Out of our thirty-six battalions, eight have been annihilated!
Upon hearing the words of the blue-robed elder, the hearts of the other high-ranking officials in the palace sank.
The thirty-six battalions represented a significant portion of the Light Faction's core strength. Losing eight of them meant their overall power had been considerably weakened.
'However, there is good news as well,' the blue-robed elder continued. 'The Dark Faction has also suffered heavy casualties. According to intelligence, Ye Yunfei alone has likely slain over a hundred of the Dark Faction's Earth Immortals.'
'What? A young junior has killed over a hundred Dark Faction Earth Immortals? Surely, it was accomplished by the forces of the various battalions under his command cooperating together, no?' someone asked.
'No, Ye Yunfei killed most of those Dark Faction Earth Immortals himself. Furthermore, he has slain at least over ten Perfected Earth Immortals, inflicting massive losses upon the Dark Faction,' the blue-robed elder stated.
What? How could this be possible? Everyone in the palace was shocked and found it hard to believe upon hearing the blue-robed elder's words.
'The message I just received confirms this,' the blue-robed elder said.
'Haha… This lad has truly given me a surprise. No, a massive surprise!' Chan Master Tianwu suddenly burst into laughter, looking immensely gratified.
'If he can slay so many Perfected Earth Immortals, what is his cultivation realm now?' a high-ranking official asked curiously.
'Primary-stage Earth Immortal,' the blue-robed elder replied.
'A junior, a mere Primary-stage Earth Immortal, possessing the combat prowess to kill Perfected Earth Immortals… Such talent… I suppose it would be considered top-tier even within this spacetime, wouldn't it?' one official couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.
'Top-tier? More than that. It should be considered one-of-a-kind. I doubt you could find a second monstrously talented youngster like him,' another official said.
'Elders, the twenty-eight battalions are waiting outside, awaiting our further instructions,' the blue-robed elder reminded them.
'Hold them there for now. Have them wait for our orders and bide their time for the opportune moment,' Old Man Chu said after some thought.
'Report!' At that moment, a middle-aged man rushed into the palace hall and reported anxiously. 'According to our observations, the Dark Faction army outside is about to launch an assault on headquarters!'
'That dark seed’s heartbeat has sounded again. It shouldn't be far from maturity now. Simultaneously, the Dark Ancestor likely has no patience left. He wants to accelerate the progress of this World-Destroying War and annihilate our Light Faction,' the elder addressed as Zhencangzi said softly.
'Issue the order! All forces are to be on full alert and prepare for battle!' Old Man Chu declared in a grave tone.
Following Old Man Chu's order, all personnel within the Light Faction headquarters began preparing for combat.
At the same time, in the void near the Light Faction headquarters, Ye Yunfei and the battalion commanders stood hidden within dozens of concealing formations, observing the distant Dark Faction forces.
'Chief Ye, are you sure we won't be detected by the masters of the Dark Faction while we're here?' one commander asked Ye Yunfei, sounding worried.
'Worry not. The Formations I've set up can perfectly conceal our auras,' Ye Yunfei replied.
Ye Yunfei had never neglected his cultivation of Formations. Whenever he had time, he would always use one of his Soul Bodies to cultivate them. He understood that Formations were one of his trump cards, a very powerful one at that. As his skill with formations continuously improved, the strength of the Formations he deployed naturally grew increasingly formidable.
'We've received a reply! The esteemed elders at headquarters instruct us to hold our position, await further instructions from headquarters, and bide our time for the opportune moment,' suddenly, Commander Xue raised a Sound Transmission jade slip, perceived its message, and announced.
'In that case, we'll stay here and continue waiting for headquarters' further instructions,' Ye Yunfei nodded.
Thus, Ye Yunfei and the battalion commanders remained within the Formations, continuing their vigil. However, gazing at the distant Dark Faction army that resembled a sea of inky darkness, a sense of heaviness weighed on everyone's hearts. They all understood that once this battle commenced, it would inevitably become a fearsome and bloody conflict.
Just at that moment.
'Young man, could you come here for a moment?' Ye Yunfei suddenly received a Sound Transmission.
Startled, Ye Yunfei immediately turned his senses towards a specific location in the distance. There, he detected a hazy, indistinct figure.
It was that figure who was transmitting the message.
'Who are you?' Ye Yunfei asked warily.
This was a confrontational zone between the two armies; Ye Yunfei had to be cautious.
'Young man, rest assured, I bear you no ill intent. I have come seeking you out to bestow upon you some things, to contribute a part of my strength for the sake of this spacetime,' the figure transmitted.
'Bestow some things upon me?' Ye Yunfei was taken aback by the claim.
'Yes, young man. Be at ease, I truly mean you no harm. However, aside from you, I do not wish for any other person to know of my existence. Thus, come see me alone,' the figure transmitted.
'Come see you alone?' Ye Yunfei stared intently at the blurry figure in the distance.
'Fine, I'll come see you.' Ye Yunfei hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and nodded in agreement. This was a case of high skill breeding great daring. Ye Yunfei believed that within this spacetime, aside from Golden Immortals, no one could really trouble him.
Thus, he found an excuse, telling the battalion commanders he needed to go somewhere to retrieve something and would return soon. The other battalion commanders knew Ye Yunfei possessed a treasure capable of teleportation, allowing him to leave and return quickly, so they did not ask further questions.
Ye Yunfei activated his spatial teleportation token and transmitted towards the location of that distant figure.
At the same time…
In the distant Chaotic Void, the dense, overwhelming energy aura released by the massive Dark Faction army caused the endless void to tremble and shake as if unable to bear the pressure.
Seven figures in black robes stood at the very forefront of the army, lined up abreast, their presence imposing and terrifying.
These seven were the Dark Ancestor's most trusted confidants, known as the Seven Grand Masters. Although the Dark Ancestor was the supreme leader of the Dark Faction, he rarely appeared in person. Issuing commands and handling affairs usually fell to these seven Grand Masters. Their status within the Dark Faction was second only to the Dark Ancestor himself.
'Everyone, listen! We have just received the Ancestor's command—prepare to attack!' Suddenly, one of the Grand Masters stepped forward and roared.
His voice rumbled like thunder, echoing relentlessly through this expanse of void, reaching the ears of every being present.
'Attack!' The entire Dark Faction army roared in unison with the Grand Master. Layer upon layer of sonic waves converged, forming an overwhelming torrent of sound that swept outwards in all directions. It was like a roaring tidal wave, like ten thousand stampeding horses, sweeping across the endless void, seeming as if it would flip this void completely upside down.
'Not good! The Dark Faction army is preparing to attack!' The Light Faction headquarters' patrol teams assigned to observe enemy movements were thrown into panic, scrambling to report to the various high-ranking officials.
'The great war has begun!' Inside the palace, all the Light Faction's high-ranking officials stood up simultaneously from their seats upon receiving the reports. Each wore a grim expression. Old Man Chu spoke heavily.
'Seniors all, this will undoubtedly be a fearsome and bloody battle,' Chan Master Tianwu said slowly.