"These Earth Formations and Formations have basically been restored to their previous level, and I feel they are even a bit more powerful," Hun Lao remarked, looking over the Formations Ye Yunfei had laid out over the past period.
"Although they are a bit stronger than before, they still cannot withstand a Perfected Demigod, let alone a Deity-Level Treasure," Ye Yunfei shook his head.
"There's no helping that. There aren't many Formations in the entire Chaotic Void Sea that can block a Perfected Demigod or a Deity-Level Treasure," Hun Lao sighed.
"However, you don't need to worry about the safety of the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds now. As long as that senior is present, those major factions won't dare to come looking for trouble so casually."
"True. With that senior here, I needn't worry about the safety of the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds for the near future," Ye Yunfei pondered Hun Lao's words and replied, his mood somewhat heavy. "But now, an era of change has begun. The new Era of Deities is here. In this new Era of Deities, many unknown changes will occur. If those major factions I have enmity with produce a Deity first, then even with that senior present, it would likely be very difficult to contend with a Deity."
Ye Yunfei understood that those hostile major factions had accumulated a large group of Perfected Demigods. In this new Era of Deities, it was those Perfected Demigods from these large forces who were most likely to take the first step to become Deities.
And he himself was merely a Heavenly Immortal now, not even having reached the Demigod realm. The path to divinity was still far away.
As for the mysterious elder in the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds, he was only a Remnant Soul, with presumably no chance of achieving divinity.
By comparison, the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds simply lacked substantial growth potential.
"What you say is reasonable. In this new Era of Deities, whoever can take the first step to become a Deity will seize the initiative," Hun Lao, knowing what Ye Yunfei was worried about, sighed. "If any of those major factions produce a Deity, they will probably come looking for you immediately, given how many of their members you've killed, causing them grievous losses."
"But, sighing and worrying here won't help. Better to seize the time and elevate your cultivation realm as quickly as possible. Didn't that senior say? The new Era of Deities has just begun. The rules of the Chaotic Void Sea are still in flux. Beings won't break through to Deity status so quickly; it will take some time. If you can seize the time and rapidly elevate your realm and strength, perhaps you too can seize some initiative when the time comes," Hun Lao continued.
"That's reasonable!" Ye Yunfei felt his spirits lift.
"I must seize every moment to raise my cultivation realm!" His gaze became resolute. Having walked out from Tianxuan Continent and endured countless trials and tribulations, Ye Yunfei's will had been tempered to an unshakeable hardness.
"Young Master Ye, all those forces who came to seek refuge with us over this period have been settled," Gan Changfeng arrived before Ye Yunfei to report. "I tallied them up. The troops currently concentrated in the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds amount to forces from twenty-two World Clusters. Among them, Demigod experts number ten, and Heavenly Immortals exceed sixteen hundred."
Although Gan Changfeng was an Elementary Demigod, before Ye Yunfei, he was respectful beyond measure. He knew that while Ye Yunfei was only a Heavenly Immortal in realm, his actual combat power already surpassed ordinary Intermediate Demigods and was even equivalent to an Advanced Demigod!
"Since they have come, they are all our own. Let them cultivate in peace," Ye Yunfei nodded.
"You now command a quite formidable force," Hun Lao said with a smile.
"Pass on my orders: All members are to devote most of their time and energy to cultivation. No slacking is allowed. Furthermore, whoever shows the greatest progress in cultivation and the swiftest increase in strength will receive generous rewards from me," Ye Yunfei instructed Gan Changfeng.
"Understood, Young Master Ye. I will convey your orders immediately," Gan Changfeng nodded.
"Young Master Ye, the nine of us Demigods have discussed it. We propose to unify all these people who have sought refuge under you into a single great army, named the Ye Army. You, Young Master Ye, would be the leader of this army," Gan Changfeng added.
"Ye Army?" Ye Yunfei was taken aback.
"That name isn't suitable, Senior Gan. You all hail from different World Clusters. When the situation stabilizes in the future, you will likely return to your homelands. You don't belong to the Ye Family. Let's keep it simple. We'll call this army the Alliance Army," Ye Yunfei thought for a moment before speaking.
"Young Master Ye, we have all come to follow you, willingly pledging ourselves to you as our master. So, being called the Ye Army is not inappropriate, and no one would oppose it. This was decided unanimously after our discussion," Gan Changfeng said immediately.
"I appreciate your good intentions, Senior Gan. But it's just a name. Let's go with my suggestion," Ye Yunfei stated.
"Very well. All according to Young Master Ye's wishes. This army shall be called the Alliance Army. You, Young Master Ye, are the Alliance Leader of the Alliance Army," Gan Changfeng, hearing Ye Yunfei's words, could only agree.
