Jin Peak, Tianyuan Sect.
Inside a small pavilion.
Ye Yunfei had been cultivating inside the Phantom Tower.
The Phantom Tower, meanwhile, had shrunk down to become a speck of dust, settled in a corner of the first floor of the pavilion.
The Phantom Tower could change form, either enlarging or shrinking. At its smallest, it could become a single grain of sand and conceal its aura, making it incredibly difficult to find.
Within the tower, Ye Yunfei sat cross-legged. Spiritual Qi surged around him like a tide, emitting a low, rumbling hum.
Now, Ye Yunfei had reached the critical moment of his breakthrough.
Boom…
Suddenly, a terrifying energy pressure erupted violently from within Ye Yunfei's body.
Profound Realm, initial stage!
"Let's break through another stage," Ye Yunfei muttered to himself.
For Ye Yunfei, breaking through in Spiritual Qi cultivation was genuinely not difficult. It all depended on whether he *wanted* to.
Furthermore, there was an abundance of time inside the Phantom Tower.
Thus, Ye Yunfei continued circulating the Nine-Yang Scripture, charging towards the next bottleneck.
The massive pile of six to seven hundred million Spirit Crystal Stones and numerous spiritual herbs and treasures surrounding him were ceaselessly drained, their essence pouring into Ye Yunfei's body.
Time passed.
Unbeknownst to him, a whole month had gone by inside the Phantom Tower.
Then, one day, a month later…
Boom…
An intensely powerful energy pressure surged out from Ye Yunfei's body, causing the surrounding space to shudder violently.
Profound Realm, mid-stage!
"Alright.
That's enough for now.
If I continue breaking through, the foundation of my Spiritual Qi will not be solid enough," Ye Yunfei said to himself as he stood up.
In this period of secluded cultivation, Ye Yunfei's cultivation level had soared from Heaven Realm late stage to Profound Realm mid stage. Such a speed of advancement, if it were to be revealed, would absolutely cause countless martial artists' jaws to drop in shock.
"With my current Soul Power level, I can cultivate a more advanced Soul Force Martial Art now," Ye Yunfei mused.
Soul-devouring Needle was a relatively low-level Soul Force Martial Art.
"But which Soul Force Martial Art should I cultivate next?" Ye Yunfei pondered within his mind.
"Single Thought Births Demon!" Ye Yunfei exclaimed aloud, the name leaping from his lips.
Single Thought Births Demon was a formidable Soul Force Martial Art. Once executed, it could secretly use Soul Power to give birth to a demon within the target's Soul Sea, attacking their Soul Body.
"Good. That's the one," Ye Yunfei decided.
With that, Ye Yunfei began cultivating Single Thought Births Demon.
Time passed imperceptibly.
Three months later…
"Finally, I've mastered it!" Ye Yunfei's eyes snapped open, a look of pleasant surprise on his face.
"With my current Soul Power, I can only condense one Soul Power Demon. But as my Soul Power increases in the future, I'll inevitably be able to condense more Soul Power Demons within an opponent's Soul Sea in a single thought."
He knew that truly mastering the Single Thought Births Demon technique to its profound depths allowed one to condense thousands, even tens of thousands of Soul Power Demons within an enemy's Soul Sea in a single thought, unleashing a truly terrifying attack upon their Soul Body.
"Alright, this session of secluded cultivation ends here."
Ye Yunfei stood up. Roughly five months had passed within the Phantom Tower. Outside, barely more than a day had gone by.
Ye Yunfei ended his secluded cultivation and left the Phantom Tower.
"Ye Yunfei, all the eighth-grade Spirit Pills you asked me to refine are done," Huang Shang addressed him the moment Ye Yunfei emerged.
"Good. The Qing Beast Pill is for Hu Miao. The Soul Surge Pill is for you. The Clear Yi Pill is for Elder Zhang. The rest go to me," Ye Yunfei stated.
"Many thanks, Master!" Hu Miao immediately manifested from her demonic core, claiming the Qing Beast Pill. This particular spirit pill was of immense benefit to her.
"Master, Elder Ren says there is an urgent matter and he is waiting outside for you," Elder Zhang reported, walking in from outside.
"All three of you, make haste in consuming your pills and breaking through," Ye Yunfei instructed.
Then, he strode out of the small pavilion.
The Retired Elder was waiting anxiously just outside.
"Ye Yunfei, someone just delivered this jade slip to our Tianyuan Sect, addressed specifically to you," the Retired Elder said immediately upon seeing Ye Yunfei, handing over a Communication Jade Slip.
Ye Yunfei took the slip and read the information within.
Boom…
Instantly, a bone-chilling cold aura spread outwards from Ye Yunfei's body as the center. The air around him seemed to solidify.
The jade slip contained only the images of three figures: Zhou Mu, the Empress Dowager, and the Emperor.
"In my life, I detest nothing more than those who use the people close to me to threaten me," Ye Yunfei muttered, his gaze glinting with icy light.
"Where is the person who delivered the jade slip?" Ye Yunfei asked calmly, having regained his composure.
"Still waiting outside the headquarters," the Retired Elder replied.
"Let's go take a look." Ye Yunfei stepped forward, walking out.
Just beyond the main gates of the Tianyuan Sect headquarters…
A white-robed middle-aged man stood with his hands clasped behind his back, looking down from mid-air.
"Where is Zhou Mu?" Ye Yunfei stared at the man and asked.
"They are in a valley nearby. If you want to save those three, go over there," the middle-aged man replied, pointing to a location a little over two thousand meters from the Tianyuan Sect headquarters.
"Ye Yunfei, you cannot escape. This Tianyuan Sect headquarters has also been surrounded on all sides. If you try to run, not only will Zhou Mu and the other two die, but everyone in the Tianyuan Sect and the Ye Family will also perish. I advise you to cooperate obediently," the middle-aged man sneered.
"Which faction do you belong to?" Ye Yunfei stared at the man, his words spaced out, his gaze brimming with such concentrated killing intent it seemed to have reached its limit.
"You'll know when you go over there. Hmph, an insect-like ant dares to provoke us, completely unaware of death's door. I truly don't understand why the Elders are making such a huge fanfare, mobilizing so many people and resources to deal with you. Frankly, I alone could swat a pathetic insect like you with a single palm."
The man looked down upon Ye Yunfei with utter contempt. He was at the late stage of the Sage Realm. He perceived Ye Yunfei as only being at the mid-stage of the Profound Realm, and therefore could not possibly take him seriously. Although there had been many legends about Ye Yunfei circulating recently, he believed them to be nothing more than exaggerated rumors.
"Aren't you afraid I'll kill you if you talk like that?" Ye Yunfei asked the man, his gaze calm to a terrifying degree.
"Hahahaha… You? Kill me?" The man seemed to have heard an uproariously funny joke.
*Roar…*
Abruptly, he discovered that a ferocious, demonic face had appeared within his own Soul Sea, howling and roaring as it frantically attacked his Soul Body.
"Aghh…"
Pain lanced through his head as if it were splitting apart. He let out a wretched scream. Cold sweat beaded down like rain.
Then…
*Whoosh…*
A pitch-black dagger appeared at the middle-aged man's throat, its sharp blade resting against his skin.
"It would be far too easy for someone like me to kill you."
Ye Yunfei's icy voice sounded by the man's ear.