"Why has that little wench suddenly summoned so many people? What exactly does she intend to do? Has she perhaps noticed something amiss?" Elder Wu silently speculated in his mind.
"However, I am now a Sovereign God. My position is pivotal within the entire Dark Faction. She shouldn't dare to act recklessly against me."
Elder Wu hesitated for a moment at the palace entrance before finally gritting his teeth and stepping inside.
"I pay my respects to the Dark Queen," Elder Wu greeted, bowing respectfully to Lü Dandan.
BOOM!
An immense aura of pressure permeated the interior of the palace, causing the entire structure to tremble faintly.
"After obtaining the Dark Heart, that little wench's strength has actually increased this much." Sensing the energy pressure Lü Dandan released, Elder Wu was inwardly startled.
Even though he had successfully broken through to become a Sovereign God, he still felt tremendous pressure facing Lü Dandan.
"Elder Wu, to ensure your breakthrough went smoothly, I specifically recalled five of our Dark Faction's Pill Refining Masters from afar. I also dispatched people to gather a large batch of medicinal ingredients and rare spiritual treasures to aid your breakthrough. I even personally entered the Dark Dragon Pool to guard you, ultimately allowing you to smoothly ascend as a Sovereign God.
Have I spoken incorrectly?" Lü Dandan's icy gaze fixed on Elder Wu as she spoke coldly.
"Dark Queen, you are correct. My successful breakthrough owes much to your assistance. Under your support, our Dark Faction has gained four new Sovereign Gods recently," Elder Wu responded hurriedly with a bow, somewhat intimidated by her icy stare.
"However, what I didn't expect is that instead of receiving your gratitude, I received your betrayal instead.
Elder Wu, do you have no conscience before me?" Lü Dandan's voice turned even colder.
"Dark Queen, what are you saying? What betrayal?" Hearing Lü Dandan's words, Elder Wu was startled and took several steps back.
He realized his secret betrayal might have been discovered by the Dark Queen.
A black shield materialized before him, emanating a dense aura of dark energy.
"Dark Queen, there must be some misunderstanding," Elder Wu said, forcing himself to confront Lü Dandan's cold gaze.
"Did I truly misunderstand?" Lü Dandan replied coldly.
Lü Dandan trusted Ye Yunfei absolutely. All the traitors Ye Yunfei had pointed out earlier were indeed problematic, so this Elder Wu before her should be no exception.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Just as Elder Wu tried to retreat, Formations emerged one after another, blocking his escape route.
These Formations were laid down by Ye Yunfei earlier.
Among the items the elder surnamed Lu had gifted him were some inheritance manuals on Formations.
After practicing, Ye Yunfei's Formation skill had improved. The Formations he deployed now would be difficult for even a Sovereign God to break instantly.
"Elder Wu, you should know that I despise traitors most of all. Since you have chosen betrayal, you must bear the consequences," Lü Dandan's ice-cold voice once again echoed through the palace.
BOOM!
A vast tide of dark energy, vast as an ocean, swept toward Elder Wu.
"Dark Queen, I do not know what you are speaking of. Without any reason, why are you accusing me of betrayal?" Elder Wu stubbornly replied.
Simultaneously, nine magical artifacts hovered around his body, all activated and ready for battle.
He knew that after Lü Dandan refined the Dark Heart, her strength had become truly formidable.
Although he had broken through to become an early-stage Sovereign God, he had little confidence in defeating her.
"Evidence? Do I need evidence? Your current behavior is enough to prove you have betrayed." Looking at Elder Wu, whose face was full of vigilance and was prepared to fight, Lü Dandan knew for sure that he was guilty.
"Miss Lu, why waste words with this fellow? Let me deal with him." Suddenly, a voice sounded behind Elder Wu, and Ye Yunfei appeared.
"It's you." Elder Wu turned and recognized Ye Yunfei immediately; after all, many high-ranking members of the Dark Faction had seen Ye Yunfei in their headquarters recently.
The moment Elder Wu finished speaking, he felt strange thoughts and ideas suddenly swirling in his mind.
BUZZ...
Illusions, like transparent bubbles, continuously emerged within the palace, whistling from all directions to envelop Elder Wu.
This was Hu Miao making her move.
After upgrading her bloodline this time, Hu Miao's illusion skill had improved significantly. She also awakened new racial inheritances. Eager to test her current illusion prowess, she seized this chance to act.
"Hu Miao, your illusion skill can now affect a Sovereign God. Impressive!" Watching the illusions Hu Miao created, Lü Dandan nodded in appreciation.
BOOM!
While Elder Wu was dealing with Hu Miao's illusions and the Mind Reading Art Ye Yunfei had cast on him, five spears suddenly appeared before his head, poised to pierce into his Soul Body.
Elder Wu was merely a newly ascended early-stage Sovereign God, considerably weaker than Ye Yunfei. Therefore, Ye Yunfei didn't plan to waste words and attacked directly.
In the next instant, five Soul Power spears radiating dense Soul Force Energy pierced into Elder Wu's sea of consciousness.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
A dozen more weapons formed from condensed Soul Force Energy simultaneously manifested around Elder Wu's head, attacking it.
