"No matter what, for now, we'll just wait and see how the situation unfolds."
The first grey-robed elder said.
At this moment, inside the headquarters of the Alliance Army of the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds, the army had already made preparations for battle. Troop after troop of soldiers appeared in orderly formations in the void around the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds, setting up various types of battle formations.
Many commanders, large and small, were giving final pre-battle rallies to these troops.
"Who could have imagined that the Guardian Faction would come back into prominence, dragging our Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds back into the mire of war! Our Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds have truly suffered endless calamities!"
At a certain point in the void of the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds, two figures stood. They were Old Man Chu and Chan Master Tianwu.
The two of them were the oldest and most senior members of the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds and were core high-ranking members of the Alliance Army.
However, because their cultivation and strength were relatively weak compared to the other high-ranking members of the Alliance Army, they spent most of their time secluded in cultivation chambers cultivating intensively, or they went out to gain experience. But now, both had become Deities, reaching the initial stage of Void God.
Back when Ye Yunfei left the Eighth Void, he had specially refined a batch of highly-targeted medicinal pills for them. Not only did those pills help them breakthrough cultivation realms, but they also made their combat prowess progressively stronger. So even though both were only at the initial Void God realm, their actual combat strength had reached that of intermediate Void Gods. They could even handle some of the weaker advanced Void Gods.
"Actually, it's not just our Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds. The entire Eighth Void is the same—it's a void plagued by calamities. The main reason is the existence of the Guardian Faction. As long as this evil force remains undestroyed, there will never be peace in the Eighth Void."
Chan Master Tianwu said through gritted teeth.
"I wonder how Ye Yunfei is doing now. With the Guardian Faction making a comeback this time and Ye Yunfei not here in our Eighth Void to lead, it just feels like something's missing. Do you think Ye Yunfei will receive word and hurry back?"
Old Man Chu gazed into the void beyond the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds and spoke.
"Although Ye Yunfei has already left the Eighth Void, he left quite a few Clones behind here. I don't know if those Clones have any way to contact his main body. But if they can, then I believe as soon as he receives the message, he will rush back immediately. He cares more about the safety of the Eighth Void than us old-timers."
Chan Master Tianwu said.
"But according to the news, the strength of the Guardian Faction members coming from other voids is extremely strong. They even have quite a few True Gods. Even if Ye Yunfei were to return, it's not certain he could handle them. When Ye Yunfei left, he had only just become a Deity."
Old Man Chu said.
"He had indeed only just become a Deity when he left. But don't forget, that kid's cultivation speed is something us old-timers simply can't compare to. Even we two old men have become Deities now; Ye Yunfei's strength is surely far greater than it was when he first left. If he can really return in time, I believe he will be able to lead the various forces of our Eighth Void once more against the Guardian Faction. I've always had faith in him."
Chan Master Tianwu said.
"Indeed, I also have great faith in him. As long as he can return, perhaps our Eighth Void truly can stand against those Guardian Faction members from other voids."
Old Man Chu nodded solemnly, fully agreeing with Chan Master Tianwu.
"Seniors, we've just received news: the Guardian Faction's army is about to arrive at the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds."
At that moment, a scout rushed frantically to stand before Old Man Chu and Chan Master Tianwu and deliver his report.
"Let's go. Everyone is waiting for us."
Old Man Chu said to Chan Master Tianwu. Then the two of them soared into the air, arriving moments later at the front of the Alliance Army.
A large group of Alliance Army high commanders had already gathered. The Alliance Army had finished assembling, and the densely-packed troops stood in the void of the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds—looking out, one couldn't see the end of them.
Kong Lao, Xiao Ziming, Ouyang Tao, and other core high-ranking members of the Alliance Army were all present. Compared to when Ye Yunfei left, the overall strength of the Alliance Army now was much greater.
The Eighth Void had entered a glorious Age of Deities. The energy and laws of the entire void were continually upgrading. Combined with the fact that the Alliance Army was already the strongest superpower in the void, controlling numerous cultivation resources, during Ye Yunfei's absence the Alliance Army's overall strength had been constantly improving. It now had dozens of Deities, though most were at the initial Void God stage; only three were intermediate Void Gods.
These three intermediate Void Gods possessed particularly exceptional talent and had already broken through to the initial Void God realm when Ye Yunfei was still in the Eighth Void. During the period Ye Yunfei was away, they cultivated diligently and experienced many harsh trials, ultimately breaking through to become intermediate Void Gods.
Seeing Old Man Chu and Chan Master Tianwu arrive, the other core high-ranking members of the Alliance Army came up to greet them and detailed the current situation to them.
Because of Ye Yunfei, Old Man Chu and Chan Master Tianwu held a relatively special status within the Alliance Army, and everyone accorded them great respect.
"Ye Yunfei!"
When Old Man Chu and Chan Master Tianwu saw Ye Yunfei's Clone present, they immediately went over and stood beside him.
