"We heard this stretch of space-time has produced a truly extraordinary treasure. Many major powers outside have sent experts into this region to seize it. Just what is going on?"
Among the tall, golden beings who had just stepped off the Teleportation Altar, one of them spoke up.
"An extraordinary treasure?"
Several elders of the Celestial Gold Race were momentarily taken aback.
"Are you referring to the Yin Seed nurtured by the Dark Ancestor?"
After a moment, the elders recalled the Yin Seed being cultivated by the Dark Ancestor.
"The Yin Seed nurtured by the Dark Ancestor? Tell us the specifics."
The Celestial Gold Race experts were all very interested.
"Very well, I will recount the origin of that Yin Seed," one of the elders nodded and began his detailed explanation. He spoke of how the Dark Ancestor had come to this region in ancient times, launching genocide after genocide, and described the process of nurturing that Yin Seed.
"So that's how it is!"
"The Yin Seed nurtured by the Dark Ancestor has absorbed the flesh and blood essence, Soul Bodies, and the energy and laws of countless worlds within this space-time. If one could obtain and refine that Yin Seed, the unimaginable energy and law essence one could obtain...
More importantly, legends say many deities were born in this space-time in ancient times. While those Deities are no longer present, their energy and laws of that level must have lingered and infused themselves here. That Yin Seed, cultivated by condensing the essence of all manner of energy and laws from this space-time, has a high probability of containing Deity-level energy and laws. It is truly a heaven-defying treasure! No wonder so many major powers are sending experts here to fight over it!"
After listening to the elder's account, the six Celestial Gold Race members were utterly astonished.
"Excellent! Since there is such a precious treasure, we cannot stand idly by either. Let's go immediately and investigate. If the opportunity arises, we'll seize that Yin Seed!"
The six were all eager to try.
"That Yin Seed is currently inside a young human. That young man is... closely connected to our Celestial Gold Race. You could say he is considered one of our own," one of the elders said.
"How could a human youth be one of our own?" The six were puzzled.
"Allow me to explain." The elder proceeded to describe the relationship between Ye Yunfei and the Celestial Gold Race.
"So that's the case." Having heard the elder's words, the six now understood the connection between Ye Yunfei and their race.
"Since that's the situation, we'll play it by ear. First, let's see how things develop. In any case, we cannot let those other major powers take the Yin Seed. If that human youth, Ye Yunfei, obtains it... we'll consider then whether to seize it from him or not," one of the Celestial Gold Race members proposed.
"It seems these clan members from the headquarters aren't that difficult to talk to," the elders secretly breathed a sigh of relief. In their minds, Ye Yunfei was a benefactor to their branch of the clan, and they had no desire to clash with him.
At the same time, in a distant region of space-time far beyond the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds, within a world churning with endless dark energy and laws of darkness, stood an immense black palace carved with intricate Dark Faction totems.
Dense black mist roiled everywhere inside the palace. At its deepest point, a faint, wispy black figure sat cross-legged, surrounded by terrifyingly potent energy pressure. With every breath this figure took, the palace and the space outside vibrated rhythmically.
At this moment, the Dark Ancestor, having just rushed back from the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds, entered the palace and approached the faint black figure, paying his respects respectfully.
"How did it go? By my reckoning of the time, that Yin Seed should have matured. Have you brought it back to me?"
The dark figure slowly opened its eyes, projecting two world-shakingly dreadful gazes. Each word it spoke caused a black thunderclap to erupt within the palace.
"Master's power is even more terrifying than before!" The Dark Ancestor was inwardly alarmed by the energy emanating from the figure.
"Reporting to Master... this disciple was incompetent. The Yin Seed has been seized by someone else. I have returned to request reinforcements," the Dark Ancestor steeled himself and spoke.
"What?! The Yin Seed has been taken?!" The black figure's voice turned harsh instantly. A terrifying energy erupted, blowing the Dark Ancestor away on the spot, slamming him into a palace wall in a most wretched manner.
"Explain. What happened?" The black figure's voice was icy.
"Master, please listen..." The Dark Ancestor hurriedly recounted the events in the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds in detail.
"So, many other major powers now know of the Yin Seed's existence and have dispatched forces to seize it. Do they not know that Yin Seed is, in fact, MY property?! Do they think Hei Ba, who was once a significant figure across many realms, has been forgotten?" Hei Ba's voice seethed with a dreadful fury.
"Master, I believe those major powers definitely know the Yin Seed was cultivated by me on your behalf. They came to seize it deliberately, showing no regard for our Dark Faction or for you, Master," the Dark Ancestor immediately replied, adding fuel to the fire.
Over the past period, being swarmed by experts from so many major forces in the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds who tried to snatch the Yin Seed had left the Dark Ancestor feeling utterly humiliated. He believed that without all those experts joining the fray, he could have protected the Yin Seed with his own strength, preventing Ye Yunfei from taking it. Therefore, he dearly hoped his master would make an appearance to intimidate those major powers and help him vent this anger. The Dark Ancestor knew his master had been a notoriously ruthless and fearsome figure in his time, whose name alone inspired terror in countless beings, and whose power was immense.
