Just now, while Ye Yunfei and the green-robed elder were battling the Prison Master, the Alliance Army had already charged into the headquarters of the Guardian Faction and slaughtered all the remaining members.
“Very good.”
Ye Yunfei nodded, then walked into the headquarters of the Guardian Faction.
“From now on, this will be a branch of our Alliance Army,” he declared after inspecting the World Cluster.
“Young Master Ye, I have already selected a contingent of troops. They will be stationed here from now on to manage the affairs of this branch. However, we still have another task ahead of us,” Ye Yunfei said, his gaze looking out into the void beyond.
“What task?” asked an Earth Demon Race Ancestor who was following beside Ye Yunfei.
“To consolidate control over this Seventh Void and then connect it to the Eighth Void and the Sixth Void, merging these three voids into one contiguous territory,” Ye Yunfei said thoughtfully, speaking slowly.
Recently, while traveling through the Seventh Void, Ye Yunfei had become quite familiar with its situation. Furthermore, most of the subsidiary forces of the Guardian Faction had in fact already fallen under his control. In this Seventh Void, Ye Yunfei had essentially become the most influential figure.
Given that, he might as well link this Seventh Void with the Eighth and Sixth Voids to form a single entity.
“Young Master Ye, I knew you would have such an idea,” the silver-robed elder spoke up immediately after hearing Ye Yunfei's words. “Next, we will locate all the transmission channels connecting the Seventh Void to the Eighth and Sixth Voids, post guards, and bring them under our control.”
“Then I'll trouble you with that task, Elder.”
Subsequently, the silver-robed elder and the middle-aged Daoist nun began leading personnel to search for all the transmission channels in the Seventh Void that led to the Sixth and Eighth Voids.
Meanwhile, Ye Yunfei led the troops of the Alliance Army through the Seventh Void, beginning the process of bringing the major powers of this void under their banner. Of course, this ‘bringing under their banner’ meant applying some pressure to the various major forces of this void, forcing them to cut ties with the Guardian Faction while acknowledging the Alliance Army's dominant position in the Seventh Void.
Ye Yunfei made it explicitly clear to those major powers: from now on, the Alliance Army would be replacing the Guardian Faction as the preeminent power in this void. However, unlike the Guardian Faction, which had demanded that a large number of factions, races, and World Clusters in the Seventh Void regularly pay substantial tributes in cultivation resources, Ye Yunfei abolished this regulation, not demanding any cultivation resources from any faction.
As a result, the overwhelming majority of factions in the Seventh Void gladly accepted the Alliance Army's new status.
By this time, news of the Guardian Faction's destruction had already spread throughout the Seventh Void, and the Alliance Army's formidable reputation had followed right behind it. The Guardian Faction had previously been the strongest superpower in this void. The sudden emergence of a force that could annihilate them sent shockwaves reverberating throughout the entire void.
Virtually every faction, every World Cluster, every race was inquiring about the origins of this suddenly emerged Alliance Army.
Not long after, all the transmission channels connecting the Seventh Void to the Eighth and Sixth Voids were organized and secured. Ye Yunfei issued orders: a portion of these channels were to be opened to all living beings. As long as a certain amount of energy crystals were paid, one could travel freely between the three different voids. Another portion, of course, were to be guarded and kept as secret channels, known and usable only by their own people.
Ye Yunfei issued further orders: the Alliance Army was not to harass any factions, World Clusters, or races within the Seventh Void, but instead allow them to develop peacefully.
Gradually, within the Seventh Void, the reputation of the Alliance Army grew louder and louder. The great decisive battle between the Alliance Army and the Guardian Faction was continuously retold, thoroughly cementing the Alliance Army's might in people's minds. What earned even greater praise from the beings of the Seventh Void was that, unlike the former Guardian Faction that seized territories everywhere, forcibly subsumed factions, and demanded substantial tributes at regular intervals, under the rule of the Alliance Army, no faction had to pay any cultivation resources. Everyone had the opportunity to peacefully develop their own strength.
“Wonderful! This Alliance Army is simply the savior of our Seventh Void, rescuing us from the clutches of the Guardian Faction.”
“From now on, we can all grow and thrive in peace.”
“Our Seventh Void is about to enter an age of prosperous development. This is a good thing for every living being in these times and this space.”
…
Praise for the Alliance Army's benefits could be heard everywhere throughout the Seventh Void. Its rule began to take root deeply, gaining widespread acceptance. Many factions even took the initiative to request to become affiliate forces of the Alliance Army.
Ye Yunfei, after vetting those factions that voluntarily submitted, accepted a portion and then began to nurture and cultivate these forces of the Seventh Void.
After occupying the Guardian Faction's headquarters, the Alliance Army discovered a large batch of cultivation resources there, not to mention the vast quantities of spoils left on the battlefields. In short, the wealth of the Seventh Void's Guardian Faction had mostly fallen into the hands of the Alliance Army. Thus, Ye Yunfei now possessed a sufficient quantity of cultivation resources to cultivate his own personnel.
Once the Seventh Void was completely stabilized, the silver-robed elder and the middle-aged Daoist nun led their people back to the Sixth Void.
