"That's true. The fact that you've subdued so many Clones is one of your secrets and hidden cards. It really shouldn't be told to anyone. Otherwise, it would draw frenzied retaliation from the Guardian Faction and other forces with related interests, and it would also expose your Clones."
Hun Lao nodded in agreement after hearing Ye Yunfei's words.
In the time that followed, Ye Yunfei continued to move about the battlefield, subduing more and more True Gods and Void Gods to become his Clones.
"By now, more than two-thirds of the True Gods and Void Gods on the Guardian Faction's side of the battlefield belong to my Clones."
Another half hour passed. As Ye Yunfei cast his gaze over the entire battlefield, a cold smile surfaced on his face, he thought to himself.
"So, should we continue?"
The Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm was eager for more.
During the process of Ye Yunfei subduing those Clones earlier, a considerable portion of the wealth those Clones carried had been taken by the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm.
This was because the silkworm wouldn't hesitate to demand from Ye Yunfei any cultivation resources suitable for his own cultivation whenever he spotted them. As a result, his harvest had been quite good.
"Hahaha… I love battlefields like this the most. After all the people on the battlefield fall, their Soul Power energy and Soul Body fragments all belong to me. And of course, all those intact corpses belong to me too. So I suggest we continue."
Huang Shang spoke up.
During the battle earlier, Huang Shang had been continuously using ghost cultivation techniques to collect various Soul Body fragments and Soul Power energy remnants left on the battlefield, as well as those fresh, intact corpses.
In a large-scale battlefield like this, almost every moment some creature was falling, so Huang Shang's harvest had been extremely rich.
"Excellent, let's continue! I've realized this battlefield is practically a giant treasure trove for us. We can all fill our coffers to bursting here!"
The Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm exclaimed excitedly.
"Look, another group of Guardian Faction troops is arriving. It seems the Guardian Faction, to ensure victory in this battle, is continuing to mobilize more troops to participate."
At that moment, Hun Lao suddenly said to Ye Yunfei.
"Yes, another group of Guardian Faction troops is indeed coming."
Following Hun Lao's words, Ye Yunfei looked towards the distant time-space. He saw a group approaching like a rolling tide—they were indeed Guardian Faction troops.
"Quite a few among them are my Clones, too."
Looking at the incoming Guardian Faction troops, Ye Yunfei smiled.
Not long ago, Ye Yunfei had subdued numerous Clones in the Sixth Void. It could be said that among the Guardian Faction, the Autumn Wind Regiment, the Yin Corpse Hall, the Four Directions Pavilion, and other forces, more than half of their branch strongholds had Ye Yunfei's Clones. Therefore, Ye Yunfei could run into his own Clones at any time.
"Those Heavenly Gods are still fighting. They probably won't settle it anytime soon, so let's continue. I want to collect even more Clones."
Ye Yunfei glanced at the Heavenly Gods battling in the distance, realizing their fight likely wouldn't end for a while yet, so he spoke.
In the time that followed, Ye Yunfei continued to conceal himself, moving through the battlefield like a ghost, constantly subjugating more Clones.
"The situation seems a bit off. Our Guardian Faction army clearly has greater numbers and stronger overall strength, yet why is it that on the current battlefield, it's the Lingxiao Sect's army that holds the upper hand?"
Finally, Heavenly Gods from the Guardian Faction side began noticing the situation on the battlefield. This was because by now, the Lingxiao Sect's forces had started to gain the advantage, while the Guardian Faction army was continually retreating, suffering even heavier casualties.
"What is going on?
Clearly, our Guardian Faction army's overall strength is greater, so why can't we defeat the Lingxiao Sect's army?"
Soon, the Guardian Faction's Heavenly Gods all sensed that something was amiss.
"Our side's army overall lacks morale; their combat effectiveness is much weaker than usual, while the Lingxiao Sect's forces have soaring morale, fighting more ferociously the longer the battle goes on.
Could it be that our Guardian Faction troops are normally lax in training, leading to this result?
At this point in the battle, our Guardian Faction casualties are at least five or six times theirs. If this continues, our army will likely suffer even greater losses."
The Guardian Faction Heavenly Gods observed the battlefield situation while discussing via voice transmission.
They all felt something was wrong, but couldn't pinpoint exactly what.
