The Initial Heavenly God no sooner felt the onset of drowsiness than he became aware of it. A huge golden bell materialized within his Soul Sea, erupting with rolling waves of golden light.
These golden rays intertwined, forming individual golden runes that suspended themselves within his Soul Sea, instantly making it more robust.
"A Heavenly God's Soul Body and Soul Force Energy are both much stronger than that of a True God's," Ye Yunfei couldn't help but think inwardly.
Yet, precisely because of that momentary distraction, the Initial Heavenly God immediately fell to a disadvantage in the fight, forced into retreat by his opponent.
"Damned it!
Just who was using that strange Soul Art on me?
Could it be this fellow?"
The Initial Heavenly God from the Guardian Faction shot a glance at the Heavenly God from Lingxiao Sect he was currently fighting.
From then on, he raised his spirits and was extremely cautious in defending against any Soul Art attacks from his opponent.
However, after a short while, he suddenly felt drowsy again, a powerful urge to sleep coming over him.
"Not good!
Here it is again."
His expression changed slightly. He hurriedly activated the large golden bell within his Soul Sea, causing a profusion of golden runes to shine out, strengthening his Soul Sea's defenses.
Suddenly, a longsword appeared within his Soul Sea. *Clang!* It struck the golden bell. Immediately afterwards, five little ghosts of different colors also appeared within his Soul Sea, charging towards his Soul Body.
These five ghosts formed a highly refined soul formation and launched a fearsome attack.
Then, one after another, nets woven from Soul Force Energy howled in from all directions, surrounding his Soul Body.
These were two Soul Arts Ye Yunfei had recently acquired from the memories of that Soul Race member: one called Soul-Deverouring Five Ghosts, the other called Heaven-Encompassing Net Art. Both were inheritances of the Soul Race from the Soul Realm, far more advanced than the Soul Arts of other races outside.
"Damn!
This actually resembles Soul Arts of the Soul Race. Could a Soul Race member be here, secretly aiding Lingxiao Sect?"
The Heavenly God stared in alarm at the five ghosts and the ever-appearing soul nets within his Soul Sea, as he knew the Soul Race's Soul Arts were extremely potent.
"Huh?
Why are there so many strange little bugs in my Soul Sea?"
Suddenly, the Heavenly God discovered a great swarm of small insects flitting back and forth within his own Soul Sea.
Not only had these bugs appeared abruptly, but, more frighteningly, they were constantly devouring his Soul Force Energy.
"Get out! All of you!"
The Initial Heavenly God knew for certain a master proficient in Soul Force Energy was nearby targeting him with Soul Arts. With an enraged roar, the Soul Force Energy within his Soul Sea erupted like a raging tidal wave. Then two Heavenly God-level soul-type magical treasures manifested alongside the huge golden bell, releasing terrifying energy in an attempt to expel all three of Ye Yunfei's Soul Arts from his Soul Sea.
"Impressive!"
As the Initial Heavenly God's Soul Power erupted, Ye Yunfei found his three Soul Art attacks being blocked.
"A Heavenly God's Soul Force Energy and Soul Body truly are formidable," Ye Yunfei thought inwardly, feeling a stab of alarm.
"Although my current level of Soul Force Energy is about the same as his, my Soul Body's quality is likely not superior. However, my advantage lies in having two Soul Bodies and dozens of Soul Force planets. So, regarding Soul Power, I should be stronger than him."
Ye Yunfei internally assessed.
While attacking that Initial Heavenly God with the three Soul Arts—Soul-Deverouring Five Ghosts, Heaven-Encompassing Net Art, and Gu Soul Technique—Ye Yunfei also employed an inheritance Soul Art of the Reincarnation Ghost Clan, throwing the Initial Heavenly God into chaos.
Although Ye Yunfei's Soul Arts weren't lethal to the Initial Heavenly God in the short term, they caused significant interference.
"Not good!"
While the Initial Heavenly God was fending off Ye Yunfei's Soul Art attacks, the Lingxiao Sect Heavenly God he was fighting landed a punch on his body, sending him flying high into the air. Seizing the opportunity, Ye Yunfei launched a ferocious Soul Art assault on him.
By now, hundreds of Soul Insects were flying back and forth in the Initial Heavenly God's Soul Sea, continuously devouring his Soul Force Energy. These hundreds of Soul Insects cooperated with the five ghosts to besiege his Soul Body.
During the struggle, several dozen Soul Insects broke through his defenses, landing directly on his Soul Body and starting to gnaw at it. Soul Insects could not only devour Soul Force Energy but also eat a living being's Soul Body.
"Get away from me!"
Discovering dozens of small bugs gnawing at his Soul Body, the Initial Heavenly God felt both shock and fury. Vast quantities of Soul Force Energy burst from his Soul Body, blasting those few dozen Soul Insects away.
"My Soul Body is wounded! It's been bitten, with dozens of small wounds," the Initial Heavenly God realized with horror. Although he had repelled those Soul Insects, his Soul Body now bore dozens of bite marks, signifying injury.
"How terrifying!
What kind of demonic bugs are these? They can actually injure my Soul Body!"
The Initial Heavenly God was astonished. As a Heavenly God, the quality of his Soul Body was extremely high, yet it had been wounded by mere small insects.
"So powerful!"
Ye Yunfei was also astonished.
"To think these Soul Insects can bite a Heavenly God's Soul Body! Even though the injuries are minor and don't cause significant damage to this Initial Heavenly God's Soul Body... what if there were massive numbers of them? If there were thousands, tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands, swarming forward all at once, they'd probably completely devour a Heavenly God's Soul Body in an instant.
