"Now, to practice the Nine Dragons Supreme Step."
Ye Yunfei sat cross-legged once again and began to comprehend the Nine Dragons Supreme Step. By this time, he had already withdrawn the nine sacred beasts of his Nine Palace Totem Wheel.
After devouring a large batch of Deity-level cultivation resources, the power of those nine sacred beasts had greatly increased. Each of them had reached the level of a Perfected Demigod, and they should be able to easily defeat ordinary Perfected Demigods, after all, the effects of Deity-level resources were still quite remarkable.
Now, if Ye Yunfei encountered Perfected Demigods again, he wouldn't need to personally fight at all; simply releasing these nine sacred beasts would be enough to deal with them easily.
Unbeknownst to Ye Yunfei, another five years of secluded cultivation passed inside the Phantom Tower.
Five years later.
"The Nine Dragons Supreme Step has also been successfully practiced to the initial stage."
Ye Yunfei suddenly said softly.
Once this footwork technique was performed, it could mobilize the energy and laws within the surrounding void to the greatest extent, making the user the master of the entire void, commanding everything.
Moreover, the Nine Dragons Supreme Step belonged to a type of footwork that could stack power. Each step taken would coalesce a dragon shadow behind the user. This dragon shadow could boost their own power.
After taking nine steps, nine dragon shadows would form behind, and then the nine dragons merged into one, accumulating momentum to its peak. The combat prowess unleashed would be stronger than usual, and could even tap into one's own latent potential, performing beyond one's normal level.
Therefore, the Nine Dragons Supreme Step was not only a mystical movement technique but could also be used to assist other martial techniques, boosting the power of attacks.
Ye Yunfei suddenly took a step forward, activating the Nine Dragons Supreme Step. As soon as his first step landed, a giant dragon phantom appeared behind him, accompanied by a clear, resonant dragon roar that made the surrounding space tremble.
Then, Ye Yunfei took eight more consecutive steps. With each step, a giant dragon appeared behind him. Finally, nine giant dragons trailed Ye Yunfei, their imposing aura reaching a peak.
Subsequently, these nine dragons fused together into a single dragon that howled defiantly at the heavens.
At this moment, Ye Yunfei's aura seemed to have reached a zenith. His entire being possessed an invincible, unstoppable presence. All the energy and laws in the surrounding space swirled around Ye Yunfei's body. If Ye Yunfei willed it, the entire space would launch a frenzied bombardment forward.
"Not bad, the Nine Dragons Supreme Step indeed!"
Ye Yunfei nodded, then stopped moving and withdrew his technique. The dragon behind him vanished instantly, and the surroundings returned to complete calm.
"Now there's the final martial technique, the Imperial Dao Divine Fist."
Ye Yunfei sat down cross-legged once more to begin comprehending the Imperial Dao Divine Fist. He utilized his two Soul Bodies and twenty Soul Force Planets simultaneously for the comprehension.
About half a year later, Ye Yunfei had gained a deep understanding of the fist technique and began cultivating it.
During the cultivation process, Ye Yunfei would refine batches of Divine Crystals at regular intervals. With the supply of energy from these Divine Crystals, the energy level within Ye Yunfei's body continuously climbed.
Unbeknownst to him, another five years passed inside the Phantom Tower.
Five years later.
"The Imperial Dao Divine Fist has also been practiced to initial success."
Ye Yunfei said excitedly.
The Golden Wheel Armor, Nine Dragons Supreme Step, Imperial Dao Divine Fist, and the Emperor Heart Method were all Deity-level martial techniques and cultivation methods. Each one required Ye Yunfei to spend a considerable amount of time cultivating.
Fortunately, Ye Yunfei's Soul Body quality and Soul Power energy had greatly improved a while ago, and having two Soul Bodies and twenty Soul Force Planets operating simultaneously gave him extraordinary comprehension abilities for various martial arts and techniques. In the end, he managed to successfully cultivate all the legacy inherited from Princess Jiang.
Of course, this could only be considered an initial introduction, just barely enough to use in battle. In the future, he would need to continue practicing and raising the realms of these techniques.
