"By the way, what did Mr. Liu's people say?" Old Man Chu asked the scout.
"Elder Chu, I've already contacted Mr. Liu's people," the scout hesitated for a moment before replying, "They told us not to interfere."
"What? Mr. Liu's people are telling us not to interfere? What's going on?" Hearing this, both Old Man Chu and Chan Master Tianwu were stunned.
"I don't know either, but that was indeed how Mr. Liu's people answered me," the scout said.
This scout was a trusted confidant of Old Man Chu and Chan Master Tianwu, specifically responsible for gathering intelligence and liaising with various groups.
"Could it be because the enemy is too powerful, so Mr. Liu's people want us to stay out of it?" Old Man Chu frowned, pondered for a while, then spoke.
"That possibility can't be ruled out. It might be that Mr. Liu's people think the strength of our Light Faction is too weak, which is why they told us not to interfere. However, the very purpose for which our Light Faction was originally established was to protect the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds, so there's no way we can just stand aside!" Chan Master Tianwu continued.
"That's right. Even if Mr. Liu's people have good intentions, how could our Light Faction not get involved?" Old Man Chu nodded and spoke.
"Here's what we'll do. First, let's figure out exactly who these suddenly emerging mysterious forces are, their overall strength, and whether they intend to occupy our Three Thousand Worlds. After clarifying these points, we'll decide our next course of action," Old Man Chu continued.
As one of the two leaders of the Light Faction, Old Man Chu was always prudent in his actions and exceptionally astute.
"Good! We'll do as you say! Pass down the order: first assemble our forces and make preparations. Once we've gathered more information, we'll take further action!" Chan Master Tianwu nodded and instructed a Light Faction attendant standing nearby.
"The two of us should go secretly first and take a look," Chan Master Tianwu said to Old Man Chu.
"Good, you and I will go ahead first to check things out," Old Man Chu agreed.
Then, Old Man Chu and Chan Master Tianwu secretly activated their movement techniques and hurried towards the patch of void in the distance where battle was taking place.
At this moment, the troops of the external forces were already utterly defeated, with heavy casualties, being hunted down by the army of the Qianfang World Cluster.
Ye Yunfei's gaze swept across the battlefield. Whenever he spotted Heavenly Immortals among the enemy displaying particularly strong combat prowess, he immediately deployed the Formless Heart Sword to kill them.
With the level of psychic energy Ye Yunfei currently possessed, the Formless Heart Sword could completely and utterly suppress beings at the Heavenly Immortal level!
At the same time.
Within the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds, a large group of people suddenly rushed out from the Dark Realm. Leading them was a beautiful woman radiating icy energy — Lü Dandan!
Lü Dandan was the ruler of the Dark Realm. Not long ago, she had received a report that a group of mysterious people with unknown identities had suddenly appeared in the chaotic void of the Three Thousand Worlds and were engaged in fierce battles with the forces of various external major powers.
After some thought, Lü Dandan decided to lead her people out to see exactly what was happening.
Because the situation in the Three Thousand Worlds was now too chaotic, these ongoing battles could potentially change the power dynamics of the Three Thousand Worlds at any moment, so she believed it was best to take initiative amidst such turbulent times.
After Lü Dandan led her people out of the Dark Realm, she immediately contacted Old Man Chu.
Then Lü Dandan, Old Man Chu, and Chan Master Tianwu rushed together towards the patch of void where the battle was taking place.
A short while later, Lü Dandan, Old Man Chu, and Chan Master Tianwu arrived at the location of the battle.
"How is this possible?" Lü Dandan, Old Man Chu, and Chan Master Tianwu were stunned by what they saw and could hardly believe the scene before them: the forces of the various external major powers were being hunted down in desperate flight, wailing piteously and suffering heavy casualties.
The three of them also witnessed Heavenly Immortal experts from those external major forces being killed on the spot!
"Are those the suddenly emerging mysterious forces? Their overall strength is too terrifying!" Staring at the many Heavenly Immortals present on the battlefield, Lü Dandan, Old Man Chu, and Chan Master Tianwu were greatly shocked. Previously, those external major powers had at most only possessed five or six Heavenly Immortals, and all of them had been Primary-level Heavenly Immortals.
Yet this mysterious force that had suddenly appeared actually had over a hundred Heavenly Immortals! Such overall strength was utterly frightening!
"If these guys want to occupy the Three Thousand Worlds, we simply have no way to resist. Even if we add in Mr. Liu's people, we might not be able to deal with them..." Old Man Chu suddenly felt a sense of despair.
