*Thud!*
Finally unable to restrain the fear in his heart, the Patriarch of the Shaohua Sect fell to his knees before Ye Yunfei.
"Please spare our lives, Young Master Ye! I had no idea these two young lords were your sworn brothers. Offending them was unintentional! Our Shaohua Sect overstepped our bounds and offended your celestial majesty. Please show us mercy!"
The Patriarch cried out with as much reverence as he could muster, his voice trembling, his face full of terror.
"No need to be scared to this extent…"
Meng Wu and Lu Jun looked at the Shaohua Patriarch and his subordinates, all of them pale-faced and shaking uncontrollably, and felt a bit speechless.
However, upon recalling the various legends about Ye Yunfei circulating recently, they began to understand why the people of the Shaohua Sect were so terrified.
Because they had a connection with Ye Yunfei and knew he valued friendship highly, the two of them felt perfectly at ease in front of him.
Ye Yunfei paid no attention to the Shaohua Patriarch, continuing instead to chat idly with Meng Wu and Lu Jun.
Seeing Ye Yunfei ignoring him completely, the Shaohua Patriarch grew even more frightened, fearing Ye Yunfei might wipe out his entire Shaohua Sect the next moment. After all, this was a ruthless man who had consecutively destroyed five superpowers. Their paltry Shaohua Sect was nothing.
"Spare us, Honored Young Lords! Our Shaohua Sect was impudent and dared offend you both! Our sect is willing to make compensation, we will definitely satisfy you!"
The Shaohua Patriarch suddenly thought of something. Turning towards Meng Wu and Lu Jun, he pleaded with them directly. As he spoke, he took out six Space Rings and offered them up before Meng Wu and Lu Jun.
"Hmph. Your Shaohua Sect sure put on a mighty show," Meng Wu snorted, glancing at the Shaohua Patriarch. "These goons discovered we were carrying more Divine Crystals than usual and looked for an excuse to make trouble. Their real intention was to rob us of our Divine Crystals. If we two were ordinary people, your Shaohua Sect would have already stripped us bare, and we might have lost our lives too."
"Our Shaohua Sect people are heartless beasts, blind fools! How dare they commit such vile deeds! I will punish the culprits now to appease you, young lords!" Hearing Meng Wu's words, the Shaohua Patriarch grew even more terrified and repeatedly declared.
"You rabble! Flaunting the banner of our Shaohua Sect to stir up trouble and commit every wicked deed! Today, I will purge our ranks! Go to hell!"
The Shaohua Patriarch suddenly turned around, staring angrily at his subordinates kneeling behind him, and roared.
"Spare us, Patriarch!"
Seeing the killing intent in their Patriarch's eyes, those members of the Shaohua Sect were scared out of their wits.
*Thud! Thud! Thud!…*
The next moment, the Shaohua Patriarch directly attacked, dispatching all the Shaohua Sect members who had previously besieged Meng Wu and Lu Jun at lightning speed. As a Deity, killing those ordinary individuals was, of course, an easy task. It was all over in less than two breaths.
"Young Lords… Young Master Ye… I have already killed all the perpetrators who acted wickedly. Please spare our Shaohua Sect. I promise that from now on, our Shaohua Sect will conduct itself properly and never again commit such heaven-defying atrocities."
The Shaohua Patriarch spoke in a tone of supplication, his posture extremely submissive. As he spoke, his gaze drifted toward Ye Yunfei, for he knew Ye Yunfei was the one truly deciding his fate.
"Don't look at me. You offended Brother Meng and Brother Lu. Whether to spare you or not is their decision," Ye Yunfei said indifferently.
Given Ye Yunfei's current strength and mindset, he simply had no interest in wasting time entangled with a weak force like the Shaohua Sect. Killing them or letting them go held no meaning.
"Please spare our lives, young lords! I swear that from this moment on, every last person of the Shaohua Sect, high or low, will make way far ahead upon encountering you both and will never dare provoke you again!" Hearing Ye Yunfei's words, the Shaohua Patriarch hurriedly bowed and begged Meng Wu and Lu Jun.
"Scram. It'd be best if you don't provoke us again, otherwise, I won't be this accommodating," Meng Wu waved his hand and said impatiently.
Meng Wu and Lu Jun had already taken the six Space Rings the Shaohua Patriarch offered. Cultivation resources delivered on a silver platter were not to be refused.
"Many thanks for your generosity, young lords! Many thanks to you, Young Master Ye!" Hearing Meng Wu's words, the Shaohua Patriarch's heart leaped with wild joy as if receiving a sacred decree. He immediately led the remaining Shaohua Sect members and fled.
"Issue my command: Starting now, our Shaohua Sect must absolutely not provoke those two young men from earlier. They are ones who refer to Ye Yunfei as brother! Furthermore, if we ever encounter them again in the future, we must treat them like our founding ancestors, with reverence surpassing even that shown to me."
