Chapter 2285: Hidden Strength

Ye Liuyun's clone rushed straight to Chengzhu Fu and ransacked its Treasure Vault completely.

Then he summoned the Sharp Blade Squad soldiers inside the city, left the city together, met up with Ye Tiandao and others, and began excavating the Mineral Vein.

At this time, Ye Liuyun stood outside the Royal Palace of the Zhong Yuan Dynasty, watching for any movement.

After the Royal City and Formation had been sealed for a month without finding Yun Mengyi's trace, they could only reopen them and lift the seal.

The people inside the city now had no movement restrictions, so Ye Liuyun went out to monitor the Royal Palace, to see if any strong Martial Cultivators would emerge from the palace to reinforce Cui Yuan City.

Ye Liuyun estimated that they would not transfer the strong Martial Cultivators stationed at Lingquan.

The strong ones guarding Lingquan numbered just over a hundred; divided equally among three families, the Zhong Yuan Dynasty would have only about thirty, far insufficient to handle the sudden situation in Cui Yuan City.

Sure enough, a group of over a hundred Martial Cultivators emerged from the Royal Palace.

And the leader among them was a young man who turned out to be a prince.

Ye Liuyun heard his subordinate refer to him as the Eighth Prince.

According to earlier information heard from within the Royal City, the Eighth Prince Xue Jinling should be at the Eighth Tier Early Stage.

But Ye Liuyun's Golden Pupil discovered that his true realm was the Ninth Layer Late Stage.

It was only because he wore a treasure that concealed his realm.

These circumstances show that the Zhong Yuan Dynasty may truly be hiding its strength.

The clone, having learned the information, ordered everyone to quickly erase the traces, then pulled them all into the Space World and returned to the city together with Qiong Qi.

This time they entered the city under the guise of an Alchemist from the Chengzhu Fu of Cui Shan City, Xing Jin Dynasty; they first went to the local merchants' guild to order a batch of medicinal herbs, then returned to the inn to rest.

When Xue Jinling arrived, he found the Mineral Vein already almost completely excavated.

He immediately returned to the city, seized Chengzhu Fu, ordered Martial Cultivators to search the city, while reorganizing the garrison to seal the city and begin hunting for rebels inside.

When they discovered Ye Liuyun and Qiong Qi in the inn, their identities allowed them to slip through the inspection easily.

Xue Jinling's side could not find any trace of the troublemakers, so they could only repeat the screening.

At this point, the clone and Qiong Qi had assembled the ordered herbs; after obtaining them, the clone pulled Qiong Qi into the Space World, donned the Invisibility Cloak, infiltrated Chengzhu Fu, killed a guard, then impersonated that guard to hide inside Chengzhu Fu, closely monitoring Xue Jinling's movements.

During the second patrol, the garrison also noticed the disappearance of the clone and Qiong Qi; a citywide manhunt found no one.

The merchants' guild confirmed that the two had already taken the herbs away.

The city remained under lockdown; how did those two manage to leave?

Moreover, the clone and Qiong Qi checked into the inn at the moment Xue Jinling arrived, so he immediately became suspicious.

He promptly sent someone to inquire in Cui Shan City.

But the head of Chengzhu Fu in Cui Shan City had already been taken over by Ye Liuyun, stating that only his people were involved and no one from the Zhong Yuan Dynasty needed to interfere.

Xue Jinling's subordinates, all strong men from the Royal Palace, were originally very arrogant; hearing the City Lord speak that way, they got angry, uttered a few harsh words, and were then ordered by the City Lord to be beaten severely, after which they were thrown out of Chengzhu Fu with serious injuries.

That person struggled to crawl to the Teleportation Array, went back to Xue Jinling and exaggerated the report.

"What?

A City Lord dares to beat my men! He really turned against me!"

Hearing this, Xue Jinling became furious, immediately summoned twenty Martial Cultivators, and rushed to Cui Shan City via the Teleportation Array.

