"All personnel assemble, pay your respects to Commander Ye! From this moment onward, everyone in the 35th Battalion must obey Commander Ye's orders!"
Elder Qi declared loudly.
"We pay our respects to Commander Ye!"
All members of the 35th Battalion moved before Ye Yunfei and shouted in unison. Their voices, clear and powerful, surged through the ground and echoed within the space of this world.
The gazes everyone directed at Ye Yunfei all held a hint of fervor.
Because everyone knew that the main reason for achieving such glorious results in today's great battle—including wiping out a Dark Faction force and slaying six Dark Faction Earth Immortals—was Ye Yunfei!
"Commander Ye, it was thanks to your timely arrival. Otherwise, our Xiaotian Realm might have been annihilated by now!"
An elder with a slightly stout build spoke gratefully to Ye Yunfei.
"There's no need for formalities, Elder Zhao. I am now also a member of the 35th Battalion. Contributing to the battalion is my duty," Ye Yunfei quickly replied.
The two elders of the 35th Battalion stationed at the Xiaotian Realm were surnamed Zhao and Qian, respectively.
Seeing Ye Yunfei maintain such a humble attitude, all five elders of the 35th Battalion inwardly nodded approvingly. Usually, young men as monstrously talented as Ye Yunfei were exceedingly arrogant. Yet Ye Yunfei was so modest and composed—truly rare.
"I finally understand why Senior Chu sent Commander Ye to lead our 35th Battalion. It really is an absolutely correct decision!"
One of the elders transmitted his voice to the other four.
The other four elders nodded in agreement one after another.
"Commander Ye, although our 35th Battalion won this great battle, the Dark Faction certainly won't let it rest. They will definitely send forces to deal with us again. We still have many battles ahead," Elder Zhuo suddenly said to Ye Yunfei with a grave tone.
"Mm, I understand. Issue the order: our two 35th Battalion bases are to strengthen their defenses. At the same time, dispatch a group of scouts to gather various intelligence and report promptly."
Ye Yunfei nodded and spoke.
"Also, everyone is exhausted from today's battle. First, clean up the battlefield. Distribute all loot according to needs. Then let the main force make good use of their time to rest," Ye Yunfei continued.
"Understood!"
Elder Qi nodded and immediately began relaying Ye Yunfei's orders down the chain.
"Elders, you should also rest and recover first. After recuperation, we will discuss our next course of action," Ye Yunfei said to the five elders.
"Agreed!"
The five elders nodded in unison.
"Commander Ye, here are the Bloodline Essence and Soul Body Essence from those Earth Immortal experts of the Dark Faction."
Elder Zhao took out two spatial magic treasures and handed them to Ye Yunfei.
During the previous battle, Elder Zhao and Elder Qian cooperated to kill several intermediate Earth Immortals from the Dark Faction. They had collected all the Bloodline Essence and Soul Body Essence from those intermediate Earth Immortals.
"My thanks."
A trace of pleasant surprise crossed Ye Yunfei's face as he accepted the two spatial treasures.
Afterwards, Ye Yunfei returned underground within the area of the Blood-Soaked Dragon Lair Forbidden Ground, found a suitable spot, entered the Phantom Tower, and began closed-door cultivation.
During the recent great battle, Ye Yunfei had fought an Advanced Earth Immortal. Although he ultimately didn't kill that Advanced Earth Immortal, engaging a foe of that level was an exceedingly rare experience and trial for him.
Even more importantly, during that great battle, Ye Yunfei sensed his own realm seemed to have been stirred—there were signs of a breakthrough!
"Let's attempt a breakthrough first!"
Inside the Phantom Tower, Ye Yunfei sat cross-legged, took out a massive amount of cultivation resources, placing them around his body, and then began to impact his realm.
*Rumble...*
Eight Chaos Divine Meridians within Ye Yunfei's body simultaneously manifested. Mighty torrents of immortal energy surged and rolled within the eight Divine Meridians like eight terrifyingly vast rivers.
The eight Divine Meridians erupted with powerful suction forces, continuously absorbing the energy contained within the surrounding cultivation resources and channeling it into his body.
In the time that followed, Ye Yunfei began his assault on his realm.
"It seems I need to find another main cultivation technique."
During his breakthrough attempt, this thought suddenly emerged in Ye Yunfei's mind.
Previously, Ye Yunfei's cultivation had primarily revolved around the Nine-Yang Scripture. However, after cultivating it to the Nine-Yang realm, especially after his personal realm reached Great Completion Heavenly Emperor Realm, progress on the Nine-Yang Scripture had stagnated. It seemed to have little potential left for further cultivation.
The reason Ye Yunfei had reached the True Immortal realm was entirely due to the might of his eight Chaos Divine Meridians and an over-reliance on being force-fed by immense amounts of cultivation resources.
Ye Yunfei suspected that the Nine-Yang Scripture might only be an Heavenly Emperor Realm-level technique. But after deeper study, he found that it still seemed to have greater potential to be unearthed. Regardless, Ye Yunfei's cultivation of the Nine-Yang Scripture was now in a state of stagnation.
Thus, Ye Yunfei harbored the thought of seeking another main cultivation technique.
