Everyone had reaped substantial rewards, and Ye Liuyun, knowing when to stop, instructed them all to return to the spatial world to refine their resources before promptly leaving the area without taking the planet with him.

First, he returned to the trade planet to take a look. The scale of the market stalls had expanded more than twentyfold since his departure. Balor had managed everything with remarkable efficiency, and the variety of resources had grown exponentially.

Balor even proudly showed Ye Liuyun over seven thousand sources of complete world origin power—all profits from their recent operations.

These origin powers had been acquired by exchanging divine crystals that weren’t needed for liquidity. Commerce relied more on divine crystals for ease of transactions, while origin power was simply more convenient for storage. Many resources weren’t even worth a single complete world’s origin power.

So Ye Liuyun took all the origin power and left Balor with a vast quantity of divine crystals from his spatial world. These crystals were produced by Ye Ling and would otherwise have been converted into origin power anyway. By now, they hardly even used divine crystals for cultivation.

"Alliance Leader, I’ve already set aside the resources needed for liquidity. These you’ve given me are surplus—they’re worth at least several complete worlds’ origin power. Why don’t I exchange them for something more useful for you?"

"Our entire trade market is stocked with all kinds of resources now. If there’s anything you need, I can help you find it." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Balor knew these divine crystals were of little use to Ye Liuyun, so he suggested trading them for more practical resources. After all, Ye Liuyun wasn’t familiar with the market, and even if he searched himself, he might not come across what he needed.

"That sounds good. I’ll leave it to you, then!"

Ye Liuyun pondered for a moment. His lightning abilities had improved significantly recently, but his mastery of yin-yang flames and ice power still lagged behind. His Buddha-Demon power, too, hadn’t seen any progress in a long time.

So he asked Balor to focus on finding resources in those areas, though he didn’t hold out much hope. He added that if those weren’t available, any unique resources for body tempering, soul refinement, spatial power enhancement, or world energy would also be acceptable.

After all, rare resources were often consumed by cultivators for personal use and rarely put up for sale. Common resources, on the other hand, were of no interest to him.

Once Balor left, Ye Liuyun didn’t dwell on the matter. Instead, he made rounds across the alliance and other regions.

Wherever he went now, he was met with warm welcomes—everyone knew he was the true master of the entire Silver Fox Galaxy.

Ye Liuyun also shared information about the Silver Fox Galaxy with the alliance elders.

Some of the elders began to voice their concerns: "With so many planets missing from our galaxy, if we face another invasion and the teleportation arrays are destroyed, we won’t even be able to send reinforcements!"

Others proposed, "Could we retrieve planets from other galaxies and integrate them into ours?"

Ye Liuyun found this idea quite intriguing, though he offered a balanced perspective: "We should consider both sides of the coin. While having fewer planets might leave us vulnerable to severed connections during an invasion, there’s also an advantage—powerful forces may not even bother targeting our galaxy, given how little resources there are to plunder."

Having traversed the cosmos, Ye Liuyun had sensed the stark contrast between the Silver Fox Galaxy and the Bison Galaxy. If he were a raider seeking resources, he’d undoubtedly head for the Bison Galaxy, where the dense cluster of planets held far greater appeal.

"So, should we maintain the status quo?" Lie Du sought Ye Liuyun’s opinion.

Ye Liuyun nodded. "I think it’s best to hold steady for now and focus on strengthening our forces. During my travels, I learned that other galaxies have cultivators at the ninth level of the Dominator Realm. If such an expert decided to strike, no matter how many planets we have, we wouldn’t stand a chance.

"But once we’ve built up our strength, relocating planets—or even expanding our galaxy—won’t be out of the question. I suggest the alliance recruit powerful allies to bolster our forces rather than relying solely on slow, internal cultivation.

"Moreover, we should explore other galaxies in multiple directions. So far, I’ve only discovered the Bison Galaxy, and the Death Legion has already begun scouting there. The alliance could also explore other regions—there’s no harm in casting a wider net."

Ye Liuyun’s reasoning won the approval of the alliance elders. Previously, they had considered themselves formidable—until they set foot on the trade planet and realized how many true powerhouses existed beyond their borders. Without Ye Liuyun’s influence, countless factions within the Silver Fox Galaxy alone could have crushed their alliance.

Thus, following Ye Liuyun’s advice, the alliance began recruiting powerful cultivators under his name and dispatched them through teleportation arrays to explore in all directions.

Now that most inhabitants of the galaxy understood concepts like galaxies and the cosmos, many major factions had grown more open-minded. Internal strife was no longer their focus; instead, they united to seek resources beyond their borders.

When the alliance issued its call, numerous factions eagerly joined, rapidly enhancing its strength. Together, they ventured outward, securing more resources and intelligence—benefiting all involved.

Seeing this newfound harmony, Ye Liuyun felt at ease preparing for his next journey. He couldn’t afford to stay indefinitely—otherwise, his progress would lag behind the martial cultivators exploring the wider universe.

If his standing wavered, the entire galaxy might descend into chaos once more.

Ye Liuyun returned to the trade planet, leaving both Xiaoran and Wan Gang with Balor before preparing to depart.

However, Balor stopped him, asking him to wait a few more days as several resources had already been located and would soon be delivered. Without even inquiring what those resources were, Ye Liuyun agreed and spent the time wandering around the outskirts of the trade planet. By the time he returned, Balor had truly prepared a grand surprise for him.

Balor presented Ye Liuyun with four extraordinary gifts. The first was a Solar Fire Spirit—an entity that wouldn’t directly enhance the power of flames but could elevate the sentience of their primal essence. For a martial cultivator like Ye Liuyun, who had already manifested the Golden Crow within his flames, this meant he could now imbue the Golden Crow with spiritual intelligence, allowing it to cultivate and grow stronger autonomously.

This single treasure alone left Ye Liuyun thoroughly satisfied. But Balor had thought even further ahead—he had also procured a corresponding Yin Fire resource. Understanding the necessity of balancing opposing flames, he had secured for Ye Liuyun a pair of Earthheart Azure Flames.

Since the Earthheart Azure Flames might not match the Solar Fire Spirit in potency, Balor had brought two—one large, one small—ensuring Ye Liuyun could maintain equilibrium between the two forces. At this sight, Ye Liuyun was overwhelmed with excitement, his gratitude toward Balor immeasurable.

And then, Balor produced yet another treasure—a Buddha’s Light Relic.