At that moment, the other eight Demigods also arrived before Ye Yunfei, each looking at him with respectful gazes. As Cheng Hui had already been sent by Ye Yunfei to protect the Golden Horned Silkworm, only nine Demigods remained in the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds.
"Take these elixirs to aid your cultivation. They are all Demigod pills I refined specifically for you. However, you must understand one thing: While elixirs can aid cultivation, cultivation cannot rely solely on pills. More important is your own arduous practice, insights, and practical experience," Ye Yunfei waved a hand, and eighteen jade vials flew out, landing before the nine Demigods, each vial containing a number of Demigod-grade pills.
The nine Demigods hurriedly expressed their thanks and collected the vials. Over this period, Ye Yunfei had already refined a considerable amount of Demigod-grade pills for them.
"Young Master Ye, I will immediately dispatch people to announce to the outside world the establishment of our Alliance Army. Henceforth, our unified designation will be the Alliance Army," Gan Changfeng said to Ye Yunfei.
"Good. I'll trouble you Seniors with handling the day-to-day affairs of the Alliance Army. Routine matters can be decided through discussion among yourselves. Also, consult the opinions of Senior Chu, Zen Master Tianwu, Elder Kong, and Senior Ouyang," Ye Yunfei nodded.
"Young Master Ye, we've already discussed it. The Alliance Army's Council of Eldors will have eighteen Eldors in total: the ten of us Demigods, plus Senior Chu, Zen Master Tianwu, Elder Kong, Ouyang Tao, and the others — eight of them. From now on, matters concerning the Alliance Army will be decided jointly by the eighteen of us after consultation. Of course, for major decisions, we will still need you, Young Master Ye, to decide," Gan Changfeng explained.
"Acceptable," Ye Yunfei nodded.
"Since there are eighteen Eldors, your strength cannot be too weak. So, the same message applies: Seize the time for cultivation, and elevate your strength and cultivation realms," Ye Yunfei added.
"Young Master Ye, please rest assured! We will act according to your instructions!" the nine Demigods responded in unison.
"Ye Yunfei, the Golden Horned Silkworm has sent people back with goods again," Kong Lao walked over from a distance, followed by three Perfect Heavenly Immortals. These three Perfect Heavenly Immortals had originally been sent by Ye Yunfei to assist the Golden Horned Silkworm in establishing the Golden Dragon Merchant House; now they were high-ranking members of the merchant house.
"Young Master Ye, our President sent the three of us to escort a batch of cultivation resources back," the three Perfect Heavenly Immortals arrived before Ye Yunfei, each producing dozens of space rings, which they respectfully handed over.
Ye Yunfei's Soul Power swept over them, sensing vast quantities of precious cultivation resources within each space ring.
"Good. It seems the Golden Dragon Merchant House is operating quite well," Ye Yunfei nodded with satisfaction.
"Reporting to Young Master Ye: Our Golden Dragon Merchant House has now opened over a hundred branch houses across different World Clusters. Each branch house manages multiple types of business, and the combined daily profit is considerable. This jade slip records the elixir commissions and formation requests from clients to our Golden Dragon Merchant House during this period," one of the Perfect Heavenly Immortals reported respectfully, taking out a jade slip and handing it to Ye Yunfei.
Fulfilling client commissions for elixir refinement and formations was one of the primary businesses of the Golden Dragon Merchant House.
"You've done very well. These elixirs and Formation Flags are what I refined over this period. Take them back to the President," Ye Yunfei said after accepting the jade slip, retrieving ten space rings and handing them to one of the Perfect Heavenly Immortals.
"These cultivation resources will serve as reserve supplies for the Alliance Army," Ye Yunfei took out a portion of useful treasures from those space rings for himself, then handed the rest over to Gan Changfeng.
"Alright, you may go attend to your duties. The Golden Dragon Merchant House has only been established recently. There should be many affairs requiring your attention," Ye Yunfei said to the three Perfect Heavenly Immortals.
The three Perfect Heavenly Immortals bowed and took their leave.
"Young Master Ye, the larger the Golden Dragon Merchant House's operations grow, the greater the interests involved. Faced with ever-increasing benefits, high-ranking members like these might easily develop ulterior motives. This is something we must guard against," after the three Heavenly Immortals had left, Gan Changfeng said to Ye Yunfei.
"I already probed them just now. All three are fine. Over this period, all the high-ranking members of the Golden Dragon Merchant House have taken turns to return and meet with me, and none showed problems. As for whether these members might betray us due to interests in the future, that's unpredictable now. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. The benefits themselves aren't a huge concern; what matters most is the safety of our people," Ye Yunfei replied after some thought.
