Chapter 457: A Risky Gamble

After Jing Wudi and Ye Liuyun discussed for a while, they both felt that if they took action, it would be very risky.

A slight mistake could doom the entire Iron Eagle Sect to eternal ruin.

However, they also knew that now was the moment when the arrow was on the bowstring and had to be released; if they could not withstand it, the old sect master's secret would be exposed, and the Iron Eagle Sect would be in even greater danger.

"Let's take a risky gamble! Delaying longer will only make them doubt the old sect master's true strength." Ye Liuyun urged.

"All right! If we can't win, retreat back into the formation; don't force a head‑on clash!" Jing Wudi said anxiously.

"Okay!" Ye Liuyun replied, then rushed straight out of the formation.

"What are you doing? Ye Liuyun, come back!" Jing Wudi, seeing this, immediately gave chase as well.

His shout startled everyone, and they all came out to see what was happening.

Seeing Ye Liuyun charge out on his own, everyone gasped in shock.

"What is Ye Liuyun trying to do? Is he going to throw his life away?"

"Is Chief Ye sacrificing himself to protect the sect?"

"Master!" Piao Yun, seeing the situation, immediately followed without hesitation.

Ye Liuyun and Jing Wudi had not expected Piao Yun to be able to charge out as well, so when they previously discussed the plan, they overlooked this factor.

The two guards outside, upon seeing Ye Liuyun rush out, became anxious along with Jing Wudi and the others—and indeed they had been lured into a trap.

In fact, this was all a plan devised by Ye Liuyun and Jing Wudi beforehand; they simply had not taken Piao Yun into account.

"Old thing, if you want to kill me, come at me with your skill!" Ye Liuyun shouted, sprinting forward while drawing his Demon Slaying Sword and charging toward the martial cultivator beside Ye Feng.

He feared that Piao Yun catching up would hinder his and Jing Wudi's actions.

"Stop!" Jing Wudi also pursued from behind, eyes on the verge of catching up to Ye Liuyun.

"Too late!" the martial cultivator opposite Ye Liuyun gave a cold shout and directly attacked him.

He truly intended to finish Ye Liuyun with a single move.

Ye Liuyun also dared not be careless; he immediately met the attack with a blade, while at the same time flinging the Magic Vine seed from his palm.

The martial cultivator opposite did indeed notice the Magic Vine seed. However, after glancing at the tiny black seed, he paid it no further mind. Instead, his True Essence surged, and he directly released his Heavenly Gang Domain, enveloping both Ye Liuyun and the Magic Vine seed.

In his mind, no matter what tricks Ye Liuyun might play, once someone entered his Heavenly Gang Domain, they could not escape his grasp.

Ye Feng also immediately acted, blocking Jing Wudi. The two of them each released their Heavenly Gang Domain, instantly blasting Piao Yun away.

Fortunately, she only suffered the shockwave's impact, sustaining no serious internal injury. Nevertheless, she stubbornly rose to her feet and charged again toward the Heavenly Gang Domain enveloping Ye Liuyun.

Moreover, she drew the Spirit Grade treasure sword that Ye Liuyun had given her and attacked the Heavenly Gang Domain. Piao Yun, having recently followed Ye Liuyun, had also gained many benefits and cultivation resources, her realm just having risen to the Heavenly Gang Third Layer.

But her strength was weak, and her ability to fight across realms was limited, so that little attack of hers was ignored by the powerful opponent. He now focused solely on dealing with Ye Liuyun, planning to take him out first and then turn to Jing Wudi.

What he did not expect was that the Magic Vine seed Ye Liuyun had tossed down, upon landing in his Heavenly Gang Domain, would quickly begin to sprout and grow, drawing its nourishment from his energy.

Soon the seed sent out roots and vines; some attacked him directly, while others pierced toward the domain's wall in an attempt to breach it. Moreover, the vines spread everywhere, taking root wherever they went and continually draining his True Essence. This was a tremendous drain on his True Essence Power.

