Ye Liuyun once again refrained from taking prisoners, allowing his companions and demonic beasts to hone their skills to the fullest. Simultaneously, he realized that encircling enemy forces in the vastness of space required significantly more manpower.

Unlike ground battles, where escape routes were limited, the cosmic battlefield offered endless directions for retreat. Had it not been for the Nine-Headed Netherdrake, the Vermilion Bird, and the Falcon—three formidable aerial forces—the White Tiger Legion alone wouldn’t have been enough to seal off all escape paths.

He relayed these insights to Yu Xiaofeng, tasking him with strategizing for future engagements.

As for Kuishan’s forces, they grew even more hesitant to provoke further skirmishes. After reporting the situation to the various dynasties, nearly all rulers advised maintaining their current positions, opting to outlast the Death Corps in a war of attrition.

Time passed, and Ye Liuyun, accompanied by the Thieving Cat, had nearly plundered the entire Bison Galaxy dry. Along the way, they amassed a staggering amount of resources. Even the Thieving Cat had claimed two uninhabited worlds for itself, accelerating its own growth.

Though its cultivation hadn’t yet reached the first level of Dominance, its ability to infiltrate others’ personal spatial realms had grown remarkably refined. Unless Ye Liuyun focused intently, he could no longer detect the faint spatial ripples it left behind.

"Alright, we’ve gathered enough resources. It’s time to head back," Ye Liuyun suggested.

"Already?" The Thieving Cat’s eyes gleamed with mischief. "I think there’s one more crucial place we should visit!"

Ye Liuyun chuckled. "Still not satisfied? Where do you have in mind?"

"The royal treasury!" The cat’s whiskers twitched eagerly. "Back in the Willow Forest Dynasty’s palace vault, I saw mountains of treasures—though Madam wouldn’t let me take much..."

The mention sparked an idea in Ye Liuyun’s mind.

"True, the royal vaults are overflowing with riches," he mused, "but their defenses are impenetrable. Are you sure you can get in?"

"Don’t worry," the Thieving Cat declared, puffing out its chest. "Even if I’m spotted, I can slip away without a trace!"

Ye Liuyun considered for a moment, then nodded. Emptying the dynasties’ treasuries would undoubtedly cripple their military operations.

"Great! Let’s go rob the royal palace! But you’d better be careful—there might be experts at the fifth level of Dominance guarding it!" Ye Liuyun reminded the thieving cat before they set off.

He then stowed Lei Ming away in his spatial world and altered his appearance once more before touring each kingdom with the cunning feline in tow. To his surprise, stealing from the royal treasuries turned out to be even easier than looting merchant guilds.

Though heavily guarded within the palaces, the vaults themselves were less strictly monitored, relying mostly on defensive formations. The cat barely had to move—it simply stuffed everything into its storage space and slipped out without triggering any alarms.

Most of the martial experts in these kingdoms were deep in cultivation and barely noticed the faint spatial disturbances. Even if they did, the cat was long gone by the time they went through the tedious protocols required to inspect the vaults. After all, royal treasuries weren’t something just anyone could open on a whim—approval and specialized personnel were mandatory.

What surprised Ye Liuyun most was that none of the kingdoms dared to publicly announce the thefts. Not a single one imposed city-wide lockdowns or searches, fearing mass panic or even rebellion. Worse yet, none of them warned their neighbors—some even secretly hoped others would suffer the same fate.

With no resistance, Ye Liuyun and the cat struck one kingdom after another without a single failure.

"Hahaha, this is almost too easy!" Ye Liuyun couldn’t stop grinning as he sorted through the loot. He kept what he needed and sent the rest back to Xuan Yuanling.

When she and the others received the massive haul, they immediately recognized the royal insignias on some of the items.

"That reckless fool—he even robbed the royal families!" Xuan Yuanling shook her head in exasperation before ordering the resources to be discreetly liquidated in batches to avoid drawing suspicion from other kingdoms.

After returning to base via the Black Tower teleportation, Ye Liuyun wasted no time. He and the cat immediately set off again—this time targeting the supply depots of the allied armies.

"Go steal everything—their military supplies, even the resources inside the commanders’ and martial experts’ storage rings. But be extra careful—their leader is a fourth-level Dominance expert!" he warned.

"Got it. I’ll borrow some power from the spatial world to stay undetected," the cat assured him.

Cloaked in invisibility, Ye Liuyun brought the cat to the outskirts of the military camp and let it slip inside unnoticed.

To assist the Thieving Cat’s operation, Ye Liuyun also unleashed the Demon Vine, which continuously ambushed the Alliance army from underground.

If Kuishan attempted to blast the Demon Vine out of the ground, he would risk collapsing the entire planet. Moreover, relocating their troops farther away would only make it harder for them to launch an attack. Left with no choice, Kuishan dispersed the martial cultivators throughout the camp. Yet, the Demon Vine still struck sporadically, keeping the Alliance forces in constant turmoil.

The Thieving Cat’s first target was none other than Kuishan himself. Facing a high-level martial cultivator like Kuishan, the cat didn’t dare take any chances. It tapped into the power of the spatial realm to enhance its own spatial abilities—just as Kuishan was receiving reports about the Demon Vine’s disruptions.

As a result, even Kuishan failed to notice the theft. His Interspatial Ring contained the entire army’s vital resources, making the loss catastrophic.

Emboldened by its success, the Thieving Cat continued its spree, slipping into other martial cultivators’ storage spaces without leaving a trace.

Kuishan was already frustrated by the Demon Vine’s relentless attacks when he suddenly discovered his resources had been stolen. The realization sent a chill down his spine.

*"Who in the world has the skill to steal from my Interspatial Ring? If they can do this, they could just as easily take my life!"*

He interpreted the theft as a deliberate warning—a silent threat that his life was at their mercy.

Too afraid to announce the breach and risk destabilizing morale, he immediately issued orders: *"Retreat the army. Dispatch a squad of martial cultivators to force the Demon Vine out of the ground. Engage if possible—if not, withdraw at once!"*

He had already decided to pull back, convinced that this battle was unwinnable. The enemy was simply too formidable—even a fifth-level Dominator might not stand a chance.

Meanwhile, Ye Liuyun lurked nearby, cloaked in invisibility. The moment he saw the enemy’s movements, he recalled the Demon Vine and urged the Thieving Cat to speed up its work.

Using his mastery over time, he began snatching scattered martial cultivators from the camp. With each temporal strike, he captured over a dozen third-level Dominators.

Chaos erupted within the Alliance ranks.

Amidst the frantic retreat, martial cultivators kept vanishing, while others discovered their storage rings had been completely emptied. Word spread that a master infiltrator was among them, and panic set in—every soldier feared they would be next.