The news had indeed spread far and wide, with everyone speculating wildly, yet no one could guess the truth. Nor did anyone suspect them. Though their combat prowess was already well-known, no one believed they could silently eliminate so many powerful experts overnight.
Even Li Qingyang, the leader of the bandit group, had once suspected Ye Liuyun and his companions. Given their ability to capture so many people, their record of slaying a fourth-level Guiyi cultivator, and their confrontation with a sixth-level Guiyi martial artist, it was hard not to raise eyebrows.
But ironically, the very fact that they had made such a commotion while jointly fighting the sixth-level Guiyi warrior convinced Li Qingyang that they lacked the capability to quietly wipe out so many experts in a single night.
Moreover, their background had been verified—they had never been to this region before. If they were spies from the Dragon Head Bandits, they certainly wouldn't have used a treasure vault key as bait.
Thus, Li Qingyang leaned toward the theory that the disappearances were the work of the Dragon Head Bandits, who were likely scheming to strike the city while their forces were away on the expedition.
This was his greatest concern. Otherwise, he wouldn't have paid attention to events outside the city, much less coveted the resources those missing experts had possessed.
So he focused his investigation on the Dragon Head Bandits and actually uncovered several spies and defectors among them. In the end, he dismissed his suspicions of Ye Liuyun.
anwhile, after dividing the spoils, Ye Liuyun and his group returned to cultivate and improve their strength. Since they had recently broken through in their cultivation realms, they didn't push further but instead focused on refining their overall combat abilities.
Ye Liuyun spent the next few days tempering his divine soul, bloodline, and physical body before finally absorbing the fire-attribute origin energy.
By then, the ti for assembly had arrived. Liu Yan sent one of his subordinates to summon them.
Ye Liuyun, Tang Xinyao, and the other seven followed the ssenger to the gathering point. Before they even arrived, they spotted a dium-sized flying vessel hovering in the distance.
With a sweep of his golden pupils, Ye Liuyun noticed that many people were already aboard. Liu Yan had likely arranged for an imdiate departure after assembly to avoid drawing attention to the prisoners he had released.
When they reached the eting point, Ye Liuyun saw Liu Yan standing with a group of subordinates, all prepared for departure. Beside Liu Yan stood a middle-aged martial artist—presumably the leader Li Qingyang that Liu Yan had ntioned.
Li Qingyang was at the late stage of the fifth-level Guiyi realm, his aura restrained and unremarkable. Clearly, his mastery of natural energy was profound, allowing him to blend seamlessly with his surroundings.
Ye Liuyun studied him carefully with his golden pupils and noted that his true essence was exceptionally refined. It seed he could break through to the sixth-level Guiyi realm at any mont.
Li Qingyang imdiately sensed sothing and turned his gaze toward Ye Liuyun. The sight of the nine uniformly black-armored guards behind him confird his identity as Ye Liuyun.
*Those golden eyes of his aren't ordinary!* Though Li Qingyang didn't know much about Ye Liuyun, he could tell he had just been seen through—those golden pupils must possess so special ability.
Liu Yan quickly whispered sothing to Li Qingyang before stepping forward to greet Ye Liuyun. "Liuyun, that's our boss over there. Release the captives you've taken, and then we'll board the airship. With him here, even if anyone recognizes them, no one would dare interfere."
Without hesitation, Ye Liuyun released all ninety of the martial cultivators he had subdued.
The sudden appearance of so many fighters startled the twenty-odd martial cultivators waiting nearby. So even recognized each other, adding to their bewildernt.
But Liu Yan didn't give them ti to react. "Everyone's here—let's board the airship!" he called out, directing his subordinates to guide Ye Liuyun and the others aboard.
By the ti the captives' original bandit groups realized what had happened, it was already too late to reclaim them.
Once on the airship, the group settled into their designated area to ditate. Li Qingyang and Liu Yan, along with their own n, boarded shortly after and retired to the section reserved for the First Star Bandits.
As soon as the airship took off, acquaintances among the captives began asking questions. But those under Ye Liuyun's control simply stated they had volunteered, revealing nothing more.
The airship wasted no ti in departing, though it didn't head straight for the Desolate Sea World. Instead, it made stops at several other cities to pick up additional passengers before continuing its journey.
They eventually arrived at the First Star Bandits' stronghold, where everyone disembarked and gathered in a temporary camp to await further orders.
Ye Liuyun and his companions understood the necessity—with so many people involved, so organization was required before they could set out together.
The camp was divided into two sections, each containing ten large tents. One area housed the bandit mbers, while the other was reserved for the expedition team. Each tent could accommodate fifty people.
Ye Liuyun's group of a hundred was assigned two tents. He claid one for himself, Tang Xinyao, and their close companions, while the remaining ninety squeezed into the other, left to sort out their own arrangents.
Half a day later, Li Qingyang arrived at the expedition team's section, accompanied by ten bandit captains and a handful of underlings.
Ye Liuyun's golden eyes spotted him—the bandits had all changed into matching uniforms.
Then, the ten bandit captains went from tent to tent, selecting the leaders for the expedition teams.
Liu Yan went straight to summon Ye Liuyun, who naturally beca the captain of their hundred-man unit. Soon, the other four captains were also chosen.
Those four were all at the fourth level of the Guiyi Realm—likely just the highest-ranked fighters the bandits had randomly picked to serve as leaders.
Li Qingyang personally greeted them: "I'm Li Qingyang, the overall leader of this expedition. You've been chosen as captains mainly to relay orders and guide the teams—no need for you to manage the mbers in any complicated way."
As he spoke, he called Liu Yan over and handed each of the five a communication talisman for ssaging. He then publicly announced that Liu Yan would assist him in overseeing the expedition.
With that, Li Qingyang left with the rest of the bandits, leaving only Liu Yan and a few of his subordinates behind.
Liu Yan had his n distribute expedition badges to the captains, instructing them to pass them on to their teams. He emphasized that everyone must wear them on both arms during combat to avoid friendly fire.
Once the formalities were settled, Liu Yan made sure to look after Ye Liuyun, deliberately chatting with him in front of the others. He reassured him that they wouldn't be setting off imdiately, so he could focus on his cultivation without worry.
The other four captains imdiately grasped that Ye Liuyun had connections. So had initially dismissed him for his low cultivation level, but their attitudes shifted at once. They even introduced themselves to each other with newfound courtesy.
Ye Liuyun shot Liu Yan a grateful glance, and Liu Yan responded with a knowing smile before dismissing the captains to await further orders.
After making his rounds, Liu Yan left a few subordinates behind to maintain discipline and then returned to the bandits' quarters.
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