"Excellent. It seems because I, Hei Ba, have secluded myself for so many years, the scoundrels outside have forgotten me. A Yin Seed I spent so much effort to nurture, and now so many have their eyes on it. Remember clearly for me which major powers sent people to seize it. I will settle this account with each of them, slowly and methodically.
Also, I suppose I must start making appearances outside again from time to time. Otherwise, the world will completely forget the name Hei Ba."
Rolling waves of fury emanated from Hei Ba as he spoke in a deep, gloomy tone.
"Master, I remember the experts from those major forces very clearly! And that human youth from the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds, Ye Yunfei—he is also one of the chief culprits who seized the Yin Seed! I will definitely not let him go!" The Dark Ancestor replied promptly. Just mentioning Ye Yunfei made him grind his teeth in fury.
"Good. I will immediately dispatch a number of experts to accompany you back to the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds to retrieve the Yin Seed!" Hei Ba nodded slowly.
"This time, you must succeed in bringing that Yin Seed back for me. My cultivation has reached a crucial moment, requiring a great quantity of treasures as aids. Lately, your other martial brothers have all succeeded in bringing back a wealth of valuable treasures to present to me, achieving great merit. You cannot fall behind.
Should you fail again this time... you know the consequences." Hei Ba added, his words dripping with threat.
"Master, rest assured! This disciple will definitely succeed in bringing back the Yin Seed and presenting it to you!" Hearing his master's words, the Dark Ancestor's face changed drastically, and he hurriedly voiced his commitment. Having followed Hei Ba for a long time, he was well aware of his master's cruel methods—even towards his own disciples, there was not an ounce of leniency.
At the same time, within the shrine of the mountain hamlet in Tianpo Realm, Ye Yunfei sat cross-legged, continuing to refine the Yin Seed inside him.
By now, he had almost refined half of the Yin Seed. The quantity of energy and laws he had obtained was truly staggering. During this process, he had also suppressed the heavenly tribulation three more times, forcefully halting the tribulation on the cusp of a breakthrough.
"For a Perfected Earth Immortal pursuing the Nine-Nine Return to Truth Immortal path, one must suppress the tribulations nine times in total. I have suppressed four so far, with five more to go.
If I can continue to successfully suppress the next five tribulations, I will have achieved the Nine-Nine Return to Truth Perfected Earth Immortal realm."
Ye Yunfei felt a stirring of excitement. He also discovered that each time he successfully suppressed a tribulation, his physical body, Soul Body—everything—underwent a qualitative transformation and sublimation, as if his entire life essence had been elevated by a rank.
Naturally, the vast sea of energy and laws obtained during the refinement of the Yin Seed was also constantly enhancing his strength to a terrifying degree.
Ye Yunfei sensed that with his current power, facing primary or even intermediate-level Golden Immortals would allow him to crush them effortlessly. Even a Golden Immortal expert of the Dark Ancestor's caliber would be someone he could fight with ease. Moreover, his power was still continuously increasing.
"Once I completely refine this Yin Seed, I will have nothing to fear from the Dark Ancestor.
Dark Ancestor, just you wait. I'll be back soon to settle accounts with you!" Ye Yunfei thought to himself, brimming with confidence.
Ye Yunfei proceeded with refining the Yin Seed within him. In truth, he was already itching to return immediately to see the current situation in the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds. He understood that the Dark Ancestor and the experts from those other major powers would never give up easily—especially the Dark Ancestor. That Yin Seed was the result of his long years and immense efforts, painstakingly cultivated and nearly ripe for harvest. To have it snatched away... he would definitely not swallow that insult.
However, now that his power had increased dramatically, Ye Yunfei was no longer afraid of the Dark Ancestor. On the contrary, he yearned to return as soon as possible to engage in a great battle with him and properly settle past grievances.
Besides the Dark Ancestor, there were those other major powers—the Demon Race, the Demon Capital, the Netherworld... Ye Yunfei vowed to seek each of them out, one by one, and settle their accounts!
Apart from returning to deal with his enemies, Ye Yunfei had one most urgent desire: to find Su Qingluo!
In the past period, because of the Yin Seed, he had been constantly hunted, leaving him no time to search for Su Qingluo.
"Qingluo, where are you now? You must be safe. Wait for me. I will come looking for you very soon!"
Ye Yunfei silently prayed in his heart.
He accelerated the pace of refining the Yin Seed.
"Hmm, quite good. That Young Master Ye can refine the Yin Seed so smoothly and successfully absorb most of its energy and laws... truly speaks to his remarkable talent. If he continues to grow, his future achievements may very well not be inferior to my own."
At the center of the mountain hamlet, inside his room, Mr. Liu gazed towards Ye Yunfei sitting cross-legged in the shrine, nodding repeatedly with an appreciative look in his eyes.
Unknowingly, a month passed.
