The spacecraft raced through the vast expanse of emptiness, rapidly distancing itself from the world they had just left.
"Just who are those beings inside those coffins? Why is their strength so terrifying? We've never heard of experts like them within our Sixth Void," the Earth Demon Clan Patriarch couldn't help but ask.
"I think they might be experts from the ancient Netherworld," another True God offered.
"That's right. Legends say the ancient Netherworld in our Sixth Void was a tremendously powerful and fearsome faction. But later, for some unknown reason, it suddenly vanished. There were indeed experts within the Netherworld proficient in Corpse Path Energy, fond of collecting corpses and using them for cultivation," another True God explained.
"Why did the Netherworld in the Sixth Void suddenly vanish?" Ye Yunfei, having devoured the soul bodies of many Sixth Void experts, was aware of many ancient legends from this realm.
According to the legends left in the Sixth Void, the ancient Netherworld was indeed a deeply terrifying and mysterious great power, but for an unknown reason, this illustrious faction had abruptly disappeared, to the point where even its entrances and exits could no longer be found.
"Never mind. Regardless of who those experts in the coffins are, it has nothing to do with us. They didn't provoke us, and we don't need to provoke them. Right now they're clashing with the Guardian Faction and the Autumn Wind Group. Let them fight; may both sides end up severely wounded," Ye Yunfei said with a smile.
Right at that moment.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Terrifying explosions of energy suddenly erupted from the void far behind them. The terrifying waves of battle energy propagated over a great distance, causing the spacecraft carrying Ye Yunfei and the others to sway gently.
"It seems the battle has already shifted from that world to the outer void. Over twenty True Gods from the Guardian Faction and the Autumn Wind Group entered that world, led by an Advanced True God. Yet, such a fierce battle is still raging. It shows just how terrifying the strength of those experts within the coffins is," Ye Yunfei thought, his heart secretly startled as he sensed the waves of energy emanating from the distant void.
The strength of those experts inside the coffins seemed to exceed his previous estimation.
"What terrifying combat!" the Earth Demon Clan Patriarch and the nine other True Gods all exclaimed in shock. Just then…
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Suddenly, Ye Yunfei saw numerous fast-moving figures in the distant void. Standing atop various flying artifacts, they shot toward the direction of that world at an astonishing speed.
"Young Master Ye, those seem to be experts from the Autumn Wind Group. Looks like they've called for reinforcements," the Earth Demon Clan Patriarch, seeing those swiftly moving figures in the distant void, had a thought and sent a sound transmission to Ye Yunfei.
"Looks like there will be a terrifying battle. The Guardian Faction and Autumn Wind Group already had over twenty True Gods there, yet they still require reinforcements. Could those beings in the coffins truly be that dreadful?" one True God asked with a shocked voice.
Everyone felt their scalps prickle a little.
AHHHH!
At that moment, a shriek of agony came from afar. They all saw a True God in the distance, half his body pulverized, frantically fleeing on a flying artifact, pursued closely by a black figure.
"We should avoid them quickly!" Seeing that the fleeing True God's trajectory seemed aimed directly at their group's location, everyone was somewhat alarmed.
"Everyone, quickly enter my space treasure to take shelter," Ye Yunfei immediately transmitted to the nine True Gods including the Earth Demon Clan Patriarch.
Ye Yunfei then teleported them all into the Illusory Tower. The Earth Demon Clan Patriarch also put away his spacecraft.
Ye Yunfei immediately took out that Jade Ruyi and directly activated it, concealing his form and aura completely.
It must be said that this Jade Ruyi's stealth effect was astonishing. In an instant, Ye Yunfei vanished from the spot.
Soon, the half-shattered True God arrived at the location Ye Yunfei had just occupied, but he discovered nothing. Drenched in blood, his aura feeble, his primordial vitality severely damaged.