Four Soul Power treasures appeared within Elder Wu's consciousness, activating to protect his Soul Body. But the five Soul Power spears whistled in and instantly knocked all four treasures away.
"How is this possible?" Elder Wu was terrified out of his wits.
He had only recently broken through to an early-stage Sovereign God; his realm wasn't even fully consolidated yet. Facing a powerhouse like Ye Yunfei, he was simply defenseless!
The next moment, Elder Wu let out a scream as his Soul Body was pierced by one of the spears.
Just as Ye Yunfei was about to command the dozen weapons to attack Elder Wu's head, Huang Shang's voice sounded in time to stop him.
"Fine, I'll leave your corpse intact," Ye Yunfei said coldly, then suddenly reached his hand into Elder Wu's consciousness, grabbing his Soul Body and sealing his soul.
"With your current strength, handling an early-stage Sovereign God seems quite effortless for you," Lü Dandan remarked, watching Ye Yunfei's movements with admiration.
"And yet, you are only at the Heavenly God realm, yet possess such combat power. Your strength always far surpasses your realm," Lü Dandan added.
"Miss Lu, your current strength is far greater now. If we truly fought, I might not be your match," Ye Yunfei said with a smile.
Then Ye Yunfei and Huang Shang divided and absorbed Elder Wu's Soul Body.
"There are still some traitors within your faction not yet purged. Let's continue," Ye Yunfei said.
After devouring Elder Wu's Soul Body and accessing some of his memories, Ye Yunfei learned of more traitors. As a Sovereign God, Elder Wu had secretly cultivated a number of subordinates, all of whom were naturally traitors.
In the following hours, Lü Dandan continued summoning Dark Faction members who had betrayed her to her palace, then eliminated them all.
With powerhouses like Lü Dandan and Ye Yunfei present, none of the traitors lurking in the headquarters could escape.
Soon enough, Ye Yunfei and Lü Dandan had eliminated all known traitors within the Dark Faction Headquarters.
"Finally, the hidden dangers within our headquarters are cleared. I have you to thank. Without your help, I couldn't possibly have rooted out these traitors so thoroughly," Lü Dandan said gratefully to Ye Yunfei.
"Miss Lu, there's no need for such formalities between us," Ye Yunfei replied with a smile.
"Report to the Dark Queen! A large army is bearing down on our headquarters with fierce momentum!"
At that moment, an urgent voice called from outside the palace.
"So they've finally arrived?" Lü Dandan's expression darkened as she spoke coldly.
"I heard they are a coalition of at least five major forces," Ye Yunfei said.
"No need to worry. I have already made preparations. Our Dark Faction is not to be trifled with either," Lü Dandan stood up, her tone brimming with authority.
She then walked out of the black palace and rose into the air.
"Prepare to face the enemy!" Lü Dandan's voice echoed throughout the Dark Faction, producing rolling reverberations like thunderclaps, causing the entire headquarters to tremble faintly.
Following Lü Dandan's command, batch after batch of Dark Faction fighters emerged continuously from the depths of darkness in various locations.
"At least nine Sovereign Gods," Ye Yunfei glanced and immediately spotted nine Sovereign Gods appearing. They were all radiating powerful dark energy, flying forward, and gathering around Lü Dandan, bowing to her in unison.
"The Dark Faction's overall strength is indeed formidable," Hun Lao remarked, observing the continuous emergence of forces from the headquarters.
The Dark Faction's forces stood amid towering black mists, each exuding powerful auras. At this moment, the entire headquarters was filled with an intimidating, murderous air. The tension before battle permeated every corner.
"Miss Lu, I'll go greet those fellows first," Ye Yunfei said thoughtfully with a smile.
"You go meet them first? No need. You can come out with me to face the battle," Lü Dandan said, knowing Ye Yunfei's character well enough to know he wouldn't remain idle. She didn't bother telling him not to get involved.
"Miss Lu, don't worry. I have some methods that can weaken their strength even before the battle begins," Ye Yunfei explained.
"Alright then. Be careful," Lü Dandan hesitated for a moment before nodding.
Ye Yunfei employed a movement technique and stealthily left the Dark Faction Headquarters.
After leaving, Ye Yunfei swiftly moved through the void. Not long after, he saw a vast army approaching menacingly through the distant void, emitting a palpable murderous intent.
Ye Yunfei immediately hid himself to the side. After the army passed, he followed secretly behind. He quickly used a Soul Art to subdue some soldiers and transformed them into his puppets, then blended into the army.
Once inside the army, Ye Yunfei was like a fish in water. He began using Soul Arts continuously to subdue the surrounding True Gods and Void Gods, turning them into his puppets.
Given Ye Yunfei's current level of Soul Power, dealing with True Gods and Void Gods was extremely easy for him. Almost instantly, he could render a True God or Void God unconscious, purify their Soul Bodies, imprint his own Soul Power brand, and essentially convert them into puppets.
As time passed, more and more True Gods and Void Gods within this massive army became Ye Yunfei's puppets.