For the next period of time, Ye Yunfei went into seclusion for cultivation within the Phantom Tower.
While in seclusion, Ye Yunfei handed a list to the Sect Master of the Guhai Sect, instructing him to send out members of the Guhai Sect to collect the forging materials listed on it.
Not long ago in the Huan Jian Gu, many of Ye Yunfei's puppets had been destroyed while dealing with those Sovereign Gods.
Most of those puppets were at the Demi-God level, with a small portion at the True God level. Their strength wasn't particularly high relative to Ye Yunfei's current power, but as long as there were enough of them, they could unleash considerable combat effectiveness on the battlefield. Therefore, Ye Yunfei planned to forge a new batch of puppets.
At Ye Yunfei's command, the Guhai Sect immediately dispatched a large number of personnel to collect the forging materials he required. Soon, a steady stream of materials began arriving at the headquarters, handed over to Ye Yunfei.
Inside the Phantom Tower, while practicing in seclusion, Ye Yunfei also began using a batch of his clones to forge puppets.
Ye Yunfei had already forged tens of thousands of puppets before, so his forging technique was already extremely proficient.
Not long after, he produced a large batch of new puppets.
An unknown length of time passed.
"I've finally made a breakthrough!"
Suddenly, Ye Yunfei received an excited Sound Transmission from Huang Shang.
Ye Yunfei immediately directed his senses towards Huang Shang's location and found that Huang Shang had indeed broken through.
His originally jet-black, glossy ghost body had become even darker, making it hard for others to discern its form clearly. Even attempting to perceive it with Soul Power was difficult because Huang Shang now gave off the feeling of a bottomless abyss, seeming capable of devouring everything.
Furthermore, a vast number of black Ghost Path law chains crisscrossed the space around Huang Shang's body, appearing to seal that entire space thoroughly.
"Huang Lao, even I can't sense what level of strength you possess now," Ye Yunfei remarked, somewhat astonished.
"My current strength roughly corresponds to that of an Early Stage Sovereign God or a Mid-Stage Sovereign God," Huang Shang replied. "Of course, as a ghost cultivator, the techniques I practice are far more esoteric and mysterious compared to ordinary cultivation methods and secret arts. So now, encountering ordinary Early or Mid-Stage Sovereign Gods shouldn't be a concern; I can fight freely."
"However, for me, the most important task going forward is to rebuild my corpse army and ghost army."
Inside the Huan Jian Gu, over half of his corpse and ghost armies had been destroyed by those Sovereign Gods. To this day, Huang Shang still felt deep regret and remained fixated on reassembling them.
"The opportunity will come," Ye Yunfei said with a smile.
"I still couldn't break through my realm this time in seclusion."
Ye Yunfei sensed his current energy level and spoke with a hint of disappointment.
Ye Yunfei's current realm remained at Heavenly God. He understood that if he didn't seize opportunities to break through, it would ultimately hinder the improvement of his strength. After all, continuous advancement in his cultivation realm was fundamental to ensuring he could reach greater heights in the future.
However, after this period of secluded cultivation, Ye Yunfei felt his blade techniques and sword techniques had improved significantly compared to before.
The primary arts Ye Yunfei had employed during his battle against over a dozen Sovereign Gods were his blade and sword techniques. Thus, this seclusion was mainly devoted to comprehending these arts.
It could be said that throughout this time, Ye Yunfei's cultivation had been focused primarily on blade and sword techniques.
"Let's call an end to this session of secluded cultivation."
Ye Yunfei emerged from the Phantom Tower.
"Young Master Ye!"
Soon after Ye Yunfei exited the cultivation chamber, several figures, their forms shrouded within black robes, approached from a distance. They landed before Ye Yunfei and bowed respectfully.
These were powerful experts of the Dark Faction.
"Young Master Ye, the Dark Queen instructed us to discuss some important matters with you. It's best not to let others overhear," one of the Dark Faction experts said to Ye Yunfei.
"Important matters?"
Ye Yunfei was taken aback upon hearing this.
He then waved a hand, tossing out a handful of formation flags. Instantly, over a dozen large isolation formations were deployed.
"Don't worry," Ye Yunfei declared. "Even if a Sovereign God were to come, they wouldn't necessarily be able to sense what happens within these formations I've set. You may speak directly."
"Young Master Ye, it's possible our Dark Faction has already been targeted by the Guardian Faction."
One of the Dark Faction experts stepped forward and delivered a Sound Transmission to Ye Yunfei, appearing extremely cautious.
"Your Dark Faction has been targeted by the Guardian Faction?"
Ye Yunfei's mind stirred.
"Yes," the expert continued via Sound Transmission. "According to the Dark Queen's investigation over this period, the Guardian Faction has long been secretly acting against our Dark Faction. There were even traitors within our ranks, but they have already been eradicated by the Dark Queen."
"The Guardian Faction's original plan was to plant spies within the Dark Faction, then use various means to control us, turning our faction into a subsidiary force of theirs. However, their scheme has now been uncovered by the Dark Queen."
"The Dark Queen surmises that the Guardian Faction will not give up easily. They will likely continue trying to deal with the Dark Faction."
"Since our Dark Faction is one of the oldest factions in this void and, under the Dark Queen's reorganization, is growing increasingly powerful, the Guardian Faction will likely refrain from openly declaring war on us for the time being. However, in secret, they will certainly continue employing various methods to act against us."
"The Guardian Faction's ultimate goal is to gain complete control over our Dark Faction. Therefore, after deliberation, the Dark Queen and our leadership believe we cannot wait idly. We must secretly organize our strength to oppose the Guardian Faction."
"The Dark Queen sent us to meet you, Young Master Ye, precisely to discuss this matter. Our Dark Faction is willing to cooperate with you to jointly deal with the Guardian Faction."
