The colossal figure was advancing step by step towards the flying vessel, the energy it released growing increasingly terrifying, already sealing the spatial domain where the ship was located.
"Head in that direction. There seems to be a forsaken world over there. We're already surrounded, and the space we're in has been suppressed and sealed by that guy. Let's first enter that world and see if we can find a turning point," Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm suddenly spoke up, pointing in a direction to Ye Yunfei.
Ye Yunfei and Hun Lao's Soul Power instantly extended their perception towards it.
"There really is a very well-hidden world entrance! Enter that world immediately. Then find a chance to use that jade artifact and see if you can shake them off," Hun Lao said at once.
What surprised Ye Yunfei, however, was that he couldn't actually perceive the world entrance Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm mentioned. Only under the joint guidance of the dragon silkworm and Hun Lao did he finally manage to detect it.
Indeed, special spatial ripples continuously emanated from that location, indicating there truly was a world there. Both Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm and Hun Lao possessed considerable skill in spatial energy and laws, with Hun Lao being particularly sensitive to space, able to determine a space's characteristics based on different spatial fluctuations. In this regard, Ye Yunfei was somewhat lacking.
Thus, Ye Yunfei immediately sent a voice transmission to the Earth Demon Clan's patriarch, indicating the direction and instructing him to steer the vessel towards it.
Boom...
The next moment, Ye Yunfei, Hun Lao, and Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm simultaneously activated their spatial secret arts to counteract the sealing energy present in this space. Ye Yunfei instantly deployed a large number of Earth Formations and arrays, which erupted incessantly. At the same time, the Earth Demon Clan's patriarch and the eight other True Gods released their own spatial energy. Under their combined efforts, the sealing energy of this spatial region finally loosened slightly.
The Earth Demon Clan's patriarch seized the chance and steered the vessel to the location Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm indicated. Guided by Ye Yunfei, they found a world entrance heavily concealed by layer upon layer of formations. Although these formations were of a high grade, they were no match for Ye Yunfei, who quickly saw through them. Without hesitation, the Earth Demon Clan patriarch piloted the ship into the world's entrance.
Boom...
The space behind them violently shook. The Advanced True God extended a palm that enlarged continuously, reaching out to grab the ship. An Advanced True God was indeed terrifying; wherever that palm went, everything was sealed. However, the instant the ship entered the world entrance, Ye Yunfei had laid down a batch of formations and Earth Formations, slightly hindering that palm. Thus, the ship just barely, by the skin of its teeth, shot into that world.
"This really is a forsaken world," Ye Yunfei remarked as the ship entered. His Soul Power immediately swept through the world, finding it devoid of life, shrouded in lifeless silence.
"Quick, flee! Those bastards behind are catching up!" Hun Lao warned at that moment.
A powerful Soul Power energy followed them inside, precisely enveloping Ye Yunfei's body.
"The perception ability of an Advanced True God is truly formidable," Ye Yunfei thought, alarmed.
The Earth Demon Clan's patriarch steered the ship swiftly deeper into the world. Behind them, one formidable aura after another followed them in.
"Over there! Don't let them escape!" a True God shouted, pointing at the rapidly moving vessel.
"They can't escape," said an imposing elder who strode in with his hands clasped behind his back. The energy aura he emanated was more fearsome than the other True Gods', causing the space to warp slightly around him.
'The wizard was right,' the Advanced True God thought, looking at Ye Yunfei and his group. 'The True Gods our Guardian Faction lost recently were likely killed by these very people. Once I capture them and take them back for interrogation, the truth will come out.' With hands still behind his back, he strode forward, covering vast distances with each step, his speed terrifying. His formidable Soul Power was tightly locked onto Ye Yunfei's party.
"Wait, something's off," Huang Shang suddenly said to Ye Yunfei. "The aura of death in this world is too dense. It doesn't feel like an ordinary abandoned world. I suspect there's something unusual here."
"The aura of death is too dense?" Ye Yunfei's heart stirred upon hearing this.
"Indeed," Huang Shang continued. "The atmosphere here feels wrong. It's filled with deathly stillness, giving a gloomy, sinister sensation. It somewhat resembles the atmosphere of the Netherworld. Strictly speaking, this isn't just an aura of death; it's an aura of corpses. Only a massive accumulation of corpses could produce this kind of energy."
"Massive accumulation of corpses?" Ye Yunfei frowned lightly.
