Furthermore, the Blood Clan Clone was continuously refining and absorbing his bloodline essence.
His bloodline essence was one of the energy sources for him to reassemble his fleshly body. Consequently, the speed of his body reconstruction slowed considerably. With only a single injured Soul Body remaining, he simply could not gain any advantage over Ye Yunfei and his companions.
At this moment, under the frenzied onslaught of Ye Yunfei's group, the gray-robed middle-aged man's Soul Body was suffering ever more severe injuries.
Although he deployed all sorts of ingenious Soul Power martial skills to fight back, Ye Yunfei and his allies also cultivated formidable Soul Power techniques.
Moreover, the Soul Power energy possessed by Ye Yunfei and his group was exceptionally potent, especially Ye Yunfei himself, who had two Soul Bodies, dozens of Soul Force Planets, and also the Soul Nourishing Tree.
It could be said that Ye Yunfei's level of Soul Power far exceeded what his own cultivation realm would normally allow.
While this gray-robed middle-aged man was certainly powerful, he was now grievously wounded — a tiger brought low, bullied by curs.
Boom!
Seizing an opportunity during the chaotic melee, Hu Miao suddenly activated the Primordial True Fox Stele hovering above her head. With astonishing speed, the stele once again smashed towards the gray-robed man's Soul Body.
Simultaneously with Hu Miao's move, Ye Yunfei and Huang Shang coordinated with all their might, launching their most potent attacks instantly.
With a thunderous crash, the Primordial True Fox Stele struck the man's Soul Body heavily.
A scream of agony tore from his lips as his Soul Body was sent flying, his injuries worsening even further.
Now, the aura emanating from the gray-robed man's Soul Body was visibly weakening with every passing moment.
"This guy is a powerful expert from the Rune Sacred Land. His Soul Body must contain memories of many of the Rune Art techniques from that Sacred Land. I'll coordinate with you. If you devour his soul, you might just obtain the Rune Sacred Land's Rune Arts," Huang Shang sent a voice transmission to Ye Yunfei.
Although Huang Shang himself very much wished to consume this powerful expert's soul, the souls he devoured did not allow him to access their memories. Only Ye Yunfei's Soul Force Planets cultivation method could acquire memories from a devoured soul.
"Alright," Ye Yunfei nodded.
Truthfully, Ye Yunfei also deeply desired the profound rune techniques of the Rune Sacred Land.
Previously, after Ye Yunfei had devoured the souls of several Rune Sacred Land disciples, he had gained initial exposure and started practicing their Rune Art.
If he could obtain this powerful expert's memories now, Ye Yunfei believed he could certainly ascend to a higher level in the Rune Arts.
"And this fellow must be carrying a large number of high-grade talismans on him. Once we finish him off, we can take all those talismans," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm shouted.
"Moreover, apart from the talismans, a powerful expert like him likely has considerable personal wealth as well. In short, once we kill this guy, we'll make a fortune," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm exclaimed excitedly. As he spoke, he erected numerous spatial restrictions.
These spatial restrictions continuously sealed off the surrounding space, immobilizing the gray-robed middle-aged man's flesh and blood splatters and preventing them from reassembling.
The Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm and the Blood Clan Clone specialized in dealing with the scattered flesh and blood fragments from the gray-robed man's exploded body, while Ye Yunfei, Hu Miao, and Huang Shang focused on besieging his Soul Body.
Hun Lao, meanwhile, quietly activated several profound spatial formations, suppressing this entire space.
Although Hun Lao did not directly attack the gray-robed man, the spatial formations he deployed exerted a powerful suppression over the area, preventing the flesh, blood, and bone fragments scattered around from gathering together quickly.
As a result, the gray-robed man could not quickly reassemble his physical body. Without a physical body, he simply could not exert his true strength.
Thus, the gray-robed man felt utterly stifled and furious.
"Damn it! Had I known earlier, I wouldn't have climbed these stairs! The illusory realm Tianmu Shenjun personally laid here imposes a powerful suppression on me. If not for that, how could these little brats before me possibly harm me? Normally, a casual wave of my hand could annihilate them all!"
Regret now gnawed at the gray-robed man's very soul. Before arriving at this staircase, he hadn't paid it any heed. Confident in his cultivation realm, strength, and the high-grade talismans he carried, he believed he was fully qualified to pass the trial left by Tianmu Shenjun and might even reap some benefits. So at the time, he had stepped onto the staircase without hesitation.
He never imagined that because of this staircase, he would now be trapped in such a terrifying crisis.
"You brats! Stop! I am an Elder of the Rune Sacred Land! How dare you show such insolence to me! Aren't you afraid of invoking the wrath of the Rune Sacred Land?! No matter where you come from, or which faction you belong to, none of you can withstand the fury of our Rune Sacred Land! I advise you to obediently stand down now, and perhaps I can still forgive you," the gray-robed man began to show signs of relenting. His tone softened considerably, mixing threat with a hint of negotiation.
"Hahaha!... You old thing! Scared now, are you? Too late! Quickly hand over all the treasures on your person and accept your death obediently. That way you'll suffer less torment. Otherwise, you'll endure much more!" the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm roared with laughter.
