"Are you sure they're not your enemies? Have you never had any interaction with them before?"
After hearing Xiaoyao Banshen's words, Ye Yunfei couldn't help but frown slightly.
"Of course I'm sure. Though I've made quite a few enemies during my long years roaming the Chaotic Void Sea, each of those dozen or so guys possessed strength no weaker than my own. I seldom provoke enemies that powerful." Xiaoyao Banshen shook his head. "My principle in life used to be: I grovel to those above and trample those below. It's impossible I offended so many powerful foes."
"If they're not your enemies, then they might specifically be targeting experts who are about to undergo their Divine Tribulation. Their goal is possibly to prevent you Perfected Demigods from tribulating and becoming gods. This is strange. How can there be a group of such powerhouses in the Chaotic Void Sea? And for what purpose are they specifically stopping you Perfected Demigods from undergoing tribulation?" Ye Yunfei felt the situation was a bit odd.
"I think these guys might be from a very secretive major power," Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm chimed in. "Their reason for preventing Perfected Demigods of other factions from tribulating and ascending is likely worry that once those Perfected Demigods become gods, they will dominate the Chaotic Void Sea. Conversely, if this major power wants to stop other factions from dominating the Chaotic Void Sea, it means this secretive major power itself wants to dominate the Chaotic Void Sea. It seems this mysterious force, though keeping a low profile for now, is incredibly ambitious."
"That's a possibility," Hun Lao nodded after hearing Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm's analysis.
"Whatever the case, I nearly died at those guys' hands. That's a blood feud, a deep-seated hatred. If I get the chance, I'll definitely take revenge!" Xiaoyao Banshen said through gritted teeth.
"That's a matter for later. Right now, we still have an account to settle. When are you going to honor your promise?" Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm appeared on Ye Yunfei's shoulder and addressed Xiaoyao Banshen.
"You're nothing but a miser, far too greedy, always thinking about my treasures day and night," Xiaoyao Banshen retorted irritably.
"It's not me thinking about them. You made a promise to us before. Since you promised, those things belong to me. Don't you dare think about swallowing what's mine," Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm replied.
"Alright, alright, I give up. Fine, these things are what I specifically reserved for you. I already expected you guys wouldn't give up easily." Clenching his teeth, Xiaoyao Banshen took out over a dozen spatial rings and sent them floating before Ye Yunfei and Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm.
Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm's Soul Power immediately probed into the rings.
"They're passable. Just average, really, but better than nothing. Before, you bragged to us about those treasures of yours being priceless. But from the looks of it, they're not that impressive," Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm declared immediately as he took out a batch of cultivation resources and treasures useful to him.
"Aren't you satisfied yet? These treasures, taken into the Chaotic Void Sea, would be considered precious resources by any faction. Now that I'm generously giving them to you all, what more do you want?" Xiaoyao Banshen felt a pang of heartache.
"Precious? They're just so-so, right?" Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm said with a curled lip. Previously, Ye Yunfei had obtained the legacies left behind by two Deities, so he wasn't particularly impressed by what Xiaoyao Banshen produced.
Ye Yunfei, Hun Lao, Hu Miao, and Huang Shang also each took some cultivation resources and treasures useful to them from the dozen-plus spatial rings.
"Where do you plan to go now? I estimate you can't return to the Gudao World Cluster to undergo your tribulation. You'd better find another place for your Divine Tribulation," Ye Yunfei said to Xiaoyao Banshen.
"I'm already injured. In my current state, I simply can't sense the lightning tribulation anymore. I reckon I'll only be able to welcome my Divine Tribulation again after my injuries are healed and I do some secluded cultivation. And that's the best-case scenario. Who knows? I might need to cultivate for another extended period before the opportunity to tribulate arises. Do you think the Divine Tribulation is that simple? You think you can just tribulate whenever you want?" Xiaoyao Banshen said dejectedly.
