The Lingxiao Sect was, after all, a prominent and influential force within the Sixth Void. While in the eyes of most, it couldn't be compared to superpowers like the Guardian Faction, the strength of a great sect with such a long and illustrious lineage was absolutely not to be underestimated.
Moreover, everyone had received news that the Lingxiao Sect was not fighting alone. They had long since formed an alliance with numerous other major powers to jointly oppose the Guardian Faction. Thus, everyone understood this war was destined to be on a massive scale and extremely fierce. Its outcome might even affect the future distribution of power within the Sixth Void.
For if the Guardian Faction emerged victorious, then from that point onward, truly few powers within the Sixth Void would dare openly oppose them.
Conversely, if the Lingxiao Sect won this war, the prestige the Guardian Faction had accumulated over the years would be severely weakened. It could potentially trigger more major powers to publicly stand up and resist the Guardian Faction.
In short, in everyone's estimation, the outcome of this great battle was of crucial importance—it could determine the future power structure of the Sixth Void. That's why this was a highly-anticipated war.
Almost all factions and world clusters dispatched scouts to gather intelligence. Many even sent their own masters to personally witness this colossal conflict that was causing a sensation throughout the void.
Although Ye Yunfei had been secluded in the Phantom Tower cultivating during this period, thanks to his numerous Clones, he understood the current situation in the Sixth Void with perfect clarity.
One could even say that possessing so many Clones, nearly distributed across every world cluster, made Ye Yunfei perhaps the person within this void most thoroughly informed of every trend, situation, and piece of news. This was one of the benefits of having many Clones.
Upon arriving in the void space near the Lingxiao Sect Headquarters, Ye Yunfei immediately concealed his form and used the jade ruyi scepter to mask his aura. For all intents and purposes, he became completely transparent.
Before approaching the Headquarters, Ye Yunfei quickly contacted a few of the Sect's elders inside. These were the same elders he had met previously at the Lingxiao Sect branch outpost in the Thousand Lakes World Cluster.
"Young Master Ye, our Sect Leader wishes to speak with you," Ye Yunfei soon received a message transmission from one of the elders, inviting him to enter the Lingxiao Sect Headquarters.
However, Ye Yunfei did not enter. He had already sensed the presence of several terrifyingly powerful auras lurking near the Headquarters, their senses probing the area. Ye Yunfei knew these must be Heavenly Gods. Not wishing to reveal himself prematurely, he chose not to risk entering.
Even though he knew the jade ruyi scepter concealed his aura well enough that even Heavenly Gods would find it difficult to detect him, he still wasn't inclined to take chances. One could never rule out encountering a Heavenly God with exceptionally keen perception who might just discover him.
"Everyone, is the commander of your Alliance Army truly a young man?" At that moment, within a magnificently gilded hall inside the Lingxiao Sect's Headquarters complex, a golden-robed man shrouded in dazzling divine radiance spoke slowly.
This man was the current Sect Leader of the Lingxiao Sect.
"Reporting to the Sect Leader, it is indeed true that our Alliance Army's commander is relatively young," a Mid-Level True God stepped forward and spoke. "However, his strength and insight are truly first-rate. Our Alliance Army was founded single-handedly by him."
This Mid-Level True God hailed from the Alliance Army and was primarily responsible for liaison work with the Lingxiao Sect during this period.
"Truly, the true heroes emerge from among the young!" The golden-robed man nodded, speaking in a composed tone. "I never imagined the Alliance Army, whose might has shaken the Sixth Void so recently, was founded by a young man. Impressive!"
"Sect Leader, Young Master Ye is indeed accomplished beyond his years," an elder stepped forward and added. "It was only because of his timely assistance that our branch outpost in the Thousand Lakes World Cluster was preserved last time. Otherwise, it would have been destroyed by the Guardian Faction long ago."
This elder was the very one who had just communicated with Ye Yunfei via message transmission.
"Very good. That your Alliance Army stands forth in such circumstances, coming to aid our Lingxiao Sect in facing this enemy, is a debt of gratitude our sect will surely remember," the golden-robed man said.
"Sect Leader, you are too courteous," the Alliance Army's Mid-Level True God replied. "The Guardian Faction is a common enemy for us all."
"Report! The Guardian Faction's army is about to arrive!" At this moment, a scout rushed anxiously into the hall, reporting to the Sect Leader.
"Issue the order. Prepare for battle," the Lingxiao Sect Leader immediately stood up. His gaze swept slowly across everyone in the hall before he spoke.
"Our Lingxiao Sect may not be counted among the most formidable great powers, but we will absolutely not retreat. Whoever dares to try and destroy our Lingxiao Sect will find it no easy task."
