After questioning them, Kong Lao managed to ascertain the origins of the two groups.
One of the groups hailed from the Yellow Stone World Cluster, led by a prominent clan named Niu.
The other group originated from the Five-Tones World Cluster.
By now, the Yellow Stone World Cluster had been conquered and occupied by the Dark Faction, while the Five-Tones World Cluster had been taken over by the Demon Capital's armies.
Both groups were now cut off from their original World Clusters and were being pursued. With no other options, they had decided to seek refuge with Ye Yunfei.
"They're telling the truth," Ye Yunfei, standing some distance away, clearly heard the words of their representatives and used his Mental Force energy to confirm their sincerity.
"So, will you take them in?" Hun Lao asked Ye Yunfei.
"Let them stay," Ye Yunfei replied after a moment's thought. "Didn't you say I should start building my own forces? This is an opportunity."
"It is indeed an opportunity. But as the numbers under your command keep growing, maintaining such a massive force will be a heavy burden," Hun Lao said with a wry smile.
"I'll do my best. As long as they can provide the alchemical ingredients, I can help concoct pills for them," Ye Yunfei answered.
"I think you should broaden your revenue streams, find more ways to make money," Hun Lao continued. "Simply helping them concoct pills won't be enough to sustain such a large group. To boost their strength, they need many other types of resources and treasures besides pills."
"You're right. I need to figure out a way to earn money," Ye Yunfei nodded.
Previously, Ye Yunfei didn't have many people under his care and was personally quite wealthy, so he never worried about cultivation resources. However, the number of people flocking to him recently had become overwhelming, forcing him to consider the financial aspects.
"You're an alchemist. Isn't earning money simple? I think you should send out a few clones to help others with alchemy in exchange for payment. With your skill, you'd rake in heaps of wealth. You're also a formation master—setting up formations for others is another good way to earn money. Especially in times of chaos like these, alchemists and formation masters are in high demand everywhere," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm chimed in.
"That's reasonable. It's worth a try. Also, I think you should just send some people out to establish a merchant house, set up branches in various World Clusters, and run all kinds of businesses. That's also a quick way to make money," Hun Lao agreed and added his own suggestion.
"That method is certainly worth trying. Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm, can you assume human form now? If we establish a merchant house, I think you could take charge of it," Ye Yunfei said to the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm.
The Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm race possessed an acute sensitivity towards all kinds of worldly treasures, capable of keenly sensing their location and value. Having him run the merchant house would, at the very least, prevent them from being swindled. Furthermore, the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm was skilled in spatial secrets; under normal circumstances, no one could trap him, allowing him to bolt at the first sign of danger.
"Our Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm race possesses a noble lineage. Precisely because of this, assuming human form is more difficult. I can only barely manage it now. Combined with some techniques and secret arts, I should be able to thoroughly conceal my aura, change my appearance in various ways, and avoid being recognized," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm explained.
"So, what should we name the merchant house? We need a proper name. Then, you refine a batch of high-level pills and a set of high-quality Formation Flags. I can then run the merchant house, selling pills and formation services for you, and also purchase all kinds of cultivation resources and treasures you need. Of course, besides selling pills and formations, we'll need to branch out into other businesses to earn even more money," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm said, his tone eager and ready for action.
"Since it's going to be run by the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm, why not call it the Golden Dragon Merchant House?" Hun Lao suggested.
"Alright. Let's call it the Golden Dragon Merchant House," Ye Yunfei nodded in agreement.
"I'll send fifty or sixty Heavenly Immortals to assist you," Ye Yunfei said.
Ye Yunfei's current forces included at least four to five hundred Heavenly Immortals. He immediately instructed Kong Lao to select a group of Heavenly Immortals who were silver-tongued, socially adept, and relatively strong.
Subsequently, Ye Yunfei personally concocted a large batch of pills and produced a sizable set of Formation Flags, handing them over to the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm.
