Meanwhile, back inside the Phantom Tower, the longsword had already been deposited. Sword Elder's figure emerged from the sword. He pointed a finger, and a massive furnace materialized beside him. With a wave of his hand, the five Five Elements Divine Trees and the longsword all flew up simultaneously and landed inside the furnace. Then, Sword Elder began refining the sword.
As the former Patriarch of the Ancient Heaven Sword Sect, he naturally excelled at sword-forging.
"We've already obtained the resources here. Let's go check out other places," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm began urging Ye Yunfei.
"True. We must hurry because more and more powerhouses are entering this world. I keep feeling that what we've found so far isn't the most valuable treasure or resources left behind by Tianmu Shenjun," Hun Lao said to Ye Yunfei.
Ye Yunfei's figure flickered as he soared into the sky, instantly leaving the mountain peak and continuing forward.
From then on, Ye Yunfei still operated under his previous line of thinking, specifically searching for that old man's figure.
And he indeed found the old man several more times in succession. Each time he located the elder, Ye Yunfei was able to obtain precious treasures or opportunities nearby.
Just like that, Ye Yunfei swiftly acquired a massive quantity of medicinal herbs, magical treasures, alchemical pills, various types of energy crystals, and some rare natural treasures.
Not long after, Ye Yunfei suddenly halted his steps, his gaze fixed on a mountain range ahead.
Several major ridges of that mountain range crisscrossed each other, like giant dragons lying prone upon the earth. Countless peaks of varying heights and shapes dotted the mountain range, creating a breathtaking spectacle when viewed from afar.
Ye Yunfei saw that within this mountain range lay the headquarters of a sect. On a plaza inside that sect headquarters, a large group of disciples was cultivating.
To the east of the plaza was a raised platform. Sitting cross-legged atop it was an old man. This elder seemed to be supervising the disciples' cultivation, occasionally offering guidance or pointers to specific individuals.
"We've encountered him again. Looks like there must be some opportunity or treasure here," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm exclaimed excitedly the moment he saw the old man.
"However, I feel this place seems a bit different. Previously, we only encountered this Senior all by himself. Now, besides him, there are so many young disciples here. I think there might be some astounding opportunity or treasure here. Let's hurry inside and look!" the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm said.
"Good, we'll go in right now," Ye Yunfei agreed.
After entering this world and repeatedly encountering this elder, Ye Yunfei had grown increasingly familiar with his presence. By now, he no longer felt any fear; instead, a sense of familiarity and even kinship had emerged. So, without hesitation, Ye Yunfei shot forward into the mountain range ahead and directly entered the sect headquarters.
This sect headquarters was vast in scale. Magnificent, resplendent buildings were scattered throughout the rolling mountains. Members of this sect were active everywhere.
Ye Yunfei extended his senses and discovered most of these members were illusions, not real entities.
"Look, over there's a patch of medicinal plants. Almost all of them seem to be at the level of Greater Sovereign Gods!" the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm cried out in pleasant surprise, pointing at a distant herbal field as soon as they entered the headquarters.
Ye Yunfei's gaze followed the direction. Indeed, at a certain location within the headquarters, there was a herbal field. The herbs within radiated thick, divine light.
Ye Yunfei casually swept his eyes over them, and every plant that entered his vision was indeed of Greater Sovereign God grade. He even spotted some herbs suitable for Seventh-Level Sovereign Gods and Eighth Level Sovereign Gods.
Ye Yunfei's figure flickered as he instantly landed beside that herbal field and began directly harvesting the plants.
"Why do I get the feeling those ten plants over there are of Ninth Heaven Godking grade?" the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm, who possessed an extremely keen perception for most treasures, instantly spotted ten particularly unique-looking herbs in a corner of the patch. They all emitted an aura of Ninth Heaven Godkings.
"Correct. These are indeed Ninth Heaven Godking-grade herbs," Ye Yunfei said, his gaze turning to them. His breathing immediately became heavier.
Then, Ye Yunfei and the others began plucking the herbs from the field together.
Just as they were harvesting, a figure surged toward them from afar, instantly landing on a flat area outside the sect headquarters.
"There's a sect headquarters here, with so many living beings active inside... Something's off," muttered an old man of rather ordinary appearance. He had spotted the sect headquarters nestled in the mountains from a distance and saw many creatures moving within.
"Not good. A truly terrifyingly powerful fellow has arrived," Hun Lao sensed the arrival the moment the old man appeared and immediately sent a Sound Transmission to Ye Yunfei.
"We'll conceal our forms, restrain our auras immediately, and see if we can avoid his detection," Ye Yunfei thought for a moment, then sent a Sound Transmission to everyone.
Acting on his words, everyone immediately employed secret techniques to hide their forms, restrain their auras, and erase their traces.
By this time, Ye Yunfei's group had already cleared out that entire patch of herbs.
"These Greater Sovereign God-grade herbs are priceless. We've struck it rich! I'm going to devour a few right now," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm said to Ye Yunfei.
"If you want to eat them, go ahead. You're an Ancient Primordial Beast. Even though the medicinal potency and energy of these Greater Sovereign God herbs are terrifying, they shouldn't be able to harm your body," Ye Yunfei nodded.
He knew that as an Ancient Primordial Beast, the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm's body was incredibly tough. It could undoubtedly digest these herbs and gain immense benefits.
