Before reaching the Holy Land, Ye Liuyun had already recalled Lei Ming and the others into his spatial world. He then tempted the Purple Kylin Snake with an energy crystal sphere infused with the power of origin.

"You’ve been fighting for so long. Why not take a few days to rest with them?"

The Purple Kylin Snake’s eyes were glued to the energy crystal sphere. Without hesitation, it agreed and was promptly stored away into the spatial world by Ye Liuyun.

With a few swift movements, Ye Liuyun returned to the satellite island of the Holy Land. The island had expanded yet again. Liu Kui was already there, waiting with an army of five million Holy Land soldiers.

This time, they had fully equipped all martial cultivators with standardized soldier gear, placing them under unified command. Meanwhile, Xiao Mu’an had personally taken up arms, leading the remaining martial cultivators in preparation for battle at the Holy Land’s royal city.

Ye Liuyun’s five thousand armored soldiers and twenty thousand Falcon troops were already assembled. The scouts from the Falcon unit had returned, reporting that the alien army would arrive in three days.

"The alien forces have replaced their fleet with five colossal warships, significantly bolstering their defenses!" the scout informed Ye Liuyun.

"Then we’ll strike first!" Ye Liuyun ordered Yu Xiaofeng to mobilize the remaining thirty thousand Falcon troops.

He then stored the armored soldiers into his spatial world, mounted the nine-headed demonic dragon, and led the entire Falcon unit to intercept the alien forces head-on.

Through his golden pupils, Ye Liuyun could already see the five massive alien warships looming in the distance.

"Attack all five colossal warships simultaneously! The central one will be handled by the Metal Devourer—Falcons, provide long-range cover!"

Ye Liuyun issued the battle orders to all Falcon units while coordinating with the Metal Devourer, instructing it to focus solely on absorbing the warships and avoid targeting the Falcons’ metal equipment.

Fifty thousand falcon drones split into five squadrons, advancing toward the alien warships.

Meanwhile, Ye Liuyun took the opportunity to learn more about Sanda’s characteristics from Mulai.

"Sanda is a cunning fighter, always resorting to underhanded tactics in battle. That’s why he rarely loses and has earned the nickname ’The Undefeated King.’ But he’s not one of the Three-Eyed Clan," Mulai explained.

Ye Liuyun had already caught a glimpse of Sanda. Leading the strongest alien unit, he lurked at the rear of the formation, deliberately avoiding the central position of the flagship—likely trying to lull Ye Liuyun into complacency.

Ironically, the warship at the very center of their formation was the weakest. Seeing through the ruse, Ye Liuyun decided to play along and target that vessel first. If he had charged straight for Sanda’s ship and unleashed the Metal Devourer, Sanda would likely have retaliated by deploying elite alien warriors.

Ye Liuyun wasn’t ready for an all-out space battle just yet.

Sanda’s appearance was even more grotesque than Mulai’s. Though clad in the same golden scales, his face was sharp and weasel-like, with a cunning glint in his eyes that marked him as a formidable opponent.

Though his cultivation level was also at the third tier of the Heavenly Realm, his true essence was far more refined than Mulai’s, suggesting his combat prowess far surpassed the latter.

However, Mulai had never actually fought Sanda, so he couldn’t provide details about his fighting style.

"Leave all metal behind and go with the Metal Devourer. Protect it at all costs!"

Ye Liuyun ordered Mulai to accompany the beast, testing whether Sanda would dispatch elites to capture him. At the same time, he sent the two half-beast ghoul puppets to guard the Metal Devourer, ensuring it wouldn’t come under attack.

Once everything was in place, as they neared the alien fleet, Ye Liuyun summoned the Metal Devourer, teleporting it directly onto the central warship.

The creature immediately got to work, flattening itself against the hull and absorbing the metal with single-minded focus. It had learned from experience—Ye Liuyun often recalled it abruptly—so it wasted no time.

The falcon drones assigned to attack the central warship kept their distance, circling the vessel in wide arcs. Their primary mission was to protect the Metal Devourer, engaging only if any aliens emerged.

Mulai and the two half-beast ghoul puppets positioned themselves atop the Metal Devourer, standing guard against potential alien assaults. None of them carried any metal, so they had nothing to fear from the creature’s ravenous appetite.

The other falcons were bombarding the warships. However, these colossal alien vessels boasted terrifying defensive capabilities. No matter how fiercely the falcons struck, they could barely breach the defensive formations, merely forcing the aliens to expend vast amounts of energy.

Sangda’s squad had never encountered a Gold-Devouring Beast before. When the massive creature emerged and simply sprawled motionless atop a warship, they were baffled, unsure of its intentions.

So Sangda ordered his forces to hold back and observe, instructing all warships to maintain defensive positions without engaging. Secretly, he felt relieved that he wasn’t stationed at the center—where Ye Liuyun would likely focus his assault.

His gaze then fell upon Ye Liuyun, who was mounted on the back of the nine-headed demonic dragon. After a brief assessment, he sneered inwardly, *"These attacks are nothing but a nuisance. This human doesn’t seem all that formidable."*

The Gold-Devouring Beast lay still as if asleep, making no move to attack. Sangda recognized Mu Lai but guessed that Ye Liuyun was trying to provoke him into action.

*"Hmph, this human doesn’t realize we’ve already decided to abandon Mu Lai,"* Sangda mused darkly.

He also recognized the two half-beast corpse demon puppets—monstrosities forged by Elder Mu Xi, known for their terrifying combat prowess and near-invulnerability.

For now, he had no intention of confronting them directly. Instead, he kept a close watch on Ye Liuyun and the Gold-Devouring Beast.

But soon, the warship beneath the beast began to show signs of decay—its interior rapidly turning to sand, the damage worsening by the second.

Alarmed, the alien soldiers inside immediately reported to Sangda.

*"Damn it. That beast is up to something!"* Realizing the danger, Sangda swiftly ordered all aliens aboard the afflicted ship to evacuate and engage the enemy.

The warship’s hatches burst open as the aliens poured out in a desperate rush.

The falcon archers unleashed volleys from a distance, effectively pinning down the charging alien forces at the entrance.

"Use the warships as shields and keep advancing!" Sanda barked orders relentlessly.

Some commanders deployed their accompanying battleships to block the falcons’ attacks, leading their soldiers in a desperate charge. Yet, many aliens still fell under the relentless barrage from the surrounding falcon archers.

A few who managed to break through immediately lunged at the Gold-Devouring Beast, only to watch in horror as their armor and weapons crumbled into sand the moment they got close. Stunned by the sight, they were swiftly obliterated by the falcons’ next volley.

Mulai and the two half-beast corpse demons remained utterly indifferent. Even when the aliens attacked the Gold-Devouring Beast, they didn’t lift a finger.

Their vigilance was reserved solely for any alien daring enough to launch a soul attack on the beast or attempt to seize Mulai.

From afar, Sanda frowned deeply, turning to the aliens beside him. "What kind of special technique is that lion using?"

None of them had ever encountered such a lion before, and they shook their heads in bewilderment.

Meanwhile, the alien soldiers still trapped inside the warship continued reporting to Sanda—their armor and weapons had begun disintegrating into sand, and even smaller vessels and Swiftwing scouts stored within the ship were succumbing to the same fate.

Soon after, the warship’s defensive formations flickered out, and the energy-transmitting devices ground to a halt as they too turned to dust.

"Hurry! Full speed ahead—get out now!"

Sanda had no choice but to prioritize evacuation.

Every hatch on the warship had been thrown open, but the falcons’ bombardment was merciless. The alien casualties mounted rapidly.