"Brat, no matter what tricks you have, you can't escape my grasp!"
The gray-robed elder said in a low voice.
Although the strength displayed by Ye Yunfei had surprised him, as a Mid-Level Heavenly Immortal, he absolutely could not allow a mere Golden Immortal to escape from his hands.
With a punch from him, a massive black fist materialized directly above Ye Yunfei's head, radiating terrifying immortal energy as it pressed down from above.
Mysterious black runes surfaced upon this enormous black fist; these runes possessed the power to seal both time and space.
In an instant, the space where Ye Yunfei stood began to crumble and contract under immense pressure, as if on the verge of complete dissolution.
Ye Yunfei felt an overwhelming, terrifying energy crushing in on him from all directions, seemingly intent on grinding his body into pulp.
"A Heavenly Immortal expert, with every move they make, can manipulate the energies and laws of the surrounding space to the greatest degree. It's truly terrifying," Ye Yunfei thought to himself with a shock.
In fact, within the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds, Ye Yunfei could also do this—freely communicate with the energies and laws present in the surrounding space, as well as with the subtle grand principles of heaven and earth, for his own use.
But that was because Ye Yunfei was a creature of the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds and cultivated its energies and laws. If he left for other worlds outside, it would be very difficult for him to accomplish this.
However, Heavenly Immortal experts were different. To a certain extent, they had transcended the limitations of a single space. Even when leaving their own territory, they could still utilize, to a degree, the energies and laws of other spaces they entered.
BOOM!
Ye Yunfei waved his hand, bringing out even more magic treasures and activating them all at once.
Each of these treasures was engraved with sophisticated formation patterns, forming over ten advanced battle formations. The energy released from so many formations erupting together was immensely powerful, and for a moment, it actually loosened the oppressive energy around Ye Yunfei's space.
Simultaneously, Ye Yunfei unleashed all his various energies and employed a variety of secret techniques. Temporarily freeing himself from the elder's suppression, he turned and fled.
"How is this possible? He actually managed to break free from my sealing energy?" The gray-robed elder could hardly believe it when he saw Ye Yunfei could still escape.
He was merely an Intermediate Golden Immortal. In theory, there should be no possibility of resistance before him.
"No wonder this brat managed to kill so many members of our Black Wind Group. He truly is a rare young monster. But now that he's fallen into my hands, he has only one path—death." The gray-robed elder gave a cold smile and then unleashed a palm strike from afar.
BOOM!
A giant palm materialized behind Ye Yunfei, like a towering divine mountain, hurtling towards Ye Yunfei's back at an astonishing speed.
Within this palm, a world faintly shimmered into view—a vast cosmos of stars, neatly arranged planets, and upon those planets, all manner of living beings, mountains, rivers, sun, moon, stars, the changing seasons... all sorts of things continuously emerged, incredibly vivid. It felt as if a truly colossal world was crashing towards Ye Yunfei.
"Not good. This guy is far too strong. The energy he unleashes with casual movements is simply beyond my ability to resist," Ye Yunfei inwardly groaned.
In the next moment, Ye Yunfei's back was struck by the palm. It felt as if struck by lightning as his body was sent soaring high into the air like a cannonball, rapidly shooting forward.
"Brat, having suffered my palm strike, you'll be half-dead even if you don't perish. Let's see how you'll escape now," the gray-robed elder sneered.
However, at that moment, Ye Yunfei, who had been struck and thrown far away, seemed mostly unharmed. He immediately activated a teleportation treasure and began his teleportation.
"How is this possible? Brat, after being hit by me, you still have the energy to flee? Could your physical strength really be that formidable?" The gray-robed elder was dubious.
But his movements were not slow. He extended his palm again and launched another strike from afar, aiming at Ye Yunfei's back.
Another enormous palm condensed behind Ye Yunfei, carrying terrifying energy as it slammed into his back.
Ye Yunfei's teleportation was forcibly interrupted.
Once again, Ye Yunfei's body was sent flying away by the shockwave. However, to the gray-robed elder's astonishment, after taking two of his strikes in a row and landing in the distance, Ye Yunfei flipped over and fled at an even greater speed, reactivating the teleportation treasure in his hand.
By now, Ye Yunfei was already far from the gray-robed elder, and his speed was extreme. A massive teleportation energy enveloped his body, initiating the teleportation.
