As they walked, Heming eagerly pointed out the unique features of the Void Pill Sect to Ye Liuyun, leading him into the small pavilion and then introducing him to every alchemist in turn.

Ye Liuyun greeted each one with courtesy, showing due respect.

Once everyone was seated, Heming produced the pills they had agreed upon in advance, ready to exchange them for Ye Liuyun’s Life Spring Water. The senior alchemists—especially the three capable of refining Void-grade pills—were all watching intently, hoping he would bring out the Life Spring Water.

Ye Liuyun instantly froze time, stowed the pills, and planted slave seals on the alchemists one by one.

Each alchemist did possess treasures that guarded against soul attacks, but they felt perfectly safe inside the inner sect. If danger ever arose, they could simply don their defenses then.

What they never imagined was the existence of such temporal power. Moreover, Ye Liuyun’s soul force had grown so formidable that when he deployed his time ability, even these alchemists—whose own soul strength was hardly weak—were left without the slightest reaction. One after another, they were branded with slave seals.

Ye Liuyun, deciding to finish the job cleanly, branded Heming and the two reception disciples behind him as well, then swept them all into his spatial world. He climbed to the second floor, subdued the three top experts there, and likewise sealed them away.

Next, he produced the black teleportation tower, activated the array, and only then restored the flow of time.

The instant time resumed, spatial ripples surged through the pavilion. Every occupant vanished; alchemists, experts, reception disciples—Ye Liuyun took them all, leaving not a single soul behind.

The Void Pill Sect’s prepared guardians and the bamboo-forest formation might as well have been decorations—they achieved nothing at all.

By the time the sect realized what had happened, the pavilion stood empty, with no trace left to pursue.

Without changing his appearance, Ye Liuyun returned smoothly to his lodgings. Chen Huoyang had not yet arrived, so he immediately recalled his second avatar into his spatial world and prepared to deal with Chen Huoyang personally. His soul force was strongest; against Chen Huoyang, his odds were highest.

He did not wait long before Chen Huoyang’s flying ship descended. The man came alone, harboring no suspicion of Ye Liuyun. The Chen family, however, had taken precautions: two mid-stage Unity Ninth-Heaven experts shadowed him from afar. Their mastery of spatial power and worldly force was so great they overtook Chen Huoyang’s vessel unaided.

The moment Chen Huoyang disembarked, the two followed, concealing themselves in distant folds of space to observe the meeting.

“The Chen family is truly considerate—delivering two more martial experts right to my doorstep! Since they’ve come, I’ll take them as well!”

Ye Liuyun laughed inwardly, wasted no time, and once again froze time. He branded Chen Huoyang and the two hidden experts with slave seals, then swept all three into his spatial world. Afterward, he slipped away through the void; only when he was far distant did he restore the flow of time.

Then he altered his appearance once more, boarded a flying ship, and departed the Void Pill Sect.

The Void Pill Sect was thrown into panic: their finest alchemists had been abducted right under their noses. They summoned every sect expert, spread out in all directions with the sect as the center, and circulated Jin Chengshan’s likeness, placing him under wanted notice.

Simultaneously, the Chen family issued their own warrant for Jin Chengshan.

After fleeing far by ship, Ye Liuyun judged that both the Void Pill Sect and the Chen family would scour the stars for him. Moreover, Ninth Prince Jiang Yunhan was nearly back at the royal palace, likely to trigger another hunt—perhaps bringing even greater trouble.

He had already reaped ample rewards in the Firemark Galaxy; better to lie low for now and avoid unwanted attention. He recalled his ship, activated the black teleportation tower, and jumped to the Ferrybridge Galaxy to exterminate bandits there.

His guess proved accurate. Upon returning to the capital, the Ninth Prince was seized by the royal house for interrogation; they surmised he had fallen under illusion.

Thereafter, the four greatest powers—Firemark Dynasty, Void Pill Sect, Chen family, and Myriad Transformations Sect—joined forces to track suspicious individuals.

While Ye Liuyun’s and Jin Chengshan’s images were the primary targets, anyone deemed questionable faced scrutiny.

The He and Fan clans, along with other sizable forces, also searched for the missing. The entire Firemark Galaxy endured a sweeping investigation.

The Myriad Transformations Sect immediately placed all their grand formation masters under protection, forbidding them to leave and barring outside visitors for the time being.

They reasoned that since the Chen family’s weapon-refining master and the Void Pill Sect’s alchemists had been abducted, the next target could well be their formation masters. Madam Yao Feng had already been taken; information on the other masters had likely leaked as well.

What they did not expect was that Qiong Qi, disguised as a young disciple, had already infiltrated the outer ranks of the Myriad Transformations Sect.

Having heard of Ye Liuyun’s success and seeing the sect on high alert, Qiong Qi did not rush his move. Instead, he blended among the disciples and devoted himself to studying formations.

When an opportunity to seize the formation masters arose, he would act; if not, he would continue learning—losing no time either way.

With his methods, it didn’t take long for him to rise like a whirlwind; soon a circle of disciples had gathered around him, his name began to circulate, and he seized the right moment to step into the inner sect.

Ye Liuyun wasn’t worried about Qiong Qi—he knew the man’s capabilities. Although Qiong Qi’s current cultivation level wasn’t high, his experience remained intact; if he ever ran into unavoidable danger, he could stall for time with the firepower chariot, and Ye Liuyun could still fetch him with the teleportation black tower.

After returning to the Ferrybridge Galaxy, Ye Liuyun didn’t rush to strike the bandits. First, he settled all the alchemists. He didn’t stint on the life-spring water; every aged alchemist regained youthful vigor, their joy overflowing.

Because of this, the alchemists no longer resented being under his control. The environment Ye Liuyun provided was excellent—they were stationed on a medicinal-planet. Surrounded by endless herbs and thick spiritual energy, with no need to worry about resources, they gradually calmed down and focused.

Ye Liuyun gathered all the alchemists together and had the grand-masters guide them. Lin Luoyi and Lin Xiyao, of course, received special attention.

Once the alchemists were settled, Ye Liuyun arranged a place for Chen Huoyang. After meeting the Heavenly Flame Ancestor, Chen Huoyang gladly stayed to refine artifacts.

Next, Ye Liuyun sorted out the martial powerhouses. Only seven cultivators at the early-to-mid ninth stage truly counted as combat strength: three from Void Pill Sect, two from the Chen Clan, and two former bandits. In addition, there were Leng Yuan and He Yunzhang.

As for Heming of Void Pill Sect and the two reception disciples, Ye Liuyun judged their true essence unstable, so he had his second avatar and Chilian devour their souls and power of bloodline to boost their own strength.

By now, the Ancient Demon Legion and the Demon Race Legion were fully equipped and ready to march.