"Focus on passing your tribulation. We'll do everything we can to protect you," Ye Yunfei transmitted his voice to Xiaoyao Banshen.
"Alright. No matter what, I won't give up. If I don't succeed in this Deity Tribulation, there's no telling if I'll ever get another chance. I might spend my whole life unable to ascend to Deity! So unless I die, I will go all out to complete this tribulation," Xiaoyao Banshen replied.
Then, he stopped paying attention to everything around him and concentrated on weathering the heavenly trial.
At this moment, the Guardian Faction's Wu Tao, the burly man, and the other ten Deities had already charged into the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds. They lined up, confronting the six elders of the Three Thousand Worlds and Ye Yunfei.
"Hahaha... You lot suffered a great defeat and were routed the last time you attacked our Three Thousand Worlds. You have no sense of self-preservation to dare set foot in the void of our realm again! Aren't you afraid of experiencing another crushing defeat?" Kang Wan roared with laughter.
Wu Tao's expression turned somewhat unsightly. Last time, Ye Yunfei's strength had skyrocketed unexpectedly, nearly wiping out half of the Guardian Faction's army. Moreover, most of the Deities who had come to attack the Three Thousand Worlds had their physical bodies shattered by Ye Yunfei. Although none had died, they had been severely wounded and hadn't recovered even now.
Now that these Guardian Faction Deities had stepped into the void of the Three Thousand Worlds again, the pressure was immense. They feared Ye Yunfei might explode with power once more.
In fact, those figures that had continuously emerged from Ye Yunfei's body earlier had already placed great pressure on them. That's why these Guardian Faction Deities hadn't made a move yet—they weren't clear about Ye Yunfei's and the Three Thousand Worlds' true strength and hidden reserves.
"Wu Tao, do you know the origins of these figures?" the burly man asked with a gloomy expression.
"Lord Zhou, I don't know their origins. But judging by their appearance, it's definitely that punk Ye Yunfei's doing. Last time was the same—his power surged to an unbelievable degree, leading to our great defeat and rout. This kid is utterly bizarre. So, our main target should be him," Wu Tao said slowly, his gaze fixed on Ye Yunfei as he looked him up and down.
"But this punk is merely a Demigod-level junior. In theory, he should be nothing more than an ant before us Deities. Why is he so strange?" The burly man's gaze also locked onto Ye Yunfei, his vast Soul Power energy enveloping Ye Yunfei as he carefully sensed him.
"My Lords, if we don't stop him soon, that guy's Deity Tribulation will succeed," suddenly, one of the Guardian Faction's Deities spoke up, pointing at the distant Xiaoyao Banshen.
"You ten, go and stop that guy from passing his tribulation. The two of us will deal with them," the burly man commanded.
"But Lord Zhou, the void of this Three Thousand Worlds is quite strange. If we fight here, we might not gain any advantage. Especially that punk Ye Yunfei—within the void of the Three Thousand Worlds, he could suddenly skyrocket in power like last time," one of the ten Deities hesitated before speaking.
These ten Deities, along with Wu Tao, had witnessed Ye Yunfei's power surge last time with their own eyes. They had seen him unleash his divine might, inflicting heavy casualties on the Guardian Faction alliance army and routing them. Now being ordered to fight here again placed immense pressure on them.
"What is there to fear? The two of us, plus you ten, are enough to sweep through any force, any world cluster in this expanse of the Void Sea. A measly Three Thousand Worlds? I refuse to believe it can be that strong!" The burly man glared and rebuked sternly.
"Lord Zhou, regardless, we should be cautious," Wu Tao advised the Zhou Lord.
"Lord Wu, let's make our move. If we don't act, this mission will fail," Lord Zhou declared loudly.
After speaking, Lord Zhou charged towards Ye Yunfei with large strides, his long spear in hand, still intent on attacking Ye Yunfei.
The other ten Deities turned and charged towards the location where Xiaoyao Banshen was undergoing his tribulation.
"What? More changes? Ten full Deities... How could I possibly handle that!" Xiaoyao Banshen, who had been concentrating on his tribulation, suddenly felt a vast divine energy permeating towards his position. He was startled and then noticed the ten Deities charging over, instantly feeling despair again.
"Six Elders, you go deal with those ten. Leave these two to me," Ye Yunfei said immediately upon seeing this, transmitting to the six elders including Kang Wan.
"What? Young Master Ye, you want to handle those two alone? They are both very strong. With your current strength, it's simply impossible to deal with both. It's too dangerous," hearing Ye Yunfei's words, the six elders were shocked. Kang Wan hastily spoke up.
