"Let's continue. This amount of loot is nothing; it's only just begun," Ye Yunfei said.
"The young master is right! We'll go look for new targets and spread news about Lu Shi's whereabouts immediately," the Guanzhong Six Heroes responded, their spirits instantly lifted. Seeing such substantial gains, they were all brimming with motivation.
"Then Lu Shi and I will wait here. The surroundings aren't bad; they'll make a suitable burial ground for them," Ye Yunfei said, glancing at the surrounding abandoned city and nodding.
The Guanzhong Six Heroes immediately employed their movement techniques and departed.
Ye Yunfei found a spot in the city to set up a small spatial formation. He and Lu Shi entered this space to hide.
Not long after, news about Lu Shi and Ye Yunfei began spreading through various channels, courtesy of the Guanzhong Six Heroes. More and more people learned that Lu Shi, who was being hunted by the Guardian Faction's bounty, and another mysterious young man had shown themselves and were currently resting within an abandoned city.
Upon receiving the news, many people immediately headed toward Ye Yunfei and Lu Shi's location.
"Brother Ye, someone's here," Lu Shi said. Ye Yunfei and Lu Shi had been meditating cross-legged within the small formation space, quietly recuperating. After a while, Lu Shi suddenly opened his eyes, looking toward the city gates. He saw over a dozen people rushing in at high speed.
"According to the intel, Lu Shi and that kid should be here. That's strange, why can't we see any trace of them? Could we be too late? Have they already left?" These dozen or so people were all from the same faction, called the Heixuan Sect. In fact, this Heixuan Sect had long ago secretly surrendered to the Guardian Faction, becoming a vassal force. They had developed rapidly in the Sixth Void over the years.
These members of the Heixuan Sect were eager to earn merit in front of the Guardian Faction members. Thus, upon receiving the news, they rushed here without delay.
"Brother Ye, this Heixuan Sect has a very close relationship with the Guardian Faction. I received intelligence earlier stating that the Heixuan Sect has indeed surrendered to the Guardians," Lu Shi quickly recognized these people's origins and informed Ye Yunfei.
"Oh, is that so? Well, if their faction has already thrown in their lot with the Guardian Faction, then we don't need to be polite," Ye Yunfei said with a cold laugh.
Back in the Eighth Void, many major forces had also surrendered to or attached themselves to the Guardian Faction. Ye Yunfei later dealt with them with an iron fist.
After entering the abandoned city, that group of over a dozen immediately released their Soul Power energy, carefully sensing every corner of the city.
"Looking for me?" Suddenly, a figure appeared in a corner of the city, sneering coldly at the Heixuan Sect members.
"It's him! Lu Shi from the Lu Family! He really was hiding here!" The dozen-plus Heixuan Sect members were overjoyed upon seeing Lu Shi and immediately moved to surround him.
"Lu Shi, where is your accomplice? Speak honestly, where has he run off to?" After encircling Lu Shi, the leader, a man, harshly interrogated him. According to the intel they'd received, there were two people here.
"Your Heixuan Sect has surrendered to the Guardian Faction, aiding the tyrant. That is an enormous crime," Lu Shi said coldly, looking at these Heixuan Sect people before him.
"Hahaha… Lu Shi, you're at death's door and still meddling in other people's business. I'm not afraid to tell you, our Heixuan Sect has indeed allied with the Guardian Faction. We are allies, so the affairs of the Guardian Faction are the affairs of the Heixuan Sect. Submit and let yourself be captured. However, I can give you a chance to live. As long as you reveal the whereabouts of the other kid, we can consider sparing your life. Otherwise, you will not only die, but suffer cruel torture before death, guaranteed to make you wish you were better off dead." The leading man glared at Lu Shi as he spoke with a sneer.
"Give me a chance to live? I think you'd better consider whether you all have a chance of surviving," Lu Shi said expressionlessly.
The next moment, a large group of puppets appeared, surrounding these dozen-plus Heixuan Sect members, then launched a frenzied assault.
Although these Heixuan Sect members included several Advanced Void Gods, facing so many Deity-level puppets left them no room to fight back. In mere moments, they were pounded into piles of bloody pulp.
Lu Shi, Hu Miao, Jinjiao Longcan, and others quickly worked together to collect the wealth left behind by these Heixuan Sect members.
Meanwhile, Ye Yunfei and Huang Shang refined and absorbed the Soul Body energy left by these people. The Blood Clan Clone refined and absorbed the Bloodline Essence they left behind. For Ye Yunfei, Huang Shang, and the Blood Clan Clone, these Deities were precious cultivation resources.
"The Heixuan Sect really has surrendered to the Guardian Faction and has been secretly doing a lot of dirty work for them," Ye Yunfei said with a cold laugh after devouring the Soul Bodies of several Heixuan Sect members and obtaining their memories.
Previously, Ye Yunfei had also devoured the souls of some Tianhai Sect members. Synthesizing the memories of people from the Guardian Faction, the Tianhai Sect, and the Heixuan Sect, Ye Yunfei learned the names of a few other factions that had secretly surrendered to the Guardians.
