Xiao Yan also informed Ye Liuyun that even with a third-level Dominator leading their group, they occasionally encountered bands bold enough to attempt robbing them.

This immediately piqued Ye Liuyun’s interest. A lawless place like this was perfect for him to stir the waters and seize resources. He released Xiao Yan to guide the way and set off toward the trade planet. His plan was to first plunder some medicinal herbs there to boost his own strength and that of his companions before exploring the surrounding planets.

During their journey, Xiao Yan was actually faster than him but deliberately slowed his pace to accommodate Ye Liuyun. Spurred by Xiao Yan’s speed, Ye Liuyun continuously honed his spatial abilities, even frequently sparring with Xiao Yan to learn from him.

After a month, Ye Liuyun’s spatial power had improved significantly—his teleportation range extended farther, and his speed increased dramatically.

When they finally caught sight of the trade planet, Xiao Yan advised Ye Liuyun to release the other tribal warriors as well.

"Why?" Ye Liuyun was puzzled.

"If it’s just the two of us, we’ll look too weak and might get robbed ourselves!" Xiao Yan explained. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Ye Liuyun was about to dismiss the concern, confident in his ability to handle any trouble, when suddenly, twelve massive waves of demonic energy surged toward them, their oppressive auras unmistakably flaring.

Through his golden pupils, Ye Liuyun could clearly see the towering demonic figures within the miasma—each easily ten times their size. One of them was a third-level Dominator, while the other eleven were second-level Dominators.

Apart from their cultivation levels, these giant demons bore little difference in appearance from the demons in his spatial world. By now, Ye Liuyun was hardly surprised by such sights.

"Damn it, they’re definitely here to rob us!"

Xiao Yan’s face tightened with tension, urging Ye Liuyun to flee immediately. If they gave it their all now, they might still have a chance to escape.

But Ye Liuyun remained unfazed. Instead, he silently played the *Nine Nether Prelude* in his mind. No matter how enormous these demons were, they were still demons—and as long as they were demons, the *Nine Nether Prelude* would work.

Sure enough, when the giant demons surrounded them, they all restrained their auras and bowed respectfully to Ye Liuyun. Xiao Yan’s jaw dropped in stunned disbelief.

Ye Liuyun didn’t bother explaining. He simply ordered them to follow him from now on, then demanded they hand over their storage rings for inspection.

To his surprise, he found over two hundred energy-rich demon fruits inside—each one nearly as large as Ye Liuyun himself. What the giant demons considered merely oversized fruit, which they called "demon melons," turned out to be a treasure trove. Ye Liuyun kept them all, distributing shares to Leiming and the Nine-Headed Demon Dragon while reserving the rest for himself and his doppelgänger to refine and absorb.

Among the items in their storage rings was a rare spirit-gathering ginseng that strengthened divine soul power—a resource these demons had acquired by trading their native black demonstone. Ye Liuyun claimed that as well.

Next, he had Tongxin and Qiong Qi examine their weapons, curious about the so-called black demonstone they had mentioned. The two quickly confirmed that, once refined, the black demonstone would surpass even demon realm ores in hardness, making it an exceptional material for crafting weapons.

The only catch was its extreme heat resistance, which would make forging more laborious—but the results would be well worth the effort. It was perfect for reinforcing their newly designed battleship.

"Looks like we’re in for a major haul!" Ye Liuyun returned the weapons to the giant demons, his anticipation growing. He sensed that this trading planet held many of the resources he needed.

Soon after, however, he stashed them all into his spatial world, assigning them to live among his demon soldiers and integrating them into his demon army.

"Aren’t we taking them with us?" Xiao Xi couldn’t help but feel it was a waste not to use these demons as vanguards.

"Don’t worry," Ye Liuyun reassured him. "If anyone dares provoke us, we’ll just seize them and take their resources for ourselves." With that, he motioned for Xiao Xi to continue onward.

Xiao Xi shuddered inwardly—he had unwittingly fallen in with a bandit. Ye Liuyun offered no further explanation, simply instructing him to stay close for protection.

But before they could even reach the trading planet, they were intercepted by a pack of feral beast. Originally on their way out after completing their own trades, the beasts turned back upon spotting just the two of them, swiftly surrounding Ye Liuyun and Xiao Xi.

"Xiao Xi? Talk about fate bringing enemies face to face!" The leader, a crimson-maned lion, spoke in human tongue—and seemed to recognize Xiao Xi.

This lion was a third-level Dominator beast, flanked by three second-level Dominator leopards, a brown bear, and four striped tigers with golden and white fur.

Xiao Yan immediately reported to Ye Liuyun with urgency that their tribe had recently hunted down the red-maned lion’s offspring.

But Ye Liuyun couldn’t care less about their feud. Without hesitation, he wielded his temporal power and launched a soul attack on the savage beasts, branding them with slave seals.

To his delight, the process went smoothly—all nine beasts were subdued in one go. Eagerly, he ordered them to hand over their storage rings, curious about the treasures inside.

Inside the red-maned lion’s ring, he discovered a massive stash of Blood Dragon Fruits—a rare specialty of the beastkin that could enhance power of bloodline. Originally reserved for trade, they now fell into Ye Liuyun’s hands, destined for his allies in the spatial world.

There were also plenty of Titanwood and Ironhide Fruits, along with a fire-attributed World Origin Force—something the lion had been saving for its own refinement.

"A World Origin Force of this attribute?" Ye Liuyun’s eyes lit up. Without delay, he took it to his avatar’s world to refine it, leaving the avatar to continue treasure hunting.

Soon after, the red-maned lion became the avatar’s mount.

"Master, this... this might not be appropriate," Xiao Yan stammered awkwardly. "That Red-Maned Lion King is a ruler among the beastkin—practically their third-in-command. Riding it like this... if the beastkin see you, they’ll take it as an insult and attack—"

"No matter," the avatar retorted dismissively. "If I’ve already captured their third-in-command, why should I fear the rest?" He ignored Xiao Yan’s warning entirely.

"Come to think of it, I *am* short a couple of lackeys," he mused. With a flick of his wrist, he summoned two second-level Dominator Realm giant demons to flank the lion.

Then, he positioned Xiao Yan beside him, gripping the lion’s mane like a servant. The whole display was deliberate—a blatant provocation, bait for anyone foolish enough to challenge him.

Xiao Yan, however, was on the verge of tears. Not only did he feel humiliated, but he was certain Ye Liuyun’s arrogance was practically begging for trouble. With this kind of entourage, they’d be painting a target on their backs for every enemy in sight.