Lü Dandan and Chan Master Tianwu felt similarly bitter in their hearts. The opponent's strength was simply too overwhelming; it had reached a level where resistance seemed futile.
Right at this moment, a dozen or so figures suddenly appeared beside the three of them.
"Brother Zhou, you've also come!" Old Man Chu saw that it was Mr. Liu's subordinates, including The Farmer.
"Indeed, we also came to see the show. How could we miss such an exciting scene?" The Farmer said with a smile, appearing completely at ease.
All the others standing beside The Farmer also wore similarly relaxed expressions.
"Brother Zhou, these suddenly appearing mysterious forces are too powerful. It seems we might have to face an extremely formidable group of enemies soon," Seeing the relaxed expressions of The Farmer and the others, Old Man Chu felt a bit puzzled and spoke up.
This Farmer's surname was Zhou. Initially, Old Man Chu had addressed him as 'senior', as in the martial world, the strong were respected and this Farmer's strength surpassed Old Man Chu's. Though his cultivation appeared to be only that of a Golden Immortal on the surface, he could directly face off against Heavenly Immortal experts in battle!
Later, this Farmer insisted on addressing Old Man Chu and Chan Master Tianwu as peers.
"Enemies? The enemies are almost eliminated. What's there to fear?" The Farmer was taken aback for a moment before replying.
"It's true the forces from those external powers suffered severe casualties. However, Brother Zhou, look, this mysterious force that suddenly appeared actually possesses over a hundred Heavenly Immortals! It's terrifying. How will we handle them?" Old Man Chu pointed towards the murderously-rampant army of the Qianfang World Cluster as he spoke to The Farmer.
"Hahaha... So you're talking about them? Elder Chu, don't worry, they are friends, not foes," The Farmer finally understood and replied with a hearty laugh.
"Friends, not foes?" Hearing this, Old Man Chu, Chan Master Tianwu, and Lü Dandan were all surprised.
This was mainly because Ye Yunfei's current power was too formidable. The energy aura he emanated had already masked his own soul body. Old Man Chu, Chan Master Tianwu, and Lü Dandan's Soul Power was still not strong enough to penetrate the energy surrounding Ye Yunfei's body and sense him.
Therefore, although they had arrived at the edges of the battlefield, they still hadn't noticed Ye Yunfei standing in the distant void, nor did they know that these people from the Qianfang World Cluster were actually Ye Yunfei's subordinates.
"It seems Young Master Ye hasn't clarified the situation to you yet. In any case, don't worry. From now on, the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds will enter a period of peaceful development. All these external forces will be completely expelled," The Farmer said, still smiling.
"Young Master Ye? Senior, are you implying that these suddenly appearing mysterious forces are related to Ye Yunfei?" Lü Dandan processed The Farmer's words quickly and reacted immediately.
This was because these subordinates of Mr. Liu often mentioned Ye Yunfei, addressing him as 'Young Master Ye' each time.
"That's correct," The Farmer nodded.
"What?! The mysterious forces suddenly appearing before our eyes are related to Ye Yunfei?! When did he become acquainted with so many powerful Heavenly Immortal experts? There are over a hundred Heavenly Immortals here, plus more than a thousand Golden Immortals!" Upon hearing Lü Dandan and The Farmer's words, Old Man Chu was both shocked and overjoyed, finding it somewhat hard to believe.
"Just wait a moment. I suspect Young Master Ye will come see you all very soon. You can ask him yourself then," The Farmer replied with a smile.
"Seniors, you have all arrived," just then, a figure slowly walked over from the distance.
"Ye Yunfei! So it's you! When did you return?" Lü Dandan recognized him immediately and exclaimed loudly.
"I just returned not long ago," Ye Yunfei answered with a smile.
"Ye Yunfei, are these suddenly appearing mysterious forces really connected to you?" Old Man Chu asked impatiently.
"That's correct. They have all sworn allegiance to me. They are on our side," Ye Yunfei nodded.
"Over a hundred Heavenly Immortals and more than a thousand Golden Immortals… all have pledged allegiance to you?" Chan Master Tianwu was somewhat stunned.
"This is a bit incredible! Ye Yunfei, you just went out on one trip. Where on earth did you find so many Heavenly and Golden Immortals?" Old Man Chu also couldn't believe it.
Because, for denizens of the Three Thousand Worlds, over a hundred Heavenly Immortals and more than a thousand Golden Immortals was simply too astounding a number.
