Ye Liuyun tested the speed of the newly developed Falcon-class warship and was astonished to find it was only slightly slower than his own flight.

This latest iteration of the Falcon wasn’t just significantly faster—its defensive capabilities had also been enhanced, and its offensive power had been upgraded with a wider energy cannon muzzle, capable of obliterating a second-level Dominator cultivator in a single strike.

However, the Falcon’s energy consumption had increased proportionally. If the army didn’t have sufficient energy reserves, they’d have to use the Falcon sparingly.

Once the Falcons were refined to a satisfactory level, Ye Liuyun summoned all his forces to gather at the trade planet. This was the perfect opportunity to equip the army with the new warships. From there, they could continue exploring other regions via teleportation arrays.

Ye Liuyun also instructed Yu Xiaofeng, Qin Peng, and Ye Tiandao to strategize an advance from the trade planet into the Taurus Galaxy, aiming to carve out a new territory.

In the past, the slow speed of their warships had made such an expedition impractical. But now, with the Falcons, travel was far more convenient. He even coordinated with the alliance to dispatch formation masters to Yu Xiaofeng’s team, ensuring they could set up teleportation arrays for easy return.

After thorough planning, Yu Xiaofeng and his team set off with the elite Blade Corps, along with fifty thousand troops each under Meng Qingyin and Xiao Yunfang. They boarded two Falcon warships, each capable of carrying fifty thousand soldiers, and a smaller one for three thousand, heading straight for the Taurus Galaxy.

The rest of the forces remained in reserve, awaiting the completion of the teleportation arrays before joining the expedition.

Meanwhile, Ye Liuyun continued scouting the boundaries of the Silver Fox Galaxy in the void of space. In his mind’s eye, the outline of the galaxy was nearly complete. Though he still couldn’t quite discern the shape of a silver fox, he estimated another month or two would suffice to map its full circumference.

Every day, he practiced spatial manipulation with the Falcon, not just honing his speed in spatial traversal but also using spatial force to strike distant islands and worlds.

Then, one day, his golden pupils caught sight of something unusual—a massive demon corpse drifting in the desolate expanse beyond the Silver Fox Galaxy.

Ye Liuyun immediately changed course to investigate, but the Falcon warned him, *"Strange occurrences are common in the void. Be extremely cautious."*

From a distance, Ye Liuyun scrutinized the demon with his golden eyes. Though it showed no signs of breathing, its heart was still faintly beating. Moreover, the quality of the true essence within its core far surpassed his own.

*"This demon must be at least a fifth-level Dominator,"* Ye Liuyun estimated.

*"Good thing the Falcon warned me."* He hadn’t expected to encounter a demon feigning death in the depths of space.

In the Silver Fox Galaxy, he had never encountered a martial cultivator whose realm surpassed the third level of the Dominator stage. Yet here, he unexpectedly faced a fifth-level Dominator from the demonic race. Unsure of the true strength of a fifth-level Dominator, he immediately halted with caution.

"Come here, human boy!" Suddenly, the corpse of the colossal demon transmitted a voice message to Ye Liuyun, summoning him forward.

Ye Liuyun was still a considerable distance away from the demon, so he wasn’t overly concerned about a sudden attack.

"Why should I go to you just because you say so?" Ye Liuyun replied through his own transmission.

The demon continued, "I no longer have the strength to attack. Drifting through the void like this is my way of conserving energy, hoping to pass on my resources and cultivation techniques. With my legacy, you could grow immensely powerful in no time. I sense demonic energy within you—you’re the perfect candidate to inherit my knowledge."

Unswayed by the demon’s tempting words, Ye Liuyun mounted his falcon, ready to flee at any moment, before asking, "What exactly do you have to offer? Let’s hear it."

"I possess the essence of countless planets—more than I could ever use in my own cultivation. All my techniques, my understanding of the cosmos, are stored within my bloodline, sealed inside my heart. Refine it, and everything will be yours, elevating you to the pinnacle of demonic cultivation. You can even refine my core—my spatial capacity far exceeds that of ordinary beings. Your realm could soar directly to the fifth level of the Dominator stage..."

The demon’s promises sounded enticing, almost like a final testament. But Ye Liuyun’s golden pupils detected something else—a fragment of the demon’s soul, hidden within the heart.

Accepting this inheritance would mean falling under the demon’s control.

Still, the demon’s soul power was undeniably formidable—just one fragment already rivaled two of Ye Liuyun’s own.

*How did this creature cultivate such soul power?* Ye Liuyun couldn’t help but wonder.

Amused yet cautious, he smirked and said, "Show me some of this planetary essence as proof."

Instead, the demon merely released a faint trace of his aura, his voice laced with irritation. "I am an ancient demon of the fifth-level Dominator realm. Do you truly think I would stoop to deceiving a mere demonic cultivator like you?"

"Tch! Whatever level you’re at, I’m outta here if there’s no resources!" Ye Liuyun scoffed with disdain.

Though inwardly, he was thinking: "So it’s an ancient demon. Wonder where it crawled out from!"

The truth was, the primordial energy within this ancient demon’s core had nearly depleted, posing little threat. Yet Ye Liuyun remained cautious—what if the creature possessed something like an Energy Reservoir Stone that could instantly replenish its power?

"You... fine. All my resources are in the spatial ring. Come and take them yourself!" The ancient demon still attempted to lure Ye Liuyun closer.

"You’ve still got some energy left—surely you can remove a spatial ring yourself?" Ye Liuyun countered skeptically.

"My energy’s almost gone—I can’t even move. With such cowardice, how could you ever inherit my legacy?" The demon switched tactics, trying to tempt him again.

"Ugh!" With an exasperated sigh, Ye Liuyun immediately signaled his falcon to turn and leave.

"Alright, alright! I’ll take it off. But don’t expect me to toss it to you—I’ve no strength left." Seeing Ye Liuyun’s departure, the demon hastily changed its tone, sliding the ring off its finger.

"Hmm. Now that’s what I call a show of sincerity." Only then did Ye Liuyun pause.

Yet after a glance, he deemed the distance still too great and nudged his falcon forward slowly.

"Your fear proves your weakness! With my inheritance, you could dominate unchallenged..." The demon prattled on, hoping to lower Ye Liuyun’s guard.

But Ye Liuyun paid no heed. Once close enough, he instantly teleported the demon’s spatial ring into his grasp using spatial manipulation.

The demon’s words cut off abruptly, stunned—clearly unprepared for Ye Liuyun’s formidable spatial abilities.

"...Well, you’ve got some tricks, kid! Satisfied now?" It quickly resumed its spiel.

After securing the ring, Ye Liuyun scanned it with his divine sense and discovered within it the essence of over a thousand intact worlds.