However, as soon as he arrived, the City Lord of Feiyun City from the Sheng Yun Dynasty also reached Cui Shan City, and the two groups entered Chengzhu Fu one after another.

Xue Jinling, still full of arrogance, ordered his subordinates to attack as soon as they arrived, opening fire on Chengzhu Fu.

He hadn't expected that, though he was the one demanding punishment, he would be besieged by the combined forces of the two parties.

Fortunately, his subordinates fought desperately to protect him, trying to get him out.

But at the Teleportation Array, a large number of garrison troops appeared; helplessly, they could only send Xue Jinling out of Cui Shan City.

Yet his subordinates failed to escape.

After leaving the city, Xue Jinling reported the situation to the Zhong Yuan Dynasty while hurrying toward Cui Yuan City.

The City Lords of Cui Shan and Feiyun City both reported to their respective dynasties, stating that Xue Jinling of the Zhong Yuan Dynasty had inexplicably led troops to attack Cui Shan City; Cui Shan City sought aid from Feiyun City, and together they repelled Xue Jinling.

At this moment, however, the clone dispatched Sharp Blade Squad soldiers to attack the strong ones inside Cui Yuan City.

The clone seized the opportunity to locate the dwelling of the wounded Martial Cultivator, devoured his Soul, leaving no evidence of his death.

Then it released Qiong Qi, and together with the clone, helped the Sharp Blade Squad eliminate all the strong ones inside the city.

Some strong ones escaped; the clone did not pursue, but placed a Slave Seal on the last strong one and pulled him into the Space World.

Then it had that Slave‑Sealed Martial Cultivator contact Xue Jinling; after confirming his location, it transformed into the cultivator's appearance and met up with Xue Jinling.

Qiong Qi, leading Sharp Blade Squad soldiers, also left the city, and was then pulled back into the Space World by the clone.

It must be said that Ye Liuyun possesses the Thousand Illusion Technique and the Space World; the Zhong Yuan Dynasty will never be able to locate him or the Sharp Blade Squad.

A day later, the clone and more than ten other Martial Cultivators gradually gathered with Xue Jinling, protecting him as he returned to Cui Yuan City.

This time the Zhong Yuan Dynasty dispatched two hundred Martial Cultivator elites and ten thousand Imperial Guard to support Cui Yuan City, led by their renowned Baisheng King Xue Rongwu.

When Xue Jinling entered the city with his men, they were immediately surrounded by Xue Rongwu's forces.

"Apologies, Eighth Prince!"

Xue Rongwu said politely, "This matter now involves great stakes; I need to examine your Souls to ensure you are not being controlled."

The clone did not expect him to take this step.

But he had already seen that Xue Rongwu's Divine Soul Power was not as strong as his own.

Nevertheless, he used a Slave Seal to summon Martial Cultivators from Cui Shan City and Feiyun City, sending them through the Teleportation Array to attack here.

"What?

Baisheng King suspects me?"

The Eighth Prince was clearly dissatisfied; he did not wish to casually open his Sea of Consciousness to others, lest his secrets be discovered.

"This is an order from the Zhong Yuan King.

Prince, rest assured, I only need to confirm that your Soul is intact; I will not search any information!"

Xue Rongwu spoke politely, but his tone left no room for doubt, and he even produced the Zhongyuan King's order.

"Your Highness, let me go first! Prince, please!"

Ye Liuyun, dressed as a Martial Cultivator, stepped forward and said.

He knew Xue Jinling would certainly not refuse the Zhongyuan King's command, so it was better for him to act first, which also made it seem he was reading the situation, helping Xue Jinling find a step down.

Moreover, other Martial Cultivators were about to arrive through the Teleportation Array, so he seized the chance to turn the tables and take control of Xue Rongwu.

"Fine!"

Sure enough, Xue Jinling also went down the step, agreeing to the duplicate's request.

Xue Rongwu was also very satisfied with the duplicate's performance, thinking that this guard was indeed quite sensible.