With the powerful enemies retreated, the entire Guhai Sect finally let out a sigh of relief, casting grateful looks towards Lü Dandan.
The blade energy released by the old man from the Blade Realm earlier had affected the entire Guhai Sect headquarters, making every member tremble with fear. Now that they saw the old man depart, they all relaxed deeply.
"Lady Lü, thank you," Ye Yunfei said with a smile.
"That old fellow from the Blade Realm is quite powerful," Lü Dandan said as she retracted the dark energy swirling around her.
"And yet he was still scared off by you, Lady Lü. It seems your recent seclusion has yielded tremendous gains," Ye Yunfei remarked.
"This seclusion did yield some minor progress," Lü Dandan nodded.
"Besides coming here, I have another destination for this trip. It's an ancient forbidden land of our Dark Faction: the Dark Ganges. Would you like to come with me to see it?" Lü Dandan asked Ye Yunfei.
"What? The Dark Ganges? This is the renowned forbidden land of the ancient Dark Faction! I never thought it would appear again!" Hun Lao exclaimed in shock upon hearing Lü Dandan's words.
"The Dark Ganges!" Zhou Wanqing's expression also changed slightly, clearly having heard of it as well.
"Hun Lao, do you know about the Dark Ganges?" Ye Yunfei immediately asked.
"My racial memories contain some fragments about the Dark Ganges. It is a forbidden land of the Dark Faction. In ancient times, many Dark Faction experts would enter the Dark Ganges seeking opportunities.
There's also a legend that the very origin of the Dark Faction as an organization is the Dark Ganges. Therefore, all beings of the Dark Faction regard the Dark Ganges as a sacred and inviolable holy land, and they all yearn to make a pilgrimage there.
However, during a certain period in ancient times, the Dark Ganges suddenly vanished without a trace. I never expected Lady Lü would actually discover it," Hun Lao explained to Ye Yunfei.
"So that's the case. However, it is a holy land belonging to the Dark Faction. As an outsider, there's no need for me to go, especially since the cultivation techniques and secret arts I practice are not primarily focused on dark energy," Ye Yunfei said after some thought.
"Lady Lü, I won't go. The Dark Ganges belongs to your Dark Faction," Ye Yunfei told Lü Dandan.
"I plan to make a trip to the Sword Realm," Ye Yunfei added after further consideration.
Having witnessed the strength of Sima Ziyang and that old man from the Blade Realm, Ye Yunfei decided to visit the Sword Realm. He felt that compared to the Dark Ganges, the Sword Realm was more suitable for him.
"Young Master Ye, you plan to go to the Sword Realm?" Zhou Wanqing asked in surprise upon hearing Ye Yunfei's words.
"Yes," Ye Yunfei nodded.
"Very well. The Sword Realm might indeed be more suitable for you," Lü Dandan nodded upon hearing Ye Yunfei's decision. She vaguely knew something about Ye Yunfei's connection to the Sword Realm.
"Then I shall set off for the Dark Ganges now," Lü Dandan said. She had always been decisive in her actions. Bidding farewell to Ye Yunfei, she transformed into a speck of black light and departed, vanishing in an instant.
"With the Dark Queen leading them, the Dark Faction is destined to develop into a powerful major force in a short time. In ancient times, the Dark Faction was a renowned superpower in the world," Zhou Wanqing said softly as she watched Lü Dandan depart.
"Young Master Ye, you truly wish to go to the Sword Realm?" Zhou Wanqing turned back to ask Ye Yunfei.
"Yes," Ye Yunfei nodded.
"My Wanmu Ancestral Land possesses an ancient text that records several ancient paths leading to the Sword Realm.
The legendary Sword Realm is said to be a place where the fortune of the world's sword path converges. I, too, would very much like to see it.
If Young Master Ye doesn't mind, I am willing to accompany you. Perhaps I can help guide the way," Zhou Wanqing said, a trace of curiosity and longing appearing on her face.
