The long arrow that was shot out arrived instantly at the void outside the Fire Realm. It shot directly at the Deity who had just spoken with a powerful, rolling momentum.
"Cui Hong, I know you have a Fire Bow. It gained some reputation in the Chaotic Void Sea back in the day. But now you are merely a remnant energy body. Do you really think you can still injure me?"
Standing his ground, that Deity faced the incoming fiery arrow with a sneer and spoke coldly.
Then he threw a punch. His fist constantly enlarged, and in an instant, the illusory images of thirty-six divine mountains materialized above his fist. Each divine mountain seemed immensely heavy, emanating a terrifying weight that caused the surrounding space to sink.
*Clang!*
The fist the Deity launched and the incoming long arrow collided, producing a tremendous metallic impact.
"How is this possible?"
The Deity's expression changed drastically the moment they collided, and he cried out in alarm.
Immediately after, the fist he had thrown exploded directly, turning into a mist of blood. Moreover, the long arrow continued towards his chest.
"Everyone, assist me! Quickly!"
In his haste, this Deity had no time to block it. Furthermore, he lacked the confidence to withstand the fearsome energy contained within this arrow. In his panic, he hastily called out loudly to the other Deities around him for help.
The other five or six Deities nearby all acted simultaneously. Some summoned magic treasures, others unleashed formidable martial skills, and some relied on barehanded combat techniques. With the combined effort of four or five Deities, they barely managed to block that long arrow.
The Deity who had been attacked retreated fearfully, instantly putting a considerable distance between himself and his original position. His face was slightly pale.
If the other Deities hadn't intervened to help him just now, his body might have already been pierced and destroyed by that arrow.
"How can this be?
Didn't they say Cui Hong was just a remnant energy body?
Even if he can still manage to activate his old Fire Bow, the power he can unleash must be greatly inferior to before, right? Why does it still possess such terrifying power now?"
The dozen-plus Deities of the Guardian Faction were all shocked to see the arrow shot from within the Fire Realm wield such power, and a trace of extra caution appeared on their faces.
Originally, they thought a mere energy body of a Deity would be utterly insignificant against their dozen-plus Deities. Suppressing the Fire Realm should have been as simple as lifting a finger for them. But now, just as they began to act, one of their own had been injured. Such an outcome was a bit hard for them to believe and accept.
"Weren't you saying I couldn't injure you?
Although I'm only an energy body here now, I can still injure someone of your caliber. If my true body were here, killing you would be no different from stepping on an ant."
Cui Hong's voice transmitted out from within the Fire Realm, laced with contempt.
"Cui Hong, your Fire Clan is about to be destroyed. Your glib tongue here is useless."
That Deity was using a technique to restore the hand that had just been destroyed by the arrow. Upon hearing Cui Hong's words, he angrily retorted.
"I'm not just being glib; I'm stating a fact."
Cui Hong said calmly.
"Everyone, in ancient times, Cui Hong was a famous powerhouse in this part of the Void Sea. Although he's now only a remnant energy body, we still shouldn't be too careless.
How about this? Let's join forces and attack in together. We should quickly annihilate the Fire Clan without wasting too much time on idle chatter with him."
Another Deity spoke up.
"Very well, let's attack together now and kill every living being within the Fire Realm, leave neither fowl nor dog."
The other Deities nodded in agreement.
Then, over a dozen Deities strode towards the entrance-exit of the Fire Realm, preparing to forcefully break in.
"The power of that arrow earlier was actually due to all members of the Fire Clan infusing their energy into it through that battle formation," Hun Lao commented within Ye Yunfei's soul sea.
"Yes."
Ye Yunfei nodded.
That arrow earlier was truly the power exerted by the battle formation, not Cui Hong's own strength. In short, it was the combined strength of the entire Fire Clan.
"I think that while the power unleashed by this battle formation is quite impressive—even a Void God at the Primary Level wouldn't dare block it head-on—the energy consumption it requires must also be enormous. It cannot be sustained for long.
Meanwhile, the Guardian Faction's army is strong with formidable soldiers and numerous in number, with a full dozen-plus Deities. So, in the end, I estimate the Guardian Faction still has the greater chance of victory."
The Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm spoke up.
"That's indeed the case. From the current perspective, the situation is unfavorable for the Fire Clan,"
Ye Yunfei said.
"Let's wait and see how things develop first. If the Fire Clan is in danger, I will definitely step in to help."
Ye Yunfei thought for a moment, then added.
Then, Ye Yunfei conveyed his observations to Cui Hong through Sound Transmission.
