"You demons of the Dark Faction dare to invade my Blazing Sun Valley! Today will mark your end with no chance of return!"
In front of the great army of Blazing Sun Valley stood its valley master—a towering old man in red robes with fiery hair and a bristly beard. His voice boomed like a great bell as he held aloft a massive flaming greatsword broad as a door plank, glaring furiously at the dark army sweeping in from the void outside, blotting out the sky with their endless shadows.
LÜ Dandan strode at the forefront of her army with an impassive expression. Boundless darkness emanated from her, stretching out behind and forward, creating a stark contrast with the fiery light blazing skyward ahead. It was as if she sought to drag this blazing world itself into an eternal night.
"Enough talk. Let's begin. Kill our way in," Lü Dandan said coldly, flicking a slender hand.
"Kill!"
The Dark Faction army surged forward like savage primordial beasts unleashed from their cages, a raging torrent charging toward the headquarters of Blazing Sun Valley.
Boom! Boom!
One blazing formation after another ignited, rising like barriers of burning flame to block their advance.
"A bunch of petty formations? They are utterly useless before me."
Ye Yunfei instantly flashed to the very front of the army. One after another, he tossed out formation-breaking flags, and wherever he went, the formations that Blazing Sun Valley had prepared within their headquarters shattered on command.
These formations of Blazing Sun Valley were even weaker than the protective great formation of the Tianmen Sect that had come before them. Naturally, they posed no obstacle to Ye Yunfei's progress.
"Brat! I will slay you first as a sacrifice to the war banner of our Blazing Sun Valley army!"
Seeing this, the master of Blazing Sun Valley roared in rage and charged toward Ye Yunfei. His greatsword morphed into a roaring flame dragon as it cleaved through space toward Ye Yunfei.
He was, after all, an Intermediate Heavenly God. A full-powered strike born of fury held terrifying force. The flame dragon bellowed and ripped through the fabric of space to lunge at Ye Yunfei.
Ye Yunfei gazed calmly at the charging valley master, his eyes utterly unperturbed. He didn't even bother using any martial arts or techniques. Instead, he simply threw out one straightforward punch.
This punch bore no glittering splendor, no earth-shattering reverberations—only pure physical power refined to the extreme. The air ahead compressed and ruptured under its force, generating a muffled sonic boom. Space itself warped subtly along the path of his fist.
Bang!
A low, thick impact echoed, like striking packed leather. The fearsome flame dragon dissolved into frothy nothingness the moment it met that punch.
A mournful cry rang from the flaming greatsword, followed by the sight of it shattering link by link.
"How… impossible…"
The valley master of Blazing Sun Valley felt agonizing pain sear through his entire arm, which began bleeding profusely.
"Now die."
Ye Yunfei said softly, throwing out another punch.
"Brat, do you really think I fear you?" the valley master howled in rage.
Yet at that very moment, his body stiffened. Strange thoughts and whims seemed to sprout unbidden in his mind, making him oddly drowsy, ready to fall into a deep slumber.
With a flash and a bang quicker than lightning, Ye Yunfei's fist slammed into the valley master's chest.
His protective godly aura shredded like paper, and his chest visibly caved inward. The man flew back like a kite whose string had snapped, crashing through several blazing peaks and vanishing into the rubble. His fate—alive or dead—was unknown.
The terror of that single fist defied description!
"His physical body and Soul Body are both treasures—they can't go to waste!"
Ye Yunfei smiled, then gestured with a sweep of his hand. From a distance, the valley master's body came flying back toward him, which Ye Yunfei then stored inside the Phantom Pagoda.
"Gods, no! The valley master has been killed by a single punch!"
The surviving disciples of Blazing Sun Valley who witnessed this instantly lost all will to resist, fleeing in panic.
Lü Dandan watched Ye Yunfei withdraw his fist, that effortless display of crushing power causing waves of awe to rise within her heart.
"This fellow excels in every aspect! Whether his mystifying Soul Arts or his world-suppressing physical prowess, either alone is enough to fill any opponent with utter despair!"
She couldn't help but recall that passionate youth from so long ago back in the Eighth Void—that one who had walked out from a humble Small World, grew from weakness to strength, step by step until he became a legend of the entire Eighth Void.
Lü Dandan remembered Ye Yunfei's past exploits vividly, and even today, he remained as overwhelmingly powerful and exceptional as ever.
The battle ended quickly. Blazing Sun Valley followed in the footsteps of the Tianmen Sect, becoming a scorched wasteland of rubble. It had been annihilated, root and branch.
The Dark Faction army then swept the battlefield, seizing all the cultivation resources Blazing Sun Valley had accumulated across countless millennia.
Naturally, the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm wouldn't allow himself to fall behind. He started rummaging through Blazing Sun Valley's headquarters for valuables ahead of everyone, pulling Hu Miao along with him.
Huang Shang continued gathering corpse fragments and remnants of Soul Bodies strewn across the battlefield.
"Over here—there's someone confined who might be from some forbidden land."
Ye Yunfei flashed to a remote part of Blazing Sun Valley headquarters and descended onto a palace that resembled a alchemy lab but was cloaked in special prohibitions.
Moments ago, by devouring a Soul Body of a Blazing Sun Valley elder, Ye Yunfei had acquired his memories, which had led him directly to this spot.
