Ye Liuyun decided the three Unity Nine cultivators he’d just captured were strong enough to keep alive. He already had over a hundred cultivators at Unity Seven and Eight—already a sizable force.

Anyone below those levels he simply discarded, treating them as cultivation fuel.

Especially their soul and power of bloodline—he let his own followers and the ancient-demon soldiers absorb as much as possible. The three thousand soldiers of the ancient-demon legion had, in fact, used the chance to raise their soul power significantly.

All the cultivation resources those captives carried were stripped bare and handed to his own people; not a scrap was left. If any of them needed to replenish their true essence in battle, they’d get it only when the time came.

After every last captive had been consumed, Ye Liuyun had He Yunzhang raid two of the He family’s spirit-mines on the way, then tucked him away and set off for the Fan family, using the slave seal to summon Fan Cheng.

The medicinal-herb base Fan Cheng oversaw was unremarkable, with no high-grade plants worth Ye Liuyun’s attention. He intended to head straight for the three planets the Fan family used exclusively for cultivating herbs.

Though only three in number, those planets were blanketed with every kind of medicinal plant, and their garrison was far stronger than the He family’s mine guards.

Ye Liuyun figured that once he struck, the Fan family would be on alert—so he might as well hit hard and vanish.

Fan Cheng’s jaw dropped at the audacity. “Master, there are more than ten Unity Nine experts stationed there. Most of the Fan family’s elites and disciples—tens of thousands on each planet—are based on those three worlds...”

He doubted Ye Liuyun could handle so many even if he could defeat a few Unity Nines.

Ye Liuyun cut him off. “Can you get inside those planets?”

“I can, but the clan forbids bringing outsiders. How about I gather some herbs from the base I manage instead?”

Fan Cheng looked miserable, terrified Ye Liuyun would force him inside; if the robbery failed, he’d be ruined.

Ye Liuyun soothed him. “Your identity won’t be exposed. You go in first, then lure a few elders out one by one. I’ll control them, take their forms, and slip in. After that, you’re done. If it looks impossible, I won’t insist.”

Fan Cheng relaxed a little, but still grimaced. “I’m only an outer-sect elder; coaxing other elders out won’t be easy.”

“Worthless,” Ye Liuyun snapped, disgusted at how poorly Fan Cheng ranked in his own clan.

He stopped asking questions and simply searched Fan Cheng’s soul for what he needed.

He focused on details about the three planets and which elders Fan Cheng could approach. In the end, only one outer-sect elder on a single planet seemed viable.

The elder, Fan Xin, was in charge of security patrols on that world, knew many people, and often sold herbs privately to Fan Cheng in exchange for cultivation resources. Private meetings were common—perfect for Ye Liuyun’s purposes.

Moreover, this planet had the smallest Fan-family garrison. While it lacked the highest-grade herbs of the other two, it was easier to breach. The planet with the very best herbs housed the Fan patriarch and core elders—off limits for now.

With his target set, Ye Liuyun stowed Fan Cheng, transformed into his appearance, and went to find Fan Xin.

Using Fan Cheng’s token, he entered the outer sect unchallenged. Fan Xin greeted him without suspicion and ordered servants to prepare wine and dishes.

Fan Xin’s entire household lived on site, so servants bustled about. Ye Liuyun could only chat and drink while waiting for an opening.

Fan Xin rarely left the estate and pressed “Fan Cheng” for outside news. Ye Liuyun picked topics he’d enjoy, then steered the talk to herbs.

Fan Xin caught on at once, dismissed the servants, and prepared for a private trade.

Ye Liuyun struck instantly, planting a slave seal, rifling through Fan Xin’s memories, then whisking him into his spatial world. He took Fan Xin’s form, released Fan Cheng, returned the token, and told him to leave on his own.

“Head straight back to your herb garden and gather as many plants as you can,” Ye Liuyun ordered.

“Yes!” Fan Cheng agreed at once. After a suitable interval he took his leave, feigning a normal farewell.

The moment Fan Cheng was gone, Ye Liuyun strode toward the inner sect to find an elder he now knew well.

It turned out that every Fan-clan elder had the authority to harvest a certain quota of spirit herbs. Once gathered, those herbs could be handed off to others to sell, exchanging them for whatever resources the elder needed.

Because of this, many inner-sect elders on the planet would ask outer-sect elders to help move the herbs and swap them for supplies. The outer-sect elders, in turn, relied on acquaintances who constantly traveled beyond the planet to flip the herbs and convert them into resources, skimming a small margin for themselves.

The inner-sect steward elder Fan Yuzeng—whom Ye Liuyun was now going to see—often worked with Fan Xin. Fan Xin also knew that Yuzeng was hunting for unusual flames so that his descendants could refine them and then, through connections, secure admission to the Void Cauldron Sect.

When Fan Yuzeng saw Fan Xin come looking for him, he was a little surprised. In the past, whenever he needed Fan Xin to sell herbs, he always sent someone to summon him.

An outer-sect elder’s status was far beneath that of an inner-sect elder—sometimes even lower than an elite disciple’s—so without an explicit summons they rarely approached an inner-sect elder on their own.

“You need something?” Yuzeng asked. He didn’t look down on Fan Xin; they worked together often enough that they couldn’t avoid running into each other.

“Elder Yuzeng,” Ye Liuyun said, following Fan Xin’s memories and speaking respectfully, “I heard you’re searching for fire sources. An outer-sect elder who just returned from off-planet brought me word that he knows where Golden Crow Sacred Flame can be found. I came at once to ask if the flame interests you.”

Fan Yuzeng’s eyes lit up at once.

“Golden Crow Sacred Flame? Tell me quickly—how many resources will it take to buy it?” 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

He was afraid that if he hesitated, someone else might snatch up such a top-tier resource. He also knew Fan Xin would pocket a cut, but he didn’t care.

Ye Liuyun feigned a smile. “No rush, Elder. I’ve already had that elder secure the flame with the seller. He’s on his way back now and should send word any moment.”