"What do we do next?"
Shangguan Han looked at Ye Yunfei and asked.
"We will establish a grand army and formally declare war on the invaders! Let's do this: we'll first return to the Ziyang Star Sea."
Ye Yunfei thought for a moment and said.
Ye Yunfei took out the Green Flying Boat. He, the gray-robed elder, and Shangguan Han boarded it and headed towards the Ziyang Star Sea.
After most of a day, the Green Flying Boat began approaching the Ziyang Star Sea.
Suddenly, Ye Yunfei's expression shifted. He took out a communication jade slip from his person.
"Those invaders have returned to the Ziyang Star Sea."
After reading the information received within the jade slip, Ye Yunfei said solemnly.
"They've delivered themselves to our doorstep. Perfect."
Shangguan Han gave a cold laugh.
Soon, the flying boat entered the Ziyang Star Sea.
From the starry sky in the distance came the rumbling of massive energy explosions, the clash of weapons like blades and swords, the shouts of battle, and screams of agony...
"Over there!"
Ye Yunfei steered the flying boat rushing in that direction.
Soon, Ye Yunfei saw that ahead in the starry sky, two grand armies were fiercely battling!
One side was the army of the Ziyang Star Sea, the other was the army of invaders.
"Kill! Fight these invaders to the death!"
The army of the Ziyang Star Sea was divided into over a dozen contingents, each forming a Heaven Demon Battle Formation, fighting collectively. Their fighting spirit was high.
In the space above each Heaven Demon Battle Formation, there materialized a phantom image of a Heaven Demon overflowing with demonic energy, holding two giant axes. Its combat power was astounding.
The invader army, meanwhile, surrounded these Heaven Demon Battle Formations like a tidal wave, launching wave after wave of attacks.
The battle was intense; both armies were attacking with all their might.
Originally, the strength of the Ziyang Star Sea forces was far inferior to this invader army, but the power of the Heaven Demon Battle Formation was incredibly formidable, allowing the Ziyang Star Sea forces to hold out until now.
As for Liu Deming and Mao Wanli, they were surrounded by five early-stage Dao Entry Realm experts. Their situation was dire.
Having only recently broken through to the Dao Entry Realm, their spirit power foundations were not yet stable. Now, besieged by five Dao Entry Realm experts, they were no match at all. They were being thoroughly beaten and were already covered in wounds.
The five Dao Entry Realm experts attacked while mocking and toying with Liu Deming and Mao Wanli, like cats playing with mice.
"Truly unexpected that a minor star sea would possess such sophisticated battle formations! No wonder the force we sent last time was completely annihilated."
In the starry sky, an ordinary-looking elder, hands tucked into his sleeves, looked coldly at the battlefield and spoke.
This elder was the leader of this invading army, a late-stage Dao Entry Realm expert! Beside this elder stood four other Dao Entry Realm experts.
This time, to deal with the Ziyang Star Sea, a total of ten Dao Entry Realm experts had come!
The reason was simple: the forces sent to invade the Ziyang Star Sea last time had been completely wiped out, thoroughly enraging these invaders!
"Alright, stop playing around. Kill these two quickly, then deal with those battle formations."
That elder said coldly.
"Understood. Kill these two!"
The five Dao Entry Realm experts besieging Liu Deming and Mao Wanli answered in unison, preparing to deliver the killing blows.
At that moment.
Rumble...
A gigantic palm traversed the void, continuously enlarging. It grabbed one of the early-stage Dao Entry Realm experts into its palm and gave a gentle shake, instantly turning that early-stage Dao Entry expert into an immobilized cripple.
Then, like lightning, the giant hand grabbed another, then another, seizing all four other early-stage Dao Entry experts and crippling them as well.
"What happened?"
Liu Deming and Mao Wanli stood there dumbfounded.
"Who dares!"
The leading elder and the other four Dao Entry experts, seeing this scene, were both shocked and furious.
Then, they saw a young man walking over with his hands clasped behind his back. Beside him followed an elder, two burly men, and one bizarre figure entirely enveloped in thick, coagulated blood.
It was precisely Ye Yunfei, the gray-robed elder, Shangguan Han, the Ice Demon, and the Blood Clan Clone.
Shangguan Han had been the one who acted.
Having restored his strength to the early-stage Dao Molding Realm, dealing with five early-stage Dao Entry experts was far too simple—no different from swatting five flies!
Swoosh!
The Blood Clan Clone transformed into a streak of bloody light, instantly arriving in front of the five immobilized early-stage Dao Entry experts. With a wave of his hand, he caused the blood within their bodies to burst from their blood vessels, rushing noisily out of their physical forms.
The Blood Clan Clone opened its mouth and sucked all the blood into its stomach.
"It's Palace Master Ye! Everyone, we need not fear! Palace Master Ye has returned to save us!"