"After establishing the Golden Dragon Merchant House, you can spread the word that anyone in need of alchemical services can seek out the Golden Dragon Merchant House. As long as they can afford the price and provide the required materials, we can even help concoct Demigod-level pills," Ye Yunfei added after a moment's thought.
"Excellent. I'll go establish the Golden Dragon Merchant House now. But, where do you think we should set up its headquarters?" the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm asked enthusiastically, patting his chest.
"The true headquarters of the Golden Dragon Merchant House should naturally be within the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds, but it must remain secretive, not known to outsiders. We can also select another suitable World Cluster to establish a surface headquarters. You should set up as many branch offices in other World Clusters as possible to facilitate various operations," Ye Yunfei suggested after some consideration.
"Very well. I'll follow your plan," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm nodded. He then departed with several dozen Heavenly Immortals to begin establishing the Golden Dragon Merchant House.
"Senior Cheng, as a Demigod, you'll act as the guardian of the Golden Dragon Merchant House. If anyone tries to bully the merchant house, you'll step in to deal with them. Of course, if you encounter experts you cannot handle, send me a message and I'll take care of it," Ye Yunfei said to Cheng Zhi.
After a period of secluded cultivation, Cheng Zhi's foundation as an early-stage Demigod had solidified.
"I will follow Young Master Ye's instructions," Cheng Zhi promptly replied respectfully.
Thus, Cheng Zhi discreetly followed the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm, protecting him and the several dozen Heavenly Immortals.
"While the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm can be a bit impulsive and impatient at times, his race has an innate sensitivity for all kinds of treasures and is shrewd and calculating—they never take losses. Having him run a profit-oriented merchant house shouldn't be a problem," Hun Lao said to Ye Yunfei.
"That's true. More importantly, if the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm encounters danger, his first instinct will be to flee, so we don't have to worry about his safety. That's the most crucial point," Ye Yunfei nodded, smiling.
After all this time together, both Ye Yunfei and Hun Lao understood the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm's character quite well.
After the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm departed, Ye Yunfei began his own secluded cultivation.
One of Ye Yunfei's Soul Bodies resided within the Mental Refinement Tower, constantly cultivating Mental Force energy, Mental Force laws, and various techniques and secret arts from the Mental Force Sect. Ye Yunfei discovered that as his Mental Force energy level increased, he could practice more and more techniques from the Mental Force Sect.
The heart-stirring quantity of Mental Force energy stored within the Mental Refinement Tower had already been refined and absorbed by Ye Yunfei to more than half.
"By the time I completely refine and absorb all the Mental Force energy in this Mental Refinement Tower, I estimate my Mental Force alone will allow me to contend against early-stage and intermediate-stage Demigods," Ye Yunfei calculated softly to himself.
Back when he had obtained the Mental Refinement Tower within that city of the Void Secret Realm, Ye Yunfei had used it to absorb most of the Mental Force energy and laws present, storing them within the tower.
Another of Ye Yunfei's Soul Bodies had been continuously cultivating the Supreme Sword Convergence Art.
The two Soul Force Planets divided the tasks. One of them focused on cultivating the Primordial Heavenly Body Forging Art. Since receiving the Dao Heart Sutra technique bestowed by the Minor Daoist Temple Master, Ye Yunfei's progress in the Primordial Heavenly Body Forging Art had accelerated significantly. During each cultivation session, every human secret realm already developed within his body would open, and the deities residing within would open their mouths to swallow vast amounts of various energetic essences from the outside world, tempering his flesh and converting it into physical power.
One could say that paired with the Dao Heart Sutra, each time Ye Yunfei cultivated the Primordial Heavenly Body Forging Art, both his physical strength and quality improved.
"I still need to develop more human secret realms," Ye Yunfei thought to himself.
The other Soul Force Planet was dedicated to cultivating the Soul Force Star Method.
"I must seize the time to cultivate more Soul Force Planets. On one hand, it will boost my Soul Power; on the other, each additional Soul Force Planet is akin to gaining another Soul Body, offering endless possibilities," Ye Yunfei took out a large number of Soul Power energy crystals, preparing to cultivate more Soul Force Planets.
