"That fellow's strength is considerable. He must have a lot of goodies on him. Killing him should yield you even greater gains," Ye Yunfei said with a smile.
Then, with a flash of his figure, he unleashed the Heavenly Dao Palm, striking the black figure with a single blow that caused it to explode once more.
By this time, the black figure was already severely injured. Under the combined assault of Ye Yunfei, Huang Shang, and the Earth Demon Clan Patriarch, three powerful adversaries, it had lost any capacity to resist.
After just two more exchanges, the figure was completely shattered, unable to recover.
Huang Shang directly devoured half of the black figure's Soul Body. He left the other half for Ye Yunfei, knowing that Young Master Ye wished to obtain the figure's memories through its soul, thereby learning about the Yin Corpse Hall.
Sure enough, after Ye Yunfei devoured the remaining half of the Soul Body, he gained some of the black figure's memories.
"So the Yin Corpse Hall, that ancient faction, never truly vanished but has been lying low and developing secretly all this time," Ye Yunfei mused, surprised by what he learned.
"In ancient times, the Yin Corpse Hall was besieged by several superpowers. Severely weakened and on the brink of destruction, the survivors went into hiding and have been secretly growing their strength over all these years.
After their prolonged development, the Yin Corpse Hall has accumulated fearsome power once again. Its presence exists not only in the Sixth Void but in other voids as well."
Through these memories, Ye Yunfei also learned that to obtain resources, the Yin Corpse Hall had always secretly massacred inconspicuous worlds to amass vast quantities of corpses. Countless small worlds within the Sixth Void had been annihilated by the Yin Corpse Hall without the outside world knowing. All their living beings were slaughtered and taken by Yin Corpse Hall experts for corpse refinement.
"The Yin Corpse Hall truly is an evil faction!" Ye Yunfei said grimly after scanning the memories left by the black figure.
"Your Honor, Young Master Ye, all Yin Corpse Hall forces within the Guqing World Cluster have been cleared," the Earth Demon Clan Patriarch reported upon returning, having led a team to sweep through the entire world cluster and eliminate all invading Yin Corpse Hall personnel.
"Young Master Ye, had you not arrived in time, our Guqing Gang would have faced utter annihilation," the Guqing Gang Leader said gratefully, coming before Ye Yunfei with the surviving high-ranking members.
"We are comrades. You’re too kind," Ye Yunfei nodded.
"However, this world cluster is likely no longer safe for your Guqing Gang. The Yin Corpse Hall will surely send more people after you.
Your Guqing Gang should relocate temporarily to Xuanhuang Continent. Once you find a new headquarters, you can move there permanently, or perhaps return here when the opportunity arises in the future," Ye Yunfei advised after a moment's thought.
"I understand, Young Master Ye. Having suffered such losses here, the Yin Corpse Hall will undoubtedly come looking for trouble again," the Guqing Gang Leader nodded in agreement.
"Young Master Ye, I just discovered a detachment from the Guardian Faction nearby. They intended to enter the Guqing World Cluster but halted just outside," an old man hurriedly reported at that moment.
"That's because the battle here is over. The Yin Corpse Hall forces have been eliminated. Otherwise, those Guardian Faction forces would surely have come to aid them.
It seems the Watchers and the Yin Corpse Hall have indeed formed a covert alliance," Ye Yunfei understood instantly, saying with a cold smile.
"Go and intercept them immediately. Since they've come, don't let them leave," Ye Yunfei ordered.
As soon as the words were spoken, the Earth Demon Clan Patriarch waved his hand, leading a large contingent to charge out of the Guqing World Cluster.
Soon after, intense combat erupted in a region of void space near the world cluster.
This Guardian Faction detachment consisted of approximately five True Gods who had intended to enter the Guqing World Cluster to support the Yin Corpse Hall forces.
The Guqing Gang was only a moderately powerful faction, so neither the Yin Corpse Hall nor the Guardian Faction had dispatched many experts.
However, they hadn't anticipated Ye Yunfei's timely intervention and presence.
With Ye Yunfei joining the fray, the entire Guardian Faction detachment was swiftly annihilated.
Huang Shang personally slew two of the True Gods, and his victory was overwhelmingly one-sided.
His recent breakthrough had indeed granted him a substantial boost in power. He now possessed combat prowess comparable to an Intermediate True God.
Moreover, cultivating both the ghost and corpse paths, he simultaneously employed ghost and corpse techniques in battle, making his fighting style highly elusive and unpredictable.
During the combat, Huang Shang released a swarm of specially refined corpses to swarm the Guardian Faction members. These corpses were as hard as magical artifacts and coated in virulent toxins. They continuously released waves of corpse poison that turned into rolling black smoke.
Ordinary members of the Guardian Faction who came into contact with this black smoke suffered immediate and intense agony, their bodies beginning to rot in moments.
Some weaker Guardian Faction members were completely corroded by the black fumes, dissolving into pools of foul, blackish blood.
"Corpse Path techniques are truly terrifying!" Ye Yunfei exclaimed, observing the corpsess, each as hard as magical artifacts and possessing immense strength.
"Corpse and ghost techniques are often looked down upon as unorthodox, but their destructive power should never be underestimated," Hun Lao remarked with a sigh.
"Of course. Otherwise, the Yin Corpse Hall wouldn't have earned such a fearful reputation as a terrifying force in the Chaotic Void Seas in ancient times," Ye Yunfei nodded in agreement.
This particular Guardian Faction detachment was relatively weak overall, so they were completely wiped out in a short time, with Ye Yunfei's side suffering almost no casualties.