"Let's go see."
Ye Yunfei said to Lü Dandan, who had caught up to him. He flashed and stepped into the palace.
Lü Dandan followed right behind him.
Boom…
Layer after layer of prohibitions materialized, blocking Ye Yunfei's path.
Without wasting words, Ye Yunfei brought his fingers together like a blade. Imbued with the strength of his tyrannical physical body, he simply sliced through the prohibitions.
With a ripping sound, the advanced restrictions ahead split like fragile cloth.
The interior of the palace came into view. In its center stood an advanced formation that kept one person imprisoned.
It was a woman who appeared extremely young, dressed in pale-green robes. However, her robes were torn and stained with splotches of dried blood.
Her aura felt feeble and suppressed. Her face was deathly pale, and her wrists and ankles were fettered with flaming-red chains inscribed with glowing runes.
From her body wafted an air of pristine, natural vitality, utterly alien to the fiery energy that permeated Blazing Sun Valley headquarters. She seemed to embody the very spirit and wonder of heaven and earth—even grievously injured and imprisoned, she couldn't conceal that transcendent elegance.
Sensing the prohibitions being torn apart, the woman lifted her head with effort. Her face, pure as pristine jade, now carried an expression weary beyond words. Her eyes, the color of flawless emerald, held caution and a sliver of hope as she looked at Ye Yunfei and Lü Dandan.
"You… you aren't from Blazing Sun Valley?"
Her voice was weak, yet still crisp as clear water.
Ye Yunfei let his eyes pass over the chains and the formation. Then he drew his longsword and with unerring precision, slashed at the key nodes where those chains met.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The fiery-red chains shattered one by one.
"Thank you… I am forever grateful for your rescue!"
The woman managed to stand upright, but her legs buckled, nearly toppling her over. Forcing herself to stay upright, she gazed at Ye Yunfei with profound gratitude.
"Who are you?
What led to you being imprisoned here?"
Lü Dandan stepped closer, eyeing her and taking in her aura as she asked the question.
"This lowly one is Zhou Wanqing. I hail from the Wanmu Ancestral Land. While I was traveling to temper myself, I fell into a vile trap and sustained grievous injuries, which left me helpless here. Later the despicable scum of Blazing Sun Valley discovered me. They imprisoned me in this place, intending to harm me further.
Thank the heavens for your timely rescue."
Zhou Wanqing drew a deep breath to steady herself, then bowed gracefully toward Ye Yunfei and Lü Dandan.
Wanmu Ancestral Land?
Ye Yunfei and Lü Dandan glanced at each other, each seeing a flicker of puzzlement reflected in the other's eyes—neither of them had ever heard of a place or faction known as Wanmu Ancestral Land.
"Blazing Sun Valley imprisoning her here must mean they sought something from her. They wouldn't act without reason, but that has nothing to do with us."
Lü Dandan sent a voice transmission to Ye Yunfei.
"What?
The legendary ancient sacred ground, Wanmu Ancestral Land?
Could she truly be from Wanmu Ancestral Land!"
Hun Lao suddenly gasped in astonishment.
"Hun Lao, you've heard of Wanmu Ancestral Land?"
Feeling slightly intrigued, Ye Yunfei immediately asked.
"Of course I know of it. Among my race's inherited memories there are legends pertaining to Wanmu Ancestral Land.
It is said to be an ancient sacred ground, extremely aloof from the outside world, veiled in mystery.
But later, Wanmu Ancestral Land was seldom mentioned and faded from memory as if wiped clean from the world.
I never thought she would be of Wanmu Ancestral Land."
Hun Lao explained in a stunned tone.
"So that Wanmu Ancestral Land holds such renown?"
After hearing Hun Lao's words, Ye Yunfei felt rather surprised as well.
However, he didn't ask Zhou Wanqing, who now called herself as such, any detailed questions about Wanmu Ancestral Land. After all, they were only meeting by chance; probing into others' secrets wasn't necessary.
"There's no need for formal gratitude, Miss Zhou. It was just a small effort.
First tend to your injuries."
Ye Yunfei took out a jade vial and handed it to Zhou Wanqing. The vial contained Sovereign God-level injury-healing pills.
"Your kindness is as great as the mountains, Young Master. Wanqing shall never forget it as long as I live!
Might I ask, honored sir, what your name might be?"
Zhou Wanqing took the vial and felt the potent medicinal purity radiating from it, her voice laden with gratitude.
"I'm Ye Yunfei.
Miss Zhou, you should tend to your injuries now; your wounds are grave."
Ye Yunfei said.
"Then thank you, Young Master Ye. I shall rest and heal now."
Zhou Wanqing was also aware of the severity of her injuries. The sooner she healed them, the better.
Noting that this Blazing Sun Valley headquarters was already destroyed by the army that Ye Yunfei and Lü Dandan had led inside, she simply chose to sit cross-legged right where she stood, swallowed some pills, and began meditating to mend her wounds.
While Zhou Wanqing rested and regained her breath by absorbing those medicines, the Dark Faction army finished sweeping through Blazing Sun Valley.
Having annihilated two major powers consecutively, morale among the Dark Faction army soared to new heights. Every warrior felt their fighting spirit blazing like a raging fire.