Whether one is a blade or sword practitioner, getting too close to an enemy in battle is never a good thing.
Both blade and sword techniques require a certain amount of space to be properly executed.
But how could Ye Yunfei give him a chance to retreat?
Ye Yunfei directly unleashed both the Heart Sword and Mind Reading Art, causing this blade cultivator's Soul Body to instantly become disoriented. The man stood there, a terrified expression on his face.
Then Ye Yunfei swung his fists, punching several bloody holes clean through the cultivator's torso in a rapid succession.
"Damn it, how can this brat's strength be so terrifying?"
The blade cultivator realized that facing Ye Yunfei, his attacks were useless, and he was equally powerless to defend.
Under the dual assault of the Heart Sword and Mind Reading Art, his Soul Body suffered a dreadful suppression, making any effective response impossible.
"I can see what he intends to do. Every move he makes, every martial technique he wants to use—I seem to be able to sense it in advance.
Because I utilize my Pupil Technique and Mind Reading Art in tandem, I can roughly guess his thoughts at each moment, allowing me to gain the upper hand and secure victory."
During the battle, Ye Yunfei felt a sense of invincibility while using his Pupil Technique. Every move, every stance, every action, and even the slightest gesture seemed to come a step ahead, completely suppressing his opponent and leaving them with no chance to mount an effective counter.
"How is this possible?"
The other blade cultivators watching nearby couldn't believe their eyes as Ye Yunfei effortlessly defeated another one of them.
The realm Ye Yunfei displayed was merely that of a Heavenly God, while the blade cultivator he just defeated was a Fourth Level Sovereign God.
Though not a Greater Sovereign God, this particular Sovereign God possessed exceptionally powerful blade skills, capable of fighting across levels.
"Brat, you dare to injure someone from our Blade Realm? Go to hell!"
A Fifth Level Sovereign God nearby flew into a rage upon seeing Ye Yunfei arrive and grievously wound two Blade Realm cultivators in rapid succession. What's more, Ye Yunfei had subdued and controlled both of the injured ones.
"Your turn, old man."
Ye Yunfei's gaze shifted to the Fifth Level Sovereign God. Although this was a Fifth Level Sovereign God, Ye Yunfei showed not a trace of retreating intent. A thought surged, and he struck first, immediately unleashing the Mind Reading Art alongside the Heart Sword.
During this period, Ye Yunfei's Mental Force energy level had been continuously rising. Furthermore, he had obtained more of the core legacies from the ancient Heart Gate. As a result, in combat, Mental Force energy and its associated martial skills had become one of Ye Yunfei's primary means of fighting.
"Brat! How dare you attack my Soul Body! You're dead!"
Suddenly discovering his Soul Body under attack, this Fifth Level Sovereign God reacted with a mixture of shock and fury.
With a *boom*, a long, ancient-looking blade shot out from within his body. It rapidly enlarged, instantly transforming into a blade of immense size that seemed to fill a vast stretch of space.
This long blade was an exceedingly high-grade magical artifact and contained fearsome Blade Dao energy.
"Master, I can block this strike with the Primal True Fox Monument. You focus on killing this fellow!"
Hu Miao suggested to Ye Yunfei via Sound Transmission.
The holy artifact of the Ancient Heavenly Fox Clan, the Primal True Fox Monument, was incomparably hard, fearing no magical treasure in the world.
"No need. I'll handle it myself. I also have quite a few powerful magical treasures.
I wonder if the artifact from the Heart Gate can withstand this long blade."
A dazzling, multicolored pearl suddenly appeared before Ye Yunfei.
This was the Heart Pearl he had obtained not long before, after passing the trial of the white river.
The Heart Pearl hovered in front of Ye Yunfei, immediately releasing waves of potent Mental Force energy.
This formidable Mental Force instantly twisted and warped the surrounding space.
The Heart Pearl not only contained vast amounts of Mental Force energy and profound Mental Force laws, but also possessed another function: acting as an amplifier, multiplicatively enhancing the power of Mental Force energy during combat.
With a resonant *hum*, Ye Yunfei unleashed the Heart Sword once more.
This time, Ye Yunfei channeled the attack through the Heart Pearl. A small sword manifested instantly within the Soul Sea of the Fifth Level Sovereign God facing him.
The power of this small sword had multiplied manyfold, and it struck his Soul Body squarely in an instant.
Shocked and enraged, the Sovereign God attempted to resist.
But Ye Yunfei simultaneously employed the Mind Reading Art, causing his already wounded Soul Body to generate thoughts of surrender and inability to fight back.
Though the Sovereign God knew such thoughts were aberrant and swiftly suppressed them, they nevertheless somewhat affected his reactions and judgment.
*Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!...*
Ye Yunfei's fists rained down like a torrential downpour upon the Fifth Level Sovereign God's body. In mere moments, he punched bloody hole after bloody hole through the man's frame.
As a Fifth Level Sovereign God, his body was indeed far more resilient than that of a Fourth Level Sovereign God, and his Divine Power energy protected his body to a degree. Yet, it couldn't endure for long under Ye Yunfei's onslaught.
Inside his Soul Sea, the small sword attacked his Soul Body repeatedly, soon inflicting serious injury.
"The power of this Heart Pearl certainly hasn't disappointed me."
A pleased expression crossed Ye Yunfei's face.
He felt pleasantly surprised by the might of the Heart Sword he was now unleashing.
