"Kid, I'll fight you to the death!"
That Prison Master, sensing the horrifying might contained within Ye Yunfei's slash, gritted his teeth and roared.
Then he too raised the snow-white sword in his hand and fiercely swung it to block Ye Yunfei.
With a sharp clang, their attacks collided.
A thunderous noise erupted, reverberating within this world before rolling outwards, echoing wildly throughout the entire headquarters of the Lingxiao Sect.
Ye Yunfei's red long saber and the Prison Master's snow-white sword remained locked in a stalemate for a moment. Then, with a bang, the snow-white sword exploded directly, transforming into scattered fragments of Great Dao laws, which then dispersed with the wind, vanishing into nothingness.
"Kid, you destroyed the foundation I've worked hard for these years in the Sixth Void and annihilated my three avatars. I will definitely get revenge."
The Prison Master's gaze bore into Ye Yunfei as he spoke.
After finishing his words, and under the shocked gazes of the crowd, the Prison Master's body cracked directly down the middle, splitting in two. Then, the two severed halves simultaneously exploded, shattered to dust.
"I'll be waiting for your revenge."
Ye Yunfei looked coldly at the cloud of fragments left behind after the Prison Master's explosion.
"Young Master Ye, that fellow is finished. His Soul Power aura has completely vanished. That slash of yours just now was far too powerful; you've obliterated him completely."
The Silver-Robed Elder carefully sensed the surroundings before speaking to Ye Yunfei.
"What a pity. Even though he was merely three avatars, the Soul Power energy he possessed was immense. If we could have refined and absorbed him, it would have yielded great benefits. Your slash was too strong; it annihilated all three of his soul avatars."
Huang Shang said regretfully.
"In this kind of battle, control is difficult. To be able to annihilate him with one slash is the best outcome."
Hun Lao spoke.
"That guy temporarily attained early-stage Sovereign God combat power after burning his Origin Essence Blood just now. But now you defeated him. Doesn't that mean you also possess early-stage Sovereign God combat power now?"
The Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm was greatly shocked to see Ye Yunfei cleave that Prison Master to smithereens with a single slash.
"That should be the case. That slash just now was indeed Sovereign God-level combat power. However, it was obtained by burning Origin Essence Blood, so it's not lasting."
Hun Lao stated.
"I never imagined the energy contained within your Origin Essence Blood would be so terrifying, Young Master Ye."
Seeing the Prison Master shattered by Ye Yunfei's slash, the Silver-Robed Elder sighed in relief, then remarked in astonishment.
"There's still another one over there."
Ye Yunfei slowly turned his gaze towards the old Wizard.
At this moment, the old Wizard was locked in a fierce battle with the middle-aged Daoist nun.
"Little brat named Ye, just you wait. We'll definitely come back to settle this with you in the future."
Seeing Ye Yunfei slash the Prison Master to oblivion, the old Wizard knew the fight was lost. Continuing the battle was meaningless. He looked back at Ye Yunfei and coldly spat his words.
As soon as the words fell, his figure began to rapidly fade and grow illusory.
"Thinking of running only now? It's too late."
Ye Yunfei's face darkened, and he immediately raised the Blood-Red Long Saber in his hand, aiming a slash towards the old Wizard.
A thick crimson arc of saber light materialized, slicing across the sky.
Yet, to everyone's surprise, the old Wizard's body exploded directly with a bang, shattering into at least several dozen pieces. These broken fragments then shot off in different directions at high speed.
"None of you shall escape!"
Ye Yunfei let out a fierce roar and swung his saber. The others also began to attack one after another.
Bang! Bang! Bang...
Suddenly, all dozens of the old Wizard's broken fragments exploded once more, turning into a scattering cloud of shards that fled rapidly in different directions.
Ye Yunfei, the Silver-Robed Elder, the middle-aged Daoist nun, and the other Heavenly Gods all acted to destroy those flesh and blood fragments scattering everywhere.
"That fellow's true Soul Body escaped after all. He sacrificed his physical body to preserve his Soul Body, and it's likely even his Soul Body was fractured into several pieces."
Hun Lao suddenly interjected.
Hun Lao had been continuously perceiving the old Wizard's flesh and blood fragments scattered throughout the space, but had yet to locate his true Soul Body.
"Indeed, the true Soul Body has fled."
Ye Yunfei nodded.
"That old guy was too cunning, and too ruthless. He directly blew himself into pieces, then used the chance to flee."
The Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm gnashed its teeth in frustration.
"Individuals who are ruthless even with themselves are generally difficult to deal with. I suppose he has already fled this Sixth Void. However, we will certainly meet him again in the future."
Hun Lao sighed.
"Young Master Ye, all of the Guardian Faction's personnel within this world cluster have been cleared out."
A Heavenly God approached Ye Yunfei to report.
"Seniors, I need to go into seclusion and cultivate for some time. May I trouble you two to maintain the order of this void for the time being?"
Ye Yunfei's gaze fell upon the Silver-Robed Elder and the middle-aged Daoist nun.
"Young Master Ye, you just burned your Origin Essence Blood and should now be in a weakened state. Please proceed with your seclusion and cultivation."
The Silver-Robed Elder nodded.
In the previous battle, Ye Yunfei indeed burned his Origin Essence Blood and had now entered a relatively weakened phase, requiring secluded rest and recovery.
