"The guys from the Netherworld also ran away. If they dared to make a move, it would be best to kill them. I need their energy and laws," Huang Shang said regretfully.
"Those experts likely aren't from the Netherworld itself. They probably belong to some world outside that has connections to the Netherworld," Ye Yunfei said, glancing at the experts from the Great Yin Realm who were retreating into the distance.
"Master, you unleashed your might and scared them all off ages ago. They wouldn't dare to provoke you again!" Hu Miao chimed in.
"No, these experts all come from some major power outside of this region. And they probably aren't the strongest members of those factions. So, I'm sure I'll have trouble in the future. It doesn't matter though. The grudge between us has been forged; there's no escaping it." Ye Yunfei shook his head, frowning.
"Ye Yunfei, you really are amazing! You drove off all the enemies! Even the famously powerful Dark Ancestor was no match for you!" At that moment, Long Yingying walked over, looking Ye Yunfei up and down as if trying to figure out what made him different from ordinary people.
"Heh, Senior Sister Long, you've become incredibly powerful as well—reaching Golden Immortal-level combat strength. Your progress is enormous," Ye Yunfei replied with a smile.
Indeed, Long Yingying's current strength deeply shocked Ye Yunfei. Back on that battlefield, Long Yingying was suddenly taken from the Primordial Continent to the ancient battlefield by the mysterious woman. She had remained there ever since, following that mysterious woman's guidance. Back then, Long Yingying was far too weak, not even a Heavenly Emperor, let alone a Golden Immortal. Yet in such a short time, her progress had been explosive, gaining combat power at the Golden Immortal level. It was truly astonishing advancement.
"Pfft. No matter how much I progress, I can't compare to you. Compared to you, my progress is nothing," Long Yingying rolled her eyes and pouted.
"But I'm not convinced, Ye Yunfei! You wait—I'll surpass you someday! And when I do, I'll make sure to have a proper fight with you! For now, I'm going back to follow Auntie and cultivate seriously!" she continued.
"Auntie? Is your aunt also a member of the Battle Clan?" Hearing her words, Ye Yunfei first felt a pang of surprise before realizing the 'auntie' she mentioned must be the mysterious woman from the ancient battlefield. He tested the waters with his question.
"Lady Long, some things are not meant to be spoken of," one of the elders accompanying Long Yingying immediately interjected, alert even before she could answer. The other elders also fixed Ye Yunfei with warning gazes.
"Alright, alright, I won't mention it. Anything concerning Auntie, I won't discuss. I promised her I wouldn't," Seeing the elders' reactions, Long Yingying stuck out her cute pink tongue in a playful expression.
"Fine, I won't ask then," Ye Yunfei conceded.
"By the way, how is Sister Qing Luo doing?" Long Yingying suddenly asked.
"I haven't found her yet," Ye Yunfei's expression instantly turned worried as he shook his head and answered.
"I heard the Dark Faction's army stormed the headquarters of the Reincarnation Palace, and then Sister Qing Luo disappeared during the battle, right?" Seeing his expression, Long Yingying asked carefully.
"Yes. But I will definitely find Qing Luo," Ye Yunfei said again.
"Sister Qing Luo will be fine. Don't worry too much," Long Yingying tried to comfort him.
"Otherwise, I won't go back first. I'll help you look for Sister Qing Luo," she offered.
"That's not necessary. I'll find her myself. You should return and continue cultivating under your aunt's guidance. Your aunt is a supreme expert. Under her tutelage, your future accomplishments will surely be remarkable." Ye Yunfei shook his head, declining Long Yingying's offer.
Ye Yunfei was confident that with his current strength within this region of space-time, he feared no one and thus didn't need anyone's help. Moreover, he could tell the elders were eager to take Long Yingying back.
"Alright. With your current strength, you really don't need my help. Well, I'm going back now. This jade slip is something I crafted myself. It's particularly good for sending transmissions to me. Take it. If you want to contact me later, just use it to send a message. I'll receive it," After thinking for a moment, Long Yingying took out a jade slip and handed it to Ye Yunfei.
"Okay," Ye Yunfei accepted the slip.
"Lady Long, it's time for us to go back," one of the elders urged Long Yingying.
These elders knew Ye Yunfei had offended several major factions from outside their region; trouble was inevitable sooner or later. They didn't want Long Yingying to have too deep a connection with Ye Yunfei to avoid being implicated in the future. Thus, they were eager to take her back and report the situation to the mysterious woman.
Shortly after, the elders departed with Long Yingying.
"Ye Yunfei, I'm ready to leave as well," Du Fan spoke up.
"Du Fan, you've been following your master all these years, right? It's great. Your master is a highly-skilled Divine Master," Ye Yunfei glanced at an elder in the distance and used Sound Transmission to speak to Du Fan. In fact, Ye Yunfei had sensed this elder's aura before, so he knew immediately upon looking over that he was Du Fan's master.
"That's right, he's my master. Now, I'm going to follow my master and leave," Du Fan acknowledged frankly.
"Leave? Leave this place, or leave this region of space-time?" Ye Yunfei detected underlying meaning in Du Fan's words.
"Soon, I'll leave this region of space-time to explore other regions outside," Du Fan considered for a moment before answering.
"I see. Venturing out is good too," Ye Yunfei fell silent for a moment upon hearing this, then nodded in response.
Du Fan now possessed combat power at the Golden Immortal level. Staying in this region of space-time wouldn't offer much more help for his future development; it was inevitable that he would leave sooner or later. In his own life's journey, having traveled from the Tianxuan Continent through world after world, Ye Yunfei knew deeply that any true expert who wanted to advance further must continuously stride toward higher-level worlds and broader stages.
"What about you? Do you plan to venture out in the future?" Du Fan asked.
"I will. But not now. For the moment, I need to continue staying here," Ye Yunfei thought for a moment before answering.
"Yes. I understand. Well, I'm off," Du Fan nodded, then turned and left, following his master. They vanished into the starry distance in the blink of an eye.
"I'm returning to the Dark Realm as well," Lü Dandan said, her expression icy as she fixed Ye Yunfei with a complex gaze for a while before speaking.
"Lady Lü, thank you for stepping forward at such a critical moment," Ye Yunfei looked at this beautiful woman who seemed to have undergone a major change in temperament and spoke.