Once he had left, the Shaohua Patriarch immediately issued this command to those around him.
---
"Brother Ye, some time ago, the two of us unintentionally entered an unnamed ancient ruin and spent quite a long time exploring inside before we got out. Both of us managed to break through to Advanced Demigod within those ruins and were quite pleased with ourselves. Never thought that after coming out, we would hear all sorts of legends about you, Brother Ye, and realize you have already left us both far behind. Brother Ye, you're incredible now, both in terms of strength and cultivation realm. Truly amazing!"
Meng Wu exclaimed admiringly.
"Indeed. Compared to you, Brother Ye, we two are nothing. Far too lacking," Lu Jun nodded in agreement.
"You two are too humble. I think it's just a matter of differing personal fortunes. I have indeed improved quite a bit in strength during this period, but that's just good luck. I believe that with your talents, your future achievements will surely not be inferior to mine," Ye Yunfei said with a smile.
"Brother Ye, you are the truly humble one. Ah, but that's enough. In front of you, Brother Ye, we are completely unworthy of talking about cultivation or strength. Let's do this: it's been such a long time since the three of us gathered, now that fate has brought us together again, let's take this chance and drink till we drop!" Meng Wu laughed heartily.
"Excellent proposal, Brother Meng!" Lu Jun clapped his hands in agreement.
"Since you two have such refined interest, I'll keep you company to the end," Ye Yunfei replied.
Next, the three found a world nearby and descended onto the summit of a tall mountain. Meng Wu waved his hand, slicing the mountaintop flat to create a broad, level area. Then, with a flick of his sleeve, a pavilion landed upon the leveled ground.
This pavilion was a treasure, inside were placed stone tables and chairs. On the stone table were a dozen jars of fine wine. The three walked into the pavilion and began to drink merrily.
Meng Wu's wines were brewed from extremely precious Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, using fermentation secrets handed down from ancient times. The resulting wines were not only first-class in flavor but also contained vast amounts of energy. Drinking them could rapidly replenish energy and even accelerate cultivation speed.
While drinking, the three conversed heartily. Meng Wu and Lu Jun were particularly interested in the recent event where Ye Yunfei led the army of the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds to invade the Guardian Faction's headquarters and crush them. They repeatedly asked Ye Yunfei about various details and scenes of the battle, slapping their knees and exclaiming in excitement when they heard the thrilling parts.
This heroic drinking feast lasted a full three days and three nights.
* * *
Three days later…
"Come, Brother Ye, have another bowl!"
Just as Meng Wu was about to pour Ye Yunfei a drink, he suddenly froze.
Ye Yunfei, who had been sitting in front of him just a moment ago, had vanished. Only an empty wine bowl remained on the table.
"What happened? Why has Brother Ye disappeared so suddenly? Did he leave?" Lu Jun also noticed at this moment, staring in surprise at Ye Yunfei's now empty seat.
"It seems Brother Ye has already departed," Meng Wu and Lu Jun both calmed down soon after. Meng Wu spoke softly. He knew that given Ye Yunfei's strength, it was all too easy for him to leave unnoticed in front of them.
"Look! A Space Ring!"
Suddenly, Lu Jun's gaze sharpened. He saw a Space Ring now present on the table.
"Brother Meng, Brother Lu, I must depart. There is much I must still accomplish. Should fate bring us together again someday, we shall have another bout of heavy drinking.
I have left you some cultivation resources that should prove useful to you."
As Meng Wu and Lu Jun discovered the Space Ring on the table, a voice transmitted from within it.
"So Brother Ye really has left. I didn't feel a thing when he departed. It seems his strength truly is far, far above ours," Meng Wu couldn't help but marvel.
Subsequently, they both extended their Soul Power into the Space Ring.
The next moment, both of them opened their eyes wide in disbelief.
Inside the Space Ring was a staggering amount of cultivation resources, beyond their imagination in both quantity and rarity.
Roughly one-third of it was at the Deity-level.
"Why do I feel these pills seem specifically refined for the energy arts we two cultivate?"
Meng Wu and Lu Jun suddenly realized the pills inside this Space Ring seemed extremely useful to them, as if perfectly tailored to the energy properties and cultivation techniques they practiced.
In fact, these pills were indeed refined specifically for their energies, arts, and techniques. They were concocted over these past few days by a few of Ye Yunfei's avatars within the Phantom Tower.
Meanwhile, Ye Yunfei had already left the world where the three had been drinking.
---
In the following period, Ye Yunfei continued traversing the void, passing through one World Cluster after another, entering one world after another.
One day, Ye Yunfei entered the Tianyan Realm.
"This is the Tianyan Realm. The Fire Bird Clan resides here. I even obtained a Heaven-Blazing Divine Pearl here before."