After eliminating the Guardian Faction forces, Ye Yunfei prepared to lead everyone away from the Guqing World Cluster and return to Xuanhuang Continent.
But just then, Ye Yunfei spun around abruptly, his gaze fixed on a specific location within the Guqing World Cluster.
A dazzling, sacred radiance suddenly erupted from that spot, accompanied by a continuous manifestation of sharp sword energies. Dense waves of sword energy, like shoals of deep-sea fish, swam through that spatial region, slicing through the air with sharp whistling sounds and leaving behind numerous dark, jagged spatial cracks. It was a sight that sent shivers down one's spine.
"Leader! It's the Sword Shrine! That Sword Shrine has appeared again!" Some Guqing Gang elders exclaimed in shock.
"Sword Shrine? What is that?" Hearing the cries of the Guqing Gang elders, Ye Yunfei was momentarily puzzled before asking.
"Young Master Ye, within our Guqing World Cluster, there exists a Sword Shrine. It was established by an ancient master of the sword path within our Guqing Gang headquarters.
It is said that, in ancient times, the daughter of one of our past Gang Leaders was traveling the world when she met a man skilled in sword techniques. Over time, they developed feelings for each other and became Dao companions.
Eventually, the man followed the Leader's daughter back to our Guqing Gang headquarters.
That man's swordsmanship was exceptionally high, even surpassing our Leader's own strength at the time. He later stood up for our Guqing Gang, defeating many formidable enemies.
But, for reasons unknown, that man eventually perished.
It's said that the Sword Shrine was built by that man just before his demise. He would normally cultivate in seclusion within that shrine. After his death, our Guqing Gang has revered the shrine, maintaining an unbroken line of offerings generation after generation.
Yet, for some reason, the Sword Shrine suddenly vanished without a trace one day. Our Guqing Gang members searched almost every corner of the headquarters but never managed to find it again.
Is it possible that shrine has now reappeared?" the Guqing Gang Leader explained.
"I see," Ye Yunfei said, gazing towards a specific point within the Guqing World Cluster. His Soul Power energy surged forth, flooding the area, and he even employed his Heart Power to probe.
Sure enough, amidst the dazzling sword radiances, he soon spotted a shimmering temple. Its walls were carved with numerous swords of varying shapes.
"That temple must be the Sword Shrine the Gang Leader mentioned. Let's go take a look," Ye Yunfei said, his curiosity piqued.
"Very well, Young Master Ye. I'll accompany you to investigate. However, the rest of our Guqing Gang forces must relocate immediately.
Forces from either the Yin Corpse Hall or the Guardian Faction might arrive soon," the Guqing Gang Leader said.
He then ordered half of the Guqing Gang's high-ranking members to lead their people to Xuanhuang Continent for temporary shelter.
Ye Yunfei, the Guqing Gang Leader, the Earth Demon Clan Patriarch, and a few other True Gods turned back and re-entered the Guqing World Cluster, arriving before that temple.
"It is indeed the Sword Shrine!" the Guqing Gang Leader said excitedly, staring at the temple enveloped by dazzling sword energies.
"Why do these sword energies feel vaguely familiar?" Ye Yunfei wondered inwardly, observing the dense masses of sword energies swimming through the space surrounding the temple.
This was also part of the reason he wanted to come see for himself. Earlier, outside the world cluster, the sword energy emanating from the shrine had given him a sense of déjà vu. Now, being here, that feeling grew even stronger.
"This… feels like the aura of the Myriad Swords Converge into One Technique," Ye Yunfei suddenly realized the source of the familiarity.
The aura of the sword energies swirling around the temple bore a strong resemblance to the aura of the Myriad Swords Converge into One Technique he cultivated.
"The Myriad Swords Converge into One Technique is the legacy of Lord Swordchild. Could there be some connection between this Sword Shrine and Swordchild?" Ye Yunfei pondered in confusion.
*Whoosh…* At that moment, an even greater number of sword energies shot out from within the temple. The entire shrine was radiating dazzling sacred light.
"Strange. This Sword Shrine vanished for such a long time. Why has it suddenly appeared now?" the Guqing Gang Leader wondered aloud.
"Leader, perhaps the previous battle here damaged the spatial fabric, causing the shrine to manifest," an elder beside the Gang Leader suggested.
"That is a definite possibility," the Gang Leader said, surveying the spatial area around them. Signs of battle were evident; skirmishes had occurred throughout the world cluster between the Guqing Gang and Yin Corpse Hall forces. The space around the shrine's location was scarred in several places, showing numerous dark spatial tears.
It was possible the earlier clash had inadvertently disturbed this long-hidden Sword Shrine, forcing it to appear.
"Leader, according to ancient legends left by our Guqing Gang, this Sword Shrine might contain an inheritance left by that ancient sword master. If one can enter the shrine, they might have a chance to obtain his legacy," a Guqing Gang elder suddenly spoke up.
Hearing this, the hearts of the others stirred.
"That ancient man was even stronger than the Guqing Gang Leader of his era. If we could obtain his sword path legacy, we might have the opportunity to become a powerhouse like him.
In that case, Leader, let's go in and take a look," another high-ranking Guqing Gang member urged.
"Very well, let's investigate. Obtaining the legacy of that senior would undoubtedly boost the strength of our Guqing Gang," the Gang Leader nodded.
"I'll take point," declared the Guqing Gang elder who had just spoken, taking a step forward towards the temple ahead.
"Be careful. That ancient sword master may have left defensive measures within the shrine," the Guqing Gang Leader cautioned.