"Those guys behind are about to catch up," the Earth Demon Clan's patriarch said anxiously. One powerful aura after another was closing in from behind at an alarming speed.
Just then, "Look! What are those up ahead?" Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm exclaimed in surprise.
Ahead, five tall, dark mountains suddenly appeared. Each was immense, piercing the clouds, and shrouded in thick, murky qi, obscuring their true appearance.
"Such terrifying corpse energy," said Huang Shang, who as a ghost cultivator was most sensitive to this type of dark energy.
Even though the five dark mountains were still a fair distance away, a fearsome, rolling wave of corpse energy washed over them. Even Ye Yunfei, a powerful body-tempering expert, couldn't help but shiver.
"Young Master Ye, what do we do now?" asked the Earth Demon Clan's patriarch. "There's definitely something strange about those five dark mountains ahead, and there might be danger. But those pursuers are hot on our heels. Do we keep going forward?"
After a moment's thought, Ye Yunfei immediately activated the Primal Chaos Divination Art to perform a divination. As his power had increased continuously, the potency of his current divinations had naturally grown much stronger than before. After a quick divination, he made his decision.
"Keep going forward. There are over twenty True Gods behind us, including an Advanced True God. We're no match. Let's forge ahead."
"Very well," the Earth Demon Clan's patriarch nodded, urging the ship onward.
"What is this place?" The Guardian Faction and Autumn Wind Group True Gods hot on their trail also sensed the peculiar atmosphere of this world and soon noticed the five tall, dark mountains ahead. So thick was the shroud of corpse energy around them that even Soul Power had difficulty penetrating it, preventing them from seeing the mountains' true appearance for the moment.
Each of these True God experts possessed formidable Soul Power. Encountering something their senses couldn't fully penetrate instantly put them on guard.
"Be careful, everyone. Those mountains might harbor something strange," a Guardian Faction True God warned.
"No need to worry. It's merely a forsaken world," the Advanced True God walking at the front said dismissively, striding forward with his hands behind his back. Among them, he was the strongest. With great skill comes greater daring; as an Advanced True God, he felt there were few dangers in the Sixth Void worth fearing.
Meanwhile, the ship carrying Ye Yunfei and his group drew closer to the five dark mountains. The nearer they got, the more towering the mountains seemed. As the distance closed, they gradually made out the scene atop them.
"So many corpses!" Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm cried out in shock.
"Yes, master, look! The slopes of these five dark mountains are piled high with layer upon layer of corpses. How horrifying!" Hu Miao exclaimed in astonishment.
"No wonder the corpse energy in this world is so dense. It's emanating from these corpses on the mountains," Huang Shang observed.
From the base to the summit, the five dark mountains were covered densely with countless corpses. Each corpse emitted a visible black corpse energy that slowly rose upwards. So much gathered corpse energy created a suffocating feeling.
Within the churning black corpse energy, ghostly silhouettes of a vast number of vengeful spirits faintly appeared, emitting mournful wails that made one's scalp tingle.
"Huang Shang, what's happening here?" Ye Yunfei asked, somewhat shocked by the sight of the five dark mountains piled with a terrifying number of corpses.
"I can't tell for now. But with so many corpses and such dense corpse energy here, it's possible beings who specialize in cultivating corpse energy are hidden here," Huang Shang replied while perceiving the corpses on the five mountains ahead.
"Indeed, there are legends of beings who specialize in cultivating corpse energy. With such dense corpse energy existing in this world, it's possible such beings are hiding here," Ye Yunfei nodded.
At this time, the Guardian Faction and Autumn Wind Group experts behind also slowed their pace, having discovered the frightening number of corpses on the dark mountains and the churning waves of corpse energy.
"Could Corpse Path experts who specialize in cultivating corpse energy be lurking here? Only certain beings from the Netherworld typically specialize in corpse energy cultivation. Could it be Netherworld experts?" the Advanced True God in the lead frowned and spoke.
"Netherworld experts?" The True Gods behind him were somewhat surprised.
"Our Sixth Void's Netherworld seemed to have shut down in ancient times; even its entrances have vanished. Some divination masters deduced that the Netherworld of our Sixth Void has shifted to other external voids. How could there still be Netherworld experts here?" a senior-ranked Intermediate True God couldn't help but speak up.
"If they truly are Netherworld experts, it's best not to provoke them for now," the leading Advanced True God said. "The Netherworld is extremely mysterious, somewhat similar to other ancient forces like the Samsara Palace. Without understanding their true situation, our Guardian Faction should avoid them temporarily." He pointed at Ye Yunfei's ship and added, "Let's move. Our targets are those people. Capture them and take them back."
