However, Ye Yunfei saw at a glance that this Elder Pan was only a clone, and a relatively weak one at that.
"Elder Pan, are you alright?" Ye Yunfei immediately spoke up.
"Young Master Ye, thank you for your concern. Though the Guardian Faction members are quite capable, hurting me is no easy task," Elder Pan said with a smile. "It's just that they outnumber us, and more strong reinforcements kept arriving during the fight, so we later found an opportunity to withdraw. Knowing you would surely return here, I deliberately left this clone behind to wait for you."
"I see," Ye Yunfei said, unconsciously letting out a sigh of relief upon hearing Elder Pan's words.
"Young Master Ye, the Guardian Faction headquarters has now officially set its sights on you, so you must be extra careful from now on," Elder Pan added.
"Rest assured, Elder Pan, I've long been mentally prepared for this," Ye Yunfei nodded.
"Excellent, Young Master Ye. Your will is firm and your mental fortitude is strong. Only with such a temperament does one have a greater chance of becoming a true expert," Elder Pan said, nodding as he looked at Ye Yunfei's resolute gaze.
"Elder Pan, is your purpose in coming to this Third Void also to develop forces to oppose the Guardian Faction?" Ye Yunfei asked.
"Indeed, I have already established quite a few organizations in this Third Void dedicated to fighting the Guardian Faction. Young Master Ye, I now plan to place you in charge of leading all these forces. Moreover, the final showdown between us and the Guardian Faction should arrive very soon. Whether we can defeat them will only be determined during that last decisive battle," Elder Pan said in a grave tone.
"Elder Pan, how strong exactly is the Guardian Faction headquarters?" Ye Yunfei inquired.
"Very strong. Their headquarters is guarded by Chaos Gods, and more than one. The Chaos God is the highest cultivation realm within the Chaotic Void Sea. A single Chaos God has the potential to suppress the entire Chaotic Void Sea," Elder Pan responded solemnly.
"Chaos Gods? Elder Pan, does that mean what lies beyond the Perfected Sovereign God realm is the Chaos God realm?" Ye Yunfei was somewhat surprised and immediately asked.
"No, Young Master Ye, the 'Perfected Sovereign God' you speak of should refer to the Fourth Level Deity Lord. The Fourth Level Deity Lord is considered a 'Minor Perfected Sovereign God.' In truth, the Sovereign God realm actually has nine levels. Sovereign Gods beyond the fourth level are called Greater Sovereign Gods. Only the Ninth Level Sovereign God is considered the true 'Major Perfected Sovereign God.' Beyond the Major Perfected Sovereign God lies the Chaos God realm," Elder Pan shook his head and explained. "However, Greater Sovereign Gods are extremely rare in number. Ordinary beings rarely have the chance to encounter them. Thus, over time, ordinary beings in the world began to loosely refer to Minor Perfected Deities as simply 'Perfected Deities,' blurring the distinction between Minor and Major Perfected Deities."
"Greater Sovereign Gods?" Ye Yunfei was taken aback.
Up until now, the highest level of Sovereign God Ye Yunfei had come into contact with was the Perfected Sovereign God. As for realms beyond that, he hadn't encountered such experts yet, nor had he even heard of them.
"Indeed. After hearing Elder Pan's words, I immediately searched my memories and found there is indeed such a realm as the Greater Sovereign God. So the Greater Sovereign Gods are the Fifth to Ninth Level Sovereign Gods," Hun Lao immediately began searching through his race's memories upon hearing Elder Pan's explanation and found some fragmented memory shards. "That's how it is. The 'Perfected Sovereign God' I knew of was merely the Fourth Level Sovereign God. Beyond that are five more levels, called Greater Sovereign Gods, and only beyond the Greater Sovereign Gods lie the Chaos Gods," Ye Yunfei now had a clear understanding of the Sovereign God realm.
"Young Master Ye, the Guardian Faction in this Third Void possesses Greater Sovereign Gods. So you must still exercise caution when operating here in the future. The power of a Greater Sovereign God is far greater than that of the first four levels of Sovereign Gods," Elder Pan warned.
"Young Master Ye, the number of Dao laws you have comprehended and cultivated seems to have increased significantly compared to before," Elder Pan suddenly remarked with surprise.
"Indeed, Elder Pan. The number of Dao laws I have currently comprehended and cultivated has reached approximately two thousand," Ye Yunfei answered truthfully.
"Around two thousand? Excellent! Truly excellent!" Elder Pan was both shocked and delighted. "Haha... Young Master Ye, I knew my judgment wasn't wrong. Heroes truly emerge from the young!" Elder Pan couldn't help but laugh.
"Elder Pan, how much do you know about the Reincarnation Sect?" Ye Yunfei suddenly asked.