"I see. Well then, I have no problem with that."
Ye Yunfei nodded.
In Ye Yunfei's mind, Lü Dandan was essentially one of his own. Furthermore, he understood that one of Lü Dandan's reasons for wanting to ally the Dark Faction with him against the Guardian Faction was likely to help him.
"Return and inform the Dark Queen to first focus on developing and strengthening the overall power of your Dark Faction," Ye Yunfei sent via Sound Transmission. "When the time is right and I am ready to move against the Guardian Faction, I will notify your faction."
"Also, since we are cooperating, starting now, your Dark Faction may come to me for any elixirs you need. I can provide them to you free of charge."
Ye Yunfei sent another Sound Transmission.
Lü Dandan, the Dark Queen, was the true controller of the Dark Faction. Therefore, as far as Ye Yunfei was concerned, the Dark Faction had effectively become his own force.
As a Divine Pill Refiner, Ye Yunfei certainly intended to find ways to help the Dark Faction increase its overall strength.
After speaking, Ye Yunfei waved his hand and produced a large batch of Divine Pills, sending them before the Dark Faction experts.
These Divine Pills had been refined by Ye Yunfei some time ago, waiting for an opportunity to give them to Lü Dandan. Now, he simply let these experts take them back.
"These Divine Pills... seem exceptionally suitable for our Dark Faction's use. They even appear to have been refined specifically targeting our faction's techniques and secret arts!"
The Dark Faction experts sensed the Divine Pills Ye Yunfei presented with their Soul Power, and each of them grew extremely excited.
Their perception told them these Divine Pills would be enormously beneficial for their faction. They seemed almost tailor-made for the Dark Faction.
"That's correct. These Divine Pills will be of great use to your Dark Faction. You may contact me directly in the future whenever you need them," Ye Yunfei said with a nod.
"Also, inform the Dark Queen upon your return: for now, your faction need not openly oppose the Guardian Faction. Instead, lay low, focus diligently on boosting your strength. When the time is right, we will join forces and deliver a fatal blow to the Guardian Faction in this void," Ye Yunfei added aloud.
"Young Master Ye, rest assured. We will return to headquarters immediately and relay your words to the Dark Queen."
The Dark Faction experts' attitudes towards Ye Yunfei grew even more reverent.
Ye Yunfei's generous gift of such precious Divine Pills had not only earned their respect but also added a layer of gratitude.
After storing the Divine Pills Ye Yunfei bestowed, these experts and their accompanying Dark Faction contingent departed the Guhai Sect headquarters.
"Young Master Ye, over this period, there are still many spies of unknown origin surrounding our headquarters. Based on our investigations, they likely belong to forces like the Song Clan and the Moon Yin Sect."
"Moreover, according to intelligence gathered by our scouts, the Song Clan and several other forces have spread word that they will eventually annihilate our Guhai Sect."
Not long after the Dark Faction members left, the Guhai Sect's elder and Sect Master came before Ye Yunfei to report this.
"In that case, there's no need for niceties. Assemble the forces now. We will go and eliminate these factions," Ye Yunfei said after a moment of consideration.
Since the Guhai Sect now belonged to Ye Yunfei, and others harbored ambitions to destroy it, Ye Yunfei would not hold back.
The path Ye Yunfei had walked was paved with countless brutal battles. He had long cultivated a decisive and ruthless disposition, understanding that when action was warranted, it must be taken without hesitation. Indecision would only leave behind future troubles.
"Very well, Young Master Ye. I will organize the troops immediately," the Guhai Sect elder and Sect Master replied, their spirits lifting. They were well aware of Ye Yunfei's formidable power. With him leading the charge, destroying those few factions wouldn't be overly difficult.
Soon after, a large army assembled within the Guhai Sect headquarters.
Under Ye Yunfei's patronage over this period, the Guhai Sect's overall strength had been steadily rising, with the numbers of Demi-Gods, True Gods, and even Heavenly Gods continuously increasing.
"We'll set out now. However, we must maintain absolute secrecy and employ surprise attacks to eliminate those forces one by one," Ye Yunfei instructed the Guhai Sect Sect Master.
"Young Master Ye, I understand. I will relay the command immediately, ordering all personnel to operate covertly, moving stealthily. We must not allow any information to leak," the Guhai Sect Sect Master replied promptly.
"No need for such hassle."
With that, Ye Yunfei teleported all of the Guhai Sect's personnel into the Phantom Tower and quietly left the headquarters.
Ye Yunfei's first target was the Song Clan.
The Song Clan was merely an average faction within this void, its strength roughly on par with the Guhai Sect. Nevertheless, it occupied a world cluster as its headquarters.
"Young Master Ye, that world cluster ahead contains the Song Clan headquarters."
Not long after, Ye Yunfei arrived outside the world cluster housing the Song Clan headquarters. The Guhai Sect Sect Master pointed towards it.
"Good. We'll enter directly and annihilate the Song Clan," Ye Yunfei nodded.
Ye Yunfei did not summon the Guhai Sect forces from the Phantom Tower. Instead, he quietly infiltrated the Song Clan headquarters using his movement technique.
Employing his concealment art and using the Jade Ruyi to mask his aura, Ye Yunfei advanced stealthily.
The Song Clan headquarters was an open world cluster, teeming with beings coming and going. Patrol teams of Song Clan members roamed everywhere, occasionally checking unfamiliar individuals, but none of them detected Ye Yunfei.
Soon, Ye Yunfei had penetrated deep into the Song Clan headquarters. Following the Guhai Sect Sect Master's guidance, he arrived outside a specific world.
The entrance and exit of this world were heavily guarded because this world was the core of the Song Clan headquarters, housing nearly all of the clan's higher-ups.
Without hesitation, Ye Yunfei walked straight towards the entrance of this world.