"Young Master Ye…"
All the high-ranking members of the Alliance Army gathered around Ye Yunfei, each one hesitant to speak because they had personally heard Ye Yunfei say something before—that the twelve True Gods of the Guardian Faction should take their troops and return to headquarters. And indeed, those twelve True Gods did exactly as Ye Yunfei instructed. This matter was truly inexplicable.
"Everyone, the crisis of our Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds has now been resolved; you can all rest assured. Next, focus on properly reorganizing this stretch of void. I still have some matters to attend to," Ye Yunfei said, glancing at the Alliance Army's leaders and speaking slowly.
After finishing, Ye Yunfei turned and took a step, directly leaving the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds and disappearing from sight.
Ye Yunfei was now at the Primary True God level, and his true combat power far exceeded that of a Peak True God. Combined with his formidable physical strength, his movement speed had reached an extremely advanced level. Before the Alliance Army leaders could even see what happened, they realized Ye Yunfei was already gone.
"Too fast!" Everyone couldn't help but inwardly marvel.
"Everyone, you all heard what Young Master Ye just said, right? We'll just follow Young Master Ye's instructions," Kong Lao spoke loudly, suppressing the questions in his heart.
"Indeed, everyone. Young Master Ye has returned, so we have no reason to fear the Guardian Faction anymore. We'll simply act according to Young Master Ye's commands," Xiao Ziming also declared clearly.
"What a shame! To let those Guardian Faction guys leave intact… It would have been much better if we could have killed them all," Ouyang Tao gritted his teeth, staring in the direction the Guardian Faction forces had departed.
"No, didn't you just hear? It was Young Master Ye himself who ordered them to leave. He must have his own reasons for doing so. We must not act rashly and risk disrupting Young Master Ye's plans," Kong Lao added from the side.
"That's true," Ouyang Tao nodded.
* * *
"What in the world is going on? I don't understand either."
In the secluded world where Kang Wan and his five old companions resided, they had been watching Ye Yunfei's actions all along. When they saw the twelve True Gods of the Guardian Faction leading their entire force away, the six elders felt bewildered and began speculating.
"I think it must be a relatively rare Soul Art. It's possible Ye Yunfei has already used some Soul Art to control those twelve True Gods. Didn't you see how obedient they were acting in front of Ye Yunfei earlier?" Kang Wan thought for a moment before voicing his opinion.
"That makes sense; it's most likely the reason. However, if Ye Yunfei can use Soul Arts to control twelve True Gods, it indicates his Soul Power has reached a truly astonishing level. It seems he has made tremendous progress during his time away in other Voids!" The other five elders all nodded in agreement upon hearing Kang Wan's words.
* * *
At this moment, Ye Yunfei was already heading towards the Fire Clan. Among the organizations related to Ye Yunfei, the Fire Clan's headquarters was relatively close to the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds.
Ye Yunfei boarded his airship and pushed its speed to the maximum, continuously piercing through space as he headed for the Fire Clan headquarters.
Not long after, Ye Yunfei arrived before the Fire Clan headquarters. Looking from a distance, he discovered it was already tightly surrounded by a huge force.
"It seems the Guardian Faction has already breached the Fire Clan headquarters," Hun Lao commented.
Ye Yunfei's figure flickered, arriving right before the Fire Clan headquarters. As soon as he appeared, a patrol team from the Guardian Faction immediately charged over.
Ye Yunfei simply slapped out, instantly sending the entire patrol team flying.
Then, Ye Yunfei strode straight into the Fire Clan's headquarters. Many Guardian Faction members blocking his path, before even realizing what was happening, were directly sent flying by Ye Yunfei, their bodies smashing into the distance.
Upon entering the Fire Realm, Ye Yunfei looked around to see Guardian Faction forces everywhere. They were searching and rummaging all over the Fire Realm, which had been severely ravaged.
