Listen, all of you inside the Guhai Sect headquarters, I'll give you one last chance. Come out now, kneel and surrender, or the allied army of our Four Sects will charge in and raze your headquarters to the ground."
At that moment, a booming voice rang out like a thunderclap on a clear day, its rolling waves of sound surging into the Guhai Sect headquarters.
"Our Guhai Sect has never had the habit of kneeling in surrender."
A moment later, a voice emerged from within the Guhai Sect headquarters.
"Seems this Guhai Sect has some backbone."
Standing amidst the densely packed army in the center, Ye Yunfei smiled as he heard the voice from the Guhai Sect headquarters.
"Since the Guhai Sect refuses the wine offered politely only to be rejected, choosing the wine of punishment instead, there's nothing more to be said. Today is the day the Guhai Sect falls."
The earlier booming voice sounded once more, speaking coldly with a hint of mockery.
"Begin the attack. Charge straight in, leave not even a chicken or dog alive."
A Sovereign God at the forefront of the army ordered coldly.
"Attack! Charge in now!"
Following that Sovereign God's command, the vast army surrounding the Guhai Sect headquarters instantly surged forward like a tidal wave, rushing to storm the sect's stronghold. The massive flood of humanity advanced fiercely, an immensely spectacular sight.
"We should make our move too."
In the distant void, the two Guhai Sect Heavenly Gods who had come with Ye Yunfei earlier exchanged a look and spoke simultaneously.
Besides these two Heavenly Gods, more than thirty other Heavenly Gods were gathered there as well. These gods had all rushed back from the outside to support the headquarters.
In addition to these thirty-plus Heavenly Gods, a contingent of Guhai Sect personnel was present.
"Everyone, prepare for action."
An Advanced Heavenly God retrieved a Fangtian Halberd, raising it high as he shouted loudly. Then, these Guhai Sect forces who had rushed back from outside to support the headquarters also took out their treasures, surging forward to attack.
Meanwhile, inside the Guhai Sect headquarters, an army was also charging out.
A terrifying battle erupted in an instant.
The two sides' forces crashed together like two oceans colliding.
Right from the start of the fighting, heavy casualties occurred on both sides, especially among those charging at the very front. In the violent collision of two massive armies, large swathes of combatants fell almost immediately, creating a brutally tragic scene.
"You scum really think our Guhai Sect is easy to bully? If you want to destroy us, you'll have to step over my corpse first!"
From within the Guhai Sect army, a burly man holding a large trident roared furiously as he strode forward atop rolling blue waves, surfing them onward.
The huge trident in his hands was raised high, continuously enlarging before launching a ferocious assault forward.
"A mere Guhai Sect dares to resist the iron hooves of our Four-Sect Allied Army? I advise you not to struggle pointlessly."
A slightly overweight Elder strode forward, speaking in a bland tone.
With a violent hum, an enormous fist imprint materialized before this Elder and shot toward the trident-wielding burly man.
The burly man's face instantly paled, and he turned to flee.
Although he was a Perfected Heavenly God, the Elder was a Sovereign God, and he knew he stood no chance.
"Bullying the weak with your strength, is that interesting?"
A cold snort rang out, and then an old man riding atop a trident soared through the air. The trident beneath his feet shot forward, directly blocking the massive fist imprint. This elder was also a Sovereign God.
"I never imagined your Guhai Sect has gained another Sovereign God."
The slightly overweight Elder seemed somewhat surprised, as according to their previous intelligence, the Guhai Sect had only one Initial Sovereign God. Yet this trident-riding old man before him, who had previously only been a Perfected Heavenly God, had now become a Sovereign God.
"So what if the Guhai Sect has gained another Sovereign God? It's merely one who has just broken through. Resisting us won't be so easy."
The slightly overweight Elder clenched his fist and punched toward the trident-riding old man. The two immediately engaged in combat.
The other three Sovereign Gods of the Four-Sect Allied Army all wore cold smirks as they strode toward the Guhai Sect headquarters. Any Guhai Sect members blocking their path were instantly blasted apart by these three Sovereign Gods.
"It won't be so easy to destroy our Guhai Sect."
A voice as vast as rolling ocean waves emanated from within the Guhai Sect headquarters. Then, everyone saw a colossal monster charging out in a tumultuous rush.
It was a bizarre, winged fish with a huge mouth full of ferocious fangs. It savagely bit forward, swallowing dozens of Four-Sect Allied Army members on the spot. After chewing a few times, it consumed them entirely.
A sturdy, blue-robed elder stood upon the head of this strange fish, holding a shimmering cold trident in his hand, his face filled with fury.
Boom…
The elder raised his trident and launched a ferocious attack toward the three Sovereign Gods of the Allied Army.
"I've long heard the Guhai Sect keeps a Xūxū Qingyu Monster. So it's true, and this beast has actually attained Sovereign God-level combat power."
The three Sovereign Gods of the Allied Army looked at the winged strange fish beneath the blue-robed elder's feet with some surprise.
This meant the Guhai Sect now effectively had three Sovereign Gods. Previously, their intelligence stated the Guhai Sect had only one Sovereign God, with possibly another powerful strange fish. But they hadn't expected that fish to possess Sovereign God-level strength.
The energy aura radiating from that strange fish was incredibly powerful. Wherever it went, the Four-Sect Allied Army was forced to retreat.
"So what if they have three Sovereign Gods? We have four Sovereign Gods here. We can still destroy this Guhai Sect."
