The soldiers fled in panic at the sight of the monstrous creature they had never seen before, rushing back to report to the royal court.
anwhile, the Gold-Devouring Beast continued its relentless absorption, its claws drawing in tallic energy from the secret realm while its body siphoned tal from the surrounding area.
Though Ye Liuyun had no way of knowing the exact situation inside the secret realm, he was certain it contained so form of tallic power—otherwise, the beast wouldn't have kept its claws embedded there.
The situation outside, however, was crystal clear to him. The Sacred Dynasty's planet was vast, and even if the beast absorbed tal for days, the impact would be negligible.
Without wasting a single resource, Ye Liuyun used spatial teleportation to collect the non-tallic supplies the fleeing soldiers had left behind.
As for the soldiers themselves, he saw no reason to let them go to waste either. With a swift motion, he summoned the Nine-Headed Demon Dragon, which promptly devoured them.
Soon, reinforcents from the Sacred Dynasty's army arrived.
Ye Liuyun recalled the Nine-Headed Demon Dragon, choosing not to deploy it just yet.
The army, inexperienced in dealing with such a creature, first sent a swarm of Swiftwings to attack.
But the mont the winged creatures drew near, they disintegrated into dust.
Even the warships, unable to maintain a safe distance, had their tallic essence drained, leaving them riddled with holes.
The commander, undeterred, ordered the soldiers to abandon their ships and form battle lines. Yet as soon as they approached, their armor and weapons were swiftly absorbed by the beast. Terrified, the troops turned tail and fled, convinced the creature was issuing a dire warning.
Before long, a powerful martial expert arrived from a nearby city, launching an assault on the Gold-Devouring Beast.
After a few probing strikes, the warrior realized the beast didn't retaliate—it rely absorbed tal. Emboldened, he attempted to seize the creature's hind leg, intending to drag it away.
Seeing the man's eagerness, Ye Liuyun guessed he must be the master of the secret realm. Without hesitation, he unleashed a soul attack against him.
A soul search confird Ye Liuyun's suspicion—this man was indeed the master of the secret realm. Moreover, the primary target of this elaborate trap had been none other than Ye Liuyun himself.
Capturing other martial practitioners had rely been an afterthought. The Sacred Dynasty currently had no shortage of soldiers and certainly didn't need to resort to such underhanded thods for recruitnt.
After subduing the man, Ye Liuyun promptly absorbed the entire secret realm into his spatial world, transforming it into a new lair for his tal Devourer. As for the captured martial practitioner, he was handed over to Ling Hai for disposal.
All in all, it wasn't a wasted trip—Ye Liuyun had gained quite the haul. Even after the tal Devourer consud all the available tal, the realm's core energy and remaining resources remained intact for Ye Liuyun's future use.
The Sacred Dynasty's sche had backfired spectacularly. Based on the soldiers' descriptions, they managed to sketch the tal Devourer's form, finally realizing they had been ambushed by such a creature. But as for the missing secret realm and the martial practitioner? No one had a clue. Naturally, they all pointed fingers at Ye Liuyun.
"How does he still have such a monster in his arsenal? Just how many hidden cards does this man possess?"
Sacred King Xiao Qitian Dynasty was livid. Never had he imagined that dealing with a single martial practitioner could prove so infuriatingly difficult.
Ye Liuyun's endless supply of treasures, equipnt, and monstrous allies was nothing short of maddening. Their last defeat had been due to his deploynt of demonic and half-beast legions.
Part of him coveted such power, yet another part seethed with resentnt.
At that mont, Crown Prince Xiao Muhong stepped forward with a suggestion. "Father, Ye Liuyun is like a ghost—always lurking in the shadows, his strength formidable. Open confrontation will only leave us at a disadvantage.
"Why not turn his own sches against him? He wants an alliance, doesn't he? Let's pretend to agree. We can have him deploy his forces to fight the alien races for us—and let them do the dirty work of eliminating him."
"Even if we can't eliminate the alien race, we can ambush him from behind while he's engaged in battle."
"That's a viable plan. But we must ensure all those artifacts in his possession fall into our hands—neither snatched by the aliens nor seized by the Black Killers."
"Xiao Qiwu's strength is already on par with ours. If his faction gets hold of those relics, we'll be at a disadvantage. He might even strike at us while we're dealing with the aliens."
"Father, rest assured. Leave this matter to !" Xiao Muhong volunteered confidently.
Xiao Muhong, a man in his forties with an air of seasoned competence, had long considered this strategy but had bided his ti. Now, his proposal aligned perfectly with Xiao Qitian Dynasty's thoughts—since the king could think of no better alternative.
"I trust your judgnt. But Ye Liuyun isn't even responding to our ssenger talismans. How will you reach him?" Xiao Qitian Dynasty asked.
"His silence likely stems from our earlier hostility. Yet he hasn't discarded the talisman, which ans he hasn't given up—he's just forcing us to concede. If we adjust our stance and offer favorable terms, he might still be open to negotiation," Xiao Muhong reasoned.
Xiao Qitian Dynasty nodded in agreent. "Very well. Handle this as you see fit. Whatever resources you need, just na them."
The king held his eldest son in high regard. Were it not for Xiao Qiwu's lingering threat and the kingdom's instability, he would have already passed the throne to Xiao Muhong.
"Thank you for your trust, Father. I won't let you down!" Xiao Muhong pledged with earnest loyalty.
Soon after, he began plotting and reaching out to Ye Liuyun.
At first, Ye Liuyun dismissed his overtures. But Xiao Muhong's sincerity and his proposal for a face-to-face eting gradually piqued Ye Liuyun's interest.
"Fine, let's et. I'll see what tricks they're playing," Ye Liuyun thought. After all, he had initiated the alliance idea—refusing to negotiate outright would make him seem cowardly.
This could easily give the Sacred Dynasty grounds to accuse him of lacking sincerity in forming an alliance.
To avoid any potential traps set by the Sacred Dynasty, he chose a vast plain as their eting location. As an added precaution, he had already unleashed the Nine-Headed Demon Dragon to surveil the area from the starry skies.
Ever since acquiring the Nine-Headed Demon Dragon, Ye Liuyun had rarely piloted his Falcon. To him, the demon dragon was a living creature—far superior to the cold, chanical Falcon.
Moreover, each of the dragon's nine heads possessed unique abilities—spewing flas, icy blasts, or toxic fus—making its attacks far more versatile than the Falcon's single-mode assault.
During flight, the demon dragon could also stay alert to their surroundings, leaving Ye Liuyun free from worry.
Guiding the beast through the cosmos, Ye Liuyun waited until Xiao Muhong arrived, confirming that no traps had been laid.
Xiao Muhong was accompanied by only four guards—though each was formidable, it was hardly unusual for a crown prince to travel with a protective retinue.
Satisfied that nothing seed amiss, Ye Liuyun urged the Nine-Headed Demon Dragon to descend. His doppelgänger, cloaked in invisibility, remained close behind—just in case.
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