Chapter 386: In the Fury

"What kind of aura is in here?" Lei Ming asked curiously.

"It's Xuan Qi, different from Ling Qi. This gas merges into the True Essence, making your True Essence more solid; my True Essence already contains this Xuan Qi. Try feeling its effect first; if it doesn't work, look for other resources." Ye Liuyun introduced it to them.

Although they hadn't cultivated the Xuan Yuan Chain Qi technique, they could still absorb some, just not as quickly as he did.

When a few tried, Wu Qingcheng and Yu Er also managed to absorb; they learned a method from the Ice Maiden, which shares similarities with the Xuan Yuan Chain Qi technique. Their absorption speed was far slower than Ye Liuyun's, but still much faster than the others'.

So the group sat down calmly to cultivate.

Ye Liuyun focused his cultivation; soon the surrounding Xuan Qi swarmed toward him, centering on him and forming a vortex-like spiral.

Before long, the Golden Core changed again. The original Core membrane and its True Essence fully merged, inseparable, becoming a single whole.

His realm also broke through to the Seventh Layer of the Golden Core.

After the breakthrough, he felt his power double as the Core became more solid. Yet he did not stop, continuing to absorb Xuan Qi.

Xuan Qi is the Primordial Power of this place; the locals rely on it for life, so he certainly wouldn't take it away, only absorb as much as possible, and when leaving, bring back some Xuan Yuan Crystal Stones.

The others also sensed Ye Liuyun's breakthrough and envied how quickly he could absorb Xuan Qi.

But three days later, the Monster Beasts grew restless. After a brief discussion, they greeted Ye Liuyun and went out to hunt ferocious beasts. They believed that eating the local ferocious beast meat would increase the Xuan Qi within their True Essence faster than cultivating here. That's a trait of Monster Beasts.

Ye Liuyun didn't stop them, only told them not to go farther than five hundred li from the camp. That range is within his Divine Sense's coverage, allowing him to keep watch on them.

They also knew they couldn't use True Essence now; they couldn't defeat stronger ferocious beasts, so they agreed.

Ye Liuyun's Divine Sense stayed with them. The first two days went smoothly, and gradually they all relaxed. Ye Liuyun no longer constantly monitored them, focusing on his cultivation. With Xuan Qi so abundant here, a rare chance, he needed to raise his realm as much as possible.

Yet his momentary laxity led to an accident.

After roaming nearby for a few days, the three Monster Beasts cleared all surrounding ferocious beasts. Seeing none nearby, Lei Ming contemplated venturing farther.

She was always playful, and Bai Hu and Shi Yuan, accustomed to obeying her, agreed as soon as she suggested. That ferocious beast meat benefited their realm advancement, faster than cultivating beside the Primordial Power, so they couldn't resist the temptation.

Ru Yue couldn't dissuade the three, and thinking nothing had happened these days, finally went along.

If they only met ferocious beasts, there wouldn't be major issues. After all, their Physical Body and Soul are stronger than ordinary beasts, and with Shi Yuan's three heads and six arms, even if they lose, they could return. Moreover, their Divine Sense is linked with Ye Liuyun's; any danger would be instantly known to him.

However, they encountered not beasts but humans. Leading them was an outsider like Ye Liuyun, an Elder of the third tier of Tian Gang from the Southern Alliance, and terrifyingly, he was a Soul Cultivator. Beside him were several Martial Cultivators originally at the Ninth Level of the Golden Core.

Though this Elder couldn't use his True Essence, his sheer powerful Soul let him swiftly command a pack of ferocious beasts and another local tribe. Having learned the area's information from that tribe, he led them to attack the tribe where Ye Liuyun was, and they happened to run into Lei Ming's group.

Upon seeing Lei Ming and the Monster Beasts, the Elder immediately wanted to subdue them. Bai Hu, Shi Yuan, and an unknown exotic beast all bore distinguished bloodlines, so he ordered his ferocious beasts to surround them.

"What are you trying to do? We came with our master. Our master is also from the Alliance! If you dare attack us, our master won't let you go!" Lei Ming warned.

She feared Ye Liuyun would blame her for trouble, so she didn't call him, instead telling Bai Hu and Shi Yuan to charge straight out.

The Elder opposite, hearing this, was unfazed. In this Secret Realm, True Essence cannot be used; he was confident no one's Soul could surpass his. Even if these Monster Beasts had masters, once their masters were killed, no one would know they left.

So he immediately ordered the ferocious beasts to attack, encircling the Monster Beasts. With his beast-taming experience, he only tamed them after beating the beasts to near death.

Seeing the opponent's numbers, Lei Ming summoned the Soul‑Suppressing Tower to subdue those ferocious beasts, while ordering Shi Yuan to blaze a path back. Unexpectedly, the Elder had also tamed a Barbarian Bear of Sea Transformation level. If Shi Yuan couldn't petrify, he would have been knocked down, and even then he took more hits than he dealt. Relying on brute force alone, it's hard to match a Sea‑Transformation‑level beast.

Bai Hu's bone spear was still usable, and Lei Ming could employ a bit of Blood Thunder and Ice Power, but against the massive ferocious beasts, the effect was minor. Even if they repelled one, another would immediately charge. Often, the two relied on their Physical Body to endure.

"Didn't expect you had this treasure! Ha ha, it's all mine now!" the Elder laughed, instantly launching a Spiritual Soul Attack at Lei Ming.

He hadn't expected Lei Ming's Soul to be so strong. After exhausting great effort, he left Lei Ming's muscular Soul drained and exhausted, collapsing on the ground, unable to resist.

Immediately, several ferocious beasts lunged, biting and striking her, but her scale armor blocked them. Though she suffered little external injury, her internal wounds were severe.

Lei Ming also lost control of the Soul‑Suppressing Tower, which the Elder seized. Soon, Bai Hu and Shi Yuan were knocked down the same way. However, their bodies lacked scale armor, so they appeared more torn by the beasts.

Shi Yuan curled his whole body into a ball, turning into a massive stone, leaving the beasts with nothing to bite.

Fortunately the Elder didn't intend to kill them; otherwise they would have been completely shattered.

Meanwhile, Ye Liuyun had already sensed their Soul injuries and was rushing here. A Soul under attack means they faced a master of Spiritual Soul Attacks, which can kill in a breath.

Fortunately the opponent didn't aim to annihilate them, only to erase the Soul Imprint Ye Liuyun left.

"Looks like they want to seize it!"

Ye Liuyun felt a hidden resentment. These Monster Beasts had formed deep bonds with him; how could he not feel pain!

Before anyone arrived, his Golden Pupil already activated, instantly spotting the Elder as the instigator, and he unleashed Nether Ghost Fire, burning the Soul within his Sea of Consciousness.

The Elder originally possessed two Souls; the stronger one had been sent out to handle several Monster Beasts. Ye Liuyun's ranged attack caught him off guard, and the remaining Soul was instantly reduced to ash by Ye Liuyun's Nether Ghost Fire.

Simultaneously, Ye Liuyun's Thunder Fire Domain dragged his other Soul in, and the Hell Mingshe lunged, its tail pulling him to near death.