"Young Master Ye, please wait."
Seeing Ye Yunfei turn and leave with such resolve, the Heavenly Immortals from the Qianfang World Cluster were alarmed. They hurriedly called out, speaking one after another.
But Ye Yunfei knew he had to leave quickly. Otherwise, it wouldn't be long before Demigod-level experts from the Demon Race arrived, and things would become quite troublesome. Ye Yunfei understood that although he now possessed the initial strength to confront a Initial Demigod, securing a victory would not be easy.
Moreover, if the Demon Race sent several Demigods, or even an Intermediate Demigod, it would be very difficult for him to handle. Therefore, Ye Yunfei just wanted to leave the Qianfang World Cluster swiftly.
Watching Ye Yunfei's figure striding away, the Heavenly Immortals of the Qianfang World Cluster knew they couldn't keep him.
The Heavenly Immortals of the Qianfang World Cluster looked at one another, their faces all extremely grim.
"Everyone, although we have defeated the invading Demon Race army, the overall strength of the Demon Capital is far too great. They will certainly dispatch another force to deal with our Qianfang World Cluster. When that time comes, we definitely won't be able to handle it. Therefore, we must have a proper discussion about how to respond next," a Peak Heavenly Immortal spoke with a grave expression.
"No matter how much we discuss, it's useless. The overall strength of our Qianfang World Cluster is negligible compared to the Demon Capital's. Faced with such an absolute disparity in power, any strategy we devise will be futile against the Demon Capital." After several breaths of silence from the other Heavenly Immortals present, someone finally spoke.
"That's right. Our Qianfang World Cluster is too weak. We could never be a match for the Demon Capital. No matter what method we come up with, it will be useless. Even if we are willing to fight to the death, we still wouldn't be able to best the Demon Capital in the end," a stockily built Heavenly Immortal said dejectedly.
The other Heavenly Immortals sighed one after another.
"Everyone, currently we only have one choice," Kong Lao suddenly spoke up at this moment.
"What choice is that?"
Hearing Kong Lao's words, all the Heavenly Immortals of the Qianfang World Cluster looked over, their expressions questioning.
"Lead our people away from here. If we continue to stay, all that awaits us is utter disaster. If we want to seek a way to survive, leaving here is our only option," Kong Lao said loudly.
"Leave here?" Hearing Kong Lao's words, the other Heavenly Immortals were somewhat surprised.
"But this is our home. If we leave, it will surely be occupied by the Demon Race and will become one of their strongholds in the future," someone said.
"What else can we do? Given our strength, we definitely are not the Demon Capital's match. Even if we stay, the Qianfang World Cluster will still be occupied by the Demon Capital and become their stronghold. It would be better for us to leave first, preserve our strength. Perhaps in the future we might even have a chance to return. In short, staying here is waiting for death. To seek a path to survival, we have no choice but to leave. Where there is life, there is hope," Kong Lao said.
"Elder Kong makes a valid point. To survive, we can only leave," a senior-looking, highly respected High Level Heavenly Immortal spoke up.
"But after we leave the Qianfang World Cluster, where can we go? The Demon Capital is one of the foremost major powers in the Chaotic Void Sea, its influence reaching across the entire expanse. Even if we leave the Qianfang World Cluster, we will likely face pursuit from the Demon Capital and live in constant fear," someone raised a doubt.
"I have thought of a good place to go," Kong Lao announced loudly.
"What good place?"
All eyes turned to Kong Lao.
"We can follow Young Master Ye! From now on, we will travel by Young Master Ye's side!" Kong Lao declared.
Upon hearing Kong Lao's words, the other Heavenly Immortals of the Qianfang World Cluster fell silent for a moment.
"Right now, this is our only choice. I agree with Elder Kong's suggestion!" Soon, someone spoke up.
"Whatever you all decide, from this moment on, the forces of our Chunhua World will follow Young Master Ye. People of Chunhua World, come with me!" Seeing that Ye Yunfei had already left the Qianfang World Cluster and knowing if they didn't hurry they would quickly lose track of him, Kong Lao waved a hand and led the forces of Chunhua World out of the world cluster in pursuit.
Seeing Kong Lao's actions, the Heavenly Immortals from the other worlds looked at one another, frozen for several breaths.
"Our Qingzhou World will also follow Young Master Ye. Everyone from Qingzhou World, follow me!" Several breaths later, Ouyang Tao waved his hand and led the forces of Qingzhou World, also rushing out of the world cluster in pursuit.