Ye Yunfei stood up and clenched his fist lightly. Instantly, an ancient Emperor Phantom appeared behind his body. This Emperor Phantom wore a crown and a yellow robe embroidered with a five-clawed golden dragon, its gaze arrogant and all-encompassing. It imposed majesty upon the world, suppressed the eight directions, and seemed peerlessly invincible.
Boom...
As Ye Yunfei raised his fist and slowly thrust it forward, at least a few hundred minister phantoms immediately appeared in the surrounding space.
These ministers appeared devout, surrounding and protecting the ancient Emperor Phantom behind Ye Yunfei. Hundreds of ministers followed Ye Yunfei's fist, charging forward as if it were a thousand-strong army, the scene imposing.
The ancient emperor behind Ye Yunfei also slowly extended his fist, looking down from on high as he struck forward.
At this moment, the space in front of Ye Yunfei was instantly dominated by terrifying fist force.
"Not sure how the actual combat power of this Imperial Dao Divine Fist is; I'll need to test it properly when I get the chance."
Ye Yunfei retracted his fist.
"So?
Are we ready to leave seclusion?"
The Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm appeared beside Ye Yunfei and asked.
Previously, the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm had obtained a good amount of Soul Soup, Divine Crystals, and other Deity-level cultivation resources. After spending some time in secluded cultivation, his bloodline had made consecutive breakthroughs, and his power had climbed yet another level compared to before.
However, as an ancient remnant beast, his cultivation method was relatively simple: just devour and digest all those resources. So, his cultivation had already concluded some time ago.
"Wait a bit, I still need to refine and assimilate some Deity-level materials."
Ye Yunfei said.
Among the many Deity-level alchemy materials Ye Yunfei found in the space ring Princess Jiang gifted him were also many Deity-level forging materials. For Ye Yunfei, these Deity-level forging materials were top-grade body-refining resources. Refining, absorbing, and assimilating them into his own physical body would undoubtedly enhance his bodily quality and strength.
With a wave of his hand, Ye Yunfei took out a batch of Deity-level forging materials and began performing his Incarnate as Artifact secret technique to refine and assimilate them.
The forging materials collected by Princess Jiang were each extremely rare and precious, so Ye Yunfei's refinement and assimilation speed wasn't very fast. He needed to take it slowly.
Unbeknownst to him, another three years passed within the Phantom Tower.
Three years later, Ye Yunfei had refined and assimilated a batch of Deity-level forging materials.
Ye Yunfei clenched his fists, feeling the terrifying physical strength within his body, and nodded in satisfaction.
Those Deity-level forging materials had not only greatly boosted his physical strength but also vastly improved the quality of his body compared to before.
"Now, even if I stood here motionless and let those Perfected Demigods attack me, I doubt they could cause me any harm.
I just don't know how much I still lack compared to a true Deity in terms of overall combat power?"
Ye Yunfei muttered to himself.
The continuous improvement in his various aspects of strength during this time filled Ye Yunfei with confidence.
"You've refined and assimilated so many Deity-level materials; even if you encountered a true Deity, you should at least have some self-preservation ability, right?"
Hun Lao spoke.
While Ye Yunfei had been in seclusion within the Phantom Tower all these years, Hun Lao had also been cultivating the whole time, greatly improving his own strength. However, his cultivation had concluded earlier.
"Yes, with my current overall strength, even if I can't defeat a true Deity if I encounter one, I should still have some ability to protect myself.
Especially since my body has refined and assimilated so many Deity-level forging materials. Even if struck by a Deity, I probably wouldn't die instantly."
Ye Yunfei replied.
"Nevertheless, I think you shouldn't fight a Deity head-on if you run into one. After all, Deities are far too terrifying."
Hun Lao said.
"I understand. If I encounter a Deity, I'll naturally choose to escape as the wise course."
Ye Yunfei nodded.
Although Ye Yunfei was very confident in his current power, he wasn't arrogant and knew that he might not be able to defeat a true Deity.