Ye Yunfei slowly turned and looked towards the Small World containing the Lingxiao Sect's people.
"Hear me, people of the Lingxiao Sect. From now on, do not provoke the Alliance Army, nor harbor thoughts of dominating this void. Otherwise, bear the consequences yourselves!"
Ye Yunfei's gaze was cold as he slowly delivered his words. Then he turned and left this world.
At this moment, the Alliance Army's high-ranking commanders were leading their troops in clearing the battlefield.
After the major battle that ravaged this world cluster, there were corpses from both sides everywhere, along with all sorts of spoils of war.
Ye Yunfei naturally wouldn't let the Lingxiao Sect take advantage, having long issued orders for the Alliance Army to secure and salvage any battlefield spoils.
"I'm not afraid of dirty work like this. You go cultivate. I'll keep at it."
Too excited to leave the scene of the battle, the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm informed Ye Yunfei before transforming into a streak of golden light and joining the battlefield-cleaning efforts.
"This battlefield has many intact bodies, lingering fragments of soul bodies, and plenty of Soul Power energy that hasn't dissipated yet. These are all precious cultivation resources for me. I'll also stay behind and take advantage of thoroughly cleaning the battlefield."
Huang Shang said to Ye Yunfei.
"Very well. You two stay and oversee the clean-up."
Ye Yunfei nodded.
Then he flickered and departed from the world cluster.
Not long after, Ye Yunfei entered a relatively ordinary world cluster, found a secluded and quiet spot, and set up a small secluded space with formations. He then entered the Phantom Tower to begin his secluded cultivation.
"Sect Master, this is still our Lingxiao Sect's headquarters, isn't it? But now they are cleaning the battlefield here, showing no regard for us whatsoever!"
Within the Small World of the Lingxiao Sect's headquarters, the sect's high-ranking members continued observing the outside situation. Seeing Ye Yunfei's forces busying themselves on the battlefield provoked both envy and fury.
Such a large-scale battlefield was bound to hold countless valuable items, turning cleanup into a treasure-hunting process.
"Forget it. Even the Guardian Faction was annihilated by that young man. Our Lingxiao Sect can't afford to provoke him. We need to keep a low profile for now, and do our best to avoid attracting the attention of that fellow named Ye. Otherwise, if we accidentally offend him, our Lingxiao Sect will truly be finished for good."
The Lingxiao Sect Patriarch sighed and said.
"Yes, everyone should keep their heads down. That young brat surnamed Ye is the supreme powerhouse of this void now. He will rule over it next, and our Lingxiao Sect is no match for him."
Standing beside the Patriarch, the Lingxiao Sect's Great Master spoke with a bitter smile.
Hearing the words of their Patriarch and Great Master, the other high-ranking members of the sect fell into a somber silence.
The number of remaining Heavenly Gods among them was now very low, and the sect's vitality had long been severely drained. Moreover, even at their peak, the Lingxiao Sect likely stood no chance against Ye Yunfei.
"If we hadn't provoked the Alliance Army in the first place, our Lingxiao Sect and that kid would still be allies. If we had worked with him to annihilate the Guardian Faction, we might have had a chance to co-rule this void with him now, instead of hiding here, not daring to step out."
A Lingxiao Sect Elder lamented.
"It's meaningless to talk about that now. Let's think about how we will develop in the future."
Another Elder sighed.
Within the Phantom Tower, a year went by.
One year later.
"I have fully recovered, and my state seems to be even better than before."
Ye Yunfei stood up and said softly.
He then walked out of the Phantom Tower.
A year inside the Phantom Tower was merely three to four days in the outside world.
"What level of artifact is the Phantom Tower, anyway? I'm thinking now that it should at least be Sovereign God-level."
Hun Lao suddenly spoke.
"I cannot be sure of that myself. It's just that as my strength increases, I find that the Phantom Tower's rank seems to grow correspondingly higher as well."
Ye Yunfei said with a smile.
"Back when I was still in Tianxuan Continent, I once guessed the Phantom Tower might be an immortal artifact. But later I discovered its rank far surpassed that of an immortal artifact. Even now, I haven't been able to accurately determine its true level. However, no matter what it is, a spatial artifact with a time-flow differential of one hundred to one between inside and out is truly beyond ordinary. It must have been forged by a refining master exceptionally proficient in the energy and laws of time. And the Shadow Clan actually possesses such a heaven-defying artifact... It shows that the heritage of the Shadow Clan is extremely deep. The ancient Shadow Clan might have been far stronger than we imagined."
Hun Lao said.
"That's certainly true. The Phantom Tower is, at the very least, a Sovereign God-level artifact. The fact that the Shadow Clan possesses an artifact of such high rank indicates that the ancient Shadow Clan was potentially an unimaginably powerful race. And what we encountered back in Tianxuan Continent was merely a minor branch; the true strength of the Shadow Clan is beyond imagination."
Ye Yunfei nodded.
Not long after, Ye Yunfei returned to the Lingxiao Sect headquarters. By now, the battlefield cleanup had long since been completed.
"Our haul this time was pretty good."
A streak of golden light flashed over, and the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm stood grinning in front of Ye Yunfei, its face beaming and filled with excitement.
Next, a shadowy haze rolled in from the distance as Huang Shang also appeared, wearing a satisfied smile. He, too, seemed to have gained quite a satisfactory harvest.