The black figure behind also gave chase from afar. The two, one in front and one behind, streaked past the spot where Ye Yunfei had just hidden in the blink of an eye.
A few breaths later, another shriek echoed. Ye Yunfei's Soul Power energy extended over, only to find that the previously half-shattered True God had now completely perished. The black figure held his remains in hand.
The black figure turned and sped back the way it came. Pausing briefly upon reaching Ye Yunfei's hiding spot, it seemed to sense something as it probed the space.
Ye Yunfei prepared to erupt into action at any moment, but fortunately, the figure ultimately didn't find anything.
The surface of this black figure's body was shrouded in an eerie layer of black laws, making it difficult for others to perceive its true appearance.
In a moment, the black figure headed back towards the previous world and vanished.
Just then, Ye Yunfei sensed several powerful auras flash past in the distance, rushing toward that world.
"It seems more experts have come to reinforce. They should be from the Autumn Wind Group or the Guardian Faction. So many experts from both forces continuously arriving here suggests something major is happening. Those beings in the coffins must possess astonishing origins to attract so many powerful individuals, though we cannot rule out other forces coming specifically to witness the spectacle," Hun Lao analyzed.
"I think I should go back and take a look too," Ye Yunfei said after hearing Hun Lao's words and giving it some thought.
Ye Yunfei trusted that Jade Ruyi. It shouldn't be easy for anyone to detect him.
Previously, the Earth Demon Clan ancient had relied on this very jade to hide within the ancient Geomancer's soul body for a long time, completely undetected.
Utilizing the Jade Ruyi to conceal his figure and aura, Ye Yunfei stealthily made his way back towards the location of that world.
Not long after, he saw many experts fighting in the distant void. Especially in the spatial region outside that world's entrance, dozens of True Gods were battling numerous black figures.
Each of those black figures radiated terrifying Corpse Path Energy, billowing black death aura that turned into seas of black fog.
Within those black fog seas, numerous seemingly reanimated corpses extended long claws as they pounced to kill the True Gods.
"Look! I think... part of those corpses look like they might be Divine Remains formed after Gods fell," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm suddenly spoke to Ye Yunfei in astonishment.
"That's right. Some of those corpses were indeed formed after the fall of Deities," Ye Yunfei also noticed.
"You have some nerve! Daring to disrupt our peaceful cultivation and destroy our outpost! Since you've come, you will all remain here! Not one of you will leave!" A sinister, chilling voice rang out.
A figure radiating towering black Corpse Path Energy walked out from the world. In a flicker, it appeared in front of a True God.
Clattering metallic links rang out as a black chain extended from the void, directly binding the True God's arms. A forceful yank later, two sickening crunches echoed as the True God's arms were ripped from his body.
Next, the black figure stretched out its two hands with long, pointed nails and tore the True God's remaining torso in two.
The might of this black figure, who had just emerged from the world, gave everyone a fright.
"Join forces against him!" Five or six True Gods roared simultaneously, charging together at that figure.
Extending his Soul Power energy, Ye Yunfei perceived an eerie layer of Corpse Path laws covering the surface of all those black figures.
This strange layer of laws thoroughly obscured their true appearance. Even with his powerful Soul Power, Ye Yunfei could only vaguely glimpse some features of these dark figures.
These shadowy figures included both humans and members of other races. Each had a face as pale as paper, as if they never saw sunlight, their entire bodies emanating an icy, sinister chill.
"Just who are you people?! Daring to kill our Guardian Faction experts—do you intend to wage war against our faction?!" An old man from the Guardian Faction, seeing at least five or six True Gods he brought had been slaughtered, roared in rage.
"You were the ones who provoked us first! You wrecked our cultivation platforms and shattered our cultivation resources. A price must be paid," a dark figure replied in an icy tone.
"In that case, Sir, you are determined to oppose our Guardian Faction? I hope you will not come to regret this," the Guardian Faction elder declared angrily.