"Master, this guy is spent — an arrow at the end of its flight. We absolutely cannot let him go. If he catches his breath, he'll definitely hunt us down crazily later," Hu Miao said to Ye Yunfei.
"I know. Let's all work together to kill this fellow," Ye Yunfei nodded.
For the ensuing moments, Ye Yunfei, Huang Shang, the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm, and Hun Lao relentlessly attacked the gray-robed man's Soul Body, each employing their own means to suppress the scattered flesh, blood, and bone fragments, hindering his body's reconstruction.
The Nine Divine Beasts of the Nine Palaces Totem Wheel worked in unison, driving the massive totem wheel back and forth through the space, grinding everything in its path.
Huang Shang released tens of thousands of vengeful ghosts. Emitting shrill, piercing cries, they swarmed forward, crazily tearing at the gray-robed man's Soul Body.
The man's Soul Body erupted with terrifying Soul Power energy, blasting ghost after ghost to smithereens.
But Huang Shang understood that now was not the time to treasure these ghosts. To kill the gray-robed man, wasting even more ghosts was worthwhile.
Huang Shang continuously released ghosts he had collected over the years. While individually their power wasn't outstanding, gathered in vast numbers and coordinated through sophisticated combat formations, their collective might became formidable.
Before long, the number of ghosts Huang Shang had released had swelled to tens of thousands — all specially refined by him for superior combat capability.
Huang Shang employed ghost cultivation techniques to control these ghosts, arranging them into one profound ghost battle formation after another. They whistled through the air, charging and slaughtering towards the gray-robed man.
Meanwhile, Hu Miao seized every opportunity, repeatedly hurling the Primordial True Fox Stele at the gray-robed man.
It could be said that the Primordial True Fox Stele posed the greatest threat to him. Each time he was struck by it, his aura visibly diminished.
As time passed, the gray-robed man's aura grew weaker and weaker. Gradually, he found it increasingly difficult to withstand the joint siege by Ye Yunfei's group.
Now, Ye Yunfei and his allies had gained the upper hand.
"Hahaha! Feeling fear now, are you? You were happily chasing after us before, weren't you? Well now the wheel of fortune has turned! Regret it?" the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm laughed heartily while swinging its golden fist, striking the man's Soul Body squarely.
It must be admitted, the quality of this gray-robed man's Soul Body was exceedingly high. Even after being surrounded and battered by Ye Yunfei's group for so long, despite his fading aura, it could still endure.
"This fellow's Soul Body is truly outstanding. If he hadn't been trapped and helpless earlier, we honestly couldn't have defeated him," Hun Lao couldn't help but sigh with a touch of admiration.
"Indeed. The main reason we've been able to beat him to this state is that he was first trapped by the illusionary realm Tianmu Shenjun laid here. So in truth, it wasn't us who truly defeated him, but Tianmu Shenjun," Ye Yunfei nodded in agreement after hearing Hun Lao's words.
"Regardless, he is still defeated by us. The result is the same; the reason is unimportant. Let's give it our all and aim to finish him off as quickly as possible!" the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm yelled loudly.
"No need to 'give it our all' — we'll finish him off right now," Ye Yunfei said with a slight smile.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Ye Yunfei's dozens of Soul Force Planets swarmed forward, surrounding the gray-robed man's already battered and weakened Soul Body. Each Soul Force Planet then morphed into a separate soul entity, lunging forward to grab hold of the man's Soul Body and begin voraciously tearing into it.
"Get off me, you little brats!" the gray-robed man cried out in panic and fury.
Ye Yunfei focused his will. From within his soul sea, the Soul Nourishing Tree shot out numerous branches, transforming into streaks of emerald-green arrows that whistled towards the man's Soul Body.
At the same time, countless transparent Puppet Soul Threads swarmed forth, wrapping around his Soul Body like rice dumplings in their tight bindings.
Thus immobilized, the gray-robed man's Soul Body was utterly unable to move. Ye Yunfei's dozens of soul entities clung to it, sinking their metaphorical teeth in and devouring it in large chunks.
Such damage inflicted directly upon the soul was the most excruciating pain.
"Aaargh! Little brat, get away! Kill me and our Rune Sacred Land will never let you go!" Under sheer terror, the gray-robed man let out sharp, miserable screams.
"You think letting you go now would make your Rune Sacred Land spare me?" Ye Yunfei sneered coldly.
He understood that even if he spared this gray-robed man now, the man would never feel grateful. Instead, he would retaliate with ferocious, vengeful fury. Experts like him possessed immense pride. To be beaten to such a state by a group of juniors, how could he possibly accept it willingly?
"You little brat! May you die a terrible death! Aaargh! So unwilling! I, I am actually dying at the hands of a no-name little pest like you!" Knowing he was truly doomed this time, the gray-robed man roared with bitter resentment and despair.
Suddenly, his mutilated Soul Body unleashed a terrifyingly violent aura.
"Be careful! This guy intends to detonate his Soul Body!" Hun Lao urgently warned Ye Yunfei.