"Hehe... Old hag surnamed Han, finally realize you can't escape?"
The five Heavenly Gods chasing from behind sneered coldly as they saw Elder Han suddenly stop, then moved to encircle her.
Their primary purpose in setting up this ambush was to lure out high-ranking members of the Dark Faction to kill them in a pincer attack. Those dozen or so women in black were insignificant in their eyes, not worth specially spending time chasing.
"Surround her first. Don't give her any chance to flee."
The leading Intermediate Heavenly God waved his hand, and the five Heavenly Gods took up different positions, tightly encircling Elder Han.
"You surnamed Han, I'll give you one last chance," the Intermediate Heavenly God said coldly, his gaze fixed on Elder Han as he spoke slowly. "Tell us the whereabouts of that Dark Queen, and I can offer you a chance to live. Otherwise, I will ensure you die without a proper burial."
"You think I would betray our queen? That's pure wishful thinking," Elder Han retorted with a cold sneer. "The reason your Ziyang Sect is so eager to deal with the queen is nothing but fear of her talent. You're worried that if she continues to grow at this rate, she'll one day possess the power to suppress your entire sect. But you won't get the chance. The queen's strength has improved by leaps and bounds recently. She's no longer on the same level as you."
"Just some fledgling chick," the Intermediate Heavenly God scoffed disdainfully. "You think she can really amount to anything? Our Ziyang Sect is dealing with her because she's grown too arrogant. At such a tender age, looking down on everyone—she dares to disregard the honor of our sect's Ancestors! By provoking our Ziyang Sect, your Dark Faction's only fate is annihilation."
"Let's attack. Kill this stubborn old bitch. Don't waste any more time," the Intermediate Heavenly God commanded gravely.
As his words faded, the other four Heavenly Gods simultaneously released surges of energy pressure, like volcanoes erupting one after another.
Elder Han gripped her black longsword tightly as a torrent of black mist surged continuously from her body, coalescing into a swirling hurricane of dark energy.
"Everyone, be careful," the Intermediate Heavenly God warned his companions. "This woman surnamed Han is a ruthless character. Once she fights, she throws her life on the line."
"What's there to fear? We have five Heavenly Gods here. Could we not handle one?" The other four wore expressions of utter disdain.
The battle erupted in the next moment.
Five Heavenly Gods attacking from five different directions, employing various techniques and secret arts, wielding divine artifacts at the Heavenly God level, all aimed their assaults at Elder Han.
Ye Yunfei stood high in the sky, having listened to the exchange between Elder Han and the five Heavenly Gods, roughly piecing together what was happening.
Elder Han belonged to a force called the Dark Faction, while those five Heavenly Gods were from the Ziyang Sect. It seemed the Ziyang Sect had initiated hostilities against the Dark Faction, and the Dark Faction's current situation was likely not favorable.
Initially, Elder Han took the offensive, fighting with ferocious intensity. Ye Yunfei could tell she was trying to break through their encirclement, aiming for a chance to escape. But soon, she began losing ground. After all, facing five Heavenly Gods, with one being an Intermediate Heavenly God, she started faltering after a prolonged fight.
"Alright, time for me to intervene," Ye Yunfei murmured softly.
He knew that the Dark Queen of this Dark Faction was highly likely to be Lü Dandan, so of course he couldn't stand by and watch her people die. Ye Yunfei's figure flickered, appearing beside the battling Heavenly Gods.
"Hey kid, who are you? Why are you here?"
Both the five Heavenly Gods of the Ziyang Sect and Elder Han were stunned to see a strange young man suddenly appear. One of the Ziyang Sect's Heavenly Gods barked the question at Ye Yunfei.
"Esteemed Elder Han, do you know Miss Lü Dandan?" Ye Yunfei's gaze turned to Elder Han as he asked directly.
As for the five Heavenly Gods of the Ziyang Sect, Ye Yunfei couldn't be bothered to spare them a glance.
"Young man, who are you?" Elder Han, hearing Ye Yunfei's question, was momentarily taken aback. She sensed a certain respect in Ye Yunfei's tone towards her and thus asked in return.
"I know Miss Lü Dandan. It's been a long time since I've seen her, so I wanted to catch up," Ye Yunfei replied.
"Catch up?"
Upon hearing this, Elder Han's expression instantly turned suspicious. Lü Dandan was now the queen of their Dark Faction, an extraordinary position. For a strange young man to suddenly appear claiming he wanted to catch up with the queen—of course she wasn't quick to believe it.
"Kid, don't tell me you've taken a fancy to their so-called Dark Queen and are using this as an excuse to pursue her? What a reckless fool!" one of the Ziyang Sect's Initial Heavenly Gods laughed mockingly upon hearing Ye Yunfei's words. "Don't you know that worthless Dark Queen is currently being hunted by our Ziyang Sect? Tell you what—if you switch allegiance to our Ziyang Sect, once we capture that Dark Queen, we might even let you have a go, have some fun."