"Alright, let's conclude this round of cultivation here."
Ye Yunfei emerged from the Phantom Tower, withdrew the formation around him and the formation's miniature space. Then, with a flash, he appeared in the headquarters of the Reincarnation Palace.
"Young Master Ye, you've left seclusion!"
As the high-ranking members of the Reincarnation Palace sensed Ye Yunfei's aura, they hurried over.
"Quite impressive. You have four more elders breaking through to become Demigods, making a total of ten Demigods in your Reincarnation Palace."
Ye Yunfei glanced around, discovering four additional high-ranking members were now Demigods. He nodded, surprised.
Although Demigods weren't considered much, for the Reincarnation Palace to produce so many within such a short timeframe was truly astonishing—an earth-shattering leap of progress.
"These cultivation resources are for your Reincarnation Palace."
Ye Yunfei took out a large batch of cultivation resources, all harvested from the Demigod experts he had slain earlier.
These Demigod-level cultivation resources were no longer of much use to Ye Yunfei himself. Of course, he kept more than half of such resources for the Alliance Army.
"Time to find out what's going on outside. Let's head out now."
After bidding farewell to the Reincarnation Palace's upper echelons, Ye Yunfei left the Samsara Realm, exited the Main World, and returned to the headquarters of the Alliance Army.
"Your movement speed is much faster than before."
Hun Lao observed.
"Yes, with my power rising, my movement speed should be about ten times faster than it was before."
Ye Yunfei nodded.
During this period of secluded cultivation, Ye Yunfei's various aspects of strength had seen comprehensive improvement, and his movement speed had become far faster than before. Especially after refining and assimilating those Deity-level forging materials, his physical strength and quality had improved drastically.
Now, Ye Yunfei could traverse a vast expanse of spatial distance with just a casual step, his speed simply stunning.
"Young Master Ye!"
The upper echelons of the Alliance Army swarmed towards Ye Yunfei.
"How has the situation in the Chaotic Void Sea been recently?"
Ye Yunfei asked directly.
"Young Master Ye, the situation within the Chaotic Void Sea has been extremely chaotic lately.
From the news I've received, many Perfected Demigods from various forces have attempted to undergo their Divine Tribulation. However, the vast majority have failed.
Because once a Perfected Demigod attempts the tribulation, the Guardian Faction immediately sends people to disrupt and prevent it, even resorting to direct assassination.
Furthermore, the Heavenly Deity Hall, the Dark Faction, and the Fire Origin Sect have also fully allied themselves with the Guardian Faction. They have dispatched personnel to participate in the Guardian Faction's operations.
Even the Deities from these three forces have personally taken action to deal with the Perfected Demigods undergoing tribulation.
Recently, many Perfected Demigods attempting their Divine Tribulations have died at the hands of the Deities from these three forces."
Elder Kong came forward to report to Ye Yunfei.
"These three guys are truly despicable. Having become Deities themselves, they actually go and stop others from undergoing their tribulations."
Upon hearing Elder Kong's report, Ye Yunfei's expression darkened.
"What about the Restorer faction?
Has the Restorer faction taken any actions recently?"
Ye Yunfei asked.
At this point, Ye Yunfei suddenly remembered that his Restorer Faction token had shown no reaction all this time. But he quickly realized it was because he had entered the Samsara Passage and Samsara Cave, which were realms of the dead, likely isolated from the outside world and unable to transmit messages.
"The Restorer faction has also taken some action recently, but overall, the Guardian Faction has completely gained the upper hand.
From what I know, it seems only two have managed to become Deities recently, one of whom belongs to the Dark Faction."
"Doesn't that mean the Dark Faction now possesses two Deities?"
Ye Yunfei frowned involuntarily.
Ye Yunfei's feud with the Dark Faction was no small matter. The stronger the Dark Faction grew, the worse it was for Ye Yunfei.
"I also heard that a few days ago, a Perfected Demigod from the Demon Clan attempted his Divine Tribulation, and the Guardian Faction sent a large group of people into Demon City. However, it's unclear whether that Demon Clan Perfected Demigod succeeded in the end or not.
