Within the conference hall at the Alliance Army headquarters, Ye Yunfei's Clone discussed and devised detailed plans with the high-ranking members of the Alliance Army.
At the same time, in the Tianpo Realm, inside the small mountain village where Mr. Liu used to live in seclusion, one of Ye Yunfei's Clones suddenly appeared at the village entrance.
This Clone had been specifically stationed there to guard the small village, as his own clansmen and parents were living in seclusion within it.
"Young Master Ye, what is the matter?"
No sooner had Ye Yunfei appeared at the entrance than the Village Chief led a large group of villagers out to greet him.
The Village Chief before them was also a Clone, and nearly half of the villagers were Clones as well. Mr. Liu had taken the original bodies of these villagers with him when he departed.
"The Guardian Faction is making a comeback, seeking to once again dominate the Eighth Void. They have already dispatched a great army, and it will soon reach the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds. We must evacuate.
This time, the Guardian Faction is advancing with immense force, led personally by experts at the True God level — and not just one. If the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds cannot withstand them, their army will invade," Ye Yunfei said with a grave expression.
"That Guardian Faction never stays dead!" the Village Chief said immediately, his face twisting with anger. "That evil organization has committed heinous acts time and again. They brought immense disaster to this void in the past, and now they dare to return!"
"Still, the foundation and strength of the Guardian Faction should not be underestimated. We'd better hurry with the evacuation," a villager beside him spoke up.
Ye Yunfei immediately entered the Small World within the village and brought out all his clansmen and parents.
When Ye Yunfei left the Eighth Void previously, he had established quite a few secret, well-hidden bases throughout it. Reaching these bases required passing through Teleportation Formations repeatedly until one finally arrived.
Those bases had been completely sealed off by Ye Yunfei using geomancy and Formations, with no visible entrances or exits. Only the Teleportation Formations could provide access.
Upon leaving the Eighth Void, Ye Yunfei had anticipated that the Guardian Faction would eventually return, and with even more terrifying strength. Hence, he had long prepared for this, expending enormous effort, time, and precious resources to construct those secret bases.
Just as Ye Yunfei's Clone had brought everyone out of the Small World, a contingent dispatched from the Alliance Army headquarters arrived at the small mountain village.
Ye Yunfei selected some trusted individuals to follow him, sending the others back.
Then, he led his clansmen, family members, and the villagers from the small mountain village away from the hamlet in secret.
Not long after leaving the world where the small village was located, Ye Yunfei sent out messages, summoning members of several forces from within the Tianpo Realm.
Ye Yunfei had traveled through the Tianpo Realm for a period before, getting to know quite a few groups, such as the Giant Race.
Next, Ye Yunfei led this group of people into a relatively remote world within the Tianpo Realm, using a Teleportation Altar to depart.
Afterwards, Ye Yunfei's Clone, leading a large group of people, continuously teleported, moving from one Teleportation Altar to the next. The locations of these altars were all extremely hidden, and around each altar, Ye Yunfei had arranged numerous geomancy barriers and Formations. Ordinary beings would find it difficult to detect these altars even if they passed nearby.
Finally, this Clone of Ye Yunfei led the large group to settle down within a secret base.
At the same time, within the Eighth Void, members of the Restorer Faction, the Fire Clan, the Flower Goddess Palace, Xiaoliang Taoist Temple, Zhuque Realm, and other forces also slipped away from their headquarters. They then began using Teleportation Altars to travel continuously, eventually hiding within one secret base after another.
The leadership of these major factions understood that the Guardian Faction's return would not only target the Alliance Army, the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds, and Ye Yunfei. They would certainly attack these factions or World Clusters that had ties with Ye Yunfei as well. Therefore, all had made preparations, with each force secreting a group of their important members into the hidden bases Ye Yunfei had prepared for them in advance.
This way, even if their forces were truly destroyed by the Guardian Faction, a part of their legacy would be preserved, providing a chance for reconstruction in the future.
At the headquarters of the Restorer Faction, outside the Great Leader's secluded cultivation chamber, a group of over a dozen high-ranking members abruptly landed together, looking flustered.
"Report, Great Leader! An army from the Guardian Faction is marching towards our faction's headquarters," one of them announced loudly outside the chamber door.
