At Ye Ling's reminder, the doppelganger attempted to harness the power of the spatial realm to retrieve the stone pedestal.
To his surprise, the pedestal was successfully drawn into the spatial world with just one try.
"The power of a spatial realm is truly remarkable!" Ye Liuyun marveled at the capabilities of the spatial world. This was the first ti he had used spatial energy to influence the outside world.
"Of course! The strength of an entire world far surpasses your own," Ye Ling explained to Ye Liuyun.
After retrieving the pedestal, the doppelganger considered whether to set up an array here.
The high priest had inford him that beneath the altar lay the world's primordial energy—an inexhaustible source of power, perfect for constructing an array.
However, after consulting with Qiong Qi, he realized that their enemies likely had their own array masters, rendering such efforts futile. It would be better to let the local tribesn handle their own defenses, lulling Xiao Muyu into complacency before delivering a decisive strike.
Thus, the doppelganger withdrew, erasing the high priest's mory of their encounter and releasing his control over him.
He then proceeded to free the guards from his influence, wiping their mories of the day's events so they could continue fortifying their defenses as they saw fit.
The doppelganger retreated once more, boarding the Swift Swallow to observe the unfolding events from the starry skies above.
He noticed that Xiao Muyu's forces had already clashed with the local tribesn. Though the natives outnumbered the invaders, they suffered heavy casualties, proving no match for the disciplined army.
anwhile, You Ming's airship was rapidly approaching the battlefield.
But what puzzled the doppelganger was the presence of another airship trailing behind You Ming's, having just erged from the secret realm's entrance.
"Hmm? Who could that be?" Though he couldn't see inside the vessel, he was certain that another outsider had entered the secret realm.
After assessing the situation and finding no imdiate role to play, the doppelganger concealed himself within the tribe, familiarizing himself with the terrain near their treasure vault where resources were stored.
He even went invisible to investigate and found that the area was rich in high-quality dicinal herbs and ores. The martial cultivators here also used divine crystals for cultivation, so there was no shortage of those either.
However, their techniques for forging weapons and refining pills were quite poor, resulting in no truly high-tier equipnt or elixirs.
At the altar, the high priest had already set up a formation, draining all the blood from his body. In an instant, the altar beca a forbidden zone.
Guards patrolled outside the formation day and night, preventing any beasts or outsiders from sabotaging it prematurely.
Tribesn continued to gather, with more arriving constantly, only to be sent to the front lines to resist the invasion.
Yet, Xiao Muyu's forces pressed forward relentlessly.
Out of the two hundred or so elite warriors from the tribe, less than twenty percent remained after being systematically eliminated by Xiao Muyu's strongest fighters. Still, the tribesn's relentless assaults left his army exhausted.
For two days straight, Xiao Muyu's troops had no chance to rest.
At first, they had felt confident, thinking these natives would be easy to crush.
But under the sheer weight of their numbers, the invaders were forced to stay on high alert, their energy reserves dwindling with no chance for full recovery.
The doppelganger decided it was ti to lend the tribesn a hand. He ventured into the dense eastern forests, capturing nurous savage beasts and driving them into a frenzied stampede toward Xiao Muyu's army. The resulting chaos, combined with the tribesn's attacks, dealt heavy losses to the invaders.
The tribesn had never considered using beasts in battle before. Seeing the creatures turn against their enemies, their morale soared.
Soon, many began capturing beasts themselves, bringing them into the fight and further hindering Xiao Muyu's advance.
Frustrated by the slow progress, Xiao Muyu dispatched four elite martial cultivators to assassinate the tribal chieftain. Though they succeeded, the doppelganger ambushed them with a flash of white light, killing two.
The assassination only deepened the tribesn's hatred. Those who had considered surrendering now hardened their resolve, uniting in vengeance and launching even fiercer attacks and ambushes against Xiao Muyu's forces.
Xiao Muyu had no choice but to temporarily withdraw his troops, allowing the soldiers to rest and recover. anwhile, the elite warriors were deployed around the camp to patrol and eliminate any harassing natives.
Amid the chaos, Ye Liuyun took advantage of the situation, secretly aiding the natives in killing two of Xiao Muyu's top fighters, which deeply unsettled the commander.
Xiao Muyu grew increasingly paranoid, fearing that hidden masters within the tribe might launch a fatal ambush. As a precaution, he remained within the safety of his army, surrounded by layers of protection.
The elite martial artists guarding the periter were now grouped in threes to prevent sneak attacks.
Rather than indiscriminately slaughtering the natives, Xiao Muyu's forces began using soul manipulation to force them into betraying their own tribe.
This tactic proved effective—traitors multiplied within the tribe, plunging it into disarray.
Ye Liuyun's doppelgänger managed to free so natives from the soul control and exposed Xiao Muyu's sches. In response, the tribal elders began screening everyone for signs of ntal enslavent.
However, their understanding of soul power was rudintary. While they could detect who had been compromised, they lacked the ability to break the contracts. Left with no choice, they imprisoned the afflicted.
As the war dragged on, the number of detainees swelled.
Realizing he couldn't save them all, the doppelgänger infiltrated Xiao Muyu's camp again, poisoning and killing nurous soldiers.
He avoided using soul attacks to control the troops, wary of alerting Xiao Muyu to his presence.
After relentless battles, beast attacks, and this latest poisoning, Xiao Muyu's thousand-strong force had dwindled to half its original size.
Forced into a stalemate, Xiao Muyu retreated further, putting distance between his army and the tribe.
"Who would have thought these savages could inflict such heavy losses," Xiao Muyu muttered bitterly.
anwhile, the imperial guard captain suspected outside interference aiding the natives.
"The beast tide and poisoning—these don't seem like tactics the natives would employ. I suspect outsiders are aiding them in secret," the commander remarked.
"You an those assassins who entered? They shouldn't have arrived yet!" Xiao Muyu had already received reports from the soldiers stationed at the secret realm's entrance about You Ming and his group's arrival, but the timing didn't add up.
"Perhaps they possess so special artifact that allows them to move faster," the commander speculated.
"Mm. Either way, they'll likely arrive within the next couple of days. I should send a few n to investigate." Without delay, Xiao Muyu dispatched three martial artists at the second level of the Heavenly Realm to scout for You Ming and his companions.
The doppelgänger, who had been observing them all along, imdiately alerted Ye Liuyun and the others to prepare as soon as the three martial artists were sent out.
Ye Liuyun led the group off the battleship, retreating deep into the dense forest to hide.
This way, Xiao Muyu's scouts would first discover the flying vessel trailing behind them.
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