"Indeed, it truly is unexpected that after all these years, our descendants could still find this place."
Bai Cang, founding ancestor of the Eternal Fortune Merchant House, nodded, his gaze appraising his own descendants.
"The two of us entered this place together back then to go into seclusion and heal our wounds. We had originally thought that after our injuries were fully recovered, we could return to manage our merchant houses, develop and strengthen them, join forces to strive for dominance in the Chaotic Void Sea, and even dream of one day stepping onto a broader stage. But little did we expect that in the end, we would both perish here, leaving only empty regrets.
"Wu Yuan, the fate that befell the two of us... I didn't foresee it, and neither did you, I imagine."
Bai Cang spoke with emotion, as if reminiscing about something.
"Yes, I never imagined it either."
Wu Yuan, the founding ancestor of the Myriad Methods Merchant House, nodded.
The people from the two great merchant houses were all kneeling before their respective ancestors, listening to them speak. Though filled with curiosity, no one dared interrupt.
At that moment, the Ancient Wizard of the Myriad Methods Merchant House suddenly shuddered all over, a look of shock appearing on his face. He froze momentarily, seemingly unable to believe it.
Finally, gritting his teeth as if having made a decision, he declared:
"Everyone, I have just received a sound transmission from our Ancestor! He commands us to immediately attack and slaughter every last person from the Eternal Fortune Merchant House!
Obey my command! Attack together!"
Almost instantly, everyone from the Myriad Methods Merchant House received the Ancient Wizard's transmitted order.
"Oh? Ancestor of the Myriad Methods Merchant House actually ordered his people to attack the Eternal Fortune Merchant House?"
Ye Yunfei found this somewhat surprising.
After all, it seemed like the two founding ancestors had a very good friendship, given that they had entered seclusion here together to heal. They should have trusted each other quite deeply.
Yet now, this was happening.
Upon receiving the Ancient Wizard's order, the Myriad Methods people were first taken aback, but immediately prepared themselves.
"Attack!"
The Ancient Wizard was resolute, transmitting the command to all.
Boom! Boom! Boom...
The several Demigods of Myriad Methods launched their attacks simultaneously, initiating an ambush. They hurled their magic treasures or unleashed their most powerful, ultimate killing techniques towards the Demigods of Eternal Fortune.
All the other members of Myriad Methods erupted into violent action at the same moment as well.
Ye Yunfei, controlling Duan Rong, launched a sneak attack against a Perfected Heavenly Immortal from Eternal Fortune.
However, to the astonishment of the Myriad Methods members, the people of Eternal Fortune also suddenly erupted into action at this very moment.
Originally, both groups had been kneeling on the ground. Now, they simultaneously leaped up, launching sneak attacks on each other. Each individual fought with full force. Gleaming magic treasures, waves of violent energy, and all sorts of martial techniques erupted at once, instantly turning this area into a tumultuous scene.
"I knew you would do this!"
At that moment, both founding ancestors roared in fury simultaneously, then soared into the air and charged towards each other, intent on slaying one another.
These two ancestors were actually two traces of Soul Power imprints. Their true bodies had perished long ago, and after the passage of endless ages, the power remaining within these two Soul Power imprints had weakened considerably.
Nevertheless, as marks left behind by two Deities, once engaged in combat, the battle prowess they unleashed was still extraordinarily terrifying.
One could see powerful forces of attraction bursting forth from the bodies of the two ancestors, forcibly drawing in the energy and laws permeating the surrounding space, continuously devouring them into their forms, causing their bodies to radiate rolling divine light.
With every move they made, the two ancestors displayed all manner of mysterious secret techniques and sorceries. Around their bodies, myriad miraculous visions manifested—there were suns, moons, and stars rising and falling; the cycle of day and night, the shifting of seasons; illusions of mountains, rivers, and earth; and all sorts of legendary divine beasts continuously appearing throughout this expanse of heaven and earth.
"Worthy of being Deities! Each and every technique they display seems to expound upon the most profound combat mysteries and skills in the world!"
Ye Yunfei watched the battle between the two ancestors, inwardly sighing in amazement.
At this moment, the members of both merchant houses were engaged in a desperate, life-and-death struggle, showing no mercy.
Because their ancestors had commanded: annihilate the other side completely!
However, the strength of the two merchant houses was actually quite comparable. Moreover, they had acted simultaneously, so neither side gained the initiative. After a period of fighting, the battle was evenly matched, with neither side able to secure victory for the time being.
"Bai Cang, we were good friends back in the day, joining forces to face powerful enemies. We even entered this place together to heal our wounds. That should have been a tale to be admired. Who could have imagined that you, with a heart as vicious as a wolf or dog, would suddenly attack me while I was in seclusion healing my injuries, ultimately leading to my demise! Bai Cang, I must admit, I misjudged you in this lifetime!"