"Seniors."
Ye Yunfei's Clone nodded.
"Young Master Ye, our army has finished assembling and is ready for battle at any moment."
Kong Lao, Xiao Ziming, Ouyang Tao, and other core high-ranking figures all surrounded Ye Yunfei, with the densely-packed Alliance Army behind them.
Ye Yunfei nodded.
The Clone understood that if the Guardian Faction truly sent so many True Gods, then the strength of the Alliance Army here was simply not enough.
Ye Yunfei's gaze swept over the world where Kang Wan and the other six old men normally cultivated in seclusion, and then it glanced towards the location of the Colorless Abyss.
The Clone knew that Kang Wan's group and the Colorless Abyss were now the last trump cards of the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds. Especially the Colorless Abyss—up to this point, even Ye Yunfei didn't know just how strong the powerful entities within it truly were.
"If True God-level experts really arrive, can the Colorless Abyss handle them?" Ye Yunfei thought to himself.
As for the Alliance Army, the Clone didn't hold much hope.
"Young Master Ye, I've just received news. Besides dispatching an army to our Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds, the Guardian Faction has also sent other armies, respectively heading towards the headquarters of the Restorationist Faction, the Fire Clan headquarters, the Flower Goddess Palace headquarters, and the headquarters of the Minor Measure Sect,"
Kong Lao said to Ye Yunfei.
"It seems the Guardian Faction's main target is me."
Ye Yunfei nodded, because these were all factions connected to him.
"I've already contacted these forces. They've all transferred a portion of their key personnel and have already made battle preparations."
Kong Lao added.
"Pass down the order: have everyone ready to retreat at any time. We've drilled the retreat route several times before. They should retreat according to the routes practiced previously."
Ye Yunfei thought for a moment before speaking.
It turned out Ye Yunfei had long anticipated that the Guardian Faction would someday resurge in the Eighth Void. Therefore, before leaving, Ye Yunfei's main body had personally designed and arranged a retreat route within the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds. If the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds were ever invaded by powerful enemies and could not resist, all the forces would use this retreat route to flee quickly.
This retreat route was personally designed and arranged by Ye Yunfei, composed of many Earth Formations and Formations, along with various spatial barriers. In times of crisis, the Alliance Army and the core members of the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds would use these Earth Formations and Formations for transportation.
The route included multiple secret transmissions. After several teleportations, they would be far from the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds, reaching remote parts of the Eighth Void and then entering several secret bases.
After Ye Yunfei arranged this route, he had taken the Alliance Army's core high commanders and some elite troops to drill the retreat action several times.
"Young Master Ye, rest assured, I have made the arrangements. If the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds truly cannot withstand the enemy invasion and reach a critical juncture, all our forces will begin the retreat according to plan."
Xiao Ziming said to Ye Yunfei.
"Very good."
Ye Yunfei nodded.
"Report! The Guardian Faction's army is about to arrive!"
Right at that moment, a scout rushed frantically into the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds, coming to stand before Ye Yunfei and report loudly.
"They're finally coming?"
Ye Yunfei's gaze turned to look at the void beyond the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds as he said softly.
"And many of the scouts we dispatched have already been discovered by the Guardian Faction and slaughtered tragically. So, the information we can obtain will become less and less. The perception abilities of those Guardian Faction experts are far too strong. They can sense our presence from great distances away and kill our scouts across vast spatial distances.
If I hadn't escaped a bit faster, I would have been killed too!"
The scout continued his report, a trace of fear rising on his face.
"You've worked hard. When you gather intelligence from now on, try to keep your distance and prioritize safety."
Ye Yunfei nodded and consoled him.
BOOM… BOOM… BOOM…
Just then, terrifying rumbles of energy suddenly came from the distant void outside the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds. The boundless void began to shake as if trembling like a chaff sieve.
"Young Master Ye, the Guardian Faction army is truly arriving!"
Ouyang Tao took a step forward, gripping a long blade tightly, and spoke.
Every person within the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds looked with tense gazes toward the distant void outside, sensing the terrifying energy aura rolling in. Their faces grew slightly pale.
Although they couldn't yet see the Guardian Faction army, the energy aura spreading over from the distant void grew increasingly horrifying, causing the surrounding void and the entire Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds to tremble violently. Rolling booms of energy echoed endlessly within the vast emptiness.
"Too strong! The Guardian Faction army hasn't even arrived yet, and it's already creating such a terrifying presence. It seems these Guardian Faction forces from other voids are truly dreadful!"
Someone couldn't help but cry out in alarm under their breath as they felt the increasingly fearsome energy aura.
CRACK… CRACK…
In the void around the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds, many weaker spaces had already begun to split apart, showing pitch-black spatial fissures. In some places, space even began to crumble and collapse piece by piece.
"Is this the energy aura of True God-level experts? Compared to Void God-level energy, it is indeed far more potent."
