*Clang!* A dazzling spray of sparks erupted from the surface of the divine robe protecting his body.
"The defensive power of this divine robe is extremely strong; it should be able to protect my form," the Initial Sovereign God thought in panic, clinging to a last shred of comfort. After all, this robe had blocked many attacks from beings of his own rank in the past.
But no sooner had this thought crossed his mind than he realized with horror that cracks were spider-webbing across the robe's surface. Inundating, tyrannical sword energy surged into his body like a raging tidal wave, instantly grinding his internal organs into dust.
"Good, your sword dao has indeed improved significantly," Hun Lao commented with a smile, seeing Ye Yunfei shatter an Initial Sovereign God's body with just one stroke of his sword.
"Yes, the previous spectacle of Blade Light Sword Shadow increased my swordsmanship by another level," Ye Yunfei replied with a grin.
"However, half of the force behind this attack came from the sword dao energy and laws left behind by that senior within this longsword. Based solely on my current sword dao level, I'm not sure I could defeat an Initial Sovereign God with a single strike."
"But this longsword now belongs to you," Hun Lao said with another laugh. "Isn't its power effectively part of your strength?"
"True enough," Ye Yunfei conceded with a nod.
"Elder Huang, let's begin," he declared.
The tyrannical sword energy had by now utterly destroyed everything inside this Initial Sovereign God's body, leaving behind only a sack of skin. Seizing the moment, Ye Yunfei had already begun targeting his Soul Body. Huang Lao appeared beside Ye Yunfei and immediately began assisting the attack with his ghost cultivation art.
Having just sealed one Initial Sovereign God together, the two operated with well-rehearsed routine as they teamed up against this opponent.
"How is this possible?" The other Initial Sovereign Gods, witnessing Ye Yunfei annihilate another of their peers in such a short time, wore expressions of utter disbelief.
Their gazes towards Ye Yunfei grew solemn and cautious, devoid of any former trace of contempt. Previously, they'd held this mere Heavenly God in some disregard.
"How can this be?"
"This kid is just a Heavenly God. Even if his talent is decent, he shouldn't be able to defeat an Initial Sovereign God so quickly."
"In my opinion, it's primarily because of that longsword in his hand. Its power is truly terrifying."
While the Sovereign Gods were beginning to regard Ye Yunfei seriously, in their hearts they still believed the primary reason for his fearsome combat power was the sword.
"Everyone," one of them transmitted urgently to the others. "From now on, we cannot attack this kid separately. We must concentrate our forces and act together to have a chance against him. Otherwise, he will pick us off one by one. The sword in his hand is too frightening."
"Correct, we absolutely cannot stay apart," the other Sovereign Gods agreed with nods. As they charged towards Ye Yunfei, they began gathering closer together until all remaining gods formed a dense mass that advanced on Ye Yunfei collectively.
The energy pressure released by so many gods in close formation was horrific. *BOOM!* The thunderous roar of energy shook the ancient battlefield, and the surrounding space began to violently tremble.
Seeing the Sovereign Gods cluster together, Ye Yunfei knew that a direct frontal assault on such a dense concentration of power might not yield victory swiftly—their combined might was not to be underestimated. But his primary focus at the moment was whether another Blade Light Sword Shadow spectacle might appear on this battlefield.
"Ahhh! Everybody, come save me!"
"Kid, you're vicious! I won't let you get away with this!"
Meanwhile, the Initial Sovereign God whose Soul Body was under joint assault by Ye Yunfei and Huang Shang screamed pitifully, alternately pleading for rescue and snarling threats at Ye Yunfei.
His cries were useless. Under their relentless combined onslaught, his Soul Body was quickly grievously wounded. Ye Yunfei's use of Mind Reading Art was the most disruptive, flooding his mind with bizarre and distracting thoughts so he couldn't concentrate on defending against the attacks. Soon, Ye Yunfei and Huang Shang jointly sealed his Soul Body.
*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*
By now, the other Initial Sovereign Gods were closing in, launching wild long-range attacks alongside tidal waves of Soul Power energy that howled towards Ye Yunfei's sea of consciousness.
Instead of standing his ground, Ye Yunfei employed a movement technique and retreated in an instant.
"After him!" The Initial Sovereign Gods shouted in exasperation. Another of their number had been sealed, while Ye Yunfei remained completely unscathed—a profound humiliation.
Thus began a chase. In the following moments, the Initial Sovereign Gods pursued Ye Yunfei across the ancient battlefield, but Ye Yunfei consistently avoided direct confrontation.
Not long after, another spectacle of Blade Light Sword Shadow manifested within the battlefield.
Ye Yunfei immediately rushed over, found a spot, and began to meditate upon it.
