Ye Liuyun and his group settled in first, spending their days gathering information and familiarizing themselves with the surroundings, accompanied by Tang Xinyao and the others.
The demonic beasts and won had all been moved into his spatial world, leaving only a doppelgänger outside to monitor the area around their residence.
It didn't take long for them to notice they were being watched. However, since they were within the city limits, had a sizable group, and were staying in a property owned by the First Star Bandits, no one dared to make a move against them.
A few days later, Ye Liuyun caught wind of a major topic circulating among the local martial artists—the First Star Bandits had obtained the key to a treasure vault hidden in a secret realm within the Desolate Sea World. They were now recruiting martial artists to form an expedition team.
To attract recruits, the First Star Bandits had offered exceptionally generous rewards, even promising mbership in their ranks upon return—regardless of cultivation level.
Yet, most local martial artists remained cautious. Days into the recruitnt drive, only a handful had signed up, leaving the recruiters scrambling to drum up interest.
But these were seasoned bandits, not easily fooled.
"It's obvious the First Star Bandits are just looking for cannon fodder. Though the conditions are decent—if you make it back alive, you'll never have to worry about cultivation resources again!"
Many martial artists saw right through the expedition's true purpose. Only those truly desperate for resources would take such a risk.
"Since they already have the vault key, it ans they've scouted most of the place. It shouldn't be as dangerous as exploring an unknown secret realm."
So believed that possessing the key implied the route and major threats had already been assessed, reducing the overall risk.
But the more experienced among them had deeper concerns.
"Even if they retrieve the treasures, the Desolate Sea World is treacherous, crawling with powerful figures. Will they even make it out alive?
"And even if they do, they'll have to cross the Dragon Head Bandits' territory on the way back. Do you really think those bastards will just let them pass?"
Ye Liuyun found these argunts persuasive. He weighed the risks and rewards of joining the expedition in silence.
If he didn't join the First Star Raiders on their expedition, his chances of finding the treasure vault would be slim. Besides, since the Desolate Sea was dangerous, going alone would be even riskier. It made more sense to travel with the expedition—strength in numbers would make it easier to get inside.
As for what happened after securing the treasure, they weren't like the First Star Raiders, bound to return here. They could simply slip away using their invisibility cloaks.
Originally, he had planned to train and improve his combat skills here before venturing into the Desolate Sea. He had noticed that the martial cultivators in this place were exceptionally strong—even the average ones were no pushovers.
But if he missed this opportunity now, it might never co again. So he had no choice but to move up his plans.
When Tang Xinyao and the others heard the news, they imdiately realized that what Ye Liuyun had sold was actually the key to a treasure vault. Regret gnawed at them.
Tang Xinyao's mind began racing again. She urged Ye Liuyun, "Why don't we sign up for the expedition? Maybe we'll get a chance to snatch all those treasures!"
Ye Liuyun nodded in agreent. "Alright, it's a good chance for us to see the Desolate Sea anyway. Let's find out when the expedition sets off. Before we go, we'll need to capture a few more people—just in case."
He didn't seem particularly excited about the treasure. Now that he was certain the tal piece he sold was indeed the key, he felt even more confident that the First Star Raiders would never get their hands on the vault.
Tong Xin had already altered the depth of the trident-shaped engravings inside the key. And since those engravings were crucial for opening the vault, any change in depth—or even the material itself—would disrupt the chanism.
The squad leader in charge of recruiting for the expedition, Liu Yan, had been struggling with the lack of volunteers. Martial cultivators weren't eager to join, and his superiors had been chewing him out for it. The harder he tried to persuade people, the more reluctant they beca.
Just as he was stewing over the problem, he spotted Ye Liuyun and his group approaching. His face lit up with relief.
"My na is Liu Yan—I'm a squad leader in this city. You must be Ye Liuyun?"
As the captain of a raiding team, Liu Yan was well-inford about the city's affairs. Ye Liuyun's group was sizable, and they had even turned in the treasure vault's key. Naturally, he had noticed them. A few of them wore matching black armor, making them easy to recognize.
Ye Liuyun clasped his hands in greeting. "That's right. Pleasure to et you, Captain Liu Yan."
"Are you here to sign up for the expedition?" Liu Yan asked, eyes brimming with hope.
"We've been considering it. We've looked around the city these past few days and realized there aren't many good ways to gather resources, so we thought we'd give this a try. But we weren't sure about the sign-up requirents, so we ca to ask first."
Upon hearing this, Liu Yan imdiately beca more enthusiastic, even changing his form of address. "Liuyun, you've made the right choice. All the profitable ventures in this city are controlled by our First Star Raiders. Ordinary folks barely stand a chance. If you want resources, you'll have to risk your neck outside the city walls."
He continued, leaning in slightly, "This recruitnt is actually a talent pool for future raiders. Those who co back alive get to join us directly. I'll be straight with you—since you're stuck here anyway, fighting for survival, why not join our crew? At least you'll have so security."
Then, Liu Yan ticulously laid out the benefits of joining their raider group and the rewards for this expedition, clearly assuming Ye Liuyun was new and unfamiliar with how things worked here.
"Captain Liu, when's the expedition setting out? How many people are going, and who's leading it?" Ye Liuyun engaged him further.
Liu Yan obliged with the details. "We're looking at about a month from now. We plan to recruit five hundred outsiders, plus another five hundred of our own. That's a sizable force, so preparations will take ti—it won't be quick."
He puffed up slightly as he added, "Our leader, Chang Yuxing, is personally leading the expedition. He's a Fifth-Level Unity Realm powerhouse, and our other top fighters are coming too. With that kind of strength, we'll have no trouble navigating the Desolate Sea."
"The leader himself?" Ye Liuyun was surprised. The First Star Raiders were going all out.
Liu Yan lowered his voice conspiratorially. "Between you and , Liuyun, the treasure vault we're after has been scouted for a while now. There's definitely sothing big inside—it's just that no one could open it until we got our hands on that key you handed over."
He shrugged. "We're bringing so many people not just to handle the dangers out there, but also in case soone tries to ambush us. The boss is strong enough to take on Sixth-Level Unity Realm opponents. Having him there makes everything safer."
He figured Ye Liuyun would find out sooner or later anyway, so there was no point hiding it. Besides, the key was already in their possession—it wasn't like Ye Liuyun could back out now.
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