Then, one True God after another from the Guardian Faction and Autumn Wind Group began employing movement techniques, surrounding the vessel where Ye Yunfei and the others were.
"Young Master Ye, they're about to attack us," the Earth Demon Clan patriarch said immediately.
"All of you, first enter my spatial treasure," Ye Yunfei said, glancing back at the pursuing True Gods, especially the Advanced one.
The Earth Demon Clan's patriarch and the other eight True Gods hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement. During this period of following Ye Yunfei, they had grown accustomed to letting him make the decisions.
Ye Yunfei sent all nine True Gods into the Phantom Shadow Tower. Then, with a flash of his figure, he unhesitatingly shot toward one of the dark mountains ahead. Throughout, he had been using the Primal Chaos Divination Art for divination, and even employing the compass he obtained from deep beneath the Xuanhuang Continent for augury. Both methods pointed him forward, hinting at a desperate path to survival. Hence, his decisive charge.
Soon, Ye Yunfei landed on the dark mountain. Where his feet touched, there was only a densely packed accumulation of corpses. Looking around, piles upon piles of corpses dotted the slopes from base to summit. These corpses belonged to beings of various races, including some rare ones Ye Yunfei couldn't identify. Each corpse gave off wisps of visible black corpse energy, which was why the five mountains appeared dark from afar.
"Damn it! That kid actually landed on a mountain!" The Guardian Faction and Autumn Wind Group True Gods behind, seeing Ye Yunfei rush onto a mountain peak, were startled and cursed.
"After him! If he dares go up, what do we have to fear?" the Advanced True God declared, stepping out and instantly arriving on the dark mountain where Ye Yunfei was. The energy he released was so terrifying it directly sent the corpses around him flying, clearing a large swathe of ground on the slope that had been densely packed with them instantly. Some corpses were flung high into the air, even rolling down to the mountain's base. The once-deathly silent mountain peak suddenly became 'lively.' Following him, the other True Gods descended as well.
"Kid, you can't escape," the Advanced True God stated coldly, hands behind his back. "Killing members of our Guardian Faction means there is no place for you in the entire Sixth Void. Your only choice now is to obediently surrender and come back with me for trial. There might still be a sliver of hope."
At this moment, Huang Shang sent a voice transmission to Ye Yunfei. "On the summit of this mountain, within those few large, black coffin-like objects, there should be a few experts cultivating Corpse Path energy. I can sense their auras." He added, "This means the reason for so many corpses on these mountains is that someone has stockpiled them here for cultivating Corpse Path techniques."
As a ghost cultivator, Huang Shang's Ghost Path energy was somewhat similar in nature to Corpse Path energy, making him highly sensitive to it.
Hearing Huang Shang, Ye Yunfei immediately looked toward the summit and indeed found a plaza there, within which five black coffins were placed.
"We'll cause some chaos, then find a chance to escape," Ye Yunfei transmitted to the others after a thought.
With that, his will stirred, and a powerful energy burst forth from his body. It instantly sent all the piled corpses on a large section of the slope flying, hurling them toward the approaching Guardian Faction and Autumn Wind Group experts.
"Kid, you still dare to resist!" an Intermediate True God roared, throwing a punch forward. His fist expanded continuously, and a fearsome fist force erupted from it, instantly blasting several dozen corpses apart.
Ye Yunfei stomped the ground, communicating with the earth energies. He sent another hundred or so corpses flying, continuously hurling them toward the True Gods. Then, employing his movement technique, he sped swiftly up toward the mountain summit.
"Kid, I advise you to stop your struggles," the Advanced True God said, furious at Ye Yunfei's actions.
Boom... He extended a palm that grew continuously, reaching out to grab Ye Yunfei. An immense pressure instantly weighed down on Ye Yunfei, causing his body to sink.
Ye Yunfei stomped the ground again, activating Earth Master Arts. Vast streams of earth energy from beneath the ground transformed into invisible earth dragons that shot out, charging toward the Advanced True God. Simultaneously, several large Earth Formations instantly formed.