"They originally belonged to a distant place called the Qianfang World Cluster. When the demon armies from the Demon Capital invaded the Qianfang World Cluster, I happened to be there. I stepped in and saved them, and then they swore allegiance to me," Ye Yunfei provided a brief explanation.
"Young Master Ye, you're saying you defeated the armies of the Demon Capital and saved these people from the Qianfang World Cluster?" Upon hearing Ye Yunfei's words, even The Farmer and the other villagers were shocked.
Didn't this imply that Ye Yunfei's strength alone surpassed the combined might of these hundred-plus Heavenly Immortals and the nearly two thousand Golden Immortals gathered here?!
"That is indeed the case," Ye Yunfei nodded.
"Hahaha... Truly worthy of being the young genius Mr. Liu has his eye on. Young Master Ye, you have not disappointed Mr. Liu," Once his initial shock subsided, The Farmer couldn't help but burst into laughter.
The other villagers all expressed their admiration as well.
"This fellow is really too incredible! He has already left me far, far behind now! I cannot continue staying in such a remote and backward place as the Three Thousand Worlds. I too must hurry and go venture outside, gain experience, and grow stronger!" Lü Dandan's beautiful eyes were fixed on Ye Yunfei. While feeling deep admiration inwardly, she also secretly resolved to venture out into the wider world.
"Ye Yunfei, that you possess such strength now is a blessing for our Three Thousand Worlds!" Old Man Chu and Chan Master Tianwu were also greatly excited.
"Report to Young Master Ye! All forces of the external intruders have been eliminated. Approximately half were killed by us, while the other half managed to escape!" At that moment, Elder Kong, Ouyang Tao, and more than a dozen other Perfected Heavenly Immortals from the Qianfang World Cluster respectfully approached Ye Yunfei and reported.
Seeing these Perfected Heavenly Immortals standing respectfully before Ye Yunfei, Old Man Chu, Chan Master Tianwu, Lü Dandan, The Farmer, and the other villagers all inwardly marveled.
"By the way, Young Master Ye, there is one location within the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds that we have temporarily not attacked — the Netherworld. Its entrance has been sealed by a large ghostly formation. Our troops are currently stationed outside but dare not attack, as that ghostly formation seems to be quite formidable," Elder Kong added.
"Is that so?" Ye Yunfei lightly frowned.
"Young Master Ye, to my knowledge, some time ago, a group of people from the Great Underworld entered the Netherworld, occupied it, and have sealed the entrance with a large ghostly formation," The Farmer informed Ye Yunfei.
"I will personally handle the Netherworld," Ye Yunfei thought for a moment before replying to Elder Kong.
"You all arrange for troops to guard all access points and checkpoints into and out of the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds closely. Also, send out an announcement stating that from now on, no outsider is permitted to enter the Three Thousand Worlds without express permission," After a brief thought, Ye Yunfei declared slowly.
"Please be at ease, Young Master Ye. We understand our duties and will carry them out," Elder Kong, Ouyang Tao, and the other Perfected Heavenly Immortals answered simultaneously, then turned and left to execute Ye Yunfei's orders.
"Elders, I'll trouble your Light Faction to handle the comprehensive reorganization and reordering of the Three Thousand Worlds," Ye Yunfei looked towards Old Man Chu and Chan Master Tianwu and spoke.
"Good, leave it to the two of us. The Three Thousand Worlds have been in chaos for so long now; it is indeed high time they were put in order," Old Man Chu nodded and replied.
"I will go to the Netherworld now and take a look," Ye Yunfei turned and walked towards the direction of the Netherworld.
Previously, Ye Yunfei had entered the Netherworld, assisted the Seventh Prince of the Skyflight Monkey King Clan, helped him become the Ruler of the Underworld, and essentially took control of the entire Netherworld.
Now that forces from the Great Underworld had occupied the Netherworld, it was highly likely the Seventh Prince had met with misfortune.
"Young Master Ye, allow us to accompany you and observe," The Farmer and the other villagers all followed closely behind Ye Yunfei.
"Very well, having elders join to lend a hand is more than welcome," Ye Yunfei said with a smile.
"No need for such courtesy. We know our own capabilities and currently lack the qualifications to truly assist you. We are simply following you to witness the event," The Farmer said, smiling.
"Elder, you are too modest. I can see that your current realm and cultivation do not reflect your true power. All of you are nursing injuries. Once your injuries are healed, you should all at the very least be Heavenly Immortals in strength. And elder, your original strength was most likely that of a 'Ninth-Nine Return to Truth' Perfected Heavenly Immortal," Ye Yunfei glanced at The Farmer and the other villagers, then spoke.