He could not wait any longer and immediately launched an attack at Ye Liuyun. What surprised him further was that Ye Liuyun's sword intent was so strong that it blocked most of his assault; the small portion that struck Ye Liuyun merely caused him to retreat a step or two.

"This brat's physical body is also this strong!" the powerful one exclaimed again, astonished.

Immediately, he unleashed a Divine Sense attack, refusing to believe that Ye Liuyun's Divine Sense could surpass his own.

In fact, Ye Liuyun had chosen him precisely because his Soul was relatively weak, making him an easy target.

The powerful one's Soul, upon rushing into Ye Liuyun's Sea of Consciousness, was instantly bound by the Ten Thousand Gods Command and then devoured, causing a backlash on himself.

As he suffered the backlash and lost focus, the Magic Vine coiled around his body, and before he could break free, Ye Liuyun's Mourning Bell descended and trapped him inside.

Only then did Ye Liuyun let out a sigh of relief.

He immediately sent a mental transmission to Piao Yun: "Piao Yun, I'm fine; this is the plan I devised with the vice sect master—return quickly."

Upon hearing this, Piao Yun realized she had acted rashly and immediately retreated.

As she just withdrew, a deep bell toll rang from within the powerful one's Heavenly Gang Domain—he was striking the Mourning Bell again.

The Mourning Bell's toll directly shattered his Soul; even a cultivator at the Heavenly Gang Eighth Layer was no exception.

"How strange! Everyone trapped inside tries to attack this Mourning Bell, thinking they can break free—little do they know they're just courting death!" Ye Liuyun silently laughed, stowed the Mourning Bell, and then let the Magic Vine bore straight into the powerful one's Golden Core, draining his True Essence completely.

His Heavenly Gang Domain then collapsed, and the Magic Vine seed returned to its original state, which Ye Liuyun extracted from the man's body.

Still just a tiny black seed, unremarkable and showing no sign of life. Ye Liuyun flicked it toward Ye Feng's Heavenly Gang Domain; upon contact, the seed instantly sprouted a vine that took root in the domain's wall, then bored a small hole and slipped inside.

Ye Liuyun knew that relying solely on this seed would not be enough to defeat Ye Feng; at best it would only drain some of his True Essence.

At that moment, the onlookers below from the Iron Eagle Sect were dumbfounded. They watched as a Heavenly Gang Eighth‑Layer expert's Heavenly Gang Domain shattered, his corpse plummeting from the air and splattering into a pile of flesh.

They were full of admiration for Ye Liuyun's methods, especially the younger disciples like Jiang Wanhao, who were utterly convinced.

"Is this really his true strength?"

"He's a match for a Heavenly Gang Eighth‑Layer expert—how can he be this strong!"

Several youngsters were so shocked they could not close their mouths!

Jing Wudi and Ye Feng were locked in a fierce battle, their Heavenly Gang Domains constantly colliding as they exchanged blows.

Ye Liuyun gritted his teeth, slashed with all his might at Ye Feng's Heavenly Gang Domain, then flashed forward, using the momentum of his strike to forcefully breach Ye Feng's Heavenly Gang Domain.

This move left the Iron Eagle Sect members breaking out in a cold sweat; such daring conduct was beyond their imagination.

"Charging straight into another's Heavenly Gang Domain? They couldn't even dodge in time—who would willingly rush in?"

Yet Ye Liuyun did exactly that!

And he actually went inside!

On one hand, his physical body was formidable, lacking a Buddha‑Demonic Golden Body shield. After that strike, Ye Feng's Heavenly Gang Domain wall had already been damaged; the remainder he simply bore head‑on with his body.

On the other hand, the Magic Vine seed was also draining Ye Feng's True Essence. Since he had already been locked in combat with Jing Wudi, expending considerable energy, this give‑and‑take naturally left his defenses less than peak.