Chapter 3646: Encounter Ahead

Ye Liuyun ordered the lower‑level Martial Cultivators not to enter this central area, but to stay on the outskirts and continue slaying the monster beasts.

The two Cave Heaven Realm Martial Cultivator squads of thirty each that he controlled also came to rendezvous with him.

He further divided the Cave Heaven Realm strongmen into three squads of twenty, arranging them in a formation that enclosed his own team in the middle, and they all charged toward the Secret Realm's center, facilitating mutual support and coordination.

The time Ye Liuyun's group entered the central area was very close to Jing Tao's, but they came from different directions, so they hadn't met yet.

However, Chen Haisheng and the other Martial Cultivators outside could see that the two parties would encounter each other before reaching the Secret Realm's central point.

The outer perimeter of Ye Liuyun's team was patrolled by monster beasts that scouted ahead, allowing them to detect danger early and take precautions. He also kept capturing stronger monster beasts to expand his own beast squad, so his personnel losses were minimal.

Jing Tao's party, on the other hand, relied solely on brute strength against the monster beasts, so casualties quickly mounted.

Not long after, the Demon King and Bà Tiān's Divine Sense scans detected Jing Tao's and Li Yuan's two parties and reported their situation to Ye Liuyun.

By this point, Li Yuan's squad had dwindled to eight members; they hadn't been capturing or enslaving others, yet the number of monster beasts they captured exceeded Ye Liuyun's.

Nevertheless, they now fought very cautiously, their advance noticeably slowed, and the remaining Martial Cultivators lacked sufficient rest time.

"They can also control Underworld monster beasts?" Ye Liuyun grew curious, asking the Demon King and Bà Tiān to focus on observing their battle and report back to him.

He later learned that Li Yuan also possessed a special eye pupil, and the black one seemed capable of soul control. As for the blue eye, Li Yuan had never used it, suggesting it also concealed part of his power.

"First deal with the larger‑numbered squad!"

Ye Liuyun immediately led his men toward Jing Tao's side.

However, he didn't send all three Cave Heaven Realm elite squads forward; instead, he left them on guard at their positions, and even his controlled monster beasts stayed behind. He only brought his immediate companions along with a dozen Cave Heaven Realm Martial Cultivators and Kuailei.

To deal with them, Ye Liuyun had already prepared: he used talismans to immobilize them and then controlled them one by one.

Yet when Jing Tao saw these people, he was not worried at all; instead, his face lit up with excitement.

"Perfect, you've sent reinforcements—over a dozen Cave Heaven Realm elites and Kuailei!"

He immediately ordered his subordinates not to let Ye Liuyun's people escape.

Jing Tao also had several Soul Cultivators with powerful Divine Senses; their presence allowed him to easily dominate those Martial Cultivators and deal with Spiritual Perception. Moreover, the Kuailei by Jing Tao's side were also suitable for handling Spiritual Perception and other monster beasts.

"I am Jing Tao, second son of Lord Jing Yu; join us and I may spare your lives, otherwise die!" Jing Tao threatened Ye Liuyun outright.

"Should we kill this one?" Lei Ming asked Ye Liuyun, pointing directly at Jing Tao.

"Kill!"

Ye Liuyun replied calmly. Lord Jing Yu was Chen Haisheng's most troublesome opponent, so he would definitely behead Jing Tao.

"Ha ha!" Hearing that, the Jing Tao opposite and the over fifty strong ones burst into laughter. M..

"A waste not even at Sixth Layer dares to say kill me—who gave you that courage?" Jing Tao looked at Ye Liuyun with a mocking grin.

Ye Liuyun stepped out with several Monster Beasts beside him, as if to challenge them.

"Are you looking for death? Hahaha…"

The Martial Cultivators opposite, upon seeing those few emerge, couldn't help but burst into loud laughter, taking them no seriously.

In the council Grand Hall of the Royal Mansion, Lord Jing Yu grew tense, stood up, and clenched his fists.

"This fool, just look at his realm! Someone with such a low realm dares to come out—has he not the slightest vigilance?" Lord Jing Yu couldn't help but scold.

He was berating his own son. Unfortunately, Jing Tao couldn't hear his warning.

The next moment, Ye Liuyun and the Monster Beasts beside him also hurled talismans outward.

"Hm?" Jing Tao, still wary, saw Spirit Stones and wondered, "Are they trying to attack us with Spirit Stones? Or surrender, using Spirit Stones to buy their lives?"

When the Spirit Stones exploded, the Golden Light burst forth, and it was too late for them to regret.

Jing Tao and his subordinates were immobilized by the talismans, unable to move at all.

Talisman suppression isn't absolute; those strong enough can break free. However, the talismans crafted by Ye Liuyun were unbreakable for anyone of their current realm.

Moreover, it wasn't only Ye Liuyun who threw the talismans; several Monster Beasts did as well, making the restraining power even stronger.

Ye Liuyun immediately acted, placing Slave Seals on those few Divine Sense‑strong Martial Cultivators. Lei Ming wielded the Thunder God Hammer and smashed it straight at Jing Tao.

"Careless!" Jing Tao was startled, never expecting someone of such a low realm to possess such bizarre tactics.

But now he couldn't move, not even unleash a Spiritual Soul Attack; he gritted his teeth and brought out his life‑saving Trump Card.

"Boom—" a deafening roar.

The impact of Lei Ming's Thunder God Hammer indeed struck something, but to everyone's surprise, beneath the hammer lay a field of broken porcelain shards.

"Sacrificial Puppet!"

Ye Liuyun reacted instantly, and his Divine Sense immediately detected Jing Tao's figure already two li away.

Jing Tao used the porcelain substitute puppet to trade for a single life, escaping Ye Liuyun's talisman's range, though only a short distance, and he was still glad to have bought a reprieve.

Without hesitation, Ye Liuyun drew the Godslaying Bow, aimed at Jing Tao, and loosed another arrow.

The freshly escaped Jing Tao, still reeling, instantly felt the Godslaying Bow's oppressive threat and a terrifying death aura, shouting out. Before his cry ended, a "boom—" rang again as another arrow struck him.

When the spiritual aura dissipated, Ye Liuyun's Golden Pupil saw the ground once more littered with porcelain shards, and Jing Tao reappeared several li away.

This time, as soon as Jing Tao materialized, he fled without looking back, showing no hesitation.

"This guy certainly prepared plenty of substitute puppets!"

Ye Liuyun watched Jing Tao's fleeing silhouette, hesitated briefly, but did not give chase.

Jing Tao's realm was not low; his full‑speed escape was swift. If Ye pursued, he'd be in greater danger; if he sent others, those left behind would also be at risk.

"We should deal with these people quickly!" Ye Liuyun sighed, abandoning the pursuit of Jing Tao and calling back Lei Ming, Hei Hu, and the others who were about to chase.

The Spirit Stone‑etched talismans had limited duration, so he had to hurry to deal with the people before him.

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