"Daring to verbally insult our queen is a capital offense!" Elder Han, hearing this Initial Heavenly God's words, flew into a rage on the spot. She raised her black longsword and slashed at him.
"What worthless queen? I insulted her, so what can you do about it? Just wait—once our Ziyang Sect captures your queen, we'll make sure to play with her thoroughly, see just how 'noble' she really is," the Initial Heavenly God sneered.
"Seeking death!" Elder Han was enraged to the extreme. With a muffled boom, billowing flames erupted from within her as her energy aura began to climb incessantly—she had started to burn her Origin Bloodline.
"Everyone, be careful! This woman surnamed Han is about to go all out!" the Intermediate Heavenly God hastily warned.
Even though he was an Intermediate Heavenly God, during the earlier battle, he had realized Elder Han's combat power was exceptionally formidable. Even with his level, he couldn't suppress her quickly.
"Elder Han, there's no need for such fury. Dealing with these pests isn't worth burning your Origin Bloodline," Ye Yunfei said with a light laugh.
"Kid, spouting such nonsense, daring to stick your nose where it doesn't belong? I'll kill you first!" One of the Ziyang Sect Heavenly Gods, hearing Ye Yunfei's words, grew furious and swung a palm towards Ye Yunfei.
He believed Ye Yunfei was just a junior brat—no matter how strong, his power would be limited. So he intended to casually slap Ye Yunfei to death.
Since Ye Yunfei had been continuously employing a secret art to tightly conceal his aura, these Heavenly Gods couldn't perceive his true realm or power at the moment.
A rumbling sound...
That Initial Heavenly God's palm swelled, about to strike Ye Yunfei's body when Ye Yunfei suddenly extended a hand and grabbed his wrist. Then, using Mind Reading Art, he immobilized the Initial Heavenly God right there on the spot.
Next, Ye Yunfei's other hand plunged straight into the Initial Heavenly God's Soul Sea, viciously wrenching out his Soul Body.
This Initial Heavenly God, when he felt Ye Yunfei's hand entering his Soul Sea, instinctively wanted to resist. But his thoughts and consciousness were under the control of the Mind Reading Art; he stood there in a daze, motionless, unable to take any action.
Ye Yunfei sealed both the Heavenly God's physical body and Soul Body, then stored them away.
"How... how is this possible?"
The remaining four Heavenly Gods of the Ziyang Sect and Elder Han were all astounded by this scene. They couldn't believe that a mere junior had so casually suppressed both the physical body and Soul Body of a Heavenly God. Such means were somewhat unbelievable.
"Kid, what in the world is going on? Release him immediately! If you dare touch a member of our Ziyang Sect, the consequences will be severe," the other four Heavenly Gods of the Ziyang Sect were each extremely angry, their fierce gazes locked on Ye Yunfei.
"How can this be?" Elder Han stared intently at Ye Yunfei, sizing him up. "This unknown youngster instantly suppressed a Initial Heavenly God..."
"Elder Han, I've come specifically to find Miss Lü Dandan. My main purpose is genuinely to catch up—I harbor no ill intentions," Ye Yunfei spoke, completely ignoring the Ziyang Sect's Heavenly Gods as he looked at Elder Han.
"Kid, you're looking for death!" The Ziyang Sect's Intermediate Heavenly God, seeing Ye Yunfei completely disregard them, grew even more furious.
"Attack, kill this brat!"
This Intermediate Heavenly God sent a covert Sound Transmission to the other three Heavenly Gods.
In the next moment, the four Heavenly Gods of the Ziyang Sect simultaneously surged into action, attacking Ye Yunfei with full power from the very first move.
Ye Yunfei's casual and effortless suppression of their companion just now, revealing fearsome methods, had made them deeply wary of him.
Seeing the four Heavenly Gods attacking simultaneously, Ye Yunfei didn't deem them worthy of his attention at all. He waited until their attacks were almost upon him, then suddenly acted.
With a thunderous roar, he threw a punch. The towering phantom of an ancient emperor materialized behind him, and the immense, majestic aura of imperial might instantly spread out, abruptly immobilizing the four Ziyang Sect Heavenly Gods where they stood, rendering them unable to move.
Next, Ye Yunfei extended his palm with lightning speed, instantly wrenching out the Soul Bodies of those four Heavenly Gods from their respective Soul Seas before storing them away.
Just like that, Ye Yunfei easily and effortlessly suppressed all five Heavenly Gods of the Ziyang Sect, leaving them utterly helpless and without any ability to resist throughout the entire process.
"How... how is this possible? Who exactly is this kid?"
Elder Han stared at the scene, her scalp tingling with dread. The power and methods Ye Yunfei had displayed were simply too terrifying.
The Ziyang Sect's Heavenly Gods had seemed as weak and powerless as mere chicks, allowing themselves to be slaughtered. In her shock, Elder Han retreated dozens of steps back.
"Young man, who are you, truly?" Elder Han asked, her face full of wariness. She knew that if Ye Yunfei turned his attention against her, she would be just as incapable of resisting.