"You vile beast! How dare you strike me!" The man roared in fury, only then realizing the spiritual contract controlling the falcon had been severed.

Just as the ice bear launched another attack at him, the man was struck head-on, instantly frozen into an ice sculpture.

Acting swiftly, Ye Liuyun and his doppelganger released their divine souls once more, invading the man’s sea of consciousness before he froze to death—otherwise, they’d lose any chance of extracting information.

Ye Liuyun wanted to uncover where this man came from and gather intel about the nearby star systems.

However, within the man’s sea of consciousness, there lurked another powerful divine soul. Together with the warrior’s own soul, they clashed fiercely against Ye Liuyun.

Fortunately, Ye Liuyun wielded both Netherflame and lightning, while his crimson-eyed divine soul could cast illusions, allowing him to suppress them both.

"Young fool, you’ve made a grave mistake," the powerful soul threatened. "This is the son of the Khan Yong tribe’s chieftain. You and your friends will pay dearly for this."

But Ye Liuyun remained unfazed. Without hesitation, he dragged both souls into his own sea of consciousness and began siphoning their memories.

Through soul extraction, he learned that not far ahead in the starry expanse lay several major worlds. These powerful realms were closely situated, each formidable in strength.

Though not formally allied, these worlds maintained strong ties—frequent trade, shared interests, and even a bustling interplanetary market where cultivators could exchange resources.

The man was indeed the son of the Khan Yong tribe’s chieftain. But for a lecherous cultivator like him, Ye Liuyun showed no mercy.

Once the soul extraction was complete, he fed both souls to the Ten Thousand Gods Token, refining them into nourishment for his own divine soul.

Afterward, Ye Liuyun and his companions turned their attention back to the ice bear. They drained every last drop of its icy essence before finally slaying the colossal beast together. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

This ice bear was a true celestial beast—its massive carcass would feed them for ages. The beast’s core went to Leiming, while the warrior’s corpse was left for the demonic beasts.

As for the falcon, gifted with extraordinary spatial power, Ye Liuyun decided to keep it. From now on, it would serve as their means of traversing the stars. Though smaller than the ice bear, it was still far larger than the Vermilion Bird.

However, Tong Xin and Qiong Qi had borrowed the falcon, claiming it would aid in their research on new types of warships. Left with no choice, Ye Liuyun temporarily allowed them to take it for study.

Afterward, Ye Liuyun continued leading the group in training and combat, determined to break through to the next realm before venturing further.

"The martial cultivators on the planets ahead include those at the third level of the Dominator Realm," he warned the others. "You’d better push yourselves to advance, or we might run into serious trouble later."

He shared some of the intel he’d gathered through soul-searching, deliberately adding pressure to motivate them.

Meanwhile, back in the Hanyong Tribe—home to the slain martial cultivator—news of their chieftain’s son’s death had already spread. A team of warriors, all at the second level of the Dominator Realm and led by a third-level powerhouse, was swiftly dispatched to hunt down Ye Liuyun.

Unlike Ye Liuyun’s group, however, they lacked a formidable beast like the falcon for swift travel. Even at full speed through the cosmos, it would take them over a month to reach their target.

Unaware of the impending danger, Ye Liuyun and his companions remained fully focused on battle and cultivation.

In every fight, Ye Liuyun and his doppelganger poured all their Profound Energy into devastating strikes. Few alien foes could withstand even a single combined assault, let alone a second.

If an enemy somehow survived, Ye Liuyun would withdraw to train before returning to finish the job. As his Profound Energy grew stronger with each cycle, while the aliens struggled to replenish their energy quickly, resistance became futile.

Those who proved unkillable were subdued and confined within his spatial realm. There, they were given resources to heal, reserved as future sparring partners for himself and the others.

Nearly a month later, Ye Liuyun teetered on the brink of a breakthrough. This time, he didn’t suppress it—he let nature take its course.

He had stockpiled vast resources for this moment. To stabilize his new realm afterward, both he and his doppelganger drained the entire essence of a complete world.

"Seems like I’ll need the essence of a whole world just to replenish my Profound Energy from now on," he mused, suddenly realizing that even his hoard of thousands of world essences wouldn’t last as long as he’d thought.

Still, once his realm was fully consolidated, he stepped out to test his newfound strength. The sheer destructive power at his fingertips filled him with exhilaration.

The alien races that had once been able to withstand his attacks could no longer hold their ground. Now, even with just sixty percent of his strength, he could crush a powerful alien warrior with a single palm strike.

At the same time, the alien forces finally produced a warrior at the second level of the Dominator Realm. This creature had rapidly ascended in power by devouring its kin, all for the sole purpose of confronting Ye Liuyun.

Seeing it as the perfect sparring partner, Ye Liuyun immediately engaged it in battle. The shockwaves from their clash were so immense that his companions had to scatter for safety. Without hesitation, Ye Liuyun stored them in his spatial world, freeing himself to fight the alien without restraint.

By the time both combatants had exhausted their true essence, Ye Liuyun could swiftly replenish his reserves using his Energy Storage Stone, while the alien could only watch helplessly, powerless to do the same.

In the end, Ye Liuyun spared its life, instead branding it with a slave seal and keeping it for future training.

But the moment he stored the alien away, a surge of overwhelming force suddenly blasted toward him.

This power was far more violent than anything a second-level Dominator could muster, forcing Ye Liuyun to abandon any thought of blocking it. Instantly, he froze time with his temporal ability, scanning the direction of the attack.

Only then did he spot a group of human martial artists—led by a warrior at the third level of the Dominator Realm, with over a dozen second-level Dominators in tow.

Clad in tribal attire, they were unmistakably linked to the chieftain’s son from before. Ye Liuyun guessed they had come seeking vengeance.

Without hesitation, he launched a soul attack at their leader. He knew brute strength wouldn’t be enough—only his temporal and soul powers could give him a fighting chance against such formidable foes.

Fortunately, the third-level Dominator’s soul force was no match for his, and the man’s mind lacked any protective barriers. Ye Liuyun smoothly implanted a slave seal.

The warrior, named Xiao Ran, was a renowned powerhouse in his tribe. His earlier strike hadn’t even been at full strength—just a test of Ye Liuyun’s capabilities.

After dodging the attack, Ye Liuyun released his hold on time.

With a thunderous *boom*, Xiao Ran’s strike shattered the very fabric of the alien exile world. Had Ye Liuyun not evaded it using time manipulation, he would never have survived the blow.

The gap between each level of the Dominator Realm was like the difference between heaven and earth—not just in the purity of true essence, but in the profound disparity of the cosmic energies harnessed within.