In the Demon Realm of the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds, an ancient Teleportation Altar suddenly shook violently. Above it, space tore open, revealing a spatial passage from which turbulent currents of space-time energy poured forth.
Then, a sizable contingent of the Demon Race marched out from the passage.
"Excellent! Finally, we've awaited your arrival!" Two aged demons standing before the altar burst into hearty laughter at the sight of the newly arrived forces.
"The Demon Master has decreed that the Yin Seed must be brought back to Demon Capital. Success is the only option, as the Demon Master requires it to aid his cultivation," the leader of the old demons declared after surveying the surrounding space-time.
"Where is that Yin Seed located now? Let's not waste time. Let us proceed immediately, seize it, and return to Demon Capital," the leading old demon continued.
"There's no need for haste," one of the two aged demons who had been waiting at the altar spoke up. "First, we should capture a few beings closely related to that kid Ye Yunfei and then use them to track him down. Ye Yunfei is hiding in an extremely peculiar mountain hamlet, one that seems to harbor a mysterious expert whose depths are unknown. Therefore, it is best we prepare thoroughly."
"Do as you please. In any case, the Demon Master sent us to this space-time fully prepared, confident we can sweep across all beings here. But since you say so, we'll proceed as you suggest," the leading old demon said with supreme confidence, evidently holding this space-time in contempt.
At the same time, in the Demon Capital and the Netherworld, batches of experts also arrived in those respective realms.
Soon after, groups marched out from the Demon Realm, Demon Capital, and the Netherworld, heading toward the direction of Canghuang Realm.
Simultaneously, within the headquarters of the Dark Faction, a spatial passage suddenly appeared. The Dark Ancestor emerged, followed by a group of Dark Faction experts.
"Ancestor! You have finally returned!" The two Dark Faction Golden Immortals who had remained behind in the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds were overjoyed to see the Dark Ancestor and rushed forward to greet him.
"Move out immediately. Retrieve that Yin Seed!" the Dark Ancestor ordered in a low voice.
"This time, I will make every being who participated in seizing the Yin Seed pay. I will also wash this stretch of space-time in blood, using the flesh and blood essence and Soul Bodies of all living beings here to fully mature the Yin Seed before presenting it to Master.
Success is the only option. Failure is not permitted!"
The Dark Ancestor then waved his hand and led the Dark Faction army as it grandly departed the headquarters, traversing the chaotic space-time of the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds.
With the appearance of these forces from major powers in the Chaotic Void, an atmosphere of extreme tension once again descended upon the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds, which had been peaceful for over a month.
Countless eyes watched the movements of these forces, curious about their intentions.
Meanwhile, in Canghuang Realm.
A pink Command Banner hovered within the starry sky, continuously releasing formidable energy that suppressed the world. This terrifying energy even radiated out into the Chaotic Void beyond, causing any beings passing nearby to shudder inwardly, not daring to approach.
Suddenly, six elders materialized beside the banner.
"It seems they are back," one of the elders said grimly, his gaze fixed on the Chaotic Void outside.
These six elders were the experts specifically tasked with protecting Long Yingying. During this period, Long Yingying had returned to Tianxuan Continent to visit family and friends and had not yet re-emerged. Thus, the six elders had remained here, guarding this world.
"It looks like they brought reinforcements," another elder frowned.
The six possessed exceptionally keen perception and had long since sensed many powerful experts approaching Canghuang Realm.
"Notify Miss Long immediately to come out. Should the situation turn unfavorable, we must take her and depart at once. No matter what, we must protect Miss Long from any harm. Otherwise, we would have no explanation when we return," a third elder said. He then retrieved a communication jade slip to send a message to Long Yingying.
Boom…!
The next moment, Canghuang Realm suddenly shook violently. A raging sea of energy from the Chaotic Void outside surged in overwhelmingly, as if intending to destroy this world.
Several contingents with terrifying auras simultaneously appeared outside Canghuang Realm.
These were forces from the Dark Faction, the Demon Realm, Demon Capital, and the Netherworld—four major powers!
"I have finally completely refined this Yin Seed!
It's time to set off and return!"
At that same moment, within the shrine of the mountain hamlet in Tianpo Realm, Ye Yunfei abruptly opened his eyes and spoke excitedly.
"My current battle prowess is at least a hundred times greater than before, possibly even more!"
Sensing the seemingly endless, terrifying tides of energy and laws within his body, Ye Yunfei felt supremely powerful, as if he could shatter anything. More importantly, he felt his very life essence had undergone a qualitative leap. From flesh and blood, to organs, to veins and bones, to his Soul Body, including his thought processes and comprehension—everything had a taste of being reborn and transformed.
"An expert of the Dark Ancestor's caliber... I can pulverize him with a single fist now."
Ye Yunfei clenched his fist, feeling the terrifying immortal power within him, and spoke with confidence.
"Heh, Young Master Ye, not bad. You have refined the Yin Seed."
Mr. Liu walked into the shrine from outside.