Sensing the rolling energy aura approaching from the distant void, Ye Yunfei couldn't help but frown slightly as he murmured.
The high-ranking members of the Alliance Army standing behind Ye Yunfei all grew a bit pale. Amongst the many troops behind them, quite a few with weaker strength were swaying and nearly stumbling.
A few moments later.
Suddenly.
BOOM… BOOM… BOOM…
A terrifying energy aura—so extreme it was fearsome—swiftly surged over from the distant void like an invisible deluge, crashing violently and surging wildly into the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds.
"Everyone, be careful!"
Ye Yunfei called out.
The Clone knew this was a terrifyingly strong expert unleashing his energy aura across space to oppress and intimidate the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds.
Ye Yunfei stomped a foot.
BOOM… BOOM… BOOM…
One Earth Formation and Formation after another began to appear continuously in the void around the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds. Barrier after glowing barrier radiated with sparkling, luminous energy, shielding and protecting the space of the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
The next moment, that invisible energy deluge crashing over from the distance violently collided with the Earth Formations and Formations Ye Yunfei had deployed. In just an instant, a large batch of Ye Yunfei's Earth Formations and Formations were destroyed.
But thanks to these Formations blocking the onslaught momentarily, the terrifying energy torrent was greatly weakened, and it didn't cause much harm to the Alliance Army forces—simply because there were far too many Earth Formations and Formations Ye Yunfei had laid around the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds.
"Who would have thought that a trash-like world cluster could actually deploy so many Formations?! It seems there is someone skilled in Formation arts within this world cluster. But no matter how many formations there are at this level, they could never block our advance."
In the distant void, an army was approaching in grand formation. Walking at the forefront, an old man suddenly revealed a look of surprise, then sneered coldly.
It had been this old man who, moments before, had unleashed his energy aura to oppress the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds from across the void.
Moments later, the Guardian Faction army arrived in front of the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds.
Almost at the same moment, separate Guardian Faction armies also appeared outside the headquarters of the Restorationist Faction, in front of the Fire Clan, before the headquarters of the Flower Goddess Palace, and in front of the headquarters of the Minor Measure Sect.
These Guardian Faction armies were all seething with murderous intent, and the energy auras they released caused the boundless void around them to tremble violently.
"HAHAHA…
What lousy Alliance Army! They dare boast of being the strongest superpower in this void, but they only have a few dozen Void Gods? And most of them are just at the initial Void God stage? This is simply pathetic weakness! An organization like this, I could easily annihilate by myself! And yet it forced our Guardian Faction to mobilize such large forces. What rotten luck!"
The aggressive Guardian Faction army stopped in front of the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds. Standing at the very front were over ten True Gods lined up in a row. One among them, an advanced True God, swept his perception through the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds. After clearly sensing the strength level of the Alliance Army's high-ranking members, he immediately burst into wild laughter, his tone thick with contempt.
"Young Master Ye, the situation is rather bleak. There are actually twelve True Gods in the Guardian Faction army."
Inside the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds, the high-ranking members of the Alliance Army stared at the twelve True Gods at the forefront. Their faces changed drastically one after another.
Because even if there were just one True God, none of them felt confident they could handle it. Now, twelve of them had appeared at once—this line-up was simply terrifying.
"The Guardian Faction really thinks highly of me! To deal with me, they actually sent so many True Gods here."
Watching those twelve True Gods, Ye Yunfei's Clone also grew somewhat grim-faced, and muttered inwardly.
"You insects, listen well! Come out now, right now! All of you kneel before our Alliance Army and kowtow a thousand times each. Maybe then you will have a sliver of a chance to survive.
Otherwise, once we charge in, not a soul in your world cluster shall remain—no man, woman, or even animal will be left alive."
An initial-level True God took a step forward and looked down with a condescending gaze at the Alliance Army forces within the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds, speaking coldly.
As he spoke, this initial-level True God unleashed his energy aura, transforming it into raging, turbulent energy hurricanes that surged ferociously toward the interior of the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds.
Even though he was just an initial-stage True God, to the Alliance Army he was still a frighteningly powerful expert.
The energy aura released by this initial-stage True God instantly caused every person in the Alliance Army to feel immense pressure.
A terrifying energy coercion, akin to tempestuous, crushing waves, bore down on the Alliance Army forces.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Immediately, many Alliance Army members with relatively low cultivation were struck by the pressure; their bodies flew backward high through the air, continuously vomiting blood.
Fortunately, Ye Yunfei's Clone reacted quickly. Stomping a foot once more, yet another large batch of Earth Formations and Formations continuously manifested, blocking a significant portion of the initial-stage True God's energy aura from surging inside. But as a result, more than half of those Earth Formations and Formations were directly shattered.
"True Gods truly are formidable!"
Ye Yunfei inwardly sighed as he felt the energy aura of that initial-stage True God.