Hearing this, the Great Leader immediately emerged from his cultivation chamber.
"So, we must face the Guardian Faction once more?" The Great Leader's gaze swept towards the direction of the Guardian Faction's headquarters as he spoke slowly.
"Great Leader, according to reports, those Guardian Faction members from other voids possess terrifying overall combat strength, with quite a few True God-level powerhouses personally leading them.
During this period, coerced and enticed by the Guardian Faction, quite a few forces and World Clusters within our Eighth Void have already pledged allegiance to them. It's estimated that even more may defect soon," another high-ranking member, specializing in intelligence, reported.
"There are never any shortage of traitors, no matter the era!" The Great Leader's face turned somewhat dark, and he spoke through gritted teeth. "They will pay the price in the future."
"Great Leader, as you instructed, we have already relocated a group of core disciples with superior talent to the secret base," another high-ranking member stepped forward and said.
"Good. Prepare for battle with all our might.
From the day our Restorer Faction was established, our purpose has been to fight for the protection of this entire void. Even though our enemy is powerful, we, the Restorer Faction, shall never retreat," the Great Leader declared firmly, his gaze fixed in the direction of the Guardian Faction headquarters.
Suddenly, a man's voice spoke from beside the Great Leader. "Do not worry. True Gods may be powerful, but they are not invincible. I secretly trained a group of people with resources you provided. They have achieved a certain level of proficiency and should be ready to face the enemy. They might surprise you."
"Senior! Are you saying that those who underwent the secret training are now combat-ready?" Upon seeing this man, the Great Leader's face lit up with excitement as he asked.
"Yes. Those who participated in the training have completed the first phase of group cultivation. It is time for them to gain combat experience. In truth, the second phase of the training involves actual combat—being tempered by blood and fire in real battle. Only then can they truly grow," the man nodded in affirmation.
"Senior, the reports say that this Guardian Faction force making a comeback possesses terrifying overall strength, with perhaps over twenty True Gods. With so many True Gods, our Eighth Void stands no chance," the Great Leader hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"When soldiers come, we have generals to defend. No need for undue worry," the man stated calmly.
'This Senior seems confident in dealing with those Guardian Faction True Gods. That's excellent! Our Eighth Void might just be saved!' The Great Leader thought excitedly.
Although he still did not know this man's true identity, one thing was beyond doubt: his strength was extraordinarily formidable. This man had suddenly appeared in the Great Leader's cultivation chamber one day, demonstrating terrifying power. He then proposed to help strengthen the Restorer Faction.
Moreover, he explicitly stated that his main reason for helping the Restorer Faction improve its strength was to oppose the Guardian Faction in the future. According to him, the Guardian Faction would certainly make a comeback someday.
After careful consideration, the Great Leader agreed to let this man of unknown origins help strengthen the Restorer Faction, as it was a faction whose very purpose was to oppose the Guardian Faction.
The man subsequently provided vast amounts of cultivation resources and many high-level cultivation methods. He also handpicked a group of talented Restorer members and sent them to a secret base for concentrated training.
Ever since those members were sent for training, the Great Leader had not seen them again.
'I wonder what the current strength of those trained members is like now?' The Great Leader felt a sense of anticipation.
At this moment, a scout rushed before the Great Leader. "Report, Great Leader! That Guardian Faction army is getting closer and closer to our headquarters."
"Let them come," the man remarked, his face expressionless.
"Senior, if we manage to repel this Guardian Faction army, I intend to send men to the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds to support the Alliance Army, as we are in an alliance with them," the Great Leader carefully probed.
"You need not worry about the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds. There is no need for you to save them. Your task is to properly manage the Restorer Faction, to make it grow ever stronger, and to eventually stand firmly on its own two feet," the man replied indifferently.
Simultaneously, the Fire Clan, the Flower Goddess Palace, Xiaoliang Taoist Temple, and other forces also completed their preparations for war.
In the void, one contingent after another from the Guardian Faction advanced like rolling thunder. They moved in orderly, disciplined ranks. Most of them wore battle armor that gleamed chillingly, radiating shocking killing intent.
Their vast, dense numbers resembled an unstoppable tide of steel. Wherever they passed, space trembled violently.
"How terrifying! These Guardian Faction forces feel much stronger than those from before. Especially those powerhouses at the forefront—each exudes a suffocating aura. Even from this far, I feel almost breathless!"