"Good. From now on, whenever I encounter members of the Guardian Faction or these other factions, I won't be polite. I must weaken their strength, because eventually I will have to face them head-on in battle," Ye Yunfei said coldly.
"More people are coming!" Suddenly, Lu Shi sent a voice transmission to Ye Yunfei.
Ye Yunfei and Lu Shi immediately hid within the small spatial formation. A moment later, five figures rushed into the abandoned city.
"This should be the place," one said. All five were Advanced Void Gods. Upon arrival, they immediately released their Soul Power energy to sense the entire ruined city.
"These guys aren't from the Guardian Faction, and they don't seem to be from any factions allied with them either. They probably heard the news and want to make a quick fortune, so they came looking for us," Ye Yunfei observed the five Advanced Void Gods and said to Lu Shi.
"But even so, we can't let them go." With a thought, over a hundred puppets appeared. Among them were twenty-two Advanced Void God-level puppets. They swarmed the five Advanced Void Gods, encircling them.
"What's going on? Why are there so many puppets in this city? Did we come to the wrong place, accidentally stumbling into a dangerous ground?" Faced with over a hundred Deity-level puppets, the five Advanced Void Gods quickly found themselves unable to fight back. They cried out in agony, deeply regretting having come here.
Finally, dozens of puppets rushed forward, firmly restraining the five Advanced Void Gods' bodies and looting all their possessions.
"We were... robbed by puppets? This is infuriating!" The five Advanced Void Gods discovered all their belongings had been seized by these puppets, including some treasures hidden within their bodies, which were forcibly extracted.
Next, Ye Yunfei appeared. Under the effect of an Invisibility Talisman, he appeared as a hazy, mysterious figure. He subdued these five Advanced Void Gods and took them to a nearby secluded spot. He laid down dozens of formations and then tossed the five Advanced Void Gods inside, trapping them.
When Ye Yunfei set up these formations, he controlled their timing. They would automatically open roughly at the time the Yangming Secret Realm's access period ended. By then, these five Advanced Void Gods would be able to emerge and leave the Yangming Secret Realm.
Moreover, the Divine Power and Soul Power within these five Advanced Void Gods had been sealed by Ye Yunfei using a secret technique. The seals would automatically lift only when the Yangming Secret Realm's access period ended.
In other words, Ye Yunfei had imprisoned them there. This was his way of avoiding unnecessary killing, giving them a special reprieve since they weren't part of the Guardian Faction. They had simply come seeking Lu Shi and himself to make a quick fortune.
"How could this happen? Who was that figure? Why did he seal and trap us here? This is the Yangming Secret Realm. If we remain trapped here until the access period ends, we'll lose our chance to leave. Doesn't that mean we'd be stuck in this secret realm for three hundred years?" The five Advanced Void Gods, with their energies sealed, were now powerless and utterly helpless within the formations. They felt hopeless and despairing, only able to roar at the heavens.
Meanwhile, Ye Yunfei and Lu Shi continued waiting within the abandoned city for the next batch of prey.
As time passed, more and more people seeking to track down Ye Yunfei and Lu Shi entered the city. Ye Yunfei showed no mercy toward these people. Anyone from the Guardian Faction or any of the factions that had secretly surrendered to them, he killed.
As for the others, Ye Yunfei robbed them clean, then found a spot nearby and trapped them within formations.
Gradually, news spread continuously, and more and more people headed toward this abandoned city.
"I received word earlier that Brother Huang and the others discovered traces of Lu Shi and that kid and were coming here. But why can't I contact Brother Huang and his group now? Could something have happened to them?" Another batch of people rushed into the abandoned city, about eleven in total. The leading man spoke as he used Soul Power energy to sense the entire city.
"Brother Huang's group had fifteen people total, and every one of them is a powerhouse among our Heixuan Sect's younger generation. How could anything happen to them? It's possible they went to the wrong place, or couldn't find anyone and headed elsewhere," another person beside him said.
"You haven't come to the wrong place. Your Heixuan Sect did indeed have over a dozen people come here earlier, but they're all dead. Now it's your turn to die," suddenly, a cold voice sounded.
Then Ye Yunfei and Lu Shi appeared not far in front of these Heixuan Sect members, looking at them with mocking eyes.
"It's Lu Shi! And that mysterious kid! They really are here!" The Heixuan Sect members immediately recognized Ye Yunfei and Lu Shi.
"Kid, what did you just say? Brother Huang and the others are dead?" a Heixuan Sect man angrily pointed at Ye Yunfei and asked.
"That's right. They were all beaten to death, and it was a gruesome death," Ye Yunfei replied with a grin. Then, an image appeared in the space beside him, showing the scene of those dozen-plus Heixuan Sect members being brutally beaten to death earlier.
"It really is Brother Huang and the others!"
"How can there be so many puppets? Brother Huang and the others were killed by a bunch of puppets!"
The Heixuan Sect members watching the scene were incensed, their eyes wide with fury.