However, a trace of worry was hidden on Ye Yunfei's face because this clone already knew that its true self was being hunted by experts of the Guardian Faction.
This clone of Ye Yunfei had not informed these high-ranking members of the Alliance Army about the pursuit of his true self, as it was useless.
The strength of these Alliance Army leaders was far too weak compared to the Heavenly Gods of the Guardian Faction.
If these leaders were told and impulsively rushed to help, they would only become a burden instead.
"Three Elders, we cannot reveal that this place is the Alliance Army headquarters yet. Therefore, I must trouble the three of you to personally lead our forces out to confront the Guardian Faction army outside, doing so in the name of the Earth Demon Clan," Ye Yunfei's clone thought for a moment, then addressed the three old ancestors of the Earth Demon Clan.
The Guardian Faction had not yet learned that the Alliance Army headquarters was located at the Xuanhuang Continent; they had come targeting the Earth Demon Clan.
Ye Yunfei understood that once the Guardian Faction learned the Alliance Army's headquarters was at the Xuanhuang Continent, they would inevitably dispatch Heavenly Gods to lay siege, as the Alliance Army had long become a thorn in their side, one they urgently needed to remove.
"Young Master Ye, we understand," the three old ancestors of the Earth Demon Clan nodded.
"Let's go! We'll head out now to fight those bastards of the Guardian Faction and show them our power!" one of the Earth Demon Clan's ancestors waved his hand, taking the lead as he charged outward.
A large group of Alliance Army leaders followed behind him, leading the massive Alliance Army in a grand charge outward.
Ye Yunfei had left two to three thousand puppets and several dozen clones at the True God level, some of which were perfected True Gods, on the Xuanhuang Continent. All of these puppets and perfected True Gods were now mixed within the army.
Ye Yunfei believed such overall strength should pose no major problem dealing with that Guardian Faction army outside.
Soon, the battle erupted outside the Xuanhuang Continent, as two massive forces surged toward each other like tidal waves.
Ye Yunfei's clones and puppets charged at the forefront. The puppets in particular, each possessing Void God-level strength, had incredibly sturdy bodies; even if struck head-on by an enemy True God, their bodies would sustain no harm.
As for Ye Yunfei's True God clones, each originated from major factions like the Guardian Faction or the Corpse Shadow Hall, possessing considerable combat strength. Moreover, they showed no fear of death in battle and could even perish together with the enemy if necessary.
This kind of suicidal fighting style caused headaches for the True Gods of the Guardian Faction, none daring to confront it head-on. The more they fought, the more panicked they became.
After the battle progressed for nearly half an hour, the Alliance Army side began gaining the upper hand, pressing the Guardian Faction army back step by step.
"Hahaha...
You bastards dare to provoke our Earth Demon Clan? Did you truly think our Earth Demon Clan was easy to bully?
Now you know our power!"
Seeing their side gaining the advantage, the three old ancestors of the Earth Demon Clan couldn't help but laugh heartily.
These three Earth Demon Clan ancestors had already broken through to the high-level True God realm. Moreover, according to Ye Yunfei, as long as they diligently cultivated and gained more real combat experience, they could hope to break through to perfected Void God in the near future, after which they could attempt to cultivate into Heavenly Gods.
Once they became Heavenly Gods, they would rank among the top-tier experts in the Eighth Void.
These three Earth Demon Clan ancestors naturally had absolute faith in Ye Yunfei's words, so they had been desperately cultivating. Now presented with such an opportunity for combat tempering, of course they wouldn't miss it, each charging forward to kill with all their might.
"Excellent!"
Seeing their side now holding the advantage, the other Alliance Army leaders boiled with battle intent, akin to fierce tigers descending the mountain. Almost every one of them fought beyond their usual level.
Inspired, the rest of the Alliance Army's forces also fought bravely to slay the enemy.
Consequently, the pressure on the Guardian Faction forces grew even heavier; they were being forced to retreat continuously.
"How is this possible?
According to the intelligence, the number of True Gods within the Earth Demon Clan isn't large, and most of them broke through not long ago.
Why have so many True Gods suddenly appeared now?
There are even perfected True Gods!
It seems the intelligence was flawed; the Earth Demon Clan must have been hiding their true strength all along."
The few leading commanders of the Guardian Faction saw the Earth Demon Clan's forces fielding so many True Gods, even several perfected ones, and all felt utterly exasperated.
The power displayed by these Earth Demon Clan forces far exceeded their previous estimations.
At this point in the battle, the Guardian Faction's army was utterly in an inferior position, with casualties mounting more severely over time.
"Dammit!"
The few leading commanders of the Guardian Faction gritted their teeth, unable to accept the reality before them.
As time passed, the Alliance Army's advantage became increasingly apparent.
The Void God-level puppets launched wave after wave of charges. Wherever they went, the Void Gods of the Guardian Faction couldn't withstand them at all, howled in anguish and terror, and were utterly incapable of fighting back.
"Dammit!
How does the Earth Demon Clan have so many puppets?
These puppets are too damn sturdy; we simply can't damage them!"
The Void Gods of the Guardian Faction were all suffocated with frustration to the extreme because their attacks couldn't inflict any harm when landing on the puppets' bodies. Yet, if they were struck by those puppets even once, they would be gravely wounded if not killed outright.
On the True God level, the Guardian Faction was also completely at a disadvantage.
Ye Yunfei's clones charged at the forefront, overwhelmingly valiant. Particularly, a few perfected True God clones were even more powerful. Wherever they went, the True Gods of the Guardian Faction dared not confront them head-on and could only retreat.
As for Ye Yunfei's clone—the one speaking—it did not participate in the combat. Instead, it stood coldly observing from the rear. Only when a True God or Void God from the Guardian Faction side showed signs of attempting to flee would Ye Yunfei step in to intercept.