Corpses of Fire Clan members littered the ground; rivers of blood had flowed, and the pungent smell of blood filled the air. Clearly, a fierce battle had taken place here not long ago.
"The Fire Clan members have all retreated into their ancestral land," Ye Yunfei murmured softly.
Ye Yunfei's figure flickered again as he rushed towards the direction of the Fire Clan's ancestral land.
Sure enough, a large contingent of Guardian Faction troops tightly surrounded the ancestral land. At the forefront stood four True Gods, all wearing expressions of anger.
The Fire Clan's ancestral land was a Small World. At this moment, the entrance to this Small World was shrouded by more than a dozen large formations.
Besides these formations, over a dozen individuals stood silently before the entrance, confronting the Guardian Faction's army.
"Just who are you people? Why are you interfering with our Guardian Faction's actions? I can see you're all True Gods, likely coming to the Eighth Void from other voids. In that case, you should understand just how profound and powerful our Guardian Faction's heritage and strength are. Therefore, I advise you to best stay out of our Guardian Faction's affairs. If you've come to the Eighth Void seeking cultivation resources, please go somewhere else.
"Though the overall strength of this Eighth Void is relatively weak, its territory is vast. You are free to plunder other forces elsewhere; we will not interfere. But we also expect you to not interfere with our Guardian Faction's operations. This Fire Clan is already marked by our Guardian Faction," one of the Guardian Faction True Gods took a step forward, his gaze fixed on the dozen-plus figures standing silently before the Small World entrance, speaking loudly.
However, these dozen-plus figures, from the moment they arrived until now, had not spoken a single word, offering no reply to this Guardian Faction True God's inquiry.
"These bastards truly don't hold our Guardian Faction in any regard at all! Let's just attack; I can't hold back anymore!" At this point, the four Guardian Faction True Gods were fuming with rage. One of them sent a voice transmission to the other three, energy seething wildly within his body, ready to charge forward and strike at any moment.
"No! There are over a dozen of them, and two among them seem like advanced True Gods. If we truly clash, we'll have zero chance of winning. Forget it; we should endure for now regarding these dozen-plus characters. After annihilating this Fire Clan, we'll investigate their identities and report them to headquarters.
"Then these dozen-plus figures and the factions behind them will learn that our Guardian Faction is not to be trifled with," another True God thought for a moment, shook his head, and transmitted back.
"Gentlemen, just who are you? Are you truly determined to rip apart all decorum with our Guardian Faction? Did you take a fancy to this Fire Clan's wealth and want to snatch it for yourselves?
"Well then, I have a compromise: let's work together to destroy this Fire Clan. Then, you can take all the wealth of the Fire Clan. Because our Guardian Faction army came here primarily to eliminate this Fire Clan, as they hold grievances against our faction. How about that?" a Guardian Faction True God stepped forward again and proclaimed loudly.
"You Fire Clan people, come out now! Kneel before us and accept your deaths!
"Anyone who provokes our Guardian Faction will not meet a good end. Today is the day of your Fire Clan's extinction!" This True God's gaze shifted to the Small World behind the dozen-plus figures, his voice cold as he spoke.
His words, amplified by energy at the True God level, echoed grandly into the Fire Clan's ancestral land. Within, one could clearly hear the rolling reverberations.
"Our Fire Clan has never had the habit of surrendering to other races! Moreover, our Fire Clan has existed for a long history. You think you can make our clan extinct so easily? Dream on!" A resonant voice emerged from within the Small World.
"That's Elder Cui Hong speaking," Ye Yunfei, striding over from the distance, smiled upon hearing the voice.
The dozen-plus people standing in front of the Fire Clan ancestral land entrance had been sent by Ye Yunfei earlier. Among them were a few high-ranking members of the Restorer Faction from the Sixth Void, and the majority were clones of Ye Yunfei himself.
Since arriving at the Fire Clan, they had not taken any action, simply standing guard before the ancestral land entrance to protect the Fire Clan members.