"To make us regret? I fear you lack the qualifications," another shadowy figure stated coldly.
As his words fell, a thunderous boom echoed. A black treasure pennon shot out from the world.
This pennon exuded a rich stench of decayed energy, constantly dripping a thick, oily substance that seemed like corpse oil.
The black pennon moved with extreme speed, instantly rushing into the battlefield.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
It knocked three True Gods flying one after another.
When these three fell to the ground, they were already corpses. Only then did the onlookers realize the pennon had instantly siphoned away their soul bodies.
The sheer power of this pennon sent shivers down everyone's spines.
"You dared provoke us? Then none of you shall leave! You will all transform into corpses, eternally remaining in this world to accompany us," a dark figure chuckled malevolently.
BOOM!
The black pennon erupted again, soaring upward and charging toward other True Gods.
"Careful! That treasure is dreadful!" A Guardian Faction Advanced True God witnessing this scene cried out in shock and fury, stepping forward while unleashing an Advanced True God artifact that radiated overwhelming power.
Clang! It collided with the black pennon. To the Advanced True God's shock, he found his artifact being knocked back a great distance.
"What kind of treasure is this?! How can it be so powerful?!" the Advanced True God exclaimed, unable to contain his astonishment.
"Everyone beware! That treasure is extremely dangerous! Do not confront it head-on!" He swiftly warned the others again.
With the appearance of the black pennon, the dark figures became even more combative, fiercely assaulting the Guardian Faction and Autumn Wind Group True Gods, driving them back step by step.
"What is the origin of these guys? Their strength is simply dreadful—even the Guardian Faction and Autumn Wind Group cannot withstand them. Could it be that the vanished Netherworld of ancient Sixth Void has truly reappeared in the world?" Ye Yunfei thought to himself, inwardly stunned by the sight before him.
"Let's retreat first," a Guardian Faction Advanced True God ordered somberly. Under his command, both the Guardian Faction and Autumn Wind Group True Gods began hastily retreating.
"Thinking of fleeing now? It's too late," a dark figure sneered coldly.
Pointing a finger, he directed the black pennon to chase forward rumblingly. It smashed directly into a True God, sending him flying. When that True God landed, he had already become another corpse, his soul body absorbed by the pennon.
"Damn it! That treasure is truly terrifying!" The Guardian Faction and Autumn Wind Group True Gods looked at the black pennon with a mix of shock and anger.
"The Guardian Faction and Autumn Wind Group True Gods are actually being chased away!" Ye Yunfei was utterly flabbergasted by the outcome.
Not only Ye Yunfei, but even the other spectators gathered in the distance were equally astonished.
In the Sixth Void, the Guardian Faction was undoubtedly a top-ranking superpower. The Autumn Wind Group was also a prominent, famed force. Yet now, the True Gods of these two great powers were being routed by a group of unknown, mysterious masters. This was indeed earth-shaking.
Those black figures took to the air, pursuing the Guardian Faction and Autumn Wind Group experts.
BOOM!
Just as everyone was reeling in shock, the void in the distance suddenly erupted with rolling divine light. Then they saw a snow-bright long saber, flashing like lightning, cleave through the void and slash forward.
Wherever this saber passed, various energies and laws present in the surrounding space were violently sucked in, as if swallowed whole, making the blade even more dazzling.
"Watch out!" A dark figure leading the pursuit saw the snow-white saber cleaving from afar and immediately halted to warn the others.
Clang! The black pennon and the gleaming white saber collided, generating showers of sparks.
"Our Guardian Faction also possesses treasures! Did you think a single artifact could defeat us? Impossible!" the Guardian Faction Advanced True God turned around with a cold laugh. Raising a hand, he summoned the snow-white saber, grasping it firmly before sending a mighty slash forward.
Two sickening thuds. Two black figures failed to dodge in time and were struck by the saber, hacked into multiple pieces.
