After hearing Ye Yunfei's words, Lü Yugang, Heavenly Thunder Chan Master, Tiansha Chan Master, and the Old Clan Leader all felt a mix of shock and slight shame.
A young man actually knew more than they did.
Next, under Ye Yunfei's guidance, Lü Yugang and the other three began the refinement of the Sentient Treasures.
Refining a Sentient Treasure first required gaining the recognition of the Artifact Spirit residing within it, thus the process demanded a considerable amount of time.
"I'll also refine a Sentient Treasure. This longsword will do!"
Out of the six Sentient Treasures in total, Ye Yunfei had given away three, leaving three remaining. Coincidentally, one of them was a longsword.
Ye Yunfei found a secluded spot within the Phantom Tower, sat down cross-legged, and placed the longsword in suspension before him.
He formed a mysterious hand seal with both hands, held it in front of his chest, then released his Soul Power, gently probing towards the longsword.
However, as soon as Ye Yunfei's Soul Power entered the sword's body, a powerful consciousness violently expelled it.
Ye Yunfei smiled faintly, having anticipated this.
That autonomous consciousness was precisely the Artifact Spirit of this longsword.
Sentient Treasures had initially given birth to Artifact Spirits!
Once worldly treasures spawned Artifact Spirits, it equated to possessing self-awareness and the ability to choose their own masters autonomously. If the Artifact Spirit did not accept you, the treasure could not be refined!
Refining Sentient Treasures was, therefore, rather difficult.
Furthermore, Ye Yunfei's current cultivation base was too low. With such a weak realm, it should have been absolutely impossible for him to refine a Sentient Treasure.
This longsword's Artifact Spirit looked down on Ye Yunfei's meager strength and was unwilling to be refined by him.
But Ye Yunfei had personally crafted Imperial Treasures in his past life. He was as familiar with treasures of all levels throughout the world as the back of his hand. How could a mere Sentient Treasure possibly stump him?
BOOM…
Ye Yunfei released a trace of his Heavenly Emperor remnant soul aura, enveloping the Sentient Treasure.
Then, his Soul Power swept unimpeded into the interior of the longsword, where he located the Artifact Spirit in a corner.
Suppressed by the remnant soul aura, the longsword's Artifact Spirit offered no further resistance.
Next, Ye Yunfei began imbuing the Artifact Spirit with an imprint of his own Soul Power.
While refining the longsword, Ye Yunfei also occasionally sent voice transmissions, instructing Lü Yugang and the others on the step-by-step process of refining Sentient Treasures.
"Finally refined it!"
Several hours later within the Phantom Tower, Ye Yunfei finally succeeded in refining the longsword.
Buzz…
The longsword hovered and circulated around Ye Yunfei, appearing extremely affectionate. Once refined, Ye Yunfei was its master!
"Haha, I've finally refined this Sentient Treasure! It's truly marvelous—completely self-aware!"
At this moment, Lü Yugang also successfully refined a Sentient Treasure. It was a golden spear. Ye Yunfei had heard from Lü Dandan that Lü Yugang excelled in spear techniques, so he had deliberately gifted him this spear.
At the same time, Heavenly Thunder Chan Master and the other two had also successfully refined their respective Sentient Treasures.
Heavenly Thunder Chan Master's Sentient Treasure was a monk's knife. Tiansha Chan Master possessed a nine-story black pagoda. The Old Clan Leader's treasure was a trident.
"Let's go! Now we'll go settle the score with those bastards! Leave the traitor Feng Wei to me!"
Lü Yugang's injuries had completely healed. Now, equipped with a Sentient Treasure, he was itching for a fight.
"Set off!"
The Old Clan Leader waved his hand and personally led the way at the front. Wherever he passed, a path was cleaved through the sea, the waters churning and parting on both sides.
Ye Yunfei, Lü Yugang, Heavenly Thunder Chan Master, and Tiansha Chan Master followed closely behind. Bringing up the rear was a sizable contingent of Mermaid Clan forces, advancing majestically across the sea surface.
