"Your eight thousand or so puppets are just too terrifyingly lethal," Hun Lao remarked with a smile. "They can sweep through an entire world with ease. If all eight thousand puppets swarm forward, even a True God wouldn't be able to withstand them."
"Of course," Ye Yunfei replied, chuckling. "Even I would find it a real headache if eight thousand Void God-level puppets all came at me at once."
"No time to waste. Let's head out towards our next target," he continued.
Soon after, Ye Yunfei led the forces of the Restorer Faction in a charge into another branch stronghold of the Guardian Faction. After a fierce assault, the two True Gods stationed there were slain, and the vast majority of their forces were wiped out.
During the attack, Ye Yunfei instructed his eight thousand Deity-level puppets to exercise restraint, ensuring the corpses of the Guardian Faction forces weren't shattered. Consequently, most of the remains left behind were intact, all of which Huang Shang collected to be used as cultivation resources.
In the following days, Ye Yunfei led these Restorer forces on a rapid march through the Sixth Void, systematically eliminating one branch stronghold after another belonging to both the Guardian Faction and the Yin Corpse Hall.
Typically, these branch strongholds were only defended by a few True Gods—sometimes as few as one or two, and at most five or six. Being two of the most formidable major powers in the Sixth Void, few would dare provoke their outposts, so the defenses at these locations were usually quite lax.
Entering these strongholds with a few dozen True Gods and a large force of Restorer elites, Ye Yunfei's group proceeded as easily as chopping melons and cutting vegetables. Their advance was unstoppable, annihilating all who stood in their path.
In a very short period, Ye Yunfei had eradicated several dozen branch strongholds belonging to the two factions. All the wealth and resources from these outposts fell into his hands.
Both organizations were ancient powers with long legacies in the Sixth Void. Their outposts had existed for many years and had built up considerable reserves—all of which were now Ye Yunfei's.
"What a fantastic haul!" the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm exclaimed gleefully. "No wonder the old saying goes that murder and arson pave the way to riches—this is practically a shortcut to fortune!" His own spoils during this period were not insignificant, putting him in excellent spirits.
"I think we should hit a few more Yin Corpse Hall outposts," Huang Shang added, licking his lips with a hunger that hadn't been sated. Recently, from those strongholds, he had harvested vast amounts of cultivation resources and corpses, supplementing his previous collections. The number of corpses in his possession had now reached a significant level. Whenever he had a spare moment, he retreated into the Phantom Tower to practice his Corpse Path arts. Furthermore, based on the Corpse Path energy Huang Shang cultivated, Ye Yunfei occasionally refined specially tailored Dark-type Divine Pills for him. As Corpse Path and Ghost Path cultivation arts were essentially quite similar, the divine pills Ye Yunfei refined served both purposes equally well.
"Let's continue the offensive," Ye Yunfei said with a smile.
Thus, Ye Yunfei led the forces of the Restorer Faction to attack even more branch strongholds of the Guardian Faction and the Yin Corpse Hall.
Simultaneously, the Guardian Faction and the Yin Corpse Hall had already received reports that a large number of their outposts had been wiped out by the Restorers. At each attack, Ye Yunfei proudly unfurled the banners of the Restorer Faction and made no effort to conceal his actions from observers. Consequently, everyone across the Sixth Void soon learned that the Restorers had annihilated a significant number of branch strongholds belonging to these two major powers in a short span. This news spread like wildfire, instantly causing a wave of excitement throughout the Sixth Void.
"I'd assumed the Restorer Faction had gone into hiding, afraid to show their faces again," people murmured. "But now, here they are, launching an offensive and wiping out so many outposts of the Guardian Faction and the Yin Corpse Hall in such a short time! They are simply too formidable!"
"I thought this Restorer Faction was just a flash in the pan—that they'd hide away and not dare rear their heads again," others concurred. "But it seems I was wrong. They are truly audacious!"
"Recently, the Guardian Faction and the Yin Corpse Hall have been slaughtering whole worlds and wiping out entire races across the Sixth Void, piling up countless bloody atrocities, and no one dared to intervene," a third party commented. "Now it seems this Restorer Faction exists specifically to oppose those two major powers. It appears they've finally met their match."
Such discussions echoed everywhere across the Sixth Void.
The high-ranking members of both the Guardian Faction and the Yin Corpse Hall were incensed with rage. For several days in a row, terrifying roars of fury emanated from their respective headquarters. Then, numerous Heavenly God-level experts emerged from both strongholds, venturing into the void to track down the whereabouts of the Restorer forces.
Yet, almost immediately, mysterious, highly skilled individuals appeared, specifically intercepting these Heavenly God-level experts from the two factions. Horrifying battles at the Heavenly God level erupted frequently across the Sixth Void.
