Chapter 297: Initiation Gift

After Ye Liuyun broke through his realm, he went to tell the Grand Elder.

He also consulted the Grand Elder about joining the Northern Domain Alliance.

"Since you have an agreement, you should join now; you'll have many backers. The Jin Family hasn't shown any movement so far, but that doesn't mean they won't seize an opportunity later."

So Ye Liuyun took out the Token the man in black had given him and crushed it.

That night, the man in black silently appeared at the entrance of Ye Liuyun's Grand Hall, startling him to the point of almost shouting.

The Sect's Formation and the Tianqian Feng Formation couldn't block the man in black at all. His strength must be tremendous.

"Little guy, you've been through a lot lately! I've heard so much about you my ears are blistered!" the man in black laughed.

He then added, "But the proper procedure still applies. You need to kill a Holy Realm Corpse Demon, or a hundred Ninth Sea Transformation Corpse Demons, as a token of loyalty and a joining gift. Once you complete the task, I'll take you to the Alliance Base for formal induction. Of course, the Alliance won't let you work for nothing; there will be a reciprocal reward."

"Fine! Then I'll set out tomorrow to the Barbarian Territory to slay Corpse Demons," Ye Liuyun replied without hesitation.

"Aren't you afraid I might deceive you?" the man in black asked, a bit surprised.

"Heh, even if you lie, killing Corpse Demons is my duty, and I lose nothing!" Ye Liuyun answered calmly.

The man in black laughed, "Hahaha, you little guy are truly amusing. Let me tell you, after you join the Alliance, Corpse Demon Crystal Cores can be exchanged for points to claim rewards. So since you're going, you might as well kill more."

"After I gather enough Crystal Cores, how do I contact you?" Ye Liuyun asked.

"Take it." The man in black handed him a Transmission Talisman and instructed, "I know you have many enemies, and I don't mind being used once. But don't make me travel all the way to the Barbarian lands to fetch you! I have other matters. Anywhere near your academy is fine."

The man in black meant that, should he encounter danger, he could lend a hand once, provided he collects enough Corpse Demon Crystal Cores.

"Then thank you, senior!" Ye Liuyun bowed gratefully. When he looked up again, the man in black had vanished.

"What realm does that man in black belong to?" Ye Liuyun could only ask Hell Mingshe.

"At least stronger than your Skeleton Puppet!" it replied, unable to discern the man's exact realm.

"So if he intends to kill me, I have no power to resist?" Ye Liuyun asked again.

Hell Mingshe thought for a moment. "Yes! You lack the ability to deal with him. Even if the two of us team up, we can't handle him!"

"Oh, then no need to overthink; whatever he says is final! What level of Martial Cultivator can you currently face?" Ye Liuyun asked the Mingshe again.

"Without dedicated Soul cultivation, the first or second Heavenly Gang Realm should be fine. Together we could at most handle the fourth Heavenly Gang Realm. Anything stronger, it's best not to try; we might both be wiped out!" Hell Mingshe suggested.

Ye Liuyun nodded. "Then we'll play it safe: let the Skeleton Puppet deal with the early and mid stages of the Heavenly Gang Realm."

Having gauged the Soul's strength, Ye Liuyun that night resumed practicing the Void‑Evading Technique.

Practicing the Void‑Evading Technique helped him perceive the void, improve his body movement and finger techniques, and even let his sword and fist styles strike foes more swiftly.

Thus Ye Liuyun made the Void‑Evading Technique a daily compulsory lesson.

At daybreak, Ye Liuyun went to Lingyun Pavilion and summoned Hao Chengfeng, Tang Hao and others.

Ye Liuyun didn't tell them about his breakthrough to the Holy Realm. He simply asked, "I'm heading to the Barbarian lands to hunt Corpse Demons; we'll leave shortly. Anyone want to come?"

Tang Hao and Hao Chengfeng found hunting Corpse Demons too dull and declined. Jiang Yuan and Liu Shengnan were very interested; they could exchange Corpse Demon Crystal Cores for merit points to obtain cultivation resources.

Then Lin Xueying, Qi Tianyue, Nan Xin'er and several other women, seeing the rare chance to accompany Ye Liuyun, naturally agreed. Han Feng and Leng Yue also intended to go.

Besides them, Tie Jun, Qi Hong and others also wanted to go.

Ye Liuyun told Tie Jun, "My Flying Boat can hold at most twelve people; any more will slow us down. I'll give you four slots; arrange as you see fit. In one hour, we'll meet here."

After speaking, Ye Liuyun returned to Tianqian Feng. He first instructed Wu Qingcheng and the others to each bring three Holy Realm Fierce Beasts for protection, even the three Monster Beasts, all chosen at the highest realm.

Then he selected fifty of the strongest combat‑capable fierce beasts, placed them in the Grand Hall, and sent them back to Xuan Kong Shi for cultivation.

He rushed to Lingyun Pavilion to wait for everyone to set off. Tie Jun ultimately didn't join, giving his spot to someone else, and went off to busy himself with establishing a branch hall.

When everyone gathered, Ye Liuyun led them onto the Flying Boat and sped toward the Barbarian Territory.

As soon as the Flying Boat launched, those who had never ridden it before voiced their amazement.

"This speed is insane! It should take about four days to reach the Barbarian Territory,"

"Yes! Four days should be enough. There will be a tough battle later, so everyone should use the time to cultivate. When we arrive, I'll call you. We won't encounter danger on the road; at this speed, as long as we don't stop, no one can catch or block us," Ye Liuyun reassured them, encouraging bold cultivation.

Thus the group dispersed to cultivate; Ye Liuyun kept one private room for himself, and the other two were given to several women.

He kept a private room for easy access to Xuan Kong Shi for cultivation.

Meanwhile, the task of piloting the Flying Boat fell to Lei Ming. He cultivated outside for two days and inside Xuan Kong Shi for twenty days; during those twenty‑two days, he completely absorbed the Core Pillar that Zi Long had given him.

The Zi Long Core Pillar had suffered long‑term depletion, so most of its energy was gone. After absorbing the remaining energy, Ye Liuyun refined the entire Zi Long Core Pillar into his own Core Pillar, strengthening it—an unexpected gain.

Approaching the northern border, Ye Liuyun's Divine Sense detected that the Heavenly Transport King had reinforced the border troops and tightened the defenses.

"As expected of the Heavenly Transport King, he promptly thought of the people and bolstered the border to defend against Corpse Demons."

Ye Liuyun and his party crossed the defenses and entered the area occupied by Corpse Demons, then disembarked from the Flying Boat.

Ye Liuyun's Divine Sense spread outward to survey the Corpse Demons. He found the Corpse Demon army had changed, evolving from a scattered mass into legions composed of mixed realms.

Each legion was led by a Core Pillar‑realm Corpse Demon, followed by Sea Transformation‑realm demons, then True Essence and Refined Body‑realm ordinary demons. Moreover, each legion began carving out its own territory, numbering tens of thousands of Corpse Demons.

"Corpse Demons have truly become a climate!" Ye Liuyun frowned with concern.