That's because Ye Yunfei had already given instructions not to clash with the Guardian Faction forces to avoid damaging their bodies.
Ye Yunfei's plan was to subdue all True Gods and Void Gods of this Guardian Faction force and turn them into his own clones, who would then guard the Eighth Void on his behalf.
In the next instant, Ye Yunfei directly unleashed the Soul Arts of the Samsara Ghost Clan, targeting all four True Gods standing at the forefront of the Guardian Faction formation.
"What's happening? Why am I suddenly feeling so tired and drowsy?"
Two of these four True Gods were Intermediate True Gods, while the other two were Primary True Gods. They simply couldn't withstand the Soul Arts Ye Yunfei was casting. Their soul bodies immediately felt groggy, and they gradually sank into a dazed, unconscious state.
As the Fire Clan's power was not considered strong, the Guardian Faction had dispatched only four True Gods. Under ordinary circumstances, a force led by four True Gods could indeed easily handle the Fire Clan.
But now that Ye Yunfei had arrived in time, four mere True Gods were utterly insignificant.
"Not good! My memories are fading! What's going on? Is someone attacking my soul body?"
At this moment, Ye Yunfei was already using Soul Purification Art on the soul bodies of these four True Gods.
Realizing their memories seemed to be gradually disappearing, the four True Gods screamed in terror. But soon, they all stood rigid, motionless, because the Soul Arts of the Samsara Ghost Clan unleashed by Ye Yunfei had completely plunged them into unconsciousness.
"What's going on? Honored Elders, why do you suddenly appear so panicked?" Even those Guardian Faction troops at the rear felt confused and bewildered.
Soon, the soul bodies of these four Guardian Faction True Gods were purified by Ye Yunfei. Ye Yunfei forcefully imprinted his own Soul Power mark onto these soul bodies.
Next, Ye Yunfei turned his gaze to the Void Gods among the Guardian Faction forces. One by one, he cast the Soul Arts of the Samsara Ghost Clan and Soul Purification Art, transforming all these Void Gods into his own clones. Not even True Gods could resist these two Soul Arts, so the Void Gods naturally had no power to resist.
"Looks like the secret arts of the Samsara Ghost Clan are quite useful after all! They can plunge the target into a state of unconsciousness. In that state, purifying their soul bodies faces no resistance.
"If you used Soul Binding Art instead, even with your Soul Power, you could easily restrain their soul bodies, but they'd still remain conscious. They'd keep struggling and screaming throughout the purification process; way too annoying to listen to," Hun Lao said with a chuckle.
"Indeed, the Soul Arts of the Samsara Ghost Clan are truly useful. Not only can they be used against those whose Soul Power is weaker than mine, but even if I encounter opponents whose Soul Power surpasses mine, I can still make them briefly unconscious. It's an art that can be used to challenge those above my level," Ye Yunfei nodded, smiling in response to Hun Lao's words.
"By that logic, if you encounter a Heavenly God, could you use this Samsara Ghost Clan Soul Art to deal with them?" the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm couldn't help asking.
"I could certainly try. However, up until now, I've never faced a Heavenly God in direct combat, so I don't know exactly how strong the Soul Power of a Initial Heavenly God is. Can't say for sure," Ye Yunfei replied.
"Given your current level and strength, you'll likely have a hard time finding a worthy opponent within the True God Realm anymore. From here on out, your adversaries will be Heavenly Gods. You need to prepare yourself," Hun Lao reminded him.
* * *
"Elder Cui Hong, you can come out now. Your Fire Clan is safe," Ye Yunfei took out a messaging jade slip and sent a transmission.
"What? I received a message from Young Master Ye! Did a clone of Young Master Ye come?"
At this moment, inside the Fire Clan's ancestral land, Cui Hong and a large group of Fire Clan elders were constantly monitoring the situation outside. Suddenly, he took out a messaging jade slip from his body and received Ye Yunfei's transmission, somewhat pleasantly surprised. He immediately used this slip to communicate with Ye Yunfei.