Although the gray-robed elder chased after him at his fastest speed, he could no longer stop Ye Yunfei's teleportation.
"I get it now! Brat! This isn't your true body at all! This is a Doppelganger Statue! You actually have a Doppelganger Statue! No wonder even I couldn't tell! I fell for it! I was truly careless!" The gray-robed elder watched helplessly as Ye Yunfei teleported away, roaring in anger.
"Brat, just you wait! I will not let you go! No matter where you flee, I will find you and tear you to shreds!" The gray-robed elder's furious roar echoed through that expanse of Chaotic Void.
A short while later, in a certain location within the Chaotic Void of the Tiange World Cluster, Ye Yunfei's figure suddenly appeared.
"That was far too close. Fortunately, you were prepared beforehand, sending a Doppelganger Statue to deal with those Black Wind Group members while your main body hid nearby. If that old fellow had cornered your main body, escaping would have been very difficult," Hun Lao said to Ye Yunfei.
"Indeed. I didn't expect the quality of these Doppelganger Statues to be so good. Being struck twice consecutively by a Heavenly Immortal and still not completely ruined. These statues Mister Liu gave me are truly invaluable," Ye Yunfei said, waving his hand as a stone statue floated before him—the very Doppelganger Statue that had confronted the Black Wind Group members on his behalf.
Of course, Ye Yunfei's main body had also been lurking nearby, secretly taking action to help deal with the Black Wind Group members.
When the gray-robed elder arrived, he targeted the Doppelganger Statue. Ye Yunfei's main body took the opportunity to quietly distance itself. Later, after the statue endured two palm strikes from the elder, it used the space teleportation talisman to flee.
Previously, Mister Liu had given Ye Yunfei a total of nine Doppelganger Statues. When Ye Yunfei left the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds, he left two behind to guard it, bringing the remaining seven with him.
"This statue has taken two strikes from a Mid-Level Heavenly Immortal. Although some cracks have appeared on its body, it can still be used. It really is remarkably sturdy," Hun Lao commented.
"I didn't expect you to have such a treasure. Doppelganger Statues are forged by highly-skilled artifact smiths. I'm not entirely sure what materials they use, but I do know they are relatively sturdy. Only someone at the Demigod level could possibly destroy them outright; beings at the Heavenly Immortal level shouldn't be able to," the Remnant Soul also chimed in.
"Now you should find a place to hide. That fellow will definitely be searching everywhere for you. You killed so many of the Black Wind Group; he won't let you go," Hun Lao advised Ye Yunfei.
"The two Xiao sisters most likely have fallen into the hands of the Black Wind Group. If I don't go rescue them, once they fall into Zhan Yuan's hands, their fate will be truly miserable," Ye Yunfei said after some thought.
"You really intend to go save them? That Mid-Level Heavenly Immortal is certainly searching everywhere for you right now. If you go, you might run into him," Hun Lao said.
"Moreover, how do you even know where to find the Black Wind Group members?" Hun Lao added.
"I don't know, but someone does," Ye Yunfei replied. With a thought, he entered the Shadow Illusion Tower and appeared before a Soul Body.
This Soul Body belonged to the previous leader of the Black Wind Group squad.
"Brat, if you keep me locked up here, aren't you afraid our Black Wind Group will come after you? I'm a steward within the Black Wind Group. If I disappear, the leader will definitely send people to rescue me. If you release me and I return, I might put in a good word for you. Perhaps we can settle the grudge between you and our group," the squad leader spoke immediately upon seeing Ye Yunfei, still attempting to use the Black Wind Group's reputation to threaten him.
"Your Black Wind Group has provoked me time and time again. I don't think the grudge between us needs settling anymore," Ye Yunfei said indifferently.
Ye Yunfei knew perfectly well that having killed so many of the Black Wind Group, settling the grudge was impossible. This member was simply trying to save his own skin with empty promises.
"Enough nonsense. If you want to live, tell me the whereabouts of the two Xiao sisters. Otherwise, I will completely scatter your Soul Body, annihilating your soul," Ye Yunfei stated coldly.
"No, let me handle this fellow. I will refine his Soul Body into an oil lamp, making him endure the agony of eternal burning, forever without release. Then he'll understand what that feels like," Huang Shang appeared beside Ye Yunfei. His dark, ghostly form emitted dense ghostly mist, an icy aura that made the Black Wind Group squad leader shiver uncontrollably, a deep-seated fear rising from the depths of his Soul Body.