As his level of Heartforce energy grew higher, Ye Yunfei could now use Heartforce energy to sense whether the words spoken by a Heavenly Immortal were true or false. Every time Golden Dragon Merchant House executives returned, Ye Yunfei would probe them; if any Heavenly Immortal-rank executive harbored thoughts of betrayal, Ye Yunfei could detect it immediately.
"Also, you ten Demigod experts can take turns leaving the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds to inspect various outposts of the Golden Dragon Merchant House. If any unusual situations are discovered, handle them accordingly," Ye Yunfei added.
"Understood, Young Master Ye," Gan Changfeng and the other Demigods chorused.
"Good, you may go attend to your duties. Next, I plan to go into seclusion for cultivation," Ye Yunfei said.
Gan Changfeng and the other eight Demigods bowed and went to handle their various responsibilities.
"Managing so many people all at once is truly a bit troublesome," Ye Yunfei chuckled wryly after the nine Demigods had left.
"No helping it. If you want to develop your own forces, you have to face these matters," Hun Lao said with a smile.
"For now, the most important thing for me is to elevate my own cultivation realm and strength. No matter the era, one's own strength is the foundation, the greatest source of confidence," Ye Yunfei said softly.
Having said that, he turned and returned to the territory of the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds, found a remote and quiet spot, created a small space using formations, entered that small space and then the Illusory Shadow Pagoda within to begin closed-door cultivation.
The news of the formal establishment of the Alliance Army began to spread rapidly throughout the Chaotic Void Sea.
Since the Alliance Leader was Ye Yunfei, and the forces comprising the Alliance Army—those from over twenty World Clusters—were all from beings whose homelands had been invaded by various major factions, leaving them homeless, such a composition ensured a mortal enemy relationship with those major factions within the Chaotic Void Sea.
Upon spreading, this news immediately attracted immense attention and discussion.
"The establishment of this Alliance Army is clearly a declaration of enmity towards major factions like Demon Capital and Demon Race," someone remarked.
"It can also be seen as banding together for warmth. All the forces from those different World Clusters forming the Alliance Army were forced into homelessness by those major factions and are still being hunted by them. Now they've formed this alliance for mutual protection," another said.
"Regardless, from now on, another major force has emerged in the Chaotic Void Sea! The combination of forces from over twenty World Clusters, plus Ye Yunfei and the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds, already allows them to stand shoulder to shoulder with those established major factions!" even more exclaimed in astonishment.
Demonic Abode.
Within a tall palace carved with various demon race totems, dense demonic energy swirled.
In the great hall of this palace sat over a dozen high-ranking members of the Demon Race.
Each Demon Race executive wore an extremely grim expression, their eyes brimming with towering fury.
The atmosphere in the hall was somewhat oppressive, a heavy silence hanging, with no one speaking for the moment.
Seated in the central position was a tall, elderly demon, whose fiery demonic eyes, like ancient bronze bells, radiated an intimidating demonic light, making others dare not meet his gaze. This elder was the current Chief of the Demon Race—a Perfected Demigod!
"Truly unimaginable. A backward, remote World Cluster... an insignificant Heavenly Immortal-level insect... could cause our Demon Race such grievous losses," after an unknown length of time, the Demon Chief finally broke the silence, speaking slowly.
"Because of that little beast Ye Yunfei, the number of our Demon Race's fallen Demigods over this period exceeds seven..." the Demon Chief continued.
Each word seemed infused with boundless fury, chilling to the bone.
The other Demon Race executives were also seething with wrath but had nowhere to vent it.
The Demon Race had gone to great lengths, dispatching over a dozen Demigod experts to the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds, believing they could certainly capture Ye Yunfei and bring him back. Little did they expect they couldn't even touch a single hair of Ye Yunfei, instead suffering such heavy losses of Demigod experts. It was a huge loss. Thinking of this, the Demon Race executives felt they couldn't accept it.
Roar... Roar...
Some Demon Race high-rankers couldn't suppress their fury, unleashing low roars.
The collective fury of these high-ranking demons gathered in the hall caused the entire palace to shake as if unable to bear the pressure; even the space surrounding the palace trembled violently, affected by the waves of power.
On this day, every Demon Race member in the Demonic Abode was apprehensive and cautious, for everyone had witnessed the terrifying, towering fury emanating from the palace at the core region, representing the highest authority of the Demon Race, and heard the angry roars echoing from within.
Many weaker or timid Demon Race members dared not venture out, instead hiding away in secluded spots.
"The most unexpected thing is that the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds actually hides a mysterious powerhouse, one who controls a formidable Deity-Level Treasure. Wanting to trouble the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds in the future won't be as easy as before. Moreover, as long as Ye Yunfei stays hidden within the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds, dealing with him won't be easy either," a Demon Elder said darkly.