Without delay, the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm devoured three herbs: two of the Seventh-Level Sovereign God grade and one of the Eighth Level Sovereign God grade.
"Must you be so greedy?" Ye Yunfei couldn't help but sigh, seeing the Silkworm directly pick such high-grade herbs to consume. He spoke up immediately, while also pulling out several types of divine pills, ready to assist if needed.
"You really are too greedy! Even if you are an Ancient Primordial Beast, swallowing two Seventh-Level Sovereign God herbs and an Eighth Level Sovereign God herb all at once... Isn't such a colossal surge of medicinal energy going to pulverize your body to dust?" Hu Miao also remarked with a pout.
"What's there to worry about? I think my body can handle these three herbs. Besides, I feel my strength is becoming weaker and weaker compared to everyone else. If I don't take some strong, potent medicine now, who knows when I'll ever be able to raise my power," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm replied.
BOOM! RUMBLE RUMBLE...
No sooner had he spoken than explosive, earth-shattering roars erupted from within his body.
Boundless, turbulent medicinal energy surged wildly inside him. Endless radiant light spewed forth from every single cell and pore of his form, instantly illuminating the surrounding space with brilliant light.
Moreover, energy so thick it was nearly tangible transformed into billowing mist that overflowed from within him, saturating the space around his body.
"Two Seventh-Level Sovereign God herbs and one Eighth Level Sovereign God herb concentrated together... The medicinal energy they release is truly terrifying," Huang Shang couldn't help but exclaim in awe.
At that moment, the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm's body began to rapidly expand, like a balloon being inflated.
"This fellow is too reckless," Ye Yunfei couldn't help but shake his head.
While the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm was inside the Phantom Tower consuming the three herbs, Ye Yunfei had already employed his movement technique to quietly navigate through the sect headquarters.
Soon, he spotted a group of disciples practicing alchemy within a distant valley. An old man hovered cross-legged in the air, guiding those disciples in their alchemical exercises.
Several dozen cauldrons were lined up in a row. A fragrant, smoky alchemical aroma wafted from each cauldron.
Seeing this, Ye Yunfei felt a surge of elation, because it likely meant there was a legacy of Tianmu Shenjun's alchemy path left behind somewhere in that valley.
Ye Yunfei's figure flickered, and he immediately dashed toward the valley.
Meanwhile, the powerful being standing outside the mountain range was closely examining the sect headquarters within.
"Him again. I've encountered him many times since entering this world. He's most likely a remnant soul, a Soul Power imprint, or just a recording etched into this place. This world is filled with his figures everywhere... Who exactly is he? Could he be Tianmu Shenjun himself?" The old man stared at the elder sitting cross-legged on the high platform inside the plaza of the headquarters, silently guiding the surrounding disciples' cultivation.
"If he truly is Tianmu Shenjun, then even just a remnant soul, a Soul Power imprint, or even a mere recording would be extraordinary. I'd best not provoke him, as this is Tianmu Shenjun's territory," thought the powerhouse, his expression shifting uncertainly as he stared at the elder in the plaza, mentally calculating rapidly.
After entering this world, he had kept encountering this old man. Each time, he chose to avoid or keep his distance, knowing the elder could not be simple.
"Enough. I'll refrain from provoking him for now and just search around this world first," the powerhouse pondered briefly before deciding against challenging the mysterious elder.
This line of thinking mirrored Ye Yunfei's own when he first entered the world and saw the elder.
"Great! It looks like that guy has left," Hun Lao breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the powerhouse turn and depart.
Hun Lao knew that if that powerhouse barged in, their little team might not be able to handle him.
Of course, he also knew the main reason the powerhouse hadn't chosen to enter was due to his apprehension toward that mysterious elder.
"Master, that guy didn't even sense our presence. He's not all that strong, is he?" Hu Miao opened her mouth and said.
"No, he is very strong. Even if all of us joined forces, we would likely not be his match. The reason he didn't sense us is that he never imagined anyone would dare to enter here. Another reason is that this sect headquarters is permeated with a profound, mystical aura. Sensing inside from the outside is like viewing flowers through a mist—hard to perceive the situation here accurately. I had that feeling myself while standing outside earlier," Hun Lao said gravely.
"That fellow has left, so let's not worry about him. Let's focus on finding whatever good things are left here while we have time," Hun Lao added.
"You make sense, Hun Lao," Ye Yunfei nodded in agreement after hearing Hun Lao's analysis.
By now, Ye Yunfei had already rushed into the valley.
The valley was filled with a rich, aromatic alchemical fragrance. On a broad, flat expanse within, the old man hovered cross-legged in the air, guiding a group of disciples as they practiced alchemy.
Cauldron after cauldron was arranged across the flat area, each with roaring alchemical flames blazing within.
Upon entering the valley, Ye Yunfei immediately glanced at the disciples currently engaged in alchemy. Each was wholly focused, sensing the conditions within their respective cauldrons.
Piles of alchemical ingredients and various treasures were arranged beside them.
"So, they are refining Sovereign God-grade pills," Ye Yunfei recognized at a glance that the ingredients piled beside the disciples were all of Sovereign God level.
"These should all be illusions, mere recorded images," Hun Lao observed the scene before him, extended his senses, and spoke quietly.