Chapter 2755: Discard the Mill, Kill the Donkey

Ye Liuyun also took the chance to release the Demon Lion, letting it stealthily steal all the resources inside Liu Zhong's Storage Ring.

Meng Wenxiang and Han Qiao did not expect that Ye Liuyun could actually lead them to exterminate the Foreign Tribe.

"Ha ha, that damned old Liu Zhong—if he hadn't wiped out more than ten Seventhfold Sovereign Foreign Tribe members before dying, we wouldn't have fought so enjoyably.

That guy really died at the right time."

Han Qiao started bantering with Meng Wenxiang.

Meng Wenxiang said with some worry, "I'm afraid the Empire will link Liu Zhong's death to us!"

"What does it have to do with us? He died in battle!"

Han Qiao, however, was unconvinced.

Meng Wenxiang didn't press the topic further, busy commanding soldiers to exterminate the Foreign Tribe.

After Ye Liuyun's troops eliminated most of the Fifth and Sixth Layer Sovereign strong ones of the Foreign Tribe, his force finally halted, hiding behind Meng Wenxiang's main army to rest.

His unit is now utterly exhausted.

Only the Magic Vine and the Sealing Demon Tablet, still accompanied by their captured Foreign Tribe, the Nine‑headed Demon Dragon and the Vermilion Bird, continue to pursue other Foreign Tribe strong ones.

The scattered Foreign Tribe soldiers were all assigned to Han Qiao and Meng Wenxiang to chase down.

Not long after, the Vermilion Bird and the Nine‑headed Demon Dragon returned with the captured Foreign Tribe strong ones.

Ye Liuyun collected three Seventhfold Sovereign Foreign Tribe members and twenty‑three Sixthfold Sovereign Foreign Tribe members into the Space World, and threw the rest to the Sealing Demon Tablet and Magic Vine.

The Sealing Demon Tablet and Magic Vine then began cleaning the battlefield, constantly devouring Foreign Tribe corpses, leaving the ground littered with dry bodies.

Ye Liuyun dispatched Seventhfold Sovereign soldiers to clean the battlefield, while the remaining troops and the Vermilion Bird and Nine‑headed Demon Dragon were recalled into the Space World for cultivation.

Meng Wenxiang carefully sent people to locate Liu Zhong's fragmented remains and his Storage Ring, only to find the ring empty.

He guessed the Foreign Tribe had taken it, but with so many corpses on site, he couldn't tell which tribe had taken it.

After Ye Liuyun's soldiers finished cleaning the battlefield, Meng Wenxiang specifically told Ye Liuyun the situation, fearing Liu Zhong's death might be blamed on them and urging them to retrieve the resources inside Liu Zhong's Storage Ring.

Ye Liuyun also pretended to be generous, letting the soldiers hand over all confiscated Storage Rings for Meng Wenxiang to inspect before sealing them into his own Space World.

He even had his captured prisoners bring out their Storage Rings for Meng Wenxiang to check, but they too yielded nothing.

Meng Wenxiang also went to Han Qiao; the Storage Rings obtained from Han Qiao's battlefield cleanup were also given to him for inspection, yet none belonged to Liu Zhong.

With no other recourse, Meng Wenxiang had to give up.

In such a chaotic battlefield, losing a single Storage Ring is quite normal.

All the forces suffered heavy losses; Ye Liuyun's unit ended with just over a thousand men, the heaviest loss of all.

Both Han Qiao's and Meng Wenxiang's armies lost more than half, but at least they completed the mission.

Meng Wenxiang immediately reported to Liu Haotian.

Yet after Liu Haotian learned of Liu Zhong's death, he couldn't be pleased; he likely thought the Empire would hold them accountable, blaming them for failing to protect the Empire's strongest asset.

So Liu Haotian didn't let them return, instead ordered them to stay put and await further orders.

When the news arrived, Han Qiao felt both inwardly and outwardly very indignant.