Ye Yunfei, meanwhile, found a secluded chamber in the Alliance Army's branch headquarters within the Seventh Void to begin his closed-door cultivation session. The battle not long ago, where Ye Yunfei faced a Sovereign God and fought the Prison Master to a standstill with heavy injuries on both sides, yielded significant gains. The various insights and realizations gained from the battle needed to be absorbed and made his own through cultivation.
Just as Ye Yunfei began his closed-door cultivation in the Seventh Void, within another void, in a vast world brimming with advanced energy and laws, on a divine mountain suspended in the depths of the void, stood a palace radiating dazzling divine light.
“What?!”
Suddenly, an angry voice echoed within this palace, shaking the entire structure and the space around it. The speaker was an elegant-looking young master who appeared gentle and refined as jade, with noble grace permeating his bearing. Yet at this moment, his face was filled with fury.
“Yes, Great Prison Master. I have just returned from the Soul Palace. Our Guardian Faction truly has lost a Sovereign God. It should be Lu Yue, who was stationed in the Seventh Void.”
A hunched old man whose body resembled dry wood, his face covered in deep wrinkles, spoke haltingly. Leaning on a dragon-headed cane, his frail body trembled slightly, seemingly so weak that a gust of wind could blow him over.
“Send someone immediately to investigate how this happened. Our Guardian Faction invests immense resources to nurture every Sovereign God. They cannot just die for nothing,” the elegant young master said slowly. He was the Great Prison Master of the Guardian Faction, commanding the entire Guardian Faction across the Chaotic Void Sea.
“I understand, Great Prison Master. I will proceed immediately to investigate what happened,” a black-clothed man nearby said respectfully with a bow before turning and leaving.
“It seems the time has come to take action. There's no need to wait any longer.
Pass the order: have everyone prepare. Our Guardian Faction is preparing to formally rule over the entire Chaotic Void Sea.”
After some thought, the Great Prison Master spoke again.
“At once, Great Prison Master. I shall relay the order immediately,” replied another man at his side, who then also turned and departed.
“Indeed, Great Prison Master. There is no need for us to wait further.
We can simply take direct action and rule the entire Chaotic Void Sea with absolute force. That was, after all, the primary goal when we founded the Guardian Faction. All these years, our Guardian Faction has developed quite well, our ranks strong and plentiful. The time is ripe for formal action,” said the hunched elder.
At the same time, within another void, in an ordinary yet hidden world.
“Excellent. The Guardian Faction in the Seventh Void has also been wiped out, and likewise by Ye Yunfei leading the way.
He has single-handedly destroyed the Guardian Faction in three consecutive voids. This young man's courage commands respect!
Pass the order: we must grant this young man even greater support.”
An old man laughed heartily.
Back in the secluded chamber in the Seventh Void, Ye Yunfei, while cultivating, reflected on his recent battle against the Prison Master. During that fight, Ye Yunfei had also been injured, though not severely. This was largely due to the exceptional toughness of his physical body. Were it any other Heavenly God, they would have long been crushed into dust, their souls scattered, by the Prison Master's attacks.
It could be said that battle truly gave Ye Yunfei a taste of a Sovereign God's combat prowess, offering him significant enlightenment.
“Many of the techniques and secret arts I cultivated in the past feel somewhat inadequate at my current level. Currently, my strongest attacks are ‘One Blade Severs Yin and Yang’ and a few body tempering arts. The several Soul Power martial skills I've cultivated are also decent, but the number of truly powerful techniques and secret arts I can reliably wield is still quite limited.
It seems in the time to come, I must search for more higher-grade, more formidable techniques and secret arts to cultivate,” Ye Yunfei thought to himself, recalling the recent battle. He suddenly realized that throughout the fight, he had merely been relying on the same few techniques to hold the line; the ones that could genuinely threaten the Prison Master were not many.
Fortunately, the Dream Incense had been helping. Throughout the battle, it had been burning above Ye Yunfei's head, releasing large amounts of dream energy and the Dao principles of dreams, subtly influencing the Prison Master's Soul Body. This was one of the reasons why the Prison Master had grown progressively weaker.
Although Ye Yunfei had cultivated numerous techniques and secret arts in the past, he had now attained a combat power on par with a Sovereign God. Consequently, most of the techniques he had previously cultivated had become outdated.
“Also, my proficiency in Formations and Heart Force martial skills haven't improved for a long time.
However, advancing one's skills in Formations and Heart Force cannot be rushed. It's a matter of encountering the right opportunity, not something one can pursue directly. Unless I can come into contact with more profound formation knowledge and significantly elevate my Heart Force energy levels...”
Ye Yunfei shook his head and sighed.
At that moment, the Nine Divine Beasts of the Nine Palaces Totem Wheel were devouring piles upon piles of cultivation resources not far from Ye Yunfei.
“These Nine Divine Beasts are of great assistance to me in battle,” Ye Yunfei noted with a nod, casting an approving glance at them, highly satisfied with their performance.
“My Bloodline of Darkness Avatar also possesses considerable strength now.”
Ye Yunfei then recalled his Bloodline of Darkness Avatar. During the battle, its Blood Control Art had subtly influenced the Prison Master's blood, indirectly weakening a fraction of his combat power.
Inside the Phantom Bell Tower, without even realizing it, Ye Yunfei had already spent three years in closed-door cultivation.