As an Earth Master, as long as his feet touched the ground, Ye Yunfei gained significant empowerment. Furthermore, a compass appeared above his head, radiating densely packed mysterious runes. Under the protection of the compass, Ye Yunfei's body instantly felt much lighter. A ten-colored earth dragon appeared beneath his feet. Standing on its head, Ye Yunfei instantly reached the summit and stepped into the plaza.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Ye Yunfei unleashed five punches in rapid succession, all employing the World-Breaking Fist. The defining characteristic of this fist technique was its exceptionally fearsome penetrating fist force. The punches struck the five coffins, and the terrifying force immediately penetrated into their interiors.
The Advanced True God with the other pursuing True Gods had also by now caught up to the plaza.
"Why is this kid attacking those coffins for no reason?" Though their perception abilities were strong, these True Gods weren't very familiar with Corpse Path energy or laws. Thus, they hadn't immediately detected the terrifyingly powerful auras lying dormant within the five coffins—only a ghost cultivator like Huang Shang would have sensed the formidable danger they contained at first notice.
"The experts within those five coffins have been startled awake by you. Escape quickly!" Huang Shang urgently transmitted to Ye Yunfei. "Those who cultivate Corpse Path energy are generally brutal and inhuman in nature. Having their cultivation suddenly interrupted, they will surely fly into a violent rage once they emerge."
The very act of attacking the coffins had been Huang Shang's suggestion. On hearing this, Ye Yunfei immediately turned and fled, leaving the plaza in an instant.
Crack... Crack...
But as Ye Yunfei departed the plaza, the lids of the five coffins began to shake.
"Something within these coffins seems to be coming out," the Guardian Faction and Autumn Wind Group True Gods noticed the abnormality, their gazes turning to the five coffins.
With over twenty True Gods among them, including an Advanced True God, they weren't afraid—merely curious.
"These coffins definitely hide something. I'll open them," an Intermediate True God declared. His sleeve swept out, releasing five strands of powerful energy that shot toward the coffin lids. However, before his energy reached them, the coffin lids suddenly shot skyward simultaneously.
A boundless torrent of corpse energy erupted from within the five coffins, as vast and dark as five black oceans, instantly enveloping the entire mountaintop.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A terrifying explosion of energy echoed from within each coffin. Then everyone saw a dark silhouette shoot up from within each one.
"Such audacity, disturbing our secluded cultivation! All of you shall die!" An eerie, chilling voice sounded in the ears of every person present.
"Flee! These five are powerful," Huang Shang urged Ye Yunfei, his perception of the energy erupting from the black coffins startling him.
Ye Yunfei stomped his foot, instantly deploying several dozen teleportation Earth Formations. With a roar, the formidable teleportation energy released by these formations enveloped Ye Yunfei, beginning to whisk him away.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As Ye Yunfei activated the teleportation Earth Formations, violent clashes of combat and roars of anger erupted from the dark mountain behind him. Clearly, a fierce battle had already broken out atop it.
Using the teleportation Earth Formations, Ye Yunfei rapidly teleported and shot out of the world.
"I truly didn't expect them to have established a secret base here, collecting so many corpses. Could it be the Corpse Temple intends to return to the Primal Void Sea?" an ordinary-looking elder mused slowly, standing just outside the world's entrance with his hands clasped behind his back, facing the entrance. Behind him stood a man and a woman who appeared to be his disciples.
"Master, that young man has come out," the female disciple said upon seeing Ye Yunfei emerge.
Hearing this, Ye Yunfei's eyes sharpened, and a piercing gaze swept over to assess the trio.
"I actually can't sense their cultivation realms!" Ye Yunfei was immediately greatly alarmed to find himself unable to perceive the strength of the elder or his two disciples.
"This old fellow is extremely mysterious," Hun Lao immediately transmitted a warning. "He's using a very profound forbidden technique to block our perception. Be careful, do not provoke him casually."
Ye Yunfei gave the elder a deep look, then turned and left. The Guardian Faction and Autumn Wind Group experts within that world might chase out soon, so fleeing was the best policy.
He summoned the Earth Demon Clan's patriarch from the Phantom Shadow Tower, had him retrieve their vessel, then quickly boarded it and shot off into the distant void.
Boom...
Suddenly, Ye Yunfei sensed terrifying waves of energy continuously emanating from the world he had just left, causing the surrounding space-time to tremble faintly.
"Seems those beings lurking within those five coffins are extraordinarily powerful," Hun Lao remarked with shock.
The elder standing outside the world's entrance, who had been watching the scenes unfolding within, suddenly turned his head to look at the retreating back of Ye Yunfei.
"Young man, we shall meet again," he said softly.