After hearing Ye Yunfei's words, the high-ranking members of the Alliance Army departed one after another, returning to dedicate their time to cultivation.
"I will be going into seclusion to cultivate for a period of time. During this period, I'll leave you all with the task of managing the affairs of the Alliance Army and the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds," Ye Yunfei said as he stood up.
At this moment, Gan Changfeng, Old Man Chu, Zen Master Tianwu, Advisor Kong, Ouyang Tao, and the others were still standing before Ye Yunfei.
After leaving the palace, Ye Yunfei found a relatively remote location in the void, deployed dozens of large formations to create a small spatial pocket defined by arrays, entered that pocket, and then proceeded into the Phantom Tower to begin his closed-door cultivation.
The battle against the blonde-haired man not long ago had made Ye Yunfei realize that although his current strength was considerable, he would still be hard-pressed against a genuine top-tier expert.
This was especially true now that a new Deity Era had dawned, and it was possible for true Deities to appear at any moment.
Once Deities emerged within the Chaotic Void Sea, the situation might undergo a drastic change.
For ordinary beings, Deities were far too powerful, belonging to a lofty, dominant class.
Even Perfected Demigods were pathetically weak in front of true Deities.
Once Deities appeared, they would become the masters of the entire Chaotic Void Sea!
Amidst this kind of situation, Ye Yunfei felt an intense urgency to become stronger.
Inside the Phantom Tower, Ye Yunfei sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and rested his mind for a time, using it to reflect on his current state of cultivation.
He began by systematically examining each aspect of his abilities. This included his Immortal Power, Soul Power, Mental Force, attainment in laws, physical body cultivation, as well as various martial techniques.
"First, I must take time to raise my cultivation level. I'm currently only at the Heavenly Immortal realm. My level is far too low. My Mental Force and Soul Power also need substantial improvement," Ye Yunfei murmured to himself after a long while.
With a wave of his hand, dozens of Divine Crystals flew out and settled before him. Next, he produced a large pile of black iron blocks.
*Rumble...*
Ye Yunfei activated the Ancient Nine-Yang Scripture. The eight Chaos Divine Meridians within his body materialized simultaneously, their hum filling the air.
He beckoned with his hand, and two Divine Crystals flew into his palms. He began refining and absorbing them.
At the same time, the Soul-Nurturing Tree emerged from his soul sea, hovering beside him. It cast forth a dense network of roots and began refining the surrounding black iron blocks.
This Soul-Nurturing Tree had now grown into a towering giant, its branches and leaves lush and thriving, brimming with vitality.
One of Ye Yunfei's Soul Bodies had remained inside the Heart-Training Tower, simultaneously tempering its Mental Force energy and absorbing the Mental Force energy stored within the pagoda.
Unconsciously, a year passed within the Phantom Tower.
Over this year, Ye Yunfei encountered several lightning tribulations one after another, but each time, he managed to evade them.
In the end, he successfully avoided all nine rounds of the thunder tribulation for a Perfected Heavenly Immortal.
"I've finally reached Perfected Heavenly Immortal at the Nine Returns to Truth level. Next, I can attempt to break through to the Demigod realm," Ye Yunfei mused to himself.
Subsequently, Ye Yunfei continued his secluded cultivation within the Phantom Tower.
He had already refined over two hundred of the black iron blocks.
Previously, Ye Yunfei had obtained over eight hundred of these blocks in total. He had distributed some to Hun Lao, the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm, Huang Shang, and Hu Miao. Particularly, Huang Shang had received close to a hundred, as these black iron blocks were exceptionally beneficial for his cultivation as a ghost practitioner.
Having refined over two hundred of these blocks, Ye Yunfei's Soul Power energy had increased significantly!
"I've nearly absorbed all the Mental Force energy inside the Heart-Training Tower, leaving only the very last remnants," Ye Yunfei sensed the conditions within the pagoda and muttered.
"The three Mental Force techniques I most frequently use now are the Formless Mind-Sword, the Mental Force Shackles, and the Heart Devil Bell. The Formless Mind-Sword is for offense, the Mental Force Shackles for suppression, and the Heart Devil Bell for attacking Soul Bodies. All three are quite powerful. The Mindgate's legacy also contains many other profound Mental Force techniques. I should find time to practice one or two more," Ye Yunfei thought to himself.
"However, the most important task at present is to become a Demigod!" Ye Yunfei stated slowly.
He was confident that once he became a Demigod, he could contend head-on with the majority of Perfected Demigods!
At that time, barring encounters with true Deities, Ye Yunfei could roam the entire Chaotic Void Sea unimpeded!
Thus, Ye Yunfei continued his secluded cultivation, commencing his assault on the Demigod realm.
He took out over a hundred Divine Crystals and began refining and absorbing them to push his boundaries.
The combined number of Divine Crystals left behind by the two Merchant House ancestors totaled over two thousand!
Ye Yunfei had distributed a portion to Hun Lao, Huang Shang, and the others, leaving himself with well over a thousand.
Even by just this stash of over a thousand Divine Crystals, Ye Yunfei ranked among the wealthiest individuals in the entire Chaotic Void Sea!
The very act of casually taking out over a hundred Divine Crystals for cultivation was unimaginable to the vast majority.
While attempting his breakthrough, Ye Yunfei continued cultivating his Mental Force energy, Soul Power energy, and sword arts.
Possessing two Soul Bodies and four Soul Planets, Ye Yunfei never wasted this extraordinary configuration in any of his cultivation sessions.
"I should also prepare to break through my bloodline again. Otherwise, once this guy becomes a Demigod, my strength will lag far behind," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm, seeing Ye Yunfei preparing for his breakthrough, also began its own closed-door cultivation.
Then, Hun Lao, Huang Shang, and Hu Miao also entered secluded cultivation.
Hun Lao, having obtained those four wooden stakes, planned to use them for significant improvement.
For him, the difficulty of breaking through his own cultivation level was immense.
The bloodline of the Chaos World Tree was too noble. As his realm and strength increased, the resources and treasures in the world suitable for his cultivation grew increasingly scarce.
Time flew within the Phantom Tower. Unconsciously, five years passed.
After five years...
"A full five years, and I still haven't broken through to the Demigod realm," Ye Yunfei suddenly sighed softly.
During these five years, Ye Yunfei cultivated tirelessly every moment, yet he had been unable to achieve a breakthrough.
"I'll persist," he did not give up, continuing his assault on the realm barrier.
Unconsciously, another year passed.
*Rumble...*
One year later, deafening roars suddenly filled the Phantom Tower as an endless deluge of energy surged tumultuously.
These violent energies were being released by Hun Lao.
"Hun Lao seems to have broken through!" Ye Yunfei's heart stirred, and he immediately looked towards Hun Lao's direction. He discovered that Hun Lao's tree form was now at least more than ten times larger and taller than before!
He had undergone a seemingly transformational change!
The energy aura he now emanated felt profoundly arcane. Even Ye Yunfei found himself unable to fully discern just how powerful Hun Lao's current strength had become.
"I finally know the true origins of those four wooden stakes," Hun Lao spoke after a moment, as the energy aura he released gradually stabilized before vanishing entirely, restoring tranquility.
"What are their origins?" Ye Yunfei asked, greatly intrigued.
"They are fragments of the Divine Primordial Tree," Hun Lao stated.