At the same time, the forces of the Cycle Reincarnation Palace who had been driven out of Feixian Continent by Yandi had returned to their headquarters.
"Granny Long, we were unable to complete the mission. Please punish us!" The middle-aged man leading the group bowed his head and spoke with fear.
The others were all similarly terrified. They were well aware of Granny Long's authority and methods; if she held them accountable, they would be in serious trouble.
"Hmph! Incapable of accomplishing anything, yet perfect at messing things up." Granny Long's face was full of anger.
Upon hearing this, everyone's hearts sank, feeling a great calamity was about to befall them.
"However, that Yandi was indeed a rather troublesome figure in ancient times. With your level of strength, you couldn't possibly be a match for him. So it's not entirely your fault either." Granny Long swept her sharp gaze over the people before her before continuing indifferently.
The middle-aged man and the others felt their tension ease considerably.
"Alright then. I'll give you a chance to atone for your failure through meritorious service. After some time has passed and the heat dies down, you can sneak back into Feixian Continent and find a way to deal with that kid." Granny Long thought for a moment before answering.
"Thank you for your mercy, Granny Long! I am willing to lead people back to Feixian Continent immediately to handle that brat!" the middle-aged man immediately replied. Merely thinking of Ye Yunfei made his teeth itch with hatred!
"No! You cannot travel to and from Feixian Continent too frequently. Doing so could easily attract the attention of the Ancient Oath, bringing enormous trouble to our Cycle Reincarnation Palace! You must wait for a while until things have quieted down before you can enter Feixian Continent again." Granny Long shook her head instantly.
"We will follow Granny Long's instructions in all things!" the middle-aged man had no choice but to say.
Just then, a maid suddenly walked over and said to Granny Long, "Granny Long, the Elder Ritual Master requests your presence."
"The Elder Ritual Master requests me? What could he want? Very well, I'll go see him." Granny Long paused for a moment, then turned and disappeared in an instant.
In the next moment, Granny Long entered an ancient palace of peculiar design. At its center stood a towering altar. Sitting cross-legged atop the altar was a priest whose entire body was covered in wrinkles.
"Elder Ritual Master, why have you summoned me?" Granny Long asked as she arrived before the altar.
"Granny Long, today while employing secret arts to observe the Laws of the Dao in the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds, I suddenly discovered that the quality of all 3,000 Grand Daos is constantly rising. Within the Three Thousand Worlds, the energy level and quality of laws within each world are continuously ascending. In other words, it seems the Three Thousand Worlds are about to usher in a golden age. Creatures within each world will find cultivation easier, and the heights they can reach will also be greatly elevated... including our own Primary World! I estimate that our Palace Master will soon be able to attain Earth Deityhood. Furthermore, I have a premonition that besides the Palace Master, many more Earth Deities will be born in our world." The Elder Ritual Master glanced at Granny Long before speaking slowly.
"The energy and law levels of every world in the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds are constantly rising? Including the one we reside in? What is happening?" Upon hearing his words, Granny Long immediately sensed something unusual.
"The Palace Master breaking through to Earth Deity faster would of course be good news. But what does it portend, good or ill, that such a change has occurred so suddenly throughout the Three Thousand Worlds?" Granny Long said.
"I cannot say for certain. I intend to report this situation to the Venerable." the Elder Ritual Master replied.
"Indeed, the Venerable should be informed. Let's go see the Venerable." After a moment's thought, Granny Long nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, Ye Yunfei had already returned to Tianxiong Domain and was standing in the sky above the old site of the Ziwei Sect. The fierce battle earlier had once again left this place in ruins.
"Fortunately, only the parts above ground were damaged this time. The arrangements I made underground haven't suffered much harm." After sensing the area briefly, Ye Yunfei muttered to himself.
"The underground foundation remains intact. I'll keep it as is for now and reshape the topography of this area later when the Ziwei Sect is formally rebuilt. Next, it's time to make a trip to Tianliang Sacred Land. They captured a clone of my master; I must go rescue it." Ye Yunfei thought to himself.
"Yandi said the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds are about to face a great upheaval. I wonder if it's related to the World-Destroying War. What is the truth behind this so-called World-Destroying War? I'm sure I'll have a chance to uncover the truth in this lifetime. Regardless, I must improve my strength as quickly as possible. I also have the task of making time to fetch my mother and Xiaofei from the Vermillion Bird Realm. I wonder how they're doing now... Hmph! If anything happens to mother or Xiaofei, I'll destroy the entire Vermillion Bird Clan, even their whole world!" Ye Yunfei thought inwardly.
"I wonder where Xuanlong Daozhang is now. He's probably hidden away somewhere to help Cai Feng recover. He would have been better off coming to me if he wanted to help Cai Feng heal." Ye Yunfei then thought of Xuanlong Daozhang.
In truth, when Ye Yunfei and Yandi were attacking Guyin Valley, Xuanlong Daozhang, worried about Ye Yunfei, had already left Tianxiong Domain and rushed toward the region where Guyin Valley was located. After the valley was pacified, Xuanlong Daozhang bravely ventured into the valley looking for Ye Yunfei but found no trace. He was now returning to Tianxiong Domain. He had hidden some treasures there that he needed to retrieve to aid Cai Feng's recovery and to improve his own strength.
Sitting within a flying ship, secretly making his way back to Tianxiong Domain, Xuanlong Daozhang thought, "That kid must have been taken away by Yandi. I just don't know why Yandi took him or if it's a blessing or a curse for him. I hope he's alright; he's a good kid. On second thought, if he's fine, he'll eventually return to Tianxiong Domain. So I'd better go back, find a place to hide, and wait for news about him."
Buzz, buzz...
Back at the old Ziwei Sect site, Ye Yunfei suddenly noticed something unusual with the Netherworld Yin Blade. He immediately entered the Mirage Tower and retrieved the blade.
The Netherworld Yin Blade was trembling gently, sending ripples of black glyphs pulsing out in circles.
"Master, after absorbing sufficient energy, the Netherworld Yin Blade is restoring itself to its previous peak power." The Holy Son of the Sky-Soaring Ape-Eater arrived beside Ye Yunfei and explained.
"The Netherworld Yin Blade was buried deep beneath the Eastern Wastes of the Hongmeng Continent for countless ages alongside me. Its energy was severely depleted. Since coming into your possession, Master, you have constantly replenished its energy. Now it has finally received enough to begin recovering to its strongest state." the Holy Son added.
"How strong is the Netherworld Yin Blade at its strongest state?" Ye Yunfei inquired.