This was because Ye Yunfei's Clones were superficially participating in the battle, and even seemed very active, shouting loudly while fighting. However, during combat, they were always creating various 'accidents' that prevented them from actually killing the enemy.
"Damn it!
How could this be the result?"
The Guardian Faction Heavenly Gods were all furious.
They had initially believed that with the army they brought, they could certainly defeat the Lingxiao Sect and secure an easy victory. They never expected that now, not only was the Guardian Faction army failing to win, but its casualties were getting increasingly severe.
"If this keeps up, our people will suffer even greater losses. Should we have them retreat?"
One of the Guardian Faction's Heavenly Gods proposed.
"No. Today, no matter what, we must annihilate the Lingxiao Sect. Since these useless waste are so incompetent, we don't need to care about them anymore. Let's join forces and storm the Lingxiao Sect headquarters to wipe them out.
At the Heavenly God level of strength, our Guardian Faction is definitely stronger than the Lingxiao Sect."
A gray-clad middle-aged man spoke.
This man was the overall commander of the Guardian Faction for this operation.
"Right. Forget about those waste. Let's combine our strength and annihilate the Lingxiao Sect."
The gray-clad man's words quickly gained agreement from the other Guardian Faction Heavenly Gods.
"Hahaha… I thought your Guardian Faction army was so strong, but it turns out to be utterly weak and fragile!"
Seeing his own army fighting with increasing ferocity and the enemy forces' morale sinking, the Sect Leader of Lingxiao couldn't help but laugh heartily.
His laughter reverberated throughout the vast void, clearly reaching everyone's ears.
Hearing their Sect Leader's words, the Lingxiao Sect's forces felt their spirits soar, each fighting forward bravely, slaying enemies with valor. Meanwhile, the Guardian Faction troops grew even more dispirited.
"What is happening?
Before the armies clashed, I secretly tallied the numbers and strengths of both sides. Clearly, the Guardian Faction side was larger in scale and greater in numbers. Whether in True Gods or Void Gods, the Guardian Faction's numbers were at least double those of the Lingxiao Sect. So why is it that now the Lingxiao Sect army holds the upper hand?"
Hearing the Lingxiao Sect Leader's words, the creatures lurking in the distance observing the battle were also secretly shocked. Someone couldn't help but voice their thoughts.
"Yes, I find it strange too.
Haven't you all noticed? The Guardian Faction's True Gods and Void Gods on the battlefield seem to be fighting with a sense of powerlessness. Whenever they encounter Deities of the same rank from the Lingxiao Sect, they fight briefly and then start retreating.
Are the Deities of the Guardian Faction really that easy to beat?"
Someone nearby immediately followed up.
"It seems the Guardian Faction's Heavenly Gods are starting to become suspicious. After this battle ends, it's possible the Guardian Faction will conduct an investigation. At that time, your Clones risk exposure."
Hun Lao sent a voice transmission to Ye Yunfei.
"Don't worry about my Clones. There won't be any flaws, either physically or in their Soul Bodies. Their aura remains unchanged. Even Heavenly Gods wouldn't easily detect them.
Besides, right now, over two-thirds of the Guardian Faction's True Gods and Void Gods on the battlefield are my Clones. The Guardian Faction's Heavenly Gods surely won't kill all of these Clones, will they?"
Ye Yunfei said with a smile.
Ye Yunfei was quite confident in Soul Arts like the Soul Purification Technique.
His current level of Soul Power energy was equivalent to a Heavenly God's. Ye Yunfei felt that even with his own Soul Power energy, he might not necessarily detect flaws in his own Clones. Therefore, he was confident the Guardian Faction's Heavenly Gods wouldn't easily see through his Clones.
Moreover, even if these Clones were destroyed, it wouldn't be a significant loss for Ye Yunfei. If needed, he could obtain more Clones anytime.
"Master, if your Clones on the battlefield are discovered, then you can just go and subdue even more Guardian Faction True Gods as Clones. Let's see if the Guardian Faction Heavenly Gods will kill all their own True Gods."
Hu Miao suggested.
"A reasonable point."
Ye Yunfei replied with a smile.
"Provoking you is destined to bring the Guardian Faction heavy losses."
Hun Lao also laughed.
This was originally a large-scale, fiercely intense battle of epic proportions. But because of Ye Yunfei, it was almost turning into a farce.
"How strange. Why is the Guardian Faction's army so weak?