During the battle, Wu Yuan suddenly spoke.
"Wu Yuan, don't speak so noble-sounding! You were no different. Back then, while I was in seclusion healing, you secretly used a doppelganger to arrange formations and various traps around me, intending to trap me. Thankfully, I was always prepared, kept one eye open, discovered your treacherous scheme in time, and decisively struck first to avoid being ensnared!
Enough talk! That battle back then ended with us both perishing. Today, let our Soul Power imprints determine life and death once more!"
Upon hearing Wu Yuan's words, Bai Cang immediately shouted back.
"So that's what happened!"
Upon hearing their ancestors' words, everyone from both merchant houses experienced a sudden moment of clarity, finally understanding why the two ancestors had suddenly ordered the attack.
It appeared that back then, when the two ancestors entered seclusion here together to heal, while they seemed to have a good relationship on the surface, they were in fact each harboring malicious intentions, wanting to eliminate the other. In the end, they engaged in a great battle and both fell here.
The members of the two merchant houses finally understood why their respective ancestors had perished here—not due to their wounds being too severe, but because they had fought a fierce battle to the death with each other.
"Kill them! Slaughter every member of the Eternal Fortune Merchant House! Avenge our ancestor!"
A Demigod from Myriad Methods roared, his fist forcing back a powerful Demigod from Eternal Fortune.
"Everyone, from this moment on, Myriad Methods Merchant House is Eternal Fortune's greatest enemy! Annihilate the enemy completely! Show no mercy!"
The Eternal Fortune Demigod who had been forced back charged forward again, brandishing a long blade in attack, loudly shouting.
Originally, the relationship between these two merchant houses had been very good, one of cooperation. The members of the two houses also had amicable personal relationships with each other; some had even become sworn brothers bound by life and death. But now, they had become bitter enemies locked in a life-and-death struggle.
"I think this is good news. The strength of these two merchant houses' forces is roughly equal. With them slaughtering each other like this, casualties are bound to be high. Let's not rush. When the time comes, we can play the part of the fisherman who benefits, reaping the rewards while they exhaust themselves."
Seeing the situation before them, Hun Lao chuckled, sending a sound transmission to Ye Yunfei.
"Die!"
At that moment, Duan Rong's opponent, a Perfected Heavenly Immortal from Eternal Fortune, roared and charged ferociously towards Duan Rong.
The battle between the two had already gone on for a while, and it was still evenly matched.
In truth, with Ye Yunfei's strength, dealing with this Perfected Heavenly Immortal from Eternal Fortune would have been a relatively simple matter. However, Ye Yunfei didn't want Duan Rong to appear too outstanding, as that might draw unwanted attention. That's why he had let the fight drag on this long.
"It's time to secure victory."
Ye Yunfei thought inwardly, watching the charging Eternal Fortune Perfected Heavenly Immortal. He willed it, and a Heartforce Lock was instantly unleashed. An intangible shackle clamped onto that Eternal Fortune Perfected Heavenly Immortal, causing his body to stall momentarily.
Then, Duan Rong punched out, directly smashing the man's head to pieces. The force also exploded his soul body, killing him instantly in a single strike.
"Excellent, Duan Rong! Hurry and kill a few more Perfected Heavenly Immortals from Eternal Fortune. That way, our Myriad Methods Merchant House can gain the upper hand!"
Not far away, a Myriad Methods Demigod saw Duan Rong unleashing great might, killing an enemy with one punch. Delighted, he immediately transmitted a message.
"Elder Fang, please rest assured. I will definitely kill the enemy with all my might!"
Ye Yunfei, using Duan Rong's soul planet, replied via sound transmission.
At this moment, people from both sides were still engaged in chaotic battle, fighting with great intensity.
The two ancestors were also locked in fierce combat.
Ye Yunfei could see that the combat prowess of the two ancestors was actually quite comparable. No wonder, after a vicious fight back then, both had perished.
"It's difficult for these two ancestors to determine a victor by fighting like this. There's only one possibility—they both exhaust their energy.
Because the energy these two Soul Power imprints possess is already extremely limited. Now, with such intense combat happening, regardless of who wins or loses, neither of them can sustain it for much longer."
Hun Lao was also sensing the battle between the two ancestors and spoke.
"Right. With them fighting so intensely like this, in the end, regardless of the outcome, I estimate neither can hold on for much longer."
Ye Yunfei nodded.
And it wasn't just the two ancestors. The Demigod experts of both merchant houses were also evenly matched for now, and it was unlikely a victor would be decided in the short term.
The Wizards from both sides had also engaged in battle. Both Wizards were at the Demigod realm and were masters of divination and deduction arts. Their battle was far more spectacular than that of ordinary Demigod experts.
During the fight, the two Wizards activated various magic treasures used for divination and deduction. They even struck out with mysterious, runic scripts normally used for deduction, hurling them towards their opponent. These runes could not only be used for divination and deduction but also for combat.
