Ye Liuyun heard every word of the conversation between Liu Yunheng and the soldier captain clearly.

Hovering invisibly above the captain, his cultivation level was so advanced that the man remained completely unaware of his presence. Yet Ye Liuyun made no move to intervene, choosing instead to leave the matter entirely to Liu Yunyao.

At that moment, alerted by her winged Pegasus, Liu Yunyao had also noticed the approaching soldiers. Recognizing them as allies, she paid them little mind, focusing instead on mopping up the remaining barbarian warriors.

The battle had been exhilarating for her. Not only had she pushed her spiritual power to its limits, but she had also replenished her energy once using a Spirit Stone.

By the time the fighting ended, her demonic lion had already cleaned up the battlefield—nothing remained but bloodstains, the aftermath tidied with eerie efficiency.

"Come out already. What are you lurking around for?" Liu Yunyao finally snapped at the soldiers, her voice sharp with impatience.

"Your Highness!" The captain immediately bowed obsequiously, though his mind raced for ways to stall. No matter how hard he tried, however, he couldn’t possibly delay long enough for reinforcements to arrive in days.

"Whose unit do you belong to?" Liu Yunyao demanded bluntly.

"We’re border garrison troops, Your Highness," the captain replied smoothly. "Our orders were to hunt demonic beasts for resources to supplement military supplies."

"Hmm." Liu Yunyao acknowledged with a noncommittal hum. It wasn’t unusual for armies to procure extra resources, so she didn’t press further. Instead, she issued a command: "You have one hour to leave this planet with your men."

The captain’s eyes flickered with calculation.

"Your Highness, that’s impossible!" he protested with feigned distress. "We’re under strict orders to capture demonic beasts. If we return empty-handed, we’ll face court-martial. Our commander is already on his way and will arrive in two days. Could you perhaps wait? It’d give us time to hunt a few beasts and report back with something to show."

Liu Yunyao hesitated. She had no wish to see these soldiers punished because of her. But Ye Liuyun had only given her a single day.

"No," she said after a moment’s thought. "You have three hours at most. Then you leave—no excuses."

But the squad leader, taking advantage of her soft-hearted nature as a woman, immediately knelt down with his soldiers, begging for a few more days’ grace.

"Just capturing magical beasts, right? I’ll help you catch a few. That way, you can report back to your superiors," Liu Yunyao said.

"But it’s not just about the beasts—we also have to stay for the full duration!" the squad leader pleaded with her.

"Enough excuses. Take the beasts outside and wait out the time there before returning. Keep arguing, and don’t blame me for losing my patience!"

Liu Yunyao had already figured out the loophole—once they had the beasts, they could report back, and any extra time could be wasted elsewhere. There was no need to stay on this planet.

The squad leader knew he had no more excuses to stall. Reluctantly, he agreed. With that, Liu Yunyao turned to help them hunt the beasts, while the squad leader reported back to Liu Yunheng, admitting they couldn’t delay much longer.

"What does she want you to leave the planet for?" Liu Yunheng asked.

"The princess didn’t say," the squad leader replied.

"Fine. Take the beasts, then monitor her from a distance," Liu Yunheng ordered.

"Yes, sir!" The squad leader obeyed, opting not to join the hunt. Instead, he waited where he was, knowing Liu Yunyao’s strength would yield far more beasts than they ever could.

Meanwhile, Ye Liuyun continued trailing Liu Yunyao invisibly, though he made no move to reveal himself. He simply observed as she battled a third-level Celestial-tier beast.

For Liu Yunyao, it was both training and hunting. But after two attempts, she ended up killing the beast with full force, failing to capture it alive. Settling for the next best option, she effortlessly subdued a few first and second-level Celestial-tier beasts—more than enough for the soldiers to turn in. Given their strength, they probably couldn’t even catch a first-level beast on their own. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The soldiers, overjoyed by the unexpected haul, thanked her profusely before leaving with the beasts. However, they didn’t go far, lingering at a distance to keep watch. Only once they were gone did Liu Yunyao return to find Ye Liuyun.

Using his spatial powers, Ye Liuyun had already arrived ahead of her at their meeting point. He removed his invisibility cloak and waited.

"I’ve killed the barbarian soldiers and driven off the dynasty’s troops. You can have your clone reclaim this place now," Liu Yunyao told him.

"Are you sure those imperial soldiers have left?" Ye Liuyun countered.

"Yeah, I watched them go myself," Liu Yunyao affirmed, though her inexperience in dealing with enemies was painfully obvious.

"You’d better double-check from the starry void. If they’re keeping watch from a distance and I harvest this planet, they’ll report back that you’re the one who took it—bringing you nothing but trouble," Ye Liuyun cautioned.

"Oh... alright, I’ll go take another look!" Liu Yunyao admitted, realizing her carelessness.

"Wait—whose troops were they? Doesn’t Liu Yunheng command forces here too? Did you even ask if they were his men?" Ye Liuyun pressed.

"I didn’t question them closely. They claimed to be border garrison, but Liu Yunheng does have his own soldiers stationed in this sector," she confirmed.

Ye Liuyun sighed. "Didn’t I teach you soul-searching? You learned it—now use it! If they’re clean, let them go. If not, your whereabouts could be compromised. Either way, once this beast world disappears, Liu Yunheng will suspect you."

Chastened, Liu Yunyao hurried after the soldiers’ retreating path. The thrill of her recent victory over the barbarians had made her careless. Only now, with Ye Liuyun’s warning, did she grasp the gravity—if Liu Yunheng discovered she’d claimed this beast world, every vanished realm would be blamed on her.

Gritting her teeth, she spurred her winged steed faster. But the moment she exited the beast world’s atmosphere, she froze—the soldiers’ warship hovered just beyond, monitoring the planet.

"Damn it!" she cursed under her breath. "Just my luck!"

Spotting her, the squad leader beamed and approached. "Any further orders, Princess?"

"I told you to leave. Why are you still here?" she demanded icily.

"We did leave, Your Highness! Just following your command to wait here until sufficient time has passed before departing."

His smooth reply left her speechless.

"Screw this—straight to soul-searching." Decision made, her pupils flashed crimson as she seized the squad leader’s mind, plunging into his memories.