Ye Liuyun immediately unleashed the Sealing Demon Stele and the Demon Vine, commanding them to eliminate the remaining alien creatures while he absorbed the corrupted primordial energy of this realm. He couldn’t risk these enemies escaping once the world collapsed.

The primordial energy here had already been tainted by the alien beings, making it the perfect nourishment for the two artifacts.

Ye Liuyun also instructed Xiaoluo to keep his controlled status hidden, ordering him to devise a way for the warriors under his command to engage in one-on-one combat with him and his doppelganger.

Following the plan, Xiaoluo put on a show, sneering at Ye Liuyun with feigned arrogance. "So you’re the martial cultivator who killed our chieftain’s son?"

"That’s right," Ye Liuyun replied, playing along. "What’s the matter? Planning to gang up on us?"

"Gang up?" Xiaoluo scoffed, deliberately curling his lip in disdain. "Against someone of your level? Hardly necessary. I’ll have my warriors face you one-on-one. As long as you don’t run, the rest of us won’t interfere."

"Deal!" Ye Liuyun summoned his doppelganger without hesitation, ready for battle.

"Xiaoluo, don’t fall for their tricks," one of the tribal warriors warned. "Dealing with cunning cultivators like these—it’s better if you just handle them yourself."

Xiaoluo feigned confidence. "Relax. Let them test their skills first. I’ll step in when the time comes. They won’t escape—not with me here. You, go see what that kid can do." He deliberately sent the cautious warrior forward.

"Fine."

The warrior strode toward Ye Liuyun, while Xiaoluo assigned another to face the doppelganger.

For Ye Liuyun and his doppelganger, this was the perfect opportunity to gauge their own strength.

The moment the battle began, Ye Liuyun realized these tribal warriors were no pushovers—their combat experience was formidable. Through the Slaving Seal, he learned from Xiaoluo that these warriors routinely hunted cosmic behemoths in the void and clashed with powerful outsiders.

Though their numbers were small—barely over two hundred—each warrior had been tempered through countless battles, making them all elite combatants.

The fights were fierce, pushing Ye Liuyun and his doppelganger to their limits. As they battled, they continuously refined their weaknesses—particularly their control over cosmic energy, which, due to their recent breakthrough, still lagged behind their opponents’ fluid mastery. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Their spatial powers were originally formidable, but against these warriors, they no longer held an advantage. They needed to improve quickly, or they’d risk falling behind in strength.

As for soul attacks, they still had a significant edge over these warriors, but against martial cultivators at the third level of Dominance, the difference was minimal. Just like in the fight against Xiaoxie—their soul forces were nearly on par.

So, while battling, Ye Liuyun focused on improving his skills. Neither he nor his clone lacked combat experience, so they weren’t at a disadvantage. It wasn’t until both sides had exhausted their true energy that Ye Liuyun finally employed his temporal power, silently branding the two warriors with slave marks. He then had them withdraw discreetly, making way for fresh opponents.

Ye Liuyun and his clone replenished their energy using storage stones and urged Xiaoxie to send in more fighters.

Later, after Ye Liuyun’s strength had surged, they no longer struggled in battle—even without resorting to his blade intent or other abilities.

His blade intent remained unmatched, even among these tribal warriors. Many of them wielded blades, but their understanding of blade intent was rudimentary at best, far inferior to his. He simply didn’t want to overpower them, choosing instead to bridge the gap in cultivation.

By the time Ye Liuyun had fought through an entire rotation of warriors, Xiaoxie was still pretending to arrange another round.

With a smile, Ye Liuyun said, "No need to keep up the act. All of you are under my control now."

Xiaoxie flushed with embarrassment and finally relented. Though he was now under Ye Liuyun’s command, guilt still gnawed at him for betraying his fellow tribesmen.

Ye Liuyun withdrew them all into his spatial world. Only after the Demon-Suppressing Stele and the Demon Vine had eradicated the remaining alien forces and absorbed the planet’s origin energy did he prepare to leave.

By then, the entire planet had begun to collapse. Already fractured by Xiaoxie’s earlier strike, it could no longer hold together once its origin energy was drained.

Ye Liuyun immediately retreated into his clone’s spatial world to cultivate, replenishing both of their storage stones. His future opponents would only grow stronger, and he needed to be fully prepared for any contingency.

Especially when facing the Hanyong Tribe. The son of their chieftain—whom he had killed—was their sole heir. From Xiaoxie’s memories, he knew the tribe would never let this go.

Images of Ye Liuyun and his companions had already been transmitted back to the tribe. They would undoubtedly send more pursuers after him.

However, Ye Liuyun had no intention of altering his appearance. Instead, he was determined to continue battling these warriors to hone his skills. Only by fighting the strong could he rapidly improve his strength.

From then on, Ye Liuyun didn’t rush his journey. He traveled at a leisurely pace, frequently sparring with the tribal warriors. Through these battles, he discovered that their physical prowess was on par with his own—something he hadn’t expected.

Upon inquiring, he learned that the tribesmen used a special spiritual fruit for body refinement. Known as the Ironhide Fruit, its thick shell was rich in metallic elements, making it ideal for refining the body—though it was inedible in its raw form.

These fruits were common in their tribe, and even Xian Ran’s Interspatial Ring contained a few. Ye Liuyun tried refining them and was astonished by the immediate and significant boost to his physique.

Seizing the opportunity, he gathered all the Ironhide Fruits from the warriors and refined them without hesitation.

While searching through their storage rings, he also stumbled upon various rare herbs that greatly enhanced bloodline and soul power.

"Are all these resources native to your lands?" Ye Liuyun asked Xian Ran curiously.

"The Ironhide Fruit is our local specialty," Xian Ran explained. "The rest are traded from the market."

He went on to describe a bustling trade hub located near their planet, where people from over a dozen neighboring worlds—including beastmen and giant demons—gathered to exchange goods.

However, the market was lawless and chaotic, ruled by strength rather than order. Without sufficient power, traders risked being robbed or worse.

Having a warrior at the third level of the Dominator Realm as protection made all the difference. The Han Yong Tribe maintained a permanent shop on the trade planet, guarded by two such formidable warriors.

Whenever the tribe ventured there for business, they always sent a Dominator Realm expert to lead the expedition. And each trip was a major undertaking—stocking up on supplies in bulk to minimize risk.