"Hold off on killing too many Perfected Heavenly Immortals from Eternal Fortune for now. Otherwise, you'll disrupt the balance of this battle between the two sides.
For you, the ideal outcome is for both forces to be worn down and exhausted, leaving you to swoop in as the fisherman who benefits."
Hun Lao advised Ye Yunfei.
"Yes, so I'll continue fighting at a leisurely pace."
Ye Yunfei replied with a mental chuckle.
Subsequently, Ye Yunfei controlled Duan Rong to fight closely with a Perfected Heavenly Immortal from Eternal Fortune, neither gaining nor losing ground.
And so, the battle between the two great merchant houses continued unabated.
Due to the ferocity of the combat, almost everyone on both sides was fighting with their full strength, holding nothing back. As a result, their consumption was immense. After the battle had persisted for some time, the people from both merchant houses found their energy reserves dwindling further and further. They had no choice but to constantly take out various kinds of elixirs and heavenly materials and earthly treasures specifically meant to replenish energy, consuming and refining them in the midst of combat.
However, as time passed and the battle raged on, the supply of elixirs and heavenly materials and earthly treasures the people from both merchant houses carried grew smaller and smaller.
In the end, they had almost completely exhausted all the energy-replenishing elixirs and treasures they had on them.
Ye Yunfei continued controlling Duan Rong to engage a Perfected Heavenly Immortal from the enemy side, fighting without haste or pressure.
That Eternal Fortune Heavenly Immortal fought with his entire being, roaring in fury while unleashing all sorts of martial techniques and sorceries, attacking desperately. But after fighting for a long time, the situation remained unchanged—deadlocked.
Throughout this, Ye Yunfei kept his attention fixed on the battle between the two ancestors.
Ye Yunfei noticed that during the course of the fight, the energy aura emanating from the two ancestors grew weaker and weaker. This indicated that such combat consumed a great deal of their remaining power.
"Excellent! When these two Deities' Soul Power imprints perish together, that will be my moment to reap the rewards!"
Ye Yunfei thought to himself.
Among both groups of people, what Ye Yunfei actually feared the most were those two Soul Power imprints left behind by the Deities.
Because even though they were merely two traces of Soul Power imprints, they contained the memories, legacies, and Deity-level combat experience, combat awareness, and battle skills of the two Deities. In short, even if they were just marks left behind by two gods, their strength was terrifying for ordinary people.
As for the other people from the two merchant houses, Ye Yunfei wasn't particularly afraid of them.
And so, within this space, the battle between the two merchant houses raged on.
In ancient times, these two merchant houses' ancestors came here together to enter seclusion and heal, but each harbored ulterior motives. A fierce battle ensued, culminating in their mutual demise. After the passage of endless aeons, the descendants of the two merchant houses arrived here now, only for another vicious battle to erupt.
One could say that today's fierce battle was essentially a continuation of those two Deities' ancient life-and-death struggle.
"Bai Cang! Today, we perish together!"
Mid-fight, Wu Yuan roared in rage. His form constantly expanded and grew, becoming a giant reaching for the heavens and standing firm upon the earth. Looking down from a dominating position, he punched towards Bai Cang.
Bai Cang immediately manifested his Dharma body as well. His body grew larger and taller, also transforming into a giant that reached heaven and stood upon earth. He threw a punch to meet the attack head-on.
Rumble…
The fists of both sides collided. This was a direct clash of brute force. Extremely terrifying collision energy, centered on their fists, rolled outwards in all directions.
Arghh… Ahhh…
Some members of both merchant houses who were relatively close to the impact zone were affected, knocked flying backward like kites with severed strings, screaming in agony.
"Again!"
Wu Yuan continued to swing his fist. It grew larger and larger, akin to a majestic mountain peak rumbling forward. Instantly, it reached in front of Bai Cang.
With no time to devise a counter, Bai Cang had no choice but to throw a punch of his own, opting for the direct clash again.
Rumble…
The two ancestors, now riled up, began engaging in head-on, brute-force exchanges. Both used their fists, punching blow after blow in direct confrontation.
This fighting style was simple and crude, but also consumed the most energy.
The speed of their punches was extremely fast. In merely the time of one breath, they had exchanged hundreds of blows, each one a direct collision of force.
After hundreds of punches, the energy aura of the two ancestors had noticeably dropped by more than half. They began to seem somewhat listless and depleted.
"Hahaha… Bai Cang! Today, we perish here together!"
Wu Yuan let out a mad laugh.
"Excellent! These two old fellows have begun fighting for their lives!
Once they destroy each other, I can make my move!"
Ye Yunfei thought inwardly.
Two Deities had perished here. They were bound to have left something behind.
Whatever treasures a Deity left behind would be inordinately precious for ordinary folk.