One year passed inside the Phantom Tower.
*Rumble...*
In the sky above Ye Yunfei's location, a huge amount of dark clouds began to accumulate. In moments, a vast expanse of oppressive, darkening tribulation clouds formed. Countless streaks of lightning rampaged within the cloud layers, an utterly terrifying sight.
"Finally beginning the breakthrough."
Ye Yunfei flashed and appeared below the tribulation clouds.
*Boom! Boom!*
Soon, the churning, roiling tribulation clouds descended, making the entire world tremble faintly.
Ye Yunfei released the Lightning Marsh from his Nine-Palace Totem Wheel, allowing it to continuously devour the tribulation lightning raining down from the sky.
After a small half-hour, Ye Yunfei successfully broke through and became an Advanced True Immortal.
"Continue!"
Ye Yunfei returned to the Phantom Tower to continue impacting his realm.
Another year passed inside the Phantom Tower. Ye Yunfei encountered another breakthrough.
On the land above, boundless tribulation lightning crashed down like waves. Ye Yunfei stood amidst the dense forest of thunderbolts with an utterly relaxed and composed demeanor, looking as if he were taking a leisurely stroll.
The Lightning Marsh, now fully entangled with flashing thunderbolts and serpentine arcs, continuously swallowed the torrents of falling tribulation lightning. From time to time, it emitted furious roars that shook the high heavens.
"Commander Ye truly is a true dragon among men! The way he undergoes tribulation is far too casual! It's simply unheard of!"
By this time, the five elders of the 35th Battalion had already emerged from seclusion. They rushed over to witness Ye Yunfei's tribulation and were astonished by how effortlessly he was handling it.
Half a day later, Ye Yunfei successfully broke through and became a Perfected True Immortal.
This phenomenon of achieving consecutive breakthroughs in a short period was exceedingly rare. Only because Ye Yunfei possessed the rare Chaos Divine Meridians could he accomplish such a feat.
"Commander Ye, congratulations on your successful breakthrough!"
The five elders of the 35th Battalion arrived together before Ye Yunfei to offer their congratulations.
"Merely a Perfected True Immortal, hardly worth mentioning," Ye Yunfei replied with a smile.
Hearing this, the five elders didn't know how to respond. Upon reflection, it made sense. Even an Advanced Earth Immortal had been driven away by Ye Yunfei. Compared to that, a mere Perfected True Immortal realm was indeed nothing noteworthy for Ye Yunfei.
"Has there been any news recently?"
Ye Yunfei asked.
Counting on his fingers, Ye Yunfei had been in closed-door cultivation for several days in order to impact his realm.
"Reporting to Commander Ye, there has been no significant movement during this period. However, the Dark Faction sporadically sends people to scout our two 35th Battalion bases. I have already killed several Dark Faction scouts," a middle-aged man stepped forward to report.
This middle-aged man was a steward of the 35th Battalion. He led a group of scouts specifically responsible for gathering intelligence.
"Mm. And regarding the war between our Light Faction and the Dark Faction throughout the Three Thousand Worlds, what is the current situation?" Ye Yunfei nodded and then asked further.
"The war between our Light Faction and the Dark Faction is intensely fierce. From what I know, our Light Faction's various battalions and the Dark Faction's various dens engage in attacks and defenses against each other. But overall, our Light Faction is at a slight disadvantage, with heavier casualties. The Dark Faction has greater overall numbers, and they recently unexpectedly gained a batch of Earth Immortal level experts dispersed to their various dens for support. This has greatly increased the combat strength of every Dark Faction den."
The steward reported.
"Commander Ye, this situation is similar to what our 35th Battalion encountered not long ago. In fact, at the very beginning, the overall strength of the Dark Faction force we were fighting wasn't particularly strong—only six Earth Immortal experts in total, just one of them an Advanced Earth Immortal. But later, three more Earth Immortals suddenly arrived, including two Advanced Earth Immortals and one Intermediate Earth Immortal. These three brought a large number of Dark Faction troops with them. Thus, both in terms of Earth Immortal experts and troop numbers, our 35th Battalion was at a disadvantage. Former Commander Fan fell victim to a sudden assault by their three Advanced Earth Immortals and one Intermediate Earth Immortal in that battle, sustaining fatal wounds. Our battalion's casualties were heavy in that battle, and our strength plummeted. I suspect our other Light Faction battalions might also encounter this kind of situation."
Elder Zhuo, standing nearby, spoke after hearing the steward's report.
"Mm. This ongoing World-Destroying War is what the Dark Faction calls the final World-Destroying War. It seems the Dark Faction is preparing to reveal their true strength," Ye Yunfei nodded, his expression grave.
Ye Yunfei recalled how both Old Man Chu and Zen Master Tianwu had said that the Dark Faction's true power was terrifying. He couldn't help but feel a stir of worry.
"Commander Ye, what should our 35th Battalion do next? Defend or attack?" Elder Qi asked.
The other four elders also looked at Ye Yunfei, awaiting his answer.
These five elders now genuinely regarded Ye Yunfei as the leader of the 35th Battalion!
"Our 35th Battalion will attack!"
Ye Yunfei thought for a moment and then spoke slowly.