"I heard those leading the army are all True God-level powerhouses. True Gods are a higher realm than Virtual Gods, the elites among Deities."
"Let's stay further back. And don't speak out loud, communicate via sound transmission only. If those True Gods detect us discussing them, we'll be in serious trouble."
The commotion caused by this Guardian Faction army was immense. In particular, the energy auras unleashed by those True Gods radiated far through the void, causing the vast expanse of space to rumble and tremble continuously.
"I can't hold back any longer. I've been in this void for several days now and haven't obtained a single corpse yet. There's a World Cluster ahead. I'm going to massacre it entirely, turning every living thing within into a corpse."
Suddenly, within one of the Guardian Faction contingents, a figure shrouded entirely in black robes spoke.
"We will soon reach the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds. When we do, you can turn every living being there into corpses," an elder walking at the forefront stopped, glanced back at the black-robed figure, and replied with a slight frown.
"My appetite is immense. Massacring just one World Cluster might not be enough. Moreover, the beings in this void are universally weak. Their quality is likely poor, so quantity will have to make up for it. I need to massacre at least a dozen World Clusters to be satisfied," the black-robed figure answered.
"True. The creatures in this void are all akin to ants. Would your Guardian Faction truly care about butchering these ants?" another black-robed figure beside him also spoke.
Apart from these two, over a dozen other black-robed figures stood nearby.
Had Ye Yunfei been present, he would have instantly recognized them as True Gods from Yin Corpse Hall.
"Alright then. Do as you please," the elder, who originated from the Sixth Void, thought for a moment before replying. "The beings in this void are indeed ant-like. Killing them all wouldn't matter anyway."
"Then we begin."
The dozen or so black-robed figures soared into the air simultaneously, charging towards the World Cluster ahead. Moments later, they reached its periphery.
Each of the black-robed figures took out a collection of black sacks and hurled them forward. From the sacks poured massive waves of corpses—corpses exuding dense, reeking corpse energy, standing densely packed before the World Cluster.
"Kill our way in! Slaughter this World Cluster. Leave none, not even chickens or dogs."
The black-robed figure at the very front strode into the World Cluster, his voice icy.
Like a dark tide, the massive army of corpses followed behind these Yin Corpse Hall True Gods and flooded in.
A horrific slaughter soon unfolded within the World Cluster.
A dozen True Gods from Yin Corpse Hall had no trouble massacring an ordinary World Cluster. The corpses they released were also terrifyingly powerful, with bodies as hard as iron and formidable combat prowess.
The pitiful, weaker creatures within this World Cluster stood no chance against these dreadful Yin Corpse Hall masters.
Soon, the entire World Cluster was utterly eradicated, every living thing within turned into cold, bloody corpses.
"Hahaha! Quite a good harvest! Although this World Cluster's overall strength was weak and the corpses' quality isn't high, the sheer numbers make up for it! Once we've slaughtered a dozen or so clusters, we should have collected enough Corpse Sources for our cultivation!" One of the black-robed figures was so excited he couldn't help but laugh heartily.
After the massacre, the black-robed figures collected all the corpses, caught up with the Guardian Faction contingent they had separated from, and continued rolling forward through the void.
At the same time, within the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds, inside the Colorless Abyss, atop a certain mountain.
Two gray-robed old men sat facing each other, engaged in a game of Go.
"This time, we might have to intervene personally to resolve the crisis in this void," one gray-robed elder said softly, holding a Go piece suspended above the board. He then placed the piece down.
"No need to rush. I just divined the outcome. Even if we don't intervene, the Eighth Void can survive this crisis safely. Moreover, acting now is not advisable. Many factions are watching the Colorless Abyss closely. If we intervene, we would likely be exposed immediately, inviting endless trouble," the other gray-robed elder stated. As he spoke, he placed a white Go piece on the board.
"We're not needed... Are you saying...?" The first gray-robed elder's heart stirred as he asked.
He knew his companion's divination skills far surpassed his own.
"Yes, I believe Ye Yunfei will return. So, let's not be hasty for now. Wait and see." The second gray-robed elder nodded. "And don't forget, apart from Ye Yunfei, others are capable of opposing those Guardian Faction True Gods."