"What evil technique have you cast, kid? Stop it right now, or I'll make sure you die without a proper grave!"
The other four True Gods paled upon hearing the Intermediate True God's pleas for help. They immediately unleashed their Soul Power, pouring it into the Intermediate True God's Soul Sea in an attempt to drive out that strange rope. Meanwhile, the Advanced True God turned towards Ye Yunfei and snarled viciously.
Ye Yunfei only responded with a cold smirk, completely ignoring him. Instead, he unleashed another Soul Force Martial Art—the Soul Purification Art he had acquired not long ago.
Since that Intermediate True God's Soul Body was already bound, Ye Yunfei's Soul Purification Art met no resistance. Immediately, a vast number of mysterious runes branded themselves onto the Intermediate True God's Soul Body. His Soul Body began to sizzle and smoke, and large amounts of black gas wafted from it, as if he were being roasted over a fire. Those nearby could even faintly detect a meaty aroma.
"Ahhh! What are you doing, kid? Stop! Stop this at once!"
The Intermediate True God felt his consciousness, thoughts, willpower, and memories rapidly dissipating. Scared out of his wits, he screamed again.
"What's happening?"
The other four True Gods had never witnessed such a bizarre Soul Force Martial Art before. For a moment, they were at a loss on how to help and simply stood there dumbfounded.
"We'll kill this brat together! Once he's dead, his evil magic will shatter by itself!" the Advanced True God said, his face darkening. He was the first to attack, thrusting a palm towards Ye Yunfei.
Boom!
His palm rapidly enlarged, and its five fingers instantly transformed into five towering divine mountains of immense weight, rumbling as they descended to crush Ye Yunfei.
The three other True Gods from the Autumn Wind Group also attacked directly. Some summoned magical treasures, others unleashed techniques and secret arts—all joining the assault against Ye Yunfei.
"Leave these guys to me."
Huang Shang appeared beside Ye Yunfei. Accompanied by the instantaneous expansion of a vast, all-encompassing ghostly mist, one wall-like 'Ghost Confounding Barrier' after another materialized. Instantly, all five True Gods from the Autumn Wind Group were trapped within these Ghost Confounding Barriers.
The Ghost Confounding Barrier was an extremely sinister ghost-cultivation technique. It could be viewed as an illusion, a type of formation, and also a rather unorthodox technique.
These barriers contained powerful Ghost-Path energy and laws, capable of influencing space and severely bewildering or interfering with an opponent's Soul Body.
"Trouble! This feels like a ghost-cultivation technique. We must break free immediately!"
The Advanced True God found his surroundings completely filled with countless vengeful spirits and towering Ghost Confounding Barriers. He could no longer see the world beyond.
"Surrender your Soul Bodies."
Amidst the suffocating ghostly mist, Huang Shang's eerie voice rang out. Vast swarms of resentful spirits materialized around the True Gods, frantically rushing into their Soul Seas to besiege their Soul Bodies.
Meanwhile, the Intermediate True God being targeted by Ye Yunfei's Soul Binding Art and Soul Purification Art had completely lost consciousness. He stood there stupefied, his eyes vacant, resembling nothing more than a wooden puppet.
"This guy's thoughts, consciousness, willpower, memories... everything has been purified away by you. Now he's just a mindless imbecile. His Soul Body is nothing but pure Soul Power. Yet, his vitality hasn't been affected at all—it's still incredibly vigorous. This means from now on, he will be a completely healthy but utterly senseless idiot," Hun Lao remarked after sensing the Intermediate True God's condition, visibly shocked.
"Yes, he has become a complete fool. All his previous memories are gone. That black gas earlier was precisely his former consciousness, will, and memories," Ye Yunfei nodded in confirmation.
"The two Soul Force Martial Arts you obtained from the Reincarnation Sect are truly domineering," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm sighed, looking at the vacant-eyed Intermediate True God who now lacked any trace of will.
"This is my first time using them, and I'm not very proficient yet. With more practice, I'll be able to purify an opponent's Soul Body in an extremely short time. Moreover, I sense I can also control this guy's speech and actions. The Soul Binding Art I cast is still attached to his Soul Body. If I just add a touch of my own consciousness to it, his Soul Body will effectively become a Soul Power Clone of mine," Ye Yunfei said, growing somewhat excited as he carefully perceived the Intermediate True God's state.
"What? You can control him too?"
"Yes, it's actually quite simple. The Soul Binding Art I cast is still affecting his Soul Body. All I need to do is engrave a Soul Power mark of mine onto his Soul Body. From then on, his Soul Body will be under my control. Though he will still be a living, breathing being of flesh and blood, his Soul Body will be completely under my command. In essence, he will have become a Clone of mine," Ye Yunfei explained with a nod.