It seems I must cultivate more Soul Insects. They will become a trump card for me in battle."
Ye Yunfei thought excitedly.
"Damned it, why is the number of bugs in my Soul Sea increasing?!"
At that moment, the Initial Heavenly God made another alarming discovery: the number of strange little insects in his Soul Sea was actually growing larger because they were multiplying at a frightening speed.
"Get out!"
Startled and enraged, the Heavenly God roared. The several Heavenly God-level soul-type treasures within his Soul Sea unleashed their full power, and all his Soul Force Energy erupted violently, forcibly expelling a large swarm of Soul Insects from his Soul Sea.
"These Soul Insects have strong vitality! Even after being attacked by a Heavenly God's Soul Force Energy, only a small portion perished. More than half survived!" Ye Yunfei noticed.
As the expelled Soul Insects left the Initial Heavenly God's Soul Sea, some were instantly shaken to death, but over half remained intact.
"Good. From now on, I must cultivate more Soul Insects," Ye Yunfei inwardly affirmed.
With a thought from Ye Yunfei, the expelled Soul Insects began searching for opportunities again, stealthily worming their way back into the Initial Heavenly God's Soul Sea.
Simultaneously, Ye Yunfei directed another portion of the Soul Insects to fly towards other members of the Guardian Faction, quietly entering their Soul Seas and beginning to cultivate and multiply more Soul Insects using those Watchers' Souls.
The reproduction speed of Soul Insects was astonishing. Given sufficient Soul Force Energy and Soul Bodies, they could generate vast numbers in a short time.
As the battle progressed, Ye Yunfei's continual Soul Art interference inflicted significant disruption on the Guardian Faction's Initial Heavenly God. Not long after, he was utterly defeated in combat: a small half of his physical body was blasted apart, and he transformed into a streak of fleeing light with his mangled remains.
"A pity. He actually escaped," Ye Yunfei felt somewhat regretful.
"His Soul Body had about a small portion gnawed away by your Soul Insects and is severely injured. He'll probably need a very long time to heal those Soul Body wounds from now on. And his physical body is also crippled by half. This Heavenly God won't be able to participate in any fights for a while. His combat effectiveness is effectively nullified," Hun Lao said with a smile.
During the earlier fight, that Initial Heavenly God's Soul Body was bitten by many more of Ye Yunfei's Soul Insects, sustaining severe injury.
"I never imagined these Soul Insects are so powerful they can gnaw on a Heavenly God's Soul Body. Really excellent!" Ye Yunfei was extremely satisfied with their power.
"I think there's another reason: your Soul Force Energy is too strong. Your other Soul Art attacks placed tremendous pressure on that fellow's Soul Body, leaving him no spare Soul Power to deal with the Soul Insects. That's how they managed to injure his Soul Body," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm commented.
"That's likely also a factor," Ye Yunfei nodded.
At this point, Ye Yunfei had already fixed his sights on another Initial Heavenly God from the Guardian Faction and immediately launched a Soul Art assault.
Several different Soul Arts were deployed simultaneously, invading this Initial Heavenly God's Soul Sea. Soon, Ye Yunfei's attacks caused massive interference for him.
"I now possess about five to six hundred Soul Insects. I'll use them all against this guy," Ye Yunfei thought.
Earlier, Ye Yunfei had sent a portion of his Soul Insects into the Soul Seas of other Guardian Faction members, secretly breeding and multiplying. After this period, their numbers had increased significantly.
Soul Insects excelled at concealment. Even after entering a living being's Soul Sea, they wouldn't be easily discovered unless they actively revealed themselves to attack. So, although Soul Insects were rapidly multiplying within the Watchers' Soul Seas, they themselves were unaware.
With a thought, Ye Yunfei recalled all his Soul Insects and sent them charging into that Initial Heavenly God's Soul Sea, simultaneously devouring his Soul Force Energy and besieging his Soul Body.
Five to six hundred Soul Insects swarmed forward in unison, their wings vibrating, producing buzzing sounds.
"What demonic things are these?!" the Initial Heavenly God cried out in shock and fury. He hastily mobilized all his soul-type treasures and Soul Force Energy for defense. However, the sheer number of Soul Insects was overwhelming. They surged toward his Soul Body incessantly and relentlessly like moths to a flame. A portion broke through layers of defense and successfully landed on his Soul Body, immediately starting to gnaw.
"Get out! All of you!" the Initial Heavenly God roared in anger. Fearsome Soul Force Energy exploded within his Soul Sea, churning like violent, rolling waves.
"Master, let me help you!" Hu Miao said and prepared to strike.
"You few don't need to intervene. A Heavenly God's Soul Force Energy is formidable, and the Soul Arts they cultivate are quite advanced. If you attack, you might suffer backlash," Ye Yunfei hastily stopped them.
His own Soul Force Energy was equivalent to a Initial Heavenly God's, so he wasn't afraid. But if Hu Miao and the others came into contact with a Initial Heavenly God's Soul Force Energy, they could easily be injured.
Due to Ye Yunfei's interference, this Initial Heavenly God was soon defeated as well, wounded and forced into a panicked retreat by his opponent.
Every Heavenly God had cultivated for long, arduous years to achieve their present level. In the Sixth Void, they were lofty, top-tier powerhouses. None wished to fall here and now. Compared to True Gods, Heavenly Gods valued their lives even more.
And so, because of Ye Yunfei's interference, two Initial Heavenly Gods from the Guardian Faction were defeated and fled.
"Master, why didn't you stop him and let him escape?" Hu Miao asked Ye Yunfei, looking at the fleeing Initial Heavenly God.