"The overall strength of the Guardian Faction is truly formidable. With my current power, I am far from capable of contending against them," Ye Yunfei remarked, a faint frown on his brow as he continuously extracted the memories of several True Gods.
"Forget about the Guardian Faction's main headquarters, I can't even handle their branch locations in any of the eight void fragments. So far, I've only been able to deal with the Guardian Faction in the weakest, the Eighth Void.
As those three True Gods were all from the headquarters, they knew not only the situation there but also about each Guardian Faction branch across the eight void fragments.
'Yet no matter how powerful the Guardian Faction's overall strength is, one day I will personally wipe out this malevolent force.'
'Only then will peace truly come to the Eighth Void. I will not let this void forever remain under the Guardian Faction's threat.'"
Ye Yunfei continued, his gaze resolute. His choice to oppose the Guardian Faction stemmed heavily from a desire for the Eighth Void's peace; to him, this void was his homeland, containing many worlds and people he cared about.
"I suspect that fellow earlier may have transmitted the situation here back to headquarters before his self-destruction," Hun Lao suddenly interjected.
"That's possible."
Hearing Hun Lao's words, Ye Yunfei couldn't help but frown again. That Lord Wu had been a clone of a Heavenly God. Before self-destructing, he might very well have used some secret art to send information about the Eighth Void back to the Guardian Faction headquarters. If the headquarters learned of the situation here, they would undoubtedly dispatch even stronger experts to deal with it immediately.
"Young Master Ye, there is no need for concern. That fellow earlier has already fallen into my hands."
Just at that moment, a voice rang out.
Ye Yunfei then saw an elder walk into the hall from outside.
He couldn't help but be startled. He had already laid down numerous Earth Formations and Formations around the perimeter of the palace outside, yet this elder had walked in without him sensing a thing. This spoke volumes about the man's terrifying strength.
After entering, the elder waved a hand lightly, and a figure materialized before Ye Yunfei—it was the self-detonated Lord Wu from earlier.
"Although this fellow self-destructed, the fragments of his Soul Body that fled the scene managed to reassemble outside," the elder said with a smile. "I just happened to intercept him."
"So that's what happened," Ye Yunfei said, somewhat surprised.
"It seems the methods of a Heavenly God are indeed on another level," Hun Lao couldn't help but sigh. "I watched that fellow's Soul Body shatter into countless pieces with my own eyes, yet it was still able to reconstitute itself."
"Young Master Ye, although this is just a Soul Power clone, the Soul Body energy it possesses is of rather high quality," the elder continued amiably. "As a clone of a Heavenly God, it contains trace energies of a Heavenly God's Soul Body. If you wish to refine it, I can assist."
"Then I would trouble senior to do so," Ye Yunfei immediately replied. To be able to refine the soul energy of a Heavenly God was undoubtedly a good thing.
"Who are you people, truly? Why do you dare to move against the Guardian Faction?" Lord Wu roared, both shocked and furious.
He had self-destructed before Ye Yunfei's eyes in this very hall, then stealthily reassembled outside, intending to flee back to headquarters. He never expected to be recaptured by this elder.
"You must know our Guardian Faction's strength. Have you considered the consequences of choosing us as your enemy?" Lord Wu added, his tone thick with threat.
"I shall suppress him now. After that, Young Master Ye, you can easily refine him," the elder said to Ye Yunfei, completely ignoring Lord Wu's words.
"Then I shall trouble senior," Ye Yunfei replied respectfully.
The elder pointed a finger, and a formidable surge of energy instantly manifested, pinning Lord Wu firmly in place.
Without hesitation, Ye Yunfei immediately began refining Lord Wu.
"You brat! If you dare destroy my clone, I will definitely not let you off!" Lord Wu bellowed in extreme rage at Ye Yunfei.
But Ye Yunfei paid him no mind whatsoever.
A moment later, Ye Yunfei had completely refined and absorbed Lord Wu, turning him into his own energy.
'So this is soul energy at the Heavenly God level? The quality is indeed far superior to that of a Void God,' Ye Yunfei thought to himself.
"Young Master Ye, the Guardian Faction's strength is indeed immense, but you need not worry. We are your staunch backing," the elder said with a smile.
"Senior, may I know your identities? Are you, like me, also locked in an unresolvable conflict with the Guardian Faction?" Ye Yunfei couldn't help but ask.
"You will learn of our identities in time," the elder replied. "We do have grievances with the Guardian Faction, and we also disapprove of their actions. To put it simply, we are all part of the Chaotic Void Sea. The Guardian Faction's harm to the Chaotic Void Sea makes them our common enemy. As for other matters, you will come to understand them gradually later on."