"Young Master Ye, I am also aware that this battle formation of our Fire Clan can only be maintained for a period of time and cannot hold out for too long, because the energy consumption is indeed massive.
Each arrow we shoot costs our Fire Clan a portion of its strength. If this continues, we might eventually exhaust the energy of all our members. But currently, we can only take one step at a time and can't afford to worry too much."
Cui Hong replied immediately after receiving Ye Yunfei's Sound Transmission.
By this time, the dozen-plus Deities of the Guardian Faction outside had already reached the Fire Realm's entrance-exit. Each Deity released their energy pressure, suppressing it towards the interior of the Fire Realm.
*Boom!*
Another long arrow shot out from within the Fire Realm.
This arrow blazed with fierce flames, radiating powerful fire-attribute energy. It pierced through space and instantly arrived before the Deity leading the group.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!...*
Seeing another fiery arrow shoot out from the Fire Realm, the dozen-plus Deities of the Guardian Faction immediately summoned their magic treasures. Over a dozen deity-level treasures were simultaneously activated to block that arrow.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!...*
A series of over a dozen loud noises rang out. Then, the faces of those dozen-plus Deities changed simultaneously because their dozen-plus deity treasures were all blasted backwards by that fiery arrow.
"How is this possible?"
The dozen-plus Deities of the Guardian Faction couldn't believe it.
"Our Fire Clan is not to be bullied. I advise you to leave now. Otherwise, even if it leads to mutual destruction, our Fire Clan will see this through to the end."
Cui Hong's icy voice transmitted once more from within the Fire Realm.
"Cui Hong, don't be so arrogant.
I suspect this is already the last of your Fire Clan's hidden reserves?Is that little reserve enough to oppose our Guardian Faction? It's insufficient.
Since your Fire Clan has clearly stated it refuses to submit to our Guardian Faction, then there is only one fate for your Fire Clan: destruction.
Everyone, let's attack in together.
Cui Hong is just an energy body with limited energy reserves. Furthermore, it's difficult for him to maintain prolonged combat. Even by simply draining him, we can exhaust him to death."
The Deity leading the Guardian Faction group sneered coldly.
Then, these dozen-plus Deities simultaneously summoned back their repelled treasures. Each treasure erupted with rolling divine radiance, bombarding towards the Fire Realm's entrance-exit.
*Boom!*
Another blazing fiery arrow shot out from within the Fire Realm. Wherever it passed, the surrounding space itself ignited fiercely, with astonishing fire-attribute energy continuously spreading.
Inside the Fire Realm, Cui Hong stood in the void. His massive form emanated rolling divine radiance, exerting immense oppressive pressure.
He held that long bow in his hand. Below him were all the members of the Fire Clan arrayed in the battle formation. Those Fire Clan members all poured their own energy into the formation, transmitting it to the long bow above.
Simultaneously, all the energy and laws within the entire Fire Realm surged and roiled, converging towards Cui Hong's location to become energy for that great bow.
A thunderous *Clang!* echoed as the dozen-plus Deities outside were simultaneously forced to retreat.
"Who would have thought the Fire Realm still possessed such reserves."
The expressions of these dozen-plus Deities grew rather unsightly.
The long arrow shot from within the Fire Realm also exhausted its energy and slowly faded away.
"Everyone, let's be patient. We can slowly wear Cui Hong down. His energy will be exhausted sooner or later."
The leading Deity snorted coldly and spoke.
Next, these Deities again walked towards the Fire Realm's entrance-exit, each with a magic treasure suspended before them as a shield.
When these dozen-plus Deities neared the entrance-exit, another long arrow shot out from inside, forcing the dozen-plus Deities to retreat once more.
"Who would have thought the Fire Realm possessed such strength, capable of forcing back over a dozen Deities."
Seeing this scene, almost all the living beings present felt deeply shocked. However, Ye Yunfei inwardly felt a trace of concern.
Currently, it seemed the Fire Clan could probably still hold out for a while because their members' energy was far from depleted. But if this continued, the Fire Clan members' energy would be exhausted eventually. At that point, the Fire Clan would be utterly defeated.
Moreover, those dozen-plus Deities outside were all at the Primary Level Void God realm. If Wu Tao and Lord Zhou arrived, the time the Fire Clan could hold out would be even shorter.
"Young Master Ye, if things continue like this, our Fire Clan won't be able to hold on for much longer. Therefore, I'm now planning to temporarily leave the Fire Realm to go outside and search for something. If I can find that thing and bring it back, then I should have the capability to resist the Guardian Faction. Otherwise, our Fire Clan will have to enter the ancestral land immediately and hide once more. Who knows how long we'll have to stay hidden before we can see the light of day again?"
