"Let them come. I'd like to settle the score with them."
Ye Yunfei thought for a moment before replying coldly.
"You still want to fight them?"
Hun Lao was startled upon hearing this.
"Don't be afraid. With my current physical strength, I should be able to contend with Advanced Earth Immortals.
Moreover, with this continent here, even that Perfected Earth Immortal would find it hard to harm me.
These bastards ruined my tribulation breakthrough. I won't be satisfied until I've slaughtered a few of them."
Ye Yunfei said.
Whoosh!
Ye Yunfei's figure flashed as he burrowed deeper underground. He then took out a Doppelganger Statue, commanding it to roam this subterranean realm in his stead and begin setting up a deadly trap formation.
Meanwhile, Ye Yunfei's true self entered the Phantom Tower and began practicing several combat techniques imparted by the Great Strength Demon God.
That mighty demon had refined his physical power to a terrifying degree. The vast majority of the techniques he cultivated were physique-refining in nature.
* * *
"Excellent! That brat is indeed in this world. I've detected the aura of his Soul Body!"
At that moment, the Dark Faction Earth Immortals had already entered the world. Having all sensed Ye Yunfei's presence, they spoke out one after another.
"Find him on the continent and tear him to shreds!"
The leader, the Perfected Earth Immortal, possessed the strongest perception. His form flashed as he landed on the continent, unleashing his Soul Power energy to sweep majestically across the entire landmass in search of Ye Yunfei.
The other Dark Faction Earth Immortals also descended onto the continent.
"Over there!"
Suddenly, one Advanced Earth Immortal's gaze sharpened, and his figure shot towards a distant location.
At that spot, a figure had flashed briefly before vanishing – it was indeed Ye Yunfei.
Swish, swish...
Immediately, all the Dark Faction Earth Immortals surged towards that position.
However, when they arrived, they discovered Ye Yunfei was already gone.
"There he is!"
Just then, another Dark Faction Earth Immortal pointed towards another distant location on the continent and shouted.
The area was a dense, primeval forest region.
Swish, swish, swish...
Each of these Dark Faction Earth Immortals possessed terrifying movement techniques. Soaring into the air, they arrived at the edge of that primeval forest in an instant.
But there was no trace of Ye Yunfei to be found here either.
"What's going on? That brat was clearly just here a moment ago. I sensed his Soul Body aura distinctly. Yet now, he seems to have vanished into thin air!"
One Earth Immortal sputtered angrily.
"No. There's an aura of geomancy energy and laws here.
What we saw earlier wasn't necessarily the boy's true body.
I suspect the figures we witnessed were simulacrums the boy created using an Earth Formation."
The Perfected Earth Immortal's brow furrowed slightly as he swept his gaze across this primeval forest region.
"Created using an Earth Formation?"
The faces of the other Dark Faction Earth Immortals all darkened upon hearing this.
"Look! Over there! That brat has appeared again!"
At that very moment, an Earth Immortal pointed towards a desolate desert region on the distant earth. There, a figure flashed and vanished.
Whoosh!
The Perfected Earth Immortal moved with frightening speed. He took a single step, transforming into a black streak that tore through space, arriving within that desert region in the blink of an eye.
The other Dark Faction Earth Immortals followed closely behind.
Boom!
The Perfected Earth Immortal focused his aim and unleashed a sweeping palm strike that swept across a vast expanse of ground. Sand and stones were hurled violently into the air like a massive sandstorm, darkening the sky.
Bang!
A loud explosion resounded. An Earth Formation had been directly struck and blasted apart. Surging waves of geomancy energy madly dispersed.
"There really was an Earth Formation here!"
The gazes of the other Dark Faction Earth Immortals all contracted.
"Those figures we saw earlier were all simulacrums the boy conjured using Earth Formations. They were not his true body."
The Perfected Earth Immortal said in a heavy voice, his expression extremely ugly.
To have over twenty Earth Immortals being led around by the nose by a mere junior brat was utterly infuriating.
"However... the boy's true body is definitely somewhere on this continent!"
The Perfected Earth Immortal added.
"Hmph!
That brat's Lightning Tribulation was severed by the Heaven-Cheating Cloth. He suffered a backlash; his body is surely compromised now. Where would he dare to come out and face us? That's why he's using these underhanded, deceptive techniques to trick us."
One Earth Immortal sneered.
"Even if that brat's body were fine, he wouldn't dare confront so many of us Earth Immortals!
If we find him, I can kill him myself!
Does he really think some measly True Immortal-level runt can amount to anything!"
"Right! That boy must be on this continent! Everyone, spread out and search! We must find him!"
"..."
The other Dark Faction Earth Immortals also spoke up one after another.
"Since that boy knows how to set up Earth Formations, he must be a geomancer.
We should go underground to look for him."
The Perfected Earth Immortal's gaze shifted towards the ground as he spoke slowly.
"Let's go. Down we go and investigate."
After saying this, the Perfected Earth Immortal's figure flashed, and he directly plunged into the earth.
"Right! Let's go underground to find him!"
A few Earth Immortals also followed, drilling into the ground.
Others remained on the surface, continuing the search for Ye Yunfei.
* * *
"Finally, someone's come down."
In the deep bowels of the earth, at a specific location, Ye Yunfei stood amidst hundreds of earth dragon veins. Watching the Dark Faction Earth Immortals who had entered the underground realm, he gave a cold laugh.
The Perfected Earth Immortal of the Dark Faction hadn't been mistaken. Those fleeting images of 'Ye Yunfei' appearing on the surface of the continent had indeed been illusions conjured using Earth Formations – their purpose to bewilder the Dark Faction experts and buy time. Ye Yunfei's true body had been training within the Phantom Tower all along.
By now, the Doppelganger Statue had already set up a large-scale, deadly trap formation deep underground – the Blood-Fury Dragon's Den!
Ye Yunfei had set up this type of death trap several times before, and each time was used against the Dark Faction.
As this trap formation was of a pure, sun-essence attribute, it was particularly effective against dark energy and dark laws.
Under the cover of this large-scale trap, augmented by the concealing arts Hun Lao and the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm had cast upon the Phantom Tower, even the Perfected Earth Immortal could not, for the moment, pinpoint Ye Yunfei's exact location.
"Everyone, that boy is definitely somewhere within this subterranean realm. Search carefully!"
After entering the underground world, the Perfected Earth Immortal perceived the aura of Ye Yunfei's Soul Body with even greater clarity. He immediately sent a mental transmission to the other Dark Faction Earth Immortals.
By now, most of the Dark Faction Earth Immortals had descended underground.
"Good. That's about enough.
For ruining my breakthrough... get ready to pay the price."
Within the Phantom Tower, Ye Yunfei had already ceased his cultivation. Sensing the group of Dark Faction Earth Immortal experts outside, he spoke coldly.
During his time inside the Phantom Tower, Ye Yunfei had already mastered two physique-refining combat techniques!