"That's incredible! Does that mean you could use this method to control a large group of True Gods, turning them all into your clones?" the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm exclaimed excitedly.
"Indeed, that's the case. I'll try controlling this one now," Ye Yunfei nodded and immediately sent one of his own Soul Power marks into the Intermediate True God's Soul Sea, forcibly branding it onto his Soul Body.
As this Intermediate True God's Soul Body now held no consciousness or memory—it was simply a mass of pure Soul Body energy—Ye Yunfei easily used this Soul Power mark to take control of the entire Soul Body. And controlling the Soul Body meant controlling the True God. From now on, all the speech and actions of this Intermediate True God would be dictated by Ye Yunfei.
Of course, outsiders wouldn't be able to tell, as neither the aura nor the appearance of this Intermediate True God's Soul Body had changed.
Soon, the Intermediate True God was completely under Ye Yunfei's control. He flashed over to stand beside Ye Yunfei.
"He now serves as a Clone of yours," Hun Lao said with surprise, noticing that the expressions now crossing the Intermediate True God's face carried hints of Ye Yunfei's own demeanor.
"Correct. This is one of my Clones," Ye Yunfei nodded.
"This is truly astounding! The ancient Reincarnation Sect was indeed a terrifyingly formidable power, to possess such domineering Soul Secret Arts," Hun Lao couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
"However, I feel this technique can only be used against opponents whose Soul Body or Soul Power is weaker than mine. If facing an opponent with stronger Soul Body or Soul Power, backlash is highly probable," Ye Yunfei added after further sensing the state of the Intermediate True God's Soul Body.
Ye Yunfei's Soul Power had already reached an exceedingly high level. He possessed a deep understanding of Soul Bodies, Soul Power energy, and Soul Laws, which was why he could perceive the drawbacks and limitations of his newly-discovered method of controlling others' Soul Bodies.
"Of course. Against opponents whose Soul Body and Soul Power surpass your own, you probably won't be able to use those two Soul Force Martial Arts against them. Fleeing in disarray would be the only option," Hun Lao agreed.
"But regardless, you can use these two Soul Force Martial Arts to control a group of True Gods as your Clones in the future. That will make things much more convenient," Hun Lao continued.
"Yes. There are four others left. Let's turn them all into my Clones," Ye Yunfei said with a smile, his gaze shifting to the other four Autumn Wind Group True Gods.
At that moment, those four Autumn Wind Group True Gods were trapped by Huang Shang's ghost-cultivation technique, struggling desperately to break out. However, Huang Shang's strength was superior to theirs, making escape far from easy.
"We've got a slight complication," Hun Lao spoke up just then.
Five or six more True Gods in the vicinity suddenly rose into the air and charged towards Ye Yunfei's position.
"Be careful. These are also True Gods from the Autumn Wind Group. They've been hiding nearby all along, also intending to deal with you," Hun Lao immediately warned.
"Let them come. These guys are nothing to worry about," Ye Yunfei replied, glancing dismissively at the six Autumn Wind Group True Gods rushing over.
"That kid is way too powerful! What's his background? He even has a ghost cultivator with him. The five masters from the Autumn Wind Group can't seem to handle him," spectators in the distance commented, shocked to see all five Autumn Wind Group members were trapped within the vast ghostly mist.
"Kid, prepare to die!"
The six Autumn Wind Group True Gods converging from all directions attacked Ye Yunfei simultaneously. Ye Yunfei merely waved his hand, unleashing several thick sword beams that intercepted their attacks with ease.
By then, Ye Yunfei was already deploying his Soul Binding Art and Soul Purification Art against the True Gods trapped within the churning ghostly mist.
Ye Yunfei's Soul Power level was far superior to that of these Autumn Wind Group True Gods. Moreover, the two Soul Force Martial Arts he wielded were both incredibly bizarre. Those Autumn Wind Group True Gods had no way to resist.
Soon, the Soul Bodies of those four Autumn Wind Group True Gods were completely purified by Ye Yunfei. Their consciousness, memories, and everything else vanished, leaving behind only masses of pure Soul Body energy.
Ye Yunfei then forcefully imprinted his own Soul Power marks onto their Soul Bodies, using these marks to gain direct control.
With a thought from Ye Yunfei, the five now-controlled Autumn Wind Group True Gods abruptly turned and charged towards the remaining six members of their own group.