"Everyone, we have no other choice. Staying here is waiting for death. Following Young Master Ye might offer a way to survive. Let's go! Our Changwen World will also follow Young Master Ye from now on," an elderly man of short, wiry build waved his hand and led the forces of his world out of the Qianfang World Cluster.
After that, more and more Heavenly Immortals from various worlds began leading their forces to chase after Ye Yunfei.
***
"Young Master Ye, please wait!"
In the void outside the Qianfang World Cluster, Kong Lao was the first to lead the forces of Chunhua World out, shouting loudly while taking out a communication jade slip and continuously sending messages to Ye Yunfei.
This jade slip was something he had shamelessly requested from Ye Yunfei not long before.
At this time, Ye Yunfei was already far from the Qianfang World Cluster. However, his Soul Power was incredibly strong. He soon sensed Kong Lao emerging from the cluster with the forces of Chunhua World to search for him.
"It seems those fellows intend to follow you," Hun Lao guessed the situation almost immediately and said with a laugh to Ye Yunfei.
"Young Master Ye, please wait! Young Master Ye, please wait!"
By now, Kong Lao had sensed Ye Yunfei's aura and was leading the vast forces of Chunhua World in fervent pursuit. Behind them, the forces of other worlds came one after another, creating a spectacular scene.
Ye Yunfei stopped and looked back, his brow furrowed.
To be honest, with Ye Yunfei's current strength, the people from the Qianfang World Cluster likely couldn't offer him much help. Taking this many people with him was actually more of a burden.
Ye Yunfei felt somewhat inclined to just leave.
"Combined, these Heavenly Immortals from the Qianfang World Cluster number at least over a hundred. If they truly follow you, you'll essentially have a contingent of Heavenly Immortal subordinates in the future. I think you could try to develop your own force. Having a force of your own would mean you're not fighting alone in the Chaotic Void Sea anymore. Whatever you do in the future will be somewhat easier," Hun Lao said to Ye Yunfei.
"Develop my own force…"
Upon hearing Hun Lao's words, Ye Yunfei felt a stir in his heart. He contemplated for a moment, then remained standing where he was. After a short while…
"Young Master Ye! Great! I've finally caught up to you!"
Soon, Kong Lao was the first to catch up, leading the forces of Chunhua World. Seeing Ye Yunfei, he was overjoyed and rushed forward immediately, as if afraid Ye Yunfei would run away.
"Young Master Ye, the forces of our Chunhua World are willing to follow you from this moment on, to take you as our master and act according to your command!" Kong Lao was very direct. The moment he rushed in front of Ye Yunfei, he spoke loudly.
"Young Master Ye, the forces of our Qingzhou World are also willing to take you as our master from now on!" Before Ye Yunfei could answer, Ouyang Tao arrived, leading the forces of Qingzhou World in a rolling tide. He rushed directly in front of Ye Yunfei, bowed respectfully and spoke.
"Young Master Ye, our Changwen World is willing from this moment on to take Young Master Ye as our master, to act on Young Master Ye's commands. We hope Young Master Ye can take us in!"
"We are also willing to follow Young Master Ye…"
More and more world forces surged forward behind them. The Heavenly Immortals of those worlds rushed in front of Ye Yunfei, each bowing respectfully.
"You are willing to take me as your master? Is this a temporary measure for refuge, or do you truly intend to follow me?" Ye Yunfei thought for a moment before asking.
"Young Master Ye, to speak frankly, it's both. With so many Demon Race members dead in our Qianfang World Cluster, it is certain that our cluster will face retaliation from the Demon Capital. Therefore, we must leave to survive. During the previous battle, if Young Master Ye hadn't intervened to help us, almost half of those of us present would have died at the hands of the Demon Race, or would have become their slaves.
Young Master Ye is our great benefactor. Moreover, Young Master Ye's strength and talent are rare in this world, something we admire to the extreme. Therefore, we willingly follow Young Master Ye, and from this moment on, we willingly take you as our master!" Kong Lao declared loudly.
"We beseech Young Master Ye to take us in! From now on, we are willing to act according to Young Master Ye's commands!" The Heavenly Immortals from the other worlds behind them called out in unison.
"If you follow me and later betray me, my methods of punishment are extremely severe. Towards traitors, I show absolutely no mercy," Ye Yunfei looked at the Heavenly Immortals of the Qianfang World Cluster before him, considered for a moment, then spoke.