It seems the Demon Clan has sealed off any final news."
Elder Kong added.
"The Demon Clan, the Demon Race, and the Shangqing Sect—these major forces all have formidable overall strength, possessing large groups of Perfected Demigods. It wouldn't be strange for Deities to be born among them at any time."
Ye Yunfei nodded.
"Also, Young Master Ye, many creatures of unknown origin have been constantly surveilling the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds. Their strength is formidable, so I haven't dared to rashly send people out to deal with them."
Elder Kong said further.
"I understand. I'll go kill them all."
Ye Yunfei knew in his heart that those creatures surveilling the area near the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds were likely sent by the Guardian Faction or other major forces—they meant no good.
"By the way, Young Master Ye, the Fire Clan sent someone with a message asking you to find time to visit Fire Realm for a discussion."
Elder Kong reported.
"The Fire Clan wants me to go to the Fire Realm?
Very well. I'll find time to go there."
Ye Yunfei nodded.
"How's the current situation with the Alliance Army?"
Ye Yunfei asked Xiao Ziming.
"Young Master Ye, during this period, our Alliance Army has gained over a hundred more Demigods, and our overall strength has also improved significantly. We are developing quite well."
Xiao Ziming answered.
"That's good."
Ye Yunfei nodded.
"However, it's still far from enough. Have everyone focus on training diligently."
Ye Yunfei said.
"Young Master Ye, the main issue for our Alliance Army experts is the lack of opportunities for real-world tempering. All they can do is cultivate in seclusion."
Xiao Ziming sighed.
"Yes, that is a problem."
Ye Yunfei nodded.
Secluded cultivation was only one form of cultivation. Having no real-world tempering experience would ultimately affect the effectiveness of cultivation.
"Alright. Gather those who need to venture out for training. I'll take them out with me. They can go incognito in the outside world to temper themselves and return once they've achieved significant progress."
After some thought, Ye Yunfei offered.
"First, gather the people. I'll head out now to eliminate all those surveilling the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds."
Ye Yunfei said.
With a flash, he left the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds.
With Ye Yunfei's current movement speed, traveling from inside the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds to the outside void was but an instant.
"Young Master Ye's power grows stronger and stronger! We are simply left in the dust!"
Watching Ye Yunfei vanish in an instant, the Alliance Army's leaders were both shocked and overjoyed.
Standing outside the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds, Ye Yunfei released his Soul Power energy, instantly and clearly sensing the vast expanse of the surrounding void and even several nearby world clusters.
Ye Yunfei detected several beings constantly keeping watch over the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds, or blocking the primary routes beings from the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds would need to take to leave.
"All of you, go die."
Ye Yunfei said softly.
Shoom!
The next moment, Ye Yunfei activated his Soul Swords.
Aaaaargh...
A string of agonized screams rang out in the void surrounding the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds.
Regardless of their power, any being attacked by the Soul Swords died instantly, without a chance to resist.
In the blink of an eye, several hundred people around the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds perished.
Poor souls, they hadn't even realized who was attacking them before losing their lives confusedly.
As Ye Yunfei concealed his aura, none of those beings were able to sense his presence.
Most of the several hundred killed by the Soul Swords were Demigods. Demigods were far too weak compared to Ye Yunfei's current power.
"Even if you aren't quite on par with a true Deity yet, I feel the gap isn't far."
Watching Ye Yunfei kill so many Demigods with just a thought, Hun Lao spoke, sounding somewhat astonished.
"I'm going to find whatever valuable stuff those guys left behind!"
The Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm turned into a beam of golden light and shot forward, starting to collect the wealth and possessions left by those Ye Yunfei had slain.
"Hahaha, these guys have pretty decent fortunes!"
The Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm's speed was extraordinary. He returned moments later, clearly having a good haul, beaming with delight.
"Let's see what you found. Distribute it based on need."
Ye Yunfei said with a laugh.
"Alright...
I should have known you'd ask this."
Resigned, the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm waved his hand and took out several hundred spatial rings.