"Young Master Ye, you're saying your main body has already returned?"
Moments later, Cui Hong's face showed an expression of immense excitement, because Ye Yunfei had told him that his main body had returned, and that all the Guardian Faction forces in the Fire Realm had already submitted to him.
"Young Master Ye, is what you're saying true? You're saying these Guardian Faction forces in the Fire Realm now obey your commands?"
After receiving Ye Yunfei's message, Cui Hong was stunned on the spot, finding it hard to believe.
"That's indeed the case. Elder Cui Hong, do you think I would lie to you?"
By now, Ye Yunfei had already arrived in front of the entrance to the Fire Clan's ancestral land.
"It's definitely Young Master Ye's main body!"
Sensing Ye Yunfei's aura, Cui Hong was both astonished and overjoyed. Without further hesitation, his figure flickered as he rushed out from the ancestral land.
"Young Master Ye, it truly is you; your main body has returned! Excellent! During this time, the Guardian Faction forces made a comeback, throwing our Eighth Void back into chaos. Now that you've returned in time, our Eighth Void has hope again!" Cui Hong looked at Ye Yunfei before him, speaking emotionally.
"Young Master Ye, these fellows…" Cui Hong's gaze then turned towards the distant Guardian Faction troops standing neatly in the void.
"Elder, rest assured. I'll order them to leave right now," Ye Yunfei said with a smile.
Then, Ye Yunfei issued the command. The four Guardian Faction True Gods waved their hands, leading the Guardian Faction troops to turn and depart. Moments later, they had all left the Fire Realm.
These four True Gods were now Ye Yunfei's clones, leading those Guardian Faction forces in a grand march back to the Guardian Faction headquarters.
"Young Master Ye, what on earth is happening? Why are these Guardian Faction fellows obeying your commands? Especially those four leading them—they're four True Gods!" Seeing that Ye Yunfei's single order made the Guardian Faction troops indeed turn and leave, Cui Hong was utterly flabbergasted.
"Young Master Ye, are they… your people?" Cui Hong's gaze shifted to the dozen-plus figures standing behind Ye Yunfei and asked.
Earlier, the Guardian Faction forces had aggressively tried to breach the Fire Clan ancestral land. Then, these dozen-plus people had timely appeared, blocking the entrance. Now that the Guardian Faction had left, these dozen-plus figures had all positioned themselves behind Ye Yunfei.
"Yes, they are all my people," Ye Yunfei replied with a smile.
"Young Master Ye, it seems you've done quite well for yourself out there! These are all master-level True Gods, aren't they? And they're all your subordinates?!" Cui Hong couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.
"Elder Cui Hong, right now, factions like the Flower Goddess Palace, Xiaoliang Temple, and the Restorer Faction are likely also under attack by the Guardian Faction. I must hurry to handle it," Ye Yunfei said to Cui Hong.
"Indeed, though our Fire Clan's crisis is resolved, those other factions are definitely under Guardian Faction assault right now. Oh no! I should rush to the Flower Goddess Palace and see if Ah Fang is alright!" Upon hearing Ye Yunfei's words, Cui Hong grew anxious.
"Elder Cui Hong, don't worry. I already dispatched my people to the Flower Goddess Palace earlier. Nothing will happen to them," Ye Yunfei said reassuringly.
Earlier, Ye Yunfei had dispatched fifty to sixty True Gods to various factions closely connected to him.
Ye Yunfei believed that with these True Gods guarding them, those factions shouldn't face any danger.
Moreover, after having consumed the soul bodies of several Guardian Faction True Gods and acquired their memories, Ye Yunfei knew roughly how many True Gods the Guardian Faction had dispatched to the Eighth Void.
"Really? That's great!" Hearing Ye Yunfei's words, Hong Hong felt considerably more at ease. His gaze involuntarily shifted to the dozen-plus True Gods standing behind Ye Yunfei, and his heart grew even more settled.