The Sect Leader's voice, amplified by divine energy, rolled out and soared upwards, resounding with rumbling echoes throughout the entire Headquarters complex. Then, a vast tide of sound propagated beyond the Headquarters, transmitting continuously through the nearby void.
The Lingxiao Sect Leader was making a demonstration of power!
Everyone present in that moment understood his intent.
Bolstered by their Leader, large numbers of troops within the Lingxiao Sect began assembling rapidly. They marched out of the Headquarters and took up formations before the main gates.
At a glance, the Lingxiao Sect's army filled the void space densely. Battle banners fluttered in the wind, and the sharp gleam of spears and swords shimmered coldly. Of course, this great army consisted not only of Lingxiao Sect members but also many reinforcements from allied powers, including troops from the Alliance Army.
"A mere Lingxiao Sect dares to dream of opposing our Guardian Faction? Truly overestimating their own strength!" Right then, an even louder, thunderous voice suddenly boomed from the distant void. The rolling sound waves grew increasingly terrifying, like vast oceans seeking to overturn this entire region of space.
Every being in this void felt immense, bone-chilling pressure. Many creatures with insufficient strength dropped to their knees on the spot, gasping for breath.
"Too terrifying! It must be those masters from the Guardian Faction who have arrived." Thoughts of horror surfaced in everyone's minds.
"It seems the Guardian Faction thinks quite highly of our Lingxiao Sect! They've sent genuine masters!" Standing at the forefront of his massive force, the Lingxiao Sect Leader gazed into the distant void and spoke calmly.
At the far edge of the void, a vast army was rolling forward like a tide.
"The Guardian Faction's army is finally here," Ye Yunfei murmured quietly to himself, hidden within the nearby void, his eyes also spotting the approaching force.
"The scale on both sides is massive, and both have genuine masters participating. This is going to be a truly fearsome battle!" Observing the deployment of both armies, Hun Lao couldn't help but sigh.
"On the contrary, I think in this kind of large-scale battle, we have many chances to fish in troubled waters," Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm spoke up. "If those true masters don't pay attention to us, we can quietly target the True Gods of the Guardian Faction amidst the chaos. The Heavenly God-level combat is best left alone for now. With our strength, dealing with those True Gods shouldn't be hard. And you have so many Clones infiltrating the Guardian Faction's army. So we can definitely wipe out a significant portion of their True Gods in a short time."
"Alright. Let's adopt this approach first," Ye Yunfei nodded after hearing Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm's suggestion.
Boom! Boom! Boom...
Finally, the Guardian Faction's army arrived. At a glance, it resembled a vast, mighty cosmic torrent sweeping forward—its end impossible to see. Gleaming armor, coldly glinting weapons, and terrifying murderous intent shook the heavens for countless miles.
"This is an army of immense scale. It seems the Lingxiao Sect has thoroughly infuriated the Guardian Faction, prompting the dispatch of such a massive force."
"I reckon there isn't much suspense about the outcome of this battle. The Lingxiao Sect's fate is likely grim. After all, the Guardian Faction is the strongest superpower in our Sixth Void. Comparatively, the Lingxiao Sect is still somewhat weaker."
"That's hard to say. The Guardian Faction is indeed powerful, but the Lingxiao Sect has developed rapidly over these years. And I heard the Lingxiao Sect has also united with forces from many other major powers—forming their own alliance. Have you all forgotten the Alliance Army that suddenly appeared not long ago? On its own, it managed to harass both the Guardian Faction and the Yin Corpse Hall, putting those two superpowers in quite a bind. Now that the Lingxiao Sect has allied with so many powers, their overall strength must surpass that of the Alliance Army. So it's not necessarily impossible for them to resist the Guardian Faction."
...
Observing the two mighty armies confronting each other in the void, poised for battle, many onlookers hidden at a distance couldn't help but start whispering and discussing.
"This great battle involves so many different forces, and the situation is extremely complex. Predicting who will emerge victorious is genuinely difficult. Even my divinations can't yield a definitive result for now," a master of divination nearby, who had been secretly attempting to deduce the outcome, sighed in resignation after coming up empty.
Meanwhile, Ye Yunfei had already established contact with every one of his Clones within the Guardian Faction's vast army and received all their memories from this period.
To deal with the Lingxiao Sect, the Guardian Faction had dispatched at least a dozen Heavenly Gods, and these Heavenly Gods likely brought with them some very high-level magical treasures. Moreover, prior to the battle, the Guardian Faction's army had drilled several new battle formations, all possessing considerable power.
"The Guardian Faction's army has truly come fully prepared," Ye Yunfei said softly. "To destroy the Lingxiao Sect and assert their dominance before the entire Sixth Void, they've really invested quite a bit."