She had originally come out to travel extensively. Now that she heard Ye Yunfei was going to the legendary Sword Realm, her curiosity was immediately piqued.
"Miss Zhou, I already know the paths to the Sword Realm.
However, if you truly wish to go and see it, then there's no harm in us going together," Ye Yunfei said after thinking for a moment.
"But before going to the Sword Realm, I need to return to the Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Voids to see what the situation is like there now," Ye Yunfei added.
"Very well. I will follow your arrangements in everything, Young Master Ye," Zhou Wanqing nodded.
"It's time to go back and take a look," Ye Yunfei thought to himself.
Ye Yunfei knew the Guardian Faction would never let the matter rest. Furthermore, those legendary ancient powers were also beginning to appear one after another. Therefore, he was somewhat worried about the current situation in the Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Voids.
Next, Ye Yunfei gave some instructions and arrangements to the upper echelons of the Guhai Sect, and he also set up more Formations and earthly arrays both inside and outside the Guhai Sect headquarters.
With Ye Yunfei's current proficiency in Formations, the arrays he laid could give even Sovereign Gods a headache.
Moreover, Ye Yunfei also set up a large number of long-distance teleportation Formations. He repeatedly instructed the Guhai Sect's upper echelons that if they encountered powerful enemies they couldn't handle, they should immediately lead the entire sect through these long-distance teleportation Formations to escape.
The upper echelons of the Guhai Sect were reluctant to see Ye Yunfei leave this void. They knew the current Guhai Sect existed and developed relying on Ye Yunfei. Without Ye Yunfei overseeing them, the Guhai Sect would be utterly incapable of dealing with the powerful forces in the Third Void.
Before his departure, Ye Yunfei left the Guhai Sect with a large batch of divine pills and cultivation resources.
Then, accompanied only by Zhou Wanqing, Ye Yunfei quietly left the Guhai Sect headquarters. Traveling through a teleportation channel, they soon returned to the Sixth Void.
Ye Yunfei possessed a large number of avatars within the Sixth Void, and these avatars were distributed among different forces. Therefore, after returning to the Sixth Void, without needing to go back to the Alliance Army headquarters, Ye Yunfei quickly learned about the situation in this void over the recent period.
After experiencing the previous warfare and turbulence, the Sixth Void had temporarily entered a period of peaceful development.
"It seems the Guardian Faction hasn't returned to the Sixth Void yet," Hun Lao remarked.
Next, Ye Yunfei returned to the Seventh and Eighth Voids. The situations in these two voids were similar; the Guardian Faction had not yet returned.
In short, these three voids, temporarily free from the shadow of the Guardian Faction, seemed to have gained a precious period of peaceful development.
However, Ye Yunfei understood in his heart that this peace was fragile, like the calm before a storm. The Guardian Faction was like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, ready to bare its fangs again at any moment.
"Miss Zhou, let's prepare to head to the Sword Realm," Ye Yunfei decided after checking on the situation in all three voids.
"But before going to the Sword Realm, we need to go check one more place," Ye Yunfei added after further thought.
Not long after, Ye Yunfei returned to a certain location in the void within the Three Thousand Great and Small Worlds of the Eighth Void.
There was a dangerous place here called the Sword Grave. The Great Art of Myriad Swords Returning to One that Ye Yunfei cultivated was obtained within the Sword Grave.
Inside the Sword Grave was a green-robed man, a servant of the Sword God Child.
"Something's wrong!" Ye Yunfei's expression drastically changed the moment he returned to the entrance of the Sword Grave. He flashed and charged into the interior.
Then, Ye Yunfei discovered that the interior of the Sword Grave had turned into a wasteland of ruins.
Previously, this place was filled with vast quantities of dense sword energy, but now there was no trace of any sword energy left.
The enormous tomb where the green-robed man once resided was also gone. Only a field of rubble remained.