Liu Deming and Mao Wanli, seeing Ye Yunfei, immediately perked up and roared loudly at the same time.
"Palace Master Ye has returned!"
Instantly, all the forces of the Ziyang Star Sea erupted into wild cheers. Each person was as if injected with adrenaline, their faces flushed with excitement.
"You are Ye Yunfei!"
The elder leading the invader army and the other four Dao Entry experts also recognized Ye Yunfei, roaring in anger.
"Indeed, it is me."
Ye Yunfei said lightly.
"Da Bing, finish off all these invaders."
Ye Yunfei pointed at the invader forces and said.
"Understood!"
The Ice Demon nodded.
Rumble...
The next moment, the Ice Demon began reverting to his true form. His body continuously grew taller. In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a towering white-furred giant over a hundred meters tall, clutching a thick white wooden club over a dozen meters long—an extremely impactful visual.
Rumble...
Brandishing his giant club, the Ice Demon charged towards the invading army. Wherever he passed, he shook the starry sky violently, like a steel war chariot.
Bam! Bam! Bam!...
Wherever the Ice Demon's giant club reached, the forces of the invaders burst like fragile bubbles, all shattered into bloody mists.
"Da Bing, be a bit careful. Don't pulverize them too thoroughly. My clone still needs their blood."
Ye Yunfei couldn't help but frown as he watched.
The Ice Demon's destructive power was too great. Those he killed weren't just lacking flesh; scarcely a bone was left intact.
"Alright, I'll try to be careful."
The Ice Demon nodded.
The Blood Clan Clone rushed into the battlefield, simultaneously sucking blood and hunting down the invader forces.
Recently, the Blood Clan Clone had absorbed vast quantities of blood, and its strength was continuously rising, already approaching the mid-stage Dao Entry Realm.
Moreover, the Blood Clan Clone's combat power was bizarre, especially its ability to summon and control blood. Human cultivators of the same rank were simply no match.
"Hu Miao, Old Huang, Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm, you should all go hone yourselves. There will be many battles coming. This is a chance to gain experience, enhance your combat power, and deepen your foundations."
Ye Yunfei transmitted his voice.
"Understood!"
Hu Miao, Huang Shang, and the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm appeared simultaneously and charged into the battlefield, beginning a great slaughter.
Though their strength was temporarily at the Meridian-Cleaving Realm, their combat power was incredibly bizarre, and their speed was astounding. The invader forces had no means to fight back.
Whoosh...
Hu Miao unleashed numerous illusions, creating one bizarre fantasy realm after another. Large batches of invader troops fell into these fantastical illusions, standing there dazed, ready to be slaughtered.
Huang Shang released a great expanse of ghostly mist that enveloped a vast area of starry sky. Those invaders caught within saw endless hordes of malicious ghosts pouncing towards them, causing them to scream in fright.
The Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm transformed into a streak of golden light, continuously traversing space, appearing and disappearing constantly. No one could capture its trajectory at all.
Its method of attack was equally simple: it would pass directly through its targets' bodies, piercing them through.
"Fellow cultivators, what are we waiting for? Attack!"
Liu Deming and Mao Wanli, knowing that Hu Miao and the others were surely Ye Yunfei's allies, shouted loudly. They then led the forces of the Ziyang Star Sea, forming Heaven Demon Battle Formations, and charged towards the invader army with all their might.
In a short time, the invader army suffered a crushing defeat, taking heavy casualties.
"Damnation! Kill Ye Yunfei first, then deal with the others!"
The elder leading the invader army, seeing his forces being slaughtered madly, flew into a rage. He led the other four Dao Entry experts charging towards Ye Yunfei.
"Do you think I'm mere decoration?"
Shangguan Han sneered and threw a punch.
Boom... Boom...
A massive fist seal materialized. Surrounding the fist seal, numerous large stars whirled and rotated with a rumbling sound as it advanced forward.
"Bad move! You are a Dao Molding Realm expert!"
The elder finally recognized Shangguan Han as a Dao Molding Realm master. His face changed dramatically in fright as he cried out.
"Retreat! All forces, withdraw immediately!"
That elder knew his side could no longer be a match.
"Too late."
Shangguan Han sneered, took one step forward in pursuit, and within a few moves, slaughtered that elder and the other four Dao Entry experts.
A moment later.
This invading force was completely annihilated!
"From now on, we will form the Qingyun Grand Army and formally declare war on the invaders. Also, spread this message far and wide. We welcome star seas from all corners to join the Qingyun Grand Army in jointly resisting the invaders."
Ye Yunfei's gaze turned to Liu Deming and Mao Wanli as he spoke solemnly.
"Palace Master Ye, we understand!"
Both Liu Deming and Mao Wanli were invigorated, answering in unison.