.

The clone also knew it couldn't dodge, but wearing that set of ancient demon race battle armor, it directly bore Chen Batiān's arrow.

Then it moved away via spatial overlap.

Chen Batiān also wanted to control Ye Liuyun through void sealing, but he didn't expect that his spatial power was actually weaker than Ye Liuyun's, and the clone easily broke through it.

"Damn it, he actually got away!"

Chen Batiān watched the clone escape, but there was nothing he could do.

The clone was afraid that directly killing him would awaken the demon race's soul.

Otherwise, it would also not suffer his arrow, and would not use the Golden Pupil to attack him.

But with that ancient demon race armor on, he only felt a slight pain in his thigh and wasn't injured.

Those demon qi were also directly absorbed by the armor; even if he wasn't a demon cultivator, he wouldn't be eroded by the demon qi.

Upon learning that the clone's operation had failed, Ye Liuyun immediately changed his strategy again. He used transmission voice to order the thirteen captured Ninth Layer Late Stage martial cultivators under him: "Three Ninth Realm martial cultivators, follow me; five follow the Zhao family's Elder; five go deal with the Ninth Layer Early Stage martial cultivators."

Remember that the opposing Ninth Layer Mid Stage martial cultivators have basically already been subdued by me.

However, we can't be sure there aren't any stragglers; before you act, use the slave seal to sense the other party's identity.

"Don't kill the wrong one!"

At this time, the clone also rushed back to meet up with Ye Liuyun, and again went to kill those martial cultivators of Chen Batiān.

At the start of the battle, Ye Liuyun, under the cover of three experts, directly used the Great Wilderness Bow to kill two Ninth Layer Late Stage martial cultivators.

Those two people were originally the clone's targets from last night.