As a Soul Body himself, the squad leader felt an instinctive dread when facing Huang Shang, a ghost cultivator.
"Brat, how dare you treat me like this..." the squad leader forced out in a trembling voice.
"It seems this one still wants to be stubborn. Well then, hand him over to me temporarily. I'll spend some quality time with him. I believe it won't be long before he becomes compliant," Huang Shang sneered.
As a ghost cultivator, Huang Shang possessed far too many methods for dealing with Soul Bodies.
Huang Shang waved his hand, and a dense cloud of ghostly mist surged forth, engulfing the squad leader's Soul Body. Not long after, agonized screams began to emanate.
One hour later.
"He's much more docile now. You can ask him anything," Huang Shang transmitted to Ye Yunfei.
Thus, Ye Yunfei once again approached the squad leader's Soul Body. It now appeared extremely withered, as if after a serious illness, its gaze filled with terror.
"Now, tell me the whereabouts of the two Xiao sisters," Ye Yunfei asked.
"They've both been captured by our Black Wind Group. They should currently be on their way to the Shangqing Realm to be handed over to Zhan Yuan's people. Since Zhan Yuan paid us to capture them, we deliver them immediately after the successful catch," the squad leader answered Ye Yunfei's question without further defiance.
"As I suspected," Ye Yunfei nodded.
In truth, he had already roughly guessed this would be the case.
"Then lead the way immediately. Take me to Zhan Yuan's people," Ye Yunfei said after some consideration.
Zhan Yuan wanted to capture the Xiao sisters to obtain their virginity. However, Zhan Yuan was still attending the young talents gathering within the Shangqing Realm. Therefore, the Xiao sisters should not have been harmed yet. If he could find and rescue them in time, they would be safe.
"You really intend to save those two girls? That Mid-Level Heavenly Immortal from the Black Wind Group is certainly searching for you everywhere. Going to rescue them could easily mean running into him," the Remnant Soul said to Ye Yunfei.
"I'll still go and rescue them," Ye Yunfei declared after a moment's thought.
He then took out the space teleportation talisman and began rapid teleportation towards the Shangqing Realm. Ye Yunfei had to rescue the Xiao sisters before they fell into Zhan Yuan's hands to prevent them from suffering harm.
"I didn't expect you to have such a warm-hearted side. Those two girls have truly found a savior in meeting you," the Remnant Soul remarked.
"Senior, of course my master is warm-hearted. If he weren't of this character, he wouldn't have brought you out from that Samsara passageway back then," Hu Miao said to the Remnant Soul.
"How can you say that? Have you forgotten? I offered him a substantial benefit for agreeing to bring me out back then. If nothing else, just that Soul Soup alone is a rare treasure unobtainable elsewhere!" the Remnant Soul retorted with a curl of his lip.
Ye Yunfei continuously teleported using the talisman, moving at incredible speed. Before long, he returned to the Shangqing Realm.
"Now, tell me, where can I find Zhan Yuan's people? Your Black Wind Group must have pre-arranged a location with them for the handover," Ye Yunfei asked the squad leader.
"Zhan Yuan seems to have a secret residence within the Shangqing Realm. Our Black Wind Group previously agreed with him to deliver the captives to a specific, secret location. I suspect that location is near Zhan Yuan's residence. Currently, our people are likely transporting the two sisters to the agreed-upon spot," the squad leader revealed everything he knew without any concealment.
"Fine. Lead me there now," Ye Yunfei commanded.
Following the squad leader's guidance, Ye Yunfei stealthily made his way towards the handover location arranged between the Black Wind Group and Zhan Yuan.
Meanwhile, back in the city hosting the young talents gathering, a subordinate quietly approached Zhan Yuan.
"Young Master Zhan, good news. The Black Wind Group has captured the Xiao Family's pair of twins. Their members are now taking the twins to our pre-arranged handover location," the subordinate transmitted to Zhan Yuan.
"Really? That's fantastic! Those two little wenches are finally in my grasp!" Zhan Yuan nearly leaped up in excitement upon hearing the transmission.
"Good! I'll find an excuse to leave immediately now. Once I have the twins, I'll cultivate with them right away! I hear their familial bloodline purity is exceptionally high, possibly manifesting an Ancestral Reversion Phenomenon. They might just be the key to my rise!" Zhan Yuan said excitedly.