In the past, Heavenly Gods rarely appeared. Over the long eons, there were often periods where not a single Heavenly God showed their face. For ordinary folk, glimpsing a Heavenly God was as difficult as reaching the heavens themselves; most people never got a single chance to see one in their entire lives. But now, Heavenly God-level experts were clashing in fierce battles from time to time in the Sixth Void, much to the delight and excitement of onlookers, as witnessing a battle of that level was a rare opportunity not to be missed.
"It seems those two seniors have been coordinating with your movements all along," Hun Lao said to Ye Yunfei. "Their cooperation with you appears to be in complete sincerity."
"Yes, they haven't deceived me," Ye Yunfei nodded, smiling in response. "During this time, I've destroyed many branch strongholds of both factions. Logically speaking, I should have been subjected to their frenzied retaliation. However, as soon as any of their Heavenly Gods mobilize, they are immediately intercepted by those mysterious experts. Consequently, the Heavenly Gods of those two factions pose little threat to me at the moment."
In the following period, Ye Yunfei did not relent. He continued leading his forces in assaults across the region, wiping out another wave of branch strongholds belonging to the two enemy factions and accumulating even more wealth.
At the same time, within the headquarters of the Guardian Faction...
"It's unbelievable," an enraged, almost frantic roar erupted from within a magnificent, resplendent hall where a group of high-ranking Guardian Faction members had gathered. "This Restorer Faction has inflicted such massive losses upon us in such a short time! And they seem to have an exceptionally deep understanding of our inner workings. Many of our branch strongholds in the Sixth Void have always been top-secret, typically unknown to outsiders. Yet, this Restorer Faction has managed to pinpoint every single one of our outposts and swiftly conquer and annihilate each one. Such precision can only be achieved by someone intimately familiar with our faction's operations. Could it be... have we suffered betrayal from within?"
Standing in one corner of the hall, an elderly figure draped in spacious robes—an elder Wizard—spoke up slowly. "Prison Lord, this Restorer Faction does indeed appear to grasp our situation perfectly. From what I've learned, not only have many of our branch strongholds been wiped out, but a considerable number of our secret informants and agents scattered across the Sixth Void have also been eliminated during this period. Only someone possessing profound knowledge of our internal affairs could accomplish this."
"Elder Wizard," the Prison Lord's voice turned frigid. "What have your divinations revealed? Is there truly a traitor within our ranks? If so, immediately deduce the identity of the turncoat. I will subject them to our faction's most excruciating punishment, allowing them to taste the full bitterness of betrayal."
The Elder Wizard replied, "Lord Prison Master, according to my recent divinations... there does not appear to be a traitor among our midst. Yet... I too find myself perplexed. The enemy's intimate knowledge of our operations is deeply puzzling. There is undoubtedly something unusual at play here."
Simultaneously, within the headquarters of the Yin Corpse Hall in the Sixth Void, its high-ranking members were gathering to discuss the very same troubling issue.
"How strange," a Yin Corpse Hall Elder said, his expression dark. "Our branch strongholds have always maintained a low profile, unknown to outsiders. Yet, recently, one after another has been discovered and obliterated. Could it be... we too have been betrayed from within?"
"Third Elder," a Witch donned in black robes spoke from within the group, one renowned for her divination skills within the Yin Corpse Hall. "Based on my divinations, our faction... likely harbors no traitor."
"No traitor?" The Yin Corpse Hall Elder blinked in confusion. "Then... how can this be happening?" He knew this particular Witch was one of their most potent diviners, and her deductions were often accurate. After suffering the loss of numerous outposts, she had spent days attempting to deduce how they had been discovered.
"I suspect our enemy possesses some sort of secret technique," the Witch proposed, "one capable of either divining or sensing aspects of our internal circumstances."
Even as high-ranking members of both formidable factions grappled with bewilderment, on a world somewhere within the Sixth Void...
A young man of strikingly handsome features stood in the aftermath of a recent battlefield.
"What is this...?" he murmured to himself, his senses intently probing his surroundings. "I seem to detect traces of my kin, the Soul Race. Could it be... a member of our race was here and participated in the recent battle?"
He paused, a frown creasing his brow.
"No... that's not quite right. This trace... it's faint, but I recognize it." He opened his eyes, a spark of astonishment within them. "This is the lingering aura of one of our Soul Race's ancient secret arts—one lost to us ages ago. How could someone still practice it now? I must get to the bottom of this. If it is indeed a surviving member of our race, I shall bring them back to our homeland. But if it is someone of another race... I must investigate how they have acquired our ancient technique and for what purpose."
The young man's gaze sharpened with purpose and a hint of wariness.