The instant Ye Liuyun’s two soul-fragments burst into the Cold-clan elder’s sea of consciousness, the elder’s own twin souls didn’t flinch—instead they charged straight at Ye Liuyun.

“Haha, boy, you asked for death! Your soul-power may outweigh mine, but you’re still no match!”

The elder’s soul laughed, punching at Ye Liuyun with a fist condensed from pure spirit-energy.

“He can actually fight in soul-form too!”

Ye Liuyun was caught off-guard. The elder was borrowing heaven-and-earth force through his soul—stronger heaven-and-earth force than Ye Liuyun’s.

“Use Soul-Sabres!”

Knowing he couldn’t win that contest, Ye Liuyun morphed both souls into long blades and slashed with sabre-intent.

The elder never expected a soul to shapeshift; the blade-intent that came at him dwarfed his own cosmic power

Before he could react, both sabres flickered through space and landed in front of his two souls.

“Aaah!”

A scream tore from the elder. He had trained only in worldly force, not spatial; seeing no dodge, he threw an arm-block of condensed energy.

*Schick—schick!* 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Both spiritual arms were severed clean

One sabre swept sideways; the other ballooned into a sky-devouring beast that roared a soul-shaking wave, spider-webbing cracks across the elder’s souls

A follow-up slash opened each soul from ribs to hip; baleful Netherfire clinging to the wounds refused to be smothered

Next came suction: the beast gulped down the two drifting arms while the sabres struck again—space-fold instant—at one maimed soul

With only one arm left it still tried to parry

*Schick!* That last limb flew off and was swallowed whole.

“I surrender!”

Any longer and his souls would be diced mincemeat—cracks spreading, ghost-fire chewing—and he knew it. He’d thought himself peerless in soul-combat at his level; Ye Liuyun had simply brought more weapons...and shapes.

The moment he yielded Ye Liuyun planted a slave-seal, left him to heal inside a pocket world and withdrew both blade-souls.

“Master’s soul assault is...terrifyingly inventive,” the newly branded slave—Leng Yuan—whispered in awe

What felt like minutes inside the mind-realm lasted one real-world breath; none of the other cultivators had even started fighting. The metal puppet had only just raised its blade against an early Eighth-Heaven opponent on Ye Liuyun’s silent order.

Ye Liuyun shot both souls into a mid-Eighth-Heaven cultivator next; another quick seal planted without resistance.

When he stepped out again his puppet had already cleaved one early-Eighth-Heaven foe and was mid-slash at a mid-Eighth target—too late to call off. He recalled his souls and sprinted toward two early-Eighth warriors for live practice.

Leng Qingxiao and Leng Qingyao merely assumed their tandem stance; facing them, several Eighth-Heavens scattered rather than risk that combined strike.

After two more mid-Eighth kills the metal puppet froze mid-battlefield, pressure alone pinning remaining early-Eighth prey so its master could hone technique on living targets.

Another mid–Eighth-Order warrior was taken down by three of Ye Liuyun’s own Eighth-Order subordinates working together; after that they ringed the survivors and simply watched their boss sharpen his skills.

Without using soul power, Ye Liuyun found it real grunt-work to trade blows with a Unity Eighth-Order cultivator. He burned through divine energy, spatial force, world-energy and sabre intent—everything he had—and still couldn’t finish the enemy off.

He had already refilled three dantians with stored-energy stones, yet the opponent lived. Worse, Ye Liuyun was sent flying more than once; only his tough body kept him in one piece.

Next he and his clone double-teamed another Eighth-Order fighter, but with his own strength too feeble he couldn’t wound the man—he could only bleed the guy’s true essence dry.

Giving up on a clean kill, Ye Liuyun snapped out a soul assault and branded every surviving Leng clansman into slavery.

The haul: six new E第八–Ninth-Order prisoners; his entourage now even stronger.

He and the clone ducked back into his inner world to recharge their divine energy while the fresh captains held the line outside.

Other intercepting cultivators saw so many Eighth-Order heavies on Ye Liuyun’s side that none dared strike; they merely tailed at a distance while radioing their clans for reinforcements.

Smaller families without a single Unity Ninth-Order elder simply quit.

Before Ye Liuyun could top off his storage stones, Leng Qingxiao pinged him: “Master, we’ve hit a wall—we’re buckling.”

“Master, a Unity Ninth-Order powerhouse showed up, plus a Ninth-Order vicious beast. We’ve already lost several men; we can’t hold...”

Ye Liuyun and the clone burst out to meet the threat.

They emerged to see an early-Ninth-Order old man smiling as he watched a snow-wolf slaughter the prisoners. Against low-grade warriors the wolf alone would do—good hunting practice and fresh meat for later.

The wolf’s spatial force and world-energy were clearly overwhelming; even four Unity Eighth-Orders together couldn’t stop it, barely managing to dodge its lunges. Two Seventh-Orders and one Eighth from Ye Liuyun’s crew already had their skulls crushed like melons.

When the old man spotted Ye Liuyun step out—and saw Leng Qingxiao and his sister bow respectfully—he instantly ordered the snow-wolf to drop everyone else and charge straight at Ye Liuyun.

Ye Liuyun sent a quick voice-cast to his captives: “Let it through!”

The prisoners parted at once, clearing the path for the wolf to come tearing in.