Having heard Hun Lao's words just now, Ye Yunfei felt that establishing a force of his own indeed didn't seem like a bad thing.
"Young Master Ye, rest assured. As long as Young Master Ye is willing to take us in, we will absolutely harbor no divided loyalties. Should anyone dare to betray in the future, I will be the first to object, the first to step forward and eliminate the traitor!" Kong Lao proclaimed clearly.
"That's right. Young Master Ye, please trust us. Our intent to follow you is genuine. We will harbor no other thoughts," the other Heavenly Immortals at the back all followed suit, raising their voices.
"Very well then. Since you all think so highly of me, you may follow me," Ye Yunfei nodded in agreement.
"Excellent! Young Master Ye has accepted us!"
The Heavenly Immortals of the Qianfang World Cluster cheered upon seeing Ye Yunfei agree.
"The powerful experts from the Demon Race will arrive soon. We should hurry and leave," Ye Yunfei said.
Ye Yunfei vaguely sensed that in the far distance beyond this space, several terrifyingly potent demonic auras were surging towards the location of the Qianfang World Cluster.
"But… after we leave, what about the ordinary living beings within the Qianfang World Cluster? There are still many living beings inside the cluster. When the Demon Race's experts arrive, might they slaughter every living being in the Qianfang World Cluster?"
Suddenly, someone said softly.
Hearing these words, the expressions of the Heavenly Immortals from the Qianfang World Cluster turned somewhat unpleasant. This was because the forces from each world that had gathered here were composed of the relatively powerful major factions and large families from their respective worlds.
Within each world, there were still many ordinary beings of average strength, or even those with no cultivation at all. When the Demon Race arrived, those beings who remained within the Qianfang World Cluster would most likely be slaughtered.
"Let's do this then. We'll leave behind a small portion of powerful experts. We must immediately return to the Qianfang World Cluster, use spatial magic treasures to collect all the living beings from our respective worlds, and bring them into the Small Worlds belonging to our Qianfang World Cluster.
I have taken stock before. Within our Qianfang World Cluster, there are over twenty very well-hidden Small Worlds. Have all the beings hide within those Small Worlds, then seal the entrances and exits. Let's see if we can avoid the Demon Race's massacre.
If we truly cannot avoid it, then it is destiny. Because it's impossible for us to take every single person from the Qianfang World Cluster away," suddenly, a Heavenly Immortal spoke loudly.
"Currently, this is the only way. Very well, let's proceed like this. Each world will leave behind one Heavenly Immortal. They should return immediately to arrange this.
Everyone, take out all the spatial magic treasures you possess. This will allow us to transfer the beings from each world into the Small Worlds even faster," Kong Lao nodded, expressing his agreement.
Following that, the Heavenly Immortals from the other worlds also expressed their agreement.
Although everyone knew this method might not be foolproof — because the Demon Race might send Demigod-level experts. The perception abilities of a Demigod were too terrifying; finding those Small Worlds likely wouldn't be difficult for them — but it was the only resort they had.
Subsequently, each world selected a Heavenly Immortal to return with spatial treasures, tasked with transferring the beings who remained in the Qianfang World Cluster.
"Take these Formation Flags back. Deploy these flags at the entrances and exits of those Small Worlds. They can serve to isolate and conceal," Ye Yunfei waved his hand, retrieving several hundred Formation Flags, and handed them to the Heavenly Immortals preparing to return.
Soon, every world had a Heavenly Immortal (who volunteered) rushing back to the Qianfang World Cluster.
"Alright, we should leave quickly as well," Ye Yunfei spoke.
Ye Yunfei instructed the Heavenly Immortals of each world to place the forces of their own world into their spatial treasures.
Then, Ye Yunfei teleported all those Heavenly Immortals into the Phantom Shadow Pagoda. He took out a Spatial Teleportation Talisman, inserted a large batch of Spatial Energy Crystals, directly activated it, and began teleportation. This was because Ye Yunfei faintly sensed that the powerful experts from the Demon Capital might arrive very soon.
***
Approximately a short half-hour after Ye Yunfei departed, three massive bodies exuding sky-high demonic aura appeared in the void in the distance, continuously traversing space as they charged towards the Qianfang World Cluster.
The three Demon Race Demigod-level experts had finally arrived!