Although Ye Yunfei only had this one clone here, he had long since arranged a large number of formations inside and outside the world of the Xuanhuang Continent. Moreover, these formations were mobile. With just a stamp of his foot, Ye Yunfei could immediately summon a host of formations to encircle those fleeing True Gods and Void Gods of the Guardian Faction before moving in to execute them.
With Ye Yunfei's strength and methods, even if only one clone was here, dealing with Void Gods and True Gods was not a difficult matter.
Another half hour later, the Guardian Faction army completely collapsed. The vast majority of its members turned and fled, devoid of any will to fight.
"Kill them!"
The three ancestors of the Earth Demon Clan charged at the forefront, leading the Alliance Army's forces in pursuit.
The Guardian Faction army at this point was crumbling like a mountain landslide, incapable of organizing any meaningful resistance anymore.
During their flight, they were ruthlessly chased down by the Alliance Army, suffering heavy casualties. It could be said this Guardian Faction force lost at least half its personnel.
"Young Master Ye, we've won a great victory!"
After the battle concluded, the high-ranking officers of the Alliance Army returned inside the Xuanhuang Continent, gathering around Ye Yunfei's clone, each visibly excited.
"Those Guardian Faction bastards thought our Earth Demon Clan was easy pickings. Now they should know our power!" one of the Earth Demon Clan's ancestors laughed heartily.
"Everyone should prepare for the next battle. The next engagement will undoubtedly see the Guardian Faction sending more and stronger forces. They might even dispatch Heavenly Gods next time. We should consider now how we will deal with that situation."
Looking at these excited Alliance Army leaders before him, Ye Yunfei suddenly spoke softly.
Upon hearing Ye Yunfei's words, the smiles on the Alliance Army leaders' faces instantly froze.
"That's right. The Guardian Faction will certainly not let this matter rest. They will definitely come again, and with more powerful Heavenly Gods next time.
We must properly discuss how to respond then, or we'll be in a very passive position.
After all, compared to the Guardian Faction, our Alliance Army is far too weak."
Elder Qi, standing nearby, sighed and spoke.
While the Guardian Faction had lost their recent major battle with the Lingxiao Sect, during that conflict they had mobilized over ten Heavenly Gods, giving the entire Eighth Void a more direct understanding of the Guardian Faction's formidable strength.
According to intelligence, the Guardian Faction possessed far more than just a dozen or so Heavenly Gods; they had many more.
The mere thought of the Guardian Faction's dozen-plus Heavenly Gods placed enormous pressure on the Alliance Army leaders.
Just at that moment, a scout rushed anxiously from outside into the Xuanhuang Continent.
"Reporting to the Alliance Leader! We just received news that our Alliance Army forces stationed at the Lingxiao Sect headquarters have come into conflict with the Lingxiao Sect and have been placed under house arrest by them, their freedom restricted. The commanders in charge there have also sent back messages pleading for rescue!"
Seeing Ye Yunfei, the scout immediately rushed to stand before him and reported loudly.
"What? Our Alliance Army personnel have been placed under house arrest by the Lingxiao Sect?"
"It can't be! How could the Lingxiao Sect do such a thing?"
"Our Alliance Army has an alliance with the Lingxiao Sect! Our forces went there to aid them, to jointly face the Guardian Faction! Yet now they've been placed under house arrest. Could your intelligence be mistaken?"
"If this is really true, then the Lingxiao Sect are absolute ingrates! Vicious and greedy wolves!"
...
Upon hearing the scout's words, even before Ye Yunfei could speak, the Alliance Army leaders exclaimed one after another, each visibly agitated.
"What exactly happened?" Ye Yunfei's clone asked the scout.
"Reporting to the Alliance Leader, according to the intelligence I have gathered, our forces stationed at the Lingxiao Sect headquarters have indeed been placed under house arrest and cannot move freely.
According to a covert communication secretly sent to me by the commanders stationed there at the headquarters, this occurred after the higher-ups of the Lingxiao Sect, upon receiving a plea for help from your true self, adopted a passive attitude and only dispatched a recently-promoted primary Heavenly God to assist.
Hearing this news, our commanders there were furious and immediately wanted to withdraw our Alliance Army forces from the Lingxiao Sect. But they were then intercepted by the Lingxiao Sect members and had their freedom restricted.
Alliance Leader, this is the covert message those commanders at the Lingxiao Sect headquarters sent to us scouts through secret channels."
While answering Ye Yunfei's question, the scout produced a communication jade slip and handed it to Ye Yunfei.
Ye Yunfei immediately released a thread of Soul Power to perceive the contents of the jade slip, and his expression turned gloomy.
"Very well, Lingxiao Sect," Ye Yunfei said coldly.
"Alliance Leader, how is the situation? Are our Alliance Army personnel truly under house arrest by the Lingxiao Sect?" Seeing Ye Yunfei's expression, the surrounding Alliance Army leaders immediately asked.
"The Lingxiao Sect indeed placed our people under house arrest.
Send the order. From this moment on, we annul the alliance relationship between our Alliance Army and the Lingxiao Sect, and sever all ties with them."
Ye Yunfei nodded, then slowly spoke.
"Those fellows of the Lingxiao Sect are truly ingrates! Worse than dogs or pigs!"
"We sent forces specifically to aid them against enemies, only to be treated like this! It infuriates me!"
"The Lingxiao Sect truly looks down upon our Alliance Army! From now on, the Lingxiao Sect are enemies of our Alliance Army!"
"Young Master Ye, let us immediately organize forces to head to the Lingxiao Sect and bring back our Alliance Army personnel!"
...
The Alliance Army leaders flew into rages, roaring furiously one after another.