This sudden turn of events caught the other six completely off guard—they never expected their own comrades to attack them. Three of them were wounded on the spot before they could react.
"What are you doing?! Why are you attacking your own?"
The six Autumn Wind Group True Gods were utterly dumbfounded. In their shock and fury, one of them roared the question.
"You six are traitors to our Autumn Wind Group! You deserve death ten thousand times over!" one of the five controlled True Gods sneered coldly. Then, all five launched even more frenzied attacks.
"Dammit! What are you five doing?! Since when did we become traitors?"
The six Autumn Wind Group True Gods who had originally come to help were both bewildered and outraged, unable to understand why their comrades would suddenly turn on them. Since the appearances and auras of the five controlled True Gods were identical to their originals, the six saw no flaws.
"So you six are all traitors of the Autumn Wind Group. Excellent. I'll help your Autumn Wind Group purge its traitors today."
Huang Shang, of course, understood what was happening. He laughed coldly and joined the five True Gods in the assault.
Billowing ghostly mist spread continuously as Ghost Confounding Barriers materialized incessantly in the surrounding space, instantly trapping the six Autumn Wind Group True Gods.
"Excellent. These two Soul Force Martial Arts from the Reincarnation Sect are truly terrifying. Your controlled True Gods show no flaws that outsiders can detect. You could even have them infiltrate their original organizations as spies," Hun Lao praised repeatedly as he observed the five Autumn Wind Group True Gods under Ye Yunfei's control, finding no telltale signs.
"Indeed, I can have them go back as spies," Ye Yunfei said with a smile.
"What in the world is going on? Why are those Autumn Wind Group guys suddenly fighting each other? An internal struggle? Well, it's the Autumn Wind Group's internal affair. We shouldn't get involved. The Autumn Wind Group has always been an unreasonable bunch. Best not to poke our noses in. Let's just watch the spectacle."
Watching from afar as the eleven Autumn Wind Group True Gods turned on each other, the onlookers felt astonished but kept their distance. The Autumn Wind Group was an infamously nefarious organization within the Sixth Void, one that most people preferred not to associate with.
Under the combined assault from Huang Shang and the five True Gods, the six Autumn Wind Group members soon buckled. Ye Yunfei then employed the Soul Binding Art and Soul Purification Art to cleanse the Soul Bodies of these six True Gods as well, imprinting them with his Soul Power marks.
Thus, all eleven Autumn Wind Group True Gods became Ye Yunfei's Clones.
"Alright, everyone, stop fighting. It was all a misunderstanding just now. Let's put it behind us and shake hands."
Once Ye Yunfei had gained control over all the Autumn Wind Group True Gods, Huang Shang ceased his attacks as well and announced loudly with a laugh.
Sure enough, the eleven Autumn Wind Group True Gods then proceeded to shake hands and make peace with each other.
"What in the world are those Autumn Wind Group guys up to? Utterly baffling."
The observers from other factions watched the scene unfold, completely clueless about what had just happened.
"Young man, that Reincarnation Ghost killed many people earlier and incurred public outrage. Thankfully, you captured it. Now, I ask you to release that Reincarnation Ghost.
Naturally, the token you possess that can suppress the Reincarnation Ghost—hand that over as well. One of my disciples died at the hands of that ghost, and I intend to settle the score with it."
At that moment, an old man suddenly appeared before Ye Yunfei, speaking in a stern tone.
This old man had a righteous air about him, and his words carried a note of grief and indignation, as if he could hardly wait to mete out justice upon the Reincarnation Ghost.
Ye Yunfei sensed the old man's cultivation—a Perfected True God.
"Indeed, young man, that Reincarnation Ghost did stir up considerable public anger. Release it now. We shall judge it together," another old man arrived and spoke.
He was also a Perfected True God.
"Previously, members of our Square Tower were also harmed by that Reincarnation Ghost. Young man, release that ghost at once. I will settle accounts with it and make it understand that the people of our Square Tower are not to be trifled with."
Six True Gods arrived simultaneously—three Advanced True Gods and three Intermediate True Gods.
Ye Yunfei gave them a cold glance. Back in the Yangming Secret Realm, he had already learned that the Square Tower, like the Autumn Wind Group, was an affiliated force of the Guardian Faction.
Following them, more and more True Gods began to surround them, all demanding that Ye Yunfei release the Reincarnation Ghost. Of course, they all attached the same condition: that Ye Yunfei also hand over that token.
"Master, these guys clearly want your token! They're using the excuse of dealing with the Reincarnation Ghost. How crafty!" Hu Miao exclaimed angrily to Ye Yunfei, seeing so many True Gods closing in.