Meng Wenxiang was likewise worried all day long.

Only Ye Liuyun quietly spent each day training his soldiers, while informing Ling Yuan and An Ran to accelerate the expansion of the Wolf Hunt Mercenary Corps' territory.

He knew in his heart that this decaying Empire was not worth serving.

He had originally come just to assess the situation and help deal with the Foreign Tribe.

He would never accept any punishment; at worst he could just walk away.

Sure enough, after the Empire wiped out the Foreign Tribe and solved the immediate crisis, it began to settle accounts with them.

In the post‑war merit tally, Ye Liuyun and his men not only received no credit but were instead set to be held responsible.

The Star Disk Empire even dispatched four Seventhfold Sovereign Martial Cultivators to handle them personally.

Liu Haotian had beforehand conveyed the Empire's decision and the news that the strong ones were being chased to them.

Their three Leaders immediately gathered to discuss a countermeasure.

Han Qiao, blunt and outspoken, said outright that he would lead troops to rebel.

Meng Wenxiang, more cautious, replied, "Rebel?

Where could you run to?

Expect the President to chase you with troops?"

Meng Wenxiang wasn't worried about fighting the Empire; he feared that after a rebellion, Liu Haotian would be implicated, or the Empire would let Liu Haotian strike back at them.

Ye Liuyun remained silent, merely listening.

"Say something!"

Han Qiao, unable to think of a plan, urged Ye Liuyun.

"The President says you're brave and clever; think of a solution quickly, or else I'll have to lead troops to rebel. I won't just sit around waiting to die! I'd rather lead troops to smash the Foreign Tribe's stronghold, fight them to mutual destruction, than die in such a cramped way!"

Ye Liuyun himself didn't mind, but now Han Qiao and Meng Wenxiang trusted him, Liu Haotian didn't treat him as an outsider and was still protecting them, providing information—so he felt they had done enough for him.

Therefore he now intended to help Han Qiao and Meng Wenxiang, even to aid Liu Haotian's schemes.

Seeing Han Qiao's urging, Ye Liuyun voiced his thought: "The Empire feels safe dealing with us now because the Foreign Tribe threat is gone; they're ready to discard the mill and kill the donkey, thinking we're no longer useful."

"If, when those four Seventhfold Sovereign strong ones arrive, the Foreign Tribe attacks them, we'll have a reason to keep existing."

"As long as they still need to keep the mill grinding, the donkey can't be killed yet."

"Then we'll claim we're still pursuing the Foreign Tribe and not return to the base."

"Instead we'll go recruiting everywhere."

"When the Foreign Tribe attacks again, we'll go back."

"If the Empire needs us in battle then, we can set this matter aside temporarily."

"Hmm!"

Meng Wenxiang heard that and kept nodding, feeling the plan was good.

"But the Foreign Tribe has all been killed by us! If only we had left some behind!"

Han Qiao also thought the plan was good, but now it's hard to find any Foreign Tribe.

Ye Liuyun merely smiled faintly and released the captured Foreign Tribe from the Space World.

There were three Sevenfold Sovereigns and over twenty Sixfold Sovereigns among the Foreign Tribe; the number wasn't small.

"Hahaha! I actually forgot about them! You kid, you really have it— you weren't already prepared, were you?"

Han Qiao, seeing these Foreign Tribe, also laughed happily.

Ye Liuyun also laughed: "That's not because I was prepared earlier.

I only kept them for practice, never thought they'd be useful now!

Meng Wenxiang, talk to the President; then he can send us to continue hunting the Foreign Tribe's strong ones, and the problem will be solved."

"Alright!"

Meng Wenxiang immediately communicated with Liu Haotian.

This idea even earned Liu Haotian's high praise as brilliant.

So, Ye Liuyun and his companions released those Foreign Tribe early to set an ambush; he himself and Zhu Que also donned Invisibility Cloaks, followed the Foreign Tribe, and prepared to strike together when the time came.