One of the Allied Army Sovereign Gods said coldly.
Then, those three Sovereign Gods besieged the blue-robed elder and the strange fish. They knew that eliminating the Guhai Sect's Sovereign God-level powerhouses would equate to destroying the Guhai Sect.
Apart from these Sovereign God-level experts, the other forces from both sides had already engaged in fierce, chaotic combat. On the battlefield, casualties and fatalities occurred on both sides constantly, making the scene exceptionally bloody.
Battle cries, roars of energy and treasures, screams, and wails of agony rose and fell in an unending chorus.
Meanwhile, Ye Yunfei stood in the middle of the battlefield, watching the intense combat unfold before him with a calm gaze.
A large group of True Gods and Void Gods crowded around Ye Yunfei. Originally, the Four-Sect Allied Army held significant advantages in both numbers and overall strength.
However, as a large portion of True Gods and Void Gods had become Ye Yunfei's Clones, and those Clones naturally would not exert themselves in battle, the two sides on the battlefield reached a temporary stalemate, neither gaining the upper hand.
Of course, at the Heavenly God level, the Four-Sect Allied Army had begun to gain the advantage.
"What are you lot doing?! Attack now!"
At this point, the four Sovereign Gods of the Allied Army also noticed something amiss. Many of their True Gods and Void Gods were simply standing on the battlefield, hardly participating in the fight, and numerous others stood motionless as if spectating. One of the Sovereign Gods flew into a rage, shouting furiously.
"How strange. Why do the Four-Sect Allied Army have so many True Gods and Void Gods standing motionless?"
The Guhai Sect's higher-ups also noticed this, feeling both pleasantly surprised and somewhat bewildered.
These Guhai Sect leaders understood that if not for so many True Gods and Void Gods from the Allied Army refraining from combat, the Four-Sect Allied Army would have already gained absolute dominance, as the difference in army size and overall strength between the two sides was stark.
"They have seen the light and defected to justice; they will no longer participate in this battle."
Just as the Four-Sect Allied Army's Sovereign Gods were raging, a voice suddenly spoke up placidly.
Then, the True Gods and Void Gods standing motionless on the battlefield automatically parted, clearing a path. A young man walked out slowly from among them, hands clasped behind his back—it was Ye Yunfei.
"Who is that kid?"
Seeing this, the higher-ups of both the Four-Sect Allied Army and the Guhai Sect were stunned, their gazes falling upon Ye Yunfei.
"What are you lot doing? Do you intend to betray us?"
The Allied Army's leaders were both shocked and furious to see so many True Gods and Void Gods from their four sects seemingly gathering behind this unidentified young stranger.
"It's him! The young man who came back with us."
The two Guhai Sect Heavenly Gods who had travelled back to headquarters with Ye Yunfei earlier on the ship now recognized him.
"What exactly is going on? I thought he had run away. Never imagined he's still here. But why do the True Gods and Void Gods from those four forces seem to obey him? What happened?"
The two Guhai Sect Heavenly Gods looked at Ye Yunfei, who appeared utterly composed, feeling utterly baffled.
"Kid, just who are you? What sinister methods did you use to control our Thousand Shadows Sect's True Gods and Void Gods?"
One of the Sovereign Gods fixed his eyes on Ye Yunfei, his voice filled with anger as he questioned.
"Kid, you dare lay hands on our Song Clan's people? You really have tired of living."
A green-robed elder with three wisps of long beard hanging from his chest spoke coldly.
"The Guhai Sect is under my protection. You can leave now."
Ye Yunfei looked at the Four-Sect Allied Army's four Sovereign Gods and stated placidly.
"What?"
Hearing Ye Yunfei's words, the four Sovereign Gods were stunned, wondering if they had misheard.
"Hahaha... Kid, you're pretty arrogant for someone so young. A mere brat still wet behind the ears, daring to claim you'll protect the Guhai Sect in front of us? Utterly ludicrous and ignorant of the true breadth of the heavens and the earth's thickness."
Immediately, one Sovereign God burst into loud laughter.
"Kid, what are you basing that protection on? Yourself? Youthful enthusiasm is good, but if you're too overconfident, you'll only bring yourself calamitous disaster."
"Kid, arrogance demands a price—and that price is your life."
"You'll soon deeply regret your insolence."
The other three Sovereign Gods also spoke in scornful tones.
"Who is this youth? Why is he helping our Guhai Sect? And he actually claims he'll protect our sect and tells the Four-Sect Allied Army to leave? This seems a bit blind to the situation, no? Looks like just a deluded, ignorant young man seeking attention."
Not only the four Sovereign Gods but even the Guhai Sect's higher-ups present felt Ye Yunfei was being excessively arrogant and biting off more than he could chew.
"I'll say it once more. The Guhai Sect is under my protection. You leave now, or you'll bear the consequences."
Ye Yunfei kept his hands clasped behind his back as he looked at the four contemptuous Sovereign Gods. His tone remained utterly calm and unperturbed.
"Ancestor, Sect Leader, this youth is the one I mentioned earlier—the young man who came back with us, wanting to help our Guhai Sect. We initially thought he had fled. Who would have imagined he's still here and truly stepped forward to aid our Guhai Sect."
At this moment, the two Guhai Sect Heavenly Gods who had returned to headquarters with Ye Yunfei earlier secretly sent a Sound Transmission to the Guhai Sect's founding ancestor and sect leader.