"From now on, I'll devote half my focus to contemplating the blade dao inheritances," Ye Yunfei thought to himself.
Previously, he had poured all his attention into comprehending the sword techniques. Having significantly improved his swordsmanship, he now planned to delve into the blade path to see if he could elevate his blade skills.
From that point on, Ye Yunfei divided his attention between continuing to contemplate the sword technique legacy and starting to comprehend the blade techniques.
When the pursuing Sovereign Gods arrived, they didn't immediately resume attacking Ye Yunfei. Instead, they promptly seated themselves around the Blade Light Sword Shadow phenomenon to begin meditating themselves. Their chosen positions, however, still cleverly surrounded Ye Yunfei from a distance.
Ye Yunfei responded with a cold smile, paying no heed.
An indeterminate amount of time passed.
"Look! It seems like there's a long saber inside!" Someone suddenly shouted in excitement.
Instantly, the gazes of all beings meditating around the spectacle snapped towards the dense clashing auras within. Sure enough, at the very center of the Blade Light Sword Shadow, nestled amid a dazzling, swirling mass of blade energy, was what appeared to be a long saber of ancient, unadorned design.
"Wonderful! Finally, another treasure has emerged! Acquiring that long saber would be a tremendous opportunity!"
The eyes of all the onlookers grew blazing with desire, especially the Sovereign Gods, who stared fixedly at the saber, their breathing becoming ragged. They had witnessed the might of Ye Yunfei's sword and knew any treasure appearing within this phenomenon would be extraordinary. These Sovereign Gods all prepared themselves for the impending fight.
Ye Yunfei was no exception.
"It would be excellent if I could seize that long saber," he mused inwardly.
"Everyone, prepare yourselves to try and seize that long blade," he transmitted to Hun Lao and a few others.
"You've already obtained that longsword. If you also manage to snatch this long saber, those Sovereign Gods will be driven mad with fury," came the response.
"With valuable treasure at stake, it must be contended for," Ye Yunfei stated firmly.
"Now is the best time to act," a soft voice suddenly declared not far away.
In that instant, every being sprang into motion, unleashing movement techniques and racing towards the location of the long saber at their fastest possible speed.
"Get out of my way, all of you, if you don't want to die!" A furious roar rang out.
An Initial Sovereign God stood atop a black divine mountain that rumbled forward with incredible momentum. The immense weight of the mountain crushed the space in its wake, creating dense, black spatial cracks.
"Anyone who dares to compete with me will be killed!" Another voice echoed from a different direction. The assembled cultivators watched as an Initial Sovereign God wearing a blue robe stood upon the back of a green jiao. In his hand, he grasped a silver three-pronged trident, emanating a palpable killing intent.
Ye Yunfei glanced at the green jiao and sensed that it possessed energy equivalent to the Sovereign God level.
"It seems many of the Sovereign Gods chasing me earlier weren't using their full strength!" he thought to himself.
Simultaneously, the other Sovereign Gods each unleashed their own methods, charging towards the long saber at full speed. For a moment, the entire region seethed with violent energies and laws of various kinds.
Very soon, beings began fighting amongst themselves in their haste, each attacking to prevent others from reaching the treasure while striving for it themselves.
The Sovereign Gods quickly surged to the forefront. Then they too began guarding against and even directly attacking each other—after all, with invaluable treasure at stake, no one wished another to walk away with it.
Just as five Sovereign Gods at the very front reached out to grasp the long saber simultaneously, a massive sword radiance materialized, tearing through the sky as it slashed towards their hands.
Simultaneously, over ten thousand puppets appeared, swarming towards the Sovereign Gods like a tide.
"Dammit! It's that kid again! He already got the longsword, yet he still dares to contend with us for this saber!" The Sovereign Gods instantly recognized Ye Yunfei's handiwork.
As the puppets surged forth, Ye Yunfei's figure appeared like a ghost before he shot towards the long saber.
"Kid, get lost!" Two Sovereign Gods immediately moved to intercept Ye Yunfei. Both were Initial Sovereign Gods, and to Ye Yunfei, they posed no significant threat.
Ye Yunfei directly deployed his Mind Reading Art, causing the two gods to hesitate momentarily. In that instant, Ye Yunfei swept his longsword horizontally, forcing both Initial Sovereign Gods to retreat over a dozen steps.
Ye Yunfei's current sword dao level was simply too fearsome; the two gods didn't dare face it head-on.
"Act together! Otherwise, this long saber might also fall into this kid's hands!"
The other Sovereign Gods also charged over, their gazes burning with fury towards Ye Yunfei. He had already claimed the longsword; they absolutely would not permit him to take the long saber as well.