The Old Clan Leader used the Mermaid Clan's unique ability, allowing the seawater to carry everyone forward in a churning, rolling tide at astonishing speed.
Lü Yugang and the others marveled silently in their hearts.
At this time, the ships carrying the Zhao Family Ancestor and his group were already very far away.
"Damn it! That Su Fei brat's life is truly tenacious. We've failed to kill him time and time again. Once we reach shore, we'll wait at the coastline. This time, we *must* kill him!"
Standing on the deck, the Zhao Family Ancestor looked back towards the location where Ye Yunfei underwent his tribulation, his voice dripping with venom.
"And we can't let Lü Yugang get away either. If he returns to the Four Directions Commerce headquarters, dealing with him will be far more difficult."
Feng Wei stood beside the Zhao Family Ancestor, his eyes filled with murderous intent. For him, killing Lü Yugang was the primary objective of this journey to the Cangmang Sea. Ever since receiving news of the Nine-Life Immortal Coffin's emergence in this region, he had guessed Lü Yugang would surely come. Therefore, he had secretly contacted many helpers to seize this opportunity to eliminate Lü Yugang.
"Jiejie, Brother Feng, don't worry. On the Cangmang Sea and Cangmang Island before, there were many inconveniences preventing Lü Yugang's death. Once the ships dock, we'll block the shore and will definitely be able to finish him off."
A black-robed figure standing beside Feng Wei snickered eerily. This was an expert from the Corpse Realm.
"What a waste. This entire trip to the Cangmang Sea yielded nothing—a pointless endeavor."
On another ship, the Grand Elder of the Cangyan Sacred Sect sighed.
"The Nine-Life Immortal Coffin involves Emperor Fate. It wasn't that easy to obtain," Yang Song replied, shaking his head.
"I have a bad premonition. We should hurry and leave this expanse of sea."
Yang Song then added.
"Master Yang, there's no need to worry. They haven't pursued us for a while now. They probably gave up. Though this is the Mermaid Clan's territory, we are no weaklings either. If they want to deal with us, it's not that simple."
The Grand Elder of the Cangyan Sacred Sect answered.
"Hmph! You'll find out soon enough whether we can deal with you or not!"
A cold snort carried over from the distance.
BOOM…
From behind, a group advancing across the waves rushed forward—precisely Ye Yunfei's group.
"Oh no! They've caught up again! Speed up!"
The Eastern Barrens' experts panicked, their faces turning pale.
"It's too late to run!"
The Old Clan Leader shouted.
"All members of the Mermaid Clan, stir the sea's fury together and prepare to attack!"
The Old Clan Leader issued a command to the Mermaid Clan forces.
"Yes!"
The Mermaid Clan forces responded in unison, then simultaneously employed their water-controlling abilities.
"Ocean Storm!"
The Old Clan Leader unleashed this divine ability once more. Immediately, violent winds and torrential rain swept across the sea surface, colossal waves hundreds of meters high cresting and crashing into the air.
The five ships began to rock violently.
"Young Master Su, the few of you can act freely on this sea surface now. Fight without restraint. With me here, the ocean will not target you."
The Old Clan Leader said to Ye Yunfei.
"All of you, you've persistently targeted me. Now, let's settle accounts."
Ye Yunfei sneered, striding across the sea surface towards the five ships.
"Feng Wei, you traitor! Our reckoning is also overdue!"
Lü Yugang roared, charging towards the Zhao Family ship, glaring fiercely at Feng Wei.
"Lü Yugang, don't think I fear you! Come on! A year from today will be your death anniversary!"
Feng Wei stood on the deck, not showing any weakness, and bellowed back.
Heavenly Thunder Chan Master and Tiansha Chan Master also strode forward, closing in on the five ships.
One could say that with Sentient Treasures in hand, Lü Yugang and the others were brimming with confidence.
A fierce battle was about to begin!