What astounded the onlookers was that after these two figures were split apart, a massive number of pale-green, rotting corpses spilled out from within their bodies.
"How exactly do these people cultivate?! Do they forcefully devour corpses into their bodies?" The crowd gazed at the spilled, greenish cadavers with shock and disgust.
"Hahaha…! As I just said, in this Sixth Void, no one can provoke our Guardian Faction! Now you shall begin to endure our fury!" the Advanced True God who held the snow-white saber, brimming with newfound confidence, laughed triumphantly as he strode forward step by step.
A dark figure harrumphed coldly, summoning the black pennon to his hand before engaging the Advanced True God in battle.
The rest of the experts from both sides re-ignited their fierce clash.
This battle was even more horrifying than the previous one, continuously rupturing and collapsing that part of space. Extremely terrifying combat energy waves rippled outwards, forcing distant onlookers to retreat repeatedly.
At this time, Ye Yunfei noticed a new batch of black figures rushing out from the world, speeding toward the site of the distant battle to join the fight.
Simultaneously, fresh reinforcements from both the Guardian Faction and the Autumn Wind Group arrived and entered the fray.
"What a dreadful battle! Both sides have mobilized so many True Gods," all the spectators were profoundly shaken by the sight.
In the Sixth Void, experts of the True God level rarely made public appearances. But now, masses of True God level experts had joined the battle. Witnessing so many True Gods fighting together was an exceptionally rare spectacle.
"The enemy comes with ferocious momentum! By my command, everyone shall mobilize! We must completely annihilate all the foes who dared infringe upon our outpost, to show the world that our Ghost-Corpse Hall is not to be trifled with!"
Suddenly, Ye Yunfei saw another black figure walk out from that world. This figure possessed a pair of bizarre, shimmering green eyes as it observed the distant battlefield and spoke in a bone-chilling voice.
Then, the dark figure took a single step, instantly arriving at the distant battlefield.
Following behind him, another batch of black figures rushed out.
"Looks like this faction's experts are almost fully mobilized," Ye Yunfei transmitted to Hun Lao after watching the fresh batch of black figures.
"If they have indeed mobilized nearly everyone, then maybe we should enter that world to explore. We might stumble upon some good things," Huang Shang suddenly spoke up to Ye Yunfei.
"Elder Huang, what do you plan to do inside that world?" Hearing Huang Shang's words, Ye Yunfei was momentarily surprised.
"These individuals cultivate Corpse Path Energy and Corpse Path Laws. And Corpse Path Energy/Laws aren't that different from the Ghost Path Energy and Laws I cultivate. Earlier, on top of that black mountain peak, I sensed many treasures useful to me. Moreover, I detected abundant Ghost Path Energy and Ghost Path Laws embedded within those corpses besides dense Corpse Path Energy.
In a sense, Corpse Path Energy/Laws and Ghost Path Energy/Laws almost coexist. Because each corpse carries some residual Soul Energy or Soul Imprints from its deceased host's soul body. These remnants evolve into Ghost Path Energy and Laws. That black pennon capable of instantly absorbing a True God's soul body is actually a highly advanced ghost cultivation treasure.
Thus, I sense that this world surely hides many cultivation resources or treasures beneficial to me," Huang Shang explained.
"Elder Huang, you refined half of that Intermediate True God soul body, yet haven't broken through?" Ye Yunfei asked curiously.
Earlier at the Qin Family headquarters, Ye Yunfei had obtained Qin Zhongyu's soul body, which he and Huang Shang split fifty-fifty.
"I can begin seclusion to break through at any time now. Though having extra resources increases my certainty," Huang Shang replied.
"Alright. Let's return to that world and see if we can find any cultivation resources or treasures useful to you," Ye Yunfei said after thinking for a moment, nodding.
Ye Yunfei's biggest reliance remained that Jade Ruyi.
Just now, while lurking near the battlefield, not a single True God, not even those Advanced True Gods, detected Ye Yunfei's presence from start to finish. This proved the jade's stealth function was indeed formidable.
