Jiang Yunmu had no proof, so he could do nothing to Jiang Yunmo

Still, the blow had cut him to the root—his resources had suffered catastrophic losses

As commander-in-chief of the army, he could not return to the dynasty on a whim; he could only dispatch trusted aides to beg the court for reinforcements and hurry toward the Tianmen star system

At the same time, Third Prince Jiang Yunyang quietly sent one of his own commanders back with a contingent of soldiers, intent on dealing with Jiang Yunmo

His losses were even heavier than Jiang Yunmu’s—almost every force in his hands had been uprooted by Jiang Yunmo—so retaliation was inevitable

Yet neither Jiang Yunyang’s nor Jiang Yunmu’s moves escaped Jiang Yunmo’s notice. The moment their people stirred, word reached her

“You really are something—both of them are on the move...”

The voice of Eldest Prince Jiang Yuntian crackled from the sound-transmission talisman in Jiang Yunmo’s hand, detailing everything Jiang Yunyang and Jiang Yunmu intended

“Many thanks, Big Brother!”

Jiang Yunmo thanked Jiang Yuntian, a faint smile tugging at her lips

Ever since her return and her first strike against Jiang Yunyang, the eldest prince had contacted her. She had agreed to help him eliminate his rivals—for a price—and Jiang Yuntian had readily consented

It was mutual exploitation, a perfect match. In truth, much of the information Jiang Yunmo fed Ye Liuyun came straight from Jiang Yuntian

She immediately took out another talisman and warned Ye Liuyun, lest he be surrounded by the men Jiang Yunmu was sending. She also asked him to intercept Jiang Yunyang’s subordinates

“Jiang Yunyang sent back more than two hundred Ninth-Order experts?”

When Ye Liuyun received her message, he was startled; he hadn’t expected Jiang Yunyang to dispatch so many. As for the dynasty army Jiang Yunmu was leading, he never considered confronting it head-on—he would simply leave the Tianmen system before they arrived

“That’s right. I’ve almost wiped out his power base in the capital; he’s fighting for his life now.” Jiang Yunmo’s voice carried a laugh, devoid of worry

“All right, I’ll think of something and intercept them when they’re nearly back. I can’t promise to stop them all—watch your back for the rest.” Ye Liuyun agreed, but without absolute certainty

“You can handle them?” Jiang Yunmo probed, wanting to gauge his true strength

Of course Ye Liuyun wouldn’t reveal that. “My strength definitely isn’t enough. I’ll just throw bodies at them—I’ve captured plenty of prisoners lately.”

“Fine. I’ll scrape together as many men as I can on my side.” Jiang Yunmo concluded Ye Liuyun couldn’t be that strong; facing two hundred Ninth-Order experts, he would have to rely on sheer numbers

She found the outcome acceptable: let the princes and Ye Liuyun wear each other down while she emerged unscathed

After putting the talisman away, Ye Liuyun summoned the two Imperial Guard commanders for questioning

“Jiang Yunmu is sending ten thousand Imperial Guards as reinforcements. How many of them are Ninth-Order experts?”

“In a standard ten-thousand-man Imperial Guard unit, at least a thousand are at the Ninth Order,” one commander replied 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

“Do all Imperial Guards have contracts in their seas of consciousness?” Ye Liuyun pressed

“The commanders carry loyalty oaths sworn to the dynasty; the soldiers carry oaths sworn to their commanders,” the two explained

Ye Liuyun nodded. If that was the case, once he seized or killed the unit’s commander, the soldiers would be easy pickings

Commanders, however, surely possessed soul-defense treasures and possibly other protective measures; capturing one alive would be difficult, but killing one outright should be far simpler

He made up his mind on the spot: stay and capture some of the Ninth-Order experts among the Imperial Guards

The journey was long; the Guards would take time to arrive. After Ye Liuyun’s beasts and followers had recovered, he released them again to scour the entire planet

The two demon legions moved fastest, sweeping the planet clean before hurrying to the next so his avatar could pocket the world. Ye Liuyun’s own group was smaller and slower, yet they still managed to claim the planet before the dynasty’s troops arrived

Then he recalled every unit, changed his appearance, and blended into the local cultivators, waiting for the Imperial Guards to appear.

When Jiang Yunmu’s men and the Imperial Guards arrived, none of them expected Ye Liuyun to still be hiding there. They had long since fallen into the habit of assuming he struck and vanished; they were only here to clean up the aftermath and, incidentally, skim a few benefits.

So the moment they landed, they scattered—each heading to a different planet to “survey the situation,” which really meant scavenging whatever resources the chaos had left behind. Only Jiang Yunmu’s personal confidants bothered questioning nearby locals and hunting for clues.

The two Guard commanders likewise split up, each leading a hundred Ninth-Step elites and combing the merchant guilds of every planet for information.

Ye Liuyun waited until they were fully dispersed. Then he sent his two clones after the two commanders while he himself went for Jiang Yunmu’s men.

Jiang Yunmu had dispatched a sizable force: a royal elder at its head, thirty Ninth-Step powerhouses, and close to a hundred Eighth-Step cultivators.

Ye Liuyun kept them in sight. Once both clones were in position, he triggered his time power and struck simultaneously. The clones killed their respective commanders outright; Ye Liuyun himself released his soul-force and plunged straight into the elder’s sea of consciousness.

The elder wore no defensive soul artifact, so Ye Liuyun moved carefully. Inside the elder’s mind he found not only toxic soul-flowers but also a giant defensive bell that had every soul sealed beneath it.

He called upon the Netherworld Ghostflame. By now its fire-spirit was strong enough to fight late-stage Eighth-Step cultivators on its own.

At Ye Liuyun’s command the spirit leapt out, focused its flames to a needle point, and bored into the bell. In moments the metal burned through, revealing two motionless souls inside.

Ye Liuyun planted slave seals on them, erased the contracts they had previously signed, and rifled through the elder’s memories to learn his background.

The elder was a guardian powerhouse the royal family had assigned to Jiang Yunmu. The contract in his mind was a master-servant pact with Jiang Yunmu himself.

During Jiang Yunmu’s campaigns the elder had managed all subordinate forces within the kingdom and knew Jiang Yunmu’s true strength inside out. With this elder in hand, dealing with Jiang Yunmu would be effortless.

So Ye Liuyun spared the elder’s life—and even planned to use him to open a line of communication with Jiang Yunmu.

He understood perfectly well that he and Jiang Yunmu were using each other; he might as well cooperate with a few more princes and use them all.