Ye Yunfei discovered that the Fire Bird Clan now also had a few Deities. Being an ancient race with a long history, possessing not only a noble bloodline but also many highly sophisticated cultivation arts passed down through generations, they had naturally given birth to a few Deities soon after this new Deity era began.
Ye Yunfei quietly gifted some cultivation resources to a few elders of the Fire Bird Clan and then departed just as silently. Throughout the entire process, Ye Yunfei did not reveal himself. Utilizing profound concealment secrets coupled with remarkable movement speed, he completely concealed his tracks. When the Fire Bird Clan elders discovered the sudden, immensely valuable cultivation resources before them, they felt both ecstatic and confused.
One day, Ye Yunfei entered the Qiancang World Cluster.
Ye Yunfei had been here before in the past, even entering the Samsara Passageway located within the Qiancang World Cluster, so he was fairly familiar with this place.
One day, Ye Yunfei entered another World Cluster, discovering it to be where the Xiao Family's headquarters were located. Xiao Ziming had already returned here with Xiao Family's two young ladies and their forces to rebuild the Xiao Family headquarters.
Ye Yunfei did not enter the specific world where the Xiao Family headquarters were located, only wandering slightly around this World Cluster before quietly departing.
No one knew how much time passed.
One day, Ye Yunfei suddenly stopped walking.
"It's time to go back."
Staring at the vast void before him, he murmured.
This journey through the void had taken him through many different worlds, allowing him to witness a wide spectrum of mortal affairs and comprehend the unique energy and law characteristics of each world. Ye Yunfei had gained much.
Throughout this process, Ye Yunfei had continually been pondering and cultivating the True Understanding of Laws. Now, the number of new laws he had come to know had reached five to six hundred varieties.
Furthermore, the number of major Dao Laws Ye Yunfei had now mastered had also exceeded thirty types.
One could say Ye Yunfei's comprehension regarding laws had improved tremendously. Moreover, Ye Yunfei increasingly sensed he was nearing the edge of a breakthrough. It was indeed time to return and enter seclusion, concentrating on advancing his realm.
Thus, Ye Yunfei headed back towards the direction of the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds.
While traveling through the void, Ye Yunfei frequently encountered members of the Alliance Army. Now, the Alliance Army had become the strongest superpower within this void. Although Ye Yunfei had been constantly traveling away, he would occasionally have his avatars send batches of pills back to foster more Deities for the Alliance Army.
Therefore, the number of Deities within the Alliance Army had now surpassed several hundred. Additionally, Ye Yunfei had left a portion of his Deity-level puppets at the Alliance Army's headquarters in the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds. So, without exaggeration, the Alliance Army possessed the greatest number of Deities among all forces in this void.
Soon after, Ye Yunfei returned to the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds. He entered an ordinary world, found a secluded spot, then entered the Phantom Tower to begin secluded cultivation.
"This time, it should be successful…"
Ye Yunfei sat cross-legged, took a deep breath, and murmured softly. During his recent travels through the void, he had sensed multiple times that he was approaching the edge of a breakthrough. Thus, Ye Yunfei believed this seclusion would likely lead to him facing his ascension tribulation to Deityhood.
In the following time, Ye Yunfei started his closed-door cultivation, assailing his current bottleneck to promote his cultivation realm.
* * *
While Ye Yunfei was engaged in secluded cultivation inside the Phantom Tower, within a certain inconspicuous World Cluster of the void, in a very ordinary world, the space in the center of a vast desert suddenly began to distort and warp.
An ancient altar then gradually emerged from the continuously quivering and rippling space, as if from water.
This ancient altar had always been here, only previously concealed by an extremely sophisticated Illusion Formation.
*Rumble!…*
The ancient altar burst forth with surging divine radiance and dense spacetime aura. Then, a spatial gateway appeared.
After that, a figure walked out from this spatial gateway.
"This should be the Eighth Void. They say this Eighth Void is extremely weak; it didn't even have a single Deity in the past, only recently entered a new Deity era. So, most of the Deities here should be at the Primary Deity level, quite feeble.
I can't figure out why the Advanced Void Gods our Guardian Faction sent here were all killed. My guess is those guys were simply too useless."
The first to walk out was a stockily-built middle-aged man. He surveyed the surroundings and spoke in a tone of disdain.
Following this middle-aged man, nine more figures emerged consecutively from the spatial gateway. A total of ten people stepped out onto the ancient altar.
"I believe with ten of us, peak Void Gods, personally arriving in this void, we can effortlessly suppress everything and dominate this void."
An elder with a gaunt face stood with his hands behind his back, surveying the world before him, and spoke with confidence.
"Reportedly, our Guardian Faction's most formidable enemy in this Eighth Void is a certain youngster called Ye Yunfei. Let's do this: First, we locate this Ye Yunfei and eliminate him, then re-establish our Guardian Faction's influence within this void," the burly middle-aged man who had walked out first said.