"Ahead lies the Qianfang World Cluster. I can already see many fragmented remnants of soul bodies left behind by our Demon Race brethren. It seems the forces of our Demon Capital have been defeated."
The perception abilities of these three Demon Race Demigods were incredibly terrifying. They had already detected numerous Demon Race members killed within the Qianfang World Cluster even before arriving.
Soon, the three Demon Race Demigods reached the periphery of the Qianfang World Cluster and looked inwards.
The expressions of the three Demigods turned rather grim. They had likely deduced what had transpired within the Qianfang World Cluster not long ago.
"Our Demon Race army invading the Qianfang World Cluster has been annihilated, with only a small portion managing to escape. During this period, our Demon Capital's great armies have campaigned throughout the Chaotic Void Sea. Wherever they went, they could be said to have advanced with irresistible force. To think that in this World Cluster, our Demon Capital has suffered a setback," one of the Demigods said with a dark face.
"That brat Ye Yunfei has already left."
One Demon Race Demigod turned to look into the far distance of time and space — precisely the direction Ye Yunfei had departed.
"Our main purpose in coming here was for that brat Ye Yunfei. Let's go, we'll pursue him!"
This Demigod sensed the aura Ye Yunfei had left behind for a moment before speaking.
"Pursue!"
The three Demigods simultaneously activated their movement techniques and gave chase in the direction Ye Yunfei had left.
The reason these three Demigods had rushed to the Qianfang World Cluster was precisely for Ye Yunfei, not for the cluster itself.
***
At the same time, within the Qianfang World Cluster, inside each world, a Heavenly Immortal was using spatial treasures to gather the living beings of their world before moving them into some of the hidden Small Worlds within the cluster.
After transferring the beings of their world into those Small Worlds, these Heavenly Immortals took out the Formation Flags given by Ye Yunfei and deployed them at the entrances of the Small Worlds, forming arrays to conceal and isolate the aura of these Small Worlds.
The Formation Flags Ye Yunfei refined were quite potent. The arrays formed could not easily be detected even by Heavenly Immortals. Unless a Demigod expert arrived and probed carefully, discovery would be unlikely.
Because there were so many worlds within the Qianfang World Cluster, the number of living beings was staggering. Very soon, those hidden Small Worlds began to fill with beings.
Each Small World had a Heavenly Immortal personally stationed there to maintain order.
"Every being of our Qianfang World Cluster should remember that it was Young Master Ye who saved the countless lives of our world cluster. From this moment on, we should all remember that Young Master Ye is the great benefactor of our Qianfang World Cluster! Our Qianfang World Cluster must forever remember Young Master Ye's great kindness and virtue!"
These Heavenly Immortals stationed in the Small Worlds proclaimed Ye Yunfei's name and his deeds of saving the Qianfang World Cluster within every Small World.
Because most of the worlds of the Qianfang World Cluster had already chosen to follow Ye Yunfei and take him as their master, in a certain sense, Ye Yunfei had already become the ruler of the Qianfang World Cluster! If, in the future, the forces of the various worlds of the Qianfang World Cluster were to return, then Ye Yunfei would be the sovereign of this World Cluster! Therefore, these Heavenly Immortals began propagating Ye Yunfei's appearance, deeds, and formidable reputation, effectively establishing his authority in advance.
Soon, Ye Yunfei's appearance and name spread through all the Small Worlds. There were even many mortal beings who began building shrines to worship Ye Yunfei.
This was because, in the hearts of these beings, Ye Yunfei had already assumed the role of a lofty savior.
As more and more shrines venerating Ye Yunfei were erected within these Small Worlds, more and more beings began to pay homage to Ye Yunfei's likeness and chant his name.
An imperceptible process began: within these Small Worlds, strands of white, profound and mysterious energy began to generate. This white, arcane energy seeped into the depths of space and traveled along certain pathways deep within spacetime, drifting towards Ye Yunfei who was vast spans of spacetime away.
***
At the same time.
Within a certain mystical Forbidden Zone in the Chaotic Void Sea.
"Huh? Another contender for the Deity Ascension Fortune has appeared! And from the looks of it, it seems to be a junior, with a cultivation realm of only Golden Immortal! Interesting, truly interesting."
Within a secluded cavern filled with billowing chaotic mist in this Forbidden Zone, a powerful existence suddenly opened its eyes, gazed into the distant reaches of spacetime, then murmured to itself.