"This Heart Pearl is likely an artifact of the ancient Heart Gate. Its power is indeed quite remarkable.
With it, you can effortlessly utilize Mental Force energy to handle Fifth Level Sovereign Gods."
Hun Lao commented via Sound Transmission.
"Indeed."
Ye Yunfei nodded in agreement.
By this point, the Fifth Level Sovereign God before him had completely lost his ability to resist, his Soul Body grievously wounded.
For a blade cultivator, a severely injured Soul Body is a true fatal flaw, robbing them of the strength needed to execute powerful blade techniques. Much like swordsmanship, blade techniques require formidable willpower to support their use.
"How can this be?!
No, I don't believe it! How could I, a Fifth Level Sovereign God, be so soundly defeated by a junior like you?"
The Sovereign God roared with utter disbelief.
Defeated with virtually no ability to retaliate in such a short time and in front of so many onlookers, his Soul Body critically injured—the shame was unbearable.
Moreover, who knew how long it would take for his wounded Soul Body to truly heal now?
However, there would be no 'later' for him, because Ye Yunfei had no intention of letting him go. Ye Yunfei immediately subdued and sealed the severely injured blade cultivator.
Although describing the exchange between Ye Yunfei and this Fifth Level Sovereign God may seem to take a while, the actual combat concluded within an extremely short span. By the time the other blade cultivators nearby sensed something was wrong and tried to intervene, it was already too late.
And so, Ye Yunfei had successively defeated three blade cultivators, forcefully suppressing and sealing all three.
Their physical bodies and Soul Bodies now lay in Ye Yunfei's hands.
"Ye brat, you're dead!"
This sight left the remaining blade cultivators utterly astounded and enraged. They no longer had any interest in dealing with the Liu Family members or paying attention to the Thunderstruck Wood. Instead, they all fixed furious glares upon Ye Yunfei.
"Ye brat, you will die today!"
A Sixth-Level Sovereign God, murderous intent overflowing from his eyes, began advancing step by step toward Ye Yunfei.
Blade light after blade light, dense and endless, erupted from his body, slicing through the surrounding space and creating one dark, gaping spatial rift after another.
The other blade cultivators from the Blade Realm were also filled with towering rage, gripping their long blades as they converged on Ye Yunfei from various directions.
Ye Yunfei had thoroughly incited these blade cultivators into a frenzy.
"Who is this young man? How can his strength be so frightening?"
At this moment, the members of the Liu Family watched Ye Yunfei with wary and uncertain gazes.
The astounding combat prowess Ye Yunfei exhibited, contrasted with his mere Heavenly God realm, struck them as profoundly unreal.
"How can there be such an abnormally talented young genius in this world? What is his origin? Which ancient power or ancient family cultivated him?"
A Liu Family Elder couldn't help but send a private Sound Transmission to the others.
"Now that this young man is clashing fiercely with those from the Blade Realm, perhaps we should seize the chance to take these Thunderstruck Wood logs?"
A Liu Family member proposed.
"Let's wait and see first," an Elder from the Liu Family shook his head, replying to the others via Sound Transmission. "This young man likely came for the Thunderstruck Wood as well. He also probably has a grudge against the Blade Realm, which is why he attacked them the moment he arrived.
However, if we try to take the wood now, it's likely his target would immediately shift to us.
If he turned on us, our casualties would surely be severe. This young man's strength is far too strange and powerful. It's best we don't act rashly but wait to see how the situation unfolds.
These Blade Realm people have bullied us intolerably; they were ready to attack us earlier. It would be fitting if this young man taught them a lesson."
"That makes sense. If we tried to take the wood now, that terrifying young man might well attack us.
He is far too dangerous; we better not provoke him lightly."
The other Liu Family members nodded one after another, agreeing.
The sheer dominance and speed with which Ye Yunfei defeated those three blade cultivators filled the Liu Family members with fear. They had no desire to fight Ye Yunfei lightly.
"I, for one, think we should not only refrain from taking the wood but should instead step forward to assist this young man, joining him against the Blade Realm bastards.
If this young man hadn't arrived, those Blade Realm scoundrels would have already attacked us.
By now, many of us might have already fallen at the hands of those blade cultivators.
Since the Blade Realm people have bullied us beyond endurance, there's no need for us to hold so many reservations."
Another member of the Liu Family, a man of considerable strength, spoke up.
"Well said! These Blade Realm fellows have indeed overstepped their bounds!"
Following his words, many others voiced their agreement.
"Be careful. They outnumber you, and that old one is a Sixth-Level Sovereign God, so his combat power should be quite formidable."
Hun Lao cautioned Ye Yunfei via Sound Transmission.
"For now, I don't plan to fight them just yet. I'll collect the Thunderstruck Wood first."
Ye Yunfei glanced at the nearby, pitch-black Thunderstruck Wood logs and declared.
"But will these Blade Realm guys allow you to take that wood? And there's still that other faction's people nearby."
The Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm remarked.
"It's no problem. I can trap them first."
Ye Yunfei responded confidently.
Having spoken, Ye Yunfei waved a hand and withdrew a large bundle of formation flags. He began scattering them into the surrounding space, thrusting them into the fabric of reality.
*Boom! Boom!...*
Flag after flag expanded continuously. In an instant, three large formations took shape.
These three grand formations served different purposes, but all were terrifying in both grade and power. They immediately encircled and entrapped the Blade Realm blade cultivators.