"Six Elders, don't worry. These figures surrounding me will block all attacks. They won't be able to harm me," Ye Yunfei said, feeling less afraid of Wu Tao and Lord Zhou after his earlier experience.
Boom...
While Ye Yunfei and the six elders were exchanging messages, the burly man, gripping his long spear, had already launched an attack at Ye Yunfei.
The spear continuously enlarged, transforming in moments into an immense weapon resembling a vast mountain range, occupying a large swath of the void.
This colossal spear radiated rolling divine light as it stabbed towards Ye Yunfei.
However, at this moment, all the figures surrounding Ye Yunfei erupted simultaneously, the radiant divine light they emitted even more dazzling.
The spear pierced five or six figures in succession. These struck figures shook violently, like water struck by a stone, but instantly regained their calm.
"These figures really do protect you," Kang Wan and the other five elders were overjoyed at this sight.
"Six Elders, trust me. Go stop those ten and protect Xiaoyao Banshen's safe tribulation," Ye Yunfei transmitted again.
"Very well, we'll go stop them," Kang Wan nodded, and then the six elders soared into the air, pursuing the ten Deities.
"Lord Wu, shall we join forces to kill this punk? Once we eliminate him, this Three Thousand Worlds won't be a threat," Lord Zhou said to Wu Tao.
Then, these two Guardian Faction experts simultaneously moved to attack Ye Yunfei.
"All that belongs to the Three Thousand Worlds shall not be insulted!"
At this moment, one of the figures standing beside Ye Yunfei seemed to suddenly revive, actually speaking. Its voice was cold and mechanical, its eyes shooting forth two piercing, sharp rays of light. Then, this figure stepped forward, and the other surrounding figures, as if puppets on strings, simultaneously followed its lead, stepping forward as well.
As these figures moved, all the void within the Three Thousand Worlds began to tremble rhythmically.
All energy, all laws, began to boil and churn. Moreover, incredibly powerful, Deity-level energy that no one usually sensed emerged continuously from the air, pouring into these figures' bodies.
The figures that had earlier attacked the Severance Cloth now hurriedly returned to Ye Yunfei's position. Dense ranks of them stood before Ye Yunfei, simultaneously charging towards Wu Tao and Lord Zhou.
Boom...
A continuous stream of powerful energy converged from all directions, pouring into the bodies of these figures. The energy pressure they released grew stronger and stronger.
"This is bad. These figures are all very powerful," Wu Tao and Lord Zhou finally realized something was wrong. Despite constantly attacking the figures, their efforts seemed futile.
Their attacks couldn't inflict any fatal damage on these figures. Conversely, the figures charged at them in an endless stream, forcing them to retreat repeatedly.
Even more frightening, the aura and strength of these figures continued to rise, still growing stronger.
In the blink of an eye, Wu Tao and Lord Zhou were surrounded and pummeled by the dense throng of figures. Within two or three breaths, both were beaten black and blue, finally being sent flying simultaneously.
The dense swarm of figures seemed unwilling to let them off, swarming forward to encircle and attack them once more, trapping Wu Tao and Lord Zhou in another pummeling.
After another moment, they were both sent flying again.
Originally, Wu Tao and Lord Zhou were both strong, formidable powerhouses. But the number of these figures was immense, and each possessed considerable strength. Even more terrifying was that, during the fight, these figures continuously absorbed energy and laws from the surrounding space, growing stronger all the while!
"Damn it! Where did these things come from?" Wu Tao roared in shock and fury, his body covered in wounds.
"These things all walked out from that punk Ye Yunfei's body! What in the world is going on? How can that kid's body harbor the remnant souls of so many powerful beings?" Lord Zhou also began to shout.
As they both yelled, the dense swarm of figures charged forward again, surrounding and beating them.
"We must escape! If this continues, we'll lose our lives here! The Three Thousand Worlds truly are as terrifying as the legends say—a mysterious and bizarre world cluster, full of peril. Even the two of us can face the danger of falling within it," Wu Tao finally became afraid.
"I never believed the various legends about the Three Thousand Worlds before, but now it seems they are true. This world cluster truly is filled with dreadful danger. I suspect these remnant souls before us are related to that Colorless Abyss. The Colorless Abyss truly lives up to its name as one of the most perilous forbidden lands in our Void Sea since ancient times," Lord Zhou also cried out.
Next, they both turned to flee. Although they had been beaten by the figures, their lives as Deities were incredibly tenacious, not easily threatened. In their desperate escape, they quickly fled beyond the boundaries of the Three Thousand Worlds.