"Had I known, I wouldn't have come to the Gudao World Cluster to join the excitement. I heard the Gudao World Cluster had a spatial passageway punched through by the Heavenly God Coffin, leading to the legendary Ancient Wasteland Secret Realm. The secret realm was releasing vast amounts of Deity-level energy and Deity-level laws, so I rushed here specially to utilize the environment for my tribulation. Who'd have thought something like this would happen? I'm filled with regret." Xiaoyao Banshen kept shaking his head and sighing.
"In that case, you should focus on healing your injuries first," Ye Yunfei said, sensing that Xiaoyao Banshen was indeed wounded and that it would be difficult to welcome the tribulation opportunity in such a state.
"I still have some Divine Crystals here. Take them to refine and absorb." Ye Yunfei took out some Divine Crystals and handed them to Xiaoyao Banshen.
"You still have so many Divine Crystals?! It seems you've had more fortuitous encounters later on! Boy, your luck is just too good! Others struggle to get even one or two Divine Crystals, yet you managed to acquire so many! Had I known your luck was this incredible back then, I shouldn't have left you. I would have been better off adventuring together with you." Seeing Ye Yunfei take out dozens of Divine Crystals and hand them over, Xiaoyao Banshen was both pleasantly surprised and envious.
After receiving the Divine Crystals, Xiaoyao Banshen entered the Phantom Shadow Tower to begin secluded cultivation.
"Let's go back to the Gudao World Cluster and have another look," Ye Yunfei thought for a moment and said.
"Go back to the Gudao World Cluster? We helped Xiaoyao Banshen escape. If we return now and those dozen-odd guys recognize us, they might cause trouble for you," Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm exclaimed in surprise.
"I didn't show my face the entire time and kept my aura suppressed. They shouldn't know yet who intervened in the shadows. Besides, after returning to the Gudao World Cluster, if I keep a low profile, they likely won't detect me," Ye Yunfei pondered.
"I suspect something major will probably happen in the Gudao World Cluster. Let's go back to witness the excitement first," Ye Yunfei added.
"Those dozen guys shouldn't know for the time being that you were the one acting in the shadows. But after they investigate, it's highly likely they'll find out it was you," Hun Lao offered.
"If they investigate, they might indeed figure out I was the one secretly helping Xiaoyao Banshen escape, because I employed Formations and Geomancy Technique. However, as long as I keep a low profile, they shouldn't discover me too quickly," Ye Yunfei said.
Then, Ye Yunfei took out his Space Teleportation Token and quietly teleported back in the direction of the Gudao World Cluster.
Not long after, Ye Yunfei returned to the Gudao World Cluster. Upon re-entering, he found intense battles raging in many worlds. There were even several battlefields in the Chaotic Void near the Gudao World Cluster.
"You bastards are truly too bold! Daring to provoke our Heavenly Wasteland Forbidden Land! Although the Heavenly Wasteland Forbidden Land has receded from the world for a long time, our true foundation is far more formidable than you imagine!" A furious roar rang out. Ye Yunfei saw a tall, muscular man, holding a golden spear, simultaneously battling five experts.
Those five experts were all shrouded by hazy, glowing halos, preventing others from seeing their true appearances or sensing their true Soul Body auras. The man with the golden spear released thousands upon thousands of golden spear-light with every move and stance, blasting one black hole after another in the surrounding space, his displayed combat prowess truly astonishing.
The five experts he fought were also extremely powerful, pressing their advantage step by step. It was an evenly matched fight. Many other experts were engaged in fierce battles in the surrounding area.
"So even the Heavenly Wasteland Forbidden Land has a Perfected Demigod who came here to undergo Divine Tribulation," Ye Yunfei thought to himself as he stood in the distance observing the battlefield.
Ye Yunfei had interacted with people from the Heavenly Wasteland Forbidden Land before and knew it was a renowned Forbidden Land. Though it had only emerged recently, its reputation had spread across the entire Chaotic Void Sea in a short time.
"Our Liu Family has no enmity with any of you. Why did you suddenly ambush our ancestor? Are you truly looking down on our Liu Family? Though our family has always been low-key in our actions, we are absolutely not to be bullied!" In another part of the void of the Gudao World Cluster, an elder with white hair wielding a long sword glared with fire in his eyes, shouting reprimands.