I feel the Guardian Faction's True Gods and Void Gods don't even dare fight our Lingxiao Sect's Deities. They avoid confrontation at every turn. What's going on?"
By now, even the Heavenly Gods on the Lingxiao Sect side began to feel perplexed, secretly speculating.
"I think it might be because our Lingxiao Sect army's morale is soaring. They're all performing above their usual level, thus achieving victory while outnumbered. This is the effect of fighting spirit. Fighting spirit can sometimes even decide the outcome of a battle."
Some of the Lingxiao Sect's Heavenly Gods guessed.
"That's the only plausible explanation for now."
The other Lingxiao Sect Heavenly Gods also nodded.
"I have a feeling something isn't right. Although our Lingxiao Sect's army has strong fighting spirit, the Guardian Faction is a top-tier superpower in this void. They've always had strong troops and powerful horses, conquering cities and seizing lands everywhere with overwhelming momentum. They have wiped out who knows how many forces and world clusters. Why is it that when facing our Lingxiao Sect's army, their fighting ability becomes ineffective?
There must be something strange at play."
Upon receiving the speculations from the other high-ranking members, the Lingxiao Sect Leader shook his head, disagreeing.
"Enough. Whatever the reason, it's a good thing for our Lingxiao Sect.
Judging by the current battlefield situation, our Lingxiao Sect forces have suffered relatively few casualties.
However, for us now, the real formidable enemies are these Guardian Faction Heavenly Gods before us. Only by blocking these Heavenly Gods can we truly be said to have withstood the Guardian Faction's army."
The Lingxiao Sect Leader's gaze turned to the Guardian Faction's Heavenly Gods.
Every one of these Guardian Faction Heavenly Gods was very powerful, and they outnumbered the Lingxiao Sect's Heavenly Gods. The Lingxiao Sect's Heavenly Gods' greatest advantage was that among them were a few exceptionally strong individuals, each capable of fighting two or three opponents. This was the main reason why the Lingxiao Sect's Heavenly Gods, though fewer in number, had managed to hold their ground without defeat until now.
"We must annihilate the Lingxiao Sect today."
The gray-clad middle-aged man leading the Guardian Faction assessed the current battlefield situation with a deeply gloomy expression. He suddenly let out a cold snort, then slowly spoke.
Next, he took out a communication jade slip and began sending a message.
"That fellow is calling for reinforcements. Likely, even more Guardian Faction Heavenly Gods will rush here to join the battle soon."
Noticing the gray-clad man's action, Hun Lao couldn't help feeling a shock of alarm, then said to Ye Yunfei.
"Next, we'll be participating in the battle at the Heavenly God level."
Watching the intensely fighting Heavenly Gods from both sides in the distance, Ye Yunfei spoke quietly.
"What?
You plan to join the battle of those Heavenly Gods?!"
Hearing Ye Yunfei's words, the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm couldn't help but feel startled.
"Yes. I want to test how the difference between my current strength and these Heavenly Gods measures up."
Ye Yunfei's gaze locked onto a particular Guardian Faction Preliminary Heavenly God and nodded.
Then he quietly began closing in on that Heavenly God's location.
That Guardian Faction Preliminary Heavenly God was engaged in combat with one of Lingxiao Sect's Heavenly Gods. They had been fighting for a while, evenly matched, with no clear winner yet.
Due to Ye Yunfei using the jade ruyi to conceal his aura and moving with great caution, that Guardian Faction Preliminary Heavenly God, amidst the chaotic battlefield, simply didn't notice Ye Yunfei's presence.
Ye Yunfei took out a large batch of Soul Power cultivation resources and placed them all into his Soul Sea, having the Soul Nourishment Tree and those several dozen Soul Power planets refine and absorb them. Then, he activated a heritage Soul Art of the Samsara Ghost race.
This Soul Art could be used to deal with opponents stronger than oneself; it was a technique suitable for cross-realm combat.
"Huh? What's going on?
I suddenly feel some drowsiness, actually wanting to sleep. I haven't slept for several hundred years."
That Preliminary Heavenly God abruptly yawned.
"Something's off. I, a Heavenly God, actually feel drowsy. Something's strange. There must be a strong expert attacking my Soul Body, which is why I'm feeling sleepy."
The Preliminary Heavenly God quickly realized something was wrong, because as a Heavenly God, sleeping was unnecessary.