"Not good! Look, the two Lords have fled!" At this moment, the other ten Guardian Faction Deities were locked in fierce combat with the six elders, the fight temporarily stalemated. But seeing Wu Tao and Lord Zhou flee in such disarray startled them.
Since Wu Tao and Lord Zhou were far stronger than them, and even those two had been beaten into fleeing, staying here would be extremely dangerous.
So, these ten Deities didn't care about anything else, each turning to flee, instantly escaping the Three Thousand Worlds.
Wu Tao and Lord Zhou now stood in the void outside the Three Thousand Worlds, their expressions ugly as they looked back inside the realm, remaining silent.
The ten Deities who had fled out also didn't dare speak, standing beside Wu Tao and Lord Zhou.
Thus, the twelve Guardian Faction Deities stood there together, all with grim expressions, their gazes fixed on the interior of the Three Thousand Worlds.
"Hahaha... Have these guys finally learned the power of our Three Thousand Worlds?" Kang Wan and the other five elders laughed heartily.
"My Deity Tribulation is normal again! Excellent! Hopefully, no more changes will occur," Xiaoyao Banshen, who had felt utter despair earlier when ten Deities charged at him, later saw the six elders block those ten. Now, those ten Deities had even fled. Xiaoyao Banshen was completely relieved.
"How is your Deity Tribulation going? How much longer until it ends?" Ye Yunfei asked Xiaoyao Banshen.
"If no more changes occur, my lightning tribulation has entered its latter half. It won't be long now," Xiaoyao Banshen replied.
"Good, then focus on passing it. Those guys have fled outside. They can't stop your tribulation anymore. Even if they dare come back in, I will protect you," Ye Yunfei nodded.
In the time that followed, Ye Yunfei stood in the void of the Three Thousand Worlds, confronting the twelve Deities outside, surrounded by the dense ranks of the earlier figures.
Kang Wan and the other five elders stood with Ye Yunfei.
"Wu Tao, now do you know the might of our Three Thousand Worlds? When someone from our Three Thousand Worlds wishes to undergo a Deity Tribulation, they don't need your Guardian Faction's permission. Your Guardian Faction is nothing but a worthless speck before our Three Thousand Worlds!" Ding Qianjie laughed loudly.
Hearing Ding Qianjie's words, the twelve Guardian Faction Deities' expressions grew even more unsightly. Their primary mission here was to stop Xiaoyao Banshen's tribulation, but now they were powerless, forced to watch helplessly.
"Look, his lightning tribulation has ended. He's now in the final stage of the Deity Tribulation—guiding the Great Dao laws of the surrounding heaven and earth into his body, using them to temper himself. If he can withstand this stage, the Deity Tribulation is officially successful, and he will become a Deity," Hun Lao said to Ye Yunfei.
"Based on my experience, he will definitely succeed," Kang Wan, standing beside Ye Yunfei, spoke up.
"Everyone, let's try using the Severance Cloth again to isolate this world cluster and see if it works," Wu Tao and Lord Zhou were still unwilling to simply watch Xiaoyao Banshen succeed. With a wave of their hands, they tossed out the black Severance Cloth again, letting it expand endlessly, transforming into boundless darkness that once again enveloped the Three Thousand Worlds. Then, the twelve Deities jointly transmitted their divine energy into the Severance Cloth.
However, the moment they moved, the figures beside Ye Yunfei all rushed out simultaneously, launching attacks that sent the black Severance Cloth flying far away, tumbling into the distant void.
The twelve Guardian Faction Deities were also shaken, forced to retreat a great distance, shocked expressions on their faces.
Next, the twelve Guardian Faction Deities tried several more times to isolate the Three Thousand Worlds with the Severance Cloth, but without exception, they failed every time. The moment they acted, the figures beside Ye Yunfei would immediately charge over and send the cloth flying.
"Hahaha... My Deity Tribulation has concluded successfully! I have finally become a Deity! From now on, I am no longer called Xiaoyao Banshen, but Xiaoyaoshen (the Carefree Deity)!"
Not long after, Xiaoyao Banshen suddenly laughed uproariously, utterly delighted. His laughter rolled outwards, forming vast echoes in the void both inside and outside the Three Thousand Worlds.
"That guy has finally become a Deity," Hun Lao said with a smile to Ye Yunfei.
"Damn it! Without our Guardian Faction's approval, he actually succeeded in passing the tribulation and became a Deity!" Outside the Three Thousand Worlds, the twelve Guardian Faction Deities, hearing Xiaoyao Banshen's triumphant laughter, gnashed their teeth in fury.