This white-haired elder was leading over twenty Demigod experts and a large group of fighters, all besieging over a dozen mysterious figures whose bodies were concealed within hazy halos.
"The Liu Family… I wonder if this Liu Family has any relation with Sir Liu?" Ye Yunfei's gaze rested on the white-haired elder as he wondered inwardly. Ye Yunfei had long since guessed that Sir Liu most likely hailed from some major family or great power within the Chaotic Void Sea.
"Just what is going on? There are so many terrifyingly powerful mysterious experts. These mysterious experts have come to the Gudao World Cluster seemingly specifically to prevent the Perfected Demigods of various major powers from undergoing Divine Tribulation here. Who are they exactly? And why are they doing this?"
By this time, the void of the Gudao World Cluster was already packed with onlookers who were discussing among themselves. Indeed, the Gudao World Cluster had descended into chaos. Intense battles raged everywhere. Roars of energy clashes, cries of slaughter, and screams of agony rose and fell incessantly.
"It seems there indeed is a mysteriously-originated power secretly trying to stop these Perfected Demigods from undergoing Divine Tribulation within the Gudao World Cluster," Hun Lao remarked, observing the turmoil. "They are truly too audacious, provoking so many major powers all at once. If they're exposed later, they will likely immediately become the enemy of the entire Chaotic Void Sea and suffer frenzied retaliation."
"There are at least a dozen or so battles, big and small, happening in the Gudao World Cluster right now. Just which power in the Chaotic Void Sea possesses so many shockingly powerful experts? The strength this mysterious force is displaying already surpasses some superpowers. I estimate even superpowers like the Demon Race, Demon Clan, and Dark Faction couldn't gather this many top-tier experts either," Hun Lao exclaimed in astonishment as he watched the mysterious figures enveloped in hazy halos.
"This force is indeed terrifying," Ye Yunfei also felt somewhat alarmed.
"And with this force specifically preventing Perfected Demigods of other factions from undergoing Divine Tribulation, could their true goal be to strangle the chance for experts of other factions to ascend to gods?" Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm said.
Right at this moment, Ye Yunfei's expression suddenly changed. He looked toward the entrance to the Ancient Wasteland Secret Realm.
Since the Heavenly God Coffin blasted through this entrance, vast amounts of Deity-level energy and laws had continuously poured out from it without end until now, raising the overall quality of the Gudao World Cluster. What astonished Ye Yunfei was the sight of thick, dense, black tribulation clouds gathering around that entrance.
"Someone's going to undergo Divine Tribulation!" Ye Yunfei was somewhat shocked.
In such an environment, if someone tried to undergo tribulation there, they would likely be attacked by those mysterious, unknown-origin experts.
"Look! Someone seems to be about to undergo Divine Tribulation!" At this moment, not only Ye Yunfei but also many others discovered it and cried out in shock.
With the Gudao World Cluster plunged into chaos and battles raging everywhere, for someone to choose this moment and place to undergo Divine Tribulation was indeed surprising.
"Who is it? Why can't I see anyone beneath those tribulation clouds?" After spotting the gathering tribulation clouds, everyone searched for the one undergoing the tribulation but found no one.
"I found them! Right in that spot! There's an expert concealed there, seems to be employing a very sophisticated stealth technique." Not long after, someone finally discovered a hazy figure seated cross-legged in a specific location beneath the clouds.
"Yes, I found them too! Right there!" More and more people spotted the concealed figure beneath the clouds.
It turned out that the hazy figure had already arrived beneath the tribulation clouds, but had used a highly advanced stealth technique to conceal its form and aura, sitting motionless beneath the clouds. However, as the tribulation clouds above its head accumulated, the figure's outline gradually solidified—because during the tribulation, one must face the lightning strikes with one's true face and Soul Body aura.
BOOM…
High up in the sky, the dense, roiling tribulation clouds thickened, covering a vast expanse of space. Thick bolts of lightning rampaged through the cloud layer, exuding a world-destroying aura.
"The lightning tribulation is about to begin! And it's a Divine Tribulation!" Many people exclaimed in astonishment.