It must be said that the Soul Force Star Method, a Soul Power secret art, was truly profound, making Ye Yunfei feel extremely satisfied.
As Ye Yunfei's main body immersed itself in secluded cultivation, even more people from various World Clusters arrived seeking refuge.
A clone of Ye Yunfei appeared, verifying their origins before directly accepting those whose identities were undoubtedly genuine. After all, Ye Yunfei intended to develop his own power, and this presented an excellent opportunity.
After a while, Ye Yunfei realized he had already taken in survivors from over ten World Clusters!
The number of Heavenly Immortals under Ye Yunfei's command now exceeded one thousand.
Demigod-level experts, including Cheng Zhi and Gan Changfeng, had reached six!
All six were early-stage Demigods.
Six Demigods and over a thousand Heavenly Immortals—this constituted a formidable force.
Of course, it still paled in comparison to the major powers of the Chaotic Void Sea.
"Young Master Ye, roughly five Perfected Heavenly Immortals are preparing to attempt a breakthrough into the Demigod realm. I've compiled a list of the pills they'll need; it's all recorded here," Kong Lao arrived before one of Ye Yunfei's clones and handed him a jade slip containing the names and required ingredients of several pill types.
"Very well. Tell them to go ahead and focus on their closed-door cultivation for their breakthrough. I'll quickly concoct the pills they need and deliver them," Ye Yunfei nodded.
Soon after, Ye Yunfei's several clones inside the Fantasy Shadow Tower concocted all the required pills, allowing Kong Lao to take them to the Perfected Heavenly Immortals attempting the breakthrough.
All the while, Ye Yunfei's main body remained in the Fantasy Shadow Tower, deep in secluded cultivation.
Inside the Fantasy Shadow Tower, after about half a year, Ye Yunfei successfully cultivated his third Soul Force Planet.
Thus, Ye Yunfei now possessed three Soul Force Planets, equivalent to three additional Soul Bodies. Adding that to his original two, Ye Yunfei effectively had five Soul Bodies.
Five Soul Bodies could simultaneously cultivate five different techniques or secret arts.
If this were known, it would undoubtedly create a stir.
"This Soul Force Star Method was passed down by a soul-race Deity. The soul-race possesses such a profound technique; their foundation must be incredibly deep. Logically, such a race should be overwhelmingly powerful. So why were all the soul-race individuals I encountered previously so weak? And why are there so few of them in the Chaotic Void Sea?" These questions suddenly occurred to Ye Yunfei while cultivating the Soul Force Star Method.
"The most likely explanation is that the soul-race might have suffered some major calamity, drastically reducing their numbers. Otherwise, just this Soul Force Star Method would give them the potential to dominate the entire Chaotic Void Sea. Consider that the highest level of the Soul Force Star Method involves cultivating eighty-one Soul Force Planets, equivalent to having eighty-one additional Soul Bodies. Eighty-one Soul Bodies cultivating Soul Power simultaneously—what terrifying cultivation speed and progress that would be!" Ye Yunfei pondered inwardly.
While cultivating various techniques, Ye Yunfei also took out massive amounts of cultivation resources for his nine divine beasts to devour. These nine beasts had been consuming a sea of resources, and their strength had been rising continuously.
From the body of each divine beast, terrifying energy auras howled, constantly shaking the surrounding space.
While Ye Yunfei's main body was cultivating inside the Fantasy Shadow Tower, he suddenly received a message sent back by someone dispatched by the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm.
The Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm had already established branch offices of the Golden Dragon Merchant House in several World Clusters and had commenced formal operations.
The pills and Formation Flags refined by Ye Yunfei had met with great popularity upon their release, selling out within a short period.
According to the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm's calculations, those pills and Formation Flags had earned them an astounding sum of money!
The profit earned was at least ten times the cost!
The Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm had purchased a large batch of the various resources Ye Yunfei needed, sending them back, while also urging Ye Yunfei to refine even more pills and Formation Flags for delivery.