Cui Hong suddenly transmitted a message to Ye Yunfei.
"Senior, you want to leave the Fire Realm to search for something?"
Hearing Cui Hong's Sound Transmission, Ye Yunfei couldn't help but be slightly taken aback.
Previously, Cui Hong had mentioned that if the Fire Clan couldn't resist the Guardian Faction's assault, they could hide inside the Fire Clan's ancestral land. Unexpectedly, Cui Hong now intended to leave the Fire Realm.
"Yes. Unless we find that thing, our Fire Clan will truly have the strength to resist the Guardian Faction's attack. Otherwise, we can't hold out for long. At that point, we'd have to hide in the ancestral land again, returning to those days of turtling in a corner. That's not conducive to the long-term development of our Fire Clan, and it goes against our clan's nature.
As long as it is possible, our Fire Clan will definitely resist to the end."
Cui Hong replied.
"Senior, how long will it take for you to go outside and search for that item?"
"Hard to say. But I already have some clues. If things go smoothly, it shouldn't take too long.
Young Master Ye, I can take you out of the Fire Realm now. If a crisis arises later and all our members are forced to immediately hide in the ancestral land, the ancestral land will be sealed.
Young Master Ye, you are not of our Fire Clan. You probably wouldn't wish to hide inside our ancestral land."
Cui Hong stated.
"Senior, you don't need to worry about me. I'll stay here for now.
Since I was able to enter, if danger arises, I have ways to leave."
Ye Yunfei thought for a moment before speaking.
Ye Yunfei believed that with the Concealment Talisman, if the Guardian Faction's forces truly broke into the Fire Realm, he could immediately hide his traces. Even those Deities would have difficulty discovering him. Naturally, there would be many ways to quietly leave the Fire Realm.
"Even so, you'd still be taking a risk. It's better if I take you out of the Fire Realm now."
Cui Hong said.
"Senior, if you are not presiding over this battle formation, both its sustainable duration and its power will be diminished.
How about this: while you are away from the Fire Realm, I'll preside over this battle formation."
Ye Yunfei offered.
"You? Preside over this battle formation?"
Hearing Ye Yunfei's words, Cui Hong was momentarily stunned.
"Given your strength, you indeed could preside over this formation. However, doing so would carry some risk for you. After all, there are over a dozen Deities outside, along with the main force of the Guardian Faction.
Furthermore, it's unclear whether the Guardian Faction will dispatch even stronger individuals to deal with our Fire Realm.
Young Master Ye, this is our Fire Clan's affair. There's no need for you to take this risk."
After considering, Cui Hong spoke.
"Senior, there's no need to be overly courteous. Those fellows from the Guardian Faction are also my enemies. Even if they didn't come for me, I would seek opportunities to deal with them.
Now that they are attacking the Fire Realm, of course I won't stand idly by. Taking this chance to confront them suits my intentions perfectly."
Ye Yunfei said.
"Good. Since that's the case, I'll teach you the principles of this battle formation. With your level of proficiency in formations, Young Master Ye, and your current strength, you'll certainly be able to preside over this battle formation effectively, unleashing its due power.
Young Master Ye, you once bestowed kindness upon our Fire Clan in the past. Now, when our Fire Realm faces crisis, you step forward again to aid our Fire Clan. Our Fire Clan has always been clear on debts of gratitude and grudges. We will surely remember all the things you have done for us."
Cui Hong declared.
In fact, if Ye Yunfei remained here to preside over the battle formation, Cui Hong would feel more at ease venturing out to search for the item he sought because Ye Yunfei now possessed combat power at the Deity level.
Furthermore, the cultivation technique Ye Yunfei practiced was the Nine Yang Ancient Classic, which belonged to the yang attribute, sharing the same energy attribute as the Fire Clan.
At the same time, Ye Yunfei's skill in formations was also quite impressive. Having Ye Yunfei preside over the battle formation would unleash power not inferior to that when Cui Hong himself presided over it.
"Senior Cui Hong, you exaggerate. This is merely a small effort."
Ye Yunfei quickly responded.
"Young Master Ye, great kindness need not be spoken of in words of thanks. In any case, the favor you have done for our Fire Clan will be engraved in our memory. Now, I shall impart the principles of this battle formation to you."
Cui Hong said.
He then pointed a finger and transferred a stream of Soul Power energy into Ye Yunfei's soul sea.
"Young Master Ye, study it right away. Once you have comprehended it sufficiently to preside over the battle formation, I will depart."
Cui Hong informed Ye Yunfei.