"There's no sword energy here, only blade energy," Hun Lao said solemnly.
"That's right. There's only blade energy here.
It must have been a blade path expert who barged in here and destroyed this place.
Needless to say, it was definitely done by people from the Blade Realm," Ye Yunfei said, his face extremely gloomy, his teeth gritted.
"Young Master Ye, indeed, people from the Blade Realm came here not long ago. The remnant blade energy left behind here carries the lineage of the Blade Realm," Zhou Wanqing, who had followed Ye Yunfei inside, spoke upon seeing his furious expression and trembling body, knowing this place must be very important to him.
Ye Yunfei released his Soul Power energy, beginning to scan everywhere within the Sword Grave, trying to find the old man and the green-robed man who were once here.
But after scanning for half an hour, he found no trace of them at all.
Inside the Sword Grave, only vast quantities of blade energy churned and roared; there was nothing else.
"Blade Realm, just you wait. I will definitely settle this score," Ye Yunfei said through gritted teeth, clenching his fists in raging fury, each word dripping with anger after searching everywhere and finding no trace of the previous old man and the green-robed man.
"The Blade Realm's people have returned to being active in the Chaotic Void Sea. It's possible that a certain expert from the Blade Realm accidentally passed by, discovered this Sword Grave, sensed the sword energy within originated from the Sword Realm, and thus came in and destroyed it," Hun Lao speculated.
"That should be the case. I will definitely avenge this," Ye Yunfei nodded.
"This also indicates that there are already people from the Blade Realm active in the Eighth Void. If they learn that you are the master of the Eighth Void, they will certainly cause trouble for the Alliance Army and the Three Thousand Great and Small Worlds," Hun Lao added.
"That's possible," Ye Yunfei couldn't help but feel startled upon hearing Hun Lao's words.
Thus, Ye Yunfei returned to the Three Thousand Great and Small Worlds. First, he set up a large number of new Formations and earthly arrays both inside and outside the Alliance Army headquarters. Then he entered the Tianpo World and also laid down numerous Formations and earthly arrays in the small mountain village where his parents lived in seclusion.
Furthermore, Ye Yunfei left behind a large batch of puppets. These puppets could form a battle formation derived from an incomplete ancient diagram. That battle formation was extremely powerful, capable of fighting Sovereign Gods.
Ye Yunfei planned that if a true expert from the Blade Realm were to attack the Alliance Army or the Three Thousand Great and Small Worlds, he would use the battle formation formed by these puppets to stall the enemy. Then, he would have the Alliance Army and the people of the Three Thousand Great and Small Worlds escape using the long-distance teleportation Formations.
"It seems I can't afford to linger too long on the road to the Sword Realm. I must go and return quickly," Ye Yunfei said with a frown.
"Your main enemies used to be the Guardian Faction. Who would have thought that now you've gained the Blade Realm as another one," Hun Lao said with a bitter smile.
"Yes, the Blade Realm has now also become a significant threat," Ye Yunfei nodded.
"Miss Zhou, let's set off," Ye Yunfei said to Zhou Wanqing after completing the arrangements. The two then began their journey.
"Young Master Ye, according to legend, the Sword Realm is not a vast world formed naturally. Instead, in the extremely distant ancient past, it was a paradise for sword cultivators jointly established and managed by countless dazzlingly talented and exceptional sword path grandmasters using their supreme mystical abilities.
It gathered the world's most elite sword path inheritances and boasted experts as numerous as clouds. Unfortunately, extreme prosperity begets decline. The Sword Realm encountered a great calamity in ancient times, its inheritance was severed, and it ultimately turned to ruins, nearly disappearing into the long river of history.
Although the Sword Realm is destroyed, after all, it was once a top-tier great realm, and its foundations still remain. Perhaps we might still find some residual sword path imprints or fragments of inheritance." Excited about the imminent journey to the Sword Realm, Zhou Wanqing shared this with Ye Yunfei.