Ye Yunfei's figure flashed, covertly moving toward that world's entrance.
The Jade Ruyi emitted layer after layer of profound laws that enveloped Ye Yunfei's body, placing him in a state of complete invisibility.
Soon, Ye Yunfei re-entered that previous world. Using his movement technique, he arrived before the five towering black mountains in an instant.
"Look! Each mountaintop has many coffins with their lids already opened. Looks like those guys were all hiding inside those coffins. Now, they've all come out," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm pointed at the peaks, commenting.
Indeed, each mountain peak held a plaza filled with many coffins. Now, every coffin's lid was open, confirming that the experts previously inside had all emerged to join the battle.
"It's best they all left. Then we won't be discovered," Ye Yunfei said, then flashed up onto one of the huge black mountains.
Huang Shang appeared by Ye Yunfei's side, unleashing Ghost Cultivation arts. Instantly, his ebony-shining ghost form became akin to a dark vortex, generating a powerful suction force.
From each corpse on the black mountain, tendrils of Ghost Path Energy and Laws were drawn out. Like dark flowing rivers, they converged towards Huang Shang's ghost body, eventually merging into his being to be absorbed and refined.
"Those corpses indeed hold Ghost Path Energy and Laws," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm remarked with awe upon seeing this.
"Elder Huang is already an advanced ghost cultivator. His perceptive abilities wouldn't be mistaken," Ye Yunfei said with a smile.
While absorbing the ghostly energy, Huang Shang rushed up to the plaza, reaching its center.
"Here! There's an underground storage room," Huang Shang arrived before a particular coffin, pointing at the ground underneath, before extending a palm and pushing the coffin aside.
Indeed, an entrance was revealed where the coffin had stood, previously concealed by several high-level Formations.
Yet, such Formations held no obstacle for Ye Yunfei, Huang Shang, and the others. At a glance, they saw through them.
Huang Shang's figure flashed as he darted into the underground storage through the entrance. Immediately, billowing ghostly fog erupted within, engulfing everything.
After a moment, Huang Shang rushed back out.
"My guess was correct. Many valuable cultivation resources and treasures are stored here—immensely useful for me," Huang Shang said excitedly.
"Let's go inspect another mountain," Huang Shang proposed. His figure flashed toward another peak, simultaneously leaving behind a clone atop this mountain to continue absorbing the Ghost Path Energy and Ghost Path Laws from the corpses.
"These corpses seem to have been incredibly powerful in life. I see quite a few among them are Divine Remains," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm suddenly noted.
"Right. A considerable portion of the bodies piled on these five mountains are Divine Remains. Could these guys truly be remnants of the ancient Sixth Void Netherworld inheritance? To have collected so many Divine Remains and placed them here for cultivation is astonishing," Ye Yunfei said, surprised.
By now, following Huang Shang, Ye Yunfei arrived atop a neighboring black peak.
On this plaza's central area, Huang Shang discovered yet another treasure vault entrance beneath a coffin. Entering and sweeping the vault quickly, he took everything within.
"Harvest! A great harvest! Although those individuals cultivate Corpse Path Energy, the cultivation resources and treasures they've hoarded are incredibly beneficial to me. With this much gain, my power is bound to soar greatly," Huang Shang spoke gleefully, his face lit with joy.
In the following moments, Huang Shang and Ye Yunfei visited the remaining three black mountain tops.
On each of these peaks was a similar plaza. At each plaza's center beneath a coffin was a treasury, all completely cleared out by Huang Shang. Moreover, the densely piled corpses on all five peaks supplied him with vast amounts of Ghost Path Energy and Laws.
"Not good! I sense several dreadfully powerful individuals returning. They might have discovered we are ransacking their homes! We must devise a way to leave immediately," Huang Shang suddenly transmitted to Ye Yunfei.