"The Reincarnation Sect is an extremely ancient and mysterious force with a long heritage. It is said that in ancient times, the world's Samsara order was maintained by the Reincarnation Sect. Therefore, in the eyes of the world, the Reincarnation Sect represents the order of Samsara. Furthermore, there exist many mysterious Samsara roads in the world, and those roads are all guarded by the Reincarnation Sect. However, as far as I know, most of the world's Samsara roads have now fallen into disrepair. The exact reason is difficult for outsiders like us to know, as the Reincarnation Sect itself is a very secretive and low-key organization. Matters within the sect are even more mysterious. Yet, recently within the Chaotic Void Sea, I have encountered Reincarnation Sect experts many times by chance. I attempted to interact with them, but they paid me no heed, and I didn't feel comfortable insisting. Young Master Ye, I know you have a close female friend who is an inheritor of the Reincarnation Sect, and you have been searching for her. But I advise you not to get too involved in the affairs of the Reincarnation Sect. Because in ancient times, there was a widely circulated saying: 'The waters of Samsara are deep, not for ordinary beings to wade into,'" Elder Pan, upon hearing Ye Yunfei's question, thought for a moment before saying this.
"Thank you for the advice, Senior," Ye Yunfei replied.
Ye Yunfei didn't know if he would intervene in the Reincarnation Sect's matters in the future, but Su Qingluo was an inheritor of the sect, and her affairs were his affairs.
"Young Master Ye, your main task moving forward is to develop as many forces as possible to oppose the Guardian Faction. The more, the better. Remember, the final decisive battle between us and the Guardian Faction will arrive soon. When the time comes, every additional bit of strength will increase our chances of victory. Because while we are developing forces against the Guardian Faction, the Guardian Faction is also everywhere recruiting forces. As far as I know, in every Void, many organizations are currently pledging allegiance to the Guardian Faction. After all, the Guardian Faction has operated for a very long time in every Void fragment of the Chaotic Void Sea, establishing a very deep foundation," Elder Pan stated.
"You mean there are forces in the Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Voids that have already pledged allegiance to the Guardian Faction?" Ye Yunfei's expression darkened upon hearing this.
Ye Yunfei had already completely eliminated the Guardian Faction's branches in these three Voids and essentially unified them. If forces within these Voids had sided with the Guardian Faction, they would surely become hidden dangers.
"Indeed there are. Young Master Ye, don't underestimate the Guardian Faction. They have deep foundations within the Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Voids. Although you destroyed their branches in these three Voids, the Guardian Faction still has numerous hidden forces there, particularly in some remote Small Worlds. When the opportunity is ripe, the forces hidden by the Guardian Faction in these three Voids will re-emerge," Elder Pan explained.
"Indeed, the Guardian Faction was once the strongest superpower in these three Voids. A centipede doesn't stiffen even in death. Though I destroyed their branches, it's possible that remnants of the Guardian Faction are still lurking in some remote worlds or Small Worlds," Ye Yunfei nodded upon hearing Elder Pan's words. It seems I need to launch a pursuit operation in these three Voids next, seeking out those residual Guardian Faction forces to nip the trouble in the bud and eradicate them completely, Ye Yunfei thought inwardly.
He absolutely did not want Guardian Faction members still active within these three Voids he now controlled, especially the Eighth Void. The Eighth Void was the most important to Ye Yunfei, as most of his family, friends, and sect were there.
"Young Master Ye, you can use this token to contact the forces I have in the Third Void and mobilize them as you wish," Elder Pan said, taking out a token and handing it to Ye Yunfei.
"Alright, Young Master Ye, this clone of mine is about to dissipate. The Guardian Faction has long had their eyes on me. I can't leave this clone behind, giving them a chance to track my true body," Elder Pan added.
After saying this, Elder Pan's clone began to slowly fade away until it completely vanished.
Ye Yunfei actually had many more questions for Elder Pan, but seeing the clone had completely dissipated, he had no choice but to drop it.
I should leave too, Ye Yunfei thought. After seeing Elder Pan's clone vanish, he turned and performed a movement technique, instantly leaving that patch of void.
I must find time to go back and launch a pursuit operation in the Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Voids. Especially the Eighth Void—I need to clear out the hidden remnants of the Guardian Faction there as much as possible, Ye Yunfei resolved after hearing Elder Pan's earlier words. He decided to return soon. Not long after, Ye Yunfei arrived back at the Guhai Sect headquarters.
"Young Master Ye, you've returned!" Seeing Ye Yunfei return, the Guhai Sect's Patriarch, leading a group of high-ranking members, hurried forward to greet him.
"Young Master Ye, our Guhai Sect's overall strength has been continuously increasing during this time. Furthermore, we have already taken over the territories of several former forces including the Song Clan, the Thousand Shadows Sect, the Purple Profound Sect, and the Moon Yin Sect. Our scale has expanded several times compared to before," the Patriarch reported excitedly.
"Also, Young Master Ye, I've taken many of the pills you gifted me during this period, and now I have broken through to become a Sovereign God!" the Sect Master eagerly stepped forward to speak as soon as the Patriarch finished.
"Excellent. Congratulations, Sect Master," Ye Yunfei glanced at the Sect Master and indeed saw he had broken through to become a Sovereign God—albeit only a First Level Sovereign God.
"Young Master Ye, I feel my own realm is also on the verge of breaking through soon," the Guhai Sect Patriarch also spoke up.
"These are some pills I refined recently. Take them and use them. They should be helpful for improving your realms and strength," Ye Yunfei took out some pills and presented them to the Patriarch and Sect Master.