Several of Ye Yunfei's clones within the Fantasy Shadow Tower were continuously refining pills and Formation Flags. They prepared a significant batch and arranged for someone to deliver it to the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm.
"Seems letting the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm run the merchant house was the right choice," Hun Lao said with a smile.
"Master, I suspect the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm might be embezzling, likely pocketing a portion of the earnings!" Hu Miao suddenly interjected.
"Let it be. He needs cultivation resources too; consider it his service fee," Ye Yunfei replied with a smile.
"While the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm may be greedy, he knows his limits," Hun Lao also smiled.
Both Ye Yunfei and Hun Lao knew that Hu Miao often enjoyed verbally sparring with the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm, finding each other's attitudes grating.
Inside the Fantasy Shadow Tower:
After cultivating the Primordial Heavenly Body Forging Art for a while, Ye Yunfei's main body took out a collection of Demigod-Level Treasures.
"These Demigod-Level Treasures are one of my trump cards," Ye Yunfei said slowly, looking at the pile of treasures before him.
They included early-stage, intermediate-stage, and even advanced-stage Demigod-Level Treasures.
Ye Yunfei then began cultivating the Divine Metal Race's 'Inanimate Transformation Technique,' fusing the Demigod-Level Treasures before him into his physical body.
Given his current physical quality and strength, the difficulty of fusing Demigod-Level Treasures had lowered significantly.
As one Demigod-Level Treasure after another was fused into his body, Ye Yunfei's physical quality and strength gradually increased.
Inside the Fantasy Shadow Tower, after roughly a year, Ye Yunfei had fused over a hundred Demigod-Level Treasures.
Among them, over fifty were early-stage Demigod-Level Treasures!
Another over fifty were intermediate-stage Demigod-Level Treasures!
There were only two advanced-stage Demigod-Level Treasures!
Back when he had obtained those spatial rings from the stone table in the plaza of the Void Secret Realm, Ye Yunfei had acquired hundreds of Demigod-Level Treasures. So he possessed a large number of them and still had plenty remaining!
After fusing the two advanced-stage Demigod-Level Treasures, Ye Yunfei found his body could not fuse any more advanced-stage treasures. He seemed to have reached a limit.
"My current physical strength is roughly around four hundred and seventy thousand Jiao," Ye Yunfei assessed himself softly.
Fusing so many Demigod-Level Treasures had boosted his physical strength by over a hundred thousand Jiao. That was quite a decent effect.
In physical cultivation, as strength increases, the difficulty of further improvement grows greater. Gaining over a hundred thousand Jiao in one go was already a heaven-defying improvement.
"Relying solely on physical strength, I can probably defeat an intermediate-stage Demigod with ease now," Ye Yunfei clenched his fists lightly. His terrifying physical strength surged forth, energy mushroom clouds rising into the air in an awe-inspiring display.
"With my current strength, I certainly won't fear encountering early-stage or intermediate-stage Demigods. But encountering advanced-stage or even Perfected Demigods might still be troublesome. Especially Perfected Demigods—I most likely wouldn't be a match," Despite his significant physical progress, a sense of worry lingered in Ye Yunfei's heart.
"Moreover, the real foundations of the major powers within the Chaotic Void Sea are probably on the same level as someone like Senior Cui Hong from the Fire Clan. Those major powers undoubtedly possessed Deities in ancient times. Even if those ancient Deities are no longer present, they must have left behind Deity-level legacies. Consider the Heavenly Virtue Dynasty—a former emperor's corpse returned, a Deity's corpse alone is enough to handle most Demigods. Who's to say other major powers in the Chaotic Void Sea don't have Deity-corpses? In short, with my current strength, I still can't compare to those major powers in the Chaotic Void Sea. However, if they provoke me, I won't be afraid of them," Ye Yunfei mused inwardly.
Just then:
"Report, Young Master Ye! There seems to be an enemy approach! A large army is marching toward the direction of the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds in a mighty tide, and the distance is rapidly closing!" At this moment, Kong Lao suddenly arrived in a hurry to deliver the news.