"He is indeed about to self-destruct."
Ye Yunfei nodded, having also noticed the tell-tale signs.
No sooner had Hun Lao and Ye Yunfei finished speaking than—BOOM!—a terrifying surge of Soul Force Energy poured forth from the Soul Race member's body, literally blowing his body apart.
The physical form of a Soul Race member is essentially a Soul Body. As the terrifying explosive force caused the surrounding space to crumble relentlessly, fragments of the Soul Body were sent scattering in every direction.
"These Soul Body fragments would be extremely nourishing for me," Huang Shang said, staring at the cascading fragments while swallowing hard.
"Huang Shang, you should consume a portion of this fellow's body as well," Ye Yunfei told him.
"In that case, I won't stand on ceremony." Upon hearing Ye Yunfei's words, Huang Shang immediately employed his Ghost Cultivation techniques and began devouring the fragments of the Soul Body left behind by the Soul Race member.
At the same time, Ye Yunfei's Soul Force Planets were also voraciously consuming the Soul Body fragments scattered throughout this region of space.
"Just now, I sensed a particularly large fragment of the Soul Body suddenly depart in that direction," Hun Lao suddenly interjected. "There were faint spatial fluctuations in that direction, but I caught them just in time. I suspect the reason that fellow self-destructed was to preserve a portion of his body and escape amidst the chaos."
Hearing this, Ye Yunfei immediately shifted his gaze in that direction, extending his perception with a vast wave of Soul Force Energy.
Sure enough, he discovered that a fragment of the Soul Body had indeed just fled, and it was a significantly larger piece.
"Brat! Just you wait! I spent so many years cultivating arduously to finally reach my current level and power, hoping to return to the Soul Realm in glory. Now, it's all ruined by you!" a voice filled with extreme resentment and venom suddenly roared. "Just you wait! I don't care which noble clan you belong to in the Soul Realm. You've offended me, and I will definitely not let this go. One day, I will have my revenge for what happened today!"
Ye Yunfei's Soul Force Energy quickly perceived that this voice originated from a relatively tiny fragment of the Soul Body. With a mere thought, a Soul Force Planet shot forward and instantly devoured that fragment.
Next, Ye Yunfei released his Soul Force Energy to sweep majestically in all directions, trying to locate the largest Soul Body fragment that had just escaped. However, he found nothing.
"The Soul Race truly is too adept at hiding, too cunning. That fellow just escaped, yet I can already no longer sense his aura," Ye Yunfei remarked with a hint of surprise.
"I believe that fellow must have employed a highly advanced soul art. Though he detonated his body, he preserved an essential part of himself and escaped quietly," Hun Lao said. "The Soul Race was notorious for being cunning and troublesome even in ancient times. It seems that reputation holds true. The three of you joined forces, yet he still managed to slip away."
"Even though he escaped, his strength is certainly severely depleted. He probably retains less than a tenth of his original power now," Huang Shang added.
"Whether his power is strong or weak is not the most important issue. My main concern is that he might return to the Soul Realm and inform other Soul Race members about me. That would surely bring me trouble in the future," Ye Yunfei sighed.
"I wonder where he has fled to now? No, I still have to search and see if I can find him."
Ye Yunfei immediately released his Soul Force Energy, extending his perception in all directions to cover the entire Xuanhuang Continent, probing every inch of space.
He soon discovered several places on Xuanhuang Continent that his perception could not penetrate. This was the headquarters of the Earth Demon Clan, and those inaccessible areas were likely their secrets. Naturally, Ye Yunfei would not forcefully probe them. The Earth Demon Clan was an ancient race with a long heritage, and Xuanhuang Continent itself was a unique landmass dotted with extremely ancient mystical realms. It was said that even the Earth Demon Clan dared not enter those realms lightly.
Ever since arriving on Xuanhuang Continent and out of respect for the Earth Demon Clan, Ye Yunfei had refrained from exploring those mystical realms.
After meticulously scanning the entire continent, Ye Yunfei found no trace of the Soul Race member's aura.
He then went into the void outside Xuanhuang Continent and carefully probed the nearby space. Still, he could not detect any aura of the Soul Race member.
"The Soul Race possesses a powerful ability to conceal themselves. If he hides within the Soul Sea of any person on Xuanhuang Continent, you won't be able to find him," Huang Shang said.
"That's true. What the Soul Race excels at is hiding within the Soul Seas of other beings, and even devouring their Soul Bodies to take over their physical forms," Ye Yunfei mused.
Ye Yunfei returned to Xuanhuang Continent, standing high above and releasing his Soul Force Energy to scan the Soul Seas of every living being on the continent.
Since Ye Yunfei had already devoured a part of that Soul Race member's body, he was intimately familiar with his aura. However, even after repeatedly scanning the living beings on Xuanhuang Continent, he still failed to locate the Soul Race member.