"That was close. That Lord Wu actually managed to reassemble," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm transmitted to Ye Yunfei with relief. "Had he escaped, the Guardian Faction headquarters would have surely sent more and stronger experts. Luckily, he was intercepted."
"No. Although he was intercepted and refined by me, he was only a clone," Ye Yunfei shook his head, his expression growing more solemn. "Given time, his main body will surely grow suspicious and may then send people to investigate the Eighth Void."
"Indeed. When a Heavenly God's clone is destroyed, the main body will sense it sooner or later," Hun Lao nodded, speaking up. "So the Guardian Faction headquarters will definitely dispatch more to investigate the Eighth Void."
"Even if the Guardian Faction headquarters sends Heavenly Gods, we have reinforcements," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm said cheerfully.
"Senior, I fear the Guardian Faction will still send someone to the Eighth Void to investigate, possibly dispatching stronger experts this time," Ye Yunfei addressed the elder.
"Do not worry. We have our own experts stationed here as well," the elder replied, seeming to understand Ye Yunfei's concerns. "You have not forgotten, Young Master Ye? We are in a cooperative relationship. We will not stand idly by."
"That is excellent news!" Hearing this, Ye Yunfei couldn't help but feel his spirits lift.
"Young Master Ye, your combat prowess far exceeds your cultivation realm," the elder observed, looking at Ye Yunfei suddenly. "I believe you could head in one specific direction: cultivating to become a God King. A God King possesses power that far surpasses their official cultivation level, which seems very fitting for you.
To cultivate into a God King, you must condense a lifetime's worth of cultivation into a single Crown.
However, achieving God King status is extremely difficult."
"Cultivate to become a God King!"
Hearing the elder's words, Ye Yunfei's heart stirred.
"But senior, I have no idea about the method to become a God King," Ye Yunfei stated immediately.
"The method itself isn't really a secret," the elder smiled and explained. "It involves repeatedly tempering and compressing all of your energy and the Dao Laws you've comprehended, condensing them into a Crown. If you succeed, you become a God King. The Crown's form is roughly like this."
As he spoke, a dazzlingly brilliant crown materialized before him, radiating rolling divine light.
"The Crown's specific shape can differ based on the individual's cultivated energy and laws, but the differences are generally minor," the elder added.
"See? The method sounds simple enough, doesn't it? But truly accomplishing it is far too difficult. One could say the vast majority of Deities are incapable of condensing their lifetime's cultivation into a single Crown. In fact, countless Deities have attempted the God King cultivation path. But most of them fail midway; before the Crown is compressed into a complete form, their cultivation collapses, all their efforts coming to nothing.
Here's what I'll do," the elder proposed. "I'll transmit some fundamental knowledge regarding God King cultivation to you. Study it well. Your talent is far superior to mine when I was young; perhaps you have a chance to achieve it."
As he finished speaking, the elder sent a stream of Soul Power information directly into Ye Yunfei's Soul Sea.
"My deepest thanks to you, senior!" Ye Yunfei said gratefully.
"No need for formalities. We are all on the same side," the elder waved it off. "Work hard. I have high hopes for you. Also, regarding your next steps—go do what you wish without worry. For you right now, gaining more experience and elevating your realm and power as quickly as possible are of utmost importance.
We already have quite a few powerful figures stationed within the Eighth Void. In the coming days, we will focus on nurturing the Restorer Faction, building them into a force for our side. Naturally, we can also help you build up your Alliance Army a bit."
The elder smiled, then turned and took a single step, disappearing without a trace.
"Thank you, senior!" Upon hearing the elder's words, Ye Yunfei immediately exclaimed with pleasant surprise. Having these mysterious powerful experts protecting the Eighth Void was, of course, a great boon for him, allowing him to focus his efforts elsewhere without lingering concerns.
"In that case, let us return to the Sixth Void," Ye Yunfei declared after a moment's thought. "My influence in the Sixth Void hasn't truly taken root yet. This time when we return, I shall fully develop my forces there in the shortest possible time.
Then, using the Sixth Void and the Eighth Void as my bases, I will continue my campaign against the Guardian Faction in the other voids, dismantling their power piece by piece."
"You can go back to the Sixth Void," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm suggested with a laugh. "Stealthily turn all the True Gods of the Guardian Faction and other opposing major forces there into your clones. That way, your power in the Sixth Void will be unrivaled."
"That is precisely my intention," Ye Yunfei nodded in agreement.