Chapter 3001: True Stronger

Ye Liuyun immediately vanished into the void, trying to change position to avoid being attacked.

The white-clothed man's Spatial Power was clearly far stronger than his. He could casually traverse onto a Flying Boat, something Ye Liuyun cannot yet achieve.

At that moment, the Flying Boat's hatch had already opened.

And as soon as Ye Liuyun moved, he found the space around him locked.

"Danger!"

A sudden sense of urgent peril arose, making Ye Liuyun's heart flutter.

Then the white-clothed man appeared before him, slapping a palm straight at him.

Ye Liuyun instantly employed Time Power to freeze time, then tried to use Spatial Power to break through the spatial barrier the white-clothed man had erected.

Ye Liuyun's Spatial Power, though not as strong as the man's, had been practiced against such barriers; after several attempts he actually broke free from the man's spatial lock.

"Huh!" He exhaled, cold sweat already seeping down his back.

The white-clothed man's palm couldn't kill him, but if he kept using Spatial Power to continuously attack Ye Liuyun, Ye Liuyun certainly wouldn't hold out long.

Ye Liuyun, having broken the spatial lock, immediately launched a Spiritual Soul Attack to try to control him. Yet the white-clothed man's Sea of Consciousness possessed a Defense Artifact, and for a moment Ye Liuyun couldn't overcome him.

So he first used Space Translocation, moving his Second Clone into his own Space World, letting it place its Soul into his Sea of Consciousness, and the four Souls struck together.

His Divine Soul Power was strong enough; the four combined could shatter the Defense Artifact, ultimately planting a Slave Seal on that man.

He immediately performed Soul Search to learn the backgrounds of the three individuals.

"There truly are people beyond people! This is the real strong one. Seems I previously underestimated these bandits."

Ye Liuyun learned that the white-clothed man is called Zhan Kong within the Dragon Head Bandit Group, a genuine strong one. His Spatial Power alone is unrivaled among peers, and no one can break his attacks or defenses.

The blue-clothed man, whose Heaven and Earth Power is exceptionally strong, is called Wuying by the bandits. He can use Heaven and Earth Power to render himself invisible and formless. The Black-clothed Person, known as Baolong, not only has solidified True Essence, but his Physical Body, Soul, and Bloodline Power are all relatively balanced.

These three, all hidden trump cards of the Dragon Head Bandit Group, were originally reserved to deal with the strong ones of the First Star Bandit Group.

Their move this time stemmed from earlier intel that Ye Liuyun's side had little support and that a stealthy strong one was present, which they deemed a significant threat and thus wanted to eliminate them first.

They originally thought the three of them could easily locate and wipe out the stealthy strong one. Unexpectedly, once they clashed, Zhan Kong was already under someone's control.

Zhan Kong also wanted to see Ye Liuyun's true identity, so he didn't strike a killing blow immediately. Otherwise, if he had directly attacked Ye Liuyun with Spatial Power, Ye Liuyun might not have even had a chance to flee.

Ye Liuyun, grasping the situation and knowing these people were hard to handle, promptly sent Zhan Kong into the void to help track Wuying's trail.

As Time Flow Speed recovered, a booming crash sounded beside Ye Liuyun; Zhan Kong's palm struck directly into his locked space.

"Huh"—a surging Heaven and Earth Power rushed from where the clone had just stood, blasting through empty air without hitting anyone.

"Eh?" Wuying's figure appeared, evidently surprised that the clone he attacked had vanished before his eyes.

Had Ye Liuyun not needed that clone's assistance and recalled it early, he would have been caught off guard as well.

Thus Wuying now wore a solemn expression, again wrapping himself with Heaven and Earth Power while also using it to probe the whereabouts of the Second Clone.

As for Ye Liuyun, he thought that with Zhan Kong handling it, he need not worry.

"Lock him!" Ye Liuyun immediately commanded Zhan Kong, having him use Spatial Power to lock the not-yet-fully-vanished Wuying in place.

"Zhan Kong?" Wuying was startled, not expecting Zhan Kong to suddenly strike him.

But he reacted swiftly, a surge of Heaven and Earth Power booming at Zhan Kong. Zhan Kong, knowing he couldn't stand firm, immediately stacked layers of void in front of himself, absorbing the blow's force.

Ye Liuyun again employed Time Power, releasing his Soul together with the Second Clone to plant a Slave Seal on Wuying as well.

On the other side, Baolong also drew a Black Shadow, charging straight into the city.

He never expected that the void and Wuying would be captured so quickly.

A pure, refined True Essence was hurled by Baolong toward the Magic Vine's core; his Divine Sense had already detected that the strongest power here was the Magic Vine.

The Magic Vine showed no fear, swinging several vines to snatch the True Essence he launched. After a few booming sounds, the Magic Vine withstood Baolong's attack, and the vines remained unharmed.

Baolong also recognized this as a formidable opponent and immediately gathered strength to strike again.

The First Clone, however, gave him no chance; once he approached, it froze time, tore out his Soul, and planted a Slave Seal, refusing to let him recklessly clash with the Magic Vine.

Inside the city, the Monster Beast and Tang Xinyao and others were all intimidated by Baolong's terrifying True Essence aura, temporarily halting their actions, waiting to see his battle with the Magic Vine.

"You all continue!" The First Clone immediately pulled Baolong into the Space World. Ye Liuyun also gathered Zhan Kong and Wuying, preventing them from being discovered.

He even sealed their Flying Boat into the Space World, thinking it might be useful for a future escape.

After subduing these three strong ones, Ye Liuyun felt rather pleased.

"Finally found a true strong opponent!"

Ye Liuyun thought that the refined Mysterious Origin, Spatial Power, and Heaven and Earth Power were precisely the aspects he wished to improve; after returning, discussing them with these three strong ones might reveal a breakthrough path.

Their siege battle was already nearing its end; the thief cat had stolen enough and returned to the Monster Beast ranks. With no opponents left in the city, Ye Liuyun simply let them withdraw, leaving the Magic Vine to clean up the battlefield.

Meanwhile, the Magic Vine, after being stimulated by Baolong's attack and devouring all the corpses in the city, directly advanced its realm to Guiyi Sixth Layer.

Ye Liuyun, to help the Magic Vine solidify its realm, sent it outside the city for another hunt. Subsequently, explosions rang around the city walls. Ye Liuyun ignored the commotion and let the Flying Boat drift slowly behind the Magic Vine.

Only when the Magic Vine reported its realm was stabilized did Ye Liuyun retrieve it, piloting the Flying Boat to rush toward Li Qingyang's fleet.

When they arrived back, the battle on Li Qingyang's side had already ended; upon their return, the fleet set sail immediately.