"Xuanhuang Continent definitely contains many Small Worlds, and countless beings inhabit those worlds," Hun Lao spoke up. "What you just scanned were the Soul Seas of beings who have cultivated. There are also many beings who have never cultivated. Their Soul Seas are barely opened, and the Soul Power aura they emit is extremely faint."
"Indeed. Even if he is still hiding within Xuanhuang Continent, finding him would not be easy. But this is my territory, and no matter what, I cannot allow him to remain here. Otherwise, he will certainly stir up trouble in the future," Ye Yunfei said after some thought.
He then dispatched over a dozen of his own clones to begin thoroughly searching every corner of Xuanhuang Continent for the Soul Race member.
Simultaneously, Ye Yunfei also produced dozens of copies of that Soul Race member's aura and gave them to dozens of trusted core high-ranking members of the Alliance Army, instructing them to also be on the lookout for traces of the Soul Race member.
"What?! Master Ye, are you saying a Soul Race member has secretly infiltrated our Xuanhuang Continent?" Dozens of core Alliance Army higher-ups gathered around Ye Yunfei. Hearing that a Soul Race member might currently be lurking on Xuanhuang Continent sent shivers down their spines.
"Soul Race members are incredibly rare in our Sixth Void. How did one suddenly come to our Xuanhuang Continent?" The core Alliance Army higher-ups were deeply puzzled.
"No matter what, Xuanhuang Continent is our territory. We absolutely cannot allow external enemies to come here and cause destruction," declared an elder of the Earth Demon Clan. "I will immediately issue orders for all beings on Xuanhuang Continent to be on high alert for signs of this Soul Race member starting now. The moment any suspicious clues are found, they must be reported immediately."
He promptly issued commands, ordering every region of Xuanhuang Continent to intensify inspections and search for the whereabouts of the Soul Race member.
"The Soul Race truly is a troublesome race," Ye Yunfei could not help but sigh.
"There is another troublesome issue that needs to be resolved."
Ye Yunfei turned his attention inside the Illusory Shadow Tower to the fifteen True Gods.
These fifteen True Gods had previously been enslaved by the Soul Race member using the Puppet Soul Thread Secret Art. Many black soul threads still coiled around their Soul Bodies. Without destroying those threads, these fifteen True Gods would forever harbor a fanatical worship and absolute loyalty towards that Soul Race member.
Ye Yunfei entered his personal cultivation chamber and then proceeded into the Illusory Shadow Tower, arriving before the fifteen True Gods.
"Brat! What did you do to my master?!"
"If you dare harm my master, I swear I won't let you off!"
"Brat, if you don't wish to die, submit to my master immediately! Otherwise, I will flay you a thousand times one day!"
As soon as the fifteen True Gods laid eyes on Ye Yunfei, they roared in fury one after another. Previously, while dealing with the Soul Race member, Ye Yunfei had subdued these fifteen True Gods as a side measure, making them unable to assist their 'master'. However, their consciousness had remained clear throughout, so they had witnessed Ye Yunfei battling the Soul Race member.
Faced with these fifteen True Gods, Ye Yunfei paid them no mind. They were currently under the control of the Puppet Soul Threads, mere puppets with no will of their own.
For the following period, Ye Yunfei began employing various soul arts to deal with the black soul threads on the fifteen True Gods' Soul Bodies. He tried every soul art he had ever cultivated. In the end, Ye Yunfei discovered that only three techniques were effective against the black threads: Moon Soul Slash, Soul Sword, and Soul Purification Art.
However, destroying these black threads was not instantaneous. Ye Yunfei could only deal with them one thread at a time, and slowly at that, because these soul threads were incredibly tenacious. Even if severed, they would automatically repair themselves unless they were thoroughly destroyed, thread by thread.
"It's no wonder the Puppet Soul Thread Secret Art is considered one of the Soul Race's most core inheritances. It is truly difficult to handle," even Ye Yunfei couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
"Have you noticed that the Puppet Soul Thread Secret Art this fellow employed was much more powerful than the version you previously cultivated?" Hun Lao asked.
"Yes. The Puppet Soul Thread Secret Art I cultivated before was definitely incomplete or a lower-level version," Ye Yunfei nodded, a tinge of regret in his voice. "It's a shame I couldn't devour that fellow completely. If I had, I could have gained his memories and thereby obtained this advanced version of the secret art."
"Indeed, it's a great pity. We were just a little short of completely annihilating him, only to let him escape," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm also chimed in. "If we encounter him again next time, we absolutely cannot let him escape."
"That fellow is cunning to the